Guest Artists: Clara O'Brien, Lois Bliss Herbine, Manon Strauss Evrard, Randall Scarlata, Lynne Bratilie Beiler

 

We hope you can join us for a look back at what was new, strange and inspirational to a generation of artists in Paris in the early part of the 20th Century.  Never was there such a time as this... Such an intentional mingling of music, poetry, painting, theatre and dance. Such an explosion of art and ideas all culminating in one location - PARIS.  

 

STRANGER THINGS is a program of vocal works, poetry, music and live commentary exploring the allure of all things "other": Exoticism, Orientalism, American Jazz influences, Animal songs, and the Forbidden.   

 

Hear Ravel's complete Chansons Madécasses and Stravinsky's Three Japanese Lyrics along with excerpts of Francis Poulenc's Le bestiaire, and Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins and Albert Roussel's Jazz dans la nuit, not to mention Gershwin and Cole Porter.

 

In song and commentary Lyric Fest takes you with us for a look at the roots of the movement, the major artistic players, we'll travel through the world expositions (of which there were fifty between the years 1850 and 1900), up through La Belle Époque, and finally to the end of this amazing time - onset of the World Wars.  

 

You will not want to miss our special guest artists for this concert:

Paris born soprano Manon Strauss Evrard, an AVA grad and currently "on loan" from the Met;

Clara O'Brien, back from Karlsruhe, Germany where she was a leading Mezzo for 20 years;

Baritone Randall Scarlata who appeared on all five continents to the highest acclaim (read our interview with Randall below!);

Lois Bliss Herbine, flute, who has served as principal flute for Peter Nero's Philly Pops;

Cellist Lynne Bratlie Beiler, who played and recorded with Riccardo Muti and Wolfgang Sawallisch.

Lyric Fest's own, soprano Randi Marrazzo and pianist Laura Ward join the cast. 

TICKETS AND INFO: General $25, Student $5. Groups of 10 or more $12.50 per ticket. Buy safely ONLINE, by calling 215-438-1702, or at the door. 

** A special reception to close our season will immediately follow the concert. Please come and mingle with our artists!

Pianist Laura Ward and soprano Randi Marrazzo, co-founding artistic directors.

Hailed by The Boston Globe as "a triumph," Philadelphia-based baritone Randall Scarlata is praised  

for his warm, expressive sound, consummate musicianship and winning way with the audience. The Philadelphia Inquirer reviewed his most recent appearance with soprano Hyunah Yu in performance of Hugo Wolf's Italian Song Book, a 46-song collection by Paul Heyse: "...Yu and Scarlata ... showed that thoroughly satisfying performances are indeed possible when singers as intelligent as they simply meet the music on their own, fully committed terms."  

 

In Lyric Fest's Stranger Things, Randall will perform works by Ravel, Debussy, Cole Porter and Milhaud.  

 

In his in-depth interview with Lyric Fest, Randall shared:  

"I remember the movie "Amadeus" was very popular, and for fun I would try and imitate the Commendatore's fantastic bellows of Don Giovanni. Several people heard me and encouraged me to investigate my voice. The choir director at the time, Dr. Paul Vanderslice, pulled me aside and told me I was going to be in choir, no if's, and's, or but's!  He knew I had free time in my schedule, and said I should try it, if I didn't like it, he wouldn't press me to stay.  I enjoyed it so much, and made fast friends...many of whom I am still in touch with today.  I began to take lessons that summer (it was after my sophomore year of high school), and had no idea how much I would come to love the union of text and music that is song!"  

 

Read full interview here.

Stranger Things is being presented in partnership with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), a three-week festival inspired by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, showcasing creativity, collaboration and innovation throughout Philadelphia's artistic and cultural communities. For more information about PIFA programs and partners, go to PIFA.org.