Soprano Janet Brown to perform at the Panasci Family Chapel
Maggie Conley, Staff Writer
February 9, 2012
Filed under Arts & Leisure
Thanks to Music at Le Moyne, this year, there have been a plethora of well-known musicians that have given the music scene on campus a buzz. This Friday, Janet Brown, a renowned classical soprano, will be performing many sacred pieces of musical art.
“I’ve been playing the piano since childhood,” said Brown, “which, combined with having a good ear, good music reading skills and the voice for classical singing, plus a ‘certain’ kind of personality, made me more interested in classical music than musical theatre or jazz.”
“This recital won’t have things like ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ or ‘Ave Maria,’ etc.” Brown said. “It will be full of music that most folks probably haven’t heard before, and I think everyone will like it. I’ll be talking a little too, instead of having program notes. I do like to feel as though I’m getting to know everyone, as it were, and letting them get to know me.”
“Ms. Brown is very personable and doing the performance in the chapel gives a nice, intimate setting for her so people can experience it up close,” director of music Travis Newton said. “We’re really lucky that she’s here, when she could be in any city.”
Brown has performed with the American Repertory Theatre, the Boston Early Music Festival, the PepsiCo Summerfare Music Festival, the West Virginia Orchestra and the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. Meeting at the latter, Newton asked Brown if she was willing to perform in Le Moyne’s concert series; Brown agreed immediately.
Brown will be accompanied by pianist Ida Tili-Trebicka, who has performed internationally and currently serves on the piano faculty at Syracuse University. The concert includes selections from Bach, Handel, Debussy, Gounod and many other notable composers.
When asked what the songs mean to her on a personal level, Brown exclaimed, “I’m a Christian believer, as is Ida, and am fascinated by the different angles of Christianity that are present in these songs.”
There’s little doubt that this Friday will be a night of reverence and serenity as Brown and Tili-Trebicka inspire the audience with their highly esteemed works of music.
“I hope the music and texts might cause people to think about Christianity in personal ways in which they might not have thought before,” Brown said.
The concert takes place this Friday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Panasci Family Chapel. Tickets are free for students and the Le Moyne community.