Join us on this Fathers' Day, June 17th for some special programming celebrating dear old Dad.
At Noon- Harmoniawill explore early music by drawing inspiration from popular gifts ideas for good ‘ol Dad.
Then, join us at 1PM for a special program, Songs My Father Taught Me, an intimate, musical memoir by the internationally celebrated cellist, Lynn Harrell.
Through a combination of narration and performance, Lynn Harrell tells the story of his musical life and journey of self-discovery apropos of his father, legendary opera singer Mack Harrell. He describes growing up in a musical family, losing both his parents when he was a teenager, diving into the world of the performing arts before he was twenty, and in time, finding and claiming his own voice as a musician. At times he incorporates recordings of his father singing, sometimes accompanying them. Throughout the program he also demonstrates his conviction that the cello is a singing instrument by performing a variety of vocal works on the cello with piano accompaniment. His deeply personal story yields a compelling, bittersweet, and uplifting experience throughout its two-hour duration.
The program is full of great music. Lynn Harrell's frequent collaborator, pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion, joins him for a selection from Francoeur's virtuosic Cello Sonata in E Major, as well as Beethoven's Sonata for Cello and Piano No.5 in D, Op.102, No. 2 in its entirety. Songs My Father Taught Me also features various vocal works which have been transcribed for cello. These include selections from Schumann's Dichterliebe; and Verdi arias such as "Di Provenze Il Mar" from La Traviata, "Celeste Aida" from Aida, and "Pace Pace" from La Forza del Destino, and more.