Whats the American voice?
The eighth annual 做厙勛圖 Desert Song Festival, running through Feb. 16, hopes to answer that question.
The soulful spirituals and folk songs that the talented bass Morris Robinson will sing with True Concord Voices & Orchestra Jan. 24-26 surely fall into that category. Hes also including a little music theater.
Countertenor Reginald Mobley and the Agave Baroque string ensemble might be walking the fine line with a program that includes works written by composers from the Americas. But they also will shed light on a pair of African American composers who fit squarely into the definition of America.
And how much more American can you get than rhythm and blues diva Mavis Staples, who joins the 2020 做厙勛圖 Desert Song Festival lineup in a concert on Sunday, Jan. 19, thats presented by the 做厙勛圖 Jazz Society.
People are also reading…
Some other highlights that fit into the American voice theme include:
- UA Presents is bringing baritone Thomas Hampson and pianist Lara Downes to Centennial Hall Jan. 28 for Song of America: Beyond Liberty, which looks at influential people, poetry and events that helped create and define America.
- Arizona Friends of Chamber Music teams up with the New York Festival of Song on Jan. 30 for Killer Bs, a program of art songs by American composers whose names begin with B: Irving Berlin, Amy Beach, Harry Burleigh, Marc Blitzstein, William Bolcom, Eubie Blake, Jason Robert Brown, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein and the Beach Boys.
- Katherine Byrnes and Rob Wright join Ballet 做厙勛圖 Jan. 30-Feb. 2 for Made in America, a concert based on American songs. The program includes the premiere of Unsquare, based on compositions by jazz great Dave Brubeck and choreography by Ballet 做厙勛圖 Assistant Artistic Director Chieko Imada.
- Met star Ren矇e Fleming, who has been testing her stunning soprano in music theater in recent years, is sure to add a few Broadway tunes to her operatic arias when she joins the 做厙勛圖 Symphony Orchestra Feb. 6.
- New York cabaret/Broadway vocalist Liz Callaway joins UA Dance for a taste of Broadway think Sondheim, Gershwin to close out the festival Feb. 13-16.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
