November 3, 2004
Church offers noteworthy concerts
First Congregational Church series starts Sunday with soprano soloist Nicole Philibosian
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Music ranging from beautiful to inspiring, playful to moving will sound through the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church Sunday afternoon.
The first concert in the 2004-2005 Dick Johnson Concert Series features soprano soloist Nicole Philibosian accompanied by pianist Donna Brunsma. Mel Larimer is music director for the concert series, which includes five more concerts through May.
The first concert will feature pieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Antonin Dvorak, Leonard Bernstein and modern American composer Ned Rorem, as well as three Italian songs and a monologue piece entitled "La Dame de Monte Carlo". Philibosian will sing in Russian, Italian, Czech, French and English during the program.
"There's an incredible piece in the second half called 'La Dame De Monte Carlo' and she basically loses everything at the roulette wheel and drowns herself in the Mediterranean," said Philibosian.
Philibosian is a renowned performer who just returned from a year in New York City. An instructor at Interlochen Arts Academy, she has performed in major opera houses around the globe, including ones in France, New York City, Seattle, Dallas and Seoul, South Korea. Philibosian graduated from the Eastman School of Music and also studied at Julliard.
Despite her world-class credentials, she is thrilled to perform in Traverse City.
"It's great, Traverse City audiences are just so warm and appreciate," she said. "I've been here for a long time and they know me well. It is like a sharing and coming home."
Brunsma is also a widely acclaimed performer who has left her mark on audiences and singers around North America and Europe. For years, she served as an assistant conductor and coach with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and still returns regularly as a guest coach.
"It is quite an eclectic group of music, we're looking forward to it," said Brunsma of the concert. "This is my fourth Dick Johnson series, it is wonderful that there is something like this that people can go to."
Working with phenomenal vocal talent for years requires close partnership between singer and accompanist.
"It is a very close relationship because you have to breathe with them," noted Brunsma, who is also a guest instructor at Interlochen Arts Academy. "You just have to know what they are going to do almost before they do it and they are all different. They are dependent on you as well, it's a true partnership."
Philibosian said that returning to Traverse City is also uplifting because of the overall commitment to the arts in the region. The Colorado native had previously heard of the area when she lived in New York years ago and attended Julliard and Eastman.
"I remember when I started school, I heard of this place called Traverse City, there are a lot of people in the business who grew up here," she said. "I think that Mel Larimer really should take a lot of the credit for that because his program at what was then Traverse City Senior High is still talked about."
"Then the Puchalas have the children's choir and the kids graduate from that and can go to two fabulous public high school choral programs," Philibosian noted. "It is just a really rich cultural area."
The first Dick Johnson Concert Series concert of the 2004-2005 season will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 7 at the First Congregational Church on Center Road. The concert is open to the public and no tickets are required; organizers ask for a free-will offering.