Character Portraits Recital on March 8

I am busy preparing for my upcoming recital, Mar. 8 at 7:30 pm in Shorter's Brookes Chapel. My program is a unique exploration of different characters from history, literature, and film: Cleopatra (Handel), Shakespeare's Ophelia (R. Strauss), Madge from Picnic (Libby Larsen), Eliza from My Fair Lady (Lerner and Loewe) and Giselle from Enchanted (Menken/Schwartz). It should be a fun evening of music and drama, with a special surprise thrown in.

NATS winners

I am proud of all of my students who sang at the Georgia NATS Student Auditions at the University of Georgia this weekend. The picture features my three 1st place winners, Hannah Freeman (also Miss Shorter), Laura Collins, and Chris Lewis. All three won their musical theatre categories and impressed at the Winners' Concert with their strong renditions of Jason Robert Brown and Maury Yeston songs.

Exploring Handel's Cleopatra

In preparing for my upcoming recital, I have been exploring the character of Cleopatra from Handel's opera Giulio Cesare (1724). This plum soprano role has 6 arias, everything from the coloratura tour de force "Da tempeste il legno" to the sublime sostenuto of "Se pietà di me non senti." I love the stately sensuality of "V'adoro pupille," while "Piangerò la sorte mia" delves into Cleopatra's dramatic complexity. Notable contemporary Cleopatras have included Beverly Sills and Sylvia McNair.