The Carthage Performing Arts Series is in its 26th year, providing exceptional performing artists to the southeastern Wisconsin community. Our remarkable lineup of guest artists provides concerts, masterclasses, and educational programming at Carthage and in the broader community.
2022-23 Performing Arts Series
Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022
Joanne Polk
7:30 p.m., A. F. Siebert Chapel
American pianist Joanne Polk has been noted for her performances and recordings of music by female composers. Polk began playing the piano at age four and, as a girl, had no particular desire to pursue this specialty; however, she went on to receive Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School, and later a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Her turn toward music by women came after hearing a performance of “Parable” by composer Judith Lang Zaimont, which inspired Polk to begin work on a large literature of neglected music by female composers.
She was catapulted into the public eye with her recordings of the complete piano works of American composer Amy Beach (1867-1944) on the Arabesque Recordings label. She celebrated the centennial of Beach’s Piano Concerto by giving the work its London premiere with the English Chamber Orchestra at the Barbican Center, under the baton of Paul Goodwin, and subsequently performed it with the Women’s Philharmonic in San Francisco in a performance described as “brilliant” by critic Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lauren Jelencovich is an American soprano who has maintained a versatile career spanning opera, music theatre, and pop music. As a featured vocalist in the Greek-American composer Yanni’s various tours, Lauren has performed internationally with concerts in China, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and more. On stage, Lauren has performed as the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at the Intermezzo Festival in Belgium, Mrs. Nodstrom in A Little Night Music at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Teddy in Wish You Were Here at Forestburg Playhouse.
Lauren graduated from the Manhattan School Of Music and studied under William Esper in the William Esper Acting Studio. She currently maintains an active vocal studio and has participated in Joan Dornemann’s International Vocal Artist Institute’s and the Manhattan School of Music’ outreach programs. She currently studies under Patricia McCaffrey and is working on her third album.
An internationally renowned vocal ensemble, the New York Voices have been going strong for over 30 years. Starting out in the 1980’s at Ithaca College in New York, the New York Voices blend various styles of jazz to create performances that excite and enthrall audiences. With numerous albums and tours under their belt, the New York Voices have used their performance and musical experience to teach the next generation of artists through their Vocal Jazz Camp. Individual members also teach at the Berklee College of Music, Ithaca College, and Indiana University.
Their most recent album, Reminiscing in Tempo celebrates their long journey with a blend of jazz standards and more experimental works. The New York Voices currently consists of Darmon Meader, Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhan, and Kim Nazarian.
The Lakeside Piano Festival concludes with the EStrella Piano Duo: master soloists Elena Doubovitskaya and Svetlana Belsky who come together in a stunning duo. The EStrella Piano Duo burst onto the musical scene in 2011 with a series of concerts celebrating the great Russian masterpieces for piano duet. Since then, they have performed widely to enthusiastic audiences and critical acclaim.
Besides the usual favorites, their repertoire includes many rarely-heard, fascinating works that most duos fear to touch. Their concert programs are musically profound, virtuosic, acrobatic, occasionally humorous, and always have introductions to draw the listeners into the music. Elena Doubovitskaya and Svetlana Belsky are accomplished pianists and teachers in their own right, praised for their “marvelous and extraordinary playing”. This concert is an invaluable opportunity not only to listen to these incredible pianists do their best work, but also to experience the rare duets they choose to tackle.
Starting out as a group of seven friends in the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela–also known as El Sistema–Ensamble 7/4 seeks to showcase Venezuelan folk music throughout the world. Notable performances include a concert at the Berliner Philharmonie, a tour with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (SBSOV), and the Miami Symphony Orchestra’s Concert Ocean Drive in Viena.
Dedicated to expanding music education to include Venezuelan folk music, Ensamble 7/4 has performed at multiple educational centers and theatres in Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, working with Mark Churchill, Benjamin Zander, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They have also performed at numerous festivals and academic conferences, including the VI Miami World Music Festival, International Trumpet Guild, Thee Los Angeles Western Arts Alliance WAA Conference, the Milwaukee Arts Midwest Conference, and the Performing Arts Exchange PAE conference.
Sponsored in part through grants from the Racine Community Foundation and Kenosha Community Foundation, the Performing Arts Series brings exceptional artists to southeastern Wisconsin for concerts and educational programming at Carthage and in local schools.
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