Armenia 100: Honoring Armenian Cultural Arts in Commemoration of the Genocide Centenary

Armenia 100: Honoring Armenian Cultural Arts in Commemoration of the Genocide Centenary is a musical, theatrical, and artistic tribute to Armenian culture created by composer and acclaimed pianist Judith Lynn Stillman. Staged at the Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts at Rhode Island College, the multimedia performance was taped and makes its television debut on Rhode Island PBS on Thursday, May 12 at 8 p.m., with encore broadcasts on Saturday, May 14 at 12:30 a.m., and Sunday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. as part of the ongoing series Rhode Island Stories. (Please note earlier start time for Sunday's broadcast). The documentary also airs on Learn on Tuesday, May 17 at 8 p.m., Wednesday, May 18 at 3 a.m. Thursday, May 19 at midnight, and Friday, May 20 at 2 a.m.

Judith Lynn Stillman

The sweeping concert event combined visual and performance artists, with works by Armenian composers, played by Armenian musicians, and sung by Armenian vocalists. The focal point is the premiere of Stillman's original composition, "When the Music Stopped," which combines narration with evocative music, exploring the horrors of genocide and emerging as a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit and Armenian culture.

A performance review published in Armenia Weekly paints lavish and vivid details that evoke the sense of being in the audience. Tune in to experience it for yourself on Rhode Island PBS and Learn.



WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air on 36.1; Rhode Island cable: Cox cable 08/1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08/508HD, Full Channel 08; Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD (Comcast SD subscribers check local listings for channel), Verizon FiOS 18/518HD; satellite: Dish 36/7776, DirecTV 36.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on 36.2; Rhode Island cable: Cox 808, Verizon 478, and Full Channel 109; Massachusetts cable: Comcast 294 or 312.

Premiere of Dueling Double Divas: A Comic Micro-Opera

Mary Phillips (left) and Lori Phillips

The independent local film, Dueling Double Divas: A Comic Micro-Opera, showcases the world premiere of the composition performed by New York Metropolitan Opera sopranos Lori Phillips and Mary Phillips during their recent appearance at Rhode Island College. This performance by the identical twins marks their first ever recital together.

Conceived and composed for the Phillips twins by pianist and Rhode Island College Artist-in-Residence Judith Lynn Stillman, the micro-opera is "an entire operatic tale told in 15 minutes."

"[The form] works well for the short attention span society," Stillman said. "If you're afraid of opera, this is a great way to get your feet wet."

Judith Lynn Stillman

The half-hour film also includes works by Jake Heggie and Lee Hoiby. Dueling Double Divas: A Comic Micro-Opera airs Sunday, January 10, 2016, at 6 p.m. on WSBE Rhode Island PBS as part of the ongoing series Rhode Island Stories, with encore broadcasts on Saturday, January 16 at 11 p.m., and on WSBE Learn on Tuesday, January 12 at 8 p.m.

Soprano Lori Phillips and mezzo-soprano Mary Phillips grew up in East Providence and are graduates of Rhode Island College. They have performed leading roles at The Metropolitan Opera. Judith Lynn Stillman is a world-renowned musician and holds Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School.

Another film showing performance of Stillman's original compositions airs January 17 at 6 p.m. Read about Phoenix from the Ashes here.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air on 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox cable 08/1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08/508HD, Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD (Comcast SD subscribers check local listings for standard definition channel), Verizon FiOS 18/518HD; satellite: Dish 36/7776, DirecTV 36. For more information about programs and services at Rhode Island PBS, visit www.ripbs.org.

Encore of Holocaust Remembrance Film Phoenix from the Ashes

Phoenix from the Ashes: A Film by Judith Lynn Stillman, has as its centerpiece a song cycle for soprano and piano celebrating the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. This Holocaust remembrance film, showcased at the Embassy of the Czech Republic's 2014 Holocaust Remembrance event, airs January 17, 2016, at 6 p.m. on Rhode Island Stories. with encore broadcasts on Saturday, January 23 at 11 p.m. on WSBE Rhode Island PBS and on Tuesday, January 19 at 8 p.m. on WSBE Learn.

Sidney Taussig and Judith Stillman at the premiere.

The documentary features the world premiere of Phoenix from the Ashes: Seven Songs for Soprano and Piano composed by internationally-renowned musician, Judith Lynn Stillman. Dramatic soprano of the New York Metropolitan Opera Lori Phillips sings, with Stillman as collaborative pianist. Stillman is Artist-in-Residence and professor of music at Rhode Island College. Phillips, who grew up in East Providence, RI, is a graduate of Rhode Island College.

The song texts in Phoenix from the Ashes are based on poems from Vedem: The Secret Magazine of The Boys of Terezin (concentration camp). From 1942 through 1944, a group of 140 teenage boys, aged 13-16, living in the barracks at Terezín, secretly documented their lives in a weekly magazine called Vedem (Czech for "In the Lead"), which included their art work, essays, reviews, and poetry. It was a huge risk to produce - they would have been sent to death camps if caught - but the magazine was never discovered.

Of the 140 boys who participated in the effort to produce Vedem, only about 15 survived. Only one of them, Zdeněk (Sidney) Taussig, remained in Terezín until its liberation in May 1945. He had the insight to save the nearly 800 pages of the manuscript in the hopes that it might survive the war. After he was liberated, he retrieved the manuscript and brought it back home with him to Prague.

Mr. Taussig, the 83-year old survivor who showed such extraordinary bravery and foresight as a teen, tells his compelling story in this documentary in interviews interspersed with the songs. Texts for the Phoenix song cycle come from the pages miraculously hidden and retrieved by Taussig, who was present at the debut to hear his boyhood friends' poems realized in Stillman's songs.

Another film featuring performance of Stillman's original compositions airs Sunday, january 10 at 6 p.m. Read about Dueling Double Divas here.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air on 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox cable 08/1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08/508HD, Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD (Comcast SD subscribers check local listings for standard definition channel), Verizon FiOS 18/518HD; satellite: Dish 36/7776, DirecTV 36.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on 36.2; Rhode Island cable: Cox 808, Verizon 478, and Full Channel 109; Massachusetts cable: Comcast 294 or 312.

For more information about programs and services at Rhode Island PBS, visit www.ripbs.org.

From Forbidden Texts to Poetry and Song: Phoenix from the Ashes

Phoenix from the Ashes: A Film by Judith Lynn Stillman, has as its centerpiece the premiere of a song cycle for soprano and piano, based upon poems from Terezín Concentration Camp, celebrating the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.

Sidney Taussig and Judith Stillman at the premiere.

This Holocaust remembrance film, which was showcased at the Embassy of the Czech Republic's 2014 Holocaust Remembrance event, airs July 27 at 6 p.m. on Rhode Island Stories.

The documentary features the world premiere of Phoenix from the Ashes: Seven Songs for Soprano and Piano,composed by internationally-renowned musician, Judith Lynn Stillman. Dramatic soprano of the New York Metropolitan Opera Lori Phillips sings, with Stillman as collaborative pianist. Stillman is Artist-in-Residence and professor of music at Rhode Island College.

The song texts are based upon poems from Vedem: The Secret Magazine of The Boys of Terezín. From 1942 through 1944, a group of 140 teenage boys, aged 13-16, living in the barracks at Terezín, secretly documented their lives in a weekly magazine called Vedem (Czech for "In the Lead"), which included their art work, essays, reviews, and poetry. It was a huge risk to produce - they would have been sent to death camps if caught - but the magazine was never discovered.

Of the 140 boys who participated in the effort to produce Vedem, only about 15 survived, and only five are alive today. Only one of them, Zdeněk (Sidney) Taussig, remained in Terezín until its liberation in May 1945. He had the insight to save the nearly 800 pages of the manuscript in the hopes that it might survive the war. After he was liberated, he retrieved the manuscript and brought it back home with him to Prague.

Mr. Taussig -- the 82-year old survivor who showed such extraordinary bravery and foresight as a teen -- tells his compelling story in this documentary in interviews interspersed with the songs. Texts for the Phoenix song cycle come from the pages miraculously hidden and retrieved by Taussig, who was present at the debut to hear his boyhood friends' poems realized in Stillman's songs.

For more information about Judith Lynn Stillman, visit www.judithlynnstillman.com.