The Block

Martha Guth & Amy Petrongelli, classical sopranos

Saturday, December 17th, 7:30 pm

Doors and bar open at 6:45 pm

$25 and up

$10 student tickets

Buy Tickets

Vocalists Martha Guth and Amy Petrongelli are joined by collaborative pianist Blair Salter to present a wide-array of classical holiday song at The Block. Pieces include Purcell’s “Sound the Trumpet,” Barber’s “St. Ita’s Vision,” Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” Ravel’s “Noël des jouets” and more. Join us as these two classically-trained sopranos present a very special evening of unique and stirring holiday works.

MARTHA GUTH
Soprano Martha Guth brings consummate musicianship, intelligence and a distinctive tonal palette to a wide range of musical styles. A much-sought-after concert soloist, her repertoire includes soprano 1 in Mozart’s C Minor Mass (New York’s Sacred Music in a Sacred Space in St. Ignatius Loyola Cathedral and Columbus, Ohio’s ProMusic Chamber Orchestra), Orff’s Carmina Burana (West Michigan, Mobile, Lima Symphonies, Florida Orchestra), the Brahms Requiem (Washington, D.C.’s Cathedral Choral Society, New York’s Voices of Ascension, Grand Rapids’ Calvin College), Britten’s Spring Symphony (Choral Society of Durham), Händel’s Messiah (Santa Fe Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington, Kentucky), Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Columbia Pro Cantare and Gloriae Dei Cantores), Mahler’s Second Symphony (Evansville Philharmonic) and Fourth Symphony (Flagstaff Symphony) , Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Fort Wayne Philharmonic) and Missa solemnis (Bachakademie Stuttgart), Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate (Hamilton Philharmonic) and Concert Arias (Germany’s Bad Reichenhaller Philharmonie), Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été (Canadian Opera Company orchestra), Haydn’s Die Schöpfung (New Mexico Symphony) and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater (Spokane Symphony). Forthcoming from Naxos is her recording of Roberto Sierra’s Beyond the Silence of Sorrow with Maximiano Valdés conducting the Puerto Rico Symphony. In addition, she has collaborated with John Nelson, Helmuth Rilling, and both Seiji Ozwa and Robert Spano at Tanglewood and been guest soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony.

A persuasive actress, Ms. Guth scored a big success as Frau Fluth in the Boston Midsummer Opera’s recent production of Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Past operatic forays include Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro(Countess) and Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) at Opera Lyra Ottawa; the same composer’s Die Zauberflöte (Pamina) and Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Konstanze) in Göggingen, Germany; the title role of Händel’s Alcina in Lucca, Italy; Lauretta in Bizet’s Dr. Miracle and Norina in Don Pasquale with the Santa Fe Opera (the latter on tour as a past apprentice of the company), and Alyce in Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied at New York’s Chelsea Opera, which she reprises in the 2015-16 season.

A model collaborator, Ms. Guth has earned special distinction for her passionate devotion to recital and chamber repertoire, earning First Prize at the 2007 Wigmore Hall International Song Competition in London. She has been welcomed at Wigmore Hall with pianist Graham Johnson, offered recitals in New York with Dalton Baldwin and Malcolm Martineau, and MusicFest Vancouver with Erika Switzer, with whom she co-hosts an online magazine Sparks and Wiry Cries (http://www.sparksandwirycries.com) featuring live and recorded performances and discussions with singers, pianists and composers. She also curates the Casement Fund Song Series in New York City.

Martha Guth was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. She holds an undergraduate degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a Master’s from the Cincinnati College/Conservatory of Music, and a post-graduate degree from the Hochschule für Musik in Augsburg/Nürnberg where she studied with Edith Wiens.

AMY PETRONGELLI
Amy Petrongelli has been heralded as a soprano who “commands all attention and focus with her phenomenal presence, choreography and voice.” In 2013, Amy had her debut at Carnegie Hall as the soprano soloist for Haydn’s Creation, and was a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Ma. in 2011 and 2012. Recent performances include Schwantner’s Sparrows with the Contemporary Directions Ensemble, Boulez’s Improvisation sur Mallarme I & II with the UM Percussion Ensemble, and an art song recital in Brooklyn, NY as part of the Casement Fund Recital Series.

This past year, Amy became a founding member of the Khemia Ensemble, a new music ensemble which focuses on promoting cultural exchange through the commissioning and performance of contemporary classical music. In August of 2015, Khemia embarked on their first international tour where they were the ensemble-in-residence at several universities in Colombia and Argentina. Khemia is a member of the Cayambis Music Press Artist Program. Additionally, Amy is a member of Audivi Vocem, a small vocal ensemble which performs music ranging from the fifteenth century to world premieres by leading choral composers.

Past operatic roles include Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Amy in Little Women, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Amy has appeared as a soloist with the Windsor Classic Chorale, the Dearborn Symphony, Vivo Sinfonetta, and the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble and University Choirs. Amy has had the privilege of working with renowned musicians such as Martin Katz, Lucy Shelton, Dawn Upshaw, Kathleen Kelly, Samuel Ramey, Kayo Iwama, Alan Smith, Howard Watkins, and John Harbison.

A passionate educator, Amy has maintained a private studio since 2005, and has taught at the University of Michigan, the University of Akron, Eastern Michigan University and Saginaw Valley State University. She holds degrees from Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan, and is currently working toward a DMA in Voice Performance at Michigan, where she studies with Carmen Pelton. Amy can be found running, reading, and cooking in Ann Arbor, MI with her euphonium playing husband.

Martha Guth & Amy Petrongelli, classical sopranos

Saturday, December 17th, 7:30 pm

Doors and bar open at 6:45 pm

$25 and up

$10 student tickets

About

Vocalists Martha Guth and Amy Petrongelli are joined by collaborative pianist Blair Salter to present a wide-array of classical holiday song at The Block. Pieces include Purcell’s “Sound the Trumpet,” Barber’s “St. Ita’s Vision,” Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” Ravel’s “Noël des jouets” and more. Join us as these two classically-trained sopranos present a very special evening of unique and stirring holiday works.