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A love song by Gustav Mahler is at the center of composer and Festival Artistic Director Marc Neikrug’s new stage work, A Song by Mahler. “Liebst du um Schönheit” (“If You Love for the Sake of Beauty”), from Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, is “a key element to the drama,” Mr. Neikrug says, and, as it “embodies the message of love as an aspiration, a self-embodied posture, and a state of being,” speaks to the emotional core of the work as well.

A Song by Mahler centers on the changing realities of two characters: “a concertizing singer who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s” and her husband, “who is also her accompanist,” Mr. Neikrug writes in a program note. The work—which features the talents of mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, baritone Kelly Markgraf, clarinetist David Shifrin, and the FLUX Quartet—“is not an attempt at documenting the myriad aspects of the disease,” he says. Instead, it’s “an attempt to address the specific emotional evolution of this couple, touching on their love and their particular relationship to music.”

“Our Four Arts 2022 festival, “Around Dvořák”, centers on the music of one of history’s most beloved composers. It’s exciting to discover that the famed creator of the New World Symphony was also the composer of a great number of definitive, masterful chamber works that constitute a significant portion of our standard repertoire today. In looking and listening “around” this impressive Czech composer, we’ll encounter those who influenced, inspired, and impacted Dvořák’s creativity, surrounded by an assemblage of his most heartfelt Romantic works, both classics and novelties. Hear an individual concert or participate in a week-long residency program with a package ticket.” – David Finckel and Wu Han, Beyer Artists-in-Residence

Around Dvořák II
This musical banquet pairs our featured composer, Antonín Dvořák, with his early and most important champion, Johannes Brahms. It was Brahms who introduced Dvořák to the publisher Simrock, who would become a key to his success. Beginning with Slavonic and Hungarian Dances of folklike vigor for four-hand piano, the program features sets of songs by both composers as well as two instrumental masterpieces by Dvořák: his unique and charming Terzetto for two violins and viola, composed for his friends, and his exuberant second Piano Quartet, written at the behest of Simrock, which features irresistible melodies for the cello.

Dialogues of the Carmelites, Poulenc’s tragedy in two parts, takes place during the French Revolution and asks the question: who gets to be a martyr? Seeking to protect herself from the guillotine, young aristocrat Blanche leaves her family and trembles her way to the Carmelite convent. But as the bedridden prioress admonishes the fearful Blanche, it is nuns who protect the convent, not the other way around. Promising to embrace her new life, Blanche befriends Constance, another young nun, who’s had a nightmare that they’ll soon die together. What began as a fresh start quickly turns to tragedy as Madame Croissy dies and the revolutionaries come for the nuns. 

Conductor: Patrick Summers

Director: Francesca Zambello

Blanche: Natalya Romaniw

Madame Lidoine: Christine Goerke

Madame Croissy: Patricia Racette

Mother Marie: Jennifer Johnson Cano

Sister Constance: Lauren Snouffer

Marquis: Rod Gilfry

Chevalier: Eric Taylor

Dialogues of the Carmelites, Poulenc’s tragedy in two parts, takes place during the French Revolution and asks the question: who gets to be a martyr? Seeking to protect herself from the guillotine, young aristocrat Blanche leaves her family and trembles her way to the Carmelite convent. But as the bedridden prioress admonishes the fearful Blanche, it is nuns who protect the convent, not the other way around. Promising to embrace her new life, Blanche befriends Constance, another young nun, who’s had a nightmare that they’ll soon die together. What began as a fresh start quickly turns to tragedy as Madame Croissy dies and the revolutionaries come for the nuns. 

Conductor: Patrick Summers

Director: Francesca Zambello

Blanche: Natalya Romaniw

Madame Lidoine: Christine Goerke

Madame Croissy: Patricia Racette

Mother Marie: Jennifer Johnson Cano

Sister Constance: Lauren Snouffer

Marquis: Rod Gilfry

Chevalier: Eric Taylor

Dialogues of the Carmelites, Poulenc’s tragedy in two parts, takes place during the French Revolution and asks the question: who gets to be a martyr? Seeking to protect herself from the guillotine, young aristocrat Blanche leaves her family and trembles her way to the Carmelite convent. But as the bedridden prioress admonishes the fearful Blanche, it is nuns who protect the convent, not the other way around. Promising to embrace her new life, Blanche befriends Constance, another young nun, who’s had a nightmare that they’ll soon die together. What began as a fresh start quickly turns to tragedy as Madame Croissy dies and the revolutionaries come for the nuns. 

Conductor: Patrick Summers

Director: Francesca Zambello

Blanche: Natalya Romaniw

Madame Lidoine: Christine Goerke

Madame Croissy: Patricia Racette

Mother Marie: Jennifer Johnson Cano

Sister Constance: Lauren Snouffer

Marquis: Rod Gilfry

Chevalier: Eric Taylor

Dialogues of the Carmelites, Poulenc’s tragedy in two parts, takes place during the French Revolution and asks the question: who gets to be a martyr? Seeking to protect herself from the guillotine, young aristocrat Blanche leaves her family and trembles her way to the Carmelite convent. But as the bedridden prioress admonishes the fearful Blanche, it is nuns who protect the convent, not the other way around. Promising to embrace her new life, Blanche befriends Constance, another young nun, who’s had a nightmare that they’ll soon die together. What began as a fresh start quickly turns to tragedy as Madame Croissy dies and the revolutionaries come for the nuns. 

Conductor: Patrick Summers

Director: Francesca Zambello

Blanche: Natalya Romaniw

Madame Lidoine: Christine Goerke

Madame Croissy: Patricia Racette

Mother Marie: Jennifer Johnson Cano

Sister Constance: Lauren Snouffer

Marquis: Rod Gilfry

Chevalier: Eric Taylor

PROGRAM

Sound and Fury [San Francisco Symphony Premiere, West Coast premier]
Anna Clyne

Symphony No. 9
Ludwig van Beethoven

CONDUCTORS & PERFORMERS

Daniel Stewart
CONDUCTOR

Michelle Bradley
SOPRANO

Jennifer Johnson Cano
MEZZO-SOPRANO

Mario Chang
TENOR

Rod Gilfry
BARITONE

San Francisco Symphony Chorus

PROGRAM

Sound and Fury [San Francisco Symphony Premiere, West Coast premier]
Anna Clyne

Symphony No. 9
Ludwig van Beethoven

CONDUCTORS & PERFORMERS

Daniel Stewart
CONDUCTOR

Michelle Bradley
SOPRANO

Jennifer Johnson Cano
MEZZO-SOPRANO

Mario Chang
TENOR

Rod Gilfry
BARITONE

San Francisco Symphony Chorus

PROGRAM

Sound and Fury [San Francisco Symphony Premiere, West Coast premier]
Anna Clyne

Symphony No. 9
Ludwig van Beethoven

CONDUCTORS & PERFORMERS

Daniel Stewart
CONDUCTOR

Michelle Bradley
SOPRANO

Jennifer Johnson Cano
MEZZO-SOPRANO

Mario Chang
TENOR

Rod Gilfry
BARITONE

San Francisco Symphony Chorus

A concert of opera arias, duets and ensembles, featuring members of Duke Opera Theater; Andrea Edith Moore & Shannon Kessler Dooley, sopranos; Jennifer Johnson Cano & Lisa Chavez, mezzo-sopranos; Michael Boley & Jason Karn, tenors; Thomas Federle & Duke alumnus Thando Mamba, baritones; David Heid, piano.

Featuring music from Carmen, Adriana Lecouvreur, Turandot, Ernani, Rigoletto, Rusalka, Hamlet, Die Zauberflöte, Così fan tutte, Pagliacci, La Traviata, Les pêcheurs de perles, Vanessa and La Bohème.

Duke Music prioritizes the health and safety of our extended community. We strongly encourage all individuals to be fully vaccinated before attending performances & other events in our venues. University, local, and state regulations are subject to change on short notice depending on public health conditions.

Schumann’s Year of Song in 1840 was inspired by his courtship and marriage to Clara, a happiness that is transparent in the Leider and in the glorious piano quartet that he wrote for her in 1842.

Schumann, Lieder

Jennifer Johnson Cano, soprano
Gloria Chien, piano

Schumann, Piano Quartet in E-flat

Gloria Chien, piano
Soovin Kim, violin
Misha Amory, viola
Zlatomir Fung, cello

The centerpiece of the 2021 LCCMF is this 75-minute Music Theater co-commission (in collaboration with the festivals of Chamber Music Northwest, Santa Fe, La Jolla, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center) about a celebrated concert singer who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She and her pianist husband come to an elevated understanding of their love through their music. The production features Grammy-winning soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and one of the world’s leading baritones, Kelly Markgraf, who has been praised by the New York Times for his “vocally and physically compelling interpretations.”

Jennifer Johnson Cano, soprano
Kelly Markgraf, baritone
David Shifrin, clarinet

FLUX Quartet

Tom Chiu and Conrad Harris, violins
Max Mandel, viola
Felix Fan, cello

Doug Fitch, director
Nicholas Houfek, lighting designer

Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and baritone Kelly Markgraf join clarinetist David Shifrin and the FLUX Quartet for the New Mexico premiere of Marc Neikrug’s chamber opera A Song by Mahler. The production is directed and designed by Doug Fitch and features lighting design by Nicholas Houfek.

In our first SummerFest opera, visionary director Doug Fitch helms the west coast première of Marc Neikrug’s chamber opera, A Song by Mahler, which follows a celebrated concert singer as she develops early onset Alzheimer’s and, with the help of her pianist husband, uses music and singing to confront and cope with their new reality. This production features renowned mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson-Cano, clarinetist David Shifrin, FLUX Quartet, and one of the world’s leading baritones, Kelly Markgraf.

Co-Commissioned by the Chamber Music Northwest with the support of the CMNW Commissioning Fund, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest.

Featured Artists

Doug Fitch
director

Flux Quartet
ensemble

Jennifer Johnson Cano
mezzo-soprano

Kelly Markgraf
baritone

Marc Neikrug
composer

David Shifrin
clarinet

BERIO
Folk Songs for Mezzo-Soprano and Chamber Ensemble

TCHAIKOVSKY
Piano Trio in A Minor

Performers

Jay Campbell
cello

Eric Derr
percussion

Dustin Donahue
percussion

Stefan Jackiw
violin

Jennifer Johnson Cano
mezzo-soprano

Rose Lombardo
flute

David Shifrin
calrinet

Julie Smith Phillips
harp

Nathan Schram
viola

Daniil Trifonov
piano

Alisa Weilerstein
cello

In this unique union of music and theatre by Marc Neikrug, a celebrated concert singer struggles with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Adjusting to this reality and its progression, she and her husband (also her accompanist) connect on this emotional journey through music. Starring Jennifer Johnson Cano and Kelly Markgraf, featuring David Shifrin with the FLUX Quartet, and directed by Doug Fitch. Co-commissioned by CMNW with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, La Jolla, Lake Champlain, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festivals.

Prince Tamino finds himself at odds with a giant serpent, but is saved thanks to The Queen of the Night’s loyal servants. Now out of harm’s way, Tamino is convinced to help the queen save her kidnapped daughter, Pamina. With the help of a charming bird catcher, spirit guides, and one magic flute, Prince Tamino sets off on a heroic quest to rescue the princess from the dark clutches of her abductor. But all is not as it seems in this classic story of good and evil. Known for its enduring story and infectious score, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte captures the imaginations of young and old. 

Performed concert-style with semi-staging. Sung in German with English supertitles projected.