FROM THE DIARY OF VIRGINIA WOOLF
by Dominick Argento and other works
The University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire Department of Music and Theatre Arts presents a faculty recital by Alexander Woods and Christine Amon in the Phillips Recital Hall at the Haas Fine Arts Center (121 Water Street Eau Claire, WI 54701) Admission is FREE. Doors open 15 minutes before start time.
Livestream available (upon authorization): https://linktr.ee/uwecmta
To learn more and donate visit: https://linktr.ee/uwecmta
Christine Amon is a versatile mezzo-soprano excelling in opera, musical theater, and art song. Her stage roles include Dorabella in Così fan tutte, the title role in Cendrillon, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Erika in Vanessa, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, and Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel among many others. She has appeared with Nashville Opera, Opera Carolina, Toledo Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Union Avenue Opera, and Opera Memphis where she created the role of Mich in Mich and the Moon in the world premiere of The Ghosts of Crosstown. In 2018 she was a finalist in the international Lotte Lenya Competition hosted by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music.
Dr. Amon hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and earned her BM at Grand Valley State University where she was named a Distinguished Alumna in 2015. At Bowling Green State University, she took first place in the Marjorie Conrad Art Song Competition while earning her MM. During her DMA studies at the University of Michigan, she worked as a graduate student instructor, teaching applied voice and vocal pedagogy.
Alexander Woods is a pianist and music teacher living in the Twin Cities, MN. A versatile and collaborative musician, his passions include art song, instrumental & chamber works, choral music, contemporary piano repertoire, and a variety of jazz and popular styles. He strives to maintain an innovative perspective in his performances, seeking out new and old works from diverse genres and composers.
Woods is a lecturer of music at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he teaches applied piano lessons, class piano, and an honors colloquium exploring music and gender. He also holds positions at Central Presbyterian Church (St. Paul) and Voices of Hope Prison Music Initiative, and has worked as a freelance pianist & vocal coach at UW-Eau Claire, University of Minnesota, Gustavus Adolphus College, and the NATS, Schubert Club, and Thursday Musical competitions. Woods has also played with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra, Dakota Valley Symphony & Chorus, South Metro Chorale, and St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral Orchestra, and has spent summers as a staff pianist at the International Cello Institute, St. Croix Valley Opera Summer Vocal Institute, and Borromeo Music Festival.
Recent and upcoming performances include concerts with mezzo-soprano Christine Amon (Fall 2024), the Upper Midwest Flute Association Flute Fest with Rachel Haug and Tim Lane, Source Song Festival's MNSong Showcase with soprano Siena Forest, and a series of genre-crossing recitals with soprano Janani Sridhar. Woods also performs frequently at UW-Eau Claire, including faculty concerts, guest artist recitals, collaborations with choirs, and the First Fridays series. In January 2024, Woods teamed up with mezzo-soprano Christine Amon and composer Abbie Betinis to earn second place at Source Song Festival's annual Minneapolis Song Slam competition.
Woods has recently begun playing Argentine tango music with the Charles Gorczynski Tango Quartet and Orquesta Típica Kingfield, working in both contemporary and classic styles. His tango performances include a Midwest tour with Los Tangueros del Oeste (Minneapolis, Madison, Chicago), the Tango for Musicians workshop at Reed College, the Minnesota Tango Music Festival, and concerts at UW-Eau Claire, Gustavus Adolphus College, the Landmark Center, Berlin jazz club (Minneapolis), and Metronome Brewery (St. Paul), along with frequent milongas (dances) throughout the Twin Cities.
As a recording artist, Woods's projects include two CDs with flutist Tim Lane (Paper Route Press, Skyline Publications), an album of piano works by Ivar Lunde Jr, John Russo, and Martin Stepper (CRS, Inc.), and the Charles Gorczynski Tango Quartet's debut EP The Conservatory, which was featured in Minnesota Public Radio's New Minnesota Music Round-up. The quartet's second album is underway for 2025.
Woods holds a master's degree in collaborative piano from the University of Minnesota, where he earned the Rydell Fellowship in Accompanying & Coaching. He also holds bachelor's degrees in music and religious studies from Pomona College, where he earned the McCord Memorial Grant to fund piano study at several summer music festivals. His primary teachers include Timothy Lovelace, Lydia Artymiw, Genevieve Lee, and Ming Tsu. www.alexanderwoodspiano.com
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