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Guest Artist Recital: Eric Rieger, tenor; J.J. Penna, piano

Tuesday, January 7, 2020 - 3:30pm
FREE
  • Schubert tour poster
    Tenor Eric Rieger and pianist J.J. Penna perform Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin Jan. 7 at the School of Music.
  • Tenor Eric Rieger
    Tenor Eric Rieger
  • Pianist J.J. Penna
    Pianist J.J. Penna
Tenor Eric Rieger and pianist J.J. Penna perform Franz Schubert’s monumental song cycle Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 25, D. 795. Rieger is chair of the voice program at Western Washington University; Penna recently joined the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

PROGRAM

Eric Rieger, tenor
J.J. Penna, piano

 Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 25, D. 795 (Müller)                                          Franz Schubert  (1797-1828)

  1. Das Wandern
  2. Wohin?
  3. Halt!
  4. Danksagung an den Bach
  5. Am Feierabend
  6. Der Neugierige
  7. Ungeduld
  8. Morgengruß
  9. Des Müllers Blumen
  10. Tränenregen
  11. Mein!
  12. Pause
  13. Mit dem grünen Lautenbande
  14. Der Jäger
  15. Eifersucht und Stolz
  16. Die liebe Farbe
  17. Die böse Farbe
  18. Trockne Blumen
  19. Der Müller und der Bach
  20. Des Baches Wiegenlied

Artist Bios

Tenor Eric Rieger’s international singing career has led him to solo performances with the opera companies of Zürich, Luzern, Basel (Switzerland), Trier, Regensburg, Kaiserslautern, Bremerhaven, Osnabrück, Nordhausen, Konstanz (Germany), Novara, Treviso (Italy), as well as Zomeropera Alden Biesen (Belgium), Citizens Theatre (Scotland), and Everyman Palace Theatre (Ireland). In concert, he has appeared with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Basel Sinfonietta, St. John’s Orchestra (London), Luxembourg “Les Musiciens” Orchestra, Trier Philharmonic, and at Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the Claudio Monteverdi Festival (Italy), the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden (London), and the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam). Frequent performances have included Handel’s Messiah, J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Magnificatand many Cantatas, Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Rossini’sMesse Solennelle, Orff’s Carmina Burana,and Britten’s Serenade, among others. A passionate recitalist, Dr. Rieger has performed with Lyric Fest in Philadelphia, Market Square Concerts in Harrisburg, St. John’s Smith Square in London, and many other venues across the U.S. and Europe. His solo debut album Poet’s Journey, featuring Britten song cycles with pianist J.J. Penna, is available on the Affetto/Naxos record label, and he is featured on the Naxos International recording James Whitbourn: Carolae with the Grammy nominated Westminster Williamson Voices. He is Coordinator of Vocal Studies and Director of Opera at Western Washington University, having previously taught at Westminster Choir College, Texas Tech University, and Nazareth College. Additionally, he served for several years as Assistant Director and Diction Coach of the CoOPERAtive Program. Dr. Rieger is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (DMA, BM) and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (MM).

J.J. Penna has performed in recital with such notable singers as Kathleen Battle, Harolyn Blackwell, David Daniels, Denyce Graves, Roberta Peters, Florence Quivar, Andreas Scholl, Sharon Sweet, Christopher Trakas, and Ying Huang, in venues throughout the United States, Europe, the Far East, and South America. He has held fellowships at prestigious festivals such as Tanglewood, Chautauqua Institution, Banff Center for the Arts, Norfolk, the Music Academy of the West, and San Francisco Opera Center’s Merola Program. He received his training under Martin Katz, Margo Garrett, and Diane Richardson. Penna devotes much of his time to the teaching of art song literature, cultivating and championing a rich and unique legacy at Westminster Choir College of Rider University for over 25 years. Currently, he is on the faculties of the Steans Institute for Young Artists, The Juilliard School, and joined the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music in Fall of 2019.

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