Julie Lyn Barber, MM.

A NEW BAROQUE MUSICAL MONODRAMA AT MUNCIE CIVIC THEATRE

A free workshop performance of a newly devised musical monodrama will be presented at Muncie Civic Theatre, in on Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 7:00pm. The production utilizes vocal music by the Baroque era English songwriter, Henry Purcell, and dramatized selections from the three volume 17th century novel, Love-Letters Between a Noble Man and His Sister, by female author, Aphra Behn, performed by Julie Lyn Barber, Soprano with piano accompaniment by Amy Riffle-Kouyeas.

The concert will be presented at Muncie Civic Theatre, 216 E. Main Street in Muncie, IN on Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 7:00pm. Admission is free, but donations are welcome to help “Save the Civic”. The presentation, tentatively entitled Those Killing Fears, is being developed for future presentation at Early Music Festivals and Chamber Music Series‘. The audience will have the opportunity to offer feedback and discuss the performance with the performers immediately following the show. The story centres around “Cynthia,” the abandoned victim of a seducer and political traitor (her brother-in-law), now in hiding. Through Purcell’s music and the contents of her letters, we learn the history of her relationship, her current situation, and her lover’s fate as well as her own.

Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was the foremost composer of his day. He was organist at Westminster and wrote much music for theatrical performances in the newly developed concert scene in Restoration London. From 1690-1695 he wrote music for more than forty plays.

Aphra Behn (1640-1689) was one of the first professional female authors in England. She had worked for King Charles II as a spy during the Second Dutch War and endured debtor’s prison before becoming a successful author of poetry, plays and novels. Her poetry made her famous in her time and only John Dryden‘s plays were produced more often. The source material for this production comes from her three volumes, Love-Letters Between a Noble-Man and his Sister (1684)), Love Letters From a Noble Man to his Sister (1685), and The Amours of Philander and Silvia (1687).

Julie Lyn Barber holds a Masters degree in Opera and Music Theatre, has performed at numerous venues throughout the U.S. and Canada as an actor and singer, and is gaining recognition as an Early Music (Music composed before 1800) Specialist. She recently served as stage director for the Bloomington Early Music Festival’s educational opera, Inside Scarlatti’s ‘Tigrane.’ as well as for Early Music Muncie’s inaugural production of Dido and Aeneas. In 2004, she was the recipient of an Astral Career Grant from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts to attend the prestigious Vancouver Early Music Festival’s Baroque Vocal Workshop where she studied with Ellen Hargis. This year she was a finalist in the Bel Canto Regional Artist Competition.  Barber’s voice has been described as “crystal clear” and “silvery” with “brilliant coloratura” , “a great affinity for early music” and “sensitive renderings”.

Amy Riffle-Kouyeas has a Masters degree in piano performance and  is staff accompanist at Taylor University in Upland, IN.  She is also a busy teacher of private piano students and organist / music director of a church in Hartfod City, IN.

For more information, contact Julie Lyn Barber at 765-212-9198 .

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