Bass-baritone Mark Kaczmarczyk will give a free recital on Wednesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m. in the Hockett Family Recital Hall. Based on the theme "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," the recital will feature music by Purcell, Wolf, Mozart, Kandor, and Scheer. Soprano Deborah Lifton will collaborate, as will pianists Jeffery Meyer and Diane Birr.
Kaczmarczyk is musical director of opera and musical theatre at Ithaca College.
"I've been exploring the programming concept for some time, given the current political situation in the country and abroad," he explained. "These are not musical settings of political commentaries; rather, accounts of how ordinary people's lives were affected by war. American composer John Kandor, best known for his music for the Broadway stage, including "Chicago" and "Cabaret" has set a famous Civil War document, "A Letter from Sullivan Ballou." Also on the program is "Voices of World War II" by American composer Gene Scheer. Best known as librettist for the recent Metropolitan Opera commission "An American Tragedy, Scheer interviewed veterans of World War II, and set their accounts to music."
The Ithaca College School of Music offers some 300 free concerts each academic year. More information on these performances is available by calling (607) 274-3717 or visiting www.ithaca.edu/concerts.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20070831082257423