Big things are happening at Verdigris Ensemble this fall.
The Dallas choral ensemble named Kyle Igneczi as its new executive director in August. The position is made possible in part by a gift in memory of Emily Javadi.
Igneczi brings decades of non-profit performance and leadership practice to Verdigris. His experience creating forward-facing community partnerships and collaborations for international non-profits, civic organizations, small startups, and artistic entities has made him a staple in the region. His work as an arts leader and administrator has shaped identities, instituted change, and raised significant funding for regional organizations, including IMPRINT Theatreworks, WaterTower Theatre, and the Plano Symphony Orchestra.
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“Kyle was an obvious choice from our standpoint,” said founding Artistic Director Sam Brukhman. “His experience in performance, background in fundraising, and clear love and desire to grow nonprofits is exactly what we’re looking for. He is a clear fit for the organization.”
The Ohio native is also a performer. Audiences may recognize Igneczi from his work with Dallas Theater Center, Uptown Players, WaterTower Theatre, Dallas Children’s Theater, IMPRINT Theatreworks, and any number of stages throughout DFW. His work as an actor, director, and puppeteer has garnered awards, accolades, and a reputation for pursuing excellence.
“In my career, I have been blessed with incredible, transformative experiences through the arts. Stepping into this role allows me to build upon these life-affirming moments and engage this community in a way that provides further opportunity for artists and audiences here in Dallas-Ft. Worth,” said Igneczi. “Joining Verdigris seems like the culmination of all the work I’ve done through the years. Combining my roots in opera and choral performance with my career in musical theater, and adding the fulfillment of the work I’ve done in arts support, I am thrilled to join the already incredible team at Verdigris to define a future full of new possibilities in the cultural landscape here and beyond.”
Igneczi’s tenure begins with Verdigris Ensemble’s partnership with Dallas Contemporary, a non-collecting, kunsthalle museum, for the 2023 Verdigris Ensemble fall season. The season will include two productions presented at Dallas Contemporary dedicated to themes of ecological justice and the environment: ‘The Endangered,’ from October 27-29, and ‘Beautification,’ from December 1-3.
This fall season, Verdigris Ensemble’s two productions at Dallas Contemporary focus on the perils facing the environment and the justice movements working to protect it. The second production, ‘Beautification,’ is inspired by Dallas Contemporary’s fall exhibition with Paris-based South African artist Bianca Bondi, A Preservation Method, curated by Associate Curator Emily Edwards.
“The Dallas Contemporary is visionary when it comes to recognizing and curating the hyper-relevant works of our time,” Brukhman said. “We’re here to add color, story, and immersion to the innovative work that they’ve already put together.”
“Dallas Contemporary is honored to be part of this partnership with Verdigris Ensemble,” said the museum’s Deputy Director Lucia Simek. “The ensemble’s imaginative work in creating meaningful cross-disciplinary projects here in Dallas is a model after our own heart here at DC, and we are thrilled to work together and share space, as well as see Bianca Bondi’s exhibition be expanded upon through the medium of voice.”
About the Concerts
‘The Endangered’ | Friday, October 27 to Sunday, October 29, 2023 | 7:30 pm
The Endangered highlights cultural efforts to preserve the planet and showcases stunning images of plants and animals, along with music and poetry created by local artists. Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider's Mass For The Endangered, which celebrates and mourns the natural world, centers the series. The Mass urges people to be more aware of environmental issues and take action, drawing on musical styles that encourage the contemplation of non-human life. The Mass is accompanied by six commissioned compositions featuring the work of five Dallas poets and five regional poets, which are intertwined with each movement.
‘Beautification’ | Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3, 2023 | 7:30 pm
Verdigris Ensemble unites with the Dallas Contemporary for this co-commission, bringing a memorable collaboration inspired by the museum’s site-specific fall exhibition with visual artist Bianca Bondi. Taking cues from Ladybird Johnson’s Highway Beautification Act, which aimed to protect native plants from billboards along stretches of Texas highway, Bondi presents a monumental artificial landscape representing the struggle between the natural and commercial world. Using the exhibition as inspiration, Verdigris Ensemble is commissioning a group of women composers to weave together a narrative about Lady Bird Johnson’s efforts, comparing her actions to the resilient native flowers of Texas. The production will feature innovative lighting and projections to mimic the experience of highway driving alongside archive audio of Ladybird’s speeches.
Tickets for both concerts are now on sale: https://www.verdigrismusic.org/
*Verdigris Ensemble is part of North Texas Giving Day. North Texas Giving Day is September 21, with early giving beginning September 1.
