Please browse and listen to original music composed by Jonathan Price
for new opera, musical theatre, film and concert performance.
News
Music for Knott's Berry Farm.
THE ISLAND, a new musical inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest
(book & music by Jonathan Price, lyrics by Chana Wise), will receive
a world-premiere production by
SkyPilot Theatre Co.
from July 13-August 18, 2013.
ÆSOPERA, a
pentaptych chamber opera inspired by the fables of Æsop, will
receive a world-premiere production by SCLT & Alison Eliel-Kalmus at
The
Open Fist Theatre, as part of
The Hollywood
Fringe Festival, from June 9-30. 2013. Music by Jonathan
Price; Libretti by Jeff
Goode, Jan Michael Alejandro & the Composer. Featuring the
operatic talents of Eric C. Castro, Elyse Cook, Katherine Giaquinto, Victoria Graves, Kyle Hester, Victor Mazzone, Craig McEldowny, Blanche Ramirez,
Sarah Reynolds, Tania Solomon, Jeffrey
Stackhouse, and Kaylie Warfield. Musical direction and piano
by Leonardo Sciolis and stage direction by Kirk Arnold-Smith and
Alison Eliel-Kalmus. Winner of the American Composers Forum Subito Grant and the New Opera Works' OIAM competition.
"...Price's luscious music...beautiful
soaring melodies...a sophisticated evening of classical
entertainment." —Ellen Dostal,
Musicals in LA
GIRL MEETS BOY, starring Ben Savage, Anna Pheil, Jake Busey,
and Richard Riehle, will be released by Screen Media Films on
June 4, 2013. The romantic comedy, featuring a score by Price, is written and directed by Damion Stephens.
WALT, a play written by Wm. W. Whitman, featuring settings of
Walt Whitman's poetry by Price, will receive a Southeast-premiere
production by
The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC from May 10-19, 2013. Directed
by Jeri Lynn Schulke, with music direction by Glenn Mehrbach.
Price received an ACTF/Kennedy
Center Award for the musical composition of Walt.
"Jonathan Price composed melodies
and harmonies which were powerful and subtly interspersed with text."
—Karma Lisa Edwards, The Daily Iowan
EARTHBOUND,
a new musical produced by SkyPilot Theatre Co., ran from June 9-July
15, 2012. Book by Adam Hahn,
music by Jonathan Price, and lyrics by Chana Wise.
Directed by Christian Levatino and featuring JR Esposito, Chera Holland,
Jason Kobielus, Ali Perkins, Lindsey Mixon, Mackenzie English, Samantha
Macher, and Ashley Fuller as the voice of Miami. An official
selection of the 2012 Festival of New American Musicals.
LA Weekly's "Pick
of the Week": "...composer
Jonathan Price and lyricist Chana Wise may have finally broken
the sci-fi barrier with this powerfully poignant and wistful 'electronica
musical.' [...] A terrific ensemble vocalizes Price's soaring
ballads, mournful laments and comedy numbers with equal skill,
while Chera Holland and Esposito bring the house to tears with
their moving duet on 'Never.'"
—Bill Raden,
LA Weekly
ÆSOPERA was
presented in concert by SCLT & Alison Eliel-Kalmus at The Carrie
Hamilton Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse from July 16-24. 2012.
Music by Jonathan Price; Libretti by Jeff
Goode, Jan Michael Alejandro & the Composer. Featuring the operatic talents
of Brooke deRosa, Elyse Cook, Nandani Maria Sinha, Miguel Vargas,
Jonathan Medina, and Jeffrey Stackhouse. Musical direction and piano
by Leonardo Sciolis and stage direction by Kirk Arnold-Smith and
Alison Eliel-Kalmus.
"This production is truly a creative,
powerful re-examination and re-interpretation of the classic
Aesop’s fables... Between elaborate costumes, an authentic
Roman set, haunting, stirring melodies based on riddles, and
beloved, timeless fables, the talented ensemble maintains a
comfortable, natural rapport, with a full range of emotions
and vocals, bringing opera to the masses... Aesopera
is sure to appeal to opera lovers and novices, of every
generation, with its amazing, inspiring lyrics and grand
drama." —Bonnie Priever,
The Tolucan Times
Music for the teaser
The Man of Stone and Light.
Reel People, a mini-musical
featuring book & music by Jonathan Price and lyrics by Chana Wise,
was produced by SkyPilot Theatre as part of their PLANE TALK at T.U.
Studios, North Hollywood, from January 21-February 26, 2012.
It was directed by Jonathan Price and featured Ashley Fuller, Jason Kobielus, Lindsey Mixon, and Amelia
Rose.
"My favorite was
called 'Reel People' (the only musical scene) -- written
flairfully by Chana Wise and Jonathan Price, who also
directs. We view two mouthy 'entertainment biz' types,
hyping their own importance. The bored, unimpressed woman
sitting between them cleverly beats them at their own game.
Fun! Well played by Ashley Fuller, Amelia Rose, and Jason
Kobielus." —Pat Taylor, The Tolucan Times
ÆSOPERA was
presented in concert by Social Arts & SCLT at The Historic Blinn
House in Pasadena, CA on October 15, 2011. Music by Jonathan
Price; Libretti by Jeff
Goode, Jan Michael Alejandro & the Composer. Featuring the operatic talents
of Brooke deRosa, Diana Briscoe, Nandani Maria Sinha, Miguel Vargas,
Paul Wong, and Jeffrey Stackhouse. Musical direction and piano
by Leonardo Sciolis and stage direction by Kirk Arnold-Smith and Alison Eliel-Kalmus. The event
was
supported in part through Subito, the quick advancement grant
program of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the American
Composers Forum.
"Jonathan Price, et. al., with the
recent launch of their new chamber opera, have hit upon something
truly original and blithely entertaining. Displaying wit,
skill and very clever social commentary, Price and his two
librettists, Jeff Goode and Jan Michael Alejandro, have transformed
five of Æsop's fables to make them not only relevant, but pointed
and timely in the modern age."
—LauriGoldenhersh, Lauri's List
Brian Wilson's beard is home to many things...including music by Jonathan Price.
Incidental music for The Tempest was performed by the award-winning
SCLT Troubadours,
under the direction of Alison Eliel-Kalmus, at Theatre Americana
Festival of the Arts on June 25, 2011 at Farnsworth Park in
Altadena, CA.
Jonathan Price was a featured composer in No Extra Notes' "Composer
Takeover 06" where he shared music from his operas, musicals and film
scores.
An original arrangement of the Celtic folk tune "My Lagan Love"
is
included on the compilation CD Celtic Gold, performed by the
flute/harp/cello trio carisma, released by Australia's
premier classical label ABC Classics. The CD is available at
ABC Shop.
"Classics like The Last Rose of
Summer and My Lagan Love have never sounded more moving."
—The Music Pages
Jonathan Price is the proud recipient of the
American Composers Forum Subito Grant to be used toward a 2011
production of his pentaptych chamber opera Æsopera, featuring libretti by
Jeff Goode, Jan Michael Alejandro, and the composer.
Wandering Willows, a new mini-musical
featuring book & music by Jonathan Price and lyrics by Chana Wise,
was produced by SkyPilot Theatre as part of their REWIND—Saturday Edition at The
Victory Theatre, Burbank.
It was directed & choreographed by Allison Bibicoff
and featured Ben Ryan, Lindsey Mixon, Trey Thompson, Erika Whalen,
Lauren Mayfield, Brian Wallis and Jeremy Aldridge.
"It's a delightful comedy musical where
everyday store patrons sing and dance, and an unexpected love can walk
in the front door when you least expect it. Don't be surprised if
you walk out the door humming as you go." —Musicals in LA
"Wandering Willows
closes the evening on a musical note. With the book and music by
Jonathan Price and lyrics by Chana Wise, this final one-act speaks to
all who are easily seduced and transported by sweeping movie musicals.
Billy (Ben Ryan) wants nothing more than to get lost in the perfect
world of melodies, but he simultaneously wants that world all to
himself. Or does he? Allison Bibicoff directs and
choreographs the piece with an even hand, and a steadfast eye on the
acting. Again, great ensemble chemistry. Equal parts silly
and sweet, Wandering Willows is the last of several great treats
in the evening of one-acts."—LA SPLASH
"The show closed with Wandering Willows, a
beautifully choreographed song-and-dance number about a video store
clerk’s love for a sappy movie musical, despite his co-worker’s penchant
for shoot ‘em up action movies. Allison Bibicoff choreographed and
directed the play and some of the dance moves were about as flawless as
any I’ve seen on stage. Wandering Willows was an unexpected close
to an enjoyable night of live comedy." —The
Burbank Leader
December 12, 2010
SkyPilot
Theatre presented a reading of the libretto (w/o music) to a new
holiday opera The Christmas Ogre by Jeff
Goode (librettist) and Jonathan Price (composer). It was
followed immediately by a short presentation of a 10-minute snippet of
the opening scene with opera singers Eric Castro as the Ogre and
Christina Linton as the Boy Ogre.
Jonathan Price has been named one of the playwrights-in-residence at
SkyPilot Theatre.
In the summer of 2010, Jonathan Price was a visiting lecturer in the graduate
playwriting program at Hollins University in Roanoke, where he led master classes in musical theatre.
Commercial with quirky music from Jonathan Price:
An original arrangement of the Celtic folk tune "My Lagan Love"
is
included on the compilation CD From the Emerald Isle: The
Haunting Sounds of Ireland, performed by the
flute/harp/cello trio carisma, released by Australia's
premier classical label ABC Classics. The CD is available at
ABC Shop.
"Classics like The Last Rose of
Summer and My Lagan Love have never sounded more moving."
—The Music Pages
The film Necrosis, starring James Kyson Lee, George Stults and
Tiffany, was nominated for Best Original Score in the 2009 Los Angeles
Reel Film Festival. "I did quite like the 'spooky child singing'
soundtrack..." --cyberhal, QuietEarth
The mini-opera The
Gift of the Magi premiered at
Secret Rose Theatre on December
17, 2009 in
North Hollywood, California as part of their NoHo Ho Holiday Show. Della
was performed by Diana Briscoe and
Christina Linton and Jim by Gabriel Manro and Bernardo Bermudez.
Music by Jonathan Price and libretto by Jan Michael Alejandro &
the composer, after the eponymous short story by O. Henry.
Film Music, a compilation album of scores from New
Line's Cyber Wars, Showtime's Rustin, American World
Pictures' Necrosis and more from composer Jonathan Price, is now
available for download from
iTunes
and
amazon.
The mini-opera
The Queen & the Dragon premiered at The
Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood on June 25, 2009 as part of
their Mini-Musical Festival. With music by Jonathan Price, and a libretto by Jan
Michael Alejandro and the composer, it
featured some great opera singers from the LA area,
including DeReau K. Farrar, Christina Linton, Nandani Maria Sinha, Diana Briscoe, Miguel
Vargas, Debbie Dey and Gabriel Manro.
Original arrangements of the Celtic folk tunes "My Lagan Love"
and "She Moved Through the Fair" are
included on the CD Celtic Dreams, performed by the
flute/harp/cello trio carisma, released by ABC Classics. The CD is available at
buywell.com.
"Classics like The Last Rose of
Summer and My Lagan Love have never sounded more moving."
—The Music Pages
Rumpelstiltskin, a children's musical with book and co-lyrics by
Jeff Goode (creator of The Disney Channel's American Dragon: Jake Long), is now available from
Samuel French.
The track Rustin (based on Rustin Main Title) is
included on the CD Classical Chill, performed by the
flute/harp/cello trio carisma, released by ABC Classics. It spent 18 weeks in the
Top 50 of ABC's Best Sellers list and the track has been featured regularly on
Classic FM's
Classic Drive with Julia Lester. The CD is available at
ABC Shop.
The track Rustin(based on Rustin Main Title)
is included on the CD Lily's Eyes by the flute/harp/cello
trio carisma,released by ABC Classics.
The CD is available at
buywell.com
"A personal favourite moment
would have to be the extremely laid-back arrangement of Recuerdos de
la Alhambra which flows through beautifully into the following
track, Rustin - a soothing flow that continues until the last note
fades out." —Mark Chapman,
The Daily
The Lion & the Wood Nymph, a
mini-opera, was chosen as a winner of
New Opera Works' OIAM opera composition competition. It was
performed in concert on August 16, 2007 in American Fork, Utah at
the Historic City Hall. "The Lion & the Wood Nymph is
just plain beautiful."
—M. Ryan Taylor, VocalWorks.
The song "Ji
Tuo (Our Hopes)," from the musical Lao Jiu,was part of a special musical presentation at Singapore Day '07 in
New York's Central Park on April 21, 2007. The live concert
presented iconic songs from Singapore's theatrical history.
The song was performed by Judy Tan and Skye.
The
new musical Marley's Christmas, featuring book and lyrics by
Jeff Goode (author of The Eight: Reindeer
Monologues), received a concert reading May 23 &
24, 2006 at Unknown
Theater, Los Angeles. The official website is
www.marleyschristmas.com.
"Jonathan Price has added fun, meaningful, vigorous
music to Jeff Goode's play, which had already earned accolades of
'innovative, unique...an unforgettable holiday journey.' Old writing
buds becoming pros and then re-teaming years later to make a good
show even better is my definition of how the world should work,
ladies and gents." —Jeffrey Stackhouse, shadowlandonline.net
Check out
netflix for the feature film
Cyber Wars,
featuring David Warner and Joan Chen, released by New Line.
"A
resonant score by Jonathan Price."
—Paul Di Filippo, SciFi.com.
The
musical Lao Jiu opened November 11, 2005 in Singapore at the
New Drama Centre to rave reviews:
"Lao Jiu: The Musical
was close to perfect as a production, with its innovative use of songs
and puppets, seamless choreography, authentic dialogue, honest plot and
characters, all coming together brilliantly with rare aesthetic
cohesiveness. Full of energy and creativity, the gravity and
lightness of the tale flowed and ebbed as naturally as breath.
Lao Jiu: The Musical firmly captured the imaginations of its
audience, affirming its place in Singapore's theatrical history."
—Deanna Tan,
The Flying Inkpot
"Lim and Ng were
remarkable in their evocation of their characters' enduring camaraderie.
Their duet of the song The Pendulum Of Time is the bitter-sweet heart of
this production, its lament about the fading colours of their era
underscored by the slightly hoarse timbre of their weary voices.
The theme of unfulfilled dreams was also given play in the song Our
Hopes, which saw two of Lao Jiu's sisters (Celine Rosa Tan and Magdalene
See) singing to him about their hopes for his future. Their gentle
voices weaved around him a musical cocoon of love and expectation that
felt both comforting and constricting. Composer Jonathan Price's
score was refreshingly eclectic."
—Hong Xinyi,
The Straits Times
"Equally promising and
exciting as a downtown concert, Lao Jiu — The
Musicaloffers some
pleasant surprises that marked a rebirth from its former
theatrical interpretation 15 years ago. An earnest remaking all in
its own style, the musical is presented with refreshing takes concocted
with a cocktail of original music compositions and creative
choreography, manned with some stunning visual treats of puppetry
works." —Jimmy Huang,
Funkygrad.com
"This production of Lao
Jiu makes genuine attempts at innovation which are welcome. The tone of
the music and the hearty, mournful sentimentality of the Mandarin
lyrics, sung partly in dialect, are lovely, especially those sung by
Shifu and by Lao Jiu's ex-gangster father."
—Matthew Phan, The Business Times
"The musical Lao Jiu
soars, carried by magnificent production values. Interspersed with
drama, puppetry and music, it has a tight ensemble and cast."
—David Chew, TODAY
The song,
"Hubba Hubba Hula",
with lyrics by Jeff Goode, is featured in the episode, "Jake
Takes the Cake," of the Disney Channel's Jake Long: American
Dragon.
The film
Rustin, featuring Meat Loaf and Zachery Ty Bryan, is available
on
netflix.
Music for Knott's Berry Farm.
THE ISLAND, a new musical inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest
(book & music by Jonathan Price, lyrics by Chana Wise), will receive
a world-premiere production by
GIRL MEETS BOY, starring Ben Savage, Anna Pheil, Jake Busey,
and Richard Riehle, will be released by Screen Media Films on
June 4, 2013. The romantic comedy, featuring a score by Price, is written and directed by Damion Stephens.
WALT, a play written by Wm. W. Whitman, featuring settings of
Walt Whitman's poetry by Price, will receive a Southeast-premiere
production by
EARTHBOUND,
a new musical produced by SkyPilot Theatre Co., ran from June 9-July
15, 2012. Book by Adam Hahn,
music by Jonathan Price, and lyrics by Chana Wise.
Directed by Christian Levatino and featuring JR Esposito, Chera Holland,
Jason Kobielus, Ali Perkins, Lindsey Mixon, Mackenzie English, Samantha
Macher, and Ashley Fuller as the voice of Miami. An official
selection of the 2012 Festival of New American Musicals.
ÆSOPERA was
presented in concert by SCLT & Alison Eliel-Kalmus at The Carrie
Hamilton Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse from July 16-24. 2012.
Music by Jonathan Price; Libretti by Jeff
Goode, Jan Michael Alejandro & the Composer. Featuring the operatic talents
of Brooke deRosa, Elyse Cook, Nandani Maria Sinha, Miguel Vargas,
Jonathan Medina, and Jeffrey Stackhouse. Musical direction and piano
by Leonardo Sciolis and stage direction by Kirk Arnold-Smith and
Alison Eliel-Kalmus.
Music for the teaser
The Man of Stone and Light.
Reel People, a mini-musical
featuring book & music by Jonathan Price and lyrics by Chana Wise,
was produced by SkyPilot Theatre as part of their PLANE TALK at T.U.
Studios, North Hollywood, from January 21-February 26, 2012.
It was directed by Jonathan Price and featured Ashley Fuller, Jason Kobielus, Lindsey Mixon, and Amelia
Rose.
Brian Wilson's beard is home to many things...including music by Jonathan Price.
Incidental music for The Tempest was performed by the award-winning
SCLT Troubadours,
under the direction of Alison Eliel-Kalmus, at Theatre Americana
Festival of the Arts on June 25, 2011 at Farnsworth Park in
Altadena, CA.
Jonathan Price was a featured composer in No Extra Notes' "Composer
Takeover 06" where he shared music from his operas, musicals and film
scores.
An original arrangement of the Celtic folk tune "My Lagan Love"
is
included on the compilation CD Celtic Gold, performed by the
flute/harp/cello trio carisma, released by Australia's
premier classical label ABC Classics. The CD is available at
Jonathan Price is the proud recipient of the
American Composers Forum Subito Grant to be used toward a 2011
production of his pentaptych chamber opera Æsopera, featuring libretti by
Jeff Goode, Jan Michael Alejandro, and the composer.
Wandering Willows, a new mini-musical
featuring book & music by Jonathan Price and lyrics by Chana Wise,
was produced by SkyPilot Theatre as part of their REWIND—Saturday Edition at The
Victory Theatre, Burbank.
It was directed & choreographed by Allison Bibicoff
and featured Ben Ryan, Lindsey Mixon, Trey Thompson, Erika Whalen,
Lauren Mayfield, Brian Wallis and Jeremy Aldridge. 
December 12, 2010
Jonathan Price has been named one of the playwrights-in-residence at
SkyPilot Theatre.
In the summer of 2010, Jonathan Price was a visiting lecturer in the graduate
playwriting program at Hollins University in Roanoke, where he led master classes in musical theatre.
Commercial with quirky music from Jonathan Price:
An original arrangement of the Celtic folk tune "My Lagan Love"
is
included on the compilation CD From the Emerald Isle: The
Haunting Sounds of Ireland, performed by the
flute/harp/cello trio carisma, released by Australia's
premier classical label ABC Classics. The CD is available at
The film Necrosis, starring James Kyson Lee, George Stults and
Tiffany, was nominated for Best Original Score in the 2009 Los Angeles
Reel Film Festival. "I did quite like the 'spooky child singing'
soundtrack..." --cyberhal, QuietEarth
The mini-opera The
Gift of the Magi premiered at
Secret Rose Theatre on December
17, 2009 in
North Hollywood, California as part of their NoHo Ho Holiday Show. Della
was performed by Diana Briscoe and
Christina Linton and Jim by Gabriel Manro and Bernardo Bermudez.
Music by Jonathan Price and libretto by Jan Michael Alejandro &
the composer, after the eponymous short story by O. Henry.
Film Music, a compilation album of scores from New
Line's Cyber Wars, Showtime's Rustin, American World
Pictures' Necrosis and more from composer Jonathan Price, is now
available for download from
The mini-opera
The Queen & the Dragon premiered at The
Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood on June 25, 2009 as part of
their Mini-Musical Festival. With music by Jonathan Price, and a libretto by Jan
Michael Alejandro and the composer, it
featured some great opera singers from the LA area,
including DeReau K. Farrar, Christina Linton, Nandani Maria Sinha, Diana Briscoe, Miguel
Vargas, Debbie Dey and Gabriel Manro.
Original arrangements of the Celtic folk tunes "My Lagan Love"
and "She Moved Through the Fair" are
included on the CD Celtic Dreams, performed by the
flute/harp/cello trio carisma, released by ABC Classics. The CD is available at
Rumpelstiltskin, a children's musical with book and co-lyrics by
Jeff Goode (creator of The Disney Channel's American Dragon: Jake Long), is now available from
The track Rustin (based on
The track Rustin (based on
The song "
The
new musical Marley's Christmas, featuring book and lyrics by
Jeff Goode (author of The Eight: Reindeer
Monologues), received a concert reading May 23 &
24, 2006 at Unknown
Theater, Los Angeles. The official website is
Check out
The song,
"Hubba Hubba Hula",
with lyrics by Jeff Goode, is featured in the episode, "Jake
Takes the Cake," of the Disney Channel's Jake Long: American
Dragon.
The film
Rustin, featuring Meat Loaf and Zachery Ty Bryan, is available
on