German tenor Gerhard Siegel, a star from the Metropolitan Opera, along with acclaimed pianist Gabriel Dobner, will perform a guest artist recital at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center, Monday, Feb. 24.
The program begins at 8:15 p.m. in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall (200A) and will feature works by Richard Strauss (1864-1949), Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) and Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951).
“People may have heard and seen Gerhard Siegel in the Met Live HD broadcasts of Wagner’s ‘Ring Cycle’ last year, the recording of which won a 2013 Grammy Award,” said professor Lucy Mauro of the WVU School of Music.
“He’s an incredible singer and actor, and Gabriel Dobner is an equally outstanding pianist. Audiences won’t want to miss this exciting concert and opportunity to hear these two wonderful artists.”
Siegel began his music career as an instrumentalist and composer. He won the International Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna, after which he made his debuts at the Munich and Vienna State Operas. Since then, his roles have included Tristan, Florestan and Siegfried at venues such as Brussels, Barcelona, London and Madrid. One of his most acclaimed roles is Mime in “Das Rheingold” and “Siegfried,” which he has performed at the Met, the Bayreuth Festival, Covent Garden and Tokyo. The 2012 Met recording of Wagner’s “Ring,” with Gerhard Siegel, was awarded a Grammy for Best Opera Recording.
Dobner has performed in many of the major concert venues in Europe, including Munich, Dresden, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Cologne, Vienna and Z�rich. He has also performed in the United States, Canada, Japan and Spain. He studied Lied accompanying in Munich with Professor Helmut Deutsch and won the special accompanist prize in the International Hans Pfitzner Lieder Competition. Dobner has recorded for both the Ottavo and MDG labels and has been called a “master among Lieder pianists.” He is an associate professor at James Madison University.
For more information, contact the College of Creative Arts at (304) 293-4359.
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CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu
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