Blind Mezzo-Soprano Laurie Rubin Will Première Bruce Adolphe’s ‘Do You Dream in Color?’ with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will present the U.S. première of Bruce Adolphe's Do You Dream In Color?, based on a poem written by mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin about living without sight. Rubin, who was born blind, will sing this work with the LACO under the direction of Jeffrey Kahane. The program will be presented at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium on October 19, and at UCLA's Royce Hall on October 20.

This program also holds Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major, with French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras as soloist, as well as works by Mozart and Benjamin Britten. Queyras has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Tokyo Symphony. More information about this program and tickets are available at laco.org.

Composer Bruce Adolphe, a great admirer of Rubin's voice, initially approached Rubin about a collaboration. He explains how Rubin's poem came to be: "I asked Laurie to express in words what it feels like to live without sight so I could set it in music," he said.

In her poem, Rubin describes everyday tasks like putting on makeup, as well as her experiences making jewelry. She also describes how she felt when a young fan asked her to sign a program after a performance.

Rubin recently gave her New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and her United Kingdom recital debut at Wigmore Hall in London. She has also performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at the White House. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and earned a Master of Music degree at Yale University.

Blind since birth, Rubin has also written a book Do You Dream in Color? Insights from a Girl Without Sight, published by Seven Stories Press.

Rubin recorded the first version of Adolphe's song, written for mezzo-soprano and piano, for Bridge Records.

Adolphe has written works for many artists and organizations including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Sylvia McNair, the Beaux Arts Trio, the National Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera Guild and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He is the resident lecturer and director of family concerts for the Chamber Music Society, and has a side gig as the comic keyboard quiz-master of Performance Today's public radio program, Piano Puzzlers.