Press
AUGUST 2, 2016
Geeta Participation in the Esalen Institute's Benefit Weekend promoted by The Huffington Post
Geeta is featured in the Esalen Institute July 2016 Newsletter
www.esalen.org
Click the image below, then scroll down to the "A Different View" section of the newsletter to see a special video presentation featuring Geeta!
Geeta is featured in the Esalen Institute March Newsletter
www.esalen.org
Geeta appears in the 2016 Summer Issue of The SpaRitualist
JANUARY 23, 2016
'Relax with a bath... of sound. It's practitioners say its like a massage or meditation.
The Los Angeles Times (Mary McVean)
JULY 12, 2011
'David Lynch Foundation Comp Features Songs by Maroon 5, Moby, Darryl Hannah'
The Hollywood Reporter (THR Staff)
Download For Good: Music That Changes The World features live cuts, remixes, covers (a highlight: Au Revoir Simone's take on Don Henley's "Boys of Summer") and original songs by the likes of Peter Gabriel, Moby, Alanis Morissette, Neon Trees, Arrested Development, Nancy Sinatra, Ozomatli and Maroon 5 along with a handful of curious collaborations. Among them: The Police guitarist Andy Summers with opera singer Geeta Novotny, who team up for “Ave Maria,”...
JULY 12, 2011
'David Lynch Beefs Up and Releases Benefit Comp Featuring Tom Waits, Peter Gabriel, Iggy Pop'
Exclaim.ca (Gregory Adams)
A number of collaborations are featured as well, including the out-there pairing of Police guitarist Andy Summers and opera singer Geeta Novotny for a version of "Ave Maria."
MARCH 25, 2011
'Western Classical Singer Lends Voice to Charity Project'
News India Times (Sunil Adam)
Singer and actress Geeta Novotny has teamed up with Andy Summers, the famed guitarist for The Police, for a charity project. Novotny, who is based in Los Angeles, has sung the classic “Ave Maria” (Bach/Gounod) for the foundation of renowned filmmaker David Lynch. The recording features Summers on electric guitar...
MARCH 10, 2011
'The Wedding March is only the beginning'
The Bakersfield Californian (Susan Scaffidi)
...Both Kane and Novotny are emerging young performers who are earning critical praise for their work. Both have performed previously with the Bakersfield Symphony. Novotny, who is also an actress and has performed on several independent film soundtracks, recently appeared in recital at CSUB...
JANUARY 27, 2011
'12 Paintings of Women, 12 Studio Visits'
The Huffington Post (John Seed)
Kathryn Jacobi: "Diva #3" is one of a series of 15 paintings of mezzosoprano Geeta Novotny singing arias from the opera Carmen, by Bizet. She is a perfect Carmen, passionate and strong, with a beautiful and powerful voice. While these paintings are not faithful portraits, they attempt to capture the inspiring qualities of her infinitely nuanced performance."
MAY 1, 2009
'Opera Company Presents Nontraditional 'Carmen'
Pasadena Star-News (Susan Scaffidi)
..."Because the singers are so close to the audience, and the acting is so intense, the audience will be able to understand the language," Lamanna said. Mezzo-soprano Geeta Novotny will star as Carmen. The cast also includes tenor Christopher Campbell as Don Jose, soprano Susan Kane as Micaela and baritone James Martin Schaefer as Escamillo.
* Partial segment of full article
FEBRUARY 4, 2007
'Carmen thrills Roswell audience'
Roswell Daily Record (Ashley Meeks)
Saturday evening's performance, directed by LizBeth Lucca, starred mezzo-soprano Geeta Novotny as Carmen, tenor Christopher Campbell as Don Jose, baritone E. Philip Schneider as Escamillo, soprano Myriam Zekaria as Micaela...
JANUARY 14, 2005
'School's Outreach Plays on U.S. Opera Surge'
ABC News
JANUARY 3, 2005
'LA Opera Company Performs for School'
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Bhatnagar said, "They (the children) are engrossed in the show...if you build upon teaching these children art and different forms of art at a young age, they'll develop a taste for it when they're older. And we hope that we're looking at our future audience."
MAY / JUNE 2004
'Geeta & Dana Bhatnagar, The Sopranos & the Indian American Ensemble'
Indian Life & Style Magazine, Cover Story (Sunil Adam)
The small apartment in Janakpuri - a middle class urban ghetto in New Delhi where boisterous Hindi film music from neighbors' televisions wafts in, and the din of chaotic two-stroke engine traffic serenades residents three flights up - may not be an ideal setting for the rendition of arias. But it was in that cacophonous condo, in front of their paternal grandmother, the 76-year old Vimala Devi Bhatnagar, and a few handpicked relatives, that Dana, a soprano, sang "Deh vieni non tardar," from Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro", and Geeta, a mezzo-soprano, sang "Verdi Prati,", from Handel's "Alcina"...
"When Geeta walks into a room, she makes her presence felt", says Professor Robert Page of Carnegie Mellon University. "She has a luscious voice", he adds. Geeta has the rounder richer voice, whereas Dana has a higher and brighter one." If Geeta is the flamboyant one, Dana is introverted but extremely focused. Together, the Bhatnagar sisters, everyone agrees, make glorious music...
* Partial segment of full article
June 19, 2003
'Young Artists from Around the World Pay Tribute to Music'
Peninsula News (Clarence Anderson)
The Bhatnagars, Dana and Geeta, are sisters and have joined to create a unique vocal duo. The sisters recently made their Carnegie Hall debuts as featured soloists in Felix Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Maestro Jaime Laredo conducting the New York String Orchestra and the Young People's Chorus of New York City. Dana and Geeta both earned bachelor's degrees of fine arts in the vocal program at Carnegie Mellon University.
June 23, 2003
'My Favorite Weekend: Geeta Bhatnagar - Getting our, getting ahead'
Los Angeles Times (Carolyn Patricia Scott)
The mezzo-soprano and her sister, Dana, a soprano made their Carnegie Hall debuts on Dec. 28 as soloists in Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with the New York String Orchestra. The production was narrated by actress Claire Bloom. The Bhatnagar Sisters have just released their first CD 'Duets'...
Bhatnagar said, "Moving to L.A. has had so many advantages. There's so much of the natural environment, you don't get that in certain regions of the country...I love to go to the beach, to drive through the mountains of Santa Barbara. I love to be in the earth of it: Hiking, walking are my natural salvations..."
*Partial segment of full article
December 31, 2002
'Letting Young String Players Find The Way Themselves'
The New York Times (Bernard Holland)
Claire Bloom narrated the Shakespeare end of the evening with elegant understatement. The Young People's Chorus of New York City and the sisters Dana and Geeta Bhatnagar sang the solos...
December 14, 2002
'Brookville Natives to make Carnegie Hall Debut Dec. 28'
Jefferson County Neighbors (Kathy Young)
Past week's Saturday's "Meet the Artist" event in Brookville's Forty Something that featured Dana and Geeta Bhatnagar had trouble staying on course owing to the two classical singers' popularity with local residents. Although the two performers were present in Brookville to promote their latest musical endeavors, the release of a CD entitled "Duets", personally autographing each copy purchased, they frequently had to lay down their pens to hug old friends...
Geeta, who now lives in Los Angeles, appearing with the Los Angeles Opera Company, was happy to be home but was less enthused about the cold weather. "That is one of the plusses about living in California", she said. "I love the weather there; I keep encouraging the rest of the family to come visit me, especially this time of year."...
Speaking as a mother, Colleen Bhatnagar says, "They are both respectful of each other's musical careers, with both knowing the commitment and hard work it takes to succeed. Both of them have always been very supportive of the other's efforts and glad for each other's success. There's nothing, I'm sure, that will ever change that."
* Partial segment of full article
December 5, 2002
'Bhatnagar Sisters First CD, a Reflection of Family Ties'
Jeffersonian Democrat (Randy Bartley)
The release of a new CD is rare and seldom occurs in rural Pennsylvania. But on Saturday "Duets" a CD by Brookville Natives Geeta and Dana Bhatnagar was released in Brookville. As an added feature, the girls were on hand at Forty Something to sign the CD...
"I am so overwhelmed by the response", said Dana Bhatnagar. "We have seen so many of our friends and classmates today." Teased about their new celebrity status, Geeta Bhatnagar said, "We don't feel like celebrities. This is home."
* Partial segment of full article
November 23, 2002
'Forty Something to host Bhatnagar Sisters'
Jefferson County Neighbors (Kathy Young)
Last June, people in this community had a rare opportunity to experience a world-class musical performance when Geeta and Dana Bhatnagar returned to perform a concert sponsored by the Brookville Borough Council on the Arts. The two sisters will again be in Brookville next Saturday to promote their newest musical endeavor, a premier CD entitled, "Duets". The CD follows the format of their earlier Brookville show, featuring both classical music and show tunes...
People who attended their June concert and remember the spellbinding magic of their music can also participate in their homecoming by being present at their CD signing at Forty Something...
* Partial segment of full article
June 6, 2002
'Bhatnagar Sisters to Perform in Brookville'
Jeffersonian Democrat (Randy Bartley)
...The Bhatnagar sisters, who, for the past seven years have been forging careers in opera both nationally and internationally, have come a long way from the days of chorus, orchestra, band and musicals at Brookville Area High School, proving that small town kids can make enormous accomplishments...
* Partial segment of full article
June 2002
'Bhatnagar Sisters Return Home to Present Concert'
Jeffersonian Democrat (Randy Bartley)
There is little similarity between the return of the Prodigal Son and the Bhatnagar Sisters, Dana and Geeta, to their hometown of Brookville, except for the joy expressed by the parents of the returnees in both instances...
Colleen Bhatnagar says of her daughters' homecoming, "With everyone so scattered, Geeta in Los Angeles, Dana in New York City, and Vimal in Ohio, it's hard to get everyone together. Having everyone home again under one roof will be a real event." Colleen is more reserved in discussing her daughters' professional successes in music. "Of course, we're proud", she says of herself and her husband. My husband's father was a violinist", she relates, "and we began the girls on the violin when they were five years old..."
* Partial segment of full article
December 19, 2001
'Local Student Become Opera aficionados'
Jackson Hole Guide (Marie Ewald)
...Henderson said she liked the workshop on makeup and costumes the most because of how easily a person could be transformed into someone completely different. With just a hat and a prop, workshop leader Geeta Bhatnagar turned students into a pirate, Robin Hood, a princess, an old lady and a movie star. By adjusting the hairdo, Bhatnagar turned student Cody Hunt, who usually has spiked hair, into a "nerd". Bhatnagar's greatest triumph was when she turned a little boy into an old woman. She painted on wrinkles, white eyebrows, sunken cheeks, blush, and lipstick. Then she added glasses, a wig, a shawl and a cane...
The workshop and performances worked to add an interesting dimension to opera for the students. "It's a good way to show them that opera isn't stereotypically boring or hard to understand", Bhatnagar said. "We're trying to dispel a lot of myths about opera."
December 19, 2001
'Vocalists Introduce Student to Opera'
Jackson Hole News (Richard Anderson)
...The rest of the Utah Opera apprentice team was made up of mezzo-soprano Geeta Bhatnagar, soprano Amy Wolf, and pianist Jeremy Frank. The five young artists, who just started their careers in music, hail from across the United States...
Other workshops covered sets, makeup, props and costumes. Bhatnagar transformed 11-year old Justin Brummet into an 80-year-old woman in less than 10 minutes...