Media Release

Click here for a PDF version
Click here for a Word .docx version

New Opera Helps Veterans with Combat PTSD

Currently Trending #1 on Indiegogo Music; recently backed by matching donor

The Canticle of the Black Madonna is a new opera premiering on September 5 and 6, 2014 at Portland, Oregon’s Newmark Theatre with an all-professional cast under nationally-renowned director Kristine McIntyre, formally of the Metropolitan Opera.

Created by composer Ethan Gans-Morse and librettist Tiziana DellaRovere, the opera tells the story of a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) returning from Afghanistan to his wife during the devastating 2010 Gulf Oil Spill in coastal Louisiana. It explores the healing power of transformation through divine love, embodied by the Black Madonna.

“The Canticle of the Black Madonna opened my heart and brought new healing to me, 44 years after I returned from Vietnam,” said Bill Ritch, Silver Star recipient and former West Point instructor. “This is a gift that should be shared with the world,” he said.

The opera is presently running a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo: http://igg.me/at/CBMopera. It is currently ranked at the top of the most popular campaigns in the “trending music” category on the world-wide fundraising site, and a generous donor has stepped forward to match all contributions until the campaign ends on July 3.

“We have been overwhelmed by the support for our campaign. This reinforces the importance of addressing PTSD for military veterans and their families, and the power of art to heal the soul,” said Ethan Gans-Morse, the opera’s composer.

The opera is gaining widespread support, including from well-known industry leaders. “In my career as an opera singer, I have premiered countless new works, but none has moved me so deeply as The Canticle of the Black Madonna,” said Pamela South, a Grammy award-winning soprano. “This important story of extreme loss and profound love is both timely and timeless. I applaud every note of this opera,” she said.

###

Anima Mundi Productions is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts initiative dedicated to creating and producing original projects that harness the power of art to stir the soul, foster community, and address urgent social problems.

Anima Mundi Productions, 1327 SE Tacoma St. #143, Portland, OR 97202
For additional inquiries: Ethan Gans-Morse, Executive Director
Ethan@AnimaMundiProductions.com | 541-778-1211