3rd Annual Holiday Concert Series

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Marta

The sounds of Operatic Carolers, Shredding Electric Guitars, and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite ring through the air. . . It can only mean one thing: Electric Opera Company’s Third Annual Holiday Concert series is here! And this year brings more musicians, more holiday favorites, and more performances. More than 20 classically trained musicians pick up guitars, synthesizers and drum sticks to comprise EOC’s biggest Orchestra since “The Barber of Bridgetown.” They’ll be playing and singing a medley of Holiday classics, Vivaldi’s icy “Winter” concerto from his famous “Four Seasons”, and everyone’s favorite: “The Nutcracker Suite” in its entirety.

This program is too big for just one show, so we’re expanding our holiday concert to three shows, and there’s sure to be something for everyone! We kick off the season with the fun, party atmosphere of Mississippi Pizza where Electric Opera Company initially cut its chops in its early days (Friday, December 9th, 9pm). Then we bring our festive reveling to the outdoor climates of Forest Park to lend our sound to ZooLights (Saturday, December 10th, 5pm). We wrap up the holiday season with a benefit for local nonprofit My Voice Music at Mississippi Studios (Saturday, December 17th, 1pm).

Three shows:

-Friday, December 9th, Mississippi Pizza – 9-11pm, 21+ $5 suggested donation
-Saturday, December 10th, ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo – 5-6pm, All Ages, Concert Free with price of ZooLights admission
-Saturday, December 17th, Mississippi Studios – 1pm, All Ages, benefit ticket price TBA

Click here to RSVP on Facebook

Eine Kleine EP

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Bobby

Get ready for A Little Bit of Rock Musik

Electric Opera Company’s “Eine Kleine EP” has been released to the public at www.ElectricOperaCompany.bandcamp.com. This 4 track EP is a preview of our first full length album due early next year, and the first release from Sound Dragon Studios, managed by Adam Goodwin.

1. Largo al Factotum – from Gioachino Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia

2. Divertimento in D, no. K 136 – by W.A. Mozart

3. Clair de Lune – from Claude Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque (Piano by Josephine Woolington)

4. La Veau D’or – from Charles Gounod’s Faust

All tracks recorded by the Electric Opera Company Studio Orchestra with vocals by Bobby Ray. Engineered by Adam Goodwin, Produced by Bobby Ray and Adam Goodwin

Purchase or Preview Electric Opera Company’s Eine Kleine EP

Portland Opera Big Night

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Bobby

Whew! What an exhausting weekend,

Electric Opera Company at Portland Opera's Big Night

But I haven’t had a weekend that great in months! First, on Friday we had the opportunity to bring classical music to the wonderful and enthusiastic students of Salish Ponds Elementary School. Then on Saturday, we had the pleasure of opening for Portland Opera’s “Big Night” Gala Concert at the Keller Auditorium. EOC played a half hour set in front of the Keller for the Street Fair portion of the event, with all proceeds going directly towards Portland Opera To-Go, their educational outreach program from which we receive a lot of inspiration! And all the while, we’ve been busily working in the recording studio to put the finishing touches on our EP. Needless to say we were spent by Sunday morning!

Tsipa Swan sings Rossini's "Una Voce Poco Fa"

Portland Opera’s Big Night was just that: BIG! We were joined at the street fair by Opera Theater Oregon, doing Katie Taylor’s arrangement of the Opera Faust in 5 minutes (ambitious, and hilarious!), as well as the Twangshifters. Then the festivities carried inside for Portland Opera’s season kickoff Gala Concert featuring a plethora of operatic favorites from great Traviata and Carmen choruses to the touching Pearl Fisher duet and even some West Side Story. But the night wasn’t over! Outside on the gigantic 20×40′ screen, they projected the famous Marx Brother’s movie “A Night at the Opera”. The evening had all of the spectacle, pomp, and excitement of an opera, while managing to avoid being stuffy (as mentioned by the Oregonian).

We’d like to thank the Portland Opera for inviting us to play at the wonderful event, as well as all the staff members and volunteers who worked so hard to make this ambitious evening happen. We really appreciate your hard work!

More pictures of the event are available on our Facebook Page

Thanks for a great show

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Bobby

Well I know we had a blast on Friday night

Sympathy for the Devil (take 2) with Classical Revolution PDX at the Alberta Rose Theater was a fun night of some of the best classical and rocking music from the past 250 years played by twenty classically trained musicians themed around the famous song by the Rolling Stone (Woo Woo!). Thanks to everyone who came out to make this such a wonderful evening!

Barry Johnson, director of Oregon Arts Watch put out a review of the show in his Weekend Wrap on www.opb.org

Gary Stallsworth was on hand to take some wonderful photos, which can be viewed here

And an audience member named Sara was astute enough to catch some footage on her camera phone

Sympathy for the Devil – THIS FRIDAY

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Bobby

————

Electric Opera Company and Classical Revolution PDX Present:
Sympathy for the Devil
A classically inspired rock concert at the Alberta Rose Theater

Portland’s favorite Electric Guitar Orchestra collides with the city’s
most accessible Chamber Ensemble to show you a side of classical music
you’ve never even dreamed of, but will never want to leave behind…

————————————————————————————————————————————–

Oregon Music News Interview with Bobby Ray

PORTLAND — Alternative Classical Music. You could say they’re polar
opposites. The guitarists of Electric Opera Company bringing their
modern instruments into classical settings play the Ying to Classical
Revolution PDX’s Yang of chamber instrumentalists playing at bars and
other comfortable settings. But this is a case where opposites
attract for a common goal: Making Classical Music more accessible to
the everyday listener!

Classical Revolution and Electric Opera Company will bring their
trademark stylings of 18th century masterworks to the Alberta Rose
Theater on August 19th for a concert that won’t soon be forgotten.
The theme is “Sympathy for the Devil” and there’s a heavy helping of
“Diablo in musica” in store including the Danse Macabre, selections
from Gounod’s Faust, Chopin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and
plenty more surprises. Bring your beer drinking fists and wear
whatever you want, its classical music for the 21st century!

Classical Revolution PDX in a Nutshell
Classical Revolution PDX offers chamber music performances in highly accessible
venues, such as bars and cafes. By taking chamber music out of the recital hall and
making it more accessible to an audience who does not otherwise hear such music
in a live context, Classical Revolution strives to make the public aware that classical
music is still relevant and can be enjoyed by all.

“Will the demise of appreciationfor classical music be reversed by the Classical
Revolution movement? Time will tell, it’s transformational, it’s unforgettable and every
pair of ears that hears it is going to pass the word on. Now that’s the stuff of
revolutions alright.” – Zaph Mann, OPB Music

Electric Opera Company in a Nutshell
Electric Opera Company is dedicated to revitalizing the popularity of
opera and classical music through education and performance; and to
breaking down the barriers to these arts by presenting them in a
modern, accessible medium. This accessible medium is the Fifteen
Piece Electric Guitar orchestra, in which musicians play the exact
parts as written by the composer. But the instruments typically
associated with classical music are replaced with an army of electric
guitars, keyboards, and drums.

The orchestra has been making waves around town as both a rock band
teaching adults that classical music is way more awesome than they
think it is, a company that produces fully staged operas, and an
educational outreach group teaching kids basically the same thing.
They’ve been spotted in opera houses, rock venues, middle schools,
elementary schools, music festivals, non-profits, and more, spreading
the gospel of classical music to the unsuspecting.

In a Nutshell
What: Sympathy for the Devil, a concert featuring Electric Opera
Company and Classical Revolution PDX

Who: Produced by Electric Opera Company and Classical Revolution PDX.
Arranged by Bobby Ray and Adam Goodwin. Musical direction by
Ray/Goodwin/Kaiser

When/Where: Friday, August 19th, 8:00 pm – Minors OK when accompanied
by a parent or guardian
The Alberta Rose Theater 3000 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR (503) 719-6055

Why: To bring the joy of Classical Music to those who might not
experience it otherwise, and to share a new lens through which to view
a timeless favorite.

Tickets: $8 at the door or purchased online at
http://www.albertarosetheatre.com/

Electric Opera Company joins Classical Revolution PDX for a devilishly good time!

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Marta

EOC’s Electric Guitar Orchestra collides with Classical Revolution, the city’s most accessible Chamber Ensemble, to show you a side of classical music you’ve never even dreamed of, but will never want to leave behind! We’ll bring our trademark stylings of 18th century masterworks to the Alberta Rose Theater on August 19th for a concert that won’t soon be forgotten. The theme is “Sympathy for the Devil” and there’s a heavy helping of “Diablo in musica” in store including the Danse Macabre, selections from Gounod’s Faust, Chopin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and plenty more surprises. Bring your beer drinking fists and wear whatever you want, its classical music for the 21st century!

Friday, August 19th, 8:00 pm – Minors OK when accompanied by a parent or guardian

The Alberta Rose Theater 3000 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR (503) 719-6055

Tickets: $8 at the door or purchased online at http://www.albertarosetheatre.com/

We hope to see you there!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Bobby

Electric Opera Company is thrilled to be a part of Filmusik’s upcoming Arcade-o-Vision project – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 – a Video Game Tournament held on the BIG SCREEN at the Hollywood Theater on July 14th. A screening of the classic TMNT Movie will be held at 7pm, with the all out turtle rumble beginning at 9pm. Bring your favorite colored headband and ancient ninja weapon and join us in a couple weeks!

In the meantime, check out the promo video!

Classical Music Appreciation Project

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Bobby

Electric Opera Company is proud to announce…

The Classical Music Appreciation Project

A mission to change 10,000 minds about Classical Music

Despite containing some of the greatest artistic achievements in the history of mankind, the Classical Music Catalogue has lost its luster in modern pop culture. Modern ears don’t take to the works of Mozart and Beethoven as easily as they take to Katy Perry, Rihanna, and many other artists who sit atop the pop charts in 21^st Century society. Electric Opera Company’s mission from day one has been to “revitalize the popularity of opera and classical music through education and performance; and to break down the barriers to these arts by presenting them in a modern, accessible medium.” Over its two year existence, EOC has done just that across the greater Portland area, bringing classical music to new ears through the medium of the Electric Guitar and to the delight of people young and old. As EOC rolls into its third year of operation, we really want to see how we’re doing and how well we can do, bringing this wonderful music to anyone who is willing to listen. So we’ve challenged ourselves:

Can we change 10,000 minds about Classical Music?

It seems a bit ambitious at first, but we really think it’s possible. The resources available to an opera company in these modern times far surpass the reach of a similar company even 20 years ago. Not only do we have the already proven vehicles of Main Stage Opera Performances, Rock Shows, Educational Outreach, and CD Recordings – we can also tap into an endless source of new media: YouTube, Facebook, Music Videos, Broad Social Media Networks and instant communication with just about anyone in the world. Not only that, but we have the technology to instantly and easily track who has heard our music and who has had their mind changed about Mozart! Through EOC’s ambitious 2011/2012 Calendar, we are confident we can reach 10,000 minds, and we can’t wait to get started!

For more information on the CMAP, check out the main page

To register as one of the 10,000 minds that have been changed, head to our registration page

Thank You Emerald City

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Bobby

Electric Opera Company would like to send a gigantic thank you to everyone involved in our Memorial Day Weekend trip to the greater Seattle Area. We had a blast sharing our love for classical music with you, and witnessing many minds being changed about how classical music is viewed! Special Thanks to NW Folk Life and the King County Library System for making it possible for us to bring our group to Seattle, and to everyone who came out to one of the shows. We hope to see you again sometime soon!

Electric Opera Company in Seattle – Folklife is This Weekend!

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Bobby

This Memorial Day Weekend, Electric Opera Company will return to Seattle’s FolkLife Festival with our unique brand of classical education. EOC will be making three free, all ages apperances over the course of the weekend:

Friday, May 27th 5pm – Crossroads Mall
Saturday, May 28th 2pm – Redmond Library
Sunday, May 29th 1:00 pm Folklife Festival – Discovery Zone – Seattle Center

IF you’re in the Seattle area, bring the family out and experience how much classical music can rock!