SANTA FE DESERT CHORALE TO PRESENT SOPRANO AILYN PÉREZ AND PIANIST GARY MATTHEWMAN IN THEIR ONLY 2016 U.S. RECITAL
PROGRAM ANNOUNCED FOR CONCERT WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE ON TUESAY, MARCH 29, 2016 AT 6:OO PM AT THE LENSIC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Santa Fe, New Mexico, February 8, 2016: The Santa Fe Desert Chorale announced today that soprano Ailyn Pérez and pianist Gary Matthewman will perform French and Spanish art songs in their only 2016 U.S. recital appearance. The program will be presented by the Santa Fe Desert Chorale at The Lensic which is located at 211 West San Francisco Street in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Tuesday evening, March 29, 2016. The recital will begin at 6:00pm.
Drawing from the repertoire featured on her debut recital album titled Poème d’un jour, the Mexican-American soprano will sing art songs by Spanish composers Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), Fernando Obradors (1897-1945) and Joaquín Turina (1882-1949), Venezuelan composer Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947), and French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845-1946). The 2013 disc on the Opus Arte label was released to critical acclaim; the UK’s Independent awarded it a full five stars, and Opera News praised the performances as “lively, engaging, sparkling with color and vocal personality.”
Premier tickets are $150 and include prime seats at The Lensic and an exclusive post-performance supper with the artists at the home of a prominent Santa Fe arts patron. Premier tickets are available only through the Santa Fe Desert Chorale website (desertchorale.org), or by telephone at (505) 988-2282, ext. 1. General admission tickets are priced at $75, $50 and $35 each and are available at The Lensic Box Office, by telephone at (505)988-1234, and through ticketssantafe.org.
As part of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale’s community engagement initiative, 80 tickets are being distributed free-of-charge by the organization to high school and college voice students in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. For information on free student tickets, please contact Emmalee Hinson, Artist and Community Liaison, at Emmalee@desertchorale.org.
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About Ailyn Pérez:
“The phrase ‘an embarrassment of riches’ might have been invented to describe the combination of talents that belong to Ailyn Pérez, … who truly seems to have it all.” — Opera News
“Her voice has a distinctive timbre, with plaintive richness blended into its youthful bloom … Ms. Pérez, a beautiful woman who commands the stage, has the makings of a major soprano.” — The New York Times
The winner of both the 2012 Richard Tucker Award and the 15th annual Plácido Domingo Award, Ailyn Pérez has performed leading roles at major opera house worldwide, including: the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Houston Grand Opera, and Dallas Opera. Santa Fe audiences will recall her Marguerite in Faust – her Santa Fe Opera debut in 2011. The soprano returns to Santa Fe Opera in summer 2016 as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette. For more information on Miss Pérez, please visit: ailynperez.com.
About Gary Matthewman:
“Gary Matthewman…a tactful and sensitive accompanist but not lacking either presence or character.” — Classicalsource.com
“The prelude and postlude to each song were invariably scene-‐stealers. Matthewman is a name new to me, but if this recital is any gauge of his potential, I have a feeling we are going to hear a lot more of him.” — Financial Times
One of the U.K.’s leading collaborative pianists, Gary Matthewman has performed with vocalists Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Thomas Allen, Sumi Jo, Nuccia Focile, Mark Padmore, and Kate Lindsey, among many others. The pianist’s discography includes numerous live broadcasts and recordings for BBC Radio 3. His recent recording of Schubert’s Winterreise with Matthew Rose was featured as Gramophone Magazine’s Recording of the Month and BBC Radio 3’s Disc of the Week. For more information on Mr. Matthewman, please visit: www.askonasholt.co.uk/artists/accompanists/gary-matthewman
About the Santa Fe Desert Chorale:
Now entering its 34th season, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale is one of the longest continually performing professional music organizations in New Mexico, as well as one of the most distinguished. A recipient of the 2006 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, in 2015 the Santa Fe New Mexican named the ensemble one of the Best of Santa Fe in the Music Performance category. Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News characterized the Chorale as presenting “stunning singing…incredible power,” during the 2015 Summer Festival.
Now in his eighth season as Music Director, Joshua Habermann leads the 24-‐voice professional Chorale in repertoire spanning seven centuries, from Medieval polyphony to contemporary works. The critically-‐ acclaimed ensemble performs at historical sites in Santa Fe such as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis and the Loretto Chapel, as well as other venues throughout the Southwest. A recent highlight was an invitational appearance at the 2015 American Choral Director’s Association National Conference in Utah which was later broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio.
The Santa Fe Desert Chorale presents both summer and winter festivals of concerts featuring a wide range of literature from around the world. The 2016 Summer Festival Season will take place from July 19 through August 15, 2016.
The composition of the Chorale is truly national in scope with artists drawn from coast-‐to-‐coast; many sharing the stage with peer groups from Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society to the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and including Chanticleer, Conspirare, and Seraphic Fire.
The Desert Chorale prides itself on its strong relationships within the community of Northern New Mexico, and enjoys collaborations with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, New Mexico History Museum, National Dance Institute – New Mexico, Performance Santa Fe, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and The Santa Fe Opera. Community engagement is an integral part of the Desert Chorale’s mission.
For more information on the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, please visit: desertchorale.org
