Soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon Performs Three Pieces at Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival
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Soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon (photo credit: Steve Riskind)
By James CarderIn an era where vocal pyrotechnics often take center stage, soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon has the goods, but she can deliver so much more. Known for a voice that critics describe as “dazzling,” “virtuosic” and “serenely beautiful,” Lucy also brings to her performances a compelling understanding of the text and an intimate, highly emotional interpretation. Moreover, when given a forceful text, she inhabits the character, performing as a musical storyteller, albeit one with a peerless voice. Although she performs traditional repertoire, she is foremost a dedicated champion of modern and contemporary compositions, as will be evident at this year’s Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival where she will perform three works: Kate Soper’s Only the Words Themselves Mean What They Say (June 12th); Dmitri Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok (June 13th); and Kian Ravaei’s Gulistan (“Flower Garden”) (June 14th).Lucy Fitz Gibbon is a graduate of Yale University and holds an Artist Diploma from The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto as well as a Master’s degree from the Bard College Conservatory Graduate Vocal Arts Program in New York. Before focusing on voice, Lucy studied the violin, an experience that she credits for her affinity for chamber music and a string-like vocal articulation. She views the creation and performance of new compositions as essential to the health and longevity of classical music. And by performing the works of living composers, she hopes to provide audiences with a greater diversity of voices and a broader range of human experiences than can be found in the traditional musical canon alone.In collaboration with flutist Tara Helen O’Connor (who will be playing three instruments!), Lucy will tackle the highly virtuosic score of Kate Soper’s 2011 Only the Words Themselves Mean What They Say. Set to three texts by Lydia Davis, Soper’s score requires the soprano to speak, sing and vocalize – a test, as Soper has written, of the absolute limits of the singer’s physical and expressive capabilities. Reviewers have praised Lucy Fitz Gibbon for her faultless timing and “screwball comedy” energy in performing this work. They have described her and the flutist as “different facets of the same person” during the piece’s intricate, synchronized gymnastics, where the voice at times becomes an instrument and the instruments become vocal.In Shostakovich’s Seven Romances, Lucy’s voice is paired sparingly with three instruments – violin, cello and piano – and she blends her voice seamlessly with these forces, serving as an ensemblist rather than as a detached soloist. However, her flawless interpretation of the poems is equally notable. Reviews highlight her “haunting” and “chilling” reading of the work and her ability to navigate the cycle’s arc from quiet, mystical meditation to “desolate despair.”Although Kian Ravaei originally scored his 2023 song cycle Gulistan for mezzo soprano, he specifically adapted it for Lucy Fitz Gibbon’s soprano voice. The cycle interweaves traditional Azerbaijani and Persian songs with Western folk songs to create a multi-layered lament on unrequited or abandoned love. Although the texts are often cloaked in poetic ambiguity and symbolism, not to mention the incomprehensibility of the Azeri and Farsi languages to Western audiences, Lucy Fitz Gibbon brings across the essence of the story line through vocal colorations, employing breathiness, rubato or the use of a flexible tempo for dramatic effect, and dynamic shading of the words to convey grief or anger or another emotional underpinning to the text. As one reviewer observed, “She treats the text with the reverence of a poet, ensuring that whether she is singing in German, French, English , the story always reaches the back of the hall.”Be a part of this year’s Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival and experience this extraordinary soprano in an intimate setting. Detailed information on the Festival concerts, including programs, dates, times and ticket availability, can be found at ChesapeakeMusic.org.
Chesapeake Chamber Music FestivalJune 12–20, 2026June 12 at 7:30 p.m.Festival Opening Extravaganza!June 13 at 7:30 p.m.Music of Four NationsJune 14 at 4 p.m.Heritage and HomeJune 18 at 7:30 p.m.Bridging the ErasJune 19 at 7:30 p.m.Competition Winners and MoreJune 20 at 7:30 p.m.Festival Finale2 Free and Open Rehearsals: June 10 and June 17 at 10:00 a.m.
Chesapeake Music offers a limited number of free tickets to students, educators, and Talbot County First Responders, as well as a “buy-one-get-one” option for first-time patrons of Chesapeake Music and a new “$35 for 35 and under” offer. Based in Easton, Maryland, Chesapeake Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings renowned musicians to delight, engage, and surprise today’s audiences, and educate, inspire, and develop tomorrow’s. For tickets and more information, visit ChesapeakeMusic.org.
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Soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon Performs Three Pieces at Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival
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Soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon (photo credit: Steve Riskind)
By James CarderIn an era where vocal pyrotechnics often take center stage, soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon has the goods, but she can deliver so much more. Known for a voice that critics describe as “dazzling,” “virtuosic” and “serenely beautiful,” Lucy also brings to her performances a compelling understanding of the text and an intimate, highly emotional interpretation. Moreover, when given a forceful text, she inhabits the character, performing as a musical storyteller, albeit one with a peerless voice. Although she performs traditional repertoire, she is foremost a dedicated champion of modern and contemporary compositions, as will be evident at this year’s Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival where she will perform three works: Kate Soper’s Only the Words Themselves Mean What They Say (June 12th); Dmitri Shostakovich’s Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok (June 13th); and Kian Ravaei’s Gulistan (“Flower Garden”) (June 14th).Lucy Fitz Gibbon is a graduate of Yale University and holds an Artist Diploma from The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto as well as a Master’s degree from the Bard College Conservatory Graduate Vocal Arts Program in New York. Before focusing on voice, Lucy studied the violin, an experience that she credits for her affinity for chamber music and a string-like vocal articulation. She views the creation and performance of new compositions as essential to the health and longevity of classical music. And by performing the works of living composers, she hopes to provide audiences with a greater diversity of voices and a broader range of human experiences than can be found in the traditional musical canon alone.In collaboration with flutist Tara Helen O’Connor (who will be playing three instruments!), Lucy will tackle the highly virtuosic score of Kate Soper’s 2011 Only the Words Themselves Mean What They Say. Set to three texts by Lydia Davis, Soper’s score requires the soprano to speak, sing and vocalize – a test, as Soper has written, of the absolute limits of the singer’s physical and expressive capabilities. Reviewers have praised Lucy Fitz Gibbon for her faultless timing and “screwball comedy” energy in performing this work. They have described her and the flutist as “different facets of the same person” during the piece’s intricate, synchronized gymnastics, where the voice at times becomes an instrument and the instruments become vocal.In Shostakovich’s Seven Romances, Lucy’s voice is paired sparingly with three instruments – violin, cello and piano – and she blends her voice seamlessly with these forces, serving as an ensemblist rather than as a detached soloist. However, her flawless interpretation of the poems is equally notable. Reviews highlight her “haunting” and “chilling” reading of the work and her ability to navigate the cycle’s arc from quiet, mystical meditation to “desolate despair.”Although Kian Ravaei originally scored his 2023 song cycle Gulistan for mezzo soprano, he specifically adapted it for Lucy Fitz Gibbon’s soprano voice. The cycle interweaves traditional Azerbaijani and Persian songs with Western folk songs to create a multi-layered lament on unrequited or abandoned love. Although the texts are often cloaked in poetic ambiguity and symbolism, not to mention the incomprehensibility of the Azeri and Farsi languages to Western audiences, Lucy Fitz Gibbon brings across the essence of the story line through vocal colorations, employing breathiness, rubato or the use of a flexible tempo for dramatic effect, and dynamic shading of the words to convey grief or anger or another emotional underpinning to the text. As one reviewer observed, “She treats the text with the reverence of a poet, ensuring that whether she is singing in German, French, English , the story always reaches the back of the hall.”Be a part of this year’s Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival and experience this extraordinary soprano in an intimate setting. Detailed information on the Festival concerts, including programs, dates, times and ticket availability, can be found at ChesapeakeMusic.org.
Chesapeake Chamber Music FestivalJune 12–20, 2026June 12 at 7:30 p.m.Festival Opening Extravaganza!June 13 at 7:30 p.m.Music of Four NationsJune 14 at 4 p.m.Heritage and HomeJune 18 at 7:30 p.m.Bridging the ErasJune 19 at 7:30 p.m.Competition Winners and MoreJune 20 at 7:30 p.m.Festival Finale2 Free and Open Rehearsals: June 10 and June 17 at 10:00 a.m.
Chesapeake Music offers a limited number of free tickets to students, educators, and Talbot County First Responders, as well as a “buy-one-get-one” option for first-time patrons of Chesapeake Music and a new “$35 for 35 and under” offer. Based in Easton, Maryland, Chesapeake Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings renowned musicians to delight, engage, and surprise today’s audiences, and educate, inspire, and develop tomorrow’s. For tickets and more information, visit ChesapeakeMusic.org.
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Chesapeake Music Presents Free Community Concert Series
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Thanks to the generous support of Talbot Arts, The Van Strum Foundation, and the Artistic Insights Fund at Mid-Shore Community Foundation, Chesapeake Music is very pleased to offer a special Community Concert Series around the Mid-Shore that features our 2026 Competition Finalists: Brompton Quartet, Candide Quartet, Dolphins Quartet, Synchrony Quartet, and Trio Animoso. On Sunday, April 12, 2026, each of the five finalist ensembles will travel to a different venue — to Easton, St. Michaels, Oxford, Cambridge, and Centreville — to present a free, solo concert for our communities.These concerts will take place the day after our 12th Biennial Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition, where these ensembles will compete for $20,000 in prize money and additional performance opportunities. (The April 11th Live Final Round of the Competition is open to the public with general admission tickets at $25—free for students and teachers—available at ChesapeakeMusic.org.)The Community Concert Series represents a unique opportunity for Chesapeake Music and its visiting artists to bring chamber music out of our home venue at The Ebenezer Theater at Prager Family Center for the Arts and into the community gathering spaces of our Eastern Shore neighbors. No tickets or reservations are needed for the April 12th concerts. Each ensemble has curated their own distinct program of 60-75 minutes of music with no intermission. Take a look at our Community Concert Series event page for all the details and read more below for an overview of the April 12th Series.The Community Concert Series consists of the following performances:2 p.m. in Centreville: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will host The Dolphins Quartet. Known for adventurous programming and collaborations with composers such as John Adams, Andy Akiho, and Jessie Montgomery, the ensemble champions discovery and storytelling.2 p.m. in Oxford: Trio Animoso’s concert will take place at Church of the Holy Trinity. By actively taking part in community outreach, the ensemble aims to reach a diverse audience in terms of age, interest, and musical background. Ultimately, the trio aims to grow towards the goal of making a more accessible performance for all.3 p.m. in Easton: The Synchrony Quartet will perform at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. Synchrony Quartet seeks to support emerging composers while contributing to the evolving landscape of contemporary saxophone music.4 p.m. in Cambridge: The Candide Quartet will perform at Christ Episcopal Church. Now in their third year as an ensemble, the Candide Quartet is even more dedicated to sharing the camaraderie inherent in string quartet playing, as well as exploring the profound wealth of repertoire for string quartet.5 p.m. St. Michaels: Christ Church, St. Michael’s Parish is the host venue for The Brompton Quartet. Since its formation, the quartet has been dedicated to open musical dialogue, artistic clarity and precision, and expressive nuance, all in pursuit of a unique and unified musical identity. The Community Concert Series takes place on the day after the Live Final Round of the 12th Biennial Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition, offering a musical celebration as the Chesapeake Music community applauds the young performers’ significant achievements in this storied competition.The Live Final Round is an all-day event (running from approximately 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.) on April 11th and each ensemble will perform for 45 minutes, vying for top prizes supported by very generous donors who are keen to support chamber music’s rising stars of tomorrow:Lerman Gold Prize Winner | $10,000 plus appearance at the 41st Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival in June 2026Moran Silver Prize Winner | $5,000Awards to remaining Finalists | $1,000 per ensembleAudience Choice Prize | $1,000 For tickets to the Live Final Round or additional details and information on the Competition schedule, finalist ensembles, judges, prizes, and community events, please visit ChesapeakeMusic.org.Based in Easton, Maryland, Chesapeake Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings renowned musicians to delight, engage, and surprise today’s audiences and educate, inspire, and develop tomorrow’s. Learn more at ChesapeakeMusic.org.
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Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival Returns to Easton
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Left to right: Catherine Cho, Wynona Wang, Marcy Rosen, and Daniel Phillips performing at the 40th anniversary Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival in 2025 (photo credit: Janet M Kerr)
By James CarderChesapeake Music’s 41st annual Chamber Music Festival returns to Easton, Maryland for two weeks beginning June 12th. In the intimate elegance of The Ebenezer Theater, 17 world-class musicians will perform six concerts, ranging from the very best works of the standard repertoire to exciting contemporary pieces. As David Faleris, Executive Director of Chesapeake Music, has remarked, “Chamber music is above all a musical conversation among friends,” and, indeed, many of the Festival musicians have performed together in Easton for decades and are beloved by the community. But, as always, there will be new faces as well, and those interested can meet them all by attending not only the six concerts, but also the free open rehearsals.This year’s Festival is titled “Musical Memories” and is curated by Artistic Directors Marcy Rosen and Catherine Cho. They have programmed many of chamber music’s best-loved pieces, compositions that are frequently cited as among the greatest works in the chamber music canon. There will be three works each by Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms, including Schubert’s famous “Trout” piano quintet and Brahms’s equally famous “Horn” trio. Also on the bill are two beautiful works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, including his famous horn quintet; Antonin Dvořák’s ever-popular second piano quintet; Beethoven’s late masterpiece Cello Sonata No. 5; and the extraordinarily beautiful string sextet “Souvenir de Florence” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The incredible sonority of six stringed instruments playing together in an intimate hall will occur a second time with a Brahms string sextet, a work that closes the first week’s concerts.Modern 20th-century music at the Festival includes Ralph Vaughan Williams’s powerful 1903 Piano Quintet in C Minor, which like Schubert’s “Trout” quintet includes an unexpected double bass. Flutist Tara Helen O’Connor will give a tour-de-force performance of Heitor Villa-Lobos’s 1950 Assobio a Játo (“The Jet Whistle”), with cellist Julia Yang providing the essential “mellow cello” second voice. And soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon will lend her warm, beautifully focused voice to Dmitri Shostakovich’s extremely poignant song cycle Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok, a haunting, late-period masterpiece composed in 1967.Two important contemporary works are also certain to be stand-out performances at this year’s Festival. Soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon and Tara Helen O’Connor (playing three instruments!) will tackle the highly virtuosic score of Kate Soper’s 2011 Only the Words Themselves Mean What They Say. In this bravura duet, the voice at times becomes an instrument and the instruments become vocal, ultimately leaving both the performers and the audience breathless. And American-Iranian composer Kian Ravaei’s 2023 song cycle Gulistan (“Flower Garden”) will be performed by Lucy Fitz Gibbon, Lydia Brown and Julia Yang. The cycle interweaves traditional Azerbaijani and Persian songs with Western folk songs to create a multi-layered lament on unrequited or abandoned love.And the Festival will again showcase the Lerman Gold Prize winners of this year’s Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition for Young Professionals. Having won the competition and taken home their $10,000 prize money, the winners will return to the Festival to perform works of their choosing at the June 19th concert.Be a part of this year’s Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival and experience this extraordinary music in an intimate setting. Detailed information on the Festival concerts, including programs, dates, times and ticket availability, can be found at ChesapeakeMusic.org.
Chesapeake Chamber Music FestivalJune 12–20, 2026June 12 at 7:30 p.m.Festival Opening Extravaganza!June 13 at 7:30 p.m.Music of Four NationsJune 14 at 4 p.m.Heritage and HomeJune 18 at 7:30 p.m.Bridging the ErasJune 19 at 7:30 p.m.Competition Winners and MoreJune 20 at 7:30 p.m.Festival Finale2 Free and Open Rehearsals: June 10 and June 17 at 10:00 a.m.
Chesapeake Music offers a limited number of free tickets to students, educators, and Talbot County First Responders, as well as a “buy-one-get-one” option for first-time patrons of Chesapeake Music and a new “$35 for 35 and under” offer. Based in Easton, Maryland, Chesapeake Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings renowned musicians to delight, engage, and surprise today’s audiences, and educate, inspire, and develop tomorrow’s. For tickets and more information, visit ChesapeakeMusic.org.
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