"Misha Penton has been known to forge her own paths as an artist, and with the composition of George Heathco under her poetry, and the use of recording and video with live performance as a platform, she presents herself as a radical contemporary collaborative artist." By Shannon Langman for I Care if You Listen.
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"Penton, artistic director of Divergence Vocal Theater, is more interested in creating an atmosphere than just telling a linear story...Penton’s vocal range and color merge well with Cole’s lyrical approach, allowing the drama to build and flow." By Nancy Wozny for Arts and Culture Texas.
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"Selkie: A sea tale is a chamber opera collaboration between soprano Misha Penton and composer Elliot Cole...Not only does Penton deliver a commanding vocal performance on this release, but she also undertook the role of producer, art director, and poet." By George Heathco for I Care If You Listen.
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"Misha seemed to sing from the eye of the storm, a tantalizing presence possessing a delightfully quirky intimacy that you might find in the work of Bjork, coupled with an edgy vocal power. Her unflinching belief in this sea dream is unmistakable and bewitching." By Katherine Grace McDaniel for Synkroniciti.
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"Championing young composers is at the forefront of my practice," Penton says. "One of the ways to do that is not only to perform, but to record their work in different formats. Having both my first recording and my first music video — different manifestations of the same creative output — brings a sense of completeness to this journey." By Joel Luks for CultureMap.
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"The 2010 Houston premier of Selkie featured an elaborate media and lighting design within a theatrical installation. The multimedia elements for Friday and Saturday’s performances include new choreography by Brooker and Konetchy and the screening of a video for the song “Softly Over Sounding Waves.” directed by Penton." By Chris Becker for Sequenza 21.
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Misha Penton named Finalist for Best Artistic Director by Houston Press Theater Awards Houston Press Art Attack.
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"When Divergence Vocal Theater diva Misha Penton performed Klytemnestra at the MFAH in June, she was able to have Anton von Maron's 1786 painting, The Return of Orestes, as a backdrop, a painting that captures a moment in the tragic family saga – a tale that's been told and re-told over centuries. There she was riffing on a theme that also intrigued artists for eons." By Nancy Wozny for Culture Map Houston.
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"Klytemnestra’s return to the stage is, “sleeker, redesigned, [and] semi-staged”, using the paintings of the Museum of Fine Arts’ Gallery 214 as backdrops for the production." By Garrett Schumann for Sequenza21.
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"Misha Penton, soprano and artistic director of Divergence Vocal Theater, unearthed Isabella's story while ambling through the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston where the 1897 oil on canvass by American painter John White Alexander of Isabella and the Pot of Basil was on view" By Joel Luks for CultureMap Houston.
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"Divergence Music & Arts is Divergence Vocal Theater's new venue in the burgeoning Spring Street Studios in the Lower Washington Cultural Arts District, best described as an inspiring, non-traditional, funky, comfortable, lofty, garage-grungy warehouse studio space for chamber arts, specifically chamber music and chamber opera." By Joel Luks for CultureMap Houston.
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"In Houston, Divergence Vocal Theater broke convention and presented yet another standing-room-only show. Klytemnestra continues DVT's continuum to define the genre of vocal theater...Artistic director Misha Penton rocked the role of the subversive female. Composer Dominick DiOrio's post-modern, yet accessible, style clearly draws inspiration from the past." By Joel Luks for CultureMap Houston.
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"Klytemnestra, a collaborative opera dance theater work featuring music by composer Dominick DiOrio, sung text by Misha Penton, spoken text by John Harvey, and choreography by Meg Brooker, is receiving a great deal of positive press in advance of its premier April 15th and 16th at Divergence Music & Arts." By Chris Becker for Sequenza21.
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"Juxtaposing poetry, dance and French music composed or arranged for voice and harp, soprano Misha Penton, harpist Joanna Elliott Whitsett, dancer Meg Booker and actress Miranda Herbert created a deliciously sensual ambiance of refined ecstasy. Misha Penton's interpretation of Reynaldo Hahn's Paysage showed her exquisite and succulent vocal range, technically and artistically." By Joel Luks for CultureMap Houston.
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"The collaborators are Misha’s dream team and secret weapon. The work began with poetry she wrote after seeing a sea lion off the rugged coast of British Columbia. This poetry became the libretto for the work, magnificently set to music by Elliot Cooper Cole. At times the sound was so lush and full, I could hardly believe it was not played by a much larger ensemble. " By MaryBeth Smith, SOMAQuest.
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"There is always something magical about opening night..From the sophisticated socialite to the indie chic, the over-capacity crowd lounged comfortably on velvety floor pillows, mismatched chairs, rockers and loungers, awaiting a musicale that captured the raison d'être of the avant-garde ensemble." By Joel Luks for CultureMap Houston.
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"The entire evening, around the theme “Autumn Spectre,” was one of achingly beautiful sensory demand. The performance defied all traditional expectations of making sense, if you needed a story line, characters, conflict, or moral. However, sense was made in the way love is made, one delicious sensation at a time." By MaryBeth Smith / FELDENKRAIS Houston.
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