Elem Eley and J.J. Penna Perform September 28
On Sunday September 28, the 2008-2009 Westminster Choir College Faculty Recital series will present a performance by baritone Elem Eley and pianist J.J. Penna. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton.
Their program will include melodies of Henry Duparc and Francis Poulenc. Selections from Duparc are eight songs for voice and piano including Phydilé and Chanson Triste. They will also perform Francis Poulenc's Banalités and Chansons gaillardes.
Elem Eley enjoys a remarkably varied career, from opera, oratorio and recital to premieres of contemporary vocal music. He is featured in two recordings released on Albany Records in September. Drifts and Shadows: American Song for the New Millennium presents settings of contemporary poems performed by Mr. Eley with J.J. Penna. He is also heard in Three Antarctica Songs by Laurie Altman, on Mr. Altman’s new CD, On Course.
Mr. Eley’s performances last season included Carmina Burana, and the world première of Alessandro Cadario’s Cantata for Revival with Musica Sacra, conducted by Kent Tritle, at Lincoln Center. He also performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Springfield Symphony in Missouri and Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Oratorio Singers of Westfield in New Jersey. His recitals included Schubert's Winterreise in Princeton and Masters of Modern American Art Song II at Symphony Space in New York City. Recently, he débuted with the Buffalo Philharmonic in Daron Hagen’s Shining Brow, rejoined the Peniel Concert Choir as soloist in Messiah at Avery Fisher Hall, returned to Carnegie Hall for Carmina Burana with David Randolph and the St. Cecilia Chorus, and to the Burlington Choral Society as Elijah. He enlivened two new operatic characters: James Joyce in Hagen’s The Antient Concert, at Symphony Space and The Century Association, and Donald Giovanni in Schickele’s The Abduction of Figaro with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra.
His other notable engagements have included Bach’s solo Cantata No. 82 with Richard Westenburg’s Musica Sacra; Carmina Burana with Robert Page; the world première of Vera of Las Vegas by Hagen and Muldoon; and appearances with the Symphony Orchestras of Charlotte, Kansas City, New Jersey, Sioux City and Springfield; the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall; The Little Orchestra Society; and the Calvin Oratorio Society. Mr. Eley has appeared with Operafestival di Roma, the Opera Companies of Cincinnati, Hawaii, Shreveport and Syracuse, Athena Grand Opera, the Sylvan Opera Festival, the Center for Contemporary Opera and Musica Europa 2001. With degrees in voice from Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the native Georgian pursued doctoral study at Indiana University, where he studied with Margaret Harshaw. Winner of the 1996 Joy in Singing Award, Mr. Eley is professor of voice at Westminster Choir College .
J.J. Penna has performed extensively with a variety of eminent singers, including Kathleen Battle, Harolyn Blackwell, Measha Brueggergosman, Amy Burton, William Burden, David Daniels, Denyce Graves, Ying Huang, Kevin McMillan, Roberta Peters, and Florence Quivar. He recently assisted soprano Renee Fleming in her preparation for several recitals and orchestral appearances. His 2008-09 season includes appearances in North America with Denyce Graves. Mr. Penna has held prestigious fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, Banff Center for the Arts, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, as well as the Merola Opera Program, where he won the Otto Guth Award as Outstanding Apprentice Coach. Devoted to the teaching of art song literature, he has been on the faculties of the Yale University School of Music, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Bowdoin Festival and the Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival. He currently teaches at Westminster Choir College and The Juilliard School.
Westminster Choir College is located at Hamilton Avenue and Walnut Lane in Princeton. Admission to this performance is free. To receive Westminster’s 2008-2009 season catalog, call the box office at 609 -921-2663 between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
