New York-based baritone MarioDiaz-Moresco and his partner, solo and collaborative pianist Spencer Myer, will present concerts on Thursday and Friday at the Chamber Music Festival ofSaugatuck. Mr. Myer, an Artist-Teacher in Piano and Collaborative Piano at Boston's Longy School of Music of Bard College, will join Mr. Diaz-Moresco in selected songs and also play solo pieces by Ravel and William Bolcom.
Diaz-Moresco tells Cara Lieurance he started singing as a boy soprano, and went through a difficult transition from soprano to baritone as he matured, with help from a private teacher. In college he relished opportunities to perform in operas, including modern works by Jake Heggie and others. Diaz-Moresco holds music degrees from the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.
Schubert's songs, Diaz-Moresco explains, are the foundation of recital singing and dear to the hearts of every classical singer. He finds the directness of John Musto's cycle Shadow of the Blues, based on Langston Hughes' poetry, to be extremely powerful. He and Myer will conclude with a selection of Cabaret Songs by William Bolcom. Diaz-Moresco says they find inspiration in the vivacious example set by William Bolcom and his wife, singer Joan Morris, who have performed these songs throughout their careers.
