Charlie Parker's Yardbird
Opera Company of Philadelphia

Sunday, June 7, 2015 (M)

Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Recorded from 2nd balcony, row D, center
Audio boosted in Audacity

1 act, no breaks, left as 1 track

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Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD
Music by Daniel Schnyder
Libretto by Bridgette A. Wimberly
Performed in English with English supertitles
Aurora Series for Chamber Opera


A bird’s final flight
In that empty twilight between life and death, tortured jazz soloist Charlie Parker composes his final masterpiece, revisiting the inspirations, demons, and women who fueled his creative genius. Opera Philadelphia presents the World Premiere of this freeform expedition into the mind, heart, and personal purgatory of the bebop great. Lawrence Brownlee stars as the legendary saxophonist—a role crafted around the effortless, improvisational style that makes him one of music’s most sought after tenors. Soprano Angela Brown mesmerizes as his mother, Addie Parker, and baritone Will Liverman debuts as jazz icon Dizzy Gillespie. Set in the famed NYC jazz club Birdland, the opera is as uncompromising in its artistic vision as the “Yardbird” himself.


Corrado Rovaris Conductor
Ron Daniels Director
Lawrence Brownlee As Charlie Parker
Angela Brown As Addie Parker
Rachel Sterrenberg As Chan Parker
Angela Mortellaro As Doris Parker
Chrystal Williams As Rebecca Parker
Will Liverman As Dizzy Gillespie
Tamara Mumford As Baroness Pannonica ("Nica") De Koenigswarter