RWO’s 1-Minute Operas program was recently featured on KMFA Austin Public Radio’s Staccato series! Click here to listen.
“Rhymes With Opera’s world premiere of Daniel Thomas Davis’s one-act chamber opera The Impossible She (seen May 17 at 124 Bank Street Theatre) proved that Roosevelt’s romantic relationship with journalist Lorena ‘Hick’ Hickok is worthy of serious operatic exploration.”
- Joanne Sydney Lessner, Opera News (August, 2019)
“Since its founding in 2007, Rhymes With Opera has emerged as a leading voice in the performing and commissioning of contemporary opera. In their recent double bill at the 124 Bank St Theater the company premiered two powerful, urgent new works which made a compelling case for the enduring relevance of opera in the 21st century.”
- Callum John Blackmore, Parterre Box (May, 2019)
“If you adore serendipity finds in music, theater and other performances, put The Impossible She on your short list of recommended top picks. More, bookmark Rhymes With Opera to see what other treasures they have in store for New York audiences.”
- Amy Muncie, Picture This Post (May, 2019)
“Rhymes With Opera exists specifically to bring new operas into the world. They’ve commissioned nearly 20 new works since they started in 2007. If this program is any indication of their commitment to quality and innovation, it will be exciting to find out what’s next.”
- Anne E. Johnson, Classical Voice North America (May, 2019)
"Perhaps Lander’s most brilliant touch with the work was to ground it in abstraction, thus allowing not only the performers the mental space to come up with their own sounds and characterizations, but also audience members to project their own experiences onto the action."
-Kenji Fujishima, VAN Magazine (May, 2017)
“Rhymes With Opera sits on the cutting edge of innovative repertoire.”
–Matthew Sigman, Opera News (August, 2016)
"[Heartbreak Express]....the opera...contain[s] moments of genuine artistic truth, moving pathos and acerbic humor amid a sea of rough waves."
-Steven Jude Tietjen, Opera News (November, 2015)
“… Most successful was an unpretentious gem entitled Heartbreak Express, presented Saturday (and running through November 21) by a scrappy little group called Rhymes With Opera. This odd but delightful opera is a character study of four fans of singer Dolly Parton who are waiting for an audience with the legendary lady …”
–James Jorden, New York Observer (November, 2015)
“Alongside the frequent (and highly publicized) struggles of large opera companies, there lies a compelling trend: a growing wealth of smaller-scale opera companies that prioritize innovative productions of everything from standard repertoire to obscure gems to entirely new works. Rhymes With Opera is a perfect example of such a company. Since their founding in 2007, they have provided consistently high-quality performances of new operas, often in varying stages of development … George Lam’s score is evocative and nuanced, featuring a muted perpetual motion in the orchestra ensemble out of which individual instruments emerge to intertwine with the vocalists.”
–Michael Berg, Sybaritic Singer, November 17, 2014
“During the weekend of Sunday, June 15, strolling musicians and actors at 5 sites gave 8 performances to the walk-and-halt audiences of 15 each. This creative contemporary melodic composition told about the love of nature from recorded interviews sounding out of the woods, the lyrics of the songs contained text from found letters, Latin documents and deeds of local historic past enchanting the audience with expressively acted performances. Fluegelhorn, violin, recorder, percussion and Melodica sounded in interludes along the walking path. Birds, and cicadas offered their accompaniment. This was a unique first experience much treasured by all.”
–Jude Asher and Heide Grundmann, Fall 2014, Friends of Gwynns Falls Newsletter
“Ever heard of a sci-fi opera? Me neither. The possibility of these opposite-world genres coexisting came to life at the Barrow Street Mansion this past Sunday (1/19) thanks to the brilliant minds behind Rhymes with Opera … Overall, the story begs the question about hope and its capacity to survive against uncertainty. It’s the show’s music, however, that kept it engaging. The live seven-piece orchestra, albeit small, produced a sound that could have filled the entire block, and the score could easily be mistook for the soundtrack of an indie bohemian Star Wars.”
–Jessica Maiuro, Jersey City Independent, January 22, 2014, Review of “Red Giant”
“Rhymes With Opera, one of the coolest DIY groups in town, put together an intriguing program over the weekend … Red Giant concerns three Earthlings heading into the deep unknown via spaceship, while their old planet is being consumed by the sun … The best moment may be when a character says of the voyagers’ fate when they find a new home: “We’ll know how to do everything better.” … Matlock’s score makes good use of minimalist pulses and patterns, with lots of lyricism holding everything together. Vocal lines, including a fair amount of sprechtstimme … emerge naturally against the subtly colored orchestration.”
–Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun, January 13, 2014
Jersey City TV’s coverage of RWO’s Jersey City performance of Red Giant: