Byron Jones, baritone & Karen Walker, piano

Faculty Recital

Join Shenandoah Conservatory faculty members Byron Jones (baritone) and Karen Walker (piano) for an evocative recital celebrating the rich diversity of Francophone song. This carefully curated program features settings of French texts by a wide range of composers — some French, others inspired by the language’s lyrical beauty.

Highlights include works by Gabriel Fauré and Lili Boulanger, as well as Francophone gems by American composers Samuel Barber and Charles Ives, Dutch composer Hendrik Andriessen and the remarkable Joseph Bologne de Saint-Georges, an eighteenth-century composer of African descent born in Guadeloupe. Of special note are newly published songs by Bologne, brought to light this year thanks to groundbreaking research by pianist Tyson Deaton (one of the featured guest artists from the 2019/20 Collaborative Arts: Voice & Piano residency). Jones and Walker will perform some of these rare works on an early instrument, offering a unique glimpse into Bologne’s long-overlooked artistry.

Don’t miss this compelling journey through the French musical imagination — past and present, familiar and newly discovered.