Blair School of Music presents “Legends, Longing & Loss: Welsh, Italian, German, and English Rarities for Baritone & Piano,” featuring guest artist Jeffrey Williams with Jennifer McGuire, piano; and Kevin Jablonski, double bass. Tuesday, February 11, 8:00 p.m., Turner Recital Hall.
Tickets: $15
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Join baritone Jeffrey Williams and collaborative pianist Jennifer McGuire for an evening of hidden gems from both celebrated and lesser-known composers, all equally deserving of recognition. The program opens with Arnold Schoenberg’s first published composition, “Dank,” a work imbued with late Romantic majesty and pathos.
The recital then turns to the music of Arthur Foote, a member of the Boston Six and a distinguished faculty member at the New England Conservatory. Foote, the first American to earn a Master of Arts in Music, was a prolific composer of chamber music, art song, and choral works. His songs are rich with themes of longing and loss, whether in love or war.
Next, we journey to Wales, the land of song and legend, to bring to life the tales of Rhyfel Glyndwr, a medieval Welsh warrior, as well as the fabled King Arthur. Additional selections by Thomas Osborne Roberts and Gareth Glyn celebrate the breathtaking landscapes of North Wales and the deep yearning they inspire. From there, we move to the myth of Selene, the Greek moon goddess, with the dramatic concert aria “Selene, del tuo fuoco non mi parlar,” featuring virtuosic performances by Williams and double bass soloist Kevin Jablonski.
The evening concludes with meditations on spiritual and existential longing through the works of British composers Frank Bridge, Charles Villiers Stanford, Gerald Finzi, and Ivor Gurney. This thoughtfully curated program promises an unforgettable exploration of beauty, emotion, and storytelling through song.
About Jeffrey Williams:
An award-winning performer, Jeffrey Williams has drawn acclaim from the Baltimore Sun for “a winning performance sung with much confidence,” the Miami Herald, noting he possesses a “commanding, sizeable, effortless manly baritone;” and Opera News, calling him a “versatile, fearless performer.”
Williams has portrayed Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Marschner’s Lord Ruthven in Der Vampyr, Lionel in the Philadelphia premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans, Mozart’s Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Tchaikovsky’s Prince Yeletsky in Pique Dame, Rachmaninoff’s Aleko, Mozart’s Figaro, many of Gilbert & Sullivan’s baritones and numerous others.
He received his D.M.A. in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, M.M. in Voice Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, and B.A. in Music from Muhlenberg College. Williams currently serves as associate professor of voice at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and also maintains an active performance schedule.
About Jennifer McGuire:
Jennifer Quammen McGuire is a pianist, coach and conductor based in Nashville. Hailed by the Journal of Singing as “a most able collaborator, dispatching every pianistic challenge with complete aplomb,” she is music director of the Vanderbilt Opera Theatre and principal senior lecturer in collaborative piano at Blair School of Music.
McGuire maintains an active recital schedule, with recent engagements at Symphony Space, the Tenri Cultural Institute, L’Èglise de St.-Merry, and the Eastman School of Music, among others. She is featured on the albums Irrational Exuberance (Beauport Classical) and Sursum (Navona Records), as well as the recently released Heinrich Marschner: Songs for Baritone with baritone Jeffrey Williams (Centaur Records). McGuire has also worked with the Cincinnati Opera, Dayton Opera, Opera Birmingham, The Nashville Symphony Chorus, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
In addition to her work in music, McGuire is a certified yoga instructor at the 200- and 300-hour levels. She continues to study the physical and mental benefits of yoga with the goal of helping all people, but particularly artists, embrace their authentic selves and reach their full potential.
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Venue: Turner Hall, Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music
Address: 2400 Blakemore Ave., Nashville, TN 37212
Parking: Free parking is available at the Vanderbilt West Parking Garage on Childrens Way, directly across from Blair School of Music.