About GDQ Arts
About GDQ Arts
Women’s stories have been part of sung theater for centuries, and neither opera nor art song have shied away from the hardest themes. Topics from prostitution to mental illness have found their place in the recital hall and on the operatic stage. But these stories too often have not increased awareness of, or audience involvement in, women’s causes. While vocal performance has been an avenue to personal expression and professional status for some women, the stories of the heroines they portray are somehow sweetened and made grandiose by the music on which they are carried.
Women’s stories have been part of sung theater for centuries, and neither opera nor art song have shied away from the hardest themes. Topics from prostitution to mental illness have found their place in the recital hall and on the operatic stage. But these stories too often have not increased awareness of, or audience involvement in, women’s causes. While vocal performance has been an avenue to personal expression and professional status for some women, the stories of the heroines they portray are somehow sweetened and made grandiose by the music on which they are carried.
We believe in the incredible power of the human voice to move human hearts and to serve as a clarion call to human spirits. And, we are hungry to hear expressed in song the painfully true and powerfully uplifting stories of women, told in myriad diverse ways through a rich collection of voices, in work that also centers women as creators. We want to see stories that express the full range of women’s experience. Stories of our bodies, of sex and motherhood, of aging and disabilities and body-shaming. Stories of gender norms, of gender fluidity, of confronting harassment. Stories of how women are affected by crime, stories of prison and human trafficking, Stories of our many and varied relationships, those that span generations, those that don’t revolve around wealth and power,
We believe in the incredible power of the human voice to move human hearts and to serve as a clarion call to human spirits. And, we are hungry to hear expressed in song the painfully true and powerfully uplifting stories of women, told in myriad diverse ways through a rich collection of voices, in work that also centers women as creators. We want to see stories that express the full range of women’s experience. Stories of our bodies, of sex and motherhood, of aging and disabilities and body-shaming. Stories of gender norms, of gender fluidity, of confronting harassment. Stories of how women are affected by crime, stories of prison and human trafficking, Stories of our many and varied relationships, those that span generations, those that don’t revolve around wealth and power,
We want to see stories centering women who can dare to dream without punishment onstage (or off). We want stories that are uncomfortable because they are recognizable, stories and situations that make us all question our part in them, and our responsibility to our community and world.
We want to see stories centering women who can dare to dream without punishment onstage (or off). We want stories that are uncomfortable because they are recognizable, stories and situations that make us all question our part in them, and our responsibility to our community and world.
KATHLEEN KELLY (co-founder) is a pianist, conductor, educator, and writer - and like many classical musicians, a recent experimenter with digital content. She has appeared internationally as a recital pianist, including appearances at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Vienna’s Musikverein. She is a published poet and essayist, and has written several English adaptations of operas as well as several librettos. She was most closely associated with the San Francisco, Metropolitan, Houston Grand, and Vienna State Operas before joining the faculty of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2018.
KATHLEEN KELLY (co-founder) is a pianist, conductor, educator, and writer - and like many classical musicians, a recent experimenter with digital content. She has appeared internationally as a recital pianist, including appearances at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Vienna’s Musikverein. She is a published poet and essayist, and has written several English adaptations of operas as well as several librettos. She was most closely associated with the San Francisco, Metropolitan, Houston Grand, and Vienna State Operas before joining the faculty of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2018.
JENNIFER CRESSWELL (co-founder) has been heard in a wide range of operatic roles, including Der Trommler in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Magda Sorel in The Consul, and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. Recent concert engagements include performing with George Shirley in an all Gershwin and Weill concert, and in recital with pianist Kathleen Kelly. As a librettist she has translated and created six opera reductions for school outreach tours and has written one original opera libretto. Ms. Cresswell also hosted a classical music radio program for two years, and since 2016, has been a consultant for Bowling Green State University’s Micro Operas program, guiding student composers in creating their first musical dramas for the stage.
JENNIFER CRESSWELL (co-founder) has been heard in a wide range of operatic roles, including Der Trommler in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Magda Sorel in The Consul, and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. Recent concert engagements include performing with George Shirley in an all Gershwin and Weill concert, and in recital with pianist Kathleen Kelly. As a librettist she has translated and created six opera reductions for school outreach tours and has written one original opera libretto. Ms. Cresswell also hosted a classical music radio program for two years, and since 2016, has been a consultant for Bowling Green State University’s Micro Operas program, guiding student composers in creating their first musical dramas for the stage.