“The terrific and incredible Chelsea Hollow, whose high notes soar, truly out of this world.”
Opera Parallèle | Birds & Balls
Farinelli’s Trainer (Vinkensport, Little/Vavrek)
Opera Parallèle brings together two seemingly disparate, but perfectly paired operas to create an entertaining evening in the theater. This innovative new pairing explores the nature of competition, how it can consume a personality and the human desire to win, all through a comedic lens. Birds & Balls combines David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s bittersweet comic opera Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera, inspired by the obscure Flemish folk sport of Finch-Sitting, with Balls, a World Premiere by Emmy & GRAMMY winning composer Laura Karpman with a libretto by NY Times writer Gail Collins. Balls explores the famed 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes.” Featuring a live tennis match, actual commentary from the 1973 broadcast and key figures such as Larry King, Howard Cosell and even Susan B. Anthony, this new production promises to be a wildly entertaining evening!
All performances at SF Jazz in San Francisco
Friday, April 5, 2024 7.30 PM
Saturday, April 6, 2 PM & 7.30 PM
Sunday, April 7, 2 PM
Both operas sung in English with supertitles | Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes, no intermission
Tickets and More Information available at operaparallele.org.
Cycles of Resistance - The 222
The 222 Art Gallery in Healdsburg
222 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, CA 95448
The 222 Art Gallery presents: Cycles of Resistance, a recital of new commissions by soprano Chelsea Hollow aiming to expand perspective. Hollow says, “I believe that art can serve us in a variety of ways: we can escape into fantastic worlds; we can laugh, smile, and breathe together; we can gain perspective and empathy.” The music and texts journey through a series of international resistance movements over the last 120 years; they are powerful, sometimes tragic and serve to add perspective, catharsis, and clarity. This project began as Hollow’s longing for her artist community during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a call for proposals, she invited composers to submit ideas which addressed issues important to them and their community. The 24 songs represent diverse perspectives and languages not yet common in the classical canon: Mandarin, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Czech in addition to English, chronicling examples of human resilience: Chinese feminist poetry from the early 1900s; a Dutch sonnet on love conquering all evils; the unity of young Czech girls imprisoned in Room 28 at Theresienstadt Internment Camp; a reminder that all humans are part of the disability community at some point in their lives; maternal hesitation, clarity, and urgency in the Flint, Michigan water crisis; harrowing tales of the Turkish Femicide; Prayers of Peace from the traditions of Islam and Hinduism; & inspiring speeches by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and activist Valarie Kaur.
Program includes:
Darkness of the Womb by Niloufar Nourbakhsh
Zachte Krachten by Anthony R. Green
Maagal by Michael Wiener
Two Poems by Qiu Jin by Sophie Xuefei Zhang
The Beauty of Disability by Molly Joyce
Living Water by Lauren McCall
Al kan kuşak by Özden Gülsün
AOC Takes the Floor by Jason Cady
Prayers for Peace by Myron Silberstein
CDs, Download links, and merch will be available for purchase. Find out more about the album here.
Cycles of Resistance - Brooklyn Art Haus
Brooklyn Art Haus
20-26 Marcy Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Brooklyn Art Haus (BAH) presents: Cycles of Resistance, a recital of new commissions by soprano Chelsea Hollow aiming to expand perspective. Hollow says, “I believe that art can serve us in a variety of ways: we can escape into fantastic worlds; we can laugh, smile, and breathe together; we can gain perspective and empathy.” The music and texts journey through a series of international resistance movements over the last 120 years; they are powerful, sometimes tragic and serve to add perspective, catharsis, and clarity. This project began as Hollow’s longing for her artist community during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a call for proposals, she invited composers to submit ideas which addressed issues important to them and their community. The 24 songs represent diverse perspectives and languages not yet common in the classical canon: Mandarin, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Sanskrit, and Czech in addition to English, chronicling examples of human resilience: Chinese feminist poetry from the early 1900s; a Dutch sonnet on love conquering all evils; the unity of young Czech girls imprisoned in Room 28 at Theresienstadt Internment Camp; a reminder that all humans are part of the disability community at some point in their lives; maternal hesitation, clarity, and urgency in the Flint, Michigan water crisis; harrowing tales of the Turkish Femicide; Prayers of Peace from the traditions of Islam and Hinduism; & inspiring speeches by U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and activist Valarie Kaur.
Program includes:
Darkness of the Womb by Niloufar Nourbakhsh
Autumn Begonia by Sophie Xuefei Zhang
The Beauty of Disability by Molly Joyce
Al kan kuşak by Özden Gülsün
AOC Takes the Floor by Jason Cady
Prayers for Peace by Myron Silberstein
CDs, Download links, and merch will be available for purchase. Find out more about the album here.
The Three Feathers (Solo Opera)
Chelsea will join Solo Opera as Gilda in The Three Feathers, a magical chamber opera for families and children with music by award winning composer, Lori Laitman, and libretto by local poet laureate, Dana Gioia. Based on a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, the opera follows Princess Dora, not as a damsel in distress, but as a heroine. A magic feather leads the shy, self-doubting princess to an enchanted Underworld ruled by a giant Frog King. Here, she summons her courage and compassion to face a series of mysterious and comic adventures that change her life. Completing her quest, she saves her father’s kingdom from the plots of her selfish sisters and earns her right to the crown.
September 8, 2023, 8:00pm and September 10, 2023, 2:00pm
Lesher Center for the Arts. 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Skronkathon
Presented by the Mosswood Sound Series.
Chelsea Hollow and Taylor Chan will present selections from their album, Cycles of Resistance! More information coming soon!
Dolores (West Edge Opera)
¡Viva la Causa!
Chelsea is thrilled to join West Edge Opera this summer for the orchestra preview of this incredible work. The music is cathartic and expansive bringing audiences right to the epicenter of the farm worker’s fight for rights during the 1960s.
Dolores Huerta is a legend in the fight for farm workers’ rights. In June of 1968, the movement lost a major ally and Dolores lost a friend when Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. The opera focuses on Dolores’ struggles, triumphs, and tragedies during some of the most iconic and charged weeks of American history. Chelsea will be singing the roles of Helen Chavez & Ethel Kennedy.Dolores is the first commission to come out of West Edge Opera’s project Aperture. Created during the height of COVID, Aperture members watched the development of Dolores online 2020-2021. WEO now invites you to an hour-long program featuring excerpts from the opera, in person.
Nicolás Lell Benavides, composer
Marella Martin Koch, librettist
Mary Chun, Music Director
New Music Gathering (Cycles of Resistance)
New Music Gathering, here we come! We’re so excited to join this year’s NMG hosted by Portland State. We’ll be participating in three days of events and performing a sampling of our recital, Cycles of Resistance on Saturday 6/24. More details TBA!
E4TT: Crystal
Crystal: 15th Anniversary Celebration
In person @ Noe Valley Ministry (1021 Sanchez, SF) plus free LIVE STREAM on YouTube
Pre-concert composer talk at 7:00 p.m.
E4TT celebrates its 15th anniversary with a gala celebration featuring guest artists performing favorites from the past decade and world premieres by Vivian Fung and Marcus Norris. Chelsea will sing selections by Brennan Stokes and Melanie Mitrano.
Rossini's Stabat Mater with San Francisco City Chorus
Chelsea is thrilled to return to the San Francisco City Chorus to sing the soprano solo in Rossini’s Stabat Mater. For more information and ticketing, visit SFCityChorus.org.
Cycles of Resistance ALBUM RELEASE Concert
Album Release Concert!
April 29th, 7pm
San Francisco
Come join Chelsea, Taylor, and Aerocade Music in celebrating the release of their new album, Cycles of Resistance! Chelsea and Taylor will perform works from the album live at Old First Presbyterian Church on April 29th, 2023 at 7pm.
Program includes:
Darkness of the Womb by Niloufar Nourbakhsh
Zachte Krachten by Anthony R. Green
Maagal by Michael Wiener
Autumn Begonia by Sophie Xuefei Zhang
The Beauty of Disability by Molly Joyce
Living Water by Lauren McCall
Al kan kuşak by Özden Gülsün
What is so Hard About Saying That This is Wrong? by Jason Cady
Śānti-Pāțha by Myron Silberstein
CDs and Download links will be available for purchase. Find out more about the album here.
Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at 7pm
Old First Presbyterian
1751 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Tickets will be available at the door on a sliding scale donation ($10-25).
Cash, credit card, Venmo and Paypal will be accepted.
Albert Herring (Ms. Wordsworth)
Chelsea looks forward to taking a new adventure with Pocket Opera in their first English language opera not featuring a translation by beloved founder, Donald Pippin. Under the musical direction of Maestro David Drummond, Pocket Opera is presenting Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten this Spring!
April 23, 2pm – Berkeley Hillside Club
2286 Cedar St, Berkeley, CA 94709
April 30, 2pm – Legion of Honor, SF
100 34th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121
May 7, 2:30pm – Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
500 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041
Tickets and More Information available at PocketOpera.org
Hot Air Festival (Cycles of Resistance)
Chelsea and Taylor are thrilled to bring Cycles of Resistance to their alma mater, SFCM this March! More information TBA. For program information, visit the Cycles of Resistance page.
Radium Runway Opera Gala
Island City Opera and Radium Runway present an evening of opera favorites featuring internationally beloved Frederica von Stade, Island City Opera founder Eileen Meredith, Chelsea Hollow, Bradley Kynard, Alex Boyer, and more. Alex Katsman and Ron Borelli will accompany the singers on piano and accordion! Come here Chelsea sing Offenbach’s “Doll Aria”, Mozart’s “Queen of the Night”, and a classic made famous by Edith Piaf, “L’accordeoniste”.
Alameda Point Taxiway – 2149 Ferry Point, Alameda
FREE EVENT
RSVP at radiumpresents.org.
Shepherd on the Rock (Der Hirt auf dem Felsen)
Come hear Schubert’s classic work for soprano, clarinet, and piano. Chelsea Hollow, Larry London (clarinet), and Frank Johnson (piano) will bring this work and others to the Jarvis Conservatory in Napa this coming September.
Tickets available at: jarvisconservatory.com
Wanda (The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein/Offenbach)
Pocket Opera, San Francisco
Music Direction: Frank Johnson
Stage Direction: Bethanie Baeyen
Sunday, June 12 @ 2 pm (Hillside Club, Berkeley)
Friday, June 17th @ 7pm (Jarvis Conservatory, Napa)
Sunday, June 19 @ 2:30 pm (Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View)
Sunday, June 26 @ 2:00 pm (Legion of Honor, SF)
If you’d like a teaser, here is a home concert recorded for Pocket Opera in 2020.
For tickets and more information, visit pocketopera.org.
Cycles of Resistance
Chelsea Hollow and pianist, Taylor Chan will finally get to perform the concert commissioned and scheduled for 2020! The program chronologically explores acts of resistance throughout the 20th and 21st centuries and features 11 world premieres in nine languages. Highlights include “Living Water” by Lauren McCall, inspired by the Flint Water Crisis; “I could not allow that to stand” by Jason Cady, using text from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s speech in response to the harassment she faced on the capitol steps; “Prayers for Peace” by Myron Silberstein, which features four settings of peace prayers from Islam, Judaism, Hindu, & Christian faiths; and “Maagal” by Michael Wiener, featuring text from Hannelore Brenner’s “The Girls of Room 28” which tells the story of young girls who passed through the Theresienstadt internment camp on their way to Auschwitz. Other premieres by composers Anthony R. Green, Sophie Xuefei Zhang, Özden Gülsün Keskin, and Molly Joyce.
Check out Chelsea’s interview with composers, Jason Cady & Anthony R. Green, to learn more about each of their contributions to this program.
Visit Old First Concerts for tickets. This hybrid event will have a live and streamed audience option. Click here for stream link.
Alchemy (The Ensemble for These Times)
Chelsea joins the award-winning E4TT performing the world premiere of Brennan Stokes’ The Unseen. This work is a stunning tour-de-force for both Chelsea and collaborative pianist, Margaret Halbig. With texts by Sara Teasdale celebrating and contemplating the beauty of nature and preciousness of a single moment, Stokes’ composition style embellishes Teasdale’s thoughts bringing dramatic contour and development to her evocative and concise texts.
The concert will also feature a premiere of Mary Bianco’s alongside works focusing on identity and transformation by Marcus Norris, Coleridge Taylor Perkinson, Lisa Bielawa, Darian Donovan Thomas, Julia Perry, George Walker, and more!
This is a hybrid concert with options for joining in-person or streaming.