May 15, 2008
An evening of art songs with Stephen Rumph
Faculty artist Stephen Rumph will present an evening of art songs, including a duet with guest soprano Christina Kowalski, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, in Brechemin Auditorium.
The evening of art songs will include Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op. 39, Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnets, Poulenc’s Banalités, Finzi’s little-known Milton Sonnets and the love duet from Madama Butterfly, which he will perform with guest soprano Christina Kowalski. Rumph will be accompanied by Amy Grinsteiner, piano.
Tickets for the evening are $10, cash or check at the door.
An assistant professor of music at the UW, Rumph has established himself as a leading tenor in opera, oratorio, and concert. He recently made his Seattle Symphony debut in Bach’s Cantata 171 and returned to sing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Recent operatic credits include Rodolfo (La Boheme), Don José (Carmen), and Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) with Skagit Valley Opera; Rodolfo (La Bohème) and Orpheus (Orpheus in the Underworld) with Tacoma Opera; Consulo and Familiare (L’incoronazione di Poppea) with the Early Music Guild; Alfred (Die Fledermaus) and David (Die Meistersinger) with Berkeley Opera; and Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas) with Whitman College.
His concert appearances include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Tacoma Symphony, Northwest Sinfonietta, and Port Angeles Symphony; Mozart’s Requiem with the Walla Walla Symphony and Northwest Sinfonietta; Das Lied von der Erde with the Northwest Mahler Festival; Handel’s Messiah and Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with Tacoma Symphony; Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Lake Chelan Bach Fest and Kirkland Choral Society; and Puccini and Verdi selections with the Federal Way Symphony.
A Bay Area native, Rumph has performed with regional companies through the San Francisco area in such roles as Rodolfo, Tamino, Alfred, Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), Duca (Rigoletto), Lenski (Eugene Onegin), Ramiro (La Cenerentola), and Lindoro (L’italiana in Algeri). He has also created leading roles in several new operas. Rumph studied at the Oberlin Conservatory and currently works with noted voice teacher Fred Carama.
For more information, call 206-685-8384 or visit online at www.music.washington.edu.
