Clayton State University Coordinator, Division of Music and Director of Opera and Vocal Studies Dr. Kurt –Alexander Zeller makes this point about English, and his upcoming, free Spivey Hall concert with Professor of Music Dr. Michiko Otaki…
“The phrase `English Song’ tends to evoke images of rose-lipt maidens and lightfoot lads engaged in pastoral pursuits in the bucolic British countryside. But English is the most widespread language on the planet, and song in English has a rich heritage and vast repertoire fully the equal of German Lieder—indeed, even some of the greats of the Viennese Classical tradition wrote most of their songs for English texts!”
That’s to say that the Clayton State faculty duo of Zeller and Otaki will be performing “Song in English” in the University’s world-famous Spivey Hall on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m.
This free concert by the familiar and celebrated duo of tenor Zeller and pianist Otaki will travel through time and space to present a global program of songs in English, including works by Haydn, Beethoven, and their contemporaries, art songs and spiritual arrangements by African American composers, concert folksongs from the southern United States, and Shakespeare settings from the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa).
Zeller also points out that, given its “English Song” content, this is a highly accessible program that will be of interest to a wide audience.