SFA voice professor presents 'Liederabend: An Evening of German Song'

Stephen F. Austin State University voice professor Scott LaGraff and pianist Andrew Hudson will perform a well-known works from the 19th century German song repertoire at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Baritone Scott LaGraff, Stephen F. Austin State University associate professor of voice, and pianist Andrew Hudson of Baylor University, will present "Liederabend: An Evening of German Song" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, in Cole Concert Hall.

The recital will feature some of the "great pieces from the German song (or 'Lieder') repertoire," explained LaGraff.

Included on the program is Franz Schubert's "Erlkönig (The Erl-King)," a "tour-de-force for both performers because it is one of the most challenging songs for the pianist and requires the singer to portray four different characters," explained LaGraff.

"Hugo Wolf's 'Der Feuerreiter (The Fire-Rider),' is another powerful and challenging ballad we'll be performing," LaGraff continued. "It tells the story of a firefighter whose obsession leads to his own demise."

The program also includes Robert Schumann's "Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love)."

"Lush and beautiful, the music takes us on a journey from new love to love lost, through grief to acceptance," LaGraff said.
LaGraff, who joined the SFA faculty in 2004, is a veteran of the operatic, concert and recital stage. He has appeared with Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamtom, N.Y.; Opera East Texas; and the Syracuse, Tulsa, Pensacola, Westchester Hudson and Ithaca opera companies.

His concert engagements include solo appearances with the Baton Rouge Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, Kingwod Chorale, Canterbury Choral Society, Ocean City Pops, Binghamton Pops, Syracuse Oratorio Society, and at Carnegie Hall with MidAmerica Productions.

Hudson, who holds degrees in piano performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the University of Texas at Austin, has performed with singers from around the world, including alumni of the Bayreuth, Leipzig, Metropolitan, New York City and Nice Operas, and the National Opera of Prague.

LaGraff and Hudson have been collaborating since 2000, presenting recitals throughout the Midwest and South. In 2009 they released a recording of American song, "Songs by Stephen Lias, Michael Patterson and Lee Hoiby," on the Centaur Records label.

The recital is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is a part of the 2011-2012 Cole Performing Arts Series. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. For tickets or more information, please go to www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.