'East Village' gave a glimpse of opera's future

Wednesday, October 8, 2008 11:39 PM PDT The Daily News Someday, opera will be performed by flamboyant singers holding microphones, accompanied by electric guitars and synthesizers. Someday is now, at least in cutting edge Longview. Last week’s performance by the East Village Opera Company at the Columbia Theatre was thought-provoking and wonderfully strange. The New York-based group named for a neighborhood in that city takes familiar opera arias and arranges them for rock. Styles range from heavy metal to Motown. Before the concert, I interviewed the group’s co-founder, Peter Kiesewalter. The concept he described sounded so odd that I just had to go, a decision shared by some 400 other rock and/or opera fans. I used to go to a lot of Portland Opera performances, until it dawned on me that some of them were blending together... [read full story]