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Mead Witter School of Music Guest Artist Series

Jamie-Rose Guarrine, soprano
Martha Fischer, piano
Karl Knapp, cello

Present New Songs from New England

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Program 

Three Mountain Hymns    Alice Parker (1925-2023)
1. I Will Arise, hymn by Robert Robinson, Restoration setting by Alice Parker
2. O Thou, In Whose Presence, hymn by Joseph Swain, Samanthra setting by Alice Parker
3. Mansions In The Skies, hymn by Isaac Watts, Pisgah setting by Alice Parker

Setting Sail      Juliana Hall (b. 1958), poem by Emily Dickinson

I never saw a Moor, from At Last, To Be Identified    Richard Pearson Thomas (b. 1957), poem by Emily Dickinson

“A Friendly Visit”     Scott Gendel (b.1977), poetry by Robert Frost
1. Acquainted with the Night
2. A Time to Talk
3. A Line-Storm Song
4. The Rose Family

Intermission

“Take the Apple”     Gregory W. Brown (b.1974), poetry by Charlie Pratt
1. Harvest
2. The Gift

Though love be a day      Gwyneth Walker (b.1947), poetry by E.E. Cummings and Gwyneth Walker
I. thy fingers make early flowers
II. lily has a rose
III. after all white horses are in bed
IV. maggie and millie and molly and may
V. Still

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Soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine is acclaimed for her “utterly thrilling, agile voice” and praised for bringing “pathos, beauty, and heartbreaking skill” to her performances. She has performed on the stages of Los Angeles Opera, Minnesota Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Chicago Opera Theater, Austin Opera, Utah Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and on the concert stage with the Madison Symphony, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, The National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, and the Santa Fe Symphony, among many others.

An accomplished interpreter of Mozart opera, Guarrine has been seen at the Austin, Utah, Minnesota, and the Florentine Operas in her signature role of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and “delivered a lovely Pamina, singing with warmth, depth, and relaxed power” in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Additional career highlights include Poppea in Handel’s Agrippina at Opera Omaha, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera Saratoga, and a return to Minnesota Opera for Strauss’ Arabella, where she “traversed the Fiakermilli’s coloratura flights with ease and clarity” (Opera News).

Her diverse performance repertoire ranges from the masterworks of Bach, Handel, and Mozart, to modern works such as the roles of Xanthe/Aphrodite in Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata and Maria Celeste Philip Glass’ Galileo Galilei. In the fall of 2017 she created the role of “Fury” in Julian Wachner’s Rev.23 for performances in Boston at John Hancock Hall, New York at Trinity Wall Street, and National Sawdust in Brooklyn. Dr. Guarrine’s debut album, Transparent Boundaries: Songs Set to the Words of Dickinson, Whitman & Emerson, featuring newly commissioned works by Lori Laitman, Daron Hagen, and Scott Gendel, debuted in 2020 on the PARMA label and all streaming platforms, and was featured in numerous publications including Gramophone Magazine. She is frequently seen in concert, as a collaborator at chamber music festivals, and in recital, and proudly serves as Associate Professor of Voice at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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Martha Fischer is professor of piano at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Music, where she heads the collaborative piano program. A sought-after accompanist and chamber musician, she has performed throughout the United States and Europe with many internationally recognized singers and instrumentalists. In a review of Fischer’s recording with trombonist Mark Hetzler, American Voices II, American Record Guide wrote: “At least half of the credit for these superb readings must go to her, for she is a marvelous pianist, profound interpreter, and expert collaborator.”

Fischer and her husband, UW-Madison emeritus piano professor Bill Lutes, frequently collaborate in concerts of two-piano and piano duet literature. Their interpretation of Schubert’s “Fantasie in F minor” was described by the Washington Post as “an energetic performance bursting with heartfelt intensity.” Together they have presented all-Schubert concerts of lieder, vocal ensembles and piano music in the style of the original “Schubertiads,” with series in Boston and Washington DC. Recently they premiered a two-piano work, Stray Dogs, written for them by distinguished American composer Lee Hoiby. Singers as well as pianists, Fischer and Lutes have toured North America with their revue Innocent Merriment: An Evening of Gilbert and Sullivan. Fischer has also presented unique recitals of art song in which she accompanies herself in the tradition of the French singer Jane Bathori.

In addition to the CD recital with trombonist Mark Hetzler, Fischer has recorded Schubert’s song cycles Winterreise and Die Schoene Mullerin with baritone Paul Rowe; Reverie with tubist John Stevens; Four Elements: Works for Horn and Piano by Female Composers with hornist Lin Foulk, a CD of short works for euphonium and piano with Demondrae Thurman, and a program of trumpet and piano works with John Aley. Fischer has also recorded a CD of songs to texts of Emily Dickinson, Between the Bliss and Me, with soprano Julia Faulkner and is in the process of recording the complete works for two pianists by Robert Schumann, with Bill Lutes.

A dedicated teacher, Ms. Fischer has presented papers and served on national panels devoted to the pedagogy of collaborative piano. Her work as collaborative pianist has taken her to international festivals, symposia, and competitions in Sweden, France, and Costa Rica. Fischer has served as Artistic and Music Director of Opera for the Young, an organization dedicated to bringing fully staged professional operatic performances to school children throughout the nation. She has also served on the faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp.

A native of Plymouth, Michigan, Fischer holds degrees in piano from Oberlin College and the New England Conservatory of Music. Her teachers included Herbert Stessin, Jack Radunsky, Robert Shannon, Edith Oppens, and Victor Rosenbaum.

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Dr. Karl Knapp is a dynamic cellist, university professor, and dedicated Suzuki educator, recognized for his artistry as both a performer and teacher. His playing has been featured on the Navona Records label with Transparent Boundaries, a collaboration with his wife, soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine. Committed to expanding the repertoire for soprano and cello, they are currently working on a second album, set for release this coming winter, commissioning new works for the duo.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Knapp holds both a master’s and doctoral degree in cello performance, having studied cello with Parry Karp and received chamber music mentorship from the Pro Arte String Quartet. His dedication to music education extends to Suzuki pedagogy, where he has completed teacher training through Book 10 under the guidance of Barbara Wampner, Alice-Ann O’Neil, Nancy Hair, Pam Devenport, and Blake Brasch.

An active and versatile performer, Knapp serves as principal cellist of the New England Repertory Orchestra (NERO) and is a member of both the Wistaria and Cushman String Quartets. He also brings a fresh approach to cello performance as a member of 1200 Horsehairs: A Band of Cellos, a group that explores the instrument’s full expressive range. Additionally, he toured nationally as a cellist for Bernstein’s Wonderful Town.

In addition to his performing career, Knapp is a dedicated educator, serving on the cello faculty at Amherst College and Smith College while also maintaining a thriving private studio of pre-college students. He previously served as professor of cello at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and has held cello positions with the Fairbanks Symphony, Juneau Symphony, and Madison Symphony Orchestra. His orchestral experience also includes performances with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra