Voices of the Land: Songs and Opera Scenes-March 29th

Staff | March 24, 2014 | Comment

This concert, part of the ongoing Concerts Con Brio series,
will appeal to Celtic Music Lovers

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY— Voices of the Land: Songs and Opera Scenes by Jonathan Chenette will be performed Saturday, March 29, 7:30 pm at Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. The event is sponsored by Concerts Con Brio and the Vassar College Office of the President.

Voices of the Land includes Celtic-themed songs for treble voices and harp, excerpts from the opera Eric Hermannson’s Soul based on a story by Willa Cather, and the song cycle Oh Millersville!, a whimsical portrayal of small-town life through the eyes of a 12-year-old schoolgirl (poems published as a literary hoax by Mutiny on the Bounty author James Norman Hall). Jonathan Chenette, dean of the faculty and professor of music at Vassar College, is composer and producer.

Elaborating on the theme behind Voices, Chenette says, “The words and music on this concert evoke landscapes ranging from Ireland and Wales to the small-town and prairie Midwest. These landscapes, the places we live and love, influence us deeply and give rise to poetry and song. It’s almost as if the land itself sings,” he explains.

This concert is part of Christ Episcopal Church’s ongoing Concerts Con Brio series.

Christ Episcopal Church is located at 20 Carroll Street in Poughkeepsie. The suggested donation for this event is $12 at the door; students are free. For more information, visit http://www.christchurchpok.org/concertsconbrio.html.

Biography of Composer

Jonathan Chenette’s compositions have received international recognition, including performances on the ISCM World Music Days in Amsterdam, at the World Harp Congress in Vienna, at the Bishop Auckland Early Music Festival in the U.K., and on an NPR national broadcast by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He became Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Music at Vassar College in 2008 and served a semester as Acting President in 2013.

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