Caramoor Presents "Mahler's Vienna"

June 27, 2011 - PRLog -- KATONAH, NY – On Sunday, July 17 at 4:30pm in the Venetian Theater, Caramoor presents “Mahler’s Vienna”, a unique program recalling the musical scene in Vienna during the time of Gustav Mahler; his own works, those of composers who inspired him, and those of his disciples. Four internationally acclaimed young vocalists – soprano Erin Morley, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, tenor Paul Appleby and baritone Kelly Markgraf – will perform with pianists Michael Barrett, Ieva Jokubavičiütė and David Moody.

Mahler remains the most pivotal figure of end-of-the-century Vienna. Positioned between the worlds of the Brahms/Wagner divide and the Second Viennese School of Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern, Mahler’s music embodies the nostalgia of 19th-century Europe, while looking forward to the decades ahead. “Mahler’s Vienna” captures the musical spirit of the city within the early part of the 20th century. Brahms is still revered (and not long dead); Zemlinsky is creating his legacy as in important composer and catalyst; Schoenberg and his protégés are forging new ground, picking up where Mahler finished. And in the middle, is Mahler himself – keeper of the old flames, champion of young composers, and chief advocate for his own music and the city of Vienna

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Erin Morley has sung with the New York City Opera and is also an alumna of Wolf Trap Opera Company. She has performed at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall and has been featured as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, among others, and has appeared in concert in China and Italy.

Sasha Cooke, a former member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, has sung with leading conductors and orchestras including Bernard Haitink and the Chicago Symphony, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony, Jaap van Zweden and the Dallas Symphony, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. In 2010, Cooke was awarded First Place and the American Prize in the José Iturbi International Music Competition, Top Prize in the Gerda Lissner Competition, and the Kennedy Center’s Marian Anderson Award.

Paul Appleby studies at Juilliard’s Artist Diploma in Opera Studies Program and the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and has performed with the Juilliard Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and the Wolf Trap Opera Company. Appleby is also a National Winner of the 2009 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a recipient of a 2009 Study Grant and 2011 Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, and a winner of the 2011 George London Foundation Award.

Kelly Markgraf is rapidly distinguishing himself on the opera and concert stagtes through performances that The New York Times has called “charismatic,” “powerful”, and “heart-stirring”. Markgraf recently completed his tenure at the Juilliard Opera Center and is a former member of the Resident Artist Program at Minnesota Opera. Markgraf has received numerous honors including the Sullivan Foundation’s Sullivan Award (2009) and the Grand Prize in the Opera Index Competition (2009).

Ieva Jokubavičiütė regularly performs all over the world in the US, Europe, and South America. Jokubavičiütė has performed as a guest artist on National Public Radio's Performance Today, at Carnegie's Weill Hall, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Her piano trio - Trio Cavatina with Harumi Rhodes and Priscilla Lee - won the 2009 Naumburg Chamber Music Competition and made its Carnegie Hall debut in May of 2010.

Michael Barrett is the Chief Executive and General Director of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, where he is responsible for all administration and year-round programming. A protégé of Leonard Bernstein, Barrett is both a pianist and a conductor, and has guest conducted the Orchestra of St. Luke's, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, and the Orchestre National de France among others.

David Moody has been a member of the Juilliard faculty since 2009, and is a former member of the opera and voice faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music. As a pianist and vocal coach, he has been employed by the Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Philadelphia Orchestra, Washington National Opera, Opera Festival of New Jersey, and Chautauqua Institution's school of music.

ABOUT CARAMOOR
Caramoor is a performing arts center, located on a unique 90-acre setting of Italianate architecture and gardens in Westchester County, NY. It enriches the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality. Its mission also includes mentoring young professional musicians and providing educational programs for young children centered around music. It is often described as “a Garden of Great Music,” where audiences are invited to come early, explore the beautiful grounds, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Music Room of the Rosen House, and the magnificent gardens.“Caramoor is the loveliest Festival of them all.” - The New York Times

Concert Venues and Gardens
Summer Concerts take place in two outdoor theaters: the 1714-seat, acoustically superb Venetian Theater and the more intimate, romantic Spanish Courtyard. Caramoor’s gardens are also well worth the visit and include nine unique perennial gardens.

GETTING TO CARAMOOR
By car from the West Side of Manhattan and New Jersey, take the Saw Mill River Parkway north to Katonah. Exit at Route 35/Cross River. Turn right, and, at the first traffic light, make a right turn onto Route 22 south. Travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road. Follow the signs to Caramoor. (For detailed directions call 914.232.5035 and press 2, or online at www.caramoor.org). Parking at Caramoor is free on-site on a first-come, first-served basis. Once on-site parking is full, alternate parking will be available with free shuttle bus service.

By train, take the Harlem Division of the Metro-North Railroad to Katonah, New York. Taxi service from the station to Caramoor (5 minutes away) is available.

TICKETS
Tickets are $16.00, $21.00, $31.00, and $46.00. (Al Fresco tickets to this concert, which allow audiences to enjoy the music from the Picnic Lawns, are $10.00 each)
To purchase, call 914.232.1252 or visit www.caramoor.org. Groups of 16 or more may purchase discounted tickets by contacting Matthew Scarella at 914.232.5035 ext. 252 or matthew@caramoor.org.

PICNICKING AT CARAMOOR
Concertgoers can bring their own picnic, or order one for pick-up at Caramoor by calling Great Performances® at 212-337-6055 or online at www.greatperformances.com/caramoorpicnics.

PRESS CONTACT
For press tickets, images, or interviews, contact Whitney Holden at 917.339.7188 or wholden@cohndutcher.com

PROGRAMS
Sunday, July 17 at 4:30pm in the Venetian Theater
Mahler’s Vienna
Erin Morley, soprano; Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Paul Appleby, tenor; Kelly Markgraf, baritone
Ieva Jokubavičiütė, piano; Michael Barrett, piano; David Moody, piano

Brahms                  Liebeslieder Waltzer for Vocal Quartet and Piano 4-hands, Op. 52a (selections)
Zemlinsky              Irmelin Rose und andere Gesänge, Op. 7 (selections)
                               ‘Meeraugen’, Op. 7 No. 3
                               ‘Irmelin Rose’, Op. 7 No. 4
                                Waltz Songs on Tuscan Folk Lyrics, for voice and piano, Op.6
                               ’Blaues Sternlein’, Op. 6 No. 5
                               ‘Briefchen schrieb ich’, op. 6 no 6
Berg                        Piano Sonata, Op. 1
Mahler                    Des Knaben Wunderhorn (selections from song cycle)
Brahms                 Liebeslieder Waltzer for Vocal Quartet and Piano, 4 hands, Op. 65(selections)

# # #

With its outstanding summer music festival & indoors concerts, arts-in-education programming and beautiful grounds, Caramoor is a cornerstone of the cultural life of Westchester County, NY.