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Thursday, 18 July, starting at 8:00 pm, Church of the Covenant, 67 Newbury Street, Boston (corner of Newbury and Berkeley), the SONS OF LIBERTY FESTIVAL presents "VW 200" featuring favorite selections from among the vocal works of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) and Richard Wagner (1813-1883), including the complete Wesendonck Lieder, Preislied, Celeste Aida, Di Provenza, and much more. Von Bringhurst, soprano; Yakov Zamir, contralto; James Dargan, baritone; and Christopher Orzech, piano.
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (10 October 1813 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer, mainly of opera. Unlike Wagner, Verdi was a musical conservative. Verdi said of Wagner, "He invariably chooses, unnecessarily, the untrodden path, attempting to fly where a rational person would walk with better results". Some of his operas, including Aida, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forza del Destino, Rigoletto, La Traviata are among the most popular still, two hundred years after his birth. This concert will include one aria from Aida, two from Ballo, one from Rigoletto and two from Traviata.
Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 13 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor primarily known for his operas (or, as some of his later works were later known, "music dramas"). Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in the romantic vein of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer, Wagner transformed operatic thought through his concept of a synthesis of the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts. After listening to Verdi's Requiem, Wagner, prolific and eloquent in his comments on some other composers, stated, "It would be best not to say anything." This concert will include three of Wagner's songs, and opera arias from Tannhäuser and the Singers' Contest at Wartburg Castle, from Lohengrin, and from The Mastersingers of Nuremberg.
Von Bringhurst (soprano) recently completed a two year Master of Music in Vocal Performance degree at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. He is a native of Pocatello, Idaho, where he also attended Idaho State University. In Idaho, he has been a soloist with the annual Messiah Sing-In and was a soloist with the Camerata Singers of Pocatello, Idaho. He has toured to Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Peru with his college Chamber Choir, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Music with Honors in 2009.Von worked as Music Director for the Opera House Theater Company in Philipsburg, MT in the 2008 season and was Music Director and Cremona Player for the Illustrious Virginia City Players of Virginia City, MT for their 2010 season. He sings with the choir of St. Paul's Cathedral in Cambridge for the 2012-2013 season. Von performed with Metro Stage Company's production of Chicago in October 2011, the Video Game Orchestra in 2011 and 2012, and as part of the Iberica Early Music Festival in August 2012.
Yakov Zamir (contralto) received his vocal training in New York City, and at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and the Oberlin and San Francisco Conservatories of Music. He has performed with orchestras, choirs and in concert series throughout the United States, including at Carnegie Hall and Weill Recital Hall in New York City, with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in Missouri, and twice with the San Diego Symphony. Yakov appeared with most of the orchestras and other instrumental and choral ensembles in Israel. He has also performed in six cities in India; on the stage of an ancient Greek amphitheatre on the island of Cyprus; in the Langholtskirkju in Reykavik, Iceland; and at Covent Garden Opera House in London. Since May 2008, Yakov produced and performed in seven concerts devoted to the songs of Robert Schumann in 2010, and seven concerts devoted to the songs and solo piano works of Franz Liszt in 2010-2011. In August 2012, Yakov co-produced and sang in the Iberica Early Music Festival.
James Dargan (baritone) is in increasingly great demand as an opera singer, concert soloist, and recitalist, and has been credited with "conversational flair" and a "creamy, rich quality" of voice. After degrees in literature, religion, and musicology from Boston and Leeds Universities, and a stint as a choral scholar at York Minster Cathedral (UK), James received voice lessons from Dr. Jerrold Pope and Liz Anker, and participated in masterclasses given by Lynn Torgove, Karyl Ryzcek, and Sondra Kelly; he has sung roles with Lowell House Opera, Boston Opera Collaborative, Helios Early Opera, the Juventas New Music Ensemble, Greater Worcester Opera, and OperaHub, and presented recitals at King's Chapel and St John's Episcopal Church, JP, as well as a recent recital debut at Trinity Cathedral in Miami. James also sings frequently at The Church of the Advent, is a new member of Emmanuel Music, a new addition to the roster of Boston Baroque, and is also a member of the Xerces Blue Ensemble, and a soloist and section member of The Cantata Singers. James works as a freelance singer, violinist, and occasional teacher in the Metro Boston area.
Christopher M. Orzech (pianist) -has been a frequent soloist and collaborator throughout the eastern United States, has given concerts in France, Germany and England. This past summer, Mr. Orzech gave performances in Istanbul, Turkey, including a recital at the Irmak Okulları Kültür Merkezi. Recent solo recitals have included Franck's Prélude, Chorale and Fugue, Brahms' Variations on an Original Theme and Beethoven's Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 110. Mr. Orzech has accompanied numerous instrumentalists and vocalists and is an avid performer of chamber music. In the summer of 2011 at the festival Longy in the Berkshires, he played two works by Schumann: the Piano Quintet, Op. 44 and Frauenliebe und Leben, a set of eight songs, of which The Boston Musical Intelligencer noted, "Orzech's accompaniment was sensitive to both the singer and the text, and was a treat to hear." Mr. Orzech also appears frequently with the Boston New Music Initiative, and is a founding member of Animus Ensemble: Clarinet. Viola. Piano. As an active private teacher, Mr. Orzech is centered in the Boston area, but has also taught overseas, most recently in Istanbul, Turkey at the Arsu Academy of Fine Arts (Arsu Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi), where taught and gave master-classes. He attended the Pennsylvania State University for his Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance, during which time he received honors such as the Eleanor Beene Performance Scholarship. Mr. Orzech has worked closely with double Grammy Award winner, Dr. Christopher Kiver, accompanying several choral ensembles during his undergraduate studies. His past teachers include Dr. Steven Smith and Marylène Dosse, and he has performed in master-classes for acclaimed pianists such as Boris Slutsky, Enrico Elisi and Orion Weiss, among others. Upon the completion of the Master of Music degree in piano performance at the Longy School of Music, Mr. Orzech was the recipient of the Mary Ellis Smith Prize, one of the school's highest honors, given to those who demonstrate a commitment to teaching and the transformational power of music to make a difference in the world. He is currently pursuing post-graduate studies in the Boston area, studying with Dr. Hugh Hinton.
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LocationChurch of the Covenant (View)
67 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02108
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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