Marc Callahan to embark on Duparc recital tour

Marc Callahan

American barihunk Marc Callahan will start of the New Year by performing a series of French chansons recital, which will focus on Henri Duparc.

Callahan is a noted specialist in French music having won a scholarship that allowed him to study at the ÉEole Normale de Musique de Paris and the Schola Cantorum. He studied French at the Institut de Touraine and art song with French barihunk François Le Roux at the Académie Françis Poulenc.

Marc Callahan in recital:

Callahan will join soprano Arian Wyatt and Richard Masters as part of the Oceana Ensemble to perform Duparc songs throughout Texas and Virginia. The will perform January 20th at the San Angelo Chamber Music Series, January 22 at Baylor University, January 23rd at Texas A&M University, January 24th at the University of Texas at Austin and February 11th at Virginia Tech. He'll perform a solo program of French songs on February 6th at the University if North Carolina at Chapel Hill and on February 18th at the University of Delaware.

When Callahan isn't performing, he serves as the Assistant Professor of Music at UNC-Chapel Hill and directs opera in the U.S. and France.

Barihunk duo in AVA's French recital program

Ethan Simpson (left) and Brent Michael Smith (right)

The final recital in the Academy of Vocal Arts Recital Series will include barihunks Ethan Simpson and Brent Michael Smith in a program of French repertoire.  They'll be joined by Gabriela Flores, Hannah Ludwig, Matthew White and Timothy Renner, with AVA vocal coach Audrey Saint-Gil accompanying them on piano.

Ethan Simpson will be singing Nadia Boulanger's "J'ai frappe" and "Chanson," as well as Henri Duparc's Testament.

Brent Michael Smith will be performing Stravinsky's "Un sommeil noir" and the Act 1 bass aria from Paul Dukas' Ariane et Le Barbe Bleu.

Performances are on April 3 and April 5 and tickets are available online.