The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts program hosted “Young Concert Artists on Tour” in Raitt Recital Hall on Jan. 21. This performance was a part of the traditional Bergmann Recital Series. This musical series includes classical pieces performed by both a choir and classical instruments.
Young Concert Arts’s mission is to “support young classical artists and help support their careers and development,” said Rebecca Carson, managing director for the Center for the Arts.
“YCA works represent young artists and classical musicians in all disciplines,” Carson said. “The ‘YCA On Tour‘ is some of the best of their roster that is touring around the country right now.”
The young artists performing were tenor Daniel McGrew, violinist Lun Li, bass-baritone Joseph Parrish, pianist Albert Cano-Smit and cellist Jonathan Swenson. The group performed a variety of pieces rooted in German Romanticism.
The program was divided into two parts, one with singing from McGrew and Parrish and one with performances by Li, Cano-Smit and Swenson.
“They [the musicians] wanted to come up with a program that allowed all five of the musicians to perform and lean into their style,” Carson said. “They felt that German Romanticism was a good program to let them express their work.”
The performances featured prominent German composers such as Felix Mendelssohn and Hugo Wolf and ranged from slow and emotional to fast and upbeat. Parrish performed “Michelangelo Lieder,” a three-part composition by Wolf.
“One of the things that drew me to German theater is the universality of it,” Parrish said. “There can be songs of love, songs that are about war — there’s no ending to what these songs can talk about.”
The performance ended with a standing ovation from the audience. Afterward, audience members could meet with the musicians and enjoy the new art exhibits next door at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.
“This concert was an entirely new experience for me, and it was nice to talk to the musicians about their performance,” said Makenzie Stallard, junior student and attendee. “I got to learn more about their personal lives and future plans with YCA.”
The YCA will continue its tour around the nation after returning from Carnegie Hall in New York. For more information on the artists and upcoming performances, visit yca.org.
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Contact Shalom Montgomery via email: shalom.montgomery@pepperdine.edu
