5 Questions for Beth Morrison and Paola Prestini

By Robert Wood

Beth Morrison

Paola Prestini

Beth Morrison, creative producer and executive director of Beth Morrison Projects, and Paola Prestini, composer and executive and artistic director of VisionIntoArt, are co-creative producers of 21c Liederabend, op.3, a two-night reimagining of the art-song recital, coming to BAM November 22 and 23. 

1. What inspired the original 21c Liederabend idea?

Beth Morrison: I received two degrees in classical vocal training from conservatories, and the Liederabend was always a beloved monthly event at which the singers got together to sing for each other, their friends, and the public. It was about focusing on communication through song. I loved these nights. When you leave conservatory, the Liederabend ceases to exist in the professional world. I wanted to bring this form into the 21st century and make it wholly of today and of the now. To do that, we needed all living composers that were writing for the voice, and we needed to create a multimedia context for our visual world. Paola and I came together to figure out how to do that, and we are now in our third incarnation (op.3) and so happy to bring the Liederabend to BAM.

Paola Prestini: This was Beth's baby, and I’m thrilled to have been on board since Op. 1! With the inclusion of my company, VisionIntoArt, we delved into a multimedia realm that Beth and I thought would amplify and further contextualize the Liederabend as a vibrant and important expression in today's time.

5 Questions for David and Jonathas (Pascal Charbonneau and Ana Quintans)

Ana Quintans and Pascal Charbonneau as Jonathas and David. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

Canadian tenor Pascal Charbonneau and Portuguese soprano Ana Quintans portray teenage best friends in French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s opera David et Jonathas. About Ana Quintans, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times said “I will not soon forget her final scene as the boyish prince,” and James Jorden of The New York Post said “tenor Pascal Charbonneau tore the heart with his delicately restrained account of David’s mourning.” We checked in with Pascal and Ana to see what their lives are like when not depicting these larger-than-life characters. They shared what they like to do off stage, what they’re listening to, and what they were like when they were teenagers.

5 Questions for Deeb

by Claire Frisbie

Muhammed El Deeb is not your average rapper. A former banker, he is a poet, and a full time advocate for Arabic hip-hop. Born in Egypt, and raised in Qatar and Dubai, his first rap verse came about because he did his homework. He is a seasoned member of the Egyptian hip-hop scene, having performed with the groups Asfalt and Wighit Nazar before going solo in 2011. Weeks before the Egyptian revolution, he filmed the video for his song "Masrah Deeb" ("Deeb's Stage") in Tahrir Square, urging Egyptian people to "wake up." On January 25, Deeb joined the protests, and performed for the crowds with other artists. Since the revolution, he quit his job to focus on his music full time.

He rejects the label "political rapper," emphasizing that he raps about everyday life and the realities of the Egyptian people. His flow is impeccable, and you don't need to speak Arabic to appreciate his music. Read on for more from Deeb, who makes his US debut this Saturday at Mic Check, and download his 2012 album The Cold Peace below.

What was your first introduction to hip-hop, and when did you start rapping?
The way I got into rapping was very random. When I was in high school, I was asked by my teacher to write a rap verse as part of an assignment for French class. I was so excited doing the assignment that I put a lot of effort into it. Unlike the other students who submitted their verse on paper, I looped a beat using a tape deck and recorded my verse on a TDK cassette and played it to the class. The reaction from my colleagues was overwhelming, and that was when I realized that I had to be doing more of this. I started writing in English since it's my second language and then eventually started writing in Arabic in 2005, which is the year I moved back to Egypt. I was 13, which was around the same time I started listening to hip-hop music.