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FALL ARTS PREVIEW 2017: Miley, Demi, Dolly and then some

Taylor Swift, Pink, Shania among eclectic fall album releases

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albums, gay news, Washington Blade

After a long hiatus from music, Shania Twain is back with a new album dubbed ā€˜Now,ā€™ slated for a Sept. 29 release. Itā€™s her first album since 2002ā€™s RIAA Diamond-selling ā€˜Up!ā€™ (Photo by Giampaolo Sgura; courtesy the Karpel Group)

The new release schedule for fall is loaded with long-awaited new albums from some of the biggest stars in music. There will be plenty of new tunes to keep music fans occupied.

Today (Friday, Sept. 15) is highlighted by the latest from local favoriteĀ Dave GrohlĀ andĀ Foo Fighters, who unleash their ninth studio album, ā€œConcrete and Gold,ā€ featuring the electrifying first single ā€œRun.ā€

Also out is a live album and DVD documentingĀ Madonnaā€™sĀ record-breaking ā€œRebel Heart Tour.ā€ Also out is the latest from new wave pioneerĀ Gary Numan, ā€œSavage (Songs From a Broken World),ā€Ā YusufĀ (formerlyĀ Cat Stevens) with ā€œThe Laughing Apple,ā€ Swedish EDM duoĀ GalantisĀ are back with ā€œThe Aviary,ā€ former Vampire Weekend mainstayĀ RostomĀ will release his solo debut ā€œHalf-Lightā€ andĀ MetricĀ vocalistĀ Emily HainesĀ is set to release her new solo album ā€œChoir of the Mind.ā€

More big new releases arrive the following week, with new wave revivalistsĀ the KillersĀ leading the way with ā€œWonderful Wonderful.ā€ Also droppingĀ Sept. 22Ā is ā€œDouble Dutchess,ā€ the long-awaited second solo album byĀ Black-Eyed PeasĀ divaĀ Fergie. It comes 11 years after her smash ā€œThe Duchess,ā€ but judging from the singles so far it will be well worth the wait.

Other new albums due on the 22nd include the latest from trip-hop pioneerĀ Tricky, ā€œununiform,ā€ folk-rock legendĀ Van MorrisonĀ with ā€œRoll With the Punches,ā€ goth goddessĀ Chelsea WolfeĀ with ā€œHiss Spun,ā€ Australian electro-pop groupĀ Cut CopyĀ with ā€œHaiku From Zero,ā€ versatile R&B vocalistĀ LedisiĀ with ā€œLet Love Rule,ā€ rapperĀ Macklemoreā€™sĀ first solo albumĀ in 12 years, ā€œGemini,ā€ and a live album by acclaimed lesbian guitar virtuosoĀ Kaki King, ā€œLive at Berklee.ā€

Sept. 29Ā is a big week for multiple generations of female artists. The legendary country iconĀ Dolly PartonĀ will release a childrenā€™s album, ā€œI Believe in You,ā€ while country-pop superstarĀ Shania TwainĀ is back with her first new albumĀ in 15 years, ā€œNow.ā€

Demi LovatoĀ also returns on the 29th with ā€œTell Me You Love Me,ā€ featuring her platinum single ā€œSorry Not Sorryā€ andĀ Miley CyrusĀ delivers her latest, ā€œYounger Now.ā€ British synthpop duoĀ HurtsĀ also have a new album on the 29th, ā€œDesire,ā€ including the new single ā€œReady to Go.ā€

FormerĀ OasisĀ singerĀ Liam GallagherĀ has set his new solo album ā€œAs You Were Availableā€ for anĀ Oct. 6Ā release. Alternative rockersĀ Wolf ParadeĀ are also back on the sixth with ā€œCry Cry Cry,ā€ along with the debut album by the much-buzzed about R&B vocalistĀ Kelela,Ā the latest from indie-popstersĀ Ducktails, ā€œJersey Devil,ā€ the new solo effort by openly gayĀ Bloc PartyĀ vocalistĀ Kele Okereke, ā€œFatherlandā€ and glam-rockersĀ the DarknessĀ with ā€œPinewood Smile.ā€

Pop superstarĀ PinkĀ returnsĀ Oct. 13Ā with her first albumĀ in five years, ā€œBeautiful Trauma,ā€ featuring the stunning first single ā€œWhat About Us.ā€ On the same date, critically belovedĀ St. VincentĀ will deliver one of the yearā€™s most anticipated albums with ā€œMASSEDUCTION.ā€ Also scheduled for the 13th are new albums byĀ Beck, ā€œColorsā€; legendary Led Zeppelin frontmanĀ Robert Plant, ā€œCarry Fireā€;Ā William Patrick (aka Billy) CorganĀ with his collaboration with producerĀ Rick Rubin, ā€œOgilalaā€; and an intriguing collaboration between uber-talented troubadoursĀ Courtney BarnettĀ andĀ Kurt Vile, ā€œLotta Sea Lice.ā€

Also outĀ Oct. 13Ā is ā€œThe Con X: Covers,ā€ a 10th anniversary celebration of ā€œThe Conā€ by openly gay sistersĀ Tegan and SaraĀ with all of that classic albumā€™s songs covered by various artists.

Look for a newly remastered and expanded edition ofĀ the Smithsā€™Ā ā€œThe Queen is Deadā€ onĀ Oct. 20. Originally released in 1986, itā€™s widely considered one of their finest efforts.

October wraps up with two of the fallā€™s biggest releases:Ā Kelly ClarksonĀ drops her latest, ā€œMeaning of Life,ā€ onĀ Oct. 27, and on the same dateĀ WeezerĀ returns with ā€œPacific Daydream.ā€Ā The-DreamĀ also hits on the 27th with ā€œLove Affair,ā€ featuring the hit single ā€œSummer Body,ā€ and emo-rockersĀ the UsedĀ return with ā€œThe Canyon.ā€

The much-anticipated newĀ Taylor SwiftĀ album, ā€œReputation,ā€ arrivesĀ Nov. 10. Led by smash single ā€œLook What You Made Me Do,ā€ itā€™s likely to be the seasonā€™s biggest-selling release. Also hitting on the 10th is the latest from moody alt-rockersĀ Evanescence, ā€œSynthesis.ā€

Nov. 17Ā is highlighted by the latest from that icon of wit and misery,Ā Morrissey, who is back with ā€œLow in High School.ā€ The season is capped by the long-promised ā€œSongs of Experienceā€ byĀ U2, the follow-up to their outstanding 2014 release ā€œSongs of Innocence.ā€ Presumably, though, the new album wonā€™t show up on everyoneā€™s iPhone automatically, or at least we can hope.

Kanye WestĀ may (or may not) unload his latest, reportedly titled ā€œTurbo Grafx 16,ā€ this fall ā€” as always, he is hard to predict.Ā BjorkĀ is working with acclaimed gay electronic visionaryĀ ArcaĀ on an album expected in November, with the first single called ā€œThe Gate.ā€

Other artists expected to release new albums this fall but have yet to announce dates includeĀ Tei Shi,Ā Sam SmithĀ (who just released a new single, ā€œToo Good At Goodbyesā€),Ā Ne-Yo,Ā Paloma Faith,Ā Thirty Seconds to Mars,Ā En Vogue, ā€˜80s heroesĀ Tears for Fears, ā€˜90s rockersĀ the Offspring,Ā Travis Scott,Ā Charli XCX,Ā Barenaked Ladies,Ā Nas,Ā Clean Bandit,Ā Kylie Minogue,Ā MGMT,Ā Sara Bareilles,Ā Zayn,Ā Tove Lo,Ā Kiesza,Ā Avril Lavigne,Ā Mariah Carey, up-and-coming rapperĀ Kamaiyah,Ā Marilyn MansonĀ and a Christmas offering from one of popā€™s hottest stars,Ā Sia. Inevitably some of these will get bumped to 2018.

Other possibilities includeĀ Christina Aguilera,Ā Vampire Weekend,Ā My Morning Jacket,Ā Spiritualized,Ā Bruce Springsteen,Ā Sky Ferreira,Ā Modest Mouse,Ā Juicy J,Ā Iggy AzaleaĀ andĀ Violent Femmes.

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Music & Concerts

Gay Menā€™s Chorus starting the year with a cabaret

‘Postcards’ to be performed at CAMP Rehoboth

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The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington performs 'Postcards' in Rehoboth Beach, Del. on Jan. 18. (Photos courtesy of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington)

The Gay Menā€™s Chorus of Washington will perform ā€œPostcards,ā€ a cabaret, on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 5:00p.m. and 8:00p.m. at CAMP Rehoboth Elkins-Archibald Atrium.Ā 

In this performance, the choir will share hilarious and heart-warming stories and songs about the travel adventures theyā€™ve had and hope to have. Songs include ā€œMidnight Train to Georgia,ā€ ā€œStreets of Dublin,ā€ ā€œMagic To Do,ā€ ā€œHome,ā€ and ā€œI Left My Heart in San Francisco.ā€ Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased on Camp Rehobothā€™s website.

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WMCā€™s ā€˜Comfort and Joyā€™ fuses drama, well-being, light

Soloist describes production as ā€˜reverent and beautifulā€™

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Opal Clyburn-Miller (Photo courtesy Clyburn-Miller)

ā€˜Comfort and Joyā€™
Washington Master Chorale
Sunday, Dec. 22, 5 p.m.
Church of the Epiphany
1317 G St., N.W.
washingtonmasterchorale.org

With its warmth and unfettered imagination, itā€™s no surprise that the Washington Master Choraleā€™s enduringly popular winter program remains a holiday favorite.Ā 

This December the Washington Master Chorale (WMC), helmed by out artistic director Thomas Colohan presents ā€œComfort and Joyā€ a selection of British and American works like ā€œLute-Book Lullaby,ā€ ā€œI Saw Three Ships,ā€ ā€œPuer Natusā€ by Samuel Scheidt and ā€œHosanna to the Son of Davidā€ by Orlando Gibbons. 

In addition to these Christmas classics, WMC will perform 2022 Florence Price Commission Winner Mason Bynesā€™s ā€œEphiphanytideā€ and Ēriks EÅ”envaldsā€™ ā€œNorthern Lights,ā€ the firsthand accounts of arctic explorers Charles Francis Hall and Fridtjof Nansen and their experiences surrounding the fabled aurora borealis.

Described as ā€œreverent and beautifulā€ by ā€œNorthern Lightsā€ tenor soloist Opal Clyburn-Miller, ā€œComfort and Joyā€ fuses drama and well-being, and the import of light. 

And as an artist who uses they/them pronouns, Clyburn-Miller says where classical music is concerned, ā€œit seems people are put in their boxes and thatā€™s where they stay.ā€ They add, ā€œthereā€™s been some progress. Itā€™s pretty much a traditional art form.ā€ 

With regard to their career, Clyburn-Miller, the Baltimore based Peabody Conservatory student, says the work usually comes through word of mouth: ā€œYou show up, youā€™re a good colleague and people want to work with you again.ā€

The solo piece, according to Colohan, is perfect for Clyburn-Miller. The soloist says in response: ā€œMaybe I have the imagination to think of what Northern Lights might look like in Eastern Europe. Iā€™ve never been that far north but I can put myself in that sense of wonder and astonishment.ā€

But the gig hasnā€™t been entirely without its tests. The lyrics are in Latvian, a new language for the meticulous singer.

ā€œItā€™s been a bit tricky getting the Latvian down,ā€ they say. ā€œUsually in my singing experience, itā€™s been German, Italian and French, and Iā€™m familiar with Spanish and some Hungarian and Russian, but this is entirely new.ā€

A perfect chorale venue requires easy parking; good acoustics; a concert level Steinway, and an excellent organ; a sanctuary wide enough to accommodate a 50-person chorale; and audience friendly loos, says Colohan. 

The Church of Epiphany meets most if not all of these requirements.  

Raised Catholic in Richmond, Colohan came out at Ohioā€™s progressive Oberlin Conservatory. Around this time, he remembers visiting Washington for a music educatorā€™s conference and partying at JR.ā€™s, Badlands, and other bars. He says, ā€œI saw that D.C. had a huge population of clean-cut gay boys. That journey which started with me being gay, prompted me to ask questions.ā€ 

As WMC artistic director since 2009, Colohan, who lives with his partner in Silver Spring, became increasingly interested in secular poetry and literature, especially the ways in which it intersects with chorale music. For him, that became the heart of the art form. 

ā€œMy secular approach is wider than some. Iā€™m like the curator of the museum going down to the basement to bring some stuff up. You cannot hear the music if we donā€™t sing it.ā€

Heā€™s remained conservative as an aesthetic but not an ethos. ā€œI can wear a blazer and not be crazy right wing. Spiritually speaking, Iā€™m Zen Buddhist now.ā€

A lot of the concert is about darkness and light. Colohan says, ā€œIn ancient times when the world became darker, the days leading to the solstice were scary and then on the 22nd they saw that days were getting longer and it was lighter.ā€

ā€œComfort and Joyā€ closes with a candle lit chorale memorably singing ā€œSilent Night.ā€  

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Music & Concerts

Pianist Jeremy Denk to play George Mason

Soloist performs Beethovenā€™s Piano Concerto No. 4 alongside FSO

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Pianist Jeremy Denk (Photo by Shervin Lainez)

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University co-present Jeremy Denk ā€” one of Americaā€™s foremost pianistsā€”on Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. Denk joins the FSO as soloist for Beethovenā€™s Piano Concerto No. 4. The concert, conducted by FSO Music Director Christopher Zimmerman, also includes the regional premiere of ā€œShe Dreams of Flyingā€ by American composer Quinn Mason, and Rachmaninoffā€™s Symphonic Dances. Tickets are available through the Fairfax Symphony and the Center for the Arts: $65, $55, $40 and half-price for youth through grade 12 (service fees may apply).

A pre-performance discussion with Denk and Maestro Christopher Zimmerman, moderated by Mason Dewberry School of Music Professor John Healey, will take place in Monson Grand Tier, located on the third level of the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain. 

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