British Inspirations behind Music from Distant Lands

Cathleen McGowan, Soprano

Recorded Piano Accompaniments by Scott Crowne

April 22, 2023

St. Helena’s, Austerfield, Doncaster

“Sumer is icumen in!”                       English, Trad. (c. 1260)

“Fine al rito…Ah bello, a me ritorna”                         Vincenzo Bellini

from Norma   (1801–1835)

Two Yorkshire Folksongs*   English, Trad.

  • Hear the Nightingales Sing   arr. Scott Mohnkern       
  •  The Lyke Wake Dirge                 (b. 1967)

“Al Dolce Guidami”       Gaetano Donizetti 

      from Anna Bolena         (1797-1848)

From Proses Lyriques , L. 90 (84)     A. Claude Debussy

II. de Grève   (1862-1918)

III. de Fleurs

Regnava nel silenzio…Quando rapito in estasi”       Gaetano Donizetti

       from Lucia di Lammermoor   (1797-1848)

—-Intermission——-

“Den teuren zu versöhnen”   Friedrich von Flotow

     from Martha     (1812-1883)

From Six Elizabethan Songs     Dominick Argento

      III. Winter         (1927-2019)

      VI. Hymn

“Vien diletto è in ciel la luna”         Vincenzo Bellini

      from I Puritani     (1801-1835)

Two Puritan Songs*           Scott Mohnkern

  • The Four Elements         (b. 1967)
  • Bradford Blues

*World Premiere Compositions

Special thanks to our family in England: The Todkills, Taylors, and Parkins.  And to my wonderful husband Richard Taylor.  Thanks to Kay Beckett, St. Helena’s, and to you, who made this concert possible.

Soprano Cathleen McGowan is known for her warm tone, broad range, and versatility.  She’s a skilled actor who “Morphs into each character she portrays, with heartfelt and inspiring depth.”  She performs opera, art song, jazz, musical theater, and world music and has performed with world class symphonies.

Opera roles include Königin der Nacht in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Nedda in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci.  Chiefly a recitalist, Cathleen presents in depth programs marrying art and scholarly research.

A master’s level teacher, she teaches voice and visual art.  She instructs all ages, styles, and genres, and loves to help students find their own unique voices.  Lessons are offered worldwide online or in person in the Gettysburg area.  Cathleen also teaches with Crowne Voice Studio.  She is a student of Maria Russo.  

Cathleen is also an accomplished visual artist.  She resides in the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania area of the U.S. with her husband, cat, and one of the world’s most diverse gardens.  

https://vocalisestudios.wixsite.com/website

mcgowancathleen@gmail.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMaVVYmuX5Jcq3DmUS1YtNQ

Composer Scott Mohnkern started his music career studying piano at the young age of 6, under the tutelage of his Grandmother, a concert pianist and church organist.   He obtained degrees in piano, voice, composition, and conducting from Beloit College.  He left his music career behind to engage on other pursuits.  These arrangements and original compositions mark Scott’s return to the domain of music.  They were created specifically for this concert at St. Helena’s Church in Austerfield, UK.

Scott would like to thank Cathleen, his grandmother, all of his teachers, professors, and his wife Shelly, as he re-embarks on his musical pursuits.