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Press Releases
Lyric Fest Presents 'A Singer’s Singer: A Biography In Music of Winnaretta Singer - An American Patroness In Paris', November 12 & 13
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mallory McFarland | Morahan Arts and Media
mallory@morahanartsandmedia.
Lyric Fest Continues 2022-2023 Season with
A Singer’s Singer:
A Biography In Music of Winnaretta Singer -
An American Patroness In Paris
Concert Features Marjorie Maltais, Danielle Talamantes,
Jorell Williams, Laura Ward, and Suzanne DuPlantis
Program Includes Works by Debussy, Satie, Stravinsky,
Fauré, Ravel, Grainger, Quilter, de Falla, and Others
Saturday, November 12 & Sunday, November 13, 2022
“An irresistible mix of high art and humane feeling…
as entertaining as a well-managed party.” — Broad Street Review
Philadelphia, PA (October 3, 2022) — Lyric Fest continues its 20th anniversary season with two performances of A Singer’s Singer: A Biography In Music of Winnaretta Singer - An American Patroness In Paris, to be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 3:00pm at the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia – the place where Lyric Fest began – and Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:00pm at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill.
Winnaretta Singer, the American-born heiress to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, became Princess de Polignac after marrying a penniless aristocratic composer, Prince Edmond de Polignac. Combining their mutual passion for music, in a "mariage blanc” the couple hosted the most famous salon in Paris in the early 20th century. Trail-blazer and philanthropist, Singer lived life on her own terms and ahead of her time. This far-reaching but little known story takes a look at 50 years of Singer’s influence on music and on Paris. With the use of letters and biographical narration, A Singer’s Singer explores how she was a patroness of Fauré, Hahn, and Falla, and commissioned works from Satie, Weill, Stravinsky, Poulenc, and Milhaud, among many others.
Founder and Artistic Director Suzanne DuPlantis says, “Winnaretta Singer is one of the most fascinating people you’ve never heard of. Her legacy as a patroness, and even as a mover and shaker for new trends in music is undeniable. This, coupled with the fact that she was a gay woman living a rather free, albeit discreet, life from the late 1800s through the roaring 20’s and beyond has made her a bit of a folk hero in the LGBTQIA community.”
Featured artists include soprano Danielle Talamantes, mezzo-soprano Marjorie Maltais, and baritone Jorell Williams, who will perform this biography in music, with Laura Ward joining on piano, and Suzanne DuPlantis providing script and narration. The evening features works by Debussy, Satie, Stravinsky, Fauré, Ravel, Grainger, Quilter, De Falla, and others. The concert also includes supertitles and video animation.
Lyric Fest’s 2022-2023 concert season continues with Ode to the Lost Song: Arne Dørumsgaard on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 7:00pm at the Moorestown Community House in Moorestown, New Jersey, and Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 7:00pm at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Performance Details
A Singer’s Singer – A Biography in Music of Winnaretta Singer, An American Patroness in Paris
Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 3:00pm
First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia | 201 S 21st St | Philadelphia, PA
Tickets: $25 advance purchase, $30 at the door
Link: https://lyricfest.org/
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:00pm
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill | 8855 Germantown Ave | Philadelphia, PA
Tickets: $25 advance purchase, $30 at the door
Link: https://lyricfest.org/
Artists:
Danielle Talamantes, soprano
Marjorie Maltais, mezzo-soprano
Jorell Williams, baritone
Laura Ward, piano
Suzanne DuPlantis, narrator
Program:
FAURÉ: Larmes
RAVEL: Chanson de la mariée
HAHN: La Barchetta
GRAINGER: Creeping Jane
CAPLET: La Cigale et la Fourmi
DE POLIGNAC: Rappelle-toi
POULENC: Sanglot
Jorell Williams
CAMPION: Jack and Joan
STRAVINSKY: Three Japanese Lyrics (1913)
I. Akahito
II. Mazatsumi
III. Tsaraiuki
ROUSELL: Jazz in the night
POULENC: Souric et Mouric
FAURÉ: En sourdine
QUILTER: Passing dreams, Op. 10
Danielle Talamantes
DEBUSSY: Pour ce que Plaisance est mort
SATIE: Chanson à boire (Quatre Petites Mélodies)
POULENC: C'est ainsi que tu es
FALLA: Jota
ROUSSEL: Le bachelier de Salamanque
FAURÉ: Mandoline
Marjorie Maltais
BACH: Wir eilen mit schwachen
Danielle Talamantes, Marjorie Maltais
SCHUMANN: Liebesgarten
Marjorie Maltais, Jorell Williams
COLE PORTER: Let's Misbehave
Danielle Talamantes, Marjorie Maltais, Jorell Williams
About Lyric Fest
Lyric Fest has been hailed in the press as “An irresistible mix of high art and humane feeling… As entertaining as a well-managed party” (Broad Street Review). Founded in 2003 with the goal of celebrating and revitalizing the art song tradition, it is the only performing arts organization in the Mid-Atlantic region with a primary focus on song in all its varied expression.
Lyric Fest has produced and presented over 100 distinctly crafted and curated concert programs. Each has featured multiple artists of national and international stature sharing song through theme and story, together with the spoken word. The organization has defined commissioning new works as an integral part of its mission and programming philosophy. To date, Lyric Fest has commissioned an impressive body of more than 200 new American songs from many of the nation’s preeminent composers.
Lyric Fest is run by two of its founders, artistic directors Suzanne DuPlantis and Laura Ward. Known for their excellence and innovation in creating rich, thematic, accessible concerts, Lyric Fest performs throughout the Philadelphia region, and has brought programs to Washington DC; Moorestown, NJ; Wilmington, DE; New Orleans, LA; Pittsburgh, PA; Brooklyn and New York City, NY; and San Jose, CA. Learn more about Lyric Fest at lyricfest.org.
About Suzanne DuPlantis
Suzanne DuPlantis is Founder and Artistic Director of Lyric Fest. With a passionate commitment to song, and a belief in its power to reach all listeners, Suzanne enjoys sharing this vision with Lyric Fest audiences in novel and dynamic ways in creative program building; in writing scripts and program notes; through graphic design and by creating innovative song videos. Noted for her moving renditions of songs and her intimate way with an audience, “DuPlantis deeply imprints the music with her personality with great emotional underpinning” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). She made her New York debut at Alice Tully Hall with Musica Sacra and her Kimmel Center debut in Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Orchestra 2001. Her career in opera has spanned debuts with companies across America in roles from Rossini’s heroines Rosina and Isabella, Carmen to Waltraute. In oratorio, chamber music and song, Suzanne has appeared with many of Philadelphia’s premiere music organizations including The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble, Bucks County Choral Society, Singing City, The Wister Quartet, and Orchestra 2001. She has premiered new works written for her, including by Kile Smith, Andrea Clearfield, Robert Maggio, Roxanna Panufnik, Logan Skelton, Allen Krantz and Benjamin C.S. Boyle. She has recorded Brian Gaber’s Ancestral Waters for mezzo, orchestra and jazz trio, and has recently released a CD of American Songbook Standards, Lazy Afternoon – Songs of Love and the South.
About Laura Ward
Laura Ward is pianist and Artistic Director of Lyric Fest, a unique vocal recital series in Philadelphia. As a distinguished collaborative pianist she is known for both her technical ability and vast knowledge of repertoire and styles. Concert engagements have taken her to Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Spoleto Festival (Italy), and the Colmar International Music Festival and Saint Denis Festival in France. She has served on the faculty of The CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster Choir College, the Academy of Vocal Arts, Temple University, Ravinia Festival Steans Institute, Washington Opera, University of Maryland, and the Music Academy of the West. Laura’s discography includes Lineage with Grammy-nominated baritone, Randall Scarlata, In This Blue Room: Lyric Fest Performs Songs of Kile Smith, Daron Hagen 21st Century Song Cycles, Hat er mir Rosen Gebracht: Songs of Joseph Marx with soprano Kendra Colton, Songs of Innocence and The Raven with The Raven Consort, and, most recently, Spirits in Bondage: Songs of Benjamin C.S. Boyle. Laura is also a recording artist and editor of song accompaniments for publisher Hal Leonard having co-edited: Richard Strauss: 40 Songs, Gabriel Fauré: 50 Songs, and Johannes Brahms: 75 Songs, and recorded over 2,000 song accompaniments for Hal Leonard Publishing. These volumes help countless singers and pianists experience, learn and enjoy the art song repertoire, and help introduce a world of art song to many who have had little exposure to classical song. A native of Texas, Laura received her Bachelor in Music degree from Baylor University, holds a Masters in Collaborative Piano at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and a Doctorate In Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan where she was a student of Martin Katz.
About Marjorie Maltais
Mezzo-soprano Marjorie Maltais is rapidly earning an excellent reputation on both concert and operatic stages in Canada and beyond. A native of Clermont, Quebec, this season’s performances include her debut as Mercedes in Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of Carmen, Erika in Samuel Barber’s Vanessa with Opera in Concert, and her concert debut with Lyric Fest. Marjorie has appeared as a guest soloist at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre (Canadian Opera Company) premiering Ian Cusson’s song cycle “Le récital des anges”, and has performed with Les Boréades de Montreal, Boston Early Music Festival, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Boise Philharmonic, Regina Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Metropolitain, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Southern Ontario Lyric Opera, and Edinburgh International Festival.
About Danielle Talamantes
“It’s not often that a fortunate operagoer witnesses the birth of a star!” critics hailed for Danielle Talamantes’ recent role début as Violetta in La traviata, a role she performed again in her Hawaii Opera Theatre début. This season’s engagements include Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the National Philharmonic, Verdi’s Requiem with both the Pensacola Symphony and North Carolina Master Chorale, the soprano soloist in Britten’s War Requiem with Opera Roanoke, as well as concerts with Lyric Fest, The United States Naval Academy, Choralis, the Artist Series of Sarasota (with her husband Kerry Wilkerson), and the Music Center at Strathmore.
About Jorell Williams
An American operatic baritone with a wide variety of experience from standard repertoire to premiere pieces, Jorell Williams begins the 2022-2023 season as Escamillo in Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of Carmen, followed by the world premiere of Ian Cusson and Kanika Ambrose’s Of The Sea with Tapestry Opera. He will also appear with the National Symphony Orchestra, Duluth Superior Symphony, and in concert with Lyric Fest. Recent engagements include Bard Summerscape, Vancouver Opera, New York Festival Of Song, Dayton Opera, Newfoundland Symphony, and he recently performed in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon and Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel in a co-production of The Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center Theater (filmed for PBS Great Performances).
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