A recital by Soprani Compagni will be presented Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 832 E. Center St., Warsaw. Soprani Compagni performers are Tammie Huntington, soprano; Lisa Dawson, soprano; and Phoenix Park-Kim, piano. Together, with violinists Jason and Emily Thompson, they will present a recital of soprano duets that will be performed at Carnegie Hall’s, Weill Recital Hall, March 2. The New York recital is part of the DCINY’s Distinguished Concert Artist Series. Fall 2011, both Tammie and Phoenix participated as semi-finalists at the Liszt-Garrison International Collaborative Artists Competition, Baltimore, Md. Phoenix was one of three finalists in the piano area of the competition. All performers are faculty members in the music department at Indiana Wesleyan University. The recital is free and open to the public. Sponsors include Trinity United Methodist Church, Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church and Northern Lakes Music Studio. The recital is a collaborative presentation of duets written specifically for two sopranos from the very early music of Monteverdi and Lübeck, to the French mélodie of Massenet, Berlioz and Fauré, German Lieder of Schumann, and American and British music of the 20th and 21 centuries. “When we began to research the repertoire, we were amazed by the vast amount of music written for two equal soprano voices throughout the centuries ... so much that you never hear!” reported Huntington. “We’ve really enjoyed working together in the different styles of the early Baroque through the romantics and into the music of Amy Beach and current leading American art song composer Lori Laitman. We’ve really fallen in love with this music and hope our audiences will, as well.” Lisa Dawson and Tammie Huntington, sopranos, first began collaborating on the opera stage at Ball State University when they were cast as Suor Angelica and Suor Genovieffa in the opera by Puccini during their graduate studies. After working together as graduate assistants in the Ball State University Opera Theatre, they each joined the faculty of Indiana Wesleyan University in different years, becoming colleagues in voice and opera in the School of Arts and Humanities Division of Music. They have spent the past four years performing together at various university functions, and in co-directing opera workshop and main-stage productions. Delighted with the way their differing personalities and voices complement and highlight each other, Dawson and Huntington, together with pianist Phoenix Park-Kim, formed the group Soprani Compagni for the express purpose of researching, compiling and performing soprano art song duets, oratorio and opera scenes; modeling soprano collaboration; and commissioning new works for soprano duet. Born in Seoul, South Korea, pianist Phoenix Park-Kim began playing the piano at the age of 5 and gave her first public performance at 7 years old. Since then she has performed throughout the U.S., South Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Switzerland and Russia in solo, orchestral and chamber music settings. She graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. She completed her graduate work at Miami University (M.M.) and at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Weirich while serving as his teaching assistant. She has won numerous competitions including first place at the Miami, Jefferson City, and Kansas City Philharmonic Concerto Competitions and was one of three finalists at the 2011 Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition. She also has been featured as a soloist with the Korean Philharmonic Orchestra and the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra among others. She has given performances in various music festivals such as the Aspen Summer Music Festival, Piano Texas, ARIA International Summer Academy and the Summer Music School in Siena, Italy. Her recordings are available on www.cdbaby.com and iTunes. She is currently an associate professor of music at Indiana Wesleyan University. Violinists Jason and Emily Thompson will be assisting Soprani Compagni during the recital.Jason Thompson is a professor of music at Indiana Wesleyan University where he has been on faculty since 2006. There he teaches violin and viola, conducts the IWU Orchestra and Opera, and teaches music history. As a conductor, he directs the Fort Wayne Baroque Soloists, a period instrument ensemble that performs throughout northern Indiana. Emily Thompson is a professional violinist, baroque violinist and teacher. She has performed in professional orchestras throughout the Midwest, most recently in the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. As a baroque violinist, she has collaborated with the Bach Collegium Fort Wayne, Louisville Choral Arts Society, Bloomington Early Music Festival and Tafelmusik. Emily has a master of music in early music from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and a bachelor of music in violin performance from Bowling Green State University. “It is a privilege to have these fine musician friends offer their musical gifts and abilities to our community,” said Dr. Ardis Faber, Northern Lakes Music. “A recital of soprano duets is not often presented, so you won’t want to miss this unique opportunity to hear this ensemble’s performance.” The recital is presented in collaboration with Trinity United Methodist Church, Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church and Northern Lakes Music Studio.
