Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Mowry to share vocal talents April 5-6 at Saint Mary’s













Dr. Mark Mowry, left, accompanied by Dr. Nicholas Phillips will perform April 5-6.

WINONA, Minn. — Dr. Mark Mowry, adjunct faculty with Saint Mary’s University’s Department of Music, will perform a vocal concert April 5-6 as part of the Page Series’ “Voices of SMU.”

Mowry, accompanied by Dr. Nicholas Phillips on piano, will perform 7:30 p.m. Saturday April 5, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 6. Both performances will be held in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in SMU’s Performance Center.

Mowry, a tenor, has performed a diverse range of opera, concert, and recital repertoire, which reflects his broad musical interests. He sang the role of Enrico Carouser in the world premiere of Edwin Penhorwood’s opera Too Many Sopranos.

An advocate of the song genre, Mowry has participated in numerous master classes devoted to the subject and led by such noted musicians as Graham Johnson, Roger Vignoles, and Håkan Hagegård; his own recital appearances have occurred both at home in the U.S. and, more recently, in the United Kingdom—first at Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh, England, for the Aldeburgh Festival, and then for his debut recital at London’s Wigmore Hall, for which Graham Johnson was pianist. In addition, Mowry’s various musical activities have taken him to the cities of Chicago, Dublin, Lucerne, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York, Salzburg, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. Mowry received a Doctor of Music degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

Phillips is assistant professor of piano at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he teaches applied and class piano. Active as a soloist and sought after as a collaborative artist, Phillips is quickly building a reputation for his innovative recital programming and engaging lecture-recitals.

A native of Indiana, Phillips holds a degree in piano performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. He has studied with internationally-renowned pianists and pedagogues including Karen Taylor, Paul Barnes, Karen Shaw, and Robert Weirich. Before joining the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Phillips taught applied and class piano at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Indiana University.

The performance will include German and French song repertoire including music by Henry Purcell, Franz Schubert, Reynaldo Hahn, Benjamin Britten, and Francesco Paolo Tosti.

Tickets are $12, $9 for seniors and $8 for students and are available at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, online at www.pagetheatre.org. Because of a scheduling conflict, Dr. Patrick O’Shea will not be performing, as advertised in early Page Series marketing materials.