Rockport Music: A Beethoven Finale

with the Rockport Festival Chorus
and Soloists: Erin Wagner, soprano | Emily Marvosh, mezzo-soprano | Daniel McGrew, tenor | Joseph Parrish, baritone

The Festival closes with a dramatic program devoted to Beethoven, culminating in a powerful piano arrangement of the Ninth Symphony performed by Stewart Goodyear with the Rockport Festival Chorus. The evening also features violinist Yura Lee in Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, uniting intimacy and grandeur in a stirring Festival finale.

PROGRAM
BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata, No. 7 in C minor
Intermission
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 (arr. piano, soloists, & chorus)

STEWART GOODYEAR, piano
Proclaimed “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times and “one of the best pianists of his generation” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished concert pianist, improviser and composer. Mr. Goodyear has performed with, and has been commissioned by, many of the major orchestras and chamber music organizations around the world.

Last year, Orchid Classics released Mr. Goodyear’s recording of his suite for piano and orchestra, “Callaloo” and his piano sonata. His recent commissions include an orchestral work for the Chineke! Orchestra, his Piano Quintet for the Penderecki String Quartet, and a piano work for the Honens Piano Competition. His suite for solo violin, “Solo” was recorded by violinist Miranda Cuckson on the Urlicht Audiovisual label, and his work for cello and piano, “The Kapak” was recording by cellist Inbal Segev on the Avie Records label.

Mr. Goodyear’s discography includes the complete sonatas and piano concertos of Beethoven, as well as concertos by Tchaikovsky, Grieg and Rachmaninov, an album of Ravel piano works, and an album, entitled “For Glenn Gould”, which combines repertoire from Mr. Gould’s US and Montreal debuts. His Rachmaninov recording received a Juno nomination for Best Classical Album for Soloist and Large Ensemble Accompaniment. Mr. Goodyear’s recording of his own transcription of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker (Complete Ballet)”, was chosen by the New York Times as one of the best classical music recordings of 2015. His discography is released on the Orchid Classics, Naxos, Analekta, Bright Shiny Things, Marquis Classics, and Steinway and Sons labels.

YURA LEE, violin
Violinist and violist Yura Lee is a multifaceted musician, renowned for her rare virtuosity on both instruments and for a career spanning three decades across the world’s major concert stages. She has performed as a soloist with leading orchestras including those of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Baltimore, and has given recitals at venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Musikverein, the Mozarteum, the Palais des Beaux-Arts, and the Concertgebouw.

At age twelve, Lee became the youngest recipient of NPR’s Performance Today Debut Artist of the Year award. She has since received numerous international honors, including an Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizes at the Mozart, Indianapolis, Hannover, Kreisler, Bashmet, Paganini, and ARD Competitions. Her recording Mozart in Paris received the Diapason d’Or Award.

An active chamber musician, Lee appears regularly at festivals including Marlboro, Verbier, Salzburg, and Seattle, and is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Boston Chamber Music Society. She is Professor of Violin and Viola at USC’s Thornton School of Music.

Daniel McGrew, Tenor
Tenor Daniel McGrew, praised for his “lovely, nuanced tenor” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), performs a wide range of repertoire spanning opera, musical theatre, early music, and contemporary works. A dedicated recitalist, he has appeared with Brooklyn Art Song Society, New York Festival of Song, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the University Musical Society. His New York and Washington, D.C. recital debuts were presented by Young Concert Artists. McGrew has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Morgan Library, and Marlboro and Tanglewood festivals, and as soloist with ensembles including the Boston Pops and Richmond Symphony. Upcoming appearances include recitals across the U.S. and performances with the Chattanooga and Salina Symphonies.

Joseph Parrish, baritone
Baritone Joseph Parrish, winner of the 2022 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, is a recipient of the 2024 Sullivan Grant, a third prize winner in the 2024 Opera Index Voice Competition, and a member of the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Project. Recent highlights include his New York recital debut at Merkin Hall and performances with MasterVoices, the Richmond Symphony, Musica Sacra, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He has appeared with Cincinnati Opera and made his European debut at the Salzburg Festival. An active concert artist, he performs widely across the U.S. and Europe.

Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner, praised for her “versatility and musical curiosity” (Opera News), is an alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Butler Studio, where she appeared in productions including The Wreckers, Salome, Madama Butterfly, and Le nozze di Figaro. She has performed with Wolf Trap Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Louisville Orchestra, and Maryland Symphony. A recipient of top honors from the Naumburg, Gerda Lissner, George London, and Young Concert Artists competitions, she is also an acclaimed recitalist, appearing at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and San Francisco Opera. A Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music graduate, she champions innovative and contemporary vocal repertoire.