Bethlehem, Pa., April 1, 2016— Frank Daykin, a soloist, collaborative pianist, teacher, lecturer, and writer, will present an open master class with soprano Suzanne Kompass at Moravian College on Tuesday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. in Foy Hall. The event is open to the public and free of charge. It is sponsored by the Arts & Lectures Committee and the Music Department at Moravian College.
Daykin is the author of the world’s leading encyclopedia on French Art song. He is identified with the French repertoire, having performed the complete solo music of Ravel on Ravel’s own Erard piano in the Ravel home museum in Montfort l’Amaury, France. Daykin is on the faculty of the Chamber Music Festival and Composers’ Forum of the East, where his insightful commentaries and lecture and demonstrations are the most popular events. He has spoken on topics as wide ranging as Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire,” Schubert songs in chamber music, “What Makes It French?” “And You Thought You Knew Beethoven!” Shostakovich’s “hidden” symbolism, Elgar, and Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time.” Daykin has had two volumes of poetry published, many of the poems set to music by contemporary art song composers.
Suzanne Kompass, artist-in-residence at Moravian College explains what Daykin shares in the master class format. “Decades of teaching experience have given him a fund of information that is always faithful to the music, while adding elements of humor and a supportive atmosphere that encourage learning. His master classes, in particular, often involve the spectators almost as much as the players."
Moravian College Artist-in-Residence & platinum recording artist, Kompass, is an extraordinarily versatile performer whose talent encompasses all genres of music with equal facility, whether Opera, Operetta, Art-Song or the classics of Broadway. Kompass is the 2013 Moravian College Music Department recipient of the T. Edgar Shields Prize for "excellence in studio teaching.” Kompass is a master voice teacher with students on 3 continents, many who are working professionally in Opera, Broadway and Theatre.
“Frank will give four decades worth of experience as one of the world's foremost experts in French Art Song. I will be singing some songs with him and we will demonstrate how a coach works with a singer,” said Kompass. “There will also be songs work shopped with students and singers from the community.”
Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. Anyone who anticipates needing any type of accommodation or who has questions about the physical access provided should contact Michael Wilson at 610-861-1365
Moravian College is a private coeducational liberal arts college, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For over 274 years, the Moravian College degree has been based on a liberal arts curriculum where literature, history, cultural values and global issues, ethics, and aesthetic expression and the social sciences are infused with multidisciplinary perspectives. Visit www.moravian.edu to learn more about how the Moravian College liberal arts curriculum prepares its students for life-long success.