Songstruck

Kile Smith's spellbinding jazz-inspired cycle, In this blue room, was commissioned and premiered by Lyric Fest in 2015. Based on poems written in response to artist Laura Madeleine's Batik paintings, the premiere featured Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano, Daniel Teadt, baritone, and pianist Laura Ward. For more information, visit https://lyricfest.org/commissions/in-this-blue-room/ .

Lyric Fest’s COTTON is a spellbinding multimedia song-cycle by Damien Geter based on the extraordinary cotton photography of John Dowell. The song cycle features commissioned poems by Nikki Giovanni, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Lauren K. Alleyne, Glenis Redmond, Trapeta Mayson, Afaa Michael Weaver, Alora Young, and Charlotte Blake Alston.  For more information, visit lyricfest.org.

Take a glorious wintry stroll through an extraordinary new song cycle, Any of Those Decembers, from the brilliant young composer, Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg, and Philadelphia poet, Jeanne Minahan.

Celebrated composer Lori Laitman discusses setting a "letter" (in reality, Mike Gioia's college admissions essay) to music is the hilarious song, Dear Future Roommate.

Composer Jasmine Barnes and curator and soprano Karen Slack revisit the powerful song, Taking Names, written as a reflection on the murder of Breonna Taylor, as well as the plague of violent deaths of many Black women.

Internationally renowned composer Daron Hagen discusses his epic meditation on the life cycle of a song writer, The Art of Song.    www.lyricfest.org

The gifted composer Karl Hinze talks about writing comedy into art song, along with the intersection of music for the stage versus the concert hall. www.lyricfest.org https://www.youtube.com/@lyric_fest

Composer, activist, and amateur archaeologist Melissa Dunphy delves into the multiple faces of Walt Whitman in her stirring song, Come, my tan-faced children. Commissioned by Lyric Fest in 2019, the featured performance of the premiere includes mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, Laura Ward, piano, Min-Young Kim, violin, and Tim Ressler, double bass. www.lyricfest.org //www.youtube.com/@lyric_fest

World-renowned composer Jennifer Higdon shares stories of growing up in the Smoky Mountains and dives into the folksong inspiration behind Little River Songs. www.lyricfest.org https://www.youtube.com/@lyric_fest

Songstruck, a Lyric Fest podcast exploring the creation, interpretation, and music behind the expanding American classical song canon.   Episode 2: Lenoriana Join composer Benjamin C.S. Boyle and Lyric Fest Artistic co-Director Laura Ward for a fascinating conversation about the origins of Lenoriana, which sets the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.

Songstruck, a Lyric Fest podcast exploring the creation, interpretation, and music behind the expanding American classical song canon.   Episode 1: Deadmall Ballads Explore the hilarious and poignant Deadmall Ballads with composer Peter Hilliard, librettist Matt Boresi, and soprano Jennifer Aylmer.