Early Music Duo to Perform for Lecture-Concert Series, Sept. 29
JONESBORO – Arkansas State University's Lecture-Concert Series will feature a musical program presented by the Lemos/Fox Early Music Duo Monday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Recital Hall, 2412 Quapaw Way.
Countertenor José Lemos and theorbist/Baroque guitarist Deborah Fox will present an evening of early music performed on period instruments.
Lemos, a countertenor, is internationally noted for his concert and opera performances.
Fox is the artistic director and founder of Pegasus Early Music, the early music concert series in Rochester, N.Y. She has performed with major early music ensembles and festivals worldwide.
The event is supported by the A-State Diversity Initiatives Program, the Department of Music, the SCI Chapter, the College of Fine Arts, the A-State Guitar Guild, and the Multicultural Center, according to Dr. Tim Crist, chair of the Lecture-Concert Committee. Admission is free to all events in the Lecture-Concert Series.
"This is an exciting opportunity for our community to experience the wonderful art of early music," commented Dr. Sarah Jones-Hayes, instructor of violin and viola in A-State's Department of Music. "Attending a live performance on period instruments is a unique and exciting experience that helps us to understand the context in which the music was written. Students have the chance to hear the early music they're studying performed in a historically informed manner. I hope every student takes advantage of this presentation."
José Lemos
Born in Brazil, Lemos earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the College of Charleston and a master’s degree in opera performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
Lemos’s operatic career has been widely praised for his performances in a variety of roles including recent appearances as Narcisco in "Agrippina" at Vlaamse Opera in Ghent, Belgium, and Policare in Alessandro Scarlatti’s "Il Tigrane" at the Opéra de Nice.
As a concert artist, Lemos has sung in performances of Mozart’s "Krönungsmesse" at Carnegie Hall and Carl Orff’s "Carmina Burana" in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.
Pursuing his loves for early music and Baroque repertory, he has toured extensively as a guest member of the Baltimore Consort and has been a regular collaborator with early music ensembles.
Deborah Fox
With a span of repertoire ranging from Medieval to Baroque music, Fox is acclaimed as a soloist, chamber player, and continuo artist in Baroque opera.
Having graduated cum laude from Smith College prior to earning her master's in music, studying classical guitar, from Southern Methodist University, Fox received the certificate of advanced studies in early music from the Guildhall School of Music in London, where she specialized in 17th century improvisatory accompaniment practices.
A frequent presence in productions of Baroque operas and early music festivals throughout the world, she is also a regular member of the Baroque chamber music ensemble Fioritura.
The Lecture-Concert Series brings notable guest speakers and performers of diverse backgrounds and wide appeal to the campus, according to Crist. For more details about the series, individuals may contact Crist, tcrist@astate.edu, (870) 972‑2094.
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