Free Radicals: Artists Can Be Human Too Concert June 28

Mezzo-Soprano Lauren Kaiser, Cellist Dorothy Braker, and Pianist Paul Dykstra will perform “Free Radicals: Artists Can Be Human Too,” featuring Aaron Copland’s song cycle of poetry by Emily Dickinson and pieces by Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin on Sunday, June 28 as part of the Concerts on the Hill series, according to a press statement.

The performance will take place at St John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, and begins at 4 p.m. There is a suggested at-the-door donation of $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Children under 16 are welcomed and encouraged to attend at no charge.

Poet Emily Dickinson’s odd quirks didn’t sit well with her New England neighbors. Though suspicion abounds, no one knows the nature of the relationship between Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann. Chopin lived with a woman who had taken a man’s name and smoked cigars. Rachmaninoff had such terrible writer’s block that he used a brand-new technique of hypnotism to unblock his creative flow. Why are artist’s lives always so fascinating? These stories and more will be revealed through the lens of beautiful melodies.

“Free Radicals: Artists Can Be Human Too” will feature Aaron Copland’s song cycle of poetry by Emily Dickinson. Twelve poems, ending with her famous “The Chariot” are set to music that masterfully mimics the jumps in Dickinson’s meter. Further delighting the inquisitive listener, Copland dedicated each of the twelve songs to one of his composer friends. The second half of the program is a potpourri of favorite melodies for voice, cello and piano including a pair of movements from Rachmaninov and Chopin cello and piano sonatas--the Scherzo from the Sergei Rachmaninoff sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor and the Largo from Chopin’s Cello and Piano Sonata. This Chopin selection, which pares the melody down to its simplest form, contrasts with his first Ballade for piano solo (in the same key), written eleven years earlier. This is the Chopin listeners are most used to hearing, and loving.

“This afternoon of romantic songs promises a journey through melody that spans the full range of emotion,” noted Margaret Harper, Director of Music and Liturgy, St. John’s Episcopal Church. “Copeland’s Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson along with favorite selections by Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Chopin beautifully blend voice, cello and piano and provides glimpses into the minds of truly radical artists.”

Mezzo-Soprano Lauren Kaiser has performed extensively with a variety of vocal groups, particularly enjoying early-music chamber ensembles. Kaiser has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance from the University of New Hampshire where she studied with Sharon Baker. While at UNH, she was selected to perform in a masterclass led by Canadian soprano Jolaine Kerley, and took part in a choral masterclass with renowned vocal ensemble Stile Antico. She won the UNH Concerto/Aria Competition, performing two movements from Stephen McNeff’s Image in Stone for mezzo-soprano and wind ensemble, and in the same year also placed Second Runner Up in the 2013 NATS Aria & Art Song Competition, New England Region. Her operatic roles have included Sally in Samuel Barber’s A Hand of Bridge; Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Fiordiligi and Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Kaiser has recently returned from graduate school auditions in the United Kingdom where she has been accepted into a two-year Master of Music in Vocal Performance course at the Royal College of Music in London.

Cellist Dorothy Braker had her very first lesson in music at the age of four with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, whose new idea about musical study through unlocking each child’s innate potential was first being brought to the United States. Primarily a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed extensively across the United States. As the founder and Artistic Director of Aliento Chamber Players, she performed in a five-year chamber music concert series in the Seacoast area. In addition to chamber music and solo performances, she is Principal Cellist and Outreach Director with the Portsmouth Symphony, and also coaches chamber music and has a private studio of students. Braker holds Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degrees in Music Performance from the Juilliard School.

Pianist Paul Dykstra has for many years been performing and teaching in Western Canada (1980-1999) and in New England (1999 to present), in addition to lending a hand with such diverse projects as Living Arts NYC’s production of Porgy and Bess (Florida/Trinidad/St. Louis), chamber music concerts with a variety of New England notables, production and musical direction for modern operas, chamber music, and projects both on his own and in conjunction with Parma Recordings, and much more. A member of the College of Examiners of the Royal Conservatory of Music, and its counterpart in the US- The Music Development Program, he travels and assesses young artists in Canada and the US in this capacity, as well as a sought after Festival and Competition Adjudicator. Paul teaches at St. Paul’s School in Concord, and in his private studio located in Portsmouth.

The next concert in the series will take place on Aug. 2 and will feature Organist Brian Glikes. For the complete 2015 Concerts on the Hill schedule, please visit stjohnnh.org/COTH.

St. John’s Episcopal Church is located at 100 Chapel Street in Portsmouth.

For more information about Concerts on the Hill or St. John’s Episcopal Church, please visit stjohnsnh.org/COTH.