Malibu Soprano Diana Newman Sings at Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar

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Diana Newman, a soprano from Malibu, Calif., will be featured in the 2013 Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.

POTSDAM, NY (04/30/2013)(readMedia)-- Diana Newman, a soprano from Malibu, Calif., is among only nine rising musicians chosen from a national search to take part in the 2013 Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar.

Now in its second season, the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar will feature the local artist in masterclasses and concerts from May 20 to May 26, at The Crane School of Music at The State University of New York at Potsdam. Audiences will be able to take in world-class recital performances throughout the week.

Metropolitan Opera star Stephanie Blythe '92 co-founded the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar, along with Executive Director Dr. Carleen Graham, a professor of opera at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. The unique program, which is in residence at the College, is a venue for emerging singers and pianists to cultivate their artistry through contemporary American art song.

Six singers and three pianists (ages 23 to 35) were selected from a competitive national audition to work with Blythe and Music Director Dr. Alan Smith, a noted pianist, vocal coach and composer.

The 2013 Fall Island participants include:

• Kelly Ballou, a soprano from Shepherdsville, Ky.
• Bretton Brown, a pianist from Murray, Ky.
• Andrew Fuchs, a tenor from Kansas City, Mo.
• Bradley King, a baritone from Denton, Texas
• Laura Mercado-Wright, a mezzo-soprano from Austin, Texas
• Diana Newman, a soprano from Malibu, Calif.
• Yi Kai Sim, a pianist from Singapore
• Peter Walsh, a pianist from San Diego, Calif.
• Jennifer Youngs, a soprano from Overland Parks, Kan.

The nine emerging artists will take part in an immersive series of coaching sessions, masterclasses, lectures and recitals. The Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar is aimed at reinvigorating individual artistry through American art song, by energizing emerging artists of unique and promising ability.

Blythe and her frequent collaborator Craig Terry will present "We'll Meet Again: The Songs of Kate Smith" at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m, in a special performance to benefit the seminar. The recital was featured on a recent PBS broadcast of "Live from Lincoln Center."

Tickets for "We'll Meet Again" are $25 for the general public and $20 for SUNY Potsdam faculty, staff and students. All proceeds will benefit the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar. Contact the Community Performance Series Box Office at (315) 267-2277 or visit www.cpspotsdam.org to purchase tickets.

There will be two public masterclasses featuring Blythe and Smith working with the Fall Island participants, on Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24. The public masterclasses will both be held from 10 a.m. to noon in Snell Theater.

"The Music of Alan Louis Smith," a lecture-recital featuring the composer and the seminar participants, will be offered on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. in the Ralph Wakefield Recital Hall.

A culminating recital featuring the seminar participants will be held on Saturday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Snell Theater. These events are free, educational and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

About the musician:

Soprano Diana Newman is a graduate student at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, under the instruction of Elizabeth Hynes. She recently performed the role of Miranda in Lee Hoiby's "The Tempest," Pamina in "Die Zauberflöte" and Lauretta in "Gianni Schicchi" at the USC Thornton Opera. With the Chamber Opera of USC, she has sung the role of Belisa in Conrad Susa's "The Love of Don Perlimplin." In 2012, Newman made her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel, in a concert version of Verdi's "Rigoletto" at the Hollywood Bowl. An avid chamber musician and champion of new music, Newman has sung Lukas Foss' "Time Cycle" at the Aspen Music Festival and Frank Ticheli's "Songs of Love and Life" with the USC Contemporary Ensemble, and gave the world premiere of Francesco Cilluffo's "The Land to Life Again" with the UCLA Camarades Ensemble. She has performed Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" and Mahler's "Symphony No. 4" with the American Youth Symphony, under the direction of Alexander Treger, as well as performing in Canteloube's "Chants d'Auvergne" with the Downey Symphony, Benjamin Britten's "Les Illuminations" with the California State University Northridge Symphony, and Mozart's "Exsultate Jubilate" with the USC Thornton School of Music Alumni Ensemble. This summer, Newman will attend the Music Academy of the West following her participation in the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar.

About the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar:

Now in its second season, the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar provides a venue for emerging professional singers and collaborative pianists to hone their love of art song and the collaborative experience. Led by Metropolitan Opera star Stephanie Blythe as Artistic Director, and Music Director Alan Smith, along with Executive Director Carleen Graham and Associate Director Audrey Saccone, the seminar has invited six singers and three pianists to Potsdam, N.Y., for a week of intimate and intensive study. All music performed will feature an American composer.

To learn more about the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, visit www.fallisland.org.

About The Crane School of Music:

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.

For more information about The Crane School of Music, visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

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