92NY Presents Eric Owens, Bass-baritone, And Singers From The Curtis Opera Theatre

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of New York's leading cultural venues, presents Eric Owens, bass-baritone, and singers from the Curtis Opera Theatre, on October 25, 2022 at 7:30pm ET at the Kaufmann Concert Hall. The concert will also be available for viewing online for 72 hours from time of broadcast. Tickets for both the in-person and livestream options start at $25 and are available at 92ny.org/event/eric-owens-and-curtis-opera-theatre-singers.

When Metropolitan Opera regular Eric Owens isn't performing on the stages of international opera houses, he's teaching and advising the next generation of vocal artists at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music - the school that launched him 25 years ago. Owens joins for Brahms' Neue Liebeslieder Waltzer (New Love Songs) as well songs of Brahms, Schubert, Lerner & Loewe, and other operatic repertoire, including performances with Sarah Fleiss, Lucy Baker, and Joseph Tancredi, from Curtis Opera Theatre - proven springboard for careers on the stage of La Scala, Covent Garden, The Met and more. Hear them here first, alongside Owens and pianists Miloš Repický and Ting Ting Wong.

Program:

Brahms, Liebe und Frühling I, Op. 3, No. 2

Brahms, Liebe und Frühling II, Op. 3, No. 3

Brahms, Meine Liebe ist grün, Op. 63, No. 5

Brahms, Von ewiger Liebe, Op. 43, No. 1

Schubert, Der Tanz, D. 826

Schubert, Licht und Liebe, D. 352

Brahms, Neue Liebeslieder, Op. 65

Bernstein, "What a Movie" from Trouble in Tahiti

Britten, "Tell Me the Truth About Love" from Cabaret Songs

Rodgers/Hammerstein, "If I Loved You" from Carousel

Lerner/Loewe, "If Ever Would I Leave You" from Camelot

Bizet, "Au fond du temple saint" from Les pêcheurs de perles

R. Strauss, "Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren" from Der Rosenkavalier

Verdi, Quartet: "Un dì, se ben rammentami...Bella figlia dell'amore" from Rigoletto

Sarah Fleiss, soprano

Lucy Baker, mezzo-soprano

Joseph Tancredi, tenor

Eric Owens, bass-baritone

Miloš Repický, piano

Ting Ting Wong, piano

About the Artists

Bass-baritone Eric Owens has a unique reputation as an esteemed interpreter of classic works and a champion of new music. Equally at home in orchestral, recital, and operatic repertoire, Mr. Owens brings his powerful poise, expansive voice, and instinctive acting faculties to stages around the world. In the 2020-2021 season, Mr. Owens performs Sarastro in The Magic Flute and Ferrando in Il trovatore at the Glimmerglass Festival, while serving as Artist in Residence for the festival's Young Artist Program. He also sings in a pop-up concert in New York City alongside other soloists and members of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Previously scheduled engagements include returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Vodnik in Rusalka, San Francisco Opera as Rocco in Fidelio, Los Angeles Opera as Ramfis in Aida, and Washington National Opera as Don Fernando in Fidelio, as well as performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Philadelphia Orchestra. In the 2019-2020 season, Mr. Owens starred as Porgy in James Robinson's production of Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera, the recording of which won the 2021 Grammy for Best Opera Recording. He had also been scheduled to return to Lyric Opera of Chicago as Wotan in Sir David Pountney's production of the complete Ring Cycle, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, and to sing King Marke in Tristan und Isolde at Santa Fe Opera, conducted by James Gaffigan. In concert, he performed Schubert's Winterreise with pianist Jeremy Denk at the Los Alamos Concert Association, and had been scheduled to sing Jochanaan in Salome with the Malmö Symfoniorkester. In the 2018-2019 season, Mr. Owens returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago to make his role debut as the Wanderer in David Pountney's new production of Siegfried. He also sang Porgy in James Robinson's new production of Porgy and Bess at Dutch National Opera and made his role debut as Hagen in Götterdämmerung at the Metropolitan Opera, conducted by Philippe Jordan. Concert appearances included the world premiere of David Lang's prisoner of the state with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Jaap van Zweden, the King in Aïda with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Muti, Verdi's Messa da Requiem with the Minnesota Orchestra, and Mozart's Requiem with Music of the Baroque. Mr. Owens also embarked on multi-city recital tour alongside tenor Lawrence Brownlee. Mr. Owens has created an uncommon niche for himself in the ever-growing body of contemporary opera works through his determined tackling of new and challenging roles. He received great critical acclaim for portraying the title role in the world premiere of Elliot Goldenthal's Grendel at Los Angeles Opera, and again at the Lincoln Center Festival, in a production directed and designed by Julie Taymor. Mr. Owens also enjoys a close association with John Adams, for whom he performed the role of General Leslie Groves in the world premiere of Doctor Atomic at San Francisco Opera, and of the Storyteller in the world premiere of A Flowering Tree at Peter Sellars's New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna and later with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Doctor Atomic was later recorded and received the 2012 Grammy for Best Opera Recording. Mr. Owens made his Boston Symphony Orchestra debut under the baton of David Robertson in Adams' El Niño. Mr. Owens's career operatic highlights include performances at the Metropolitan Opera as Alberich in the Ring cycle, directed by Robert Lepage, Orest in Patrice Chereau's production of Elektra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Vodnik in Rusalka, conducted by Sir Mark Elder, Voice of Neptune in Idomeneo, conducted by James Levine, and Jaufré Rudel in Robert Lepage's production of L'Amour de loin, conducted by Susanna Malkki; at Lyric Opera of Chicago as Wotan in David Pountney's new production of Die Walküre, as well as Vodnik and Porgy; at Washington National Opera as the title role of Der Fliegende Höllander, Filippo II in Don Carlo, and Stephen Kumalo in Weill's Lost in the Stars; at Houston Grand Opera as Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia as well as Ramfis; at Santa Fe Opera as La Roche in Capriccio; at the Glimmerglass Festival as the title role in Macbeth and Collatinus in a highly-acclaimed Christopher Alden production of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia; at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Oroveso in Norma; at Canadian Opera Company as the title role in Handel's Hercules; and at Opéra national de Paris as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. A former member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Mr. Owens has sung Sarastro, Méphistophélès in Faust, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, and Aristotle Onassis in the world premiere of Michael Daugherty's Jackie O (available on the Argo label) with that company. Additionally, he is featured on the Nonesuch Records release of A Flowering Tree. Mr. Owens is an avid concert singer, and collaborates closely with conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Riccardo Muti, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sir Simon Rattle, Donald Runnicles, and Franz Welser-Möst. He has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Musical America's 2017 "Vocalist of the Year" award, 2003 Marian Anderson Award, a 1999 ARIA award, and second prize in the Plácido Domingo Operalia Competition, as well as at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. In 2017, the Glimmerglass Festival appointed him as its Artistic Advisor. A native of Philadelphia, Mr. Owens began his musical training as a pianist at the age of six, followed by formal oboe study at age eleven under Lloyd Shorter of the Delaware Symphony and Louis Rosenblatt of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He studied voice while an undergraduate at Temple University, and then as a graduate student at the Curtis Institute of Music. He currently studies with Armen Boyajian. He serves on the Board of Trustees of both the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and Astral Artistic Services. Starting in 2019, Mr. Owens became the co-chair of the Curtis Institute's opera department.

The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. For nearly a century Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a "learn by doing" philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty that includes a high proportion of actively performing musicians. To ensure that admissions are based solely on artistic promise, Curtis makes an investment in each admitted student so that no tuition is charged for their studies. Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings each year and programs that bring arts access and education to the community. This real-world training allows these extraordinary young musicians to join the front rank of performers, composers, conductors, and musical leaders, making a profound impact on music onstage and in their communities. To learn more, visit Curtis.edu.

Curtis on Tour is the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music. Grounded in the school's "learn by doing" philosophy, tours feature extraordinary emerging artists alongside celebrated alumni and faculty. In addition to performances, musicians offer master classes, educational programs, and community engagement activities while on tour. Curtis on Tour also manages solo engagements for Curtis artists with professional orchestras and presenters. Since the program was established in 2008, Curtis on Tour ensembles have performed more than 375 concerts in over 100 cities in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

The Curtis Opera Theatre has become known for imaginative productions, bold concepts, and absorbing theatre. Under the artistic direction of Eric Owens, promising young singers work alongside established professional directors and designers, resulting in fresh interpretations of standard repertoire and contemporary works. All of Curtis's 25 students in vocal studies are cast regularly throughout each season, receiving a rare level of performance in fully staged productions, in recitals at Field Concert Hall, and as soloists with Curtis on Tour and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Curtis's educational approach opens professional opportunities for Curtis graduates, who sing with top opera companies across the United States and Europe, including La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.

In this first season curated by 92NY's new Vice President of Tisch Music Amy Lam, the season will feature 39 events, more than 20 92NY debuts, 31 premieres, and four 92NY commissions. The 22/23 season includes premieres of Joseph Schwantner's guitar quintet Song of a Dreaming Sparrow, a song cycle by Anthony Cheung, and works by Laurie Anderson, Timo Andres, Marcos Balter, Christopher Cerrone, Nicholas DiBerardino, Reena Esmail, inti figgis-vizueta, John Glover, Ted Hearne, Fred Hersch, Stephen Hough, Jimmy López, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Angélica Negrón, Mary Prescott, Caroline Shaw, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Darian Donovan Thomas, Scott Wollschleger, Pamela Z, and more.

Select Highlights:

This season marks the first time 92NY is presenting a fully integrated concert season across genres, including performances by Kate Baldwin, Joshua Bell, Regina Carter, Angela Hewitt, Larisa Martinez, Branford Marsalis,Kelli O'Hara, Eric Owens, Pepe Romero, Caroline Shaw, Sir András Schiff, Daniil Trifonov, and Jessica Vosk.

The World Premiere of a 92NY-commissioned piece from composer Jimmy López, performed by J'Nai Bridges and theCatalyst Quartet.

The New York premiere of Difficult Grace by cellist Seth Parker Woods and dancer Roderick George, presented in collaboration with Harkness Dance Center.

An in-depth two-day Julius Eastman retrospective featuring LA-based music collective Wild Up in three concerts, as well as exhibits, and panel discussions with Eastman friends and scholars examining the life of one of the 20th century's most iconoclastic voices.

The Bach Collegium Japan, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki with baritone Roderick Williams

92NY's signature series exploring the American songbook, Lyrics and Lyricists, continues to explore the best of Broadway, while also highlighting significant contributions to American culture by singer-songwriters across a variety of musical genres such as Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, the Mamas and the Papas, and more.

Two co-presentations in a collaboration with the World Music Institute featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Songs for Babyn Yar, originally produced by UK's Dash Arts.

Two performances as part of an ongoing partnerships with The Curtis Institute of Music.

Jazz, which has been a staple of 92NY's Tisch season since Thelonius Monk and Charles Mingus took to the stage in 1955, will be performed by world-class musicians like Branford Marsalis, Fred Hersch, and Regina Carter not just within the renowned Jazz in July series, but throughout the year.

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92NY.org.