Singing (spiritual) master class by Nicole Taylor

10 February 2015

The American soprano singer, Nicole Taylor is holding a master class entitled African-American Spirituals to the jazz voice students of the Liszt Academy and the Bartók Béla Secondary Music School.
 
 
Time:
26 February (Thursday), 10.00-13.00
 
Place:
Liszt Academy, Main Building, Room X
(1061 Budapest, Liszt Ferenc square 8)
 
Only jazz voice students of the Liszt Academy and the Bartók Béla Secondary Music School can participate actively, however the master class is open to anyone interested.
 
To apply, ALL participants must contact Ms. Beáta Furka at furka.beata[at]lisztakademia[dot]hu until 24 February, 14:00 the latest. 
 
The language of the master class: English.
 
Piano accompaniment is provided by Krisztián Oláh of the Liszt Academy.
 
***
 
As an Envoy of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs’ „Arts Envoy” Programme, celebrated US soprano singer Nicole Taylor will hold a Negro spirituals masterclass for the students of Liszt Academy. The performances are a part of the State Department’s African-American History Month celebrations in February.
 
The evening before, on the 25th of February at 7.30 pm, Nicole Taylor will give a Negro spirituals recital at Hagyományok háza (1011 Budapest, Corvin tér 8.).
 
Entrance is free, however, registration via e-mail until 24 February 6 p.m. is advised at jegy@hagyomanyokhaza.hu
 
Originally from Los Angeles, Nicole Taylor is a graduate of the Master program at The Juilliard School in New York. She is currently continuing her studies with Vladimir Chernov and Olga Sergeyvna Chernova, in Paris. Since her Carnegie Hall debut in 2006, Ms. Taylor's extraordinary talent as a vocalist has established her as a world-class performer, having toured from Lithuania to Lebanon, Germany to Jerusalem. 
Ms. Taylor has performed numerous roles in many operas, including Le Nozze de Figaro, Les Dialogues de Carmelites, and Porgy & Bess. Her extensive vocal repertoire also includes solo concert pieces such as Strauss' Four Last Songs and Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Following her Carnegie Hall success, she has gone on to win many awards in both international and American competitions, including the Prix Coup de Coeur at the Concours International de Musique de Chambre in Lyon, France and 1st Place at the Leontyne Price Competition Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
Negro Spirituals is a musical form indigenous and specific to the religious experience of Africans and their descendants in the United States. An 18th & 19th century precursor to the Gospel music of the 20th century, Negro spirituals are a result of the interaction between music and religion from Africa and Europe. The religious folk songs draw primarily on biblical texts, which are sung in dialect, communicating profound devotion with a surprising simplicity and directness. Their focus on personal freedom makes them universal songs, as everyone on the planet, in one way or another, yearns to be free.