LIEDERABEND

The Ph.D./D.M.A. Programs in Music
October 17, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Baisley Powell Elebash Recital Hall
LIEDERABEND
Songs of Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Emily Albrink, soprano
Sara Henry, mezzo-soprano
Steven Ebel, tenor
Blake Howe, baritone
Harry Jensen, piano
“Die Geselligkeit, ” D. 609 (Johann Karl Unger)
Johann Mayrhofer’s Heliopolis
“Heliopolis I (“Im kalten, rauhen Norden….”), D.753
“Nachtviolen, ” D.752
“Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskuren, ” D.360
“Heliopolis II” (“Fels auf Felsen... ”), D.754
“Das Abendrot, ” D.236 (Ludwig Theobul Kosegarten)
J. W. von Goethe’s Mignon
“An Mignon,” D.161
“Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt,” D.877 (op. 62, no. 4)
“Heiß mich nicht reden,” (op. 62, no. 2)
“So laßt mich scheinen,” (op. 62. no. 3)
“Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt,” (op. 62. no. 1)
“Nachtgesang,” D.352 (Matthäus Kasimir von Collin)
ensemble
Ms. Henry
Mr. Ebel
Mr. Howe
Ms. Henry
Ms. Albrink, Ms. Henry, Mr. Howe
Mr. Ebel
Ms. Albrink
Ms. Albrink
Ms. Albrink
Ms. Albrink, Mr. Ebel
Ms. Henry, Mr. Howe
INTERMISSION
Heinrich Heine Lieder from Schwanengesang, D.957
“Das Fischermädchen”
“Am Meer”
“Die Stadt”
“Der Doppelgänger”
“Ihr Bild”
“Der Atlas”
“Des Tages Weihe,” D.763 (Anonymous)
Mr. Howe
ensemble
Please switch off your cell phones and refrain from taking flash pictures.

Notes on Three Poets
Johann Mayrhofer (1787–1836) shared a Viennese apartment with Schubert for two years, from 1818–20. A depressed individual,
Mayrhofer led a double-life as a poet and as a censor for the oppressive Metternich regime—an occupation which surely rankled his fellow
liberal intellectuals. He ended his own life by throwing himself out the window of the censorship office where we was employed. While the
artistic relationship between Mayrhofer and Schubert proved productive—the composer set nearly fifty of the poet’s works to music, more
than any other poet save Goethe—the status of their personal relationship is full of mystery. They may have been involved romantically
while they lived together, but what caused their relationship to end is unknown (there are no known points of contact between the two
after 1820).
Mayrhofer’s cycle of twenty poems, entitled Heliopolis, is less a narrative cycle and more a philosophic one, exploring the relationships
between art and nature. Heliopolis—the Greek land of the Sun—represented an idyllic artistic paradise to Mayrhofer, free from worldly
torment. Schubert set four poems from this poetic cycle in 1822, perhaps as a farewell to his alienated colleague. It is fascinating to
wonder whether Schubert intended to set only these four poems, or whether he had planned to set the whole cycle before abandoning the
project.
J. W. von Goethe (1749–1832), one of the greatest figures in German literature, created the character of Mignon for his didactic novel
Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795). Mignon is a sexually indistinct child of incest, kidnapped from foster parents into an abusive
traveling circus troupe until Wilhelm (Goethe’s protagonist) buys her freedom. She is an unforgettably haunting figure—a victim of
unspeakable horrors who yearns through her four poems for transcendence and acceptance. That Wilhelm deserts her only to find her
near death toward the end of the novel (dressed as an angel, singing “So laßt mich scheinen”) only adds to the tragedy. Mignon clearly
seems to have haunted Goethe; when reading a poem like “An Mignon,” composed thirteen years after he had written her section of the
novel, one wonders who or what inspired such agonized soul searching.
Mignon’s songs are among the most frequently set texts in all of German song literature. Schubert completed twelve different versions
of her four songs, not including the many fragments that he abandoned. Sung here are Schubert’s final four settings, from January 1826, as
found in his op.62. One of the most notable features of this group is the inclusion of two versions of “Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt”—
first a solo for Mignon and then a duet for Mignon and her father (a blind harper), who, in the novel, haunt Wilhelm as he tries to sleep.
The poetry of Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) is marked by tortured irony, subversive wit, and masochistic self-pity. He distanced
himself from the previous generation of Romantics by first poking fun at their overwrought indulgence and then intensifying it. Heine
would become indispensable to later lieder composers, particularly Robert Schumann, whose Heine settings include Liederkreis, op.24, and
Dichterliebe. Schubert composed his six settings sometime within two years of his untimely death; they were published posthumously as the
second major component of Schwanengesang. Their fierce intensity and apocalyptic vision of emotional destruction demonstrate a composer
working at the peak of his craft; it is one of the great tragedies of music history that this collaboration represented not a beginning but an
end.
There has been much debate as to the order of these six Heine songs—and whether they constitute a miniature cycle. Schubert’s order,
as preserved in his autograph manuscript (held just a few blocks away at the Pierpont Morgan Library), does not appear to hinge on any
narrative continuity or cyclic function. In the early 1970s, musicologist Harry Goldschmidt first proposed a re-ordering of the Heine
songs, following the order in which the poems are found in Heine’s volume Die Heimkehr. About a decade later, musicologist Richard
Kramer expanded upon Goldschmidt’s proposal, demonstrating the dramatic and musical tautness of this new order. We will be following
Goldschmidt’s and Kramer’s re-ordering this evening, in the spirit of further exploring Schubert’s inclinations toward cyclic composition.
Blake Howe

Texts and Translations
“Die Geselligkeit” (Johann Karl Unger)
Wer Lebenslust fühlet, der bleibt nicht allein,
allein sein ist öde, wer kann sich da freu’n.
Im traulichen Kreise, beim herzlichen Kuß
beisammen zu leben, ist Seelengenuß!
Geselligkeit fesselt die ganze Natur,
in Lüften, im Wasser, auf lachender Flur.
Er selber gebot es, der alles erschuf:
Beisammen zu leben, ist Menschen beruf.
“Heliopolis I” (Johann Mayrhofer)
Im kalten, rauhen Norden
Ist Kunde mir geworden
Von einer Sonnenstadt.
Wo weilt das Schiff, wo winkt der Pfad,
Die mich zu ihren Hallen tragen?
Von Menschen konnt’ ich nichts erfragen, —
In Zwiespalt waren sie verloren.
Zur Blume, die sich Helios erkoren,
Die ewig in sein Antlitz blickt,
Wandt’ ich mich nun, — und ward entzückt:
“Wende, so wie ich, zur Sonne
Deine Blicke! Dort ist Wonne,
Dort ist Leben;
Treu ergeben,
Pilg’re zu, und zweifle nicht:
Ruhe findest Du im Licht;
Licht erzeuget alle Gluten, —
Hoffnungspflanzen, Thatenfluten!”
“Nachtviolen” (Mayrhofer)
Nachtviolen! Nachtviolen!
Dunkle Augen, seelenvolle, —
Selig ist es, sich vertiefen
In das sammt’ne Blau.
Grüne Blätter streben freudig
Euch zu hellen, euch zu schmücken;
Doch ihr schauet ernst und ahnend
In die laue Sommerluft.
Mit erhab’nen Wehmuthsstrahlen
Trafet ihr sein treues Herz.
Und so blüht in stummen Nächten
Fort die heilige Verbindung.
“Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskuren” (Mayrhofer)
Dioskuren, Zwillingssterne,
Die ihr leuchtet meinem Nachen,
Mich beruhigt auf dem Meere
Eure Milde, euer Wachen.
Wer auch fest in sich begründet,
Unverzagt dem Sturm begegnet
Fühlt sich doch in euren Strahlen
Doppelt mutig und gesegnet.
“Camaraderie”
Whoever feels zest for life does not remain alone;
to be alone is wretched – how could one be happy?
In intimate circles of friends, with a heartfelt kiss –
to live together is soulful pleasure!
Camaraderie binds all of nature –
in the air, in the water, on the babbling brook.
God himself ordained it, when he created it all:
to live together is the duty of man.
In the cold, rough North
news came to me
of a sun-city.
Where is the ship? Where beckons the path
that will take me to its halls?
From humans I could ascertain nothing —
in chaos they were lost.
To the flowers—which Helios chose
and which always gaze to his countenance—
I turned around, and was enchanted:
“Turn your gaze to the sun, as I have!
Blissfulness is there,
life is there;
loyally devoted,
make the pilgrimage and do not doubt:
you will find peace in light.
Light generates all flames, —
plants of hope, endless deeds!”
“Night Violets”
Night violets! Night violets!
Dark and soulful eyes,
how blessed it is to delve myself
into the velvety blue.
Green leaves joyfully aspire
to brighten you, to decorate you;
but seriously and anticipatingly you look
into the mild summer air.
With elevated rays of wistfulness
you have struck his faithful heart,
and so, in soundless nights,
our holy union blossoms.
“Song of a Sailor to the Dioscuri”
Dioscuri – twin stars,
that illuminate my ship –
you comfort me on the sea
with your mildness, your watchfulness.
Whoever firmly believes in himself
and unswervingly engages the storm,
feels himself, in your rays,
doubly courageous and blessed.

Dieses Ruder, das ich schwinge,
Meeresfluten zu zerteilen,
Hänge ich, so ich geborgen,
Auf an eures Tempels Säulen.
“Heliopolis II” (Mayrhofer)
Fels auf Felsen hingewälzet,
Fester Grund und treuer Halt;
Wasserfälle, Windesschauer,
Unbegriffene Gewalt.
Einsam auf Gebirges Zinne,
Kloster wie auch Burgruine,
Grab’ sie der Erinn'rung ein!
Denn der Dichter lebt vom Sein.
Atme du den heil’gen Äther
Schling die Arme um die Welt,
Nur dem Würdigen, dem Großen
Bleibte mutig zugesellt.
Laß die Leidenschaften sausen
Im metallenen Akkord,
Wenn die starken Stürme brausen,
Findest du das rechte Wort.
“Das Abendrot” (Ludwig Theobul Kosegarten)
Der Abend blüht,
Der Westen glüht!
Wo bist du, holdes Licht entglommen,
Aus welchem Stern herab gekommen?
Wie seht so hehr
Das düstre Meer,
Die Welle tanzt des Glanzes trunken,
Und sprüht lust taumelnd Feuerfunken.
Es malt der Strahl
Das liebe Tal,
Das sie bewohnt, der Holden Holde,
mit Rosenglut und mattem Golde.
Viel schöner blüht,
Viel wärmer glüht
Die blasse Rose ihrer Wangen,
Und weckt in brünstiges Verlangen.
“An Mignon” (J. W. von Goethe)
Über Tal und Fluß getragen,
Zieht rein der Sonne Wagen.
Ach, sie regt in ihrem Lauf,
So wie deine, meine Schmerzen,
Tief im Herzen,
Immer morgens wieder auf.
Kaum will mir die Nacht noch frommen,
Denn die Träume selber kommen
Nun in trauriger Gestalt,
Und ich fühle dieser Schmerzen,
Still im Herzen
Heimlich bildende Gewalt.
This oar – which I brandish
to cleave the waves of the sea –
I will hang, once I am safe,
on the pillars of your temple.
Rock rolled upon rocks,
sturdy ground and firm hold;
waterfalls, shivering winds,
unfathomable power.
Alone on the mountain’s pinnacle,
sits cloister and castle ruins—
carve this into your memory!
For the poet lives through being.
Breathe in the holy ether
entwine your arms around the world;
only to the dignified, to the great,
should you bravely be devoted.
Let your passions swell
in metallic harmony;
when the strong storms howl
you will find the true word.
“The Evening Red”
The evening blooms,
the west glows!
Where did you smolder, lovely light?
From which star did you come?
How noble
the dusky sea appears;
the splendor’s waves drunkenly dance,
and passionately sprinkle tumbling sparks of fire.
The sunbeam paints
the lovely valley
which the fairest of the fair inhabits
with the glow of roses and faint gold.
Blooming more beautifully,
glowing warmer,
the pale rose’s petals
turn in primal yearning.
“To Mignon”
Carried over valley and river,
the sun’s chariot continues steadily.
Oh, in its course it stirs
my sorrows as it does yours,
deep in our hearts,
newly each morning.
The night hardly brings me any comfort,
for it is then my dreams themselves appear
in mirthless guise,
and I feel these pains,
quiet in my heart,
secretly growing in strength.

Schon seit manchen schönen Jahren
Seh ich unten Schiffe fahren,
Jedes kommt an seinen Ort;
Aber ach, die steten Schmerzen,
Fest im Herzen,
Schwimmen nicht im Strome fort.
Schön in Kleidern muß ich kommen,
Aus dem Schrank sind sie genommen,
Weil es heute Festtag ist;
Niemand ahnet, daß von Schmerzen
Herz im Herzen
Grimmig mir zerrissen ist.
Heimlich muß ich immer weinen,
Aber freundlich kann ich scheinen
Und sogar gesund und rot;
Wären tödlich diese Schmerzen
Meinem Herzen,
Ach, schon lange wär ich tot.
“Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt” (Goethe)
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt
Weiß, was ich leide!
Allein und abgetrennt
Von aller Freude,
Seh ich am Firmament
Nach jener Seite.
Ach! der mich liebt und kennt,
Ist in der Weite.
Es schwindelt mir, es brennt
Mein Eingeweide.
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt
Weiß, was ich leide!
“Heiß mich nicht reden” (Goethe)
Heiß mich nicht reden, heiß mich schweigen,
Denn mein Geheimnis ist mir Pflicht,
Ich möchte dir mein ganzes Innre zeigen,
Allein das Schicksal will es nicht.
Zur rechten Zeit vertreibt der Sonne Lauf
Die finstre Nacht, und sie muß sich erhellen,
Der harte Fels schließt seinen Busen auf,
Mißgönnt der Erde nicht die tiefverborgnen Quellen.
Ein jeder sucht im Arm des Freundes Ruh,
Dort kann die Brust in Klagen sich ergießen,
Allein ein Schwur drückt mir die Lippen zu,
Und nur ein Gott vermag sie aufzuschließen.
For many a lovely year
I see the ships sail below.
Each one arrives at its destination;
but, oh, these sorrows
fixed in my heart,
do not swim away in the current.
I must appear in fine clothes;
they are taken from my closet
because today is a holiday.
No one guesses that,
in my heart of hearts,
I am brutally torn up by pain.
In secret, I must always weep,
though I can appear to be happy –
even healthy and bright.
Were this pain
in my heart fatal,
oh, I would have died long ago.
Only he who knows yearning
knows what I grieve!
Alone and severed
from all happiness,
I look into the firmament
in that direction.
Oh! he who loves and knows me
is in the distance.
I am dizzy—my guts
are burning.
Only he who knows yearning
knows what I grieve!
Do not bid me speak; bid me be silent,
for I am bound to secrecy.
I would like to show you my complete inner self,
but fate will not allow it.
At the right moment, the sun’s course drives away
the dark night, and it must grow light.
The hard rock opens up its bosom,
begrudges not the earth its deep hidden springs.
Everyone, in a friend’s arms, seeks peace.
There the heart can unleash in complaint.
But a vow seals my lips shut,
and only a god can unlock them.

“So laßt mich scheinen” (Goethe)
So laßt mich scheinen, bis ich werde,
Zieht mir das weiße Kleid nicht aus!
Ich eile von der schönen Erde
Hinab in jenes feste Haus.
Dort ruh’ ich eine kleine Stille,
Dann öffnet sich der frische Blick;
Ich laße dann die reine Hülle,
Den Gürtel und den Kranz zurück.
Und jene himmlischen Gestalten
Sie fragen nicht nach Mann und Weib,
Und keine Kleider, keine Falten
Umgeben den verklärten Leib.
Zwar lebt’ ich ohne Sorg’ und Mühe,
Doch fühlt’ ich tiefen Schmerz genung.
Vor Kummer altert’ ich zu frühe;
Macht mich auf ewig wieder jung!
“Nachtgesang” (Matthäus Kasimir von Collin)
Liebe ist ein süßes Licht.
Wie die Erde strebt zur Sonne
Und zu jenen hellen Sternen
In den weiten blauen Fernen,
Strebt das Herz nach Liebeswonne;
Denn sie ist ein süßes Licht.
Sieh, wie hoch in stiller Feier
Droben helle Sterne funkeln:
Von der Erde fliehn die dunkeln,
Schwermutsvollen trüben Schleier.
Wehe mir, wie so trübe
Fühl' ich tief mich im Gemüte,
Das in Freuden sonst erblüte,
Nun vereinsamt, ohne Liebe.
Liebe ist ein süßes Licht.
Wie die Erde strebt zur Sonne
Und zu jenen hellen Sternen
In den weiten blauen Fernen,
Strebt das Herz nach Liebeswonne:
Liebe ist ein süßes Licht.
“Das Fischermädchen” (Heinrich Heine)
Du schönes Fischermädchen,
Treibe den Kahn ans Land;
Komm zu mir und setze dich nieder,
Wir kosen Hand in Hand.
Leg an mein Herz dein Köpfchen
Und fürchte dich nicht zu sehr;
Vertraust du dich doch sorglos
Täglich dem wilden Meer.
Mein Herz gleicht ganz dem Meere,
Hat Sturm und Ebb’ und Flut,
Und manche schöne Perle
In seiner Tiefe ruht.
So let me seem, until I become.
Don’t take away my white clothing!
I hurry from the lovely earth
down to the hard dwelling.
There I will rest a little in quiet—
then the fresh vision will open up.
I will then leave the pure mantle,
the girdle, and the crown behind.
And these heavenly entities
do not concern themselves with “masculine” or “feminine,”
and no clothes, no wrinkles
surround this transfigured body.
I have indeed lived without worries and troubles,
but I feel deep pain anyway.
From suffering I have aged too early;
make me young again forever!
“Night Song”
Love is a sweet light.
As the earth strives for the sun
and for every bright star
in the wide blue yonder,
the heart strives for the joy of love –
for it is a sweet light.
Look how high in the quiet celebration
the bright stars sparkle above.
From the earth flees the darkness –
the dejected, murky fog.
Woe is me! How troubled
I feel deep in my mind,
that once bloomed in happiness –
now desolate, without love.
Love is a sweet light.
As the earth strives for the sun
and for every bright star
in the wide blue distance,
the heart strives for the joy of love:
love is a sweet light.
“The Fishermaiden”
Dear fishermaiden,
lead your boat to the shore.
Come to me and sit down—
we’ll cuddle, hand in hand.
Lay your little head on my heart,
and don’t be too afraid;
daily you trust yourself fearlessly
to the wild sea.
My heart is exactly like the sea –
it has storms and ebbs and flows,
and many a beautiful pearl
rest in its depths.

“Am Meer” (Heine)
Das Meer erglänzte weit hinaus
Im letzten Abendscheine;
Wir sassen am einsamen Fischerhaus,
Wir sassen stumm und alleine.
Der Nebel stieg, das Wasser schwoll,
Die Möwe flog hin und wieder;
Aus deinen Augen liebevoll
Fielen die Tränen nieder.
Ich sah sie fallen auf deine Hand
Und bin aufs Knie gesunken;
Ich hab von deiner weißen Hand
Die Tränen fortgetrunken.
Seit jener Stunde verzehrt sich mein Leib,
Die Seele stirbt vor Sehnen;
Mich hat das unglücksel’ge Weib
Vergiftet mit ihren Tränen.
“Die Stadt” (Heine)
Am fernen Horizonte
Erscheint, wie ein Nebelbild,
Die Stadt mit ihren Türmen,
In Abenddämmrung gehüllt.
Ein feuchter Windzug kräuselt
Die graue Wasserbahn;
Mit traurigem Takte rudert
Der Schiffer in meinem Kahn.
Die Sonne hebt sich noch einmal
Leuchtend vom Boden empor,
Und zeigt mir jene Stelle,
Wo ich das Liebste verlor.
“Der Doppelgänger” (Heine)
Still ist die Nacht, es ruhen die Gassen,
In diesem Hause wohnte mein Schatz;
Sie hat schon längst die Stadt verlassen,
Doch steht noch das Haus auf demselben Platz.
Da steht auch ein Mensch und starrt in die Höhe,
Und ringt die Hände vor Schmerzensgewalt;
Mir graust es, wenn ich sein Antlitz sehe –
Der Mond zeigt mir meine eigne Gestalt.
Du Doppelgänger, du bleicher Geselle!
Was äffst du nach mein Liebesleid,
Das mich gequält auf dieser Stelle
So manche Nacht, in alter Zeit?
“On the Sea”
The sea glistened far and wide
in the final rays of the evening;
We sat by the lonely house of the fisherman;
we sat, in silence and alone.
The fog rose, the water swelled,
the seagulls flew back and forth.
From your love-filled eyes,
tears fell down.
I saw them fall on your hand.
and I sank to my knee;
from your white hand,
I drank the tears away.
Since that hour, my body is consumed,
my soul dies of longing;
the unfortunate woman
poisoned me with her tears.
“The City”
On the distant horizon,
there appears, like a foggy vision,
the city with its towers,
covered in twilight.
A damp draught of wind ruffles
the grey waterway;
with mournful rhythm,
the boatman rows in my boat.
The sun luminously raises itself aloft once more
from the earth,
and shows me the very place
where I lost my beloved.
“The Double”
The night is quiet, the alleys are resting—
in this house lived my treasure.
She has long since left the city,
But the house stands in the very same place.
A man stands there, too; he looks to the heavens
and wrings his hands in the grip of anguish.
I tremble, when I see his face –
the moon shows me my own image.
My double, you pallid companion!
Why do you ape at the sorrows of my love,
which have tormented me at this very place
so many a night, in times long ago?

“Ihr Bild” (Heine)
Ich stand in dunkeln Träumen
und starr ihr Bildnis an,
und das geliebte Antlitz
Heimlich zu leben begann.
Um ihre Lippen zog sich
Ein Lächeln wunderbar,
Und wie von Wehmutstränen
Erglänzte ihr Augenpaar.
Auch meine Tränen flossen
Mir von den Wangen herab -
Und ach, ich kann’s nicht glauben,
Daß ich dich verloren hab!
“Der Atlas” (Heine)
Ich unglücksel’ger Atlas! Eine Welt,
Die ganze Welt der Schmerzen muß ich tragen,
Ich trage Unerträgliches, und brechen
Will mir das Herz im Leibe.
Du stolzes Herz, du hast es ja gewollt!
Du wolltest glücklich sein, unendlich glücklich,
Oder unendlich elend, stolzes Herz,
Und jetzo bist du elend.
“Des Tages Weihe” (anonymous)
Schicksalslenker, blicke nieder,
Auf ein dankerfülltes Herz;
Uns belebt die Freude wieder,
Fern entfloh'n ist jeder Schmerz.
Und das Leid, es ist vergessen,
Durch die Nebel strahlt der Glanz
Deiner Größe unermessen,
Wie aus hellem Sternenkranz.
Liebevoll nahmst du der Leiden
Herben Kelch von Vaters Mund;
Darum ward in Fern und Weiten
Deine höchste Milde kund.
“Her Image”
I stood in dark dreams
and stared at her image,
and her beloved face
strangely came to life.
Around her lips
a wondrous smile outlines itself,
and, as though from melancholy tears,
her two eyes glistened.
My tears also flowed
down on my cheeks—
and, oh, I can’t believe
that I have lost you!
“Atlas”
I, an unfortunate Atlas! A world,
the whole world of suffering I must bear.
I bear the unbearable, and
my heart wants to break within my body.
Proud heart, you wished it so!
You wanted to be happy, forever happy,
or forever miserable, proud heart—
and now you are miserable!
“Consecration of the Day”
Ruler of destiny, look down
upon a thankful heart;
joy revives us,
every pain is far removed.
And sorrow – it is forgotten.
Through the clouds streams the light
of your unmeasurable greatness,
as if from a bright garland of stars.
Lovingly you took the sorrow’s
Bitter cup from a father’s lips;
This made known, far and wide,
Your supreme benevolence.

Emily Albrink, soprano, a native of Louisville, KY, is currently pursuing a Professional Studies degree at Manhattan School of Music
where she obtained her master of music degree in May of 2006. A strong proponent of art song, Ms. Albrink’s studies have included such
programs as Songfest; the German for Singers Program at Middlebury College; the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden-bei-Wien, Austria; as
well as being a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. While at Tanglewood, she performed the role of Parasha in Mavra and Die
Vertraute in Elektra, both conducted by James Levine. In 2005, Emily was the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Vespers with the Louisville
Orchestra. Ms. Albrink has also appeared with the Ann Arbor Symphony, as a featured soloist in their Best of Broadway concert; as well
as in a production of Candide conducted by Martin Katz. In addition, she has worked with composers Ricky Ian Gordon and Jake Heggie
on concerts featuring their work. Ms. Albrink received her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan where she was student
of Martha Sheil. At the Manhattan School of Music, she has appeared in productions of A Month in the Country, Florencia en el Amazonas
(Rosalba), Cendrillon (Noémie), and will play Susanna in scenes from Le Nozze di Figaro. Emily is a student of Cynthia Hoffmann.
Hailed by the Jerusalem Post as “a magnificent dramatic voice,” mezzo-soprano Sara Henry has charmed audiences around the world.
Ms. Henry began her formal vocal studies at La Scuola di Musica di Sesto, in Florence, Italy and went on to graduate from Sarah Lawrence
College, where she made her debut as the contralto soloist in J.S. Bach’s Weihnachts Oratorio. On the operatic stage, she has performed a
wide variety of leading roles, including Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice), the title role in Carmen, and a trio of Handelian
heroes: Ariodante (Ariodante), Ruggiero (Alcina), and Arsamene (Xerxes). Later this season, she will appear as Virtue in Handel’s The Choice
of Hercules with Opera Harmonia.
Steven Ebel just returned to New York from a summer as a Tanglewood Vocal Fellow where he performed the music of Schubert,
Strauss, Flanders & Swann and Jolas. Regarding his recent performance in Pirates of Penzance, with the Opera Delaware, he was noted for
his “clear and strong singing”. Mr. Ebel sang the role II Postiglione in La Fanciulla del West with the New York City Opera; and Tito in La
clemenza di Tito with New York Opera Studio. He has performed two solo recitals in New York: “A Tenor's Songbook” and a program of
music by Benjamin Britten entitled “Sonnets and Songs of the Isles.” Mr. Ebel is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison where he
performed the role of Nanki-Poo in The Mikado; Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld; Arturo in Lucia Di Lammermoor; and Dr. Miracle in
Dr. Miracle. While in Wisconsin, he performed as The Prince in a touring version of Rusalka (A Mermaids Tale) with Opera for the Young.
Recently, Mr. Ebel took second place in the 2005 New York Oratorio Society Solo Competition and won first prize for the Long Island
Masterworks Paul Straney Award in June. Upcoming performances include two concerts this spring with New Music New York.
Blake Howe is a second-year doctoral student in musicology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. As a
baritone, he has participated in many vocal institutes and festivals, including the Aspen Opera Theater Center; the Franz-Schubert-Institut
in Baden-bei-Wien, Austria; Songfest in Malibu, California; the Internationale Sommerakademie of the Mozarteum in Salzburg; and the
Amherst Early Music Festival in Bennington, Vermont. In addition to being a committed recitalist, Mr. Howe is also frequently engaged in
Baroque music, having performed the Handelian roles of Elviro (Serse) and Consalvo (Almira), and the Bach cantatas Ich habe genug (BWV
82) and Der Friede sei mit dir (BWV 158); this spring, he will sing Jesus in Bach’s St. John Passion. A 2005 graduate of Vassar College, Mr.
Howe co-founded and co-directed the Vassar Camerata, an early-music ensemble. His teachers include Irene Gubrud and Drew Minter.
Harry Jensen graduated with degrees in cello performance from Northwestern University and taught at SUNY-New Paltz for 38 years.
He retired several years ago and is now enjoying his life and music. He studied piano In New York City with Richard Goode for almost 25
years, and has played hundreds of concerts both as a soloist and in chamber music settings. Mr. Jensen particularly loves the song
repertoire and is very happy to be collaborating with these four fine singers.

Concert Office
212-817-8607
phd-dmaconcert@gc.cuny.edu
UPCOMING EVENTS
FALL 2006
October
19 Music in Midtown – Paul Houghtaling, bass-baritone; Eduardo Lopez-Dabdoub, clarinet;
Miho Zaitsu, cello; and Gloria Shih, piano (1:00pm)
23 Soon-Young Kim, soprano
25 Wei-Ti Lin, violin
31 Composers’ Alliance
November
2 Music in Midtown – Robert White, tenor; Norman Carey, piano (1:00pm)
2 Paul Houghtaling, baritone
6 Michael Shinn, piano
15 Soyoung Lee, piano
20 Sequenza21
22 Eduardo Lopez-Dabdoub & Miho Zaitsu, chamber
28 Gary Hammond, violin
30 Music in Midtown – Prometheus Piano Quartet (1:00pm)
30 Composers’ Alliance
December
4 Kinan Azmeh, clarinet
6 Contemporary Ensemble
12 Quynh Nguyen, piano
14 Music in Midtown – Cygnus Contemporary Chamber Ensemble (1:00pm)
14 Haeeun Kim, piano
20 Jeeyoung Son, piano
Unless otherwise noted, all events are FREE and begin at 7:30pm
For more information contact the Concert Office or visit our website at:
http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Music/events/concerts/html