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Greetings!
Lyric Fest welcomes you to a new look and a new 2010/11 season of Song! We are thrilled to be all over the map this year with four distinctly different programs: this weekend we start out locally with our Biography in Music program of mega-song composer Samuel Barber, born in West Chester, PA - and soon travel all the way to the far east for The Harmony of Yin~Yang. We'll warm up the winter months with the family program I've got Rhythm and close the season on a strange note exploring the exotic side of Paris in Stranger Things...! Read below for more details on each concert, and also for an exclusive interview with Donald Nally, director of The Crossing, the award-winning ensemble joining Lyric Fest for the first this weekend! And while you are at it, please check out our newly re-designed website now featuring:
NEWS - including Song of the Week, a blog from Laura, Suzanne and Randi, interviews with guest artists and more. Enjoy and leave a comment!
ARTISTS and ARCHIVES brings you complete artists information with links to their websites and the history of Lyric Fest's past programs.
TICKETS - Starting today, October 18th, we will be able to take ticket orders and will accept your kind donations online! LISTEN & WATCH - Hear and see some of our most memorable Lyric Fest moments (expected launch date November 6th). PRESS is the new home to recent press reviews, press releases and (coming soon) our press kit. While our website is still a work in progress we welcome your comments and feedback at webmaster@lyricfest.org.
Looking forward to sharing another great season of Song with you! Laura Ward, Randi Marrazzo and Suzanne DuPlantis
Co-founding Artistic Directors of Lyric Fest
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Biography in Music: Samuel Barber
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23 at 8 PMThe Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24 at 3 PMThe First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, 201 S. 21st Street, Philadelphia Lyric Fest turns its attention to Samuel Barber (1910-1981) whose centennial is being celebrated this year. A first name in American art song, Samuel Barber's life as a song composer began not far from Philadelphia, in his hometown of West Chester, PA. With an opera singer aunt, a composer uncle, and an amateur pianist mother, his prodigious gifts were not missed. At the age of fourteen, he was enrolled in the very first class of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and was soon to garner the attention of an elite circle of artists who would premier his early works. One single super talent was usually enough for a promising student to be accepted into Curtis, but Barber had three: a beautiful baritone voice, exceptional piano ability and he was already composing promising works.
"And the rest is history", as they say, but what a history! Biography in Music will weave Barber's songs, choral works and biography into a spectacular event that we hope you will not miss. This program marks our first collaboration with The Crossing, an award-winning professional chamber choir of 22 voices, led by Donald Nally. While Barber's music is not actually modern enough to be in the regular repertoire of The Crossing, which focuses their attention on 21st Century works, Nally and The Crossing agreed to the collaboration. Donald Nally wrote his doctoral dissertation on the poetry choices in Barber's choral works and as an expert on the subject, he brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective to this project. Lyric Fest is thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with Donald and this exceptional ensemble of singers.
We welcome our guest artists (**): soprano Emily Bullock, soprano Michelle Johnson and baritone William Stone, joining The Crossing, Suzanne, Randi and Laura (on piano).
 | | Biography in Music cast (L to R): Donald Nally, Michelle Johnson, Emily Bullock, William Stone and The Crossing singers. |
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 ** Losing an Artist... We are sorry to pass on the information that Bryan Hymel, previously announced for Biography in Music, will not be with us for this event. Sad for ourselves, but very happy for Bryan, he has been invited to La Scala in Milan to step in as a Don Jose in their production of Carmen.
Congrats, Bryan!! We'll miss you...
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 Interview with Donald Nally, Conductor of The Crossing
Q: What is the history and the inspiration behind The Crossing? How was this group created? We came together in 2005 as a group of friends who missed each other - we never intended to found a chorus and I certainly don't take credit for that.
Instead, we planned a concert and were surprised that so many people came and The Philadelphia Inquirer made a big deal out of it and said we were like 'an answered prayer' for choral music here. So, we thought, heck, let's do a second concert... Keep on reading the interview here.
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2010/11 SEASON PREVIEW
 NIGHT & DAY ~ THE HARMONY OF YIN-YANGSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 at 3 PMThe First Presbyterian Church in PhiladelphiaNight - Day. Youth - "Crabbed" age. Laughter - Tears. Freedom - Captivity. A program inspired by the inherent harmony of forces in opposition. Join us for an exploration into the mystery of yin-yang - from Schubert to Cole Porter - featuring a new piece especially composed by Thomas Lloyd for the program! Guest Artists: Daniel Mobbs, Barbara Shirvis, Richard Troxell and pianist Harold Evans.
 I'VE GOT RHYTHM, a Family Concert
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28 at 10 AM (school students only)GAMP School, 22nd and Ritner, PhiladelphiaSATURDAY, JANUARY 29 at 3 PM (general audience)The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill Tip your top hat to the art of dance in Song. We crafted this toe-tapping, dance-inspired tribute to rhythm for kids of all ages, with songs and daces from around the World: Tango, Habanera, Rumba, Minuet, Waltz, Mazurka, Reels and more! Guest Artists: Choreographer Myra Bazell and dancers from SCRAP Performance Group, Timothy Bentch, Lorraine Hinds, Wes Mason and the Motets of the PA Girlchoir, Mark Anderson director.  STRANGER THINGS...~ Paris in the early 20th CenturySUNDAY, APRIL 10 at 3 PMThe First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia Inspired by PIFA's city-wide Paris celebration, we got fascinated with all things "Other" in Paris in the early 20th century: Exoticism, Orientalism, African and American Jazz, Animal songs, the Occult and the Forbidden. A captivating program of songs and historic narrative interspersed with the selections from contemporaneous composers and poets like Ravel, Stravinsky, Albert Roussel, Francis Poulenc and Kurt Weill.
Guest Artists: Clara O'Brien, Manon Strauss Evrard and Randall Scarlata.
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Lyric Fest - a myriad of singers brought together
with a pianist, the spoken word and you -
for a satisfying and delightfully different concert experience.
 
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