ABOUT
In 2018, Nicholas Phan was the first singer to be invited to serve as guest artistic director of the Laguna Beach Music Festival, co-presented annually by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Laguna Beach Live. The week-long festival served a survey of the wide breadth of the power of song, spanning multiple genres from German Lieder to pop standards of today.
PROGRAM I:
CLARA, ROBERT & JOHANNES
A program that explores the tangled history of the complex relationship between Robert Schumann, Clara (Wieck) Schumann & Johannes Brahms and some of the songs that were inspired by their relationships with each other.
ARTISTS
Joélle Harvey, soprano | Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano | Nicholas Phan, tenor | Edward Nelson, baritone | Myra Huang, piano | Shannon McGinnis, piano
PROGRAM
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: Prelude and Fugue in G Major BWV 884
CLARA & ROBERT SCHUMANN: selections from Myrthen Op. 25 & Gedichte aus “Liebesfrühling” Op. 37
R. SCHUMANN: Minnespiel Op. 101
R. SCHUMANN: Bei Schenkung eines Flügels, WoO 26, No. 4
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52
PROGRAM II:
DIARIES – THE ART OF THE CONFESSIONAL
The art of song is perhaps one of the most vulnerable and confessional mediums in classical music. It involves a direct line of communication between the singer and the audience, and it’s successful performance relies on the artist’s ability to be emotionally transparent.
This performance featured both the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s Songs from the Operas as well as video designs for the Janacek cycle by Hana S. Kim.
ARTISTS
Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano | Nicholas Phan, tenor | Adrianne Pope, violin | Nicholaus Yee, viola | Myra Huang, piano | Shannon McGinnis, piano | Orange County Women’s Chorus
PROGRAM
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Zwei Gesänge Op. 91
MISSY MAZZOLI: Songs from the Operas - WORLD PREMIERE
LEOS JANÁCEK: The Diary of One Who Disappeared
PROGRAM III:
AMERICAN SABBATH
1st half: ‘American Spirit’ - A program that explores the American art song tradition through songs of faith and praise.
2nd half: ‘There’s Something About Mary’ - A program that explores the life and influence of the Virgin Mary told through songs spanning all genres: German Lieder, Spirituals, Rock, R & B, Broadway, among others.
ARTISTS
Alyson Cambridge, soprano | Raena White, singer | Nicholas Phan, tenor | Myra Huang, piano | Shannon McGinnis, piano | Doug Peck, piano
PROGRAM
LEONARD BERNSTEIN: Simple Song from Mass
SAMUEL BARBER: Hermit Songs (sel.)
AARON COPLAND: Old American Songs (sel.)
JOHN CARTER: Cantata
– THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY –
INTRO
SPIRITUAL: Who Was Mary? Mary Was Queen of Galilee
LOWRY / GREENE: Mary, Did You Know
MARY’S LIFE
FRENCH CAROL: Gabriel’s Message
EATON / GRANT: Breath of Heaven
HUGO WOLF: Nun wandre, Maria from Spanisches Liederbuch
BRYAN / STOCK: A Cradle in Bethlehem
HENRY PURCELL: The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation
SPIRITUAL: Weepin’ Mary
SONGS OF PRAISE
FRANZ SCHUBERT: Ave Maria
JASON ROBERT BROWN: Christmas Lullaby from ‘Songs for a New World’
PAUL McCARTNEY / JOHN LENNON: Let it Be
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH / CHARLES GOUNOD: Ave Maria
HEART / GRIFFIN: Mary