Essex Winter Series will present the internationally renowned soprano Patricia Schuman on Sunday, March 6, at 3 p.m. at John Winthrop Middle School in Deep River. In a delightful program entitled “Winter Romance,” featuring music by Romantic-era early twentieth-century composers as well as selections from musical theater, Ms. Schuman will be joined by pianist Douglas Dickson and harpist Megan Sesma for the performance.
Ms. Schuman has appeared at the most distinguished opera houses throughout Europe and the United States, including the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, La Scala, the Salzburg Festival, and the Metropolitan Opera among many, many others. She has performed frequently on the Essex Winter Series, often with her husband, bass David Pittsinger, and is an audience favorite.
“Winter Romance” includes music for soprano and piano by three Spanish composers – Manuel de Falla, Reveriano Soutullo and Geronimo Gimenez – as well as three songs by Sergei Rachmaninoff and music by Antonin Dvorak. The harp will be featured in three songs by English composer Benjamin Britten.
A special guest artist, also known for a brilliant operatic career, but whose identity will not be revealed until the performance, will sing opera duets by Offenbach and Delibes with Patricia Schuman.
“I decided on the theme of ‘Winter Romance’ for this program,” says Patricia Schuman, “because I feel that after the gray, silent days of winter, one needs the lush romanticism of Rachmaninoff and Dvorak, as well as the passion of de Falla. I added the Britten pieces as a contrast, since they are yin and yang, brittle and poignant at the same time.”
She continues, “Much of the music I selected is based on the folk music of the country from which it comes. De Falla has Spanish dances as the format for his seven popular songs; Britten arranges Irish popular melodies by Thomas Moore into soulful ballads. The Rachmaninoff and Dvorak are simply gorgeous romantic songs. Interspersed with the songs are some arias and operatic duets with my ‘special surprise guest.’ I think it will be an inhalation of passion fruit after the bare landscape of winter.”
The March 6 concert is co-sponsored by Essex Savings Bank. The piano sponsor is Essex Meadows.
Tickets, all general admission, are $35 ($5 for students) and may be purchased online at www.essexwinterseries.com or by phone at 860-272-4572.