Arts & Events

West Edge Premieres Gauguin Opera in April

By Maura Lafferty
Friday March 15, 2013 - 03:18:00 PM
The post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, sung by baritone Anders Froehlich and his Inner Voice, sung by soprano Shawnette Sulker in the American premiere of Fabrizio Carlone’s Bonjour M. Gauguin at West Edge Opera April 6, 12 and 14.
Chelsea Rowe
The post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, sung by baritone Anders Froehlich and his Inner Voice, sung by soprano Shawnette Sulker in the American premiere of Fabrizio Carlone’s Bonjour M. Gauguin at West Edge Opera April 6, 12 and 14.

West Edge Opera continues its 2013 season with the American premiere of Italian composer Fabrizio Carlone’s Bonjour M. Gauguin on Saturday, April 6 at 8 pm, with repeat performances on Friday, April 12 at 8 pm, and Sunday, April 14 at 3 pm. 

The production, co-directed by Yannis Adoniou of Kunst-Stoff Arts and West Edge Opera General Director Mark Streshinsky, features Anders Froehlich as the post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin and Shawnette Sulker as Gauguin’s inner voice. Nicole Takesono, Keith Perry and Paul Murray represent an array of characters from Gauguin’s life. Kunst-Stoff Dancers complete the cast. 

Mary Chun conducts an ensemble of musicians from sfSound and video designer Jeremy Knight brings Gauguin’s paintings to life through creative motion-video. Performances take place at the El Cerrito Performing Arts Theater, 540 Ashbury Avenue (at El Cerrito High School). The production is a collaboration with Kunst-Stoff Arts and sfSound. 

Bonjour M. Gauguin is a multi-media work that combines music, theater, dance and video. It premiered in Venice in 2005, and West Edge Opera’s production represents the American premiere and only its second staged production. With a title taken from one of Paul Gauguin’s own paintings and a libretto using the original writings of Gauguin and his contemporaries, the painter participates in a probing self-study set to music. 

Anders Froehlich, who portrays Paul Gauguin, started his musical training at 10 years old as a pianist, and, at 12, entered the Connecticut Conservatory for the Arts where he studied ballet, acting and singing. After graduation he spent two years studying ballet and music at Indiana University Bloomington, where he danced leads in all productions, including Rite of Spring . 

Since that time he has become a full time singer and has performed with San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, San Jose Opera and several other companies in the Bay Area. His dance background makes him uniquely qualified for this production, which utilizes both skills. 

For more information: www.westedgeopera.org