SKU: A0.1081918

LETTERS FROM A POET IN ITALY is a song cycle for soprano and soprano. This site includes of all four songs: 1. Eighteen in Italy 2. Caregiver 3. Colosseum 4. DAVID The cycle is my setting of poems by Jerry McElveen, my friend and an awesome poet and professor at Richland College. Jerry wrote several poems during a tour of Italy made up of a group of faculty and spouses. On our last day in Rome...he surprised everyone by performing his new works. The minute he started reading I knew this would be a great text to set to music. This cycle has been performed often in the DFW Tx. area...first by Marsha Anderson, my colleague at North Lake College and later by the young soprano Erin Acorn. Marsha earned a living in Italy for over 20 years as an opera singer and taught me lots of valuable details about the substiles of composing for this vocal style. You can hear her beautiful voice on recordings we made at a performance in the concert hall at UTA Arlington. In retrospect, I like the tempos to relax more than these recordings, so the vocal lines have more time to breath. The cycle also received a positive review by the famous music critic for the Dallas Morning News, Scott Cantrell. Thank you to Scott! I kept the vocal lines away from extreme high and low pitches...and several singers have told me the voice lines are very comfortable for them. Singable by professionals AND young sopranos.

SKU: A0.1081893

Eighteen in Italy is song one of a four-part song cycle. 1. Eighteen in Italy 2. Caregiver 3. Colosseum 4. David. The beautiful poems by former Richland College Professor, Jerry McElveen describes a tour of Italy by a group of faculty and families. In a beautiful ballroom in Rome on the last day of the tour, Jerry surprised all of us by reciting poems he had created during the tour. When he began presenting his texts...I immediately knew those words were perfect for a musical setting! Our pieces have been performed often throughout the DFW area. Marsha Anderson is a North Lake College faculty member who was an opera singer in Italy for decades and later taught a student credit trip to Italy. You will her perform at University of Texas Arlington with me at the piano. I now think each of the songs should slow down a few clicks to breath more for the singer. The talented young soprano, Erin Alcorn performed the cycle more recently and both performer and my music received excellent reviews from the Dallas Morning News music critic, Scott Cantrell. Several performers have told me that the songs are very comfortable to perform, and the music is suitable for young singers. All four songs are available to purchase at this site.