ARTISTIC DIRECTORS:
Alison d'Amato
Aaron Engebreth
ARTISTIC ADVISORS:
Karl Paulnack
Director, Music Division
Boston Conservatory
Ned Rorem
Composer
Chad Smith
Artistic Administrator
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Paul Sperry
Lyric Tenor
Music Director, Joy in Singing
Artistic C0-Directors
Who we are
Founded in 2001, Florestan Recital Project promotes song repertoire in concerts, masterclasses, and educational residencies. By combining a dynamic core ensemble of committed artists with meticulous research and programming, Florestan has delighted audiences with a wide range of both established and unfamiliar repertoire. Our guest artists are singers and pianists who regularly perform with leading opera companies, orchestras, and festivals around the world. Now in its tenth season, Florestan Recital Project has emerged as a premier presenter of song collaborations in North America
Florestan Recital Project takes its name from the fiery character of Florestan, one of the creative alter egos of composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856). In addition to composing approximately 150 songs that are cornerstones of the genre, Schumann left an immense legacy of music and writings, and he invented the revolutionary character of Florestan as a voice for many of his most impetuous and passionate works. Florestan’s aim is to manifest that same passion in exploring the full spectrum of song repertoire, drawing from a wealth of old and new music to create timely and exciting programs for audiences.
Highlights of Florestan’s seasons include:
• An acclaimed presentation of Schumann’s Dichterliebe in collaboration with Maine State Ballet, with original choreography by Artistic Director Linda Miele.
• Guest artists at the 2011 AmBul Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria. Performances include the European premiere of Libby Larsen’s The Strange Case of Dr. H. H. Holmes, commissioned by Florestan in 2010.
• Yearly commissions and world premieres of new song sets as part of Florestan’s mission to enhance the canon of song. Recent commissions include works by Libby Larsen, Stephen Paulus, Robert Pound, and Thea Musgrave.
• American Vanguard Festival, March 4-7, 2010: “A Landscape of American Song.” Florestan hosted a four-day
festival of American song that explored the myriad styles and influences that shape today’s American song repertoire, and
celebrated the collaborations between performers, poets, and composers that drive its evolution.
• BarberFest: The Complete Songs of Samuel Barber, as part of the 2009 Voice of America Festival in collaboration with Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Tufts University under the direction of Gil Rose. In addition to Barber’s published songs, the festival featured many of his previously unheard unpublished songs, which were obtained by special permission from the U.S. Library of Congress and Barber’s estate.
• A coveted 3-year appointment as “Musical Artists in Residence” at Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA). Working with faculty, Florestan developed interdisciplinary performance and teaching projects to the college community.
• Acclaimed performances of Ned Rorem’s evening-length song cycle, Evidence of Things Not Seen. Mr. Rorem directly assisted in the preparation of the Boston premiere, praising Florestan’s performance as ‘exemplary and definitive.’
• Co-presentations with the American and Bulgarian Music Festival, San Francisco Song Festival, Emmanuel Music, ETHOS New Music, and the 2004 Nadia Boulanger conference at the American Music Research Center in Boulder, CO.