David Hyde Pierce, Jamie Barton, and Anthony Roth Costanzo to Headline “Opera Jukebox” Fundraiser

David Hyde Pierce, Jamie Barton, and Anthony Roth Costanzo to Headline “Opera Jukebox” Fundraiser

Audience will vote for their favorite selections to be streamed Saturday, May 30, at 7pm ET

"The great mezzo-soprano Frederica Von Stade once observed that music is 'the art form closest to prayer,'” said Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce. “Our world could use some good prayers right now and the Artist Relief Tree is helping ensure that those prayers keep getting sung.” On Saturday, May 30, Pierce will emcee an Artist Relief Tree (ART) benefit, joined by seven world-class opera singers for Opera Jukebox, an innovative and interactive concert streaming on Facebook, YouTube, and the ART website.

Opera Jukebox will give digital audiences a chance to influence performances by stars fresh from such venues as the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Carnegie Hall. Each singer will offer three initial selections, including some non-operatic repertoire, giving viewers a chance to hear their favorite singers in unexpected styles. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo might reprise “Liquid Days” from his critically acclaimed Glass/Handel show – or he might croon Roy Orbison’s “Crying” as mezzo Jamie Barton gets into character for her hotly anticipated “Habanera” from Carmen.

The choice will belong to audience members, who will vote with their wallets – the more someone gives, the more their vote will be worth. The benefit’s goal is to help ART raise one million dollars toward its grassroots efforts to support artists of any discipline with $250 direct donations. Formed in response to the global COVID-19 health crisis, ART has already given financial aid to more than 1,200 artists worldwide.

“When COVID-19 cancellations started hitting, many lives in our industry were changed overnight,” said mezzo Jamie Barton. “I saw colleagues learn on Twitter that half their annual incomes had just evaporated, and I saw others whose church and choral jobs were abruptly put on indefinite pause. While very few people in the field are insulated from these changes, I do feel that we have a responsibility to take care of each other as much as we can. This benefit concert, like each ART grant, is a show of solidarity.”

Opera singer Aaron Crouch, a recipient of ART funding, agreed. “I suddenly found myself in a very difficult position when I lost multiple jobs as opera performances around the world were canceled,” said Crouch. “The money I received from Artist Relief Tree helped me cover my living expenses and provided me with a sense of hope for the future.”

To support Artist Relief Tree and purchase Opera Jukebox votes for performances by Barton and Costanzo, as well as mezzo Sasha Cooke and baritone Kelly Markgraf (performing duets), soprano Leah Crocetto, baritone Will Liverman, and bass Wei Wu, fans can visit artistrelieftree.com/opera. Voting will open Tuesday, May 19, at noon ET and will conclude Monday, May 25, at noon ET. The performances, along with special appearances by opera celebrities, will be streamed on Saturday, May 30.

“The current global health crisis has already had a severe impact on arts and culture, causing many artists to lose economic and social stability,” said ART co-founder Morgan Brophy. “We can’t forget that the arts help us lead more thoughtful, compassionate, and enjoyable lives. We are mobilizing to support artists now – because in the coming months, the world is really going to need us.”

High-resolution promotional photos may be downloaded here.

artistrelieftree.com
Facebook/Instagram: @artistrelieftree
Twitter: @artrelieftree

Opera Jukebox Digital Benefit Concert
Saturday, May 30, at 7pm ET
www.facebook.com/artistrelieftree; bit.ly/artyt; artistrelieftree.com

Host: David Hyde Pierce
Performers: mezzos Jamie Barton and Sasha Cooke; countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo; soprano Leah Crocetto; baritones Will Liverman and Kelly Markgraf; bass Wei Wu 

Purchase votes: artistrelieftree.com/opera

About Artist Relief Tree
Artist Relief Tree is a global online fundraiser established to help support artists affected by COVID-19. ART is a grassroots effort made by artists and for artists, awarding funds to artists of any discipline in the form of a $250 solidarity donation. To date, ART has helped over 1,200 artists, and strives to reach its goal of $1 million to provide 3,500 artists financial support during the global health crisis. ART co-founders Morgan Brophy (Wolf Trap Opera) and Andrew Crooks (Lawrence University) lead a team that includes Tehvon Fowler-Chapman (Vocal Arts DC), tenor Marco Cammarota, and Rachel Stanton (Wolf Trap Opera).

About Opera Jukebox
The Opera Jukebox benefit was organized by ART Executive Team Member Thomas Morris, Washington National Opera Artistic Administrator Colin Michael Brush, librettist Mark Campbell, composer Kamala Sankaram, and conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, who serves as Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater. The Opera Jukebox format is based on Wolf Trap Opera’s popular annual Aria Jukebox concert, in which audience members vote on the arias to be performed rising stars.

About David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor and director whose extensive Broadway and Off-Broadway career includes Adam Bock’s A Life, the musical comedy Curtains (for which he won the Tony), Accent on Youth, Spamalot, and La Bête, among others. Pierce made his Broadway directorial debut with Barbara Anselmi and Brian Hargrove’s original musical It Shoulda Been You, which opened in Spring 2015 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Other directing credits include Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Los Angeles’s Mark Taper Forum, a reimaging of The Importance of Being Earnest for the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and David Lindsay-Abaire’s dark comedy Ripcord for Manhattan Theater Club. Perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Niles Crane in Frasier, for which he won four Emmy Awards, Pierce’s additional television credits include The Good Wife, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Ten Years Later, Julie’s Green Room, and When We Rise. David Hyde Pierce served on Opera Philadelphia’s American Repertoire Council, is a board member of Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and is a former board member and longtime advocate for the Alzheimer’s Association.

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