| U of M Alumni Association | U of M Twin Cities |
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1/23/2002 5:05 PMAn unusual and dramatic variation on the voice recital and a chance to hear a performer called "one in a million" by her renowned professor comes to the University's Ted Mann Concert Hall February 1. St. Paul native KrisAnne Weiss, a mezzo soprano and doctoral student in the U s School of Music, will perform 17 "art songs," classical-style works written for recital rather than as part of an opera. Between songs, music professor Glenda Maurice will read poetry or other creative text in a format she pioneered during her own illustrious singing career. Weiss says the format has the personal feeling of a solo recital, but "becomes more like a piece of theater [with a] dramatic trajectory and cohesiveness." Weiss has been singing for about 20 years, since she joined the St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church choir at the age of 6. She went to Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, not planning to major in music, but so enjoyed the voice classes she took that she added a vocal music degree to her English studies. After graduating magna cum laude, Weiss enrolled in a two-week intensive voice institute with Maurice. "I got a big dose of Glenda in a very short time," Weiss says. The two "saw eye to eye" on music and training, an important consideration because voice study is "an intensely collaborative process," she adds. Maurice recognized Weiss's talent immediately; in nominating her for a graduate school fellowship she gave Weiss "the highest talent evaluation I've ever given." A few years ago, after a career that included dozens of recordings and hundreds of performances across North America and Europe, illness forced Maurice to retire from performing. In Weiss, she has found a similar voice and "a talent worth making a big investment in," Maurice says. "One of the fun things about getting to this stage of a teaching career is finding a singer of your vocal type to whom you can pass things along." Several of the songs in the recital were written for Maurice and never published. While others are by well-known composers like Aaron Copland and Benjamin Britten, a few pieces have never been performed in Minnesota. That appeals to a side of Weiss that enjoys obscure and unusual works. "There's this dorky side of me that likes to go to the library and research things that nobody else is doing," she says. As to pressure of being called a "one in a million," Weiss is not concerned. "I deal with stress and pressure pretty well. I'm an unruffled person," she says. At 27, Weiss also knows she has perhaps a decade before she reaches performing maturity. "The progress I've been making in the past few years is really exciting. I'm interested to see where it will go." Chris Coughlan-Smith KrisAnne Weiss and Glenda Maurice perform February 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 Fourth St. S., on the West Bank of the Minneapolis campus. Admission is free. For more information, call 612-624-2345. | |||||||||||||
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