BlackCatBonifide, LLC

“C-3PO was in the sound booth at work a couple weeks ago.” Man, how often do you get to say things like that? One of our most recent projects at Schell Games is “Puzzle Clubhouse“, a community-driven cartoon and video game series where you, the viewer, can contribute content and ideas for upcoming episodes.  We have released three episodes so far, Laz0r Frogs, To Gnome Me is to Love Me and May the Horse Be With You, the most recent being a spoooky Halloween themed cartoon featuring our first special guest star, Anthony Daniels, famous for playing C-3PO in the Star Wars franchise.  Mr. Daniels was fabulous and we all had a blast working on this special episode.  We hope you enjoy both the game and cartoon portions of Ep2 “May the Horse Be With You”.  Want to become a member of Puzzle Clubhouse? Sign up today to submit your game ideas, art, sounds and more!

Please note that the “Autumnal” voice recital date has been changed due to weather complications. Join us Saturday Nov 10th, same time and location, for an afternoon of spooky post-Halloween solos, duets, and trios. Facebook event with more info

SAVE THE DATE for a special post-Halloween voice recital titled “Autumnal“.  Elizabeth Rishel, Gwendolyn Schmidt and I will perform spooooky solos, duets, and trios in the spirit of the season.  Join us Saturday Nov 3rd Nov 10th at 5pm in the ELPC chapel. Free to attend, though donations for the church are encouraged. Featuring music by Samuel Barber, Charles Griffes, André Previn, Orlando Gibbons, John Dowland, Verdi, Mozart, Puccini, and Purcell. Also featuring Gabe D’Abruzzo as piano accompanist.   (facebook event info)

What to do till then? Next weekend (Oct 12th) the Pittsburgh Savoyards opens it’s production of “Yeomen of the Guard” , the funny and tragic tale of “the Merryman and His Maid” at the Andrew Carnegie Music Hall.  I am singing in the ensemble, aka “townsfolk”, in this charming production, joined by many of my Zombie Opera cohorts. (facebook event with cast list)

My marathon of “singing-in-a-different-opera-every-month” continues this September with Microscopic Opera‘s “Riders 2 The Sea/ LizBeth“.   I’m part of the ensemble for Riders, a beautiful opera by Ralph Vaughn Williams with a fabulous cast under the direction of former Renaissance City Choir artistic director Andres Cladera. Having sung in a performance of Williams’ aquatically similar A Sea Symphony before with the ELPC Festival Choir, I was very excited to be cast in Riders.  The second half of the evening features “Lizbeth“, by Thomas Albert, the operatic tale of Lizzie Borden, who”took and axe, gave her mother forty whacks”.  Funny how this time of the year I always end up in a show involving fake blood and sharp pointy objects (ie Zombie Opera).  Microscopic Opera show dates are Sept 14-16, 20-22 at the Pittsburgh Opera building in the Strip District. Tickets are available online now, $10 cheaper than at the door, and opening night is almost sold out so get yours soon! (facebook event page)

I’m happy to report that two projects from Schell Games have recently gone live.  We have been working on a website with online games for “Daniel Tigers Neighborhood“, a new animated childrens show based on the characters in the original Mr. Rogers program.  Our second release this month is BEST Foundation’s “Tunnel Tail“, a mice adventure game currently available as a FREE download for iphone and ipad. I had a blast working on sounds and music for both of these projects and glad they’re finally live so I can share them with you!  Oh, and don’t forget to check out “Puzzle Clubhouse“, a Schell Games cartoon and video game series where you, the viewer, can contribute content and ideas for upcoming episodes!

I have been cleaning up, and beefing up, my website a bit, specifically the Music and Video pages.  Been such a crazy couple months, but now the latest 48 hour films are available for viewing, and the most recent projects I’ve done for Schell Games are listed. Updates, I am in you!

I had the pleasure of working on two teams for this year’s Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Project, an independent filmmaking competition.  I composed the soundtrack for EverythingButTheName’s “Re:FirmAdness“ and had a cameo appearance as “singing soccer mom” in SGMovieMagic’s “Without a Hitch.”  I’m extra pleased to report that EBTN’s team won the Group B Audience Choice Award for the second year in a row! Congrats to everyone for a job well done.

Okay peeps, as you know my marathon of ‘singing in a different opera every month’ starts soon, so the online soapboxing begins now! First up, I’m part of a fabulous ensemble of “church hymners/angry mob folk” in the modern classic “Susannah” with Undercroft Opera August 3-4th and 10-11th. For those normally wary of ‘typical operas’, our opera is in English, under 2 hours long, AND performed in the fabulous, and comfortable, Bellefield Hall. Tickets are available online NOW and if you order from a cast member (like me) or orchestra member before July 27th you get a discount of $5 off each ticket purchased!

(next up, Microscopic Opera’s “Riders to the Sea”  in  Sept and Pittsburgh Savoyards’ “Yoeman of the Guard“ in Oct!!!)

I have been studying voice with Undercroft Opera‘s Mary Beth Sederberg since performing in Marriage of Figaro last summer.  She is holding a studio voice recital Sunday, June 24th, at First Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, PA.  Join us for a free concert featuring myself and seven other voice students including my Figaro dance partner Namy Farah and my Zombie Opera cohort Liz Rishel and Zombie Opera’s “Angela”, Emily Swora. We are each performing one or two arias a peice, mine are Handel’s  “Lascia ch’io pianga” and Stella’s aria “I Can Hardly Stand It” from Andre Previn’s Streetcar Named Desire. Recital is FREE, though donations to the venue are appreciated. Facebook Event info

Schell Games was nominated for two different categories of the Pittsburgh Technology Council‘s “2012 Design Art and Technology Awards“! Both are projects that I worked on, music composition and sound fx design: “Mechatars” (our collaboration with Bossa Nova Robotics) and “Race for the Beach” (interactive sea turtle game at Sea World).  more info…

UPDATE!!! We won the Joystick: Games & Applications Award for Race for the Beach!