Press Features

Six Trends in Arts and Culture for Funders to Watch

"Creatives are increasingly using digital tools and technology, not as accompaniments, but as central components of creative work, from the artificial intelligence opera Sensorium Ex to the Center for Traditional Music and Dance’s Living Languages, an “augmented musicality” digital installation that will raise awareness of language diversity."

Inside Philanthropy

Press Play with Madeleine Brand: Composer Paola Prestini on experimentation, opera, the avant-garde

Paola Prestini is one of the most experimental composers today. She creates pieces that combine music with film, dance, and virtual reality. Her album “Houses of Zodiac: Poems for Cello” features music from a single cello, with several poets and dancers. It's a celebration of her favorite mediums and collaborators.

The Winter Symphonic Season Ends with a Flourish at the Carlo Felice

Listening to a world premiere is always fascinating…. over the course of fifteen minutes of music, the artist used sound to describe the profound emotion that emerges from the Chilean poet's text. Given the enthusiastic audience response, I would say she succeeded.

Corriere dello Spettacolo

Scappucci, Elegance and Vigor for Beethoven

At the opening, Scappucci presented the European premiere of “Barcarola” by the Italian composer (residing in the United States) Paola Prestini. Inspired by the homonymous text by Neruda, the score evokes the sounds of the sea and a storm...

"Aging Magician" Is Ageless Opera Theater

San Diego Opera's Detour Series presented an NY import for just two performances and thrilled the audience

San Diego Opera prepares, again, for West Coast premiere of pandemic-delayed ‘Aging Magician’

It’s the whimsical, fantastical, time-twisting story of a dying clockmaker-repairman who plumbs his memories and dreams to imagine himself a wise magician who must pass on his treasured book of magical spells to a younger protégé before he passes.

San Diego Union Tribune

Paola Prestini’s Opera ‘Aging Magician’ Finally Makes Its San Diego Debut

This successful return of indoor opera has allowed General Director David Bennett to bring back Prestini’s Aging Magician, which will open at the Balboa Theatre on May 13.

San Diego Story

October 19, 2021

NEW MUSIC TUESDAY | Composer Paola Prestini's "Ophelia"

The piece was recently performed by Paola Prestini's husband and cellist, Jeffrey Zeigler, as part of the "Death of Classical" concert series taking place in New York City's catacombs

October 11, 2021

Embrace the Experiment (Cover Feature)

"Simply put, Houses of Zodiac is a trip, both in the colloquial sense and as a metaphor for travel and journeys, pretty much demanding one’s attention, and providing countless rewards to any listeners willing to give it a chance."

Strings Magazine

August 12, 2021

Interview: “Don’t think too much about the future, think about now”

Our Hatchers Tongues content aims to inspire. We seek out creators from all disciplines to share their stories, pains, successes and learnings. This month we caught up with composer and co-founder of National Sawdust Paola Prestini.

Beth Morrison and National Sawdust Collaborate on a “21st-Century Liederabend”

As we emerge from the pandemic, BMP and Prestini’s National Sawdust (the innovative new music center she co-founded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) are upping the ante with 21c Liederabend, op. Worldwide (digital), which they’re staging as a broadcast-only event beginning on June 27 on The WNET Group’s All Arts television channel and streaming app.

San Francisco Classical Voice

‘Contemplations from National Sawdust’ Celebrates 5 Years of Artistic Innovation

National Sawdust celebrates its bold, artistic spirit with “Contemplations from National Sawdust” — a six-episode retrospective on the Brooklyn-based music venue’s innovative addition to the New York City arts scene.

New Sounds #4470, Songs About Climate Change

Listen to work by New York composer Paola Prestini, in collaboration with climatologist Andrew Kruczkiewicz, who studies early warning systems for extreme events such as floods, storm surge from tropical cyclones, wildfires and landslides.

January 16, 2021

Magos Herrera captura 'Con Alma' los sonidos del confinamiento

La cantante mexicana, Magos Herrera, y la compositora, Paola Prestini, colaboraron de manera remota para producir su nuevo álbum: Con alma. A esta producción la definen como un cuadro operístico creado y grabado desde el confinamiento, que incluye sonidos y pensamientos de muchos participantes.

January 15, 2021

"Con Alma": An Interview With Magos Herrera & Paola Prestini

In this show, we share an interview conducted by Cristina Baccin with Grammy nominee, Magos Herrera, and composer Paola Prestini about their just released album “Con Alma” An operatic tableau on isolation (National Sawdust Tracks) which explores isolation and connection during this global confinement.

KUNM Albuquerque