Lyric Fest Presents Art Songs of Benjamin C.S. Boyle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Robert Rimm

Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 3 p.m.

The Academy of Vocal Arts

1920 Spruce Street • Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PA – November 7, 2017

In a commemoration of its 15th-anniversary season, Lyric Fest is pleased to present a concert of works by the Stasiuk & Farion Composer-in-Residence Benjamin C.S. Boyle, who has produced a stunning body of art song that brings together his lyric and pianistic gifts with an affinity for exquisite verse. The concert program will include “Ophelia,” “Songs of Virtue and Loss” and the world premiere of Lyric Fest’s newly commissioned song cycle, “Spirits in Bondage,” settings from C.S. Lewis’s first published book of poetry. These texts have just come into public domain and have never before been set to music.

“Lyric Fest’s December 3rd concert marks the first performance completely dedicated to my large body of work in the art-song genre,” observes Boyle. “Featuring songs and song cycles written between 2001-2017, this concert is a showcase of my most personal and intimate work. Covering texts in English and French from Shakespeare and Donne, Baudelaire and Valery, and Wharton and C.S. Lewis, these songs embody the themes most prevalent in my writing: beauty gained and lost, love in times of war or conflict, and human striving for transcendence.”

Participating artists are mezzo-soprano Hannah Ludwig, soprano Sarah Shafer, baritone Daniel Teadt and pianist Laura Ward, with commentary by the composer. The concert’s running time is approximately 1 1⁄2 hours.

Commissioning and performing new works has become integral to Lyric Fest’s mission and programming philosophy. Since its founding, LF has premiered over 80 new works by local, regional and nationally recognized composers. Earlier this season, Artistic Directors Suzanne DuPlantis and Laura Ward gave the premiere of Boyle’s Lullaby, a setting of a Sara Teasdale poem for mezzo-soprano and piano composed specifically for them.

Details on the concert season, featured artists and more may be found at www.lyricfest.org.

Lyric Fest’s mission is to bring people together through the shared experience of song by offering to diverse audiences lively, theme-oriented voice recitals designed to engage, educate, stimulate dialogue and foster community. LF is committed to expanding the region’s interest in and knowledge of song as an important and relevant art form, and to access through affordable ticket prices. With a growing national reputation for excellence and innovation, LF receives critical acclaim and attention in a number of national publications such as Opera News.

Lyric Fest was founded in 2003 by three Philadelphia-area musicians: mezzo-soprano DuPlantis, pianist Ward and soprano Randi Marrazzo, with the shared goal of celebrating and revitalizing the song tradition. It has produced and presented over 100 concerts and recitals featuring more than 200 local, regional and national artists, actors, dancers and choral groups.

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