In honor of
Women’s History Month, sopranos Brooke Bryant and Yolanda F. Johnson will join
forces to perform “Music She Wrote,” a concert of music by female composers. Bryant
and Johnson will be accompanied by Michael Eisenberg on harpsichord and piano. Concertgoers will also enjoy an Afternoon Tea
along with the performance.
The program will feature works by the most
celebrated female composers throughout history, from the Middle Ages, with chant by the prolific
composer, abbess and mystic Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), to the present
day, with works by living composers, including Lena McLin and NYC resident Lucy
Coolidge. Coolidge has created a special arrangement of her song, “Dream Come
True,” for Johnson to perform. Other composers will include Barbara
Strozzi (1619-1677), African-American composers Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) and
Florence Price (1887-1953), and the beloved Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
(1805-1847), sister of acclaimed composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Soprano Brooke Bryant received her PhD
in Musicology from the CUNY Graduate Center. She has performed with esteemed
ensembles such as Musica Nuova, Sendebar, Ensemble Chanterelle, Musique de la
Reine, the Clarion Music Society, and CUNY’s Contemporary Ensemble. Brooke is
the founder and Artistic Director of the early music trio Charites, called “a
captivating triad” by Show Business Weekly. Charites has performed at
institutions such as Columbia University, Galapagos Art Space, The Cathedral of
St. John the Divine, Juilliard, Boston Early Music Festival (Fringe Concert
Series), the University of Utah, the CUNY Graduate School and University
Center, and Manhattan College. The ensemble has collaborated with the Baroque
dance/theater troupe Company XIV, performing Brooke’s original compositions and
arrangements of pop and classical music in productions including “Le Cirque Féerique” and “Snow White.”
Yolanda F. Johnson, lyric soprano, completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Voice at the
University of Tulsa and studied at the graduate level at the University of
Akron. She has performed nationally and internationally in musical venues
including opera, concert, oratorio and sacred music. She is an active
recitalist/lecturer on many musical subjects, specifically, African-American
spirituals. Yolanda made her NYC debut as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and
has also performed the roles of Anita Hill in Ben Yarmolinsky’s Clarence and
Anita, Noemie in Massenet’s Cendrillon and Millie in Harriet Tubman: When I
Crossed that Line to Freedom, by Nkeiru Okoye. Yolanda is a member of the SAI
International Women’s Music Fraternity, a leader in the music ministry at her
church, and has been a featured presenter at the Performing the World
International Performing Arts Conference. 2014 saw the premiere of her musical
compositions and she is currently completing a children’s opera. Yolanda
currently serves on the voice and piano faculty of the Mozartina Music
Conservatory in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Michael Eisenberg has garnered acclaim for his interpretations of repertoire ranging
from the sixteenth century to works by living composers. For six years, Michael
Eisenberg was presented in ongoing recitals by Carnegie Hall as a featured
artist in the Carnegie NYC Neighborhood Concert Series. As a member of the
Metropolitan Opera Guild roster, he was selected to perform for the Placido
Domingo Met Gala celebration. He has performed throughout Europe, the Americas,
Asia, and the Middle East and for National Public Radio, the BBC, CBC, and HBO.
His recording credits include two-time finalist prizes with recording contracts
in the EMA/Dorian international recording competition. He is the founding
artistic director of chamber ensembles Le Nuove Musiche and Ensemble for the
Seicento. He holds master’s degrees in harpsichord and piano from the Mannes
College of Music as a Sylvia Marlowe Fellow and a Ph.D. from the City
University of New York. He is a National Endowment for the Humanities 2013
summer fellow at the American Academy in Rome and currently serves on the
Columbia University Music Humanities faculty.
Tickets $20
available in advance through paypal or at the door on the day of the concert
SEATS ARE LIMITED
Purchase Tickets Here for Concert and Afternoon Tea
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