Evening of French song and poetry to be presented at Centenary October 15
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College’s Hurley School of Music and the French Department’s Oral Traditions class are collaborating to present Soirée de musique, Evening of Song on Tuesday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the lobby of Hamilton Hall. The evening event will feature a selection of French art songs sung in the original language. Students from the Oral Traditions class will read the songs’ poetry in French along with their own English translations. Ken Chan will accompany all pieces on the piano.
Soirée de musique is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served.
“This is our second fall concert in the Evening of Song performance series,” said Dr. Briana Sosenheimer, assistant professor of music and director of Opera Centenary, an academic ensemble dedicated to exploring opera, operetta, and lyric theater. “Choosing music with the students and seeing their budding interest in specific composers and poetry was a rewarding process for all of us. The pieces range from popular classical French Mélodie to pieces outside the traditional canon. I am thrilled to collaborate across campus with such great colleagues and students in the French Department - we might not have crossed paths without this opportunity to work on a performance project together! With such great art songs to share with the community, we hope to continue the spirit of collaboration and celebrate songs and poetry of different languages, cultures, and themes every fall.”
“I am beyond delighted to be able to collaborate across campus to work on a truly interdisciplinary and intercultural evening,” said Dr. Ryan Doherty, assistant professor of French. “Giving students the chance to encounter the practical uses of languages and to see the rich cultural heritage to which language can allow access adds another dimension to the beauty and poignancy of these songs. Especially here in Louisiana, and as Centenary approaches its bicentennial, this type of collaborative project is all the more rich and necessary.”
The program for the evening of song and poetry includes:
“Au bord de l’eau” by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Poetry by Sully Prudhomme (1839-1907)
Brooklyn Howard, Mezzo-soprano
Read and translated by Calvin Green
“Si mes vers avaient des ailes“ by Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)
Poetry by Victor Hugo (1802-1885)
Andrea Kay, Soprano
Read and translated by Jo Hoffman
“Le colibri” by Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Poetry by Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle (1818-1894)
Mia Moreno, Mezzo-soprano
Read and translated by Jaspen Charles
“Là-bas, vers l’église” by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Poetry by Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi (1877-1944)
Amelia Natal, Mezzo-soprano
Read and translated by Jameson Feeney
“Si j’étais jardinier” by Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Poetry by Léon Roger-Milès (1859-1928)
Katie Allen, Soprano
Read and translated by Jo Hoffman
“Les berceaux” by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Poetry by Sully Prudhomme (1839-1907)
Destry Martignetti, Mezzo-soprano
Read and translated by Calvin Green
“Psyché” by Émile Paladilhe (1844-1926)
Poetry by Pierre Corneille (1606-1684)
Anna McCann, Soprano
Read and translated by Jameson Feeney
“Cantique” by Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979)
Poetry by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949)
Nina Guerrero, Soprano
Read and translated by Jaspen Charles
For more information, contact Dr. Briana Sosenheimer at bsosenheimer@centenary.edu.