Pianist

In 2019, Cornell University started “Freedom on the Move,” a database of “runaway ads” from the United States’ early newspapers—names, dates, descriptions, rewards. The database notes that it compiles “thousands of stories of resistance that have never been accessible in one place. Created to control the movement of enslaved people, the ads ultimately preserved the details of individual lives—their personality, appearance, and life story. Taken collectively, the ads constitute a detailed, concise, and rare source of information about the experiences of enslaved people.” (Cornell Department of History’s Edward Baptist, primary investigator for FOTM) These advertisements also provide a testament to their bravery: each of these people in the over 30,000 entries attempted self-emancipation.

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Songs In Flight

Hayti Heritage Center

Experience the Carnegie Hall debut of mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska. A recent First Prize winner at the International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Nikolovska is swiftly making a name for herself on the international vocal scene, with recent concerts including her BBC Proms debut, performances with the Staatskapelle Berlin and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and recitals at renowned concert halls worldwide. Be the first to hear her in Carnegie Hall’s most intimate venue in a program of Schubert, Debussy, Richard Strauss, and more.

Ema Nikolovska, Mezzo-Soprano Howard Watkins, Piano

Carnegie Hall

Possessing a rare combination of artistic sensitivity and technical skill and with an impressive array of honors already in hand, the young mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska is on the rise and in demand in both international opera houses and concert halls. Nikolovska is a BBC New Generation Artist, a recent honoree of the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust, and an acclaimed performer for the International Opera Studio at the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Classical Source lauded her “beautiful, versatile and technically assured instrument,” and the Telegraph, London, praised her tone as “agile and pearly but with an underlying richness and robustness.” Born in North Macedonia, raised in Toronto, and based in Europe, Nikolovska visits with a program featuring songs by Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Debussy in her Cal Performances debut.

Ema Nikolovska, mezzo-soprano Howard Watkins, piano

University of California, Berkeley

Baritone Justin Austin's star has risen considerably since his 2017 Carnegie Hall debut. In his return to the Hall—featured as part of the Fall of the Weimar Republic: Dancing on the Precipice festival—the inimitable Weill and Brecht songbook takes the spotlight. Hear the tale of “Mack the Knife” in selections from the uncategorizable Threepenny Opera, which premiered in Berlin in 1928; rousing settings of Walt Whitman poems, which Weill wrote throughout the 1940s after emigrating to the United States; and additional pieces soon to be announced.

Justin Austin, Baritone Howard Watkins, Piano

Praised in Opera News as “a gentle actor and elegant musician” and in The Wall Street Journal for his “mellifluous baritone,” vocalist Justin Austin is quickly making a name for himself on opera, oratorio, musical theatre, and concert stages around the United States and Europe.

Celebrity Series | Justin Austin, baritone, and Howard Watkins, piano

Longy School of Music of Bard College

Justin Austin, baritone

“Justin Austin showed off a mighty lyric voice with dramatic flair at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan on Tuesday evening. Austin’s tone is deep and earthy, with a firmly stitched timbre that withstands some high-octane singing.” (The New York Times)

Justin Austin, baritone Howard Watkins, piano

Clayton State University

Radiant soprano Renée Fleming graces Berkeley with her star power once again, lending her warmth and sensitivity to a recital program of songs and arias in several languages. Fleming’s shimmering, lustrous voice is the stuff of legends. Affectionately coined “America’s Diva,” only she can claim to have sung at the Super Bowl, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, at a Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, and at a Presidential inauguration, in addition to all the world’s major opera houses—not to mention boasting five Grammy wins, an indie rock album, and a Tony Award-nominated Broadway appearance. Beyond the opera stage, Fleming’s artistic curiosity has led her to follow her creativity in countless directions, pursuing fascinating projects, collaborations, commissions, and—luckily for us—more of her rare and special recital appearances. In December, she was among the artists celebrated at the 46th Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievement.

Renée Fleming, soprano Howard Watkins, piano

Singing Freedom utilizes Freedom on the Move—Cornell University’s database devoted to the experiences of enslaved people seeking freedom in North America—to “capture a multiplicity of voices and perspectives, each meditating on what it means to risk all to be free.” A trio of exceptional vocalists—Karen Slack, Reginald Mobley, and Will Liverman—brings this project to life alongside celebrated pianist Howard Watkins and Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens. This first of two programs features PCMS collaborating with New York-based Sparks & Wiry Cries (innovator of songSLAM Festival and Art Song Magazine) on a new work (co-commissioned by PCMS) by American composer Shawn Okpebholo, whose music has been described as “devastatingly beautiful… fresh and new and fearless” (Washington Post).

Singing Freedom – Part I

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

In 1990, three great operatic tenors gave a legendary concert of the best arias in the canon. More than 800 million viewers tuned in, and the recording of this concert became the best-selling classical album of all time! Dayton Opera pays homage to this historic event as three rising stars on the operatic stage perform much of the same repertoire of the original concert, led by Dayton’s own, Howard Watkins, as music director and pianist. Featuring opera’s greatest arias to Broadway, Neapolitan, and Zarzuela songs, this concert will have you yelling “Encore!”

Howard Watkins

Pianist

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 2, 2025

Three Tenors, Encore! · Dayton Performing Arts

Past events

Apr 3, 2024

Songs In Flight · Duke Performances

Mar 28, 2024

Ema Nikolovska, Mezzo-Soprano Howard Watkins, Piano · Carnegie Hall

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