Faculty Artist Series Presents: Alison D'Amato, piano

This faculty recital features three sections that celebrate Eastman’s vital engagement with song legacies, past and present.

First, contralto Lynne McMurtry (MM ’93) sings Shostakovich’s Six Poems by Marina Tsvetaeva (1973). Written two years before his death, the set explores themes central to his artistic life, from poets’ creative confrontation of their worlds to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The second section spotlights a partnership with Canadian Art Song Project (CASP), aiming to publish the complete songs of African-Canadian composer R. Nathaniel Dett. An alumnus of Eastman (MM, 1932), Dett was a prolific composer of art songs and spirituals arrangements, many of which exist in Sibley Library’s R. Nathaniel Dett Collection. D’Amato is joined by baritone Joshua Conyers, soprano Kearstin Piper Brown, and soprano Crystal Sellers Battle.

Celebrated composer Tom Cipullo is a special guest for the third section of the program. Cipullo will join d’Amato and students from the Voice, Opera and Vocal Coaching department in presenting songs and vocal chamber music, as the culmination of a residency sponsored by Eastman’s Institute of Music Leadership.