Mary Phillips and Lori Phillips perform May 28 with Music on the Hill

Two of the most acclaimed musicians to grow up in East Providence will give a rare concert together on May 28. Twin opera singers Mary and Lori Phillips will join Judith Lynn Stillman in "Three Divas" -- part of Music on the Hill's 2024 music festival -- Tuesday May 28 at 7PM, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 99 Peirce St., East Greenwich, RI. Tickets are just $30 at the door (cash/check only), and free for students. Advance tickets are available at Eventbrite (fees apply). For information and tickets, visit www.musiconthehillri.org.

The concert features many of opera's most beloved arias and duets, such as Offenbach's Barcarolle “Belle nuit o nuit d’amour” from Contes d’Hoffmann; “I’ll take the slimmer dark one — he seems more fun to me…” from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte; “Duetto buffo di due Gatti”; and the “Flower Duet” from Lakme.

Soprano Lori Phillips has been praised by The New York Times as “impressive with formidable vocal power.” She has enjoyed a career in opera and concert, with performances in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe and Japan. Specializing in the dramatic soprano repertoire of Verdi, Wagner and Puccini, her roles have included Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer, Puccini's Turandot, Madama Butterfly and La Fanciulla del West, Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio, Amelia in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, Leonore in Il Trovatore, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth for Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Portland Opera, Atlanta Opera, Vancouver Opera, New York City Opera, Arizona Opera, Victorian Opera, among others. In 2015, Ms. Phillips received a solo Grammy Award nomination for D. Milhaud's L'Orestie d’Eschyle, recorded with the University of Michigan Choral Society; other recordings include Ariane in Dukas' Ariane et Barbe-Bleue with the BBC Symphony, Dallapiccola's Volo di Notte with the American Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with Nashville Symphony. The Rhode Island native has received a number of awards and honors and is currently teaching on the voice faculty at Rhode Island College.

Mezzo-soprano Mary Phillips recently performed alto solos in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Elgin Symphony. In 2022, she sang Mama in the world premiere of The Garden of The Finzi-Continis with New York City Opera and National Yiddish Theater. Mary has sung roles in Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelungen with Metropolitan Opera, Canadian Opera, Scottish Opera, Seattle Opera, Hawaii Opera and Dallas Opera. Mary won a Grammy Award for solo work in Metropolitan Opera’s 2012 recording of The Ring Cycle. She received critical acclaim as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde for Dallas Opera. As a Verdi mezzo, Mary has performed Eboli in Don Carlos, Amneris in Aida, Azucena in Il Trovatore and Preziosilla in La Forza del Destino (Met Opera debut). Concert highlights include Handel’s Messiah with Dallas Symphony, Teatro Massimo Bellini in Italy, Oratorio Society of NY at Carnegie Hall, and Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon; Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with New York Philharmonic; and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Atlanta Symphony (recorded for Telarc), Los Angeles and Hong Kong Orchestras. Mary is in her fifth year teaching voice at Sarah Lawrence College and recently presented an all-American-composers faculty recital there.

Judith Lynn Stillman enjoys a distinguished international career as a pianist, composer, music director, filmmaker, and artistic visionary. She uses her platform to champion human rights, women’s rights, and diversity & inclusion, to further arts education, genocide awareness, and to give a voice to the voiceless. Hailed by Wynton Marsalis as “a rare find, a remarkable virtuoso, a consummate artist,” Stillman holds Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Juilliard. Winner of The American Prize in piano and composition, Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts, First Prize in OperaVision’s International Competition for her groundbreaking short opera starring Grammy award-winner Will Liverman, 20 piano competitions, RIC's Thorp and Maixner Awards, and PBN’s 2023 Creative Services Industry Leader Award, Stillman’s career highlights include Marlboro, Tanglewood, Grand Teton, Voice of Music (Israel), Lyon Chamber Music (France), and Lenk (Switzerland) Festivals; performer at the Grammys celebration for Rostropovich, Dynamic Duo partner with Jordan Rudess, concerts with Richard Stoltzman, Carol Wincenc, Paula Robison, the Borromeo, Cassatt, Shanghai, and Lydian Quartets, and the Beach Boys. Stillman’s album with Wynton Marsalis on Sony was on the Billboard Top Ten: “Marsalis and Stillman make an impeccable team. The playing consistently dazzles.” Stillman’s films and movie scores have garnered festival recognition in 48 countries. Stillman is Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Music at RIC. www.judithlynnstillman.com

Music on the Hill's Festival: Seven Concerts May 27-June 8

Music on the Hill celebrates its sixteenth chamber music festival in the West Bay with seven concerts as summer begins. Concerts pair familiar works by Bach, Mozart, and Brahms with exciting new favorites. The ensemble of 20 artists includes musicians born and raised in Rhode Island. Tickets are just $30 at the door (cash/check only), and free for students. For information and tickets, visit www.musiconthehillri.org.

Concert listings:

We're Bach!

Monday, May 27, 3:00pm at First Baptist Church, 30 Peirce St, East Greenwich

Memorial Day afternoon, Bach’s masterpieces to soothe the soul… and loop pedal violin surprises.

Anton Miller, violin; Trevor Handy, cello; Sarah Whitney, loop pedal violin

Three Divas

Tuesday, May 28, 7:00pm at St Luke's Episcopal Church, 99 Peirce St., East Greenwich

From the world’s great opera houses and concert halls, the three divas are back with favorites by Delibes, Mozart, Rossini, Tchaikovsky and more.

Lori Phillips, soprano; Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano; Judith Lynn Stillman, piano

Four Hands

Wednesday, May 29, 7:00pm at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, East Greenwich

Duets for four-hands piano and percussion, as much fun to watch as they are to hear. Brahms, Steve Reich, and more.

Peter Ferry and Piero Guimaraes, percussion; Millar Piano Duo: Lisa Raposa Millar and Gregory Millar

Narragansett Brass Quintet

Sunday, June 2, 3:00pm at Clouds Hill Museum, 4157 Post Rd, Warwick

Rhode Island’s favorite brass quintet, on the lawn at beautiful Clouds Hill. Brass music from Gabrieli to Gershwin. Bring lawn chairs and picnics! (In case of rain: First Baptist Church, 30 Peirce St.)

Joseph Foley & Richard Kelley, trumpets; Kevin Owen, French horn; Alexei Doohovskoy, trombone; Tom Gregory, tuba

Mendelssohn Octet

Wednesday, June 5, 7:00pm at St Luke's Episcopal Church, East Greenwich

Sparkling jewels for string quartet and soprano, and Mendelssohn’s epic Octet for Strings.

Anton Miller, Ertan Torgul, Lina Bahn, Kristen Pellegrino, violins; Rita Porfiris and Sebastian Ruth, violas; Jennifer Kloetzel and Trevor Handy, cellos; Diana McVey, soprano

String Quartets

Thursday, June 6, 7:00pm at First Baptist Church, East Greenwich

Internationally acclaimed Quartet ES performs string quartets by Haydn and Ravel.

Quartet ES: Anton Miller and Ertan Torgul, violins; Rita Porfiris, viola; Jennifer Kloetzel, cello

(S)Heroes

Saturday, June 8, 7:00pm at St Luke's Episcopal Church, 99 Peirce St., East Greenwich

The popular trio IonSound Project returns to share an adventurous new program devoted to women composers.

IonSound Project: Kathleen Costello, clarinet; Elisa Kohanski, cello; Jack Kurutz, piano

About Music on the Hill:

Since 2008, Music on the Hill has welcomed thousands of chamber music lovers to concerts across Rhode Island, from our hometown of East Greenwich to Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Jamestown, Wickford, Westerly and more. Our ensemble includes professional musicians native to Rhode Island with international careers, as well as their friends and colleagues who have come to see Rhode Island as their home away from home, with many returning to the Ocean State each summer. Music on the Hill’s adventurous programs combine highlights of chamber music repertoire with less familiar gems. Concerts are offered in intimate venues where the audience sits up close to the action. Musicians play in a variety of ensembles in multiple concerts through the festival. Music on the Hill’s festival is made possible by support from The Carter Family Charitable Trust, the Roitman Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation, and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.