DIGITAL PROGRAM
EARTH EARS:
A SONIC RITUAL
DECEMBER 15, 2024 | ANGELS GATE CULTURAL CENTER
About the show
LBO’s 2024-2025 ALL OLIVEROS programming kicked off with an intimate introduction exploring Oliveros’ ritualistic operatic works: a daytime, one performance only special production. Centered around EARTH EARS: A Sonic Ritual, a meditative, interactive text score designed to engage both performers and the audience in a communal act of deep listening. The performance launched the new LBO and invited all to join us in an exploration of Pauline Oliveros’ revolutionary ideas about making sound, listening and opera as ritual.
CREATIVE TEAM
Chrisi Karvonides- Dushenko
Costume Designer
Kaitlin Trimble
Lighting Designer
Kathryn Shuman
Voice
James Darrah
Artistic Director
Pauline Oliveros
Composer
Shelley Burgon
Creative Partner & Harp
Christopher Rountree
Music Director
Prairie T Trivuth
Production Designer
Marta Tiesenga
Creative Partner & Saxophone
Pauline Lay
Instrumentalist
Joshua Rubin
Bass Clarinet
Sharon Chohi Kim
Voice
William Roper
Tuba
PRODUCTION TEAM
Eric Bridges, Director of Production
Ashley Likins, Managing Production Coordinator
Max Mineer, Production Assistant
Anderson Nunnelly, Producer
Adelaide Sandvold, House Manager
Caleb Wildman, Master Electrician
Anderson Nunnelley, Producer
About the venue
Located in the beautiful coastal community of San Pedro, California, Angels Gate Cultural Center (AGCC) is a dynamic and inclusive hub for arts and culture. We are supported by a passionate team of staff members, dedicated board members, and an incredible collection of collaborators.
Perched atop a scenic hill with expansive views of the Pacific Ocean, Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro, CA, is a unique venue where art meets community. This inspiring location, nestled in the hills of San Pedro, offers a beautiful space for creative expression and a place where art and nature blend seamlessly.
As a nonprofit, Angels Gate Cultural Center dedicates itself to supporting artists and fostering community connections through a variety of art-focused programs. It offers artists essential workspaces and invites the public to engage with the arts through hands-on activities, exhibitions, and cultural events. Over the years, it has grown into a lively arts hub, serving both San Pedro and the wider Los Angeles area.
Choosing Angels Gate for our performance allows us to embrace this spirit of creativity and community. The center’s commitment to inclusivity and its role as a gathering place for art lovers align perfectly with our goal of creating an unforgettable experience for our audience. Surrounded by the center’s natural beauty and artistic energy, we look forward to delivering a performance that celebrates the magic of art and the importance of community, all set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.
About LBO
Long Beach Opera (LBO) is Southern California’s oldest and boldest opera company, with over 45 years of challenging norms, taking risks and sparking meaningful conversation. Under the leadership of the company’s third Artistic Director & Chief Creative Officer, James Darrah, we create uniquely immersive work that blends film, dance, new music and more. LBO is committed to centering underrepresented voices—striving to redefine the art form to make it more accessible to our entire community. Notable highlights include our 2019 world premiere of Anthony Davis' The Central Park Five, which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize, and the 2023 premiere of Pulitzer-finalist Kate Soper's The Romance of the Rose.
Team lbo
Marjorie Beale
Interim Managing Director
Fiona Digney
Director of Creative Operations
Eric Bridges
Director of Production
Greer Cohen
Director of Marketing & Brand
Amaridis Quintana
Administrative Manager
Chelsea Chaves
Education Manager
Ashley Likins
Managing Production Coordinator
Andres Leon
Marketing & Patron Services Associate
Michelle Magaldi
Artistic Planning Consultant
Mario A. Redondo Luna
Marketing Intern
Jeremy Wright
Production Intern
Sarah Totty
Development Intern
Christopher Rountree
Music Director
James Darrah
Artistic Director & Chief Creative Officer
Rachel Steinke
Development Events Coordinator
Ian Schipper
Box Office & Database Manager
Andrea Joy Pearson
Community & Culture Experience Consultant
Ellen Moody
Outreach & Engagement Coordinator
Anderson Nunnelly
Associate Creative Producer
Board of Directors
Officers
Mark Taylor • President
Karen Molleson • Vice President
Susan Bienkowski • Treasurer
Keith Simmons • Secretary
Members
Marjorie Beale (ex Officio)
Barbara Boies
Peolia Kansas (PK) Fonsworth III, M.D./M.B.A
Laurel Howat
Gregg J. Loubier
Greta Johnson Mandell, M.D.
Bruce Robertson
Bill Shafton
LBO & Education
Opera Encounter sparks students' interest in the world of opera while encouraging exploration of important topics such as tolerance, ethics, social responsibility, and personal strength. Through this experience, students become well-rounded community members with a deeper appreciation for the arts. Since its launch in 2007, more than 50,000 students from Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Orange County have participated. The cornerstone of Opera Encounter is its Opera@School program.
Opera@School programs are recognized by the LA County Commission for the Arts for aligning with California's educational standards in visual and performing arts, language arts, history, and social science. One of our most popular and well-received productions, The Playground King, tours elementary schools, using familiar opera and operetta excerpts to teach children about problem-solving, teamwork, and confronting bullying.
As part of our commitment to cultivating the next generation of opera enthusiasts, LBO also proudly offers student discounts at all levels.
Looking ahead, LBO Education will launch an exciting new program under the Opera Encounter umbrella in the summer of 2025 at the Aquarium of the Pacific, designed to be accessible to the public. The program will showcase Acquaprofonda, a 30-minute educational opera aimed at young audiences. This production will address the crucial issue of water pollution, while empowering students to take action and build a sense of responsibility for the world around them.
To get in touch about our education programs—including booking, logistics, and availability—please contact education@longbeachopera.org
LBO Studio
LBO Studio is an innovative new company wing focused on advancing operatic commissions, building partnerships in film & television and cultivating world premieres—all while seeking future projects and fresh talent.
Composer-in-Residence
Shelley Washington
Shelley Washington, whose work with LBO includes composing an episode of the 2021 operatic miniseries desert in and creating new orchestrations for Handel’s Giustino in 2022, becomes the company’s new Composer-in-Residence for two years. During this time, she will write her first full-length operatic work, The Passion of Nell, based on the shocking true story of Nell Theobald and her obsession with opera singer Birgit Nilsson.
Artistic Partner
Martha Graham Dance Company
Utilizing Martha Graham’s own body of choreography, fragments of unfinished pieces from their archives, and the Martha Graham Dance Company’s ongoing foray into diverse, new choreography, this partnership will explore new work and create new productions for LBO, both in the LA area and for venues on tour. James Darrah and Christopher Rountree will work with Janet Eilber, the Graham Company’s legendary artistic director, and their superb roster of dancers and guest choreographers to craft a partnership between the two companies that explores a deeper connection between dance and opera.
SUPPORTERS
Long Beach Opera gratefully acknowledges our generous supporters who ensure the future of bold, visionary art-making. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.
Levels listed represent all gifts made between 10/1/2023-12/6/2024.
$100,000+
Anonymous
The Perenchio Foundation
$50,000+
Arts Council for Long Beach
The City of Long Beach
Richard C. Seaver Charitable Trust
Sonja Berggren & Patrick Seaver
$20,000+
Anonymous
Barbara & Bob Boies
The Colburn Foundation
Elizabeth Segerstrom
Henry T. & Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation
Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture
National Endowment for the Arts
Port of Long Beach
Richard & Linda Claytor
Thomas Kren & Bruce Robertson
$10,000+
Anonymous
Greta & Peter Mandell
Dr. Kathy Chambery
Long Beach Community Foundation Frances Grover Fund
Marjorie Beale & Bill Meyerhoff
Matt Groening
Opera America / The Opera Fund
Dr. P.K. Fonsworth, III
Steve Dunham / Orange County Opera
Susan Bienkowski & Wang Lee
Vina Spiehler
$5,000+
Anonymous
Anonymous
Diana Hobson
Frank Gruber & Janet Levin
Keith Simmons
Lanyce & Bryant Mills
Nancy Katayama
Marjie Mautner
Suzanne Mathews
$2,500+
Bill Shafton
The Boeing Company
Bobette Frye
The Center for Cultural Innovation
James & Laurel Howat
Joan Nickerson
Mark Taylor & Melissa Infusino
Raulee Marcus
$1,000+
Alice Fuller
Barbara Cohn
Byrwec & Anne Ellison
Dr. Cheryl Lew
Claire Beekman
Gregg J. Loubier, Sr.
Herbert Schraibman
Jan Hower
John Davies
Kathryn Ragsdale & Michael Fuller
Dr. William M. Duxler
$500+
Don Pattison
Jim & Gwen Beazell
Meri Dekelaita
Scott Brinkerhoff
Stephanie Osorio
$250+
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Alan Lawson
Baxter Smith
Beverly O’Neill
Evelyn & Stephen Block
Farmers & Merchants Bank Foundation
Frederick Dear
George Meyer & Gregory Vogel
Gerald Faris
Marianne Grant
Patrick Rass
Ruth & Rodney Punt
Sally Etcheto
Trevor & Mónica Roper
$100+
Anonymous
Anonymous
Alice Bennett
Amy Morse
Barbara Bixby Blackwell
Charles & Terri Stern
Henry Josefsberg
Jess Morton
Julie Carmen
Julie D. White
Kathleen Charla
Lindsay Shields
Louise Earhart
Louise Rehling
Margaret Gascoigne
Mark Dwyer
Mary Kathryn Dunn
Meredith Harewood
Michelle Magaldi
Molly Siefert
Peter Kazaras
Robert Welborn
Stephen Lee
Vickie Mortensen
William Smith
<$100
Anonymous
Amanda L. Bottoms
Amy Bonham Howenstein
Anne Shreffler
Barbara Geortner
Connie Polite
Eileen Hunter
Ian Schipper
Karen Walter
Kay Kamiya
Kenneth Reinhard
Marilyn Smithson
Paul Garman
Rachel Steinke
Savannah Dunn
HONORARY GIFTS
In Honor of Susan Bienkowski
— Jess Morton
In Honor of Jenny Rivera
— Don Pattison
MEMORIAL GIFTS
In Memory of Jane Dibbell
In Memory of John Crowley
In Memory of Lico Jimenez
— Julie Carmen
LEGACY SOCIETY
Barbara & Bob Boies
Margaret & David Barry
Drs. Kathy Chambery & Marilyn Haring
Gwynne Gloege
Frances Grover Fund
Dr. Ronald & Sylvia Hartman
Dr. Ronald G. Hopkins
Raulee Marcus
Carol Richards
Don Pattison
CORPORATE SPONSORS
The Boeing Company
The Port of Long Beach
Ask if your employer has a charitable giving program!
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
Aaron Copland Fund for Music
The RuMBA Foundation
The Center for Cultural Innovation
Amphion Foundation
Arts Council for Long Beach
City of Long Beach
The Colburn Foundation
Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture
Los Angeles County
National Endowment for the Arts
The Perenchio Foundation
Port of Long Beach
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Acknowledgements
Long Beach Opera would like to express our sincerest appreciation and thanks to the individuals who have generously supported this production of Earth Ears and the 2024-2025 Programming.
The 2024 - 2025 Reception for All following the performance of Earth Ears is generously sponsored by the Port of Long Beach.
Support Us
LBO ventures to bring you bold, cutting-edge opera like you’ve never seen it. Your generous support makes our wild ideas come to life. Thanks for being a part of our journey.