UW Music Faculty Recital Series Presents ‘Beyond the Shadows’ March 10

The University of Wyoming Department of Music Faculty Recital Series presents “Beyond the Shadows,” a compelling recital highlighting stories and voices traditionally held at the periphery of the classical vocal canon.

Featuring baritone Erik Erlandson and pianist Barbie Noyes, the recital is Tuesday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. The recital is free and open to all.

The program is anchored by the premiere of the piano reduction of composer Anne Guzzo’s “Spinning Light,” an orchestral piece commissioned for the 2023 Shepard Symposium on Social Justice to observe the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s tragic death. Inspired by the night sky, the piece uses the life cycle of a star as a double metaphor for Shepard’s life and death, illustrating the enduring nature of starlight and serving as a profound and hopeful meditation on Shepard’s legacy.

Composed in 1999, David Del Tredici’s “Three Baritone Songs” for baritone and piano features emotionally intense settings of diverse poetry: Rumi’s “Quietness” (meditative); Michael Klein’s “Drinking Song” (unhinged); and Jaime Manrique’s “Matthew Shepard” (tragic elegy). The work combines neo-romantic tonality with thick, dissonant piano writing.

These contemporary reflections are paired with the late H. Leslie Adams’ lyrical song cycle “Nightsongs,” also known as “Six Afro-American Songs,” which sets poetry of notable African American writers to soaring, neo-romantic melodies.

Erlandson, a UW assistant lecturer of voice, is a celebrated baritone and pedagogue known for his work in inclusive vocal health. Recent credits include roles in “Don Giovanni,” “Le nozze di Figaro” and “Into the Woods.” A versatile performer, Erlandson frequently appears with ensembles that include the Boulder Bach Festival.

Noyes, an instructor of collaboration at Vanderbilt University, is an acclaimed pianist who enjoys a versatile career in recital, opera and chamber music, performing at venues such as Weill Hall and the Granada Theater. A fellow of the Music Academy of the West and Aspen Music Festival, she co-founded Horizon Duo, specializing in American art song. Noyes is featured on recordings, including “Origins” and “In Time.” As a vocal coach, she recently worked on “Le Nozze di Figaro” and “Proving Up.”