Stewart Copeland

Though it's been 27 years since the Police disbanded, Stewart Copeland, its American drummer, remains best known for his nine years with the seminal British rock band. But that doesn't mean he hasn't been busy beyond the Police's 2007 reunion tour. From the mid-1980s through the mid-2000s, Copeland was a prolific composer of movie and TV scores. More recently, he's been writing operas and ballets. On May 11, his fourth and latest opera, "The Tell-Tale Heart," based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name, receives its American premiere at Long Beach Opera, on a bill with another one-act opera.

Two-thirds of the Police -- guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland -- will be reunited on Sunday to talk about their role in Amnesty International's benefit concerts at the world premiere of “Released!” a new concert films with highlights from two AI tours and two other individual benefit shows from 1986 to 1999. Strictly by coincidence, the third member of the trio - Sting - happens to be in the area to perform Monday, Nov. 4, at Magicopolis in Santa Monica, but there's no word on whether he could  join his former band mates at the screening.

Two-thirds of the Police -- guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland -- will be reunited on Sunday to talk about their role in Amnesty International's benefit concerts at the world premiere of “Released!” a new concert films with highlights from two AI tours and two other individual benefit shows from 1986 to 1999. Strictly by coincidence, the third member of the trio - Sting - happens to be in the area to perform Monday, Nov. 4, at Magicopolis in Santa Monica, but there's no word on whether he could  join his former band mates at the screening.

Opera was born to be mad. The first great opera concerned the demented Roman emperor Nero. In the nearly three centuries since Monteverdi's "The Coronation of Poppea," mad scene has succeeded mad scene on the lyric stage. They still do, as Long Beach Opera demonstrated Saturday night at Bixby Knolls Expo Art Center with a seemingly crazy double bill of two recent American operas - Michael Gordon's "Van Gogh" and Stewart Copeland's "Tell-Tale Heart. " Each opera is, in essence, an excitable - and exciting - extended mad scene.

This city may boast one of the world's finest and most famous orchestras. But it is also home to an opera company. Ranked 10th in size among American companies, Cleveland Opera is not famous and decidedly not adventurous, relying mainly on old-fashioned productions of old-fashioned operas and Broadway shows. Yet, Tuesday night, the company finally had its moment of stardom.

A day after the announcement that the Police had been selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a former member of the defunct British band confirmed that they will reunite for three songs at the induction ceremony in March. "I am a dinosaur of rock," Stewart Copeland said at a news conference Friday in Milan, where he was performing with his band Stewart Copeland's Orchestralli. "We're going to get together again after nearly 20 years."

Stewart Copeland, former drummer with the Police, has settled his suit against the Doors of the 21st Century. Terms were not disclosed. Copeland had been performing in the band with original Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger but then hurt his elbow and was replaced. He went to court in March, charging them with breaching an oral contract to use him on a tour and an album.

Stewart Copeland, former drummer for The Police, is revising his opera, "Holy Blood and Crescent Moon," which opened last fall in Cleveland to lukewarm reviews. "There's a lot more that the opera has to offer that we didn't achieve," said Copeland, who is being assisted by the Texas Christian University orchestra. The new version is expected to make its premiere Nov. 16 at the Tarrant County Convention Center.

Stewart Copeland, former drummer for the Police, will be on hand at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood tonight to answer questions from the audience after the screening of a documentary he has made about the rock group. "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. as part of the American Cinematheque's "Mods & Rockers" film festival.

Doors members file lawsuits What's up with Doors drummers? First, John Densmore, the rock group's original drummer, filed suit in February, seeking to block former bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger from performing under the name Doors 21st Century. Now, Stewart Copeland, who initially was tapped to replace Densmore in the reconstituted group, has hit them with a $1-million suit, RollingStone.com reports, charging that they breached an oral contract to use him on a tour and album.

Though it's been 27 years since the Police disbanded, Stewart Copeland, its American drummer, remains best known for his nine years with the seminal British rock band. But that doesn't mean he hasn't been busy beyond the Police's 2007 reunion tour. From the mid-1980s through the mid-2000s, Copeland was a prolific composer of movie and TV scores. More recently, he's been writing operas and ballets. On May 11, his fourth and latest opera, "The Tell-Tale Heart," based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name, receives its American premiere at Long Beach Opera, on a bill with another one-act opera.

The rock singer Sting may be a man of furtive cool, mystical tantric talents and exotic, globe-spanning tastes, but it was his affable drummer who could always boast the more intriguing back story. Sting, né Gordon Sumner, was the son of an English milkman and a hairdresser. Stewart Copeland -- supplier of the fussy yet propulsive rhythm that was a hallmark of the Police -- was born in Alexandria, Va., in 1952, the son of Miles Copeland Jr., a Middle Eastern operative for the CIA, and archaeologist Lorraine Adie, who worked for British intelligence during World War II. The drummer-to-be grew up in Cairo and Beirut.

Stewart Copeland, former drummer for the Police, will be on hand at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood tonight to answer questions from the audience after the screening of a documentary he has made about the rock group. "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. as part of the American Cinematheque's "Mods & Rockers" film festival.

Ian Copeland, a booking agent who helped the Police and other new wave and punk bands break into the U. S. music scene by stitching together a club circuit that the bands could play, has died. He was 57. Copeland died Tuesday of melanoma at his home in Los Angeles, his family announced. He created the club circuit by contacting owners of discos that were going out of business. Groups such as R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails and the B-52s benefited.

Stewart Copeland, former drummer with the Police, has settled his suit against the Doors of the 21st Century. Terms were not disclosed. Copeland had been performing in the band with original Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger but then hurt his elbow and was replaced. He went to court in March, charging them with breaching an oral contract to use him on a tour and an album.

Doors members file lawsuits What's up with Doors drummers? First, John Densmore, the rock group's original drummer, filed suit in February, seeking to block former bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger from performing under the name Doors 21st Century. Now, Stewart Copeland, who initially was tapped to replace Densmore in the reconstituted group, has hit them with a $1-million suit, RollingStone.com reports, charging that they breached an oral contract to use him on a tour and album.

Ian Copeland, a booking agent who helped the Police and other new wave and punk bands break into the U. S. music scene by stitching together a club circuit that the bands could play, has died. He was 57. Copeland died Tuesday of melanoma at his home in Los Angeles, his family announced. He created the club circuit by contacting owners of discos that were going out of business. Groups such as R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails and the B-52s benefited.

A day after the announcement that the Police had been selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a former member of the defunct British band confirmed that they will reunite for three songs at the induction ceremony in March. "I am a dinosaur of rock," Stewart Copeland said at a news conference Friday in Milan, where he was performing with his band Stewart Copeland's Orchestralli. "We're going to get together again after nearly 20 years."

Stewart Copeland, former drummer for The Police, is revising his opera, "Holy Blood and Crescent Moon," which opened last fall in Cleveland to lukewarm reviews. "There's a lot more that the opera has to offer that we didn't achieve," said Copeland, who is being assisted by the Texas Christian University orchestra. The new version is expected to make its premiere Nov. 16 at the Tarrant County Convention Center.