Focusing on the voice: Artistry of Song Festival draws singers, pianists from across NM

Kathaleen Roberts, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

Nov. 12—This year's Vocal Artistry of Song Festival celebrates the Italian canzonetta.

Slated for Friday, Nov. 17, and running through Sunday, Nov. 19, in the University of New Mexico's Keller Hall, this art song fiesta draws singers and pianists from across the state competing for $11,000 in scholarship awards.

This year's event drew about 80 musicians, founder/director Jacqueline Zander-Wall said.

"We have people coming from Farmington, Las Cruces and a lot from Portales," Zander-Wall said. "We have quite a few people coming from the school for the arts in Santa Fe."

Normally scheduled for the spring, this year organizers moved the festival to the fall for easier access to UNM's facilities, Zander-Wall said.

"Every year we change the language," she added. "Last year, it was French. Next year we are doing German for our 15th anniversary."

Art songs combine poetry with music.

"The singer and the pianist are just the medium for the composer and poet," Zander-Wall said.

"With no opera arias, you have to find something that stands alone, just written for piano and voice. It's a challenge for the teachers and students."

Some composers in the program are more familiar than others. Vincenzo Righini was a contemporary of Mozart, Zander-Wall said.

Singers will perform works by both Respighi and Bellini.

"Even Puccini wrote a few songs, too," she added.

Pieces by Verdi, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Donizetti and Rossini are also part of the program.

"The composers choose poets they can relate to or, sometimes, Shakespeare," Zander-Wall said.

The festival spans middle school students through adults, with categories for each.

"We even have a wonderful adult division that is non-competitive," Zander-Wall said.

The program features three master classes as well as a performance by mezzo-soprano Olga Perez Flora, a UNM assistant professor of voice and the pianist Kayo Iwama on Friday, Nov. 17.

As the head of the graduate vocal arts program at the Bard Conservatory, Iwama is a sought after pianist in venues such as the Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center, Boston's Jordan Hall, the Gardner Museum, the Kennedy Center and Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood.

On Saturday, Nov. 18, Lynn Helding and Blake Wilson will give a lecture on "From Memory Palaces to Neural Pathways: Training the Singer's Memory for Performance."

The final awards concert will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19.

"I do have a certain calling to bring this out to our community," Zander-Wall said. "I couldn't do it if I didn't have a board and a wonderful community. I think it's been very nurturing to the music community."