POTSDAM, NY (05/08/2012)(readMedia)-- Carola Emrich-Fisher, a mezzo-soprano from Boston, is among only 10 rising musicians nationwide chosen to take part in an ambitious new music festival in Potsdam, N.Y.

The Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar will feature local artist Emrich-Fisher during its premiere season from May 21 to May 26 at The Crane School of Music at The State University of New York at Potsdam.

Stephanie Blythe '92, the Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano with a "once-in-a-generation" voice, decided to bring her artistic vision back to her alma mater, SUNY Potsdam, for this program.

The inaugural season of the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar is aimed at reinvigorating individual artistry through the American art song by energizing up-and-coming young singers from across the United States and Canada. North Country audiences will be able to take in world-class recital performances throughout the week.

Participants this season were selected from a competitive national audition.

This distinguished group of artists includes:

• Steven Brennfleck, a tenor from Ewing, N.J.
• Carola Emrich-Fisher, a mezzo-soprano from Boston
• Zachary Finkelstein, a tenor from Toronto
• Matthew Gemmill, a pianist from Wheaton, Ill.
• Bridget Hough-Meynenc, a pianist from Santa Barbara, Calif.
• Grant Knox, a tenor from Newport, Ky.
• Ryan McCullough, a pianist from Toronto
• Lauren Michelle, a soprano from Los Angeles
• Adrienne Pardee, a soprano from New York City
• Jason Weisinger, a tenor from Baldwin, N.Y.

The Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar embarks on its inaugural season realizing a dream that SUNY Potsdam alumna Stephanie Blythe shared with her former undergraduate opera director, Dr. Carleen Graham.

The seminar was founded as a venue for emerging singers and collaborative pianists between the ages of 23 and 35, to promote individual artistry through the art song genre. The Metropolitan Opera star is joined by Dr. Graham and their former vocal coach, Alan Smith, a prominent collaborative pianist, vocal coach and composer.

"Coming back to Potsdam is like completing a circle for me. SUNY Potsdam and The Crane School of Music put me on a road to self-discovery as an artist and a person. This place gave me the courage to search out my dreams and succeed, and now it will be a place where I can share what I can with the next generation of musical interpreters," Blythe said. "Being an artist is about finding a voice, about discovering how to get your point of view across to an audience by taking risks in interpretation, saying something real with music and poetry, giving voice in a personal way to great composers and poets. I took my first steps in musical interpretation here at The Crane School of Music, and I am thrilled to be developing this exciting seminar in this wonderful place."

They have developed an intensive week of music making for the 10 invited participants that will incorporate related aesthetics and what it means to be a performing artist in today's society. All music will be performed in English and will feature a number of living composers, many of whom Blythe has professionally collaborated with. The participants will be treated to a full week of masterclasses, coachings, discussions and recitals led by Blythe, Smith and Crane School of Music Professor Dr. Gary Busch.

"Poetry and art song often find a way to connect with us through images in nature, creating sensory memories that evoke very personal responses from their audiences. When Carleen and I were discussing what we wanted to call this vocal seminar, we searched to find that same kind of connection with a name. Fall Island seemed a natural fit. Providing Potsdam with one of its most picturesque views, the island surrounded by the beautiful waters of the Raquette River has a special significance. To anyone who has weathered a Potsdam winter, watching the trees and water spring to life as the cold fades away brings a sense of renewal and beauty that makes everyone a poet. Fall Island is a perfect symbol for an artistic endeavor," Blythe said.

About the local artist:

Dubbed "a mezzo of theatrical invention and clear tone," Carola Emrich-Fisher's recent solo recitals include performances at the German Embassy in New York City, the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts, Middlebury College in Vermont, the Museum of the American Piano in NYC and the Stummsche Reithalle in Neunkirchen, Germany, among many other Boston venues. She has been recognized for her sincere, expressive and moving performances and Saarbrücker Zeitung calls her a "secure and engaging" performer, who is "one of the most promising young talents." Emrich-Fisher has performed as soloist in the Cantata Singers Chamber and Main Series and she has premiered several new works by composers such as Lior Navok and Stefan Wirth. Her solo performances have been broadcast on public radio stations. She can be heard on the Newport Baroque recording of "Dido and Aeneas," in the roles of Sailor and Second Witch. As an ensemble member, Emrich-Fisher has performed with the Boston Ballet, the Handel and Haydn Society, the Cantata Singers, the Lorelei Ensemble, Boston Bel Canto Opera, the Bronx Opera and the Golden Fleece Opera. Recent notable performances include the Handel and Haydn Society's performance of Haydn's The Seasons at the BBC Proms under the direction of Maestro Sir Roger Norrington. She also co-leads and serves as alto for the Libella Quartet, with whom she appeared at 99.5 FM WGBH's All-Classical Festival in 2010. Originally from Germany, Emrich-Fisher holds a master's degree from the Longy School of Music and a bachelor's degree from New England Conservatory. She is a former faculty member of the Allegro Music School and the Winchester Community Music School. She has also served as the German diction coach for Opera Boston and for Cantata Singers. She is currently a teaching artist for Cantata Singers' Classroom Cantatas and maintains a private voice studio.

For more information about the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, visit www.potsdam.edu/fallisland.

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution, and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011-12.

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Posted Tuesday May 08, 2012 at 10:19 am by SUNY Potsdam
Last Updated Friday May 11, 2012 at 12:56 pm