Starch & Glitter to Perform at Red Poppy

Poster image for the concert being discussed, based on an original oil painting by Delphyne V.

Starch & Glitter calls itself a concert series that “combines fashion with classical singing: celebrating beauty, diversity, and uniqueness while developing community in an intimate environment.” The idea was conceived in 2015 by bass-baritone Waiton Farrell; and the offerings are “moveable feasts,” which tend to be hosted in intimate venues that reflect parlor or salon settings. The next program will be presented tomorrow night; so a heads-up seemed in order.

In honor of the Halloween season, the title of the program will be REAPER MADNESS, which honors the season with a particularly imaginative bit of punning. The concert is being described as “a gleeful reflection on death and insanity, and how the end comes for us all.” The program will include a performance of Modest Mussorgsky’s best-known song cycle, Songs and Dances of Death. Selections from Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd will also be presented, along with selected vocal compositions by Ned Rorem, Carl Loewe, Henry Purcell, Olivier Messiaen, Jacques Brel, and many others. Farrell himself will be one of the vocalists, joined by soprano Elsa Bishop. Piano accompaniment will be provided by Astghik Sakanyan.

The performance will begin at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, October 24). The venue will be the Red Poppy Art House, located at 2698 Folsom Street on the southwest corner of 23rd Street. General admission will be $40. This will include not only the concert but also unlimited champagne and access to our meet-and-greet reception after the performance, featuring Chantal Guillon macarons, and other delicious treats. There will also be VIP admission for $75, which includes priority seating and a pre-concert chat with the performers. Advance purchase is being handled through an Eventbrite event page.