Dr. Carl Johengen (School of Music) will give the premiere of a new song cycle by composer David Sisco in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall on Friday, November 14. Pictured with Carl (right) are Shiela Kibbe (IC '82) and David Sisco. Dr. Carl Johengen (School of Music) will give the premiere of a new song cycle by composer David Sisco in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall on Friday, November 14. Pictured with Carl (right) are Shiela Kibbe (IC '82) and David Sisco.
Back in the 1990s, Carl Johengen was teaching voice at Syracuse University, and among his students was a particularly energetic and inquisitive young singer named David Sisco. David had ambitions not just as a performer; he also studied composition and had a strong interest in contemporary music. After completing his undergraduate studies at SU (with distinction), David went on to Boston to pursue a Master's degree in voice performance at Boston University. Before long, he was living in Manhattan where he became very active as a singer, teacher (in the Musical Theatre program at Marymount Manhattan College), and composer.
Fast forward to 2011, when David was finally able to fulfill a pledge he had made to himself to compose a set of songs for his former teacher. David chose the poetry of Seattle-based poet Jeff Walt, and worked with Carl to select a few standout poems to set to music. The result is "Songs from an Old Mill Town", a poignant and dramatic cycle of six songs for tenor and piano which will be premiered on November 14 in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. Also on the program are six other groups of songs performed by six other singers who have been friends and colleagues of the composer.
Partnering with all seven of the featured singers is pianist Shiela Kibbe, IC School of Music alum and Head of the Collaborative Piano program at Boston Conservatory. Carl and Shiela have been rehearsing since July in preparation for the premiere of David's remarkable new cycle. During a recent trip, Carl and Shiela gave a "workshop" performance of the work for an invited audience that included fellow IC alums Stephen Buck ('07), Daniel Mahoney ('11), and Brendon Shapiro ('10).
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20141103072807495