Julia Sitkovetsky soprano Will Vann piano
British/American Julia Sitkovetsky is a lyric-dramatic coloratura soprano with a flourishing, exciting international career. In the 2020/2021 season, Julia returned to the Semperoper Dresden in their new production of Die Zauberflöte with her signature role of’ The Queen of the Night’. She will debut the roles of ‘Elvira’ in Bellini’s I Puritani (Postponed, COVID-19) and ‘Morgana’ in Handel’s Alcina at Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Postponed, COVID-19), as well as singing ‘The Queen of the Night’ in Barrie Kosky’s production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and ‘Waldvogel’ in Wagner’s Siegfried at Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Postponed, COVID-19). She will be recording her second solo disc, with pianist Christopher Glynn and Chandos Records, in Spring 2021. In the 2019/20 season, Julia made her house debut at the Semperoper Dresden with the role of ‘The Queen of the Night’ in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. She returned to Deutsche Oper am Rhein to reprise her roles of Le Feu/La Princesse/Le Rossignol’ in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and ‘Waldvogel’ in Siegfried in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. She gave recitals with Roger Vignoles at the Wigmore Hall and Snape Maltings, as well as celebrated the release of their CD of Rachmaninov songs with Hyperion Records in May 2020.
Will Vann is a multiple-prize winning and critically acclaimed conductor and accompanist, equally at home on the podium or at the piano. Gramophone’s review of his 2020 recording of folk song settings by Ralph Vaughan Williams noted: “William Vann’s stylist and responsive support is a delight throughout”; his recent revival of Hubert Parry’s oratorio Judith at Royal Festival Hall “was an unalloyed triumph for William Vann…he had complete command of the score and evident belief in the music” (Seen and Head International). Born in Bedford, he was a Chorister at King’s College, Cambridge and a Music Scholar at Bedford School. He subsequently read law and took up a choral scholarship at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he was taught the piano by Peter Uppard, and studied piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music with Malcolm Martineau and Colin Stone. His prizes for piano accompaniment include the Wigmore Song Competition Jean Meikle Prize for a Duo (with Johnny Herford), the Gerald Moore award and the Royal Overseas League Accompanists’ Award. His discography includes recordings with Albion, Champs Hill, Chandos, Delphian, Etcetera, Navona and SOMM with artists including Mary Bevan, Nicky Spence, Kitty Whately and Roderick Williams. He is the Director of Music at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, an Associate of the RAM, a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, a Trustee of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, a Samling Artist, a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, the Co-Chairman of Kensington and Chelsea Music Society, Artistic Director of Bedford Music Club, a conductor and vocal coach at the Dartington and Oxenfoord International Summer Schools and the founder and Artistic Director of the London English Song Festival.
PROGRAMME
Aaron Copland (1900-1990) from Twelve poems of Emily Dickinson
i) Nature, the gentlest mother
ii) Why do they shut me out of Heaven?
iii) Heart, we will forget him
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
i) Auf einer Wanderung (Mörike Lieder)
ii) Auch kleine Dinge (Italienisches Liederbuch)
iii) Die ihr schwebet (Spanisches Liederbuch)
iv) Wie lange schon (Italienisches Liederbuch)
v) Er ist’s (Mörike Lieder)
Henri Duparc (1848-1933)
i) L’invitation au voyage
ii) Extase
iii) Phydilé
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)
Qui la voce (I Puritani)
Live Notes to start at 12:45 – 13:00
