Liederabend, featuring Leah Summers, mezzo-soprano, and Charis Dimaris, piano
Co-Sponsor: Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
American mezzo-soprano, Leah Summers, has appeared extensively on opera and concert stages throughout the United States and abroad. A frequent presence at the New York City Opera, she has performed numerous roles there, among others, Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, the Page in R. Strauss’ Salome, Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Elsewhere, she has appeared in leading roles at the Vienna Staatsoper (where she made her debut as Grimgerde in Wagner’s Die Walküre), as well as Opera Colorado, Dallas Opera, New Jersey Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Berkshire Opera, Opera Naples and with Opera Orchestra of New York. She is featured on Bridge Records’ recent commercial recording of art songs by Stephan Volpe and as soloist with the Dallas Symphony in Mahler’s 8th Symphony on the Delos label. She has also performed with the New York Chamber Orchestra, the Ensemble Musica Sacra in Salzburg/Austria, the Naples Philharmonic, the Richmond Symphony, the West Virginia Symphony, the Continuum Ensemble, the Tanglewood Music Festival Orchestra, the New Julliard Ensemble and the New York Festival of Song with Steven Blier. As the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, Ms. Summers moved to Vienna/Austria for advanced studies in the field of German Lied at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. In addition, she was awarded a Herbert von Karajan grant from the Vienna Staatsoper, as well as a career grant from the William Matheus Sullivan Foundation. Finally, she was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Summer Festival and a member of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program. She holds degrees from the University of Miami, The Manhattan School of Music, the “Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst” in Vienna/Austria and is a graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center in New York City.
Greek concert pianist, Charis Dimaras, has presented numerous solo recitals, has collaborated in chamber music concerts and has been featured as soloist with orchestras throughout Europe, Turkey, Russia, Brazil, Canada and the USA. He has been the recipient of several awards (such as, the British Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Award, the Alexandros S. Onasis Beneficiary Foundation Scholarship and the International Richard-Wagner-Foundation Scholarship) and has won top prizes in several competitions (such as, the 1st prize at the “Conferenza Musicale Mediterannea” piano competition in Palermo/Sicily, as well as 1st prizes in the “Holland Music Sessions” chamber music contest at the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam and the “Artists International” and “Joy in Singing” chamber music contests in New York City). Elsewhere, he has been featured on NY’s WQXR, on several Dutch, Italian and Greek radio stations and on Greek national TV and has recorded works by Franck, Bartok, Prokofiev & Stravinsky. His latest CD featuring piano works by contemporary Greek composers D. Mitropoulos and Y. Sicilianos is due for release in the fall of 2010 (to coincide with Mitropoulos’ 50th death anniversary). Dr. Dimaras, who holds degrees in piano performance from the Royal College of Music in London/England and from New York’s Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, is currently Associate Professor of Piano and Collaborative Studies at Ithaca College. Elsewhere, in 2008, he was the Artistic Director of an international summer festival of Classical Music in Sparti/Greece, as well as the Artistic Director of the Renaissance Academy Chamber Music Concerts in Naples/FL and in the Spring of 2010 he presented a series of 4 lecture-recitals on the history and evolution of the Classical Sonata form for the Lifelong Education Program of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, also in Naples/FL. During a 2006-07 sabbatical leave from Ithaca College, Dr. Dimaras completed an additional Master’s Degree in orchestral conducting at Bard College. Since then, he has also appeared as guest conductor on both sides of the Atlantic, with such orchestras as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of the Greek National Opera.
For more information:
(314) 935-5566 or kschultz@artsci.wustl.edu