It’s been a while since we’ve updated the site with news. Now is a good time to convey some significant activities that occurred in 2019.

ITALY

With help from our good friend in Venice, Italy — Franco Avicolli — we developed possible interest in re-mounting the opera at the historic La Fenice opera house in Venice.

La Fenice. Venice, Italy

We had meetings about the project in Venice in February and September with the general director and music director of La Fenice. Further planning and decisions are on hold due to the floods and Covid-19.

La Fenice. Venice, Italy

We remain optimistic that the interest is genuine, and in time there will be news to report.

A gentleman. Carnivale, 2019.

MEXICO

While in Mexico City last June filming for a documentary about the composer Michael Nyman, we had a chance encounter with the Minister of Culture.

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City

She, in turn, introduced us to the International Program director of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL), which programs, among many other venues, the Palacio Bellas Artes in Mexico City.

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City

After an in-person meeting last November the opera project is now under review for possible re-mounting in Mexico City.

These two possibilities could lead to interest from other venues on the international stage. We’ll keep you posted!

Last weekend the Pittsburgh Festival Opera performed two excerpts from Cubanacan. At the Pittsburgh Golf Club!

Read about it here and here.

Hopeful this may develop new interest in mounting the entire work sometime soon in the U.S.

Last night Cuban state television announced Fidel Castro passed away at the age of 90. Not a surprise, really. But the fact of it startles.

Moments later, in ironic timing, I received an email from Havana. The composer of Cubanacan, Roberto Valera, wrote to me. But not about Fidel’s death.

Instead, Valera told me had met with Placido Domingo earlier on Friday. Valera gave him a DVD with the film of our 2015 Havana performance. Domingo is in Havana for a concert this coming Sunday.

As some of you may know Domingo was helpful with the opera during an early stage of its development, having hosted two workshops at the Los Angeles Opera, where he is General Director. He and I had useful, inspiring and pleasant discussions as he heard the work-in-progress and offered suggestions.

At one point Domingo mused about the idea of playing Fidel Castro on-stage — performing a monologue which had been recommended to him.

I don’t know how these confluence of events might develop. I will, in the coming days, do my part to see if there are opportunities and openings to get the opera presented and performed outside Cuba.

Bay Area friends: I will be presenting video from the Havana performance and giving a talk at the Commonwealth Club. On Wednesday March 30, at 6:00 pm.

Click here for information.

Hope to see you there.

The film of the entire opera as performed in Havana in May 2015 is done. It was screened for invited guests in the Bay Area at Opera Plaza Cinema a few weeks ago to great acclaim. Those who’d seen it live in Cuba said they very much enjoyed seeing it again.

DVDs of the film are circulating to presenting and producing venues worldwide which are considering re-mounting the opera.

In future posts I’ll update progress getting Cubanacan seen far and wide.

We locked picture today on the Havana performance video. That means all shots and edits are in place. It’s looking fantastic.

Next steps: opening and closing credits, adjusting color, adding subtitles.

Curtain call opening night.

Lots going on right now, Cuba-wise. Tomorrow the Pope arrives in Havana. Monday new U.S. regulations take effect allowing even more travel access for U.S. citizens, expansion of Internet services, and commercial air service.

Also reported today, the Rolling Stones will be playing Havana for the first time next spring. I’m pre-visualizing Keith with a Cohiba and triple rum on the terrace at the Hotel Nacional.

Yesterday Dan Friedman completed the rough cut of the video of the Havana performances. This was no easy task. Though I had multiple cameras over two nights, the choice of useable shots was, well… spotty. What can I say? It’s Cuba. In any case, it’s going to look and sound great.

Video editor Dan Friedman edits Havana performance of Cubanacan opera.

Speaking of audio… Night Two coming up shortly at the splendid San Francisco Opera media suit where I am doing audio sweetening of the performance film. That means evening out volume, tweaking EQ, and doing other magical stuff which mixer Michael Chen pulls out of his toolbox to make the soundtrack sing. Pun intended.

Michael Chen sweetens Fidel Castro’s aria in Cubanacan opera.

Here’s some video. A sneak peak behind-the-scenes of last night’s session. Featuring Fidel on the golf course.

The final video, with subtitles, should be out of the oven in ten days or so. Then it goes to various opera companies and presenters who have asked to see it so they can consider re-mounting the show. I have a sales agent who will be pitching it for broadcast rights, here and abroad.

A great report in Billboard on the Cuban music scene (with lovely video), as reported by my friend Ned Sublette.

I was pleased to be interviewed about the opera on the KPIX (San Francisco CBS affiliate) Sunday news show. Big thanks to News Director Dan Rosenheim. Good questions.

Here.

I just returned from a quick trip to New York and Washington, D.C. where I had several meetings with presenters and producers about mounting the opera. There is a lot of interest in Cuba now, so the timing was good. I’m encouraged.

The Lincoln Center Festival in New York has been tracking developments with the opera over the last several years. They will consider “Cubanacan” for an upcoming season.

I had a very productive meeting with The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. They spoke about programming the opera for their 2017 season — three or four performances. They’d want to bring in the Cuban performers, which is fantastic.

I met with Nederlander Worldwide, which staged a Cuban version of “Rent” in Havana last year to great acclaim. Nederlander has an ongoing relationship with major theatrical venues in China. They will bring the idea of presenting “Cubanacan” to their partners in China.

Stay tuned for new developments as I focus my energy on getting “Cubanacan” on stage in the United States, Europe, and Asia.