The ROSE ELF RECORDING Project
"Samantha Hankey, a mezzo from Massachusetts, starred as The Elf in The Rose Elf, by David Hertzberg, produced by Unison Media at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn in June. It was one of the most important opera events of the year."
OPERAVORE
THE rose elf
recording project
Learn more about the upcoming commercial recording project for David Hertzberg's critically-acclaimed new work The Rose Elf, starring Ms. Hankey in the titular role.
"ONE OF MY DREAMS HAS BEEN TO BE ABLE TO SHARE MY SINGING WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE,
and I believe that David’s music is something worth sharing with the world."
SAMANTHA HANKEY
A note from Samantha:
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Hello friends! I am requesting your support to fund the recording of a new opera called The Rose Elf, which was written for me by composer David Hertzberg. The Rose Elf premiered this past summer as the inaugural event of a new series called The Angel’s Share in a first-of-its-kind presentation in the catacombs of the historic Green-Wood Cemetery in New York. I co-developed the title role of this opera over a period of several years in close collaboration with David, and through three workshop presentations with Opera Philadelphia leading up to the premiere. I feel privileged to have worked closely with David and presenter Andrew Ousley as an instrumental part of production and premiering this work.
The performances and the opera garnered significant attention and acclaim, from outlets such as The New York Times, Time Out, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The Observer, Opera News, Parterre, Musical America, CBS and New York 1. WQXR named it “The Opera Event of 2018” and for my performance named me among the top “40 under 40: A New Generation of Superb Opera Singers.” The production served as a significant boon to my career, and also as an expression of an important and distinctive dimension of my artistry that I had yet to share with the opera community.
At the end of the run, David and I discussed our shared desire to make a definitive recording for commercial release. This recording would not only serve as a personally and artistically significant debut album with an opera that was written for my voice, but also help foster more productions of this brilliant work.
In early September, David introduced me to the brilliant engineer and producer Andreas Meyer, whose work and musical sensibilities resonated strongly with us, and who was equally enthused about the prospect of collaborating on our project. I ask for your support, which is vital in helping me share this music with a wider audience, build a distinctive and multifaceted career as an opera singer and musician, and broaden the scope and breadth of my collaborative partnerships and artistic ambitions. In order to make this happen though, we will need some financial support. Our recording sessions are scheduled for this month and we will need some financial support; any donations to this project are tax deductible.
Thank you so kindly for your consideration and support!
the cast
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Samantha Hankey, The Elf
Sydney Mancasola, The Girl/Luna
Kirk Dougherty, The Beloved/Horus
Andrew Bogard, The Brother
Bixby Kennedy, Clarinet
Bryn Coveney, Horn
Euntaek Kim, Piano
Bradley Loudis, Percussion
Gergana Haralampieva, Violin I
Julia Glenn, Violin II
Yoshihiko Nakano, Viola
Julian Schwarz, Cello
William Langlie-Miletich, Bass
PROPOSED USE OF FUNDS
(UPDATED NOV 20)
Artist Fees = 12 x $600 = $7,200
Engineer Fee = $2,500
Studio Fee = $2,958.84
Percussion, Travel, Misc.= $2,016.20
Post Production = $5,000
TOTAL = $19,675.04