Because Community Outreach attracts eclectic combinations of performers, one never knows what to expect, and often there are pleasant surprises. Such was the case on Saturday, June 21st, at our AMSF recital at Little Sisters of the Poor in DC. The audience of 13 residents was treated to a delightful impromptu vocal duet by Patrick Shea and Stephanie Dailey. On the program were three pianists, a violinist, a flutist, and a singalong. The recital began promptly at 3:00 p.m. with Patrick at the Kawai Grand piano.
Patrick opened with three short piano pieces. They were 2-Part Inventions No. 14 in Bb major and No. 10 in G major by JS Bach (1685–1750), followed by “From the Diary of a Fly” (which depicts a fly’s struggle to escape a spider’s web) by Hungarian composer Bela Bartok (1881–1945). The surprise came in Patrick’s fourth piece where he remained at the piano and teamed up with Stephanie Dailey to sing “Can’t Help Lovin Dat Man” by Jerome Kern (1885–1945) from the Musical by Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat. It was an unforgettable performance.
As Patrick exited, Stephanie smoothly changed gears, retrieved her violin and Bluetooth speaker, and set up for her instrumental performance. Dressed for the occasion and speaking in fluent French, Stephanie introduced herself and her three French pieces. There was much laughter when, to everyone’s surprise, a nun in the audience responded to her in perfect French! The pieces were “Barcarolle” (Belle Nuit, O Nuit D’amour) by Jaques Offenbach (1819-1880) from the opera Tales of Hoffman, “Can Can” again by Offenbach from the opera Orpheus in the Underworld (from a Frank Sinatra movie), and “C’est Si Bon” by Henri Betti (1917-2005) with lyrics by Andre Hornez (1905-1989). The latter piece was made famous by Ertha Kitt.
Michelle Powell followed on the piano with “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” by JS Bach, and “Somewhere,” a song from the popular 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story (which had film adaptations released in 1961 and 2021). It was composed by Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021). Jesu Joy is a famous chorale from Bach’s cantata titled “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life) BWV147. It is often played at weddings. Michelle’s rendition was soothing and musical. Her second piece was immediately recognized by the audience as they hummed along to the familiar melody which Michelle highlighted.
Accompanied on the piano by Carol Henry, flutist Sharon Atteh-chi performed next. She played two lovely Minuets from the 4th movement of Bach’s Sonata No. 4 in C major BWV1033. The sonata is known for its melodic simplicity and 16th-note passages. The flute provided a welcome change and easily filled the large room with Sharon’s sweet mellifluous playing.
Our third pianist, Jung Yeon Kim, played Kinderszenen (“Scenes from Childhood”) Op. 15 No. 1 in G major by Robert Schumann (1810–1856) and Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor Op. 66 by Frederic Chopin (1810–1849). The Kinderszenen is one of a set of 13 pieces Schumann wrote for the piano in 1838. The Fantasie is a solo piano composition which Chopin wrote in 1834 that was published posthumously in 1855. It is one of the most difficult to play because the left hand is in triple time while the right hand plays duple time. Jung rose to the occasion and displayed her excellent keyboard technique in both pieces. She played the Schumann with staid control, but with the Fantasie, Jung “let it fly” with a spirited and energetic delivery that delighted the audience. In addition, Jung added a bit of levity to the afternoon, causing vociferous laughter when she spontaneously invited the entire senior audience to attend her rock-band concert that night to hear her play again!
The recital ended with a singalong led by Carol Henry accompanied by Jung on the piano. Sharon distributed words to the two songs which were “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz and “It is Well with My Soul.” The former was written by Harold Arlen (1905–1986) with lyrics by Yip Harburg (1896–1981). The latter was written by a Chicago lawyer named Horatio Spafford (1828–1888) under tragic circumstances where he suffered the loss of his four young daughters in a collision of two vessels at sea. The residents enjoyed singing both songs and showed their appreciation with their smiles and hearty applause. One lady named Maria was so touched that she made it a point to come over and thank the group personally. Another resident named Estelle showed great interest and wanted to find out more information about the AMSF!