$10 Cover @ the Door / Start 1pm / Doors 12:30pm / Seated Show
Sunday, March 26, 2023, 1:00PM at The Lilypad in Cambridge, classical mezzo-soprano Vanessa Moya will join pianist Liz Derstine to perform “The Lost Recital”.
This program was originally set to debut in April 2020 as Vanessa’s final undergraduate recital until COVID-19 halted live performances the month before. Until now, this program has been “lost” in the ether of her graduate studies.
Select pieces from Aaron Copland’s 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson are performed at different moments throughout the concert to highlight life on the brink of uncertainty as COVID-19 upended everything we knew.
Poulenc’s Chansons banalités explores his eclectic musical style as each melody wanders through its own series of changing tonal centers. Dvořák’s Zigeunermelodien sensitively sets Adolf Heyduk’s poetry about the Roma people, implying that their lives were like that of any other group of people.
Closing the program is a scene from Mark Adamo’s opera Little Women where Meg March convinces her sister, Jo March, to accept the current uncertainty of her life.
Vanessa Moya
Vanessa Moya is a Latina mezzo-soprano based in Boston who expertly sings music of both the past and present. A flexible artist comfortable in many styles and settings, she can regularly be seen and heard singing everything from contemporary opera to Handel oratorios.
Vanessa has performed across all eras of operas, including the roles of Gertrude Stein (AfterLife), Dritte Dame and Dritte Knabe (Die Zauberflöte), Cornelia (Giulio Cesare in Egitto), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), and L’enfant (L’enfant et les sortilèges).
As an oratorio soloist, she has performed The Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and as Mercurius in a staged production of J.S. Bach’s Phoebus und Pan.
Her upcoming performances include Caroline Norton (Angels of the House), Candelas (El Amor Brujo), Third Lady (The Magic Flute), and Arsamene (Serse). She will also appear as an alto soloist for Stabat Mater (Pergolesi) with Boston Opera and Zarzuela.
Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Music from Stetson University and will graduate with her Master of Music from Longy School of Music of Bard College this May.
Liz Derstine
Liz Derstine is pianist and songwriter based in Boston, MA. While classically trained from a young age and through college, her musical journey took her into the realm of pop music, where she toured as a keyboardist and singer all over the world, playing in major rock venues and renowned festivals including Coachella and Lollapalooza. Her original music has been featured on MTV’s Awkward and Netflix’s Wednesday. Her playing style is informed by her versatile experiences and has been described as whimsical, playful, and graceful.
Liz is currently pursuing a Master of Music at Longy School of Music, where she is a Patricia Ostrander and Presidential Scholar, and Collaborative Piano Fellow.
-