A. Jess Shenson Recital Series

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Hope Briggs, soprano, and Kevin Korth, piano
Sunday, October 29th, 2023

2:30 - 4:00 pm
Campbell Recital Hall, Braun Music Center

Hope Briggs, a native of New Jersey, is a critically acclaimed Verdi soprano known for the depth and beauty of her voluptuous voice. She is hailed as “an artist of vocal sensitivity, theatrical wisdom, and integrity,” and her commanding stage presence and moving interpretations have been celebrated worldwide. Most recently, Ms. Briggs sang the role of Lucinda in Opera San Jose's workshop of Jake Heggie's newest opera, Intelligence, and made her debut with Reno Chamber Orchestra in Beethoven's Ah! Perfido. As a highly regarded vocal soloist, she has performed in numerous roles with some of country’s best ensembles and is even featured on PBS nationally performing the role of Emma Hyers in the documentary film: Voices for Freedom - The Hyers Sisters' Legacy. Ms. Briggs’ other career highlights include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at Frankfurt Opera, the Duchess of Parma in Busoni’s Doktor Faust at Staatstheater Stuttgart, and the title role in Suor Angelica with Pacific Repertory Opera and Opera Company of Brooklyn.

As an in-demand recitalist and coach, pianist Kevin Korth has collaborated with such legendary artists as Frederica von Stade, Isabel Leonard, Jake Heggie, Nadine Sierra, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Sasha Cooke, John Holiday, Lise Lindstrom, Joel Krosnick, and Deborah Voigt. Praised by Gramophone for playing that is “superb”, and “full of color and character,” his debut album, Out of the Shadows, a recording of American art song with soprano Lisa Delan and cellist Matt Haimovitz on the Pentatone Classics label was warmly received. Reflecting his being in demand as an interpreter of contemporary work, the album features premieres by Jack Perla, Gordon Getty, and David Garner, in addition to previously unrecorded works by Norman Dello Joio and John Kander. His latest recordings include an album of Robinson Jeffers settings by composer Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli with mezzo-soprano Buffy Baggott for the Delos label, and an album of songs by composer David Conte for the Arsis label. Recent recital engagements include recitals with mezzo-sopranos Catherine Cook and Susanne Mentzer, baritone Matthew Worth and soprano Rhoslyn Jones. Mr. Korth currently holds a position on the vocal coaching faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

P R O G R A M

• Repertoire to include Italian songs, Ravel, Strauss, Rorem, American Songbook Selections, and Spirituals

A D M I S S I O N

• ADVANCE TICKETS: General $18 | Senior (65+) $13 | Non-Stanford Student $13
• DAY-OF TICKETS: General $23 | Senior (65+) $18 | Non-Stanford Students $18
• Free Stanford student tickets available one hour before curtain; please read Stanford Ticket Office's free ticket information.

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Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano, and Laura Dahl, piano
Co-presented with Stanford Live 
Sunday, February 4th, 2024

2:30 - 4:00 pm
Bing Concert Hall

Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been called a “luminous standout” by the New York Times and “equal parts poise, radiance and elegant directness” by Opera News. Ms. Cooke has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Gran Teatre del Liceu, among others, and with over 80 symphony orchestras worldwide frequently in the works of Mahler. Last season marked the release of Ms. Cooke’s new CD, entitled how do I find you. The recording, which features 17 newly written songs is intended as a tribute to both the struggles and hopes of artists that have been wrought by the pandemic. A graduate of Rice University and The Juilliard School, Sasha Cooke also attended the Music Academy of the West and numerous other training Programs. Ms. Cooke has given masterclasses throughout the United States, Australia and Canada and she currently lives near Houston, TX with daughters Evelyn and Julia and husband, baritone, Kelly Markgraf.

Pianist Laura Dahl is an active international performer and educator, appearing in venues including Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall and Stern Grove Festival, Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University, the Carmel Bach Festival, and the Henley Festival in Great Britain. A specialist in collaborative performance and chamber music, Dahl is the founder and artistic director of Music by the Mountain, a chamber music festival in Northern California, and the A. Jess Shenson Recital Series at Stanford University. Dahl is a member of the Music faculty at Stanford University, where she teaches collaborative and solo piano, chamber music, art song interpretation, and diction. She has also taught at the New England Conservatory of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the New National Theatre Young Artists Training Program in Tokyo, Japan. A graduate of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Program, Dahl served as Assistant Conductor for Western Opera Theater and was Associate Director of the San Francisco Boys Chorus. She has been a coach at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Michigan Opera Theater. She was an invited fellow at the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center for two years, in addition to studies at the Banff Academy of Singing (Canada) and the Music Academy of the West (Santa Barbara). 

P R O G R A M
    •    Mahler Rückert-Lieder Arr. for Piano Quartet (Featuring St. Lawrence String Quartet) and more! 

A D M I S S I O N
    •    Click here to purchase your tickets today! 

Samantha Rose Williams, mezzo-soprano
Sunday, May 5, 2024

2:30 - 4:00 pm
Campbell Recital Hall, Braun Music Center

Samantha Rose Williams (Mezzo-Soprano) is an arts activist committed to sharing marginalized experiences with diverse audiences and ​creating space for critical discussion about art, culture, and social change. After earning her B.A. at Stanford University, Samantha went on to receive her Master’s in Music and Specialist’s in Music at the University of Michigan in Voice Performance.

An accomplished performer in both musical theater and opera Samantha has starred in numerous musicals and operas favorite credits include Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Madame Haltière in Cendrillon, and Sarah in Ragtime. In addition to performing Samantha began producing to share more nuanced stories of people of all backgrounds and beliefs, her latest creation American Patriots, captures the contemporary American zeitgeist from three vastly different perspectives (African-American, Native American, and white Working-Class American) and will be touring in 2024. 

P R O G R A M
    •    "American Patriots"

A D M I S S I O N
    •    Ticket on-sale date to be announced