Mirror Visions Ensemble Presents FLIGHTS OF FANTASY at The Sheen Center

Mirror Visions Ensemble (MVE), currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, presents its unique program Flights of Fantasy at the Loreto Theater at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture on Friday, October 14 at 8:00 p.m. and in a collaborative performance with New York University students at NYU's Loewe Theater on Monday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Mirror Visions Ensemble-featuring soprano, tenor, baritone and piano, often joined by other instrumentalists-explores the relationship between music and text, taking audiences on an imaginative journey through song. The group showcases well-known and oft-neglected pieces by composers both familiar and new; these pieces are often commissioned by the ensemble.

At The Sheen Center concert on October 14th, soprano Vira Slywotzky, tenor Scott Murphree, baritone Jesse Blumberg, and pianist Grant Wenaus travel through the worlds of the mysterious and magical with pieces by Holst, Sibelius, Schubert, Gershwin, Schumann and others about enchanted forests, whispering waters, and the creatures that inhabit them. The centerpiece of the program is a MVE commission by Gilda Lyons, Scales and Tales, a historical account of mythological beasts set to texts by Lawrence de Ferry, Hesiod, John Nieuhoff, and Claudius Aelianus.

The New York University concert on October 31 includes soprano Vira Slywotzky, tenor Scott Murphree, baritones Jesse Blumberg and Mischa Bouvier, and pianist Grant Wenaus together with NYU students from the vocal performance and collaborative piano programs. Students participating in a masterclass given by MVE on October 28 will present their own favorite fantastical repertoire on MVE's October 31 concert, adding to the ensemble's Flights of Fantasy program.

Program and Ticket Information

Flights of Fantasy

Friday, October 14 at 8:00 p.m.
The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture
Loreto Theater
18 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012
Tickets: $20 ($15 for students); visit SheenCenter.org or call 212-925-2812

Vira Slywotzky, soprano
Scott Murphree, tenor
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Grant Wenaus, piano

Monday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m.
New York University
Loewe Theater
35 West 4th Street
New York, NY 10012
Tickets: $10 ($5 for students); available by calling 212-998-4941, online at www.nyu.edu/ticketcentral or by visiting NYU Ticket Central's box office at 566 LaGuardia Place (side entrance of the KimMel Center)

Vira Slywotzky, soprano
Scott Murphree, tenor
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Mischa Bouvier, baritone
Grant Wenaus, piano

GUSTAV HOLST Ushas
Text from the Rigveda

TURE RANGSTRÖM Semele
Text by August Strindberg

JEAN SIBELIUS Narciss
Text by Bertel Gippenberg

Franz Schubert Der Zwerg
Text by Mattäus von Collin

ZDENÊK FIBICH Loreley
Text by Heinrich Heine

Robert Schumann Waldesgespräch
Text by Joseph von Eichendorff

George Gershwin The Lorelei
Text by Ira Gershwin

GILDA LYONS Scales and Tales
Texts by Lawrence de Ferry, Hesiod, John Nieuhoff and Claudius Aelianus

Maurice Ravel Le Cygne
Text by Jules Renard

HUGO WOLF Storchenbotschaft
Text by Eduard Mörike

Claude Debussy La Flute de Pan
Text by Pierre Louÿs

TOM CIPULLO Ask the Moon
Text by Linda Pastan

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS Danse Macabre
Text by Henri Cazalis

JOSEPH KOSMA Deux Escargots S'en Vont À L'Enterrement
Text by Jacques Prévert

Lee Hoiby Jabberwocky
Text by Lewis Carroll

CHARLES WOLSELEY The Green-Eyed Dragon
Text by Greatrex Newman

About Mirror Visions Ensemble
Mirror Visions Ensemble (MVE) was founded from a desire to explore the relationship between music and text, initially through the creation of "mirror visions" - settings of the same text to music by different composers. The group's passion for storytelling has produced thematic concerts on surprising subjects, based on scholarly research and laced with humor, leading to the revitalization of art song programming. Featuring soprano, tenor, baritone and piano, often joined by other instrumentalists, MVE's programs take audiences on an imaginative journey through song, showcasing well-known and oft-neglected pieces by composers both familiar and new, set to texts by poets and historical figures that encompass published works, correspondence and other anecdotes.

During its 25-year history, Mirror Visions Ensemble has championed and fostered the work of new composers, providing a platform for their works to be showcased through the commissioning and performance of over 80 works by 24 composers, including Tom Cipullo, Scott Wheeler, and Pulitzer Prize recipient Yehudi Wyner. In the 2015-16 season, the ensemble launched its first-ever Young Composers Competition, awarding four commissions to early-career composers dedicated to developing the future catalogue of vocal chamber music.

The ensemble has presented its programs, residencies, and masterclasses both in the U.S. and abroad at concert halls, schools, libraries, and museums. MVE's concerts are often free and open to the public, continuing the ensemble's commitment to education and its tradition of providing access to the arts. Mirror Visions Ensemble has performed at such venues as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Music Center, Le Poisson Rouge, SubCulture, and Mt. Kisco's Copland House, and at educational institutions including California State University at Fullerton, University of Southern California, New York University, the Longy School of Music of Bard College, Northwestern University, Williams College, and Yale University. Museums in France have become a home for MVE, with many performances at the Musée Carnavalet, Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée Nissim de Camondo, as well as at the American University of Paris.

In recognition of strengthening cultural relationships between the U.S. and France, bringing to life forgotten texts and music from both French and American traditions, and sharing these works through commissions and performances by Mirror Visions Ensemble, Artistic Director Tobé Malawista was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 2008.

MVE's discography includes Américain à Paris (2003), Secrets (2004), Cosmic and Domestic Matters (2008), and The Three-Paneled Mirror(2015). Mirror Visions Ensemble was founded by Tobé Malawista, Richard Lalli and Scott Murphree in 1992.