Mezzo-soprano D’Anna Fortunato,flutist Peter Bloom,pianist Mary Jane Rupert at Dickinson College

Oct. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Grammy-nominated vocalist D'Anna Fortunato (mezzo-soprano), called “affecting, superb” (The New York Times) will perform a Gala Vocal Chamber Concert with Peter H. Bloom (flute and alto flute) and Mary Jane Rupert (piano) on Saturday October 20 at 7:00 pm at  Dickinson College:  Rubendall Recital Hall, Weiss Center for the Arts, 240 W. High Street, Carlisle, PA 17013. Free admission.  Information:  717-245-1568.

In this vivid program of fascinating contrasts, the ensemble will perform chamber works from the European baroque to 21st-century America. Repertoire will include selections from Handel’s exquisite German arias; songs by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, songs by Ravel and Saint-Saëns, Sonata Opus 22 by Marion Bauer, and Schubert’s masterpiece Shepherd on the Rock.  The concert will feature two pieces by American composer Elizabeth Vercoe:  This Is My Letter to the World (2001, based on poems by Emily Dickinson) and Kleemation (2003, inspired by drawings of Paul Klee).  Vercoe has been praised by The Washington Post as "one of the most inventive composers working in America today."  

The concert celebrates the release of an all-Vercoe CD, KLEEMATION AND OTHER WORKS on the Navona label ( NV5884) featuring six of Elizabeth Vercoe’s works for small ensemble and solo instruments. The title piece, Kleemation, features Bloom and Rupert (the duo “2”), who have performed Kleemation in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and across the United States.  The Vercoe CD is available for purchase beginning October 30th on Amazon, iTunes, and more:  

•   Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Vercoe-Kleemation-Other-Works-Eliza...
•   iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/vercoe-kleemation-other-wo...


In the week preceding the October 20th concert, the musicians will offer several workshops and classes that are free and open to the public.  All events will be held in Rubendall Recital Hall:

Wednesday, October 17, 12:30-1:30 p.m.  
Performers and composers: issues and interactions in presenting new music

Wednesday, October 17, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Vocal Master Class led by D'Anna Fortunato, mezzo-soprano

Thursday, October 18, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Setting Emily Dickinson to Music: Discussion and illustrations

Friday, October 19, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Woodwinds Master Class led by flutist Peter H. Bloom


An admired favorite on the international concert stage, D’Anna Fortunato has appeared as a soloist with Kurt Mazur and the New York Philharmonic, with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and with other top American orchestras (Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Cleveland, Dallas, Minnesota, St. Luke’s Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and others).  She has performed major operatic roles with leading companies, including Glimmerglass, Kentucky Opera, Opera San Jose, and Boston Lyric Opera.  She has performed Handel’s operas in such venues as Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Monadnock Music, while singing major roles in 8 premiere Handel CDs for Albany, Newport Classic, and Vox.  Among her many repeat festival appearances are Vaison-la-Romaine, Berlin’s Spectrum Concerts, the Rome Bach Festival, Marlboro, Casals, Tanglewood, Blossom, and Newport.  She has recorded 40 CDs for Harmonia Mundi, London/Decca, Sony Classical, Nonesuch, Koch International, Naxos, and Albany. A regional Met Winner, she also received the Naumburg Prize and the Jacopo Peri Award.  She serves on the faculty of the New England Conservatory College Division.  In 2006, Ms. Fortunato was a Grammy nominee in three categories including best classical vocal recording.  

Peter H. Bloom (flute and alto flute), whose playing has been called “a revelation for unforced sweetness and strength” (The Boston Globe), tours in North America, Europe and Asia, and appears on 35 CDs from labels including SONY Classical, Dorian, Newport Classic, and Leo Records.  Winner of the American Musicological Society’s Noah Greenberg Award, he performs with leading classical ensembles and is a noted jazz artist, veteran of the renowned Aardvark Jazz Orchestra (40th season).  Mr. Bloom serves as historical performance consultant to The American Museum in Britain, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and other institutions; he has given lectures, workshops and master classes worldwide on such diverse topics as historical performance, new music, and improvisation. A board member of the James Pappoutsakis Flute Competition, he received a Master of Music with Distinction from the New England Conservatory of Music, and holds a BA in Philosophy from Boston University.  

Mary Jane Rupert (piano), praised by the New York Times as exhibiting “indeed real sensitivity,” has performed throughout the world from Carnegie Recital Hall to the Beijing Concert Hall.  She has appeared as concert pianist and harpist with symphony orchestras and chamber music groups across the United States. She records for North Star Records and Harmony Hill and serves on the music faculties of Tufts University and Boston College.  Previously, she held teaching positions at Missouri Western College, Western Michigan University, MIT, and Wellesley College, where she taught harp for 20 years. Her arrangement of the Nutcracker Suite for Flute and Harp is published by New Boston Editions.  Dr. Rupert holds a DM in Piano Performance and Music Literature, an MM in Piano, and an MM in Harp from Indiana University, as well as a BM in Piano from Oberlin College.

Elizabeth Vercoe, described by the Washington Post as “one of the most inventive composers working in America today,” has been a Fellow at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Italy, the St. Petersburg Spring Music Festival in Russia, the Cité International des Arts in Paris, the Charles Ives Center for American Music, and the MacDowell Colony.  She has written works on commission for Wellesley College, the Pro Arte Orchestra and the First International Congress on Women in Music, among others, and is the recipient of grants from Meet the Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Arts Council and the Artists Foundation.  Her works have been performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia; are recorded on the Centaur, Capstone, Owl, Northeastern, Leonarda and PARMA labels; and are published by Arsis Press, Plucked String Editions, Noteworthy Sheet Music, and the League ISCM, as well as German publisher, Certosa Verlag.


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