Last June I had the delightful opportunity to put together a recital with my Prairie View colleague Wendy Bergin. She runs the Church of the Good Shepherd Music Festival in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She led a small chamber ensemble in a program of Handel arias, the lovely Prayer of St. Gregory by Alan Hovhaness, and Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate. I also sang a few Britten folk song arrangements and a few songs from Pictures of the Floating World by Zachary Wadsworth, with Andrew Schneider at the piano. It was a wonderful night; the ensemble and audience all contributed to one of those rare concerts where everything seems to go right. I had always wanted to sing the Mozart, and what a pleasure it was to it with such a sensitive group of musicians!
Here are a few clips from the concert:
Mozart: Exultate, Jubilate, K165
Handel: Endless Pleasure from Semele
Endless Pleasure, Endless Love
Britten: Sweet Polly Oliver
Wendy and I will collaborate on another recital next year! We are planning a program of music for flute and soprano, which will probably happen in January. Look for more details on that soon!