AMERICAN PILGRIMAGE was conceived for a sponsored concert at the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, CA. The program featured American songs by Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Richard Hundley, Charles Ives, and Lori Laitman. These songs were woven into a musical meditation on themes of tradition, nostalgia, pilgrimage, and faith.
Spacious Vision director Gerald Seminatore returned to the stage for this concert, as did tenor Arnold Geis, who last appeared on “Britten in Song–Los Angeles.” We were also pleased to welcome pianist Mark Salters and soprano Katie Elizabeth Martin to our growing collective of performers.
Katie offered several songs to poems of Emily Dickinson, while Arnold shared some rarely heard songs by composer Richard Hundley. In keeping with the collaborative ethos of Spacious Vision, Gerald and Katie performed Samuel Barber’s Hermit Songs as a dual effort, and then Arnold and Gerald offered a group of songs by Charles Ives. All three singers sang selections from Copland’s Old American Songs, concluding the program with a rousing “ensemble” performance of the Revivalist song “Zion’s Walls.” Mark Salters anchored the entire program at the piano with confidence and aplomb.
At the conclusion of the journey, the performers were awarded an enthusiastic standing ovation for their efforts. Based on the audience reaction, perhaps we will return to the Brand Library for an encore!
Spacious Vision 