Musical Exploration featuring Michelle Fiertek in Spanish Songs.

Michelle Murray Fiertek, soprano, will present a program of songs by 19th and 20th century Spanish composers, accompanied by Daniel Hartington, guitar, and Stephen Scarlato, piano. Composers include Joaquin Rodrigo, Fernando Sor, Federico Garcia Lorca, Rodolfo Halffter, Frederic Mompou and Antón García Abril.

Watch a recently posted music video of Michelle Murray Fiertek and Daniel Hartington performing Nana de Sevilla by Federico García Lorca.

Canciones Españolas

Tres Canciones Españolas - Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Adela
En Jerez de la Frontera
De ronda

Seguidillas - Fernando Sor (1778-1839)
Si dices que mis ojos
Cesa de atormentarme
Muchacha, y la vergüenza
Las mujeres y cuerdas

Canciones Españolas Antiguas - Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936)
Anda, jaleo
Los cuatro muleros
Las morillas de Jaén
Nana de Sevilla
Los reyes de la baraja

Michelle Murray Fiertek, soprano
Daniel Hartington, guitar

INTERMISSION

Marinero en tierra - Rodolfo Halffter (1900-1987)
Qué altos los bancones
Casadita
Siempre que sueño las playas
Verano
Gimiendo por ver el mar

Combat del somni - Frederic Mompou (1893-1987)
  I. Damunt de tu només les flors
 II. Aquesta nit un mateix vent
III. Jo et pressentia com la mar

Canciones del jardín Secreto - Antón García Abril (b. 1933)
  I. Ausente de mis ojos (Baha Al-Din Zuhayr)
 II. Los dos amores (Rabia Al-Adawiyya)
III. Elegía a la pérdida de la Alhambra (Boabdil)
 IV. Te seguiré llorando (Al-Farzdaq)
  V. El jardín de Al-Andalus (Ben Jafacha)
 
Michelle Murray Fiertek, soprano
Stephen Scarlato, piano

Michelle Murray Fiertek

"de-DE">“An Embarrassing Position” (Shore).

In her early years, Michelle opened “The Voyage of the Little Mermaid” for Disney’s Hollywood Studios as one of the original Ariels. She went on to work as the lead singer aboard the S. S. Discovery I and, in 1995, became the first American singer to be invited to perform both Japanese and American music in Minakami, Japan. She has released two albums on the Summit Records label: Blue: The Complete Cabaret Songs of William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein, described as “exemplary” by BBC Music Magazine and named “CD of the week” by the Arizona Republic and KBAQ-FM, and The Juliet Letters. Michelle made her Carnegie Hall debut in December 2005 with a solo performance described as “First rate – engaging and authentic” in New York Concert Review.

A champion of Spanish art song, Michelle has studied under such famed musicians as pianist Miguel Zanetti and mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza in Granada, Spain as part of the celebrated Interpretation of Spanish Song program, as well as returned to the program in subsequent years as a guest artist. She has been a faculty and guest recital artist at venues across the country, and the featured soloist in many large-scale choral works, including Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Mass in C Minor, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach's B Minor Mass and Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum and Messiah. She holds two B.M. degrees from Arizona State University, an M.M. from California State University, Long Beach, and a D.M.A. in Vocal Performance from The Hartt School, University of Hartford. She currently serves on the voice faculty of The Hartt School, Hartt Community Division, and Manchester Community College.

Daniel Hartington

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Guitarist Daniel Hartington performs regularly as a soloist and extensively as part of a number of chamber ensembles. Recent solo performances include recitals throughout New England, as well as in several cities in Germany. He has been featured on numerous concert series including the North Meadow House Concert Series, the Mishi-maya-gat Spoken Word and Music Series, the Pierpont Concert Series, the Hill-Stead Museum Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, and the Connecticut Guitar Society.

Hartington’s chamber experience includes premier performances and recordings of several major works. In 2010, he was a member of the chamber orchestra which gave the premiere performance and recording of “The Calm Bee in the Busy Hive,” a guitar concerto written for Christopher Ladd by Robert Carl. Also in 2010, Hartington was a member of the guitar quartet that premiered three works by Thomas Schuttenhelm. In 2008 he was a member of the ensemble which premiered “A Coney Island of the Mind,” a song cycle by Anthony Cornicello on a text by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In 2009 he performed with flutist Gonzalo Cortes and violist Jessica Heller at the opening night of the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at The Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Conn., sharing the stage with former U.S. Poet Laureate, Robert Hass. As a member of Blackledge Music Inc., Hartington has performed at events such as the Ted Hershey Dance Marathon at the Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, Conn., and the Connecticut Dance Alliance performance showcase in a trio of guitar, flute, and dancer. 

Hartington also serves as director of the Connecticut Guitar Ensemble. Under his direction, this group of amateur guitarists has performed on stage with William Kanengiser (2009) and the Mark and Beverly Davis guitar duo (2010) and presented a series of concerts throughout central Connecticut. In recent performances the ensemble has performed in pre-concert events at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford, Conn., before renowned guitarist John Williams (2011), and before the Brazil Guitar Duo (2010). 

As a teacher Hartington maintains several studios, serving on the faculty of Eastern Connecticut State University, The University of Hartford’s Hartt School Community Division, and Miss Porter’s School. He completed graduate studies at The Hartt School with Richard Provost and undergraduate studies at the University of Rhode Island with Daniel Salazar Jr. He has performed in many master classes including classes with world-renowned guitarists William Kanengiser, David Russell, David Tannenbaum, and Oscar Ghiglia.

Stephen Scarlato

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Stephen Scarlato is a collaborative pianist and organist based in central Connecticut. He received his bachelor's degree in organ performance from The Hartt School, where he studied under Larry Allen.  While at The Hartt School, Scarlato received the University of Hartford's Regents Honors Award for academic excellence, won prizes in the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival/USA, was a finalist in Hartt's Performance 20/20 competition, and received the Ethel Greenberg scholarship for outstanding performance within the organ department. He graduated summa cum laude. He can be heard on several commercially available recordings, including the Valmarie Music cd The Ash Grove with soprano Julie M. Poole, and a collection of Chinese art songs entitled Infinite Time with baritone Chai-lun Yueh. In addition to a wide variety of freelance work, he currently serves as organist at Immanuel Congregational Church, and as a staff accompanist in The Hartt School's vocal studies division.