Press Release

August 19, 2021

For Immediate Release

Press Contact:

Gail Wein - (646) 484-9691

A new set of songs commemorates the 100^th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

On November 11, 2021 - the date of the Tomb’s centennial - a film of the premiere performance of UNKNOWN with dramatic and historical scenes will be released online for a limited one week run.

UrbanArias, an opera company based in Arlington, Virginia, commissioned the Chicago-based composer Shawn Okbebholo (professor at Wheaton College) and the poet Marcus Amaker to write a song cycle for this occasion. The two had previously collaborated on an acclaimed work, Two Black Churches.

Shawn Okpebholo, composer

Marcus Amaker, poet

Michael Mayes, baritone

 

UNKNOWN explores the ideas of war, honor, and memory through the eyes of soldiers, family members, and Tomb Guards who are connected to each other and the Tomb through their mutual service and sacrifice. The Tomb Guards' motto, “Soldiers never die until they are forgotten. Tomb Guards never forget,” captures the solemn and profound significance of their duty.

 

 

The world premiere performance of UNKNOWN is on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, 7:30 pm, at the Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. Featured performers are baritones Michael Mayes and Schyler Vargas and mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven, accompanied by members of the Inscape Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Robert Wood, the Founder and Artistic Director of UrbanArias. Details and ticket information are at WolfTrap.org.

 

The online premiere of the film of UNKNOWN is on Monday, November 11, 2021, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The film is available for on-demand streaming on UrbanArias website through November 18, 2021. Access is free.

 

Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano

Schyler Vargas, Baritone

Robert Wood, conductor

 

Co-commissioning companies include Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Opera Colorado, Minnesota Opera, and Birmingham Opera. Major support for the commission is also provided by Stephen E. and Dorothy P. Bird of Denver, CO.

A widely sought-after and award-winning composer, Shawn E. Okpebholo (oh-PEB-low) Okpebholo creates music that is diverse, dynamic, and genuine. He has been described by Augusta Read Thomas as "...a beautiful artist ...who has enormous grace in his music, and fantasy and color." His artistry has resulted in numerous prizes and honors, including The American Academy of Arts and Letters Walter Hinrichsen Award in Music, First Place Winner of the 2020 American Prize in Composition (professional/wind band division), the Inaugural Awardee of the Leslie Adams-Robert Owens Composition Award, and many others. He is Professor of Music Composition and Theory at Wheaton College Conservatory of Music in Illinois.

 

Marcus Amaker was named Charleston, SC’s first Poet Laureate in 2016. He’s also the award-winning graphic designer of a national music journal (No Depression), an internationally known electronic musician, the creator of a poetry festival, and a mentor to hundreds of students. In 2019, he won a Governor’s Arts award in South Carolina, and was named the artist-in-residence of the Gaillard Center, a world-renowned performance and education venue. His poetry has been studied in classrooms around the world, and has been interpreted for ballet, jazz, modern dance, opera and theater. Marcus Amaker has recorded three albums with Grammy Award winning drummer and producer Quentin E. Baxter.

 

UrbanArias is dedicated to comissioning and producing short, contemporary operas – works that are up to 90 minutes long, and written within the last 25 years. UrbanArias brings engaging, accessible, and entertaining operas to audiences in the Washington, DC area and around the globe.