JAMIE BARTON IN RESIDENCE AT SONGFEST
Masterclasses
Wednesday & Friday
July 1 & 3 • 1 p.m.

SongFest is honored to welcome Jamie Barton for a special residency featuring masterclasses for singers and pianists. Renowned for her commanding artistry, musical insight, and generosity as a teacher, Barton will work closely with participants on technique, interpretation, collaboration, and expressive communication. Her masterclasses offer a rare opportunity to engage with one of today’s leading operatic artists in an intensive, supportive learning environment that reflects SongFest’s commitment to artistic excellence and professional development.
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SONGS OF REFLECTION
Tuesday
July 7 • 7 p.m.

Curated by Tyrese Byrd, this program brings together art songs and spirituals by Black composers, illuminating a rich tradition of musical expression rooted in history, faith, and lived experience. Spanning classical art song and spiritual settings, the repertoire highlights the depth, variety, and enduring power of Black voices in American music. Through lyricism, storytelling, and cultural memory, the program invites performers and audiences alike to engage with works that speak to resilience, identity, and the transformative power of song.
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ITALIA IN CANZONE:
Four Centuries of Italian Song
Brent Funderburk, Director
Thursday • July 9 • 7 p.m.

Experience four centuries of Italian song—from early Baroque canzonas to bel canto gems, romantic salon favorites, and the beloved melodies of Naples. This program highlights the richness and evolution of Italy’s vocal tradition, performed by SongFest artists. A celebration of lyric beauty, passion, and the timeless art of Italian song.
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AFRIKAANS ART SONG:
A Lecture Recital
Bronwen Forbay, Director
Saturday • July 11 • 12 p.m.

Led by Bronwen Forbay, this lecture recital explores the repertoire of Afrikaans art song through performance and discussion. Drawing on her recent book, Afrikaans Art Song Literature, Dr. Forbay provides cultural, historical, and linguistic context for this rich tradition. The program features performances by Dr. Forbay and SongFest participants, offering audiences an engaging introduction to an important and underrepresented body of art song.
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SONGS OF RESILIENCE AND AMERICAN VOICES
Saturday • July 11 • 7 p.m.

Songs of Resilience and American Voices pairs Sheila Silver’s newly composed Songs of Resilience with vocal music by American composers spanning a variety of styles and traditions. Conceived in response to contemporary world events, Silver’s cycle reflects themes of resistance, courage, compassion, and hope through newly commissioned texts written specifically for the project. Together with works by other American composers, the program celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of song to inspire reflection, connection, and humanity.
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THE NORDIC PROJECT
Javier Arrebola, Kathleen Roland-Silverstein, Francesco Barfoed
Sunday, July 12 and Monday, July 13 at 3 p.m.

This project introduces vocal repertoire from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark, exploring the beauty and cultural richness of Nordic art song. As part of SongFest, the Scandinavian Project and Concert will feature songs in Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, and Danish, coached by Kathleen Roland-Silverstein and Francesco Barfoed.

Participants will examine repertoire rooted in folk traditions and trace its development into works now featured on international concert stages. A basic introduction to Scandinavian diction will be provided, along with repertoire resources for continued study. No prior knowledge of the languages is required.

AN EVENING OF SONGS BY TOM CIPULLO
Tuesday • July 14 • 7 p.m.

This concert celebrates the art songs of American composer Tom Cipullo, whose music is known for its emotional immediacy, lyrical intensity, and keen sensitivity to text. Exploring themes of love, loss, memory, and identity, Cipullo’s songs pair expressive vocal writing with richly nuanced piano parts, creating works that are both intimate and dramatic. All songs on this program will be coached by the composer, offering performers and audiences a rare opportunity to experience this repertoire shaped directly by the composer’s own artistic insight.
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LOVE IN MANY VOICES: Brahms and the Art of the Waltz
Martin Katz, Director
Wednesday • July 15 • 7 p.m.

This program centers on Johannes Brahms’s Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 52, a beloved set of waltzes for vocal quartet and piano four hands that captures love in all its forms—tender, playful, ironic, and bittersweet. Paired with solo songs and chamber works by Brahms, the program highlights his gift for transforming folk-inspired dance rhythms into intimate, expressive music that celebrates human connection and collaboration.
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SONGS OF UNITY AND HOPE
Javier Arrebola, Director
Thursday • July 16 • 7 p.m.

Songs of Hope and Unity brings together vocal music from around the world in a celebration of shared humanity, resilience, and connection. Curated by Javier Arrebola, the program explores a rich variety of languages, cultures, and musical traditions, highlighting the universal power of song to inspire hope and bring people together.
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SONGFEST ANNUAL ART SONG PRIZE WINNERS RECITAL
Friday • July 17 • 12 p.m.

Kendra Lund, soprano and Renea Li, piano, were selected as this year’s winners of the SongFest Art Song Prize in recognition of their exceptional artistry, collaboration, and communication in performance.
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AMERICAN TUNE
Adriana Zabala, Director 
Friday • July 17 • 7 p.m.

Curated by Adriana Zabala, America 250 commemorates a pivotal milestone in our nation’s history through the lens of American song. This program traces the rich diversity of voices, stories, and musical traditions that have shaped the United States—from folk-inspired roots to contemporary expressions. Through art song and chamber works that reflect themes of identity, community, struggle, and hope, America 250 invites performers and audiences alike to reflect on the evolving American experience and the power of music to tell our collective story.
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SCENES FROM THE OPERATIC STAGE
Grant Knox, Brent Funderburk, Directors
Sunday • July 19 • 3 p.m.

Scenes from the Operatic Stage brings together some of opera’s most compelling moments of love, conflict, comedy, and heartbreak. Featuring fully staged scenes from beloved operas spanning multiple styles and eras, this concert showcases the dramatic power, vocal artistry, and theatrical imagination at the heart of the operatic tradition.