“It shows you the story from all the different aspects,” Barton said. At no point does it tell you, ‘You have to be on his side,’ or ‘You shouldn’t be on his side. I’m so glad it’s Jake Heggie who wrote this because he really knows how to flesh out a human story, and Sister Helen Prejean is as human as it gets in so many ways.”
Read MoreWhen Barton first heard “Look Me in the Eye,” one of the big arias in Jake Heggie’s opera Intelligence, the power of the music left her in tears. She would participate in the 2023 world-premiere performance of Intelligence. Now, a live recording of that world premiere by Houston Grand Opera is being released by HGO and LSO Live.
Read MoreThis live recording of Jake Heggie's Intelligence was made during the world-premiere run of performances at Houston Grand Opera. Intelligence tells the true story of two women who ran a Union spy ring during the American Civil War.
Read More"Dead Man Walking resonates with audiences 25 years after it debuted because the death penalty is still in effect for so many states. And whatever your opinions on the subject matter may be, this opera will meet you where you are. It doesn't tell you what to think, but it absolutely requires you to see it from multiple points of view.”
Read MoreThis year Pride has taken on a different meaning for the 43-year-old opera star, who came out publicly as bisexual in 2014. “I’m reminded of how Pride started as a riot, as a fight for rights, for liberty, for freedom. We are who we are. We are not going to silence ourselves.”
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