The Life and Music of Robert Schumann
January's free family music program sponsored by the Friends of the Carmel Valley Library will explore the life and music of Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), one of the great German romantic composers. Schumann was married to the famous concert pianist Clara Weick, and is known for his beautiful German Lieder, as well as works for orchestra, chorus, chamber music and solo piano.
The program, called “Robert Schumann, the Cheerful Savage,” written and narrated by Joanne Regenhardt, will feature his music sung by mezzo soprano Janelle DeStefano and played by pianist James Frimmer. The program will last 50 minutes.
James Frimmer received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Redlands, where he also served as the staff accompanist and won various prestigious piano competitions. He is currently active in chamber music in the San Diego area, and is on the vocal arts faculty at SDSU as staff accompanist. This is his ninth year working with Janelle DeStefano and Joanne Regenhardt on the series, “The Composer Alive in His Music.”
Janelle DeStefano received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from USC and is a professor of voice at Santa Monica College. She has sung in opera and orchestral works throughout the United States and is a winner of many competitions including those of the Metropolitan Opera.
Joanne Regenhardt began singing in San Diego with the Starlight Opera in 1955. Since then she has sung in oratorios and performed as a soloist with symphony orchestras and in recitals and throughout Southern California. She began this series of programs with the life and music of Johannes Brahms, and has since written and narrated programs on Frederic Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Claude Debussy, and Samuel Barber. The latter was performed at this Library one year ago.