Birth of an Organization

Mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin has been blind since birth. However, this hasn’t stopped her from becoming not only a successful singer, but an author and arts administrator. In this segment, Laurie talks with Eugenia Zukerman and Emily Ondracek-Peterson of http://notedendeavors.com about the birth of Ohana Arts, an organization Laurie started with her wife, Jenny Taira. It’s a great story. Watch for Laurie’s other segments, too – she’s such an inspiration!

Noted_Endeavors_LogoMezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin has received high praise from The New York Times chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini, who wrote that she possesses “compelling artistry,” “communicative power,” and that her voice displays “earthy, rich, and poignant qualities.” Los Angeles Times special critic Josef Woodard has lauded Rubin’s “charismatic, multi-textured performance,” stating that Laurie Rubin ” seems to have an especially acute intuition about the power and subtleties of sound and she was a compelling force at the center of the music. Her outstanding artistry was showcased recently at the AT&T Center Theater in Los Angeles, where LA Times critic Mark Swed described her as “a young mezzo-soprano whose voice is darkly complex and mysteriously soulful and who adds intense emphasis to every word of text.”

On October 23, 2012, Seven Stories Press published Rubin’s memoir, Do You Dream in Color? Insights From a Girl Without Sight. Recounting her experiences from childhood through the rise of her career as an opera singer, Rubin shows how her determination to continually surpass and redefine others’ expectations, has enabled her to defy the naysayers who told her that she would never experience romance, have a real job, live independently, much less ski, design jewelry or fulfill her ambition to sing on stage.

A co-founder and co-artistic director of Musique a la Mode Chamber Music Ensemble, which has a concert series in Manhattan’s East Village, Ms. Rubin is also one of the founding members of the baroque ensemble Callisto Ascending which has performed concerts at Lincoln Center. In addition, she is the co-founder and associate artistic director of Ohana Arts, a performing arts festival and school in Honolulu, Hawaii.

To learn more about Laurie, go to:
cadenzaartists.com/laurie-rubin-classical.html

For more Noted Endeavors videos, go to:
notedendeavors.com

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