Classical Concert Series – Then & Now: Song Cycles from Classical to Contemporary

Program summary:
The first half of the program is Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe or “Poet’s Love,” a classic of the German Lieder repertoire with hauntingly beautiful music that journeys through a young poet’s experience with falling in love and eventual rejection.

The second half is a collection of songs by local composers.
Three lovely new songs by Jacob Groff are set to evocative poetry by Oscar Wilde, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and Max Ehrmann with a theme of nostalgia for lost love.

Next is a cycle called “Night Vision” by Sue Klausmeyer set to fantastical poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson. In the cycle we will journey into the land of childhood imagination where we are visited by wondrous sights. There are mysterious riders, kings, beasts, and more!

Adam Dengler, Baritone, is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii and resides in Durham. He sings regularly with the North Carolina Opera Chorus, North Carolina Opera about Town programs, and Voices: The Chapel Hill Community Chorus. Operatic roles include the title role in Don Giovanni (Mozart) and Ping in Turandot (Puccini) with the North Carolina Summer Opera. Adam has studied with internationally acclaimed soprano Christine Weidinger.

David Heid is currently on the faculty at Duke University where he is the Director of Duke Opera Theater as well as teaching piano and working with singers. He is in demand throughout the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area as a collaborative artist and has worked with many of the area’s leading organizations including Durham Choral Society, NC Symphony, Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, Mallarme Chamber Players, The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, NC Opera, Theater in the Park, Thompson Theater Summerfest, Long Leaf Opera and Triangle Opera. He was previously on staff of the renowned Juilliard School in New York City.