Auditorium Theatre 2021-2022, Issue 2, Too Hot to Handel

KMR: The opportunity to tell this story from a different perspective; a chance to unite the masses much like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while simultaneously celebrating his birthday; to enlighten the minds of youth and make a difference one conversation at a time, as well as the fellowship with my Too Hot family, are some of the many reasons I come back each year. SC: The musical score of Too Hot to Handel is breathtaking and it coexists beautifully with score of the traditional Handel’s Messiah . In addition, inviting world-class musicians to perform this great arrangement creates a vibrancy that is unsurpassed. MH: I keep coming back to Too Hot because I fell in love with the production the first time I heard it. It was completely thrilling! It is such an artful integration of musical genres by [composer] Bob Christianson. I love the big sound of the orchestra, the powerful choir, the engine that is the Too Hot rhythm section and the exquisite interplay between the vocal soloists and pianist Alvin Waddles. Even after all these years, I still feel swept along with the momentum of this show! How does Too Hot elevate women in the arts? SMA: In the first place, it was a female conductor’s idea to create this work! Too Hot was commissioned by Marin Alsop, one of the preeminent leaders in the arts community. It’s unique in so many ways, but what I particularly like is that it opens opportunities to spotlight women on the stage. Too Hot at the Auditorium showcases the amazing improvisations of bassist Marion Hayden, powerhouse singing by alto Karen Marie Richardson and soprano Alfreda Burke, and me at the helm. Too Hot, with so much visibility by women in leadership roles, presents an inspiration to the next generation of women in music. AB: Too Hot elevates women in the arts in so many ways. Maestra Suzanne Acton conducts our cast of Too Hot both at the Auditorium and Michigan Opera Theatre. Women are featured in the orchestra (our contractor, concert master, instrumentalists), jazz combo, choir, and soli alto Karen Marie Richardson and myself as soprano. I’d be remiss not to mention the women of the Auditorium Theatre — chiefs, staff, and production holding it down! Women are movers and shakers in Too Hot and may they continue to impact and empower the masses! SC: Our presence can serve to inspire other women to take action to follow their dreams. MH: Too Hot elevates women working in the arts in so many ways. Suzanne, our brilliant conductor, exemplifies how important it is to have women in decision-making positions in the arts. Suzanne took an artistic risk in doing Too Hot — very few people knew anything about this production; there was no way to know if audiences would connect with the piece. She skillfully put together a fantastic team of performers. Audiences have fallen in love with this show! From the very beginning, Suzanne put women in key positions in this production, including contractors, principals, and the production director. I think having women in a variety of performance, production, and administrative positions is critical in gaining equity for women in the arts. KMR: At the helm of each performance we are under the astounding direction of Ms. Suzanne Mallare Acton, who with such amazing insight and profound vision guides the sounds that are heard during each piece. In addition to Suzanne, there are a plethora of women who are involved with the inner and outer workings of this production and empower the words that are being sung and the sounds that are being heard. So much of what is heard/seen could not be made possible without the amplification of women. “Women are movers and shakers in Too Hot and may they continue to impact and empower the masses!” — Alfreda Burke, Soprano soloist Marion Hayden Sylvia de la Cerna