Vocal Colors

Event Details

Wolf Trap Opera returns to the renovated Music Room at The Phillips Collection for two Vocal Colors recitals.

Orson Welles said once, “The enemy of art is the absence of restriction.” It’s a true gift, being able to work within the narrow parameters of the opera house. Oftentimes, singers have a true lack of autonomy in their careers; they are hired for specific engagements, told when to arrive, what to prepare, even given clothes to wear. With this project, the artistry is placed squarely back into the hands of the artists. Wolf Trap Opera performers select works of art from the Phillips’s permanent collection and pair them with vocal pieces that range across genres, languages, and musical eras. The connections between visual and aural artwork can be obvious, comedic, incongruous, cerebral—the pairings are never the same, but the performances are consistently compelling.

Artists for this performance will include:
Shannon Jennings, soprano
Megan Esther Grey, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Conor McDonald, baritone
Joseph Li, piano