A Woman’s Point of View – An Evening of Art Song with Winnie Nieh and Paul Dab
Experience love, loss, struggle, strength and Mother Nature with soprano Winnie Nieh and pianist Paul Dab in “A Woman’s Point of View”. A graduate of Harvard, known for her “impeccably pure and heart-breaking” voice, Winnie Nieh has participated in The Song Continues at Carnegie Hall, performed with celebrated collaborative pianist Graham Johnson at Songfest, appeared as a soloist with the legendary Maestro Helmuth Rilling in Stuttgart as well as in a staged Schubert-Goethe Lieder production at the Austrian Embassy in D.C. Pianist Paul Dab is a champion of chamber music, as both co-founder and performer of the Fête Concert Series, and as a performer with multiple Bay Area organizations, including Opera Theater Unlimited, Opera on Tap, Opera Cultura, and Cinnabar Theater. This hour-long program featuring distinguished female composers, past and present, is sure to delight!
Program:
“Sechs Lieder, Op.13” by Clara Schumann (1819-1896): Composed in the first years of her long-awaited marriage to Robert Schumann, these Lieder explore themes beloved by the German romantics, found in the poetry of Emanuel Geibel, Heinrich Heine and Friedrich Rückert.
“Songs from Letters” by Libby Larsen (b.1950): These rough-tough words, set brilliantly by Larsen, reveal Calamity Jane’s struggle to explain herself honestly to her daughter Janey.
“Songs from The Book of Light” by Emma Logan (b.1990): Set to three poems by Lucille Clifton, Logan poignantly sheds light on the inner struggle and strength of women.
“Nature Songs” by Julie Barwick (b.1983): Through the sharp imagery of poet Janet Lewis, Barwick’s songs vividly describe the wonders of nature.
“When You Are Old” by Rita Zhang (b.1990): Zhang elegantly portrays the pain and bittersweet nature of poet William Butler Yeats’ unrequited love for Irish revolutionary, suffragette and actress, Maud Gonne.
Performers:
Soprano Winnie Nieh (pronounced “near”) graduated from Harvard and received Associate diplomas from Trinity College London in piano, violin and voice at ages 13, 14 and 15. Gifted with perfect pitch and a “well-focused”, “impeccably pure and heart-breaking” voice “able to soar above piano or orchestra”, she has performed for Justice Sotomayor and appeared as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Austrian Embassy, as well as in Germany, Canada, South Korea and Hong Kong. She made her European solo debut with legendary Maestro Helmuth Rilling in Bach’s Cantata BWV 147. She won First Place in St. Andrews Arts Council (Canada)’s International Aria Competition, Third Place & Audience Favorite in Madison Early Music Festival’s Handel Aria Competition, and was a National Finalist in New York Lyric Opera’s Competition. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Grammy winning, male vocal ensemble, Chanticleer.
Paul Dab has been a dedicated musician since his grandparents first took him to piano lessons at the age of four. He teaches private lessons at the San Francisco Community Music Center and works in classrooms as a teaching artist with the San Francisco Opera Guild. He co-founded and performs regularly on the Fête Concert Series in venues around the Bay Area. He also performs with Opera Theater Unlimited, Opera on Tap, Opera Cultura, and Cinnabar Theater. Paul received his Master of Music degree in May 2014 from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His principal teacher was Dr. Sharon Mann. In 2011 Paul graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he studied piano with Dr. Craig Nies. During his time there, Paul worked as a staff accompanist, was part of a trio that won the Tennessee Music Teachers Association chamber music competition, and received the Gall-Martin Collaborative Arts Scholarship. He has studied at conservatories in Vienna, Austria and Glasgow, Scotland and participated in festivals in New York and North Carolina. Paul is passionate about engaging the community in classical music and has worked in educational outreach at Contemporary Jewish Museum, Cypress String Quartet, and Nashville Symphony.