Tickets
Individual Concert: SOLD OUT
Festival Pass (all three concerts): SOLD OUT
Please visit sagharborsongfestival.org for more info
We are thrilled to announce the return of our collaboration with the Sag Harbor Song Festival this September, after an immensely successful inaugural festival in September 2022.
Sag Harbor Song Festival 2023 will feature three concerts at The Church on successive days from Friday, September 22. Six opera stars, each a musician of great talent and accomplishment, will present a program of opera, musical theater, songs, and lieder.
The 2023 Festival will again be led by Artistic Director Brad Woolbright, who is working closely with Music Director Robert Tweten, and will also feature the highly regarded pianist John Arida.
MUSICAL PROGRAM
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Ah! mes amis (from La fille du régiment) | Donizetti
- Jack Swanson, tenor
Sole e amore | Puccini
Morire?
Terra e mare
- Alaysha Fox, soprano
Aleko’s Cavatina (from Aleko) | Rachmaninoff
- Brandon Cedel, bass-baritone
Vocalise, Op.34 | Rachmaninoff
- Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Songs of Travel | Vaughn-Williams
The Vagabond
Roadside Fire
Youth and Love
Bright is the Ring of Words
- Zachary Nelson, baritone
Da tempeste (from Giulio Cesare) | Handel
- Liv Redpath, soprano
Ah, taci ingiusto core (from Don Giovanni) | Mozart
- Jennifer Johnson Cano, Zachary Nelson & Brandon Cedel
Ariettes oubliées L.60 | Debussy
C’est l’extase
Il pleure dans mon coeur
L’ombre des arbres
Chevaux de bois
Green
Spleen
- Liv Redpath
Il est doux, il est bon (from Hérodiade) | Massenet
- Alaysha Fox
Una furtiva lagrima (from L’élisir d’amore) | Donizetti
- Jack Swanson
“Sinatra Songs”
(Love Is) The Tender Trap | Jimmy van Heusen & Sammy Cahn
Fly Me to the Moon | Bart Howard
Bang, Bang | Sonny Bono
That’s Life | Dean Kay & Kelly Gordon
- Zachary Nelson
The Tipsy Waltz (from La Périchole) | Offenbach
- Jennifer Johnson Cano
Brindisi (from La Traviata) | Verdi
- Alaysha Fox, Liv Redpath, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Jack Swanson, Zachary Nelson & Brandon Cedel
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Ritorna vincitor (from Aida) | Verdi
- Alaysha Fox, soprano
Sibilar gli angui d’Aletto (from Rinaldo) | Handel
- Brandon Cedel, bass-baritone
Tre Sonetti di Petrarca S. 270 | Liszt
Pace non trovo
Benedetto sia ‘l giorno
I’ vidi in terra
- Jack Swanson, tenor
Lieder Op. 27 | R. Strauss
Ruhe, meine Seele!
Cäcilie
Heimliche Aufforderung
Morgen!
- Alaysha Fox
The Presentation of the Rose (from Der Rosenkavalier) | R. Strauss
- Liv Redpath, soprano & Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Madamina (from Don Giovanni) | Mozart
- Zachary Nelson, baritone
Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix (from Samson et Delilah) | Saint-Saëns
- Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Botschaft | Brahms
Wir Wandelten
Feldeinsamkeit
Meine Liebe ist grün
- Brandon Cedel
Caro nome (from Rigoletto) | Verdi
- Liv Redpath, soprano
Venti scudi (from L’elisir d’amore) | Donizetti
- Jack Swanson & Zachary Nelson
The Light in the Piazza (from The Light in the Piazza) | Adam Guettel
- Liv Redpath
Somewhere (from West Side Story) | Bernstein
- Jennifer Johnson Cano
Sing to Love (from Die Fledermaus) | J. Strauss
- Alaysha Fox, Liv Redpath, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Jack Swanson, Zachary Nelson & Brandon Cedel
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Barcarolle (from The Tales of Hoffmann) | Offenbach
- Alaysha Fox, soprano & Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Old American Songs | Aaron Copland
Zion’s Walls
Simple Gifts
At the River
Ching-a-ring-chaw
- Brandon Cedel, bass-baritone
Three Salt-Water Ballads | Frederick Keel
Port of Many Ships
Trade Winds
Mother Carey
- Zachary Nelson, baritone
Marietta’s Lied (from Die tote Stadt) | Korngold
- Alaysha Fox
Rückert Lieder | Mahler
Ich atmet’ einen linden Duft
Liebst du um Schönheit
Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen
- Jennifer Johnson Cano
Glitter and Be Gay (from Candide) | Bernstein
- Liv Redpath, soprano
Tonight (from West Side Story) | Bernstein
- Liv Redpath & Jack Swanson, tenor
Being Alive | Sondheim
What a Wonderful World | Thiele & Weiss
Somewhere Over the Rainbow | Arlen
- Brandon Cedel
I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair | Stephen Foster
I Hear You Calling Me | Charles Marshall
Song to the Seals | Sir Granville Bantock
- Jack Swanson
Losing My Mind (from Follies) | Sondheim
- Alaysha Fox
Stars (from Les Misérables) | Claude-Michel Schönberg
- Zachary Nelson
Bring Him Home (from Les Misérables) | Claude-Michel Schönberg
- Jack Swanson
You’ll Never Walk Alone (from Carousel) | Rogers & Hammerstein
- Jennifer Johnson Cano
Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide) | Bernstein
- Alaysha Fox, Liv Redpath, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Jack Swanson, Zachary Nelson & Brandon Cedel
PERFORMER BIOS
Alaysha Fox
Soprano
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Soprano Alaysha Fox, based in Los Angeles, is a recent graduate of LA Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, where she performed the roles of the Female Chorus in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, and the High Priestess in Verdi's Aida. Last season she joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago, covering the role of Élisabeth de Valois in Verdi's Don Carlos. This season she makes her debut with Bard SummerScape, performing the role of Lady Clarence in Saint-Saëns’ rarely performed Henry VIII.
Her credits include the LA Philharmonic in Hindemith's Mörder, Hoffnung der Frauen, Opera Santa Barbara as Giorgetta in Puccini's Il Tabarro, the title role of Fauré's Pénélope at Opera Saratoga and The Santa Fe Opera in their recent production of Le Nozze di Figaro. Other assignments in her repertory include First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Lady Macbeth in Ernest Bloch's Macbeth, Sieglinde in Die Walküre and the title of Verdi's Aida.
Ms. Fox has received several musical awards in her emerging career: winner of the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition, and the Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Vocal Competition; grand finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; finalist in the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition; finalist in the Houston Grand Opera Concert of Arias; semi-finalist in the Elizabeth Connell International Singing Competition; and winner of the Lotte Lenya Emerging Artist Award.
An alumna of the Young Artist Programs of Chautauqua Opera, Opera Saratoga and The Santa Fe Opera, Ms. Fox holds both Bachelor and Master degrees in Music from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
More information at www.alayshafox.com.
Liv Redpath
Soprano
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During the 2023-24 season, soprano Liv Redpath will make debuts at the Royal Opera House singing the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Berliner Philharmoniker performing Schoenberg's Die Jakobsleiter under the baton of Kirill Petrenko, Metropolitan Opera singing Pamina in Julie Taymor's production of The Magic Flute, The English Concert in Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea led by Harry Bicket, San Diego Symphony with Music Director Rafael Payare to perform Mozart's motet Exsultate, jubilate K. 165 to open their season, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France to sing Barber's Knoxville: "Summer of 1915" conducted by Barbara Hannigan, and Atlanta Opera as Tytania in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ms. Redpath also returns to the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest for Poulenc's Stabat Mater led by Stéphane Denève. In the summer of 2023, she will essay the role of Tytania in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with director Peter Hall and Dalia Staseveska conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Glyndebourne Festival and sing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis at Aix en Provence with Balthazar Neumann Ensemble and Choir conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock.
Recent engagements have included the Bayerische Staatsoper, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Komische Oper Berlin, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bregenzer Festspiele, Seattle Symphony, The Santa Fe Opera, Cleveland Orchestra, La Monnaie/De Munt, and she has collaborated with conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Fabio Luisi, Vasily Petrenko, Vladimir Jurowski, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Alain Altinoglu, Alan Gilbert, William Christie, Emmanuel Villaume, Barbara Hannigan, Lothar Koenigs, and Christophe Rousset.
Ms. Redpath is a graduate of Harvard University and The Juilliard School. More information at www.livredpath.com.
Jennifer Johnson Cano
Mezzo-soprano
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A naturally gifted singer known for her commanding stage presence and profound artistry, Jennifer Johnson Cano has garnered critical acclaim for committed performances of both new and standard repertoire. In response to her performance as Virginia Woolf in The Hours with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera News praised her “impressive tone and dead-on pitch throughout a wide range, and a fierce command of words,” calling her “a matchless interpreter of contemporary opera.” The New York Times noted her “mellow sobriety — and, in Woolf’s darkest moments, stricken intensity.” As Offred in Poul Ruders’s The Handmaid’s Tale she was lauded by the Times as “towering...restless, powerful, profound, she is as formidable as this astonishingly demanding role deserves." With more than 100 performances on the stage at The Metropolitan Opera, her most recent roles have included Nicklausse, Emilia, Hansel and Meg Page.
Her debut recital recording with pianist Christopher Cano, Unaffected: Live from the Savannah Voice Festival, was recorded live and unedited. Recent recordings include a live performance of Beethoven 9 with Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony as well as Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 Jeremiah with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Cano joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and made her Met debut during the 2009-10 season. Among her honors are Winner of the Young Concert Artist International Auditions, a Sara Tucker Study Grant, a Richard Tucker Career Grant and a George London Award. More information at www.jenniferjohnsoncano.net
Jack Swanson
Tenor
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Stillwater, Minnesota native Jack Swanson is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after young tenors in the opera world. His distinctive high lyric voice is known for singing the acrobatic arias of Rossini and the legato melodies of Donizetti.
In the 2023-2024 season Mr. Swanson makes major debuts with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, the Houston Grand Opera as Fenton in Falstaff and returns to the Norwegian Opera for Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte and Don Ramiro. He will perform in recital in Montreal with John Arida. Future engagements include debuts at the Metropolitan Opera and the Staatsoper Hamburg and a return to the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, all in leading roles.
Last season Jack Swanson premiered the title role in Paola Prestini’s Edward Tulane with the Minnesota Opera, made debuts with the Austin Opera as Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, the Utah Opera as Tonio in La Fille du Régiment (a role debut, as well) and the Atlanta Opera as the titlerole in Candide. In concert the tenor joined the Houston Symphony for Mozart’s Requiem with Itzhak Perlman conducting and performed in recital with Matinee Musicale in Duluth, MN.
Prior to that Jack Swanson debuted with several European companies: in Torino as Almaviva, in Nancy as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (a role debut) and in Strasbourg as Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte (a role he had just debuted in Frankfurt). In the summer he returned to the Santa Fe Opera in his signature role of Almaviva.
More information at www.jackswansontenor.com.
Zachary Nelson
Baritone
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Zachary Nelson, a native of Annapolis, Maryland, studied vocal performance at The Catholic University of America, and later the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.
His 2022-2023 season includes role debuts as Alberich in Das Rheingold with Atlanta Opera, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with the Lubbock Symphony and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Florentine Opera and Opera San Antonio. He also sang the role of Leporello in Don Giovanni with North Carolina Opera, and further ahead, makes returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago and Santa Fe Opera. During the 2021-2022 season, Zachary was engaged with Lyric Opera of Chicago for its production of L’Elisir d’Amore, sang Marcello in La Bohème with both New Orleans Opera and the Jacksonville Symphony, and made his role debut as the title role in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd with Des Moines Metro Opera.
Zachary Nelson was an ensemble member at Semperoper Dresden, where roles included Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marcello in La Bohème, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Guglielmo in a new production of Così Fan Tutte. He has sung a number of roles for Santa Fe Opera, including the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, and Marcello in La Bohème. Additional career credits include: Donner in Das Rheingold, Marcello in La Bohème with Lyric Opera of Chicago; and Escamillo in Carmen with Den Norske Opera in Oslo, Canadian Opera Company and San Francisco Opera.
More information at www.zacharynelsonbaritone.com
Brandon Cedel
Bass-barritone
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American bass-baritone Brandon Cedel is a recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and was an ensemble member of Oper Frankfurt from 2016-2019.
Highlights in his 2022/23 season include Dan Brown in the Metropolitan Opera's new production of The Hours; a revival of the title role in Hercules at Karlsruhe Handel Festival; the title role in Don Giovanni for Atlanta Opera, and a return to the Glyndebourne Festival to sing Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. On the concert platform, he sings Levite in a tour of Solomon with the English Concert under Harry Bicket and in the St. Matthew Passion with Music of the Baroque under Dame Jane Glover.
Recent appearances include the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro for the Glyndebourne Festival; the title role in Hercules for the Karlsruhe Handel Festival; Dan Brown in the world premiere of The Hours with the Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Zuniga in Carmen for the Chicago Opera Theater; Masetto in Don Giovanni for the Metropolitan Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Leporello in Don Giovanni and Argante in Rinaldo for the Glyndebourne Festival; Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia for the Boston Lyric Opera; the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro for Opera Philadelphia and the Stuttgart Staatsoper and Colline in La Bohème and Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for the Canadian Opera Company.
His many roles for Oper Frankfurt include Masetto; Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte; Lieutenant Ratcliffe in Billy Budd; Argante; Ariodate in Xerxes; Cesare Angelotti in Tosca; Brander in La Damnation de Faust and Achior in Mozart’s La Betulia Liberata. More information at www.brandoncedel.com.
Brad Woolbright
Artistic Director
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Following receipt of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dance from Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville), Brad Woolbright interned at The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, leading to an invitation to spend a summer at The Santa Fe Opera. Woolbright retired from The Santa Fe Opera in December 2020, following 43 years with the Company, the last several serving as Director of Artistic Administration. During his tenure at Santa Fe he was involved in the presentation of over 40 American and World Premieres, including the GRAMMY® nominated recording of Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain and the GRAMMY® Award Winning Best Opera Recording of Mason Bates and Mark Campbell's opera, (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. He has served as a judge of numerous vocal competitions including the Richard Tucker Award and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Robert Tweten
Music Director
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Robert Tweten has performed extensively as both a pianist and conductor throughout the USA and his native Canada, and currently holds the positions of Head of Music Staff for The Santa Fe Opera, and Music Director of Graduate Opera Studies for the New England Conservatory.
Robert began his career as a soloist after winning competitions including the Canadian National Piano Championship and the du Maurier Search for Stars, but quickly found his affinity and passion for collaborating with singers, and has gone on to perform with many of the industry’s most prominent singers throughout North America and Europe.
During his tenure with The Santa Fe Opera, Tweten has been on the podium for six productions, most recently stepping in during the 2022 season for three performances of Falstaff. Other companies he has collaborated with include: Utah Opera/Symphony, where he has conducted sixteen productions since his debut in 2005; Lyric Opera of Chicago; Calgary Opera; Vancouver Opera; Florentine Opera; Opera San Antonio; Kentucky Opera; Edmonton Opera; Dayton Opera; Austin Lyric Opera; Tulsa Opera; and Sarasota Opera.
The 2022/2023 season found Tweten conducting the North American premiere of Roberto Scarcella Perino’s Furiosus, performances of Die Zauberflöte and L’Arbore di Diana at NEC, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with Utah Opera, and curating the programs and performing recitals for Performance Santa Fe’s 2023 Festival of Song.
Robert is thrilled to act as Musical Director for Sag Harbor Song Festival 2023 after being part of its successful inaugural season. More information at www.roberttweten.com.
John Arida
Festival Pianist
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Pianist and coach John Arida has been praised as “an ardent accompanist… catching fire in the accompaniments and in the solo piece” (The Washington Post.) The Philadelphia Inquirer heralded his interpretative prowess, proclaiming that “Arida was the great source illuminating text” and that his “…touch was just right.” His relationships with some of classical music’s most esteemed performers have led to international recital engagements across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Notable venues include Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, the Aspen Music Festival and Tanglewood. Arida’s 2023/2024 season includes recital appearances with Julia Bullock, Isabel Leonard, Samantha Hankey, Jack Swanson and a tour with American Modern Opera Company performing Christian Reif’s arrangement of John Adams’ El Niño.
Beyond the concert stage, Arida has assisted many notable conductors and has been a member of the music staff of several U.S. companies and festivals including Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Central City Opera, Virginia Opera and the Juilliard School.
John has recorded two albums with frequent collaborator mezzo soprano Megan Marino. Their most recent album It’s You I Like was released on Lexicon Classics with songs that celebrate childhood.
Arida has held fellowships at the Aspen Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West. He holds a master’s degree in collaborative piano from The Juilliard School and a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from SUNY Purchase. While maintaining a private studio in New York City, John is currently a full-time faculty member in the Vocal Arts division at the Juilliard School.