CCM Voice Student Advances to Lotte Lenya Competition finals

CCM is delighted to announce that first-year artist diploma student Teresa Perrotta (MM Voice, ’19) reached the finals of the Lotte Lenya Competition, one of the most prestigious vocal competitions for young artists.

Composer John Corigliano and Teresa Perrotta at the French premiere of “The Ghosts of Versailles.” Photo/Gail Luna

A rising soprano, Perrotta won the Seybold-Russell Award at CCM’s 2019 Opera Scholarship Competition and advanced to the Upper Midwest Regional Auditions in this year’s Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In December 2019, she made her international debut as Marie Antoinette in the French premiere of John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles at the Château de Versailles Royal Opera. She studies with CCM Voice Professor Gwendolyn Coleman.

Perrotta is one of 12 finalists in the 2020 Lotte Lenya Competition. These finalists were selected out of 282 applicants from 24 states after a preliminary video round and a semi-finals round in New York City. The finals were initially scheduled for May 2 at the Eastman School of Music, but the Kurt Weill Foundation, which holds the competition, is exploring other options in light of the current global health crisis.

Teresa Perrotta. Photo/Caitlin and Kevin Photography

CCM is often well-represented at the Lotte Lenya Competition. In 2017, Paulina Villarreal (DMA Voice, ‘18; MM Voice, ’15) won third prize, while Jasmin Habersham (AD Opera, ‘15; MM Voice, ‘13) and Lisa Marie Rogali (MM Voice, ’18) each received prizes of $3000. Talya Lieberman (AD Opera, ‘16) took Third Prize in the 2016 installment of this prestigious international theatre singing contest, while Lauren Roesner (BFA Musical Theatre, ‘13) won Third Prize in 2013 and alumna Caitlin Mathes (AD Opera, ’10, MM Voice, ‘09) won First Prize in 2011.

About the Lotte Lenya Competition

More than a vocal competition, the Lotte Lenya Competition recognizes talented young singer/actors who are dramatically and musically convincing in repertoire ranging from opera/operetta to contemporary Broadway scores, with a focus on the works of Kurt Weill. Since its inception in 1998, the Lotte Lenya Competition has grown into an internationally recognized leader in identifying and nurturing the next generation of “total-package performers” (Opera News) and rising stars in both the opera and musical theater worlds. The roster of prizewinners has likewise grown to over 100, many of whom have gone on to major performing careers. Visit kwf.org for more information about the Kurt Weill Foundation or the Lotte Lenya Competition.

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Story by CCM Graduate Student Alexandra Doyle

CCM Alum and Renowned Tenor Stuart Skelton to Lead Master Class

From Sydney to Cincy: Stuart Skelton (MM Voice, ’95) brings skills and experience from his 25-year career to the CCM master classroom on Monday, Oct. 14 and Tuesday, Oct. 15.

There was a warmth to Stuart Skelton’s voice as he laughed about the sheer luck that landed him across the globe in Cincinnati, Ohio, from Sydney, Australia. “I definitely didn’t think this would be my path,” he says. Now a Grammy-nominated tenor and the 2014 International Opera Awards Male Singer of the Year, Skelton is critically acclaimed for his outstanding musicianship, tonal beauty and intensely dramatic portrayals. And he couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Skelton began performing at the age of 7, when he started singing at St. Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney, Australia. Yet it was only after completing his undergraduate work in economics and law at the University of Sydney that he feels his passion for singing was given the chance of a lifetime. He was awarded a scholarship to travel overseas to pursue various vocal auditions, and Cincinnati made the list. “In a sense I was doing something totally unheard of,” he recalls. “Most vocal performers head to London from Australia as opposed to the U.S.”

After seeing countless programs across the states, the level of dedication among the CCM faculty, as well as the state-of-the-art facilities, tipped the scales. “That was it — my opportunity to give singing professionally a shot, which I had never given any thought to actually doing for a living.” And lucky for us (and our ears), it has worked out. Skelton has appeared in many of the world’s most celebrated opera houses, singing with such companies as the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, English National Opera and Paris Opera.

Finding Home in The Queen City

Skelton recalls being intensely focused on what needed to be done during his graduate studies at CCM. He says it’s that type of focus and self-awareness that allows one to intentionally hone in on their craft. He was able to share this sentiment with students during CCM’s Sesquicentennial Celebrations, and will do so again next week during a multi-part master class — opportunities he calls “an absolute joy.”

“Master classes are a two-way bridge of trust between the teacher and student,” he says. “When you put yourself out there as a performer in front of the audience, the students gain a certain level of trust in you once you start working with them.”

Skelton says one of his happiest moments professionally has been returning to CCM to work with students and witness the next generation of performers. His advice? Apply the parts of every life experience you can use to your advantage and don’t bother with rest. “You’ll spend much more time and enthusiasm embracing the things that are helpful and instructive.”

And with a full performance schedule until 2023 spanning all over the world, Skelton’s 25-year career shows no signs of slowing down. No matter where he goes, he says it’s important to create small pockets of home; it makes you feel less alone in a city you don’t otherwise know well. He’s quick to point out that CCM will always be a small corner of home … And we’re sure glad he’s not a stranger.

Skelton will be giving master classes on Monday, Oct. 14, and Tuesday, Oct. 15 at CCM’s Robert J. Werner Recital Hall. These are free and open to the public and will last approximately 2 hours.

Master Class Details

4 p.m., Monday, Oct. 14
Robert J. Werner Recital Hall, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15
Robert J. Werner Recital Hall, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Directions and Parking

CCM is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions for detailed driving directions to CCM Village.

Parking is available in UC’s CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors.

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Story by Jamie Muenzer, Associate Director of Alumni Relations

CCM Student Elena Villalón Named Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019 National Council Auditions

CCM student Elena Villalón (center) with the other winners of the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. From left to right: Miles Mykkanen, William Guanbo Su, Elena Villalón, Thomas Glass and Michaela Wolz. Photography courtesy of Ken Howard.

We are thrilled to report that current CCM student Elena Villalón has been named a Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019 National Council Auditions! After a months-long series of auditions involving more than 1,000 singers at the district, regional and national levels, a panel of expert judges named Villalón and four other singers as the winners of the 65th annual Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Each winner receives a $15,000 cash prize. You can learn more about all of the 2019 National Council Winners by visiting www.metopera.org/about/auditions/national-council-auditions/winners.

Senior Voice Performance major Elena Villalón has been named a Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019 National Council Auditions.

A soprano from Austin, Texas, who studies with CCM Professor William McGraw, Villalón joins Houston Grand Opera’s studio artist program in the 2019-20 season, after being a finalist and winning the audience prize in the 31st annual Eleanor McCollum Competition. She has been a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and at Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artist Vocal Academy. Her CCM performances include the roles of Adele in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Lucy in Menotti’s The Telephone and Miss Wordsworth in Britten’s Albert Herring.

As previously reported, fellow CCM-trained singers  Joshua Wheeker, tenor (CCM Voice 2007-2012); Murrella Parton (MM Voice, 2017) also advanced to the Met’s National Council Semi-Finals this year.

This marks the second consecutive year that CCM singers have “won the Met,” as CCM alumna Jessica Faselt (MM Voice, 2016) was one of five singers who won the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. You can learn more about Faselt’s win courtesy of the Cincinnati Business Courier.

CCM alumni and students frequently advance to the final rounds of the Met’s National Council Auditions, which is widely considered to be the nation’s most prestigious vocal competition. In 2017, four CCM alumni competed in the semi-finals, including Faselt; Summer Hassan, soprano (MM Voice, 2014); Andrew Manea, baritone (MM Voice, 2016); and Cody Quattlebaum, bass-baritone (BM Voice, 2015) — who was chosen as a finalist during that year’s national competition.

About the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions

Following the creation of the Met’s National Council in the 1952-53 season, the first Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions took place in 1954 in the Twin Cities. For over 60 years, the annual competition has helped launch the careers of countless young singers, including some of opera’s greatest stars. Every season, over 100 former participants in the National Council Auditions appear on the Met roster.

The district-level and regional auditions, held across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, are sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera National Council and administered by National Council members and hundreds of volunteers from across the country. Currently in its 65th year, the program has launched the careers of such well-known stars as Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, Deborah Voigt, Lawrence Brownlee, Thomas Hampson, Eric Owens, Angela Meade, Nadine Sierra, Jamie Barton and Ryan Speedo Green. The competition garnered international attention with the release of the 2008 feature-length documentary The Audition, directed by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, which chronicled the 2007 National Council Auditions season and Grand Finals Concert.

 

Acclaimed Mezzo-Soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano Holds Master Class at CCM this Sunday

CCM hosts acclaimed mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano for a master class featuring CCM students at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in CCM’s Mary Emery Hall, room 3250. The master class is free and open to the public. Cano visits CCM after she performs as a featured artist in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s “One: City: Beethoven 9” concert on Nov. 9 and 10.

Jennifer Johnson Cano. Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco.

A naturally gifted singer noted for her commanding stage presence and profound artistry, Cano has garnered critical acclaim in a variety of roles. During the 2018-19 season, she returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Emilia in Otello and Meg Page in Falstaff and makes her role debut as Offred in Poul Ruders’ The Handmaid’s Tale with Boston Lyric Opera. Cano’s orchestral engagements include Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati symphonies. A dedicated recitalist and chamber musician, she joins tenor Matthew Polenzani and pianist Julius Drake at Carnegie Hall for an evening of Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms and Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared. She will return to Chamber Music of Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall for a performance of Ravel’s Sheherazade and Falla’s Psyche. Cano will also be part of two world-premiere performances this season: Paul Moravec’s A New Country and Gregg Kallor’s Sketches from Frankenstein Suite.

Cano has given over 100 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, with recent roles including Bersi, Emilia, Hansel, Meg Page, Mercedes, Nicklausse, Wellgunde and Waltraute. Other operatic appearances have included Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Boston Lyric and Arizona operas, the Sharp Eared Fox in Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen with the Cleveland Orchestra, Carmen in Bizet’s Carmen with Boston Lyric Opera, Orphée in Orphée et Eurydice with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Des Moines Metro Opera, Diana in La Calisto with Cincinnati Opera and Marguerite in Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust with the Tucson Symphony. She has recently worked with an impressive array of conductors, such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Franz Welser-Möst, Gustavo Dudamel, Manfred Honeck, Marin Alsop, Robert Spano, Louis Langrée, Osmo Vänskä and Sir Andrew Davis.

Cano is a native of St. Louis and made her professional operatic debut with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. She has earned degrees from Webster University and Rice University and was honored as a distinguished alumna and commencement speaker at Webster University last May. Cano joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition, and she made her Met debut during the 2009-10 season. Among her honors are a First Prize winner of the Young Concert Artist International Auditions, Sara Tucker Study Grant, Richard Tucker Career Grant and George London Award.

Learn more about Cano on her professional website at jenniferjohnsoncano.net
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Master Class Time
2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11

Location
Mary Emery Hall Room 3250, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Admission
Free and open to the general public

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

CCM Announces Memorial Service for Alumna and Former Faculty Member Barbara Clark (Paver)

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) will celebrate the life and teaching legacy of Barbara Clark (Paver), DMA, in a memorial service scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, in CCM’s Robert J. Werner Recital Hall. A reception in the Baur Room will follow. A video stream of the service will be available at ccm.uc.edu/resources/technology/barbaraclarkmemorial. A CCM alumna and a beloved member of our faculty from 2004-13, Clark passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 2, 2018.

CCM alumna and former faculty member Barbara Clark (Paver).

Most recently an Associate Professor of Voice and Chair of Voice at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, Clark began her teaching career at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York. A highly-regarded teacher and artist, Clark taught a generation of students, many of whom are now performing in leading opera houses and festivals all over the world. Blessed with a lustrous, beautiful voice and a keen intelligence, she was also a sought-after soprano soloist who enjoyed a distinguished performing career. She will be remembered as a gifted teacher and mentor, a compassionate and generous friend known by all for both her good humor, and her kind and loving nature.

A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Clark received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Arizona and a master’s and doctorate from CCM. She was a treasured aunt and sister, and is survived by her sisters Susan Clark Joul and Jill Meiburg, and her brother Robert Clark. In addition, she is survived by her beloved niece Ivy Brooke Joul, and nephews Henry, Sebastian, and Maxwell Meiburg. She is also survived by brothers-in-law Thomas Meiburg and Kent Joul, in addition to her many current and former students.

The CCM community sends its deepest condolences to Clark’s family and friends. Her impact on her family, students and colleagues remains immeasurable.

Alumni Showcase Spotlight: Helene Schneiderman, mezzo-soprano

CCM highlights alumni guest artists who will return to campus for the Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase in a series of alumni spotlight stories.

Award-winning mezzo-soprano Helene Schneiderman (MM Voice, 1979; AD Opera, 1981) sings Rossini’s “Cruda sorte” from L’Italiana in Algeri in CCM’s Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase this Saturday, April 21. She also closes the concert with fellow CCM alumna Tamara Wilson, soprano, in a performance of Strauss’ “Champagne Song” from Die Fledermaus with the CCM Philharmonia.

Schneiderman was born in Flemington, New Jersey and began her studies at Westminster Choir College.  After graduating from CCM, Schneiderman moved to Germany, where she joined the Heidelberg Opera Ensemble in 1982 and has been a member of the Staatstheater Stuttgart since 1984.

In addition to her work with Stuttgart, she has made guest performances with many major European and American opera companies, including Munich State Opera, Karlsruhe, Düsseldorf, Orlando and New York City Opera. From 1982 to 1987, she appeared regularly at the Heidelberg Schlossfestival and at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro in 1990. In 1998, Schneiderman was given the prestigious title of Kammersängerin from the City of Stuttgart, at the time she was the youngest singer ever to have been so honored. She made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as Zweite Dame in The Magic Flute conducted by Bernard Haitink. She has also worked with Leonard Bernstein, Dennis Russell Davies, Giuseppe Patané, Sir Georg Solti and Alberto Zedda.

As well as her operatic commitments, Schneiderman has developed a varied concert career and has appeared widely in oratorio and lieder recitals. Her most notable performance was at the 1989 Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Germany where she sang Arias and Barcarolles by Leonard Bernstein in the presence of the composer. She has also recorded the Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson by Aaron Copland on compact disc with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s under Dennis Russell Davies.

In 1990, Schneiderman appeared as Smeaton in Anna Bolena at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and repeated her interpretation of the role at the Vienna Konzerthaus in 1994 alongside Edita Gruberová. For the 1994-95 season, she returned to the Concertgebouw to sing Queen Henrietta in I Puritani conducted by Jan Latham-Koenig. In Stuttgart she has had much success, most notably as Penelope in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno D’ulisse in Patria, as Rosina in The Barber of Seville and the title role of Carmen. In the 1995-96 season, she made her debut at the Royal Opera House performing Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, with a cast that included Cheryl Studer and Barbara Bonney, conducted by Bernard Haitink. She also sang Suzuki in Madama Butterfly for the New Israeli Opera Tel Aviv and made her role debut as Isabella in L’Italiana in Algieri in Stuttgart.

In the following seasons, Schneiderman returned to the Salzburg Festival, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for Dorabella in Jonathan Miller’s acclaimed production of Così fan tutte. In Stuttgart she sang Meg Page in Johannes Schaaf’s new production of Falstaff, Bradamante in Jossi Wieler’s new production of George Frideric Handel’s Alcina, Ottavia in The Coronation of Poppea and a highly successful role debut with the title role of Giulio Cesare. She made her debut at the Opéra National de Paris in two runs of The Magic Flute. She also returned to the Royal Opera House for further performances of Dorabella in Così fan tutte conducted by Sir Colin Davis as well as to the Salzburg Festival for a highly acclaimed Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro. She made successful debuts with Seattle Opera as Olga in Eugene Onegin and with San Francisco Opera, where she sang Bradamante in Alcina and returned for a much acclaimed Rosina in The Barber of Seville.

In 2008, she was honored with the Otto Hirschfeld Medal, and in 2010 she was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Order of Merit. Her repertory includes Annina (Der Rosenkavalier), Teresa (La sonnambula) and Ottavia (The Coronation of Poppea). She is also known for her performances of Jewish song.

Learn more about the Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase concert and view a complete list of guest artists at ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/save-the-date/sesquicentennial-alumni-showcase.
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SESQUICENTENNIAL ALUMNI SHOWCASE CONCERT

REPERTOIRE
STRAUSS: Overture to Die Fledermaus (1874); featuring the CCM Philharmonia led by Christopher Allen
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82 “Emperor” (1811); featuring Anton Nel, piano
WALLER: Ain’t Misbehavin’; featuring Janelle Reichman, saxophone
WARREN: There Will Never Be Another You; featuring Janelle Reichman, saxophone
WAGNER: “Mild und leise,” from Tristan und Isolde (1859); featuring Tamara Wilson, soprano
-Intermission-
ROSSINI: “Cruda sorte,” from L’Italiana in Algeri (1813); featuring Helene Schneiderman, mezzo-soprano
SCHUMANN: Konzertstück for Four Horns, Op. 86 (1849); featuring Allene Hackleman, Julie Beckel Yager, Nathaniel Willson, Jennifer Paul, soloists
BROWN: “A Summer in Ohio,” from The Last Five Years; featuring Betsy Wolfe, vocalist, with Roger Grodsky, conductor
BAREILLES: “She Used to Be Mine,” from Waitress; featuring Betsy Wolfe, vocalist, with Roger Grodsky, conductor
SCHWARTZ: “Meadowlark,” from The Baker’s Wife; featuring Betsy Wolfe, vocalist, with Roger Grodsky, conductor
SAINT-SAENS: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 61; featuring Yang Liu, violin
STRAUSS: Champagne Song from Die Fledermaus; featuring Tamara Wilson, soprano, and Helene Schneiderman, mezzo-soprano

PERFORMANCE TIME
8 p.m. Saturday, April 21

Please note: UC’s Nippert Stadium will also host an FC Cincinnati game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, 2018. The full FC Cincinnati Soccer game schedule can be found at www.fccincinnati.com/2018-schedule.

LOCATION
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

PURCHASING TICKETS
Tickets for CCM’s Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase Concert are $20 general, $15 non-UC students, and FREE for UC students with a valid ID.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online through our e-Box Office! Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

PARKING AND DIRECTIONS
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

CCM’s Faculty Artist Series Continues Monday, Jan. 8

CCM’s famed Faculty Jazztet.

CCM’s esteemed faculty artists take center stage during seven diverse performances this spring! Running from Jan. 8 through Feb. 13, 2018, these programs highlight music from multiple genres, from classical styles and musical theatre to jazz and beyond.

Each concert in CCM’s Faculty Artist Series is free and open to the general public, offering audiences the chance to hear recitals by internationally renowned artists in CCM’s stunning performance halls.

Please refer to the listings below for a complete schedule and additional performance information.

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CCM’S SPRING 2018 FACULTY ARTIST SERIES

7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8
James Bunte, saxophone
Featuring guest artists Nathan Nabb, saxophone, and Hyun Ji Oh, piano
We celebrate the upcoming release of our trio’s CD Techno Parade. Featuring the music of Bruch, Nagao, Connesson and Delibes.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14
AN EVENING AMONGST FRIENDS
Patricia Linhart, soprano
Julie Spangler, piano
Pat and Julie have decided to “share the stage” with CCM students and faculty! It’s another wild ride through cabaret and musical theatre … with party favors! Come join the fun!
Location: Patricia Corbett Theater
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22
Ran Dank, piano
CHOPIN: Polonaise in E flat minor, Op. 26, No. 2
CHOPIN: Mazurka in B minor, Op. 30, No. 2
CHOPIN: Mazurka in D-flat major, Op. 30, No. 3
CHOPIN: Mazurka in C-sharp minor, Op. 30, No. 4
CHOPIN: Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major
RZEWSKI: The People United Will Never Be Defeated! 
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: Free
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4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4
Lydia Brown, piano
J.S. BACH: English Suite No. 2 in A minor, BWV 807
SCHOENBERG: Six little piano pieces, Op. 16
HAYDN: Sonata for Piano in A major, Hob. XVI:26
HAYDN: Sonata for Piano in D major, Hob. XVI:51
SCHUBERT: Sonata for Piano in G major, D. 894
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5
Tim Anderson, trombone
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12
Ilya Finkelshteyn, cello
Sandra Rivers, piano
BARBER: Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Minor, Op. 6
SHOSTAKOVICH: Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, Op. 40
CHOPIN: Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 65
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13
CCM Faculty Jazztet
CCM’s world-famous jazz faculty artists show off their skills with a set of cool charts and blazing solos!
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Admission: FREE
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Event Information
All events listed here take place in CCM Village on the campus of the University of Cincinnati unless otherwise noted.

Admission to Faculty Artist Series performances is free and reservations are not required.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

CCM Voice Student Performs at Kennedy Center as a VSA International Young Soloist

Natalie Sheppard.

As a winner of the VSA International Young Soloist Award, CCM voice student Natalie Sheppard performs at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 25. This year marks the 33^rd anniversary of the VSA International Young Soloists Competition, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program that recognizes talented, emerging artists ages 14-25 with disabilities from all over the world.

In addition to Sheppard, the concert features her fellow award winners including pianist Elliot McClain of Tennessee, pianist Kohlin Sekizawa of California and classical saxophonist Jessica Tucker of Nevada. The award winners each receive $2,000 and the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. The performance will be live streamed on the Kennedy Center’s Facebook page and on kennedy-center.org.

Sheppard, a mezzo-soprano, begins her junior year at CCM in the fall, studying with Professor William McGraw. She praises McGraw for “his complete knowledge of the voice, the way he nurtures young artists and his kind heart.”

“He knows how to push his students toward success and gives us the tools we need, but never allows us to be too hard on ourselves,” Sheppard adds.

Sheppard says she has dealt with anxiety and depression for most of her life but that music has been a source of therapy for her. She studies voice and international human rights, and hopes to combine the two disciplines in her work. She currently works with children with disabilities and uses music to teach them life skills.

“I have always believed that as artists and musicians, it is our duty to use our unique medium for good,” Sheppard says. “As a singer, we carry grand responsibility. We posses a public voice. I really want to be a voice for minorities and those who have faced extreme hardships around the world. I plan to combine activism work with recitals.”

At the Kennedy Center concert, she plans to sing a song cycle titled Love After 1950 by Libby Larsen. It features collected poetry written by women. Sheppard will also work with Larsen this summer as a Colburn Fellow at SongFest in Los Angeles.

“Art is an outlet for many,” Sheppard says. “It is crucial that we become more accepting of those with mental illness, and come together as collaborators, not as competitors. I have many friends who suffer from very similar mental disorders. I encourage them to apply for this same award and to be a strong voice for those with all types of anxiety and depression.”

Visit the Kennedy Center’s Facebook page or website to watch Sheppard’s performance at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 25.

 

CCM Alums and Students Win Awards in Lotte Lenya Competition

We are delighted to announce that three current and former CCM students won awards as finalists in the 2017 Lotte Lenya Competition. Sponsored by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, the prestigious competition was held on Saturday, April 22, in Kilbourn Hall of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

DMA Voice candidate Paulina Villarreal (MM Voice, 2015) won Third Prize, which includes a cash award of $10,000. Jasmin Habersham (AD Opera, 2015; MM Voice, 2013) and first-year voice masters student Lisa Marie Rogali each received prizes of $3000 as finalists in the competition.

Fourteen artists competed in the final round of the Lotte Lenya Competition. You can learn more about all of this year’s winners by visiting www.kwf.org.

The 14 finalists who competed in the 2017 Lotte Lenya Competition. Photo provided by the Kurt Weill Foundation.

Villarreal, Habersham and Rogali are the latest in a long line of CCM students and alumni who have reached the final rounds of the Lotte Lenya Competition. CCM alumna Talya Lieberman (AD Opera, 2016) took Third Prize in the 2016 installment of this prestigious international theatre singing contest. CCM alumna Lauren Roesner (BFA Musical Theatre, 2013) won Third Prize in 2013 and alumna Caitlin Mathes (MM Voice, 2009; AD Opera, 2010) won First Prize in 2011.

For this year’s competition, each finalist presented four selections from the operatic, Golden Age, contemporary musical theatre repertoires and the music of Kurt Weill to compete for prizes totaling more than $75,000.

The panel of judges included renowned stage director Anne Bogart, Tony Award-winning actor Shuler Hensley and returning judge Rob Berman, who was most recently seen on Broadway as music director for Bright Star and Dames at Sea.

Over the last 20 years, the Lotte Lenya Competition has grown from a small contest exclusively for students of the Eastman School of Music, to one of the widest-reaching international vocal competitions. Past prize winners have gone on to appear on major theater, opera and concert stages around the world. This season, LLC laureates can be seen in seven Broadway shows, at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Komische Oper, in concert with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, on national and international theatrical tours and heard on two Grammy Award-winning recordings.

About the Kurt Weill Foundation
The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc. is dedicated to promoting understanding of the life and works of composer Kurt Weill (1900-50) and preserving the legacies of Weill and his wife, actress-singer Lotte Lenya (1898-1981). The Foundation administers the Weill-Lenya Research Center, a Grant Program, the Kurt Weill Book Prize and the Lotte Lenya Competition, and publishes the Kurt Weill Edition and the Kurt Weill Newsletter. Learn more by visiting www.kwf.org.

CCM Showcases the Music of Composer-in-Residence Tom Cipullo on April 12

CCM’s Guest Artist Series showcases the music of award-winning composer Tom Cipullo with a free concert performance on Wednesday, April 12, in the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall.

Described by Opera News as “a shrewd dramaturge as well as a compelling composer,” Cipullo will spend three days in residence at CCM, coaching singers, pianists and instrumentalists from April 10-12, 2017.

Cipullo’s residency will culminate in a public performance featuring 26 of CCM’s stars-of-tomorrow. The concert’s program includes Cipullo’s Insomnia for vocal quartet and piano; The Husbands for soprano, baritone and piano; Late Summer for soprano and piano and the Entr’acte from Glory Denied for cello and piano, as well as other works. View full concert repertoire online here. 

Tom Cipullo at the Liguria Study Center in Bogliasco, Italy. Photo by Hedwig Brouckaert.

About Tom Cipullo
Hailed by the American Academy of Art and Letters for music of “inexhaustible imagination, wit, expressive range and originality,” composer Tom Cipullo is the winner of the 2016 Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize from SUNY/Potsdam. He is also the recipient of a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship, the 2013 Sylvia Goldstein Award from Copland House and the 2013 Arts & Letters Award from the American Academy.

Cipullo has received commissions from dozens of performing ensembles and singers, and he has received fellowships and awards from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the Liguria Study Center (Italy), the Fundacion Valparaiso (Spain) and the Oberpfaelzer Kuenstlerhaus (Bavaria).

The New York Times has called his music “intriguing and unconventional,” and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has called him “an expert in writing for the voice.” Cipullo’s music is published by Oxford University Press and Classical Vocal Reprints and recorded on the Naxos, Albany, CRI, PGM, MSR, GPR, Centaur and Capstone labels.

Cipullo has composed orchestral works, solo piano pieces and a vast quantity of vocal music, including over 200 songs and several vocal chamber works. His song cycle Of a Certain Age won the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Art Song Award in 2008. Cipullo’s first opera, Glory Denied, has enjoyed numerous productions, and the Fort Worth Opera recording on Albany Records was cited by Opera News as among the best of 2014. Reviewers have hailed the work as “terrifically powerful… superbly written” (Fanfare), praising its “luminous score (Washington Post),” and noting “the dramatic tension was relentless (Opera News).” Cipullo’s second opera, After Life (libretto by David Mason), has been called “a finely wrought exploration of the role of art in times of grave crisis (Washington Post)” and “unfailingly inventive (Opera News).” Recorded on the Naxos label, After Life is the winner of the 2017 the Domenick Argento Chamber Opera Composition prize from the National Opera Association.

Cipullo received his Master’s degree in composition from Boston University and his B.S. from Hofstra University, Phi Beta Kappa with highest honors in music.

Performance Time
8 p.m. Wednesday, April 12

Location
Robert J. Werner Recital Hall, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Admission
Admission to this performance is FREE. Reservations are not required.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor and Musical Theatre Program Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

CCM gratefully acknowledges the Philippe Fund for their generous support of Mr. Cipullo’s residency.