Hidden Gem: Page to wall to “Off the Walls”

USC’s ‘Visions and Voices’ series brings art, literature and song together

Performers of art song tend to be very tuned-in to the power of words.  This may seem like an obvious statement, but many recitalists have expressed a sense of wonder about a new piece that speaks to them — great songs make the words seem to leap off the page in ways that transcend that very cliché.  With this particular concert, that is precisely the point.

The concert takes place at the USC Fisher Museum of Art, in conjunction with their current exhibition, Drawn to Language, which explores the connection between art and literature.  Performers will offer music and readings that are inspired by that art, expressing concept that is nothing if not cyclical — the stories come alive with visuals, the pages hang on the walls, inspiring songs performed by musicians, heard by the audience, who look at the art…”all in the house that Jack built”.  But under the watchful and very creative eye of collaborative pianist and program curator Victoria Kirsch, this will be no mere nursery rhyme.  Joined by reader Selma Holo (the museum’s director), mezzo Nandani Sinha, baritone David Castillo, and Salastina Music Society’s co-founding violinist Kevin Kumar, this will be a good one.  Get there if you can get a ticket (as of press time, the concert is currently waitlisted for public attendees).

Originally published in Next 7 — Vocal events thru 10/10/13