Ars Lyrica Houston, the Grammy-nominated early music ensemble, continues its 15th season with an amorous tribute to the Baroque era's finest musical dramatist on November 23rd at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts with Handel in Love. Rice graduate Joanna Latini (soprano) and Richard Trey Smagur (tenor), Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2017, lend their voices to Handel's rarely performed and highly virtuosic music.
A truly cosmopolitan figure, George Frederick Handel combined a sturdy German musical heritage with sophisticated Italian training, in works that hearken back to his adopted English home. Almost as famous as Shakespeare himself,
John Milton and
John Dryden authored the texts that inspired Handel's compositions. On the program is one of Handel's few secular cantatas that has charms extending well beyond its simple text, including a final duet that's one of the only pieces Handel ever wrote for tenor and soprano. More well-known are the excerpts from his famous L'allegro, Il Penseroso ed Il Moderato which also allow for another stunning duet for the two voices. Rounding out the vocal showcase is one of the first solo concertos in this new genre of the Baroque. The G minor Oboe Concerto delivers sonorous beauty in the deft hands of Kathryn Montoya, baroque oboist, who is known for her effortless phrasing and tone.
You can still reserve great seats for Ars Lyrica Houston's 2019/20 season. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale at www.arslyricahouston.org or call the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Box Office at 713.315.2525 (Press 4 for Ars Lyrica Houston). Find your perfect number and join the Ars Lyrica family today! For more information on our Young Professionals Society and other exclusive event opportunities, visit
www.arslyricahouston.org/young-professionals-society or contact our events coordinator at kstaten@arslyricahouston.org.
Founded in 1998 by harpsichordist and conductor
Matthew Dirst, Ars Lyrica Houston presents a diverse array of music in its original context while creating connections to contemporary life. Intelligent programming features neglected gems alongside familiar masterworks, and extracts the dramatic potential, emotional resonance, and expressive power of music. Its local subscription series, according to the Houston Chronicle, "sets the agenda" for early music in Houston. Ars Lyrica appears regularly at international festivals and conferences because of its distinctive focus, and its pioneering efforts in the field of authentic performance have won international acclaim.
Ars Lyrica Houston presents Handel in Love at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Guest Soloists: Richard Trey Smagur (tenor), Joanna Latini (soprano), Kathryn Montoya (oboe) Saturday, November 23rd, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
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