Day of Song

Large church hall / Zusterplein 12 / 3703 CB Zeist

Walk-in with coffee and tea

Large church hall / Zusterplein 12 / 3703 CB Zeist

Excludable Femininity - Female identity in art songs

Julia Kurig Yazaki, mezzo-soprano
Sofi Simeonidis, piano

In past centuries, being a woman was a reason for exclusion and discrimination. Even today, distinctions and restrictions based on sex and gender are commonplace - and music is no exception. It was much harder to be a musician or composer as a woman. Yet there have been many amazing, creative and intelligent women who have composed and created music. But their work is often forgotten and overshadowed by that of their male colleagues.

In this programme, Julia Kurig Yazaki and Sofi Simeonidis perform songs by composers and composers. Using the image of women created by men and reproduced in their songs, and of course works by women themselves, they aim to get to know forgotten and excluded artists and their music better.

Programme
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Heidenröslein D 257 (Goethe)

Ethel Smyth (1858-1944)
The Clown (Baring)

Anna Cramer (1873-1968)
'Blondhaar mein Lieb' (Kampmann)

Hanns Eisler (1898-1962)
Lied eines Freudenmädchens (from: 7 Lieder über die Liebe; Brecht)
Mariechen (from: Zeitungsausschnitte op. 11; Anonymous)
Heiratsannonce (Liebeslied eines Kleinbürgermädchens) (from: Zeitungsausschnitte op. 11; Anonymous)

Liza Lehmann (1862-1918)
If no one ever marries me (Alma-Tadema)

Dora Pejačević (1885-1923)
If du mich einst gefunden hast (from: Mädchengestalten op. 42; Rilke)
Viele Fähren sind auf den Flüssen (from: Mädchengestalten op. 42; Rilke)

Emilie Mayer (1812-1883)
Der Erlkönig (Goethe)

Alma Mahler-Werfel (1879-1964)
Die Stille Stadt (Dehmel)

Henrietta Bosmans (1895-1952)
La chanson des marins hâlés (Fort)

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979)
The Seal Man (Masefield)

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Doundou Tchil (from: Harawi; Messiaen)

Break

Large church hall / Zusterplein 12 / 3703 CB Zeist

Presentation concert ArtEZ Conservatory students

Rosa Ligtermoet, soprano
Aaike Nortier, mezzo-soprano
Carmen de Haan, alto mezzo-soprano
Wouter Munsterman, piano

Singing trio Tricolore consists of three ArtEZ students. During the Day of the Song, they will perform compositions inspired by the theme The future of music - Music of the future, with solo songs and trios. Wouter Munsterman, répétiteur at ArtEZ Conservatory of Music, takes a seat behind the grand piano.

Small church hall / Zusterplein 20 / 3703 CB Zeist

...Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen
sing-along concert

Cécile van de Sant, alto mezzo-soprano
Femke de Graaf, piano

Grab your chance and sing along delightfully with alto mezzo Cécile van de Sant and pianist Femke de Graaf. They have made a beautiful selection of top songs from the timeless German song repertoire. The duo will take you by the hand and lead you through the day, from early morning to evening and night, singing. After which, the sun will shine again the next morning.

The lyrics will be handed out on paper, so there is no need to bring anything with you except an appetite for singing. The sing-along concert is a special opportunity to sing great songs together. An experience never to be forgotten!

Programme
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Lachen und Weinen D 777 (Rückert)

Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Das verlassene Mägdlein (Mörike)

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Der Nussbaum op. 25/3 (Mosen)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Abendempfindung KV 523 (Campe)

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Vergebliches Ständchen op. 84/4 (anonymous)

Robert Franz (1815-1892)
Gute Nacht op. 5/7 (Eichendorff)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Wanderer's Nachtlied D 768 (Goethe)

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Waldesgespräch op. 39/3 (Eichendorff)

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Die Nacht op. 10/3 (von Gilm)

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Tomorrow! on. 27/4 (Mackay)

Break

Large church hall / Zusterplein 12 / 3703 CB Zeist

And then she said ...

Maria Portela Larisch, soprano
Jou-an Chen, piano

Playing and singing songs is a great way to learn about beautiful poetry and delve deeper into it. Through music, Larisch and Chen discovered the work of outstanding female poets and decided to dedicate a programme to these women. For despite major setbacks in their lives, they continued to write poetry and we can now learn about the world as they saw it. In German, French or English, they expressed their views on love, nature, life and death. To emphasise the importance of these poetesses, they are listed first in the programme. Let us listen to what they have to say.

Programme
Marianne von Willemer (1784-1860)
Was bedeutet die Bewegung (Schubert; D 720)
Ach um deine feuchten Schwingen (Mendelssohn; op. 34/4)

Elisabeth Kulmann (1808-1825)
Mond, meiner Seele Liebling (from: Sieben Lieder von Elisabeth Kulmann op. 104; Schumann)
Du nennst mich armes Mädchen (from: Sieben Lieder von Elisabeth Kulmann op. 104; Schumann)
Der Zeisig (from: Sieben Lieder von Elisabeth Kulmann op. 104; Schumann)

Louise de Vilmorin (1902-1969)
Reine des mouettes (from: Métamorphoses; Poulenc; FP 121)
Dans l'herbe (from: Fiançailles pour rire ; Poulenc; FP 101)
Il vole (from: Fiançailles pour rire; Poulenc; FP 101)

Karoline von Günderrode (1780-1806)
Hochrot (from: Das Rot; Rihm)

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Bee, I'm expecting you! (from: Six Poems of Emily Dickinson; Duke)
Heart, we will forget him (from: Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson; Copland)
Will there really be a morning (from: Three Dickinson Songs; Prévin)
Good Morning Midnight (from: Three Dickinson Songs; Prévin)

Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)
The Hour (from: The Metropolitan Tower and Other Songs; Laitman)
To a Loose Woman (from: The Metropolitan Tower and Other Songs; Laitman)

Barbara (1930-1997)
Dis, quand reviendras-tu? (Barbara)

Small church hall / Zusterplein 20 / 3703 CB Zeist

College Tour

Monique Krüs, composer
Leo Samama, musicologist and moderator
Student duo Maastricht Academy of Music

This year's College Tour consists of two parts. Leo Samama, chairman of Friends of the Song, briefly interviews composer Monique Krüs. Afterwards, Krüs will work with a duo from the Lieder class of the Maastricht Academy of Music on one of her own songs. A unique opportunity for the students to work with a composer who is still alive and a special experience for the audience.

Break

Large church hall / Zusterplein 12 / 3703 CB Zeist

LiedLab
song recital

Students Utrecht Conservatoire

Innovation and inspiration are found through experimentation. During Friends of the Song's theatrical, vocal series LiedLab, students are given free rein in shaping a short recital. Every year, it is a surprise what the audience will see and hear. This year, students of the Utrecht Conservatory of Music are hosting this experimental concert.

Small church hall / Zusterplein 20 / 3703 CB Zeist

Lili Boulanger: Clairières dans le ciel

Dinant Krouwel, musicologist

In 1914, Lili Boulanger composed a grand and impressive 13-part cycle on texts by the then famous poet Francis Jammes. His texts are also encountered by composers such as Durey, Honegger, Jolivet and Milhaud. In his lecture, Dinant Krouwel will take two songs from Clairières dans le ciel under the microscope: Par ce que j'ai souffert and Je garde une médaille d'elle. This eleventh and twelfth song beautifully portray this poignant cycle in which love and suffering vie for precedence. Both works are also a good reflection of Lili Boulanger's compositional skills. On Sunday 18 May [internal link], soprano Katharine Dain and pianist Sam Armstrong will perform this fascinating cycle in its entirety.

Break

Large church hall / Zusterplein 12 / 3703 CB Zeist

Monologue

Florian Just, baritone
Jan Paul Grijpink, piano

A monologue is a conversation with yourself in its most authentic form. It is unadulterated emotion and a genuine attempt to define who and what you are within your self-imposed boundaries; without contradiction, without a listener, without outside help. Can we still do that at all: encountering ourselves in a monologue in a world where you have to network and dialogue more and more? Are we still ourselves or are we information consumers without free will, whose future is determined by algorithms? Where do we still find peace for reflection during this storm of information, in which we get caught every day?

Monologue is an attempt through songs and song cycles to get closer to those big questions of life. What shaped me, who am I now and where am I heading? Just and Grijpink do just that with works from Schubert to Ives and Barber and from dead serious to humorous. Famous poets such as Goethe, Hölderlin and Robert Browning address us directly through this music, but much less famous writers also make themselves heard. Georg Philipp Schmidt, for instance, who you may know from the line: 'Dort wo du nicht bist, dort ist das Glück.'

Also to the question: is there a future in which we manage to be happy? tries Monologue find an answer. Does happiness exist, or do we find it only when we are absorbed in fantasy worlds like Don Quixote with his peasant princess Dulcinée? In 1932, Ravel and Ibert were asked to write a series of songs around this tragicomic figure as a 'soundtrack' for a film. Neither knew of the other having been asked the same question. The choice eventually fell on Ibert and Ravel was - naturally - not very happy with this result. After this concert, you may judge for yourself, as both versions will be performed.

Programme
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Der Wanderer D 489 (Schmidt von Lübeck)

Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
At Saint Patrick's Purgatory (from: Hermit Songs; anonymous Irish lyrics from the 8th to 13 centuries)
The Desire for Hermitage (from: Hermit Songs; anonymous Irish lyrics from the 8th to 13 centuries)

Jacques Ibert (1890-1962)
Chansons de Don Quichotte

Chanson du départ de Don Quichotte (Ronsard)
Chanson à Dulcinée (Arnoux)
Chanson du Duc (Arnoux)
Chanson de la mort de Don Quichotte (Arnoux)

Hermann Reutter (1900-1985)
Drei Monologe des Empedokles (Hölderlin)

In meine Stille kamst du
Euch ruf ich über das Gefild herein
Ha! Jupiter, Befreier!

Charles Ives (1874-1954)
From Paracelsus (Browning)
Mirage (Rossetti)

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Don Quixote à Dulcinée (Morand)

Chanson romanesque
Chanson épique
Chanson à boire

Large church hall / Zusterplein 12 / 3703 CB Zeist

Nazit with drinks and a meet-and-greet with the musicians.

Jou-an Chen / piano
Jou-an Chen began her musical career with piano and oboe lessons. At the age of 11, she won first prize at the International Young Musician Competition 'Città' di Barletta' in Italy and decided to devote herself to piano playing. She studied successively at the National Taiwan Normal University, the L'École Normale de Musique de Paris and obtained her master's degree in Liedgestaltung at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Ulrich Eisenlohr. Chen gives solo recitals worldwide and collaborates as a song composer with baritone Anton Kirchhoff and soprano Maria Portela Larisch. With the latter, she won the first prize of the Liedwettbewerb der Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln in 2023. With Maria Portela Larisch, she was admitted as a song duo to the Friends of Song in January 2024.

Femke de Graaf / piano
Femke de Graaf started playing music at an early age, soloing in Beethoven's First Piano Concerto at the age of 15. She obtained her master's degree at the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music where she studied with Mila Baslawskaja. Besides her training as a solo pianist, she specialised in song accompaniment with Rudolf Jansen and opera coaching with Han Louis Meijer and took master classes with Roger Vignoles, Kelvin Grout, Graham Johnson and Thomas Quasthoff, among others.
Since her student days, she has formed a duo with Francis van Broekhuizen and can regularly be heard in recitals with well-known singers. De Graaf also has her own teaching practice, is a rehearsal director for choirs and master classes and is attached to the education department of De Nationale Opera, where she gives workshops to secondary school students.

Jan-Paul Grijpink / piano
Jan-Paul Grijpink studied at HKU Utrechts Conservatorium and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he specialised in song accompaniment and opera. Following his studies, he worked at the then Opera Studio Nederland - now DNO - and at the Nederlandse Reisopera. He forms a regular Lieder duo with baritone Florian Just, with whom he won many prizes, including that for the best interpretation of the Schubert song, at the competition 'Schubert und die Musik der Moderne' in Graz. The CDs they recorded for the Etcetera label were praised by the national and international press. Grijpink also worked with numerous other well-known singers such as Thomas Oliemans, Karin Strobos, Henk Neven and Tania Kross. He is currently a répetitor with De Nationale Opera.

Florian Just / baritone
Florian Just began his musical training at an early age with the Dresdner Kreuzchor and completed his studies at the Conservatories of Amsterdam and Metz with Udo Reinemann. He is praised for his expressiveness, warm timbre, vocal agility and versatility. Just can therefore be heard regularly on concert stages worldwide and has worked with leading conductors such as Jos van Veldhoven, Ed Spanjaard, Reinbert de Leeuw and Markus Stenz. He is at home in all genres of the vocal repertoire, from opera and oratorios to chamber music and Lieder. Just won the Vriendenkrans and the press prize of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and, together with pianist Jan-Paul Grijpink, the Schubert Prize at the competition 'Schubert und die Musik der Moderne' in Graz.

Dinant Krouwel / musicologist
Dinant Krouwel studied musicology at Utrecht University, specialising in song art. He is the manager of music shop Broekmans & van Poppel in Utrecht and works for their publishing house. Several times a year, he writes about new editions of known and unknown song repertoire in the membership magazine of the Vereniging Vrienden van het Lied. As editor, he collaborated on the new edition of Alphons Diepenbrock's songs.
Krouwel accompanies various vocalists at the piano and, together with singing teachers, gives interpretation lessons. He also lectures on song.

Monique Krüs / composer
Monique Krüs studied psychology at Utrecht University and combined that with a preparatory year of classical guitar at HKU Utrechts Conservatorium. At that conservatoire, she eventually studied singing and rediscovered her love for opera and new music. A year at the opera class at the Mozarteum in Salzburg followed. Krüs also studied conducting with Vincent de Kort and Jan Stulen, but is completely self-taught as a composer. Her extensive experience as a singer is particularly valuable when writing music for a variety of projects. Among other things, she has written opera, music theatre, songs and chamber music. Her compositions are colourful and versatile and often contain educational elements. Krüs also works as a vocal coach with individual singers, ensembles and choirs.

Julia Kurig / mezzo-soprano
Julia Kurig discovered her curiosity and affinity for art song at an early age. She studied classical singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and received scholarships from the Richard Wagner Society and the Hans und Eugenia Jütting Foundation. At the Liedakademie Cologne, she was taught by Ulrich Eisenlohr. She took master classes with Elisabeth Glauser, Michael Gees and Stefan Irmer, among others.
Kurig enjoys researching the interpretation of songs and developed a particular love for lesser-known repertoire and composer*es. She has thus given several recitals with works by female composers and Japanese art songs from the 19th century. She forms a duo with Sofi Simeonidis with whom she was admitted to the Friends of Song in January 2024.

Maria Portela Larisch / soprano
Maria Portela Larisch began her musical training at the choir academy of La Monnaie in Brussels and has been studying at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln since 2018; first with Christoph Prégardien and then Kai Wessel. With pianist Michael Gees as a mentor, she developed a keen interest in improvisation. She is also co-founder of the trio Gilu (soprano, violin and harp), with which she recorded her first solo CD in 2022. With her duo partner pianist Jou-an Chen, she won first prize at the internal Song Competition of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln in 2023 and reached the final round of the Hidalgo Festival in Munich. Since January 2024, they have been admitted to the Friends of Song as a song duo.

Leo Samama / musicologist
Leo Samama studied musicology at Utrecht University and composition with Rudolf Escher. He taught music and cultural history at the Utrecht Conservatory. He then became a lecturer in 20th-century music at Utrecht University. Samama was also a music critic for De Volkskrant and NRC Handelsblad and is known as the Dutch expert on modern music and musical life in the Netherlands.
He has written several articles and books and regularly gives lectures and guest lectures on topics including the relationship between music and poetry. His lectures can be heard on CDs for Home Academy.

Cécile van de Sant / alto mezzo-soprano
Cécile van de Sant completed her studies cum laude at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam, where she studied with Cora Canne Meijer. She then continued her studies in New York. She has performed a wide variety of opera roles worldwide in works by Monteverdi, Handel, Gluck, Mozart, Wagner, Britten, Philip Glass and others.
She was also frequently heard in oratorios and with orchestras such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. In honour of the 90^th birthday of Pierre Boulez she sang his Le Marteau sans Maître with the Nieuw Ensemble conducted by Ed Spanjaard. She also sang many song recitals with pianists such as Thom Janssen, Thom Bollen, Nathalie Doucet and more recently with Kelvin Grout.

Sofi Simeonidis / piano
Sofi Simeonidis began her musical education at the Sakaria Paliashvili Music High School in Tbilisi, where she specialised in piano, song composition and chamber music. Already at the age of seven, she performed with the symphony orchestra in her hometown. She then studied piano, song interpretation and accompaniment in Tbilisi, Detmold and most recently at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Ulrich Eisenlohr. In addition, she won several awards, including first prize of the International LiedDuo Competition with Valerie Haunz in November 2024. Furthermore, she received several scholarships and attended subsequent master classes with renowned pianists such as Jan Philip Schulze, Peter Nelson and Paolo Giacometti. Simeonidis forms a song duo with Julia Kurig with whom she was admitted to the Friends of Song in January 2024.