The Refuge CD

Christopher Theofanidis/Leah Lax: The Refuge

World Premiere, Recorded live November 10, 2007 — Wortham Theater Center, Houston, Texas

PURCHASE CD from Amazon
PURCHASE CD from Albany Records

Listen to clips from The Refuge—Track 3 Finale
Download the Press Release

On May 1, 2008, Houston Grand Opera announced the commercial release of its 36th world premiere, Christopher Theofanidis’s The Refuge, on the Albany label. The Refuge, which premiered on November 10, 2007 at the Wortham Center in Houston, has been called “a moving musical experience” by Opera News and “first class” by the Houston Chronicle. In a city where more than one in five of its residents is foreign born, The Refuge tells the stories of hundreds of immigrants from the African, Central American, Indian, Mexican, Pakistani, Soviet-era Jewish and Vietnamese communities who have made Houston their new American home.

The Cast

Christopher Theofanidis, composer
Leah Lax, librettist
Patrick Summers, conductor
Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Music Director Chair
Albina Shagimuratova, soprano*
Tone Owen Endowed Fund Fellow
Rebekah Camm, soprano*
Audrey Jones Beck Endowed Fellow
Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano*
Michelle Beale and Dick Anderson Fellow
Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano*
Beau Gibson, tenor*
Lynn S Murray Sr. Education Foundation Fellow
Liam Bonner, baritone*
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Bruni Fellow
Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone*
Marjorie A. Evans Fellow
Philip Evbomoen, tenor soloist
Julie Trinh Dang, dan bau and dan tranh
Ali Durrani, Qawwali singer
Chandrakantha Courtney, sitar
David Courtnery, tabla
Giridahar Kalamanglam, tanpura
Samhitha Murthy, tanpura
Vadim Angerov, bayan
Gifted and Talented Vocal Ensemble
Spanish Choir, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral
Chorus, Children’s Chorus and
Orchestra of HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Richard Bado, Chorus Master
Karen Reeves, Children’s Chorus Director
Jonathan Godfrey, Acting Concertmaster

* Member of HOUSTON GRAND OPERA STUDIO

The Recording

Disc One
1. Prologue
2. AFRICA
3. I get to go to school.
4. Just all the time we want to sing our songs.
Albina Shagimuratova, soprano; Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano; Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano; Beau Gibson, tenor; Liam Bonner, baritone; Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone; Philip Evbomoen, tenor soloist; Gifted and Talented Vocal Ensemble; HGO Chorus; HGO Children’s Chorus
5. VIETNAM
6. I was a soldier
7. Tiéng Goi Công Dân (Call to the Citizens)
Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano; Beau Gibson, tenor; Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone; Julie Trinh Dang, dan bau and dan tran
8. MEXICO
Albina Shagimuratova, soprano; Spanish Choir, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral; HGO Chorus
9. PAKISTAN
Albina Shagimuratova, soprano; Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano; Beau Gibson, tenor; Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone; Ali Durrani, Qawwali Singer
10. INDIA
Albina Shagimuratova, soprano; Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano; Liam Bonner, baritone; Chandrakantha Courtney, sitar; David Courtney, tabla; Giridhar Kalamanglam, tanpura; Samhitha Murthy, tanpura

Disc Two
1. SOVIET-ERA JEWISH
Albina Shagimuratova, soprano; Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano; Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano; Beau Gibson, tenor; Liam Bonner, baritone; Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone; Vadim Angerov, bayan
2. CENTRAL AMERICAN
Rebekah Camm, soprano
3. FINALE
Albina Shagimuratova, soprano; Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano; Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano; Beau Gibson, tenor; Liam Bonner, baritone; Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone; Philip Evbomoen, tenor soloist; Gifted and Talented Vocal Ensemble; Spanish Choir, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral; HGO Chorus; HGO Children’s Chorus

BONUS MATERIAL
Excerpts from KUHF-88.7 pre-performance broadcast hosted by John Proffitt
4. KUHF’s Chris Johnson interviews HGO’s Anthony Freud, Sandra Bernhard, and Sue Elliott.
5. KUHF’s Dean Dalton interviews Composer Christopher Theofanidis and Librettist Leah Lax
6. Anthony Freud, HGO General Director
7. Mayor Bill White, City of Houston, Texas

“The Refuge is an extraordinary portrait in words and music not only of Houston, but of contemporary America,” said HGO General Director and CEO Anthony Freud, OBE. “It’s a universal subject – the story of a handful of individuals and their extraordinary experiences, how they came to Houston in very different ways, under very different circumstances and with very different consequences. It’s a grand celebration of a city that derives its richness from the diversity of its inhabitants and a celebration of the experiences which unite us all.”