Arcadian Jam

Artist Yuliya Lanina will spoke about her exhibit, Arcadian Rhapsody. Lisa Olstein read her poetry. Kathryn Findlen (mezzo soprano) and Charlie Magnone (piano) performed Lascivious Love Songs, music by Donald Grantham, poetry by E.E. Cummings.

Lisa Olstein is the author of three books of poetry: Radio Crackling, Radio Gone, winner of the Hayden Carruth Award; Lost Alphabet, a Library Journal best book of the year; and Little Stranger, a Lannan Literary Selection. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies, including The Nation, American Letters & Commentary, and New Voices. Recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Centrum, she is a member of the poetry faculty at the University of Texas at Austin.

Mezzo Soprano, Kathryn Findlen “has a rich, lush vocal quality and an incredible stage presence” (Austin Post) which gained her a nomination for Best Classical Vocalist of the Year in Austin by the Austin Critics Table Awards. This season she sang Kenneth Frazelle’s autobiographical work “Songs in the Rearview Mirror” for its’ New York Premiere in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, and appeared as mezzo soloist for the Verdi Requiem with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. As a recitalist the mezzo’s collaborations place her at the forefront of new American concert repertoire. She has worked with Pulitzer Prize winning composers John Harbison, Robert Ward, and most recently with George Crumb, bringing their works to life on the concert stage.

Findlen serves as artistic director for the community chamber series Kaleidescope in Austin, Texas where she has a voice studio. She began her training in the Brevard Music Center Opera Program, holds a Bachelor of Music from University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she also attended High School, a Master of Music from the University of Texas at Austin, and completed her opera apprenticeship at Austin Lyric Opera.

Pianist, Charlie Magnone performs regularly as a soloist, collaborative artist, and ensemble member, and is an avid performer of both classical and contemporary music. The upcoming season will include brand new solo pieces by Andrew Davis, Robert Honstein, and Stephen Feigenbaum, and recordings of the vocal music of George Crumb. Recent projects include participation in the MusicX and Bang on a Can summer festivals, frequent appearances with the Butler School of Music New Music Ensemble, and program coordination for the Fast Forward Austin new music festival, for which he organized the Austin premiere of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. His performance of Henry Brant’s “Orbits” was recently nominated for a 2013 Austin Critics Table Award. Charlie also plays guitar for The Gorgeous Hands and writes and arranges music for a variety of artists.