Liederabend, featuring Amy Owens, soprano and Kirt Pavitt, piano
Edison Box Office: (314) 935-6543
General Admission $15
Wash U Faculty/Staff/ Seniors $12
Students/Youth $5
WU Students with ID Free
Reception and meet and greet with the artists to follow the concert.
PROGRAM:
Johannes Brahms: vergebliches Ständchen op. 84.4
Brahms: Spannung op. 84.5
Brahms: Ständchen op.106.1 14.7
Am Sonntag Morgen 49.1
Wiegenlied op. 49.4
Franz Schubert: Nacht und Träme op. 43.2
Ganymed op.19.3
Wiegenlied D.498
Richard Strauss: Ständchen op. 17.2
Die Nacht op. 10.3
Morgen op. 27.4
Wiegenlied op. 41a.4
INTERMISSION
Richard Strauss Amor op. 68.5
Antonín Dvořák Zigeunermelodien
Mein Lied ertönt
Ei, wie mein Triangel
Rings ist der Wald so stumm
Als die alte Mutter
Rein gestimmt die Saiten
In dem weiten, breiten, luft'gen Leinenkleide
Darf des Falken Schwinge
Two pieces from the Operetta Die Dubarry
Heut’ hab’ ich Glück
Ja so ist sie, die Dubarry
Coloratura soprano Amy Owens is establishing herself as a versatile performer with comedic flair, a strong aptitude for new music, and a soaring high range. During her two-year residency with Utah Opera (2012–2014), Ms. Owens was praised in Opera News for her “vivacious enthusiasm,” “engaging, bell-like soprano,” and “high flying-vocals”, gaining particular notice for her performances as Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte.
For Ms. Owens, the 2015-2016 season included appearances with the Utah Symphony as Le Feu, La Princesse, and Le Rossignol in L’enfant et les sortilèges and Mater Gloriosa in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, which will be released as a commercial recording in 2017. She joined Wolf Trap Opera for a second consecutive season in the summer of 2016, performing the roles of Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia and Porporina in Gassman’sL’opera seria. Ms. Owens's 2014–2015 season included appearances with Wolf Trap as Florestine in the mid-Atlantic premiere of Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro. She was also seen as Despina in Così fan tutte with Opera Naples and appeared in workshop performances of Bright Sheng’s new opera The Dream of the Red Chamber in New York City and San Francisco with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra.
During the 2016–2017 season, Ms. Owens will appear at Washington University of St. Louis for a Liederabend and joins New York Festival of Song for performances of Paul Bowles's Picnic Cantata. She will also make her New Mexico Philharmonic debut in Carmina burana and her Reno Philharmonic debut in Christopher Theofanidis's Grammy-nominated choral and orchestral work The Here and Now. In December 2016, Ms. Owens makes her Dallas Opera debut performing in the Second Annual Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors concert. She will make her Asian debut in 2017 at Hong Kong's The Intimacy of Creativity festival, performing the music of Bright Sheng.
Ms. Owens is the recipient of a Sullivan Award, an encouragement award from the George London Foundation, and two consecutive wins from the Metropolitan Opera National Council district auditions in New York City. She has fulfilled young artist residencies with Santa Fe Opera, Utah Opera, Central City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Utah Festival Opera.
St. Louis native Kirt Pavitt has distinguished himself as both soloist and collaborative pianist. His formal training in piano was with two significant artists of the twentieth century: Ruth Slenczynska and Leon Fleisher. At Washington University as a Ph.D candidate he worked with Etsuko Tazaki and Seth Carlin, and in Paris at The Ecole Normale de Musique with Jules Gentil. As a recipient of a National Opera Institute grant in 1978 he studied operatic repertoire with impresario John Moriarty. His performances in St. Louis as soloist include appearances with the St. Louis Symphony, The St. Louis Little Symphony, The St. Louis Philharmonic, and he was the sole St. Louis Artist Presentation Society winner in 1969.
As collaborative pianist Pavitt has played for many of America’s finest singers and instrumentalists including sopranos, the late Arleen Auger, Christine Brewer and Dawn Upshaw, mezzo-sopranos Melanie Sonnenberg and Mary Ann McCormick, St. Louis Symphony Concertmaster David Halen and oboist Matthew Sullivan. He performed at Alice Tully and Avery Fisher Halls in New York, in London’s Wigmore Hall, and in cities throughout the United States and Europe.
Pavitt began what would become a close association with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 1976, its first season. He was for many years on the music staff, as well as Music Director for Education and Community programs, which included OTSL performances at The Edinburgh Festival in 1983, and he was pianist for the popular A Little Lunch Music Series. From 2002 through 2015 Pavitt was a full-time Music Associate at The Santa Fe Opera, and in 2008 founded Young Voices of The Santa Fe Opera, a rigorous training and performance program devoted to classical vocal music for talented high school students in New Mexico. He was pianist and music director for the Company’s Community Concerts, Holiday Concerts, annual Spring Tours, and performed at countless fund-raising events. Pavitt worked closely with the apprentice artists and was at the keyboard for almost all of the highly acclaimed Vanessie Evenings, when they took the spotlight at a unique and popular in-town night spot.
In January of this year, Kirt Pavitt returned to his hometown as a free-lance artist and has joined the faculty of Webster University’s Community Music School. Continuing as performer and teacher, he is eager to again be part of the tradition of great music in St. Louis.
Pavitt has recorded two CDs with Christine Brewer, Saint Louis Woman and Music for A While which were produced by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and a solo piano disc, A Little Nice Music, with music of Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Poulenc and Ginastera.