The next event in Friends of Music at Guilford’s 46th annual season of concerts is Winter Songs, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 11, in the sanctuary of Guilford Community Church. Featured performers are Julie Johnson Olsson, soprano, and Kenneth Olsson, known in the area for his work as both a pianist and an organist.
This program of art songs and arias will warm the chill of winter and open our hearts for Cupid’s inspiration on Valentine’s Day. The repertoire is presented in three sections, beginning with two songs of longing by Satie, a torch song by Poulenc (composed for a favorite Parisian chanteuse), and a tango by Weill, as well as the aria “Il est doux, il est bon,” from Massenet’s opera Herodiade.
The next grouping includes four Dickinson texts, including three poems—How the Waters Closed, Wild Nights, and There Came a Wind Like a Bugle—and excerpts from a letter, set by distinguished American composer-pianist Lee Hoiby (1926-2011). Hoiby turned away from the experimental works of his contemporaries and focused on piano performance at first, but he was offered a full scholarship to study composition with Gian Carlo Menotti at the Curtis Institute, and this led to a long and rewarding career as a composer. The aria “Must the winter come so soon?” from Samuel Barber’s Vanessa caps this set in English.
The German repertoire on the WINTER SONGS program includes four love songs composed by Richard Strauss and the aria “Dich, Teure Halle” from Wagner’s great opera Tannhäuser.
As he did for his September recital on the Guilford Tracker Organ on Labor Day Weekend, Ken will provide informative (and no doubt entertaining) notes on the program repertoire as it progresses.
Originally from Ledyard, Conn., Julie Johnson Olsson began her professional career at age 17, performing the role of Mrs. Hopkins in the American Musical Theater production of My Fair Lady. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College, went on to study at the International Institute of Vocal Arts, and began her graduate studies at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (performing Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus and the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica).
While in the Midwest, Julie was actively sought out to perform with many citywide choirs and ensembles including the Kansas City Lyric Opera (Carmen, La Bohème, The Ballad of Baby Doe, and the world premiere performance of Coyote Tales by Henry Mollicone and Sheldon Harnick, recorded and released on CD for Newport Classics).
Upon returning to the East Coast, Julie embarked on a well-received career in jazz and blues/rock. Never wanting to stray far from her roots in musical theater, she kept her feet wet by joining the Salt Marsh Opera Company (Stonington, Conn.) for their productions of Madama Butterfly and Tosca. Her most recent endeavors include H.M.S. Pinafore at Main Street Arts in Saxons River, Vt., and Don Giovanni with the Keene, N.H.-based Raylynmor Opera company.
Kenneth Olsson received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College, where he performed leading roles in The Tender Land and The Mikado. While living in New York State, Ken was a featured artist with Tri-Cities Opera, The Summer Savoyards, and Northeast Pennsylvania Opera. After relocating to Vermont, Ken appeared with Opera Theatre of Weston in Die Fledermaus and with the Raylynmor Opera in Don Giovanni.
Ken has also served as Music Director/Conductor for numerous music theater and opera productions and as pit pianist/keyboardist for a long list of Broadway shows. Most recently, he was music director for a St. Michael’s Catholic Church production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. He has accompanied several concerts and recitals in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey.
This winter, Ken and Julie are serving as Music Director and Stage Director, respectively, for a Main Street Arts production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. They are also the busy and proud parents of three beautiful and talented children, with whom they live in Jamaica, Vt.
Tickets for the WINTER SONGS program are $15 per person ($10 for students 16 and under) and include a festive dessert reception. Snow date in case of serious precipitation: Sunday, February 12.
For reservations, call the Friends of Music office at (802) 254-3600 or email office@fomag.org.
Guilford Community Church is at 38 Church Dr., off Bee Barn Rd. in the Algiers village of Guilford. Take Route 5 South from Exit 1 off I-91 just over a mile to the Country Store. Take the next left onto Bee Barn Rd. and left again into Church Dr. to reach the parking area circling the church.