FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Ali Short, (585) 472-4928

July 11, 2023 ashort@tippingpointcomm.com

Horizons at Harley Partners with Finger Lakes Opera to Empower Students Through
Weeklong Musical Collaboration

ROCHESTER, NY – For the very first time, Horizons at Harley is partnering with Finger Lakes Opera (FLO)
for a week-long musical workshop that empowers students to understand the musical process,
collaborate with professional artists, and connect with opera as an exciting art form.

From July 17-21, approximately 65 Horizons students in grades 5-8 from the Rochester City School
District will work with world-class artists to learn first-hand what it takes to create, learn, and perform
an opera. The weeklong camp will focus on FLO’s newly commissioned, one-act opera, Two Corners, by
composer B.E. Boykin and librettist Jarrod Lee. A deeply personal project, Two Corners is based on the
life-long friendship between B.E.’s grandmother Florine Boykin, a Black woman, and her white
neighbor Sarah Colson in the small Alabama town of Wedowee. The opera itself highlights the two-
decade period of 1954-74, at the height of the Civil Rights movement.

During the hands-on week, students will participate in three focus areas: expressing music through
drawing/painting; learning spoken dialogue; and trying their hand at composing their own music. They
will work Camp Director Katie Hannigan, Horizons Music Teacher Montrael Singletary; B.E. Boykin,
librettist Jarrod Lee; celebrated soprano and Rochester native Kearstin Piper-Brown; and stage director
Kimille Howard, among others.

“Horizons at Harley is thrilled and honored to partner with Finger Lakes Opera this summer,” said
Horizons Executive Director Claire Labrosa. “Arts education has incredible benefits for students
including higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and better attendance! We can't wait to see our
students in action during our weeklong music workshop.”

The week will culminate in FLO’s workshop performance of Two Corners, scheduled for Sunday, July 23
at 2 pm at The Theater at Innovation Square, 131 Chestnut Street, Rochester. The workshop artists will
be featured and Horizons students will act as ushers. The event is free but advanced registration is
required: https://fingerlakesopera-bloom.kindful.com/e/workshop-two-corners
“We are proud to partner with Harley’s Horizons program to bring the FLO artists of Two Corners
directly to its students,” said FLO Executive Director Elizabeth G. Long. “Not only will the students get a
behind-the-scenes experience with the professional, artistic-creation process, but the partnership fits
perfectly with our mission of bringing more opera to more people, making the artform more
accessible.”

The fully produced and staged world premiere performances of Two Corners are set for August 2024 in
Rochester.
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NOTE: Photos and interviews are available on request, and tv is welcome on July 20 and 21 with
advanced notice.

ABOUT HORIZONS AT HARLEY: Currently in its 29th year, the Horizons Student Enrichment Program at The
Harley School is a transformational summer education experience that helps students from underserved
Rochester families succeed. Horizons at Harley makes a nine-year commitment to students from the Rochester
City School District, Kindergarten through 8th grade, and provides year-round support. During the summer,
students typically make two to three-month math and reading gains, a positive outcome that negates summer
learning loss and ensures that students enter the new school year ready for the rigor of a new grade level.
www.horizonsatharley.org