Conversation with Peter Furlong on His New Recording

Thanks for taking the time to converse with me, again, Peter.

 

Q. First question - it has been a little while since you participated in the 5 Questions interview series. What have you been doing professionally since then?

 

A. Really? Only a little while? Well, it feels like 2015 was only a short while ago, that’s for sure. 

 

Back to the question, what have I been doing... Most recently I recorded a CD of Mahler’s piano version of Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) which was just released in August 2017 in the US and is getting some nice reviews and I’m quite proud of this little CD. 

 

I have been training for some heavy duty Wagner roles. There’s been quite a buzz going around Berlin and Germany in general about me being a ‘real’ Heldentenor (Heroic tenor), which is both exciting and utterly frightening. 

 

I’m going to auditions in New York and Boston this winter to get some buzz happening in the US as well. 

 

I’ve sung quite a few concerts and Liederabends, the most recent being a Liederabend of Beethoven’s ‘An die ferne Geliebte’ (To the distant beloved) which was quite nicely received, and all of Copland’s 'Old American Songs' which I sang with my wife, Julie Wyma (who also sang Debussy’s ‘Ariettes Oubliées). A  hometown concert I did in Framingham, Mass in 2016 was great fun (especially as I hadn’t sung in Framingham in 29 years). Seeing one’s High School Music teacher and realizing he has somehow not aged at all is an amazing/humbling feeling. Doing concerts in the US also allows me to return to being a grease monkey, repairing the old cars and various motorbikes my family has accumulated and cared for.

 

Reaching further back, I performed the roles of Max in ‘Der Freischütz’ and Adam in “Der Vogelhändler’ at Kloster Chorin here on the outskirts of Berlin. 

 

Add to that being a dad to an amazing little violinist (who attended River’s School Conservatory Summer Camp this past summer) and all around smart cookie, and the husband to my wonderfully amazing wife - life has been good. 

 

Q. This is all very exciting.  I want to circle back to the performances in a bit, but first a few questions about the recording.  I recall studying Das Lied von der Erde in 20th Century Lit. class with the late James Sellers – a terrific work.  That was the version with full orchestration.  Tell me a little more about the piano version and how you came to select that work in particular for this recording.

 

Beautiful Life - Jimmy Greene

I had the pleasure of attending a performance last night by Jimmy Greene ('97).  He was performing with his quartet at The Side Door jazz club in Old Lyme, Connecticut.  The Side Door is an excellent venue attached to the Old Lyme Inn, both of which are owned by Ken and Jan Kitchings. The club is now one of the most important jazz venues in New England and worthy of our support.  (As an extra bonus, Jimmy Macbride, son of Hartt professor David Macbride, was performing in the quartet last night.)

The primary reason for attending The Side Door last night was, however, being able to hear Jimmy.  He has been performing music from his recent album, Beautiful Life.  If you have not yet purchased a copy of the album, do yourself and others a favor and do so.  The music itself makes the purchase well worth your investment.  There is, no doubt, that Jimmy is a wonderful composer, musician, and saxophonist.  As a [former] saxophonist myself, I was so very appreciative of and inspired by Jimmy's craft as a saxophonist.  He is among the very best tenor saxophonists I have ever heard.
 
There are additional reasons to purchase the album and treat yourself to attending Jimmy's performances.  Beautiful Life also features appearances by Kenny Barron, Cyrus Chestnut, Javier Colon, Christian McBride, Pat Metheny, musicians of the Hartford Symphony, and others.  Jimmy's composition are wonderful and the performances don't leave the listener wanting for anything but to listen again.

Most importantly, as many of you are aware, Ana Grace Greene, the daughter of Jimmy and his wife, Nelba Marquez-Greene ('97), was murdered on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  Beautiful Life is a celebration of Ana's life.  For a message from Jimmy, please click here.

As Jimmy says "I want the music to reflect the way that Ana lived." Proceeds from Beautiful Life support the Ana Grace Project and The Artists Collective.

Here is Jimmy's upcoming performance schedule.

5 Questions with Shana Mahoney

Shana Mahoney (B.M. ‘93) studied Music Theatre at Hartt from 1989-1993.  She is currently living in New York City.

What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?

Right after I graduated from Hartt I got my first job at a summer-stock theatre in the Catskills doing 7 musicals over the course of 5 months.  I actually couldn't even attend my graduation ceremony from Hartt because I had already started rehearsals, and was working, which I thought was a great sign.  I was lucky enough to work non-stop performing in musicals for several years after graduation.  I performed in summer stock, regional theatre and national tours including: Forbidden Broadway, and Evita.  

While on tour with Evita, I auditioned for and booked the European tour of Cats playing Gumbie/Griddlebone.  I was lucky enough to perform in Switzerland, Italy, France and Austria.  While in Austria I auditioned and booked the European premiere company of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in Vienna, which I performed in for a year.  After that I was also cast in the world premiere of Roman Polanski and Jim Steinman’s Dance of the Vampire, which I also recorded the original cast album for. 

After a year’s run of Dance of the Vampire, (and getting married to an Austrian), my husband Andreas and I moved back to New York after several years in Europe. I booked a job that summer as the lead singer in the Supper Club’s Andrews Sisters and Swing Dance show in Manhattan, which was a lot of fun.  After that, I booked the Broadway 1st National tour of Cabaret starring Teri Hatcher and Norbert Leo Butz.  I toured for several years with Cabaret- and I even took a leave of absence to give birth to my first daughter Sophia and returned to the tour just in time to spend a month in Tokyo, Japan with the show.  We also performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and us Cabaret-girls recorded a National commercial for Degree deodorant, which was a lot of fun!  Why they wanted to feature girls with hairy armpits for a deodorant commercial is beyond me, but I was happy for the opportunity to have a national commercial!

After landing back in New York, and having a second daughter, I tried to station myself in the city and not travel as much, doing local off-Broadway shows, and singing concerts and church jobs.  I was hired as a professional cantor at St. Barnabas Church, and did several concerts with them over the years.  I also started a voice studio, which has grown so big now that I have a long waiting list.  My vocal studio is one of my biggest joys of my career, and I enjoy it immensely.

I am also a teaching artist at the Riverdale Children's Theatre.  www.riverdaletheatre.org  RCT was just named in Backstage Magazine as "one of the 12 Great Children's Theaters Across the U.S."  It is an amazing place to work.  I am currently the music supervisor of Annie, and playing the role of Grace.  I love being able to share my love of music theatre with children.  I was also hired last year to be the music director of The Saint Barnabas Church in Bronx, NY.  www.stbarnabasbronx.org  It’s the largest Irish-Catholic parish in the country actually, and I direct 4 choirs there, as well as plan the music for Masses, weddings and funerals. 

Next year, our Saint Barnabas children s choir is invited to perform in Rome for Pope Francis in the Sistine Chapel with the Sistine Chapel Choir.  This is a huge honor for us, and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to take the choir there for the Epiphany Mass.

I am also currently attending the Saint Cecelia Academy of Music at The Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, NY pursing a Master’s Degree in Theology/Sacred Music.  http://nyliturgy.org/st-cecilia-academy-for-pastoral-musicians/

What are you involved with right now?

A few years ago, in a Manhattan restaurant, I happened to meet a platinum award-winning record producer by chance.  I convinced him to listen to a demo recording of my voice.  After several meetings and discussions, he offered me a recording contract under his label.  For a few years, we developed a concept for an album, and wrote songs together.  He helped me to develop a unique style of classical-type vocals, combined with electronic pop production.  I am happy to say that I just finished the album entitled Beyond The River under my artist name “Shalyma”. The album is available as a special “friends and family pre-release sale” before it becomes officially released in the late Spring/Summer.  I’m very proud of the work I did on the album.  I am especially proud to have some of the pieces that I composed featured on it.  I also featured the Children’s Choir of St. Barnabas on Caccini’s Ave Maria, which I wrote a children's choir part to accompany Caccini’s vocal line.  I think it’s a really unique twist to a traditional sacred classical piece, being that it is produced in a pop-style.  I am hoping that my friends and colleagues will purchase a copy of the album, and give me their feedback and support before the album is officially released and on iTunes. The album can be purchased on my website www.SHALYMA.com

 

"Renée Anne Louprette, one of New York’s finest organists" - NY Times

Congratulations to Hartt alumna Renée Anne Louprette.  Her recording, BACH: ‘THE GREAT 18 CHORALES’ (Acis Productions, two CDs), was just highlighted in the NY Times article - Classical Critics Pick the Top Music Recordings of 2014.  A well-deserved recognition.

Renée's website is http://www.reneeannelouprette.com.  Click here to get to it directly.  A link to the NY Times article is here.

5 Questions with Emily Davidson

Emily Davidson (B.M. ‘10) studied Cello Performance at Hartt from 2006 to 2010.  She is currently living in Boston.

What have you been up to since you graduated from Hartt?

After studying at Hartt, I continued on to the Longy School of Music of Bard College to study Early Music Performance. Since completing my Master’s, I've been freelancing in the Boston area as both a performer and a teacher. There’s a thriving early music scene here in Boston, so I often play in chamber music concerts with various local groups in addition to my own solo projects. In the last two years I released and self-produced two solo albums, BASS SOUNDS, which focus on unaccompanied cello music from the baroque period. The first album featured 17th century pieces by Domenico Gabrielli and Giovanni Battista Degli Antonii, and included the first Cello Suite by J.S. Bach to hear more familiar repertoire in a new context. I followed with BASS SOUNDS: Evolved this past July which explored 18th century unaccompanied pieces by Joseph Marie Clément Dall’Abaco and Friedrich Dotzauer. Evolved included the second Bach Cello Suite in D minor. Both are available at http://emilyplayscello.bandcamp.com.

What are you involved with right now?