Artists in Conversation 2021
As part of our commitment to promote institutional reform in the performing arts, Renegade Opera presents our first virtual Artists in Conversation in April-May of 2021! Artists in Conversation is a collective space to listen, inquire, and learn as young professional artists discuss their innovative approach to the future of musicmaking. Our inaugural topic for Artists in Conversation 2021 is Deconstruct: all four of our speakers are challenging the traditional hierarchies in casting, costuming, and the music education system that create barriers to entry. This series of virtual events will be held on Zoom April 11th, 18th, 25th and May 1st at 5 PM/8PM with Q & A sessions. Join via link here at 5:00 PM PDT/ 8 PM EDT!
Meet the Speakers
Bethany Battafarano
Watch Now: Programming Responsibly: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Choral Arts.
Bethany Battafarano, soprano, is an active soloist, consort, and choral singer who tours nationally and internationally. Her academic scholarship centers around culturally-informed vocal performance and women's musical traditions, particularly in colonial Mexican and Peruvian contexts. Bethany holds an MA in Musicology and an MM in Vocal Performance. Her topic is Programming Responsibly: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Choral Arts.
Danielle Jagelski
Watch Now: Mixed Race Stories in Classical Music.
Danielle Jagelski is a conductor and composer based in New York City. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Danielle is the Music Director and co-founder of Renegade Opera, an immersive opera company based in Portland, OR. At home in both choral and instrumental realms, Danielle serves as cover conductor at Manhattan School of Music, and has recently conducted at Hallowed Halls (Portland, OR) and Aquilon Music Festival (McMinnville, OR). Danielle is a fierce advocate for equity in musical spaces, and has presented her research in mixed-race studies and classical music throughout the US and Canada.
Danielle began her musical studies in music composition at Hamline University with Jannika Vandervelde, and conducting studies at Conservatorium van Amsterdam. She is currently pursuing further studies in Orchestral Conducting at Manhattan School of Music with Maestro George Manahan.
Ophir El-Boher
Watch Now: Informed Speculations on Non-Male Political Dress.
Ophir El-Boher is a designer, artist, scholar, and educator focused on the environmental-social impacts of fashion. She creates innovative models for sustainable studio practice, extending the concept of upcycling. Inspired by natural and cultural systems, Ophir uses clothing as her medium to address contemporary issues. Fashion history informs her design, which relies on deconstruction. Her style questions ideas of beauty, through a humoristic use of color, pattern, and detail. Diverse cultural experiences and disciplines inform her questioning and retelling of cultural narratives. Her research investigates wearable objects' values and ethics. Applying systems-thinking and participatory-design, her work critiques and responds to fashion’s costs on humans and landscapes.Through writing, public speaking, and teaching, Ophir promotes paradigm shifts for fashion's role by providing creative alternatives to satisfy materialistic needs and desires; skill-learning, fashion-hacking, and DIY as active resistance to consumerism. Implementing collaboration and communication, Ophir aims to lead a sea change--she believes that, if done correctly, fashion can excite positive change.Ophir holds a B.Ed in Interdisciplinary-Design and Secondary-Education from Kibbutzim College and an MFA in Collaborative Design from PNCA. Her lectures have won several contests and her work has been showcased in fashion shows, art galleries, and publications worldwide.
Kristen Buabin
Watch Now: Racial Stereotypes in Opera: Deconstructing Racial Coding in Classical Music.
Texas born Soprano Kristen Buabin is a multidisciplined soprano, teacher, and DEI consultant. She shines in dramatic and comedic roles onstage and is dedicated to fighting for equity for singers in the classical music sector. Ms. Buabin joined the Boston Singers’ Resource in 2020 as the nonprofit’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coordinator. This year she hopes to host a series of antiracism and decolonization listening sessions with Boston music professionals, increase accessibility at all BSR events, and create partnerships with college interest groups. The Boston based soprano is known for her warm, luscious tone and sparkling coloratura. Kristen received her MM in Opera Performance from Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There she performed the role of Paride from Gluck’s Paride ed Elena, selections from Don Giovanni (Donna Anna), and scenes from Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde).