Enoch Arden
Poetry by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Music by Richard Strauss
Narrator: Sonya Schumann
Pianist: Elizabeth Schumann
Enoch Arden is an epic melodrama, an elaborate tale of tragic loss and noble self denial. Originally published as a poem in 1864 by Alfred Lord Tennyson, the words were set to music in 1897 by Richard Strauss. The resulting dialogue between narrator and pianist weaves a poignant story of friendship, love, separation, and sacrifice.
Sonya & Elizabeth Schumann at the Maybeck
Sonya & Elizabeth Schumann at the Maybeck
Sunday, November 10, 2019 at 3:00pm
This concert is FREE
Pianist Dr. Elizabeth Schumann has a diverse career portfolio of performances, projects, and recordings. The Washington Post noted her playing as “deft, relentless, and devastatingly good—the sort of performance you experience not so much with your ears as your solar plexus.”
Elizabeth has performed solo recitals at the Kennedy Center, Ravinia’s “Rising Stars” Series, Vienna’s Bösendorfer Saal, Australia’s Huntington Festival, Toronto’s Koerner Hall, and on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today”. The first place winner of the Bösendorfer International Piano Competition and Pacific International Piano Competition, she was awarded over 25 prizes in other major competitions, including the Cleveland, Hilton Head, Montreal, and World International Piano Competitions. Elizabeth was honored with the prestigious Gilmore Young Artists Award and was highlighted in the PBS television documentary on the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival.
Passionate about sharing the profound experience of classical music with all audiences, Elizabeth devised and directed Piano Carnival, a project to introduce a free, high quality musical experience to children without access to arts education. Over 10,000 free copies of the Piano Carnival book, CD, and iPad application have been distributed, and over 50 Piano Carnival live performances and workshops have been offered in the USA, Canada, and Australia.
Elizabeth is on faculty at Itzhak Perlman’s Perlman Music Program and the Crowden Chamber Workshop and is director of the Schumann Studio, a classical recording space in San Francisco.
Sonya Schumann has gained international acclaim for her talents in the visual and performing arts. Holding a doctorate in music, Dr. Schumann has performed with orchestras across North America, and holds top prizes in many competitions, including the Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev Competition, South Carolina Music Teachers Association Competition and Southeastern Piano Festival. She has toured throughout the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. Her recent performances include Oberlin Conservatory, Cincinnati Conservatory, and the Kennedy Center.
Nationally recognized for prose and poetry interpretation and performance, the Schumann Duo’s incredibly popular concert “Pianimal” was recently the feature in a PBS documentary for the Gilmore for Kids Series. Active in the artistic community, Dr. Schumann is an ambassador for the Performing Arts Consortium, giving benefit concerts and masterclasses across the East Coast.
In addition to performing, Dr. Schumann has appeared as a guest lecturer and masterclass clinician at several festivals and colleges, promoting the integration of arts and entrepreneurial skills. She has served as faculty at Fullerton College, Madonna University, Schoolcraft College, and the Levine School in Washington, D.C. She currently teaches at San Diego State University.
Dr. Schumann holds her masters and doctorate from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Logan Skelton and Christopher Harding.