Glenn Korff School of Music faculty William Shomos and Jared Hiscock will present a faculty concert titled “Song of Myself” at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 in Westbrook Music Building Room 119.
The concert is free, open to the public and will be webcast live online.
Shomos and Hiscock co-developed a new musical adaptation of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” Out of Whitman’s 1,350 lines of poetry, they conceptualized and forged a libretto of just under 200 lines. The text was then set to music by composer-artist Philip Daniel. Scored for three baritones with acoustic and synthesized keyboards, the style merges classical elements, minimalist soundscapes, cinematic qualities and improvisation.
“I believe that much of Whitman’s poetry offers a pathway toward understanding and healing, especially appropriate for these divided times in which we live,” Shomos said. “This was the theme Jared and I were driving at as we chose which verses to include in the libretto. Whitman tells us that we are ‘one nation of many nations;’ each of our personal experiences is absorbed into a shared experience for all humanity; and all humanity is, in turn, contained within each individual. From this perspective, perhaps we can start to transcend our differences and move toward unity and wholeness. In one of the final segments of text that I sing, the poet offers an invitation to see the face of God in all men and women — not just the ones we agree with.”
The 45-minute work’s world premiere was May 25, 2024, as the closing performance of the 2024 Salt Creek Song Festival in Ashland.
The performers on Feb. 25 will include Shomos and Hiscock as baritones, along with Brandon Bell as guest baritone and Daniel as composer and keyboardist.
Shomos appreciates the music that Daniel composed for the work.
“Philip’s music contains an astonishing vital energy, rich with alluring melodic motifs and colors from his various keyboards,” Shomos said. “Yet his music also speaks with a profound simplicity, creating just the right environmental soundscape for the text, whether it be musically declaimed, spoken, or full-out sung.”
Shomos is the Richard H. Larson Distinguished Professor of Music (Voice) and Director of Opera. He has staged a wide variety of productions ranging from traditional fare with “The Marriage of Figaro" and “La Bohème,” to world premieres and new works such as Tyler White’s “O Pioneers!” and William Bolcom’s “A Wedding.” His productions of “Dead Man Walking,” “Così fan tutte” and “Street Scene” won first place in the National Opera Association’s Opera Production Competition.
Hiscock is a lecturer in voice and an alumnus of the Glenn Korff School of Music (DMA 2020, MM 2014). He is the co-founder and artistic director of the Salt Creek Song Festival and serves on the faculty of the Vocal Academy of Opera in Bodrum, Turkey. Prior to teaching at Nebraska, he was the Director of Performance-Music at Hastings College.
Bell is a baritone hailing from Suffolk, Virginia and a recent alumnus of the Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist program. He has appeared on numerous stages across the country, including the Santa Fe Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, California Symphony and White Snake Projects, among others.
Originally from Lincoln, Daniel is a distinguished pianist and composer. He holds a graduate degree in piano performance from the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory and an undergraduate degree from Hastings College. He has cultivated a unique musical voice that gracefully merges classical elements, minimalist soundscapes and cinematic qualities.
