art and ritual | Carmen-Helena Téllez

Artists and Parallel Universes…

January 4, 2018 by carmen helena tellez

It was only a matter of time that the brilliant music writer of the New Yorker magazine, Alex Ross, would address the musical treatment of leitmotifs in John Williams’ music for the Star Wars movies. Perhaps there is more than just a musical homage of a living composer to the grand master of the Gesamtkünstwerk; it may reveal Star Wars as a “total work of art”, collectively created under the vision of George Lucas. Just like Wagner’s serialized mythology in his Ring operas […]

Categories: art and ritual, context and perception, gesamtkünstwerk, Uncategorized • Tags: space opera, Star Wars, Wagner's Ring Cycle

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TEDx Talks are up!

February 28, 2014 by carmen helena tellez

View the Talk on YouTube

Categories: art and ritual, art and society, Carmen's work, context affects perception, context and perception, interdiscipline, my work, new conductor, new forms of presentation, new opera and music drama

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Notes from a recent performance of Mozart’s Requiem

November 4, 2013 by carmen helena tellez

Last September 14 I had the opportunity to conduct Mozart’s Requiem in the Decio Theater of Notre Dame, with the Notre Dame Festival Chorus and Orchestra and the wonderful soloists Jessica McCormack, soprano; Julia Bentley, mezzo-soprano; Nick Fitzer, tenor; and Stephen Lancaster, bass. Given that the hall is designed for drama and the spoken voice, I thought we would connect with our audience’s expectations better through a slightly unconventional approach, and instead of presenting a pre-concert talk, we delivered the […]

Categories: art and religion, art and ritual, Carmen's work, sacred music • Tags: Mozart's Requiem

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¡Unicamente la verdad! has had tremendous reception this year!

June 27, 2013 by carmen helena tellez

Gabriela Ortiz, the composer of ¡Unicamente la verdad! has sent us the fantastic review written by Opera News after its California premiere with the adventurous Andreas Mitisek and Long Beach Opera, with the new title Camelia la tejana: Only the Truth!. I invite you to revisit the notes on the conceptualization and premiere in 2008 at Indiana University of ULV, more than an opera, a work of interdisciplinary art. It is wonderful to see the different directorial approaches, one sardonic […]

Categories: art and ritual, art and society, Carmen's work, context and perception, multimedia, my work, new opera and music drama • Tags: Camelia la Tejana, Gabriela Ortiz, Unicamente la verdad

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Sharing the news of our new DMA at Notre Dame

December 30, 2012 by carmen helena tellez

On December 11 the University of Notre Dame approved a new Doctor of Musical Arts program with specializations in Choral Conducting and in Organ. The approach to training the new conductors includes deep study of the relationship of music with other arts and other disciplines. Although conductors will study the broad choral repertoires, it is inevitable to study Western sacred music, which lies a the foundation of most Western art music. After all, in my personal view, liturgy is one […]

Categories: art and religion, art and ritual, gesamtkünstwerk, interdiscipline, new choral music, new conductor, new opera and music drama, sacred music, scholarship • Tags: DMA at Notre Dame, James MacMillan

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A thrilling new conference on Sacred Music ….

July 8, 2012 by carmen helena tellez

…with James MacMillan and a stellar panel of guest composers and scholars. Check the site here It was a privilege to be part of it!

Categories: art and religion, art and ritual, art and society, my work, new choral music, new conductor, sacred music

Sharing Don Freund’s Passion with Tropes

February 28, 2012 by carmen helena tellez

An interdisciplinary project produced last May, that has opened so many avenues for reflection! The interaction with great artists lighting designer Rob Shakespeare, video artist Susanne Schwibs. digital artist Margaret Dolinsky, choreographer Liz Shea, digital designer Ed Dambik, stage mechanics designer Paul Brunner and stage director Jonathan Courtemanche can change a life, in this case, mine. Bravo–composer Don Freund! (In the picture, tenor Nick Fitzer and digital art by Margaret Dolinsky).For more pictures, visit Margaret Dolinsky’s page here

Categories: art and religion, art and ritual, gesamtkünstwerk, interdiscipline, multimedia, my work, new opera and music drama • Tags: DON FREUND

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Philip Glass’s Satyagraha: Met’s great production for a significant work.

December 9, 2011 by carmen helena tellez

…not only the opera as a musical work, but its production, such as the MET has done it for Philip Glass’s Satyagraha last November. Satyagraha means The Force of Truth in Sanskrit. We were stunned by the extraordinary marriage of the music and its visual and choreographic manifestation. I saw it at the movies only yesterday, through one of the wonderful Met HD broadcasts that are changing the consumption of opera. The camera work in itself was extraordinary, and speaks […]

Categories: art and ritual, contemporary music, gesamtkünstwerk, interdiscipline, music, new opera and music drama, postclassical music

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The Qatsi Trilogy featured at Edinburgh

July 5, 2011 by carmen helena tellez

What a great opportunity for the lovers of this Trilogy! My favorite is still the first film of the three, Koyaanisqatsi. I still remember viewing for the first time just by accident, as it was broadcast late one night (perhaps on PBS?) in 1984. I have rarely been more grateful for insomnia. I was immediately fascinated, and I ended telling my fellow students the next day that I had viewed the art of the future. I think Koyaanisqatsi is extremely […]

Categories: art and ritual, art and society, art music video, contemporary music, postmodernism • Tags: Koyaanisqatsi, Philip Glass

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Carmen-Helena Téllez

Conductor – Producer – Interdisciplinary Artist • A presentation site with notes about music, art and the occasional paradox

Category Archives: art and ritual

Artists and Parallel Universes…

TEDx Talks are up!

Notes from a recent performance of Mozart’s Requiem

¡Unicamente la verdad! has had tremendous reception this year!

Sharing the news of our new DMA at Notre Dame

A thrilling new conference on Sacred Music ….

Sharing Don Freund’s Passion with Tropes

Philip Glass’s Satyagraha: Met’s great production for a significant work.

The Qatsi Trilogy featured at Edinburgh