Julie Lyn Barber, MM.

A musical monodrama featuring the music of England’s foremost Baroque composer of songs, Henry Purcell, and the dramatic presentation of letters from an Aphra Behn novel of the same era, presented as a solo theatre piece.

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.

The production is set in a Baroque drawing room, complete with scenery and costume appropriate to the era with accompaniment provided by baroque lute or harpsichord and cello or viola da gamba. Songs from the standard American repertoire of popular and theatre music from 1910 to 1950, accompanied by pianist, Darrin Murrell.

This is the music of the crooners, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, and more recently, Norah Jones and Michael Bouble, as well as musical theatre repertoire by some of the greatest broadway composers, including George Gershwin and Jerome Kern.   Featured composers include Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Jule Styne .

 

Selections include "Can't Help Lovin' That Man"  "Stardust" "I've Still Got My Health", "Come Rain or Come Shine", "The Boy Next Door" and many more.

 

 

A Recital of solo vocal repertoire accompanied by Guitar (Paul Reilly, guitarist).  This recital is comprised of songs written in English spanning four centuries from two countries, England and the United States.

English composers whose works are featured include renaissance lutenist, John Dowland, baroque theatre music master, Henry Purcell, and celebrated twentieth century composer, Benjamin Britten.

Popular twentieth century American composer Aaron Copland’s settings of folk songs and music by George Gershwin round out the evening which begins and ends with music that, in its day, was the “pop” music that was open to improvisation.