Audiences in Minneapolis and New York have raved about this event that fuses multiple elements from across the musical spectrum.
Voxspex reframes the melodies of operatic arias in music influenced by soul, jazz, and pop. Replacing the traditional orchestra with drum kit and keyboard, arranger Lara Bolton pairs legendary operatic tunes and singing style with an all-new musical underpinning. By taking a deep dive of common essential elements among the different genres, this unique symbiosis retains the big personalities and capacity for human connection of them all.
At Icehouse in Minneapolis, MN, this event also featured the Instrument of Hope, a trumpet made of bullet casings, that was built at the request of Shine MSD, a non-profit organization created by students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, whose mission is to promote healing through the arts. The trumpet is called the Instrument of Hope, and it is on a cross-country tour to promote continued dialogue about gun violence. The Instrument of Hope was first used by Panic! At the Disco, and has since been played by The Who, Mannheim Steamroller, on a Broadway production of Oklahoma!, at a Miami HEAT basketball game playing the National Anthem, and by many other artists and educators around the country.
February 5 and 6, 2020-Icehouse MPLS
Lara Bolton, Keys/Co-Producer
Michael Shann (Casting Spells Productions), Co-Producer
Erik-Schee, Drums
