STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — The Board of Music of the First Congregational Church in Stockbridge, in partnership with artistic adviser Carl Shuster, will present Yevgeny Kutik and Benjamin Luxon in "The Reflected Voice: Music for Violin and Spoken Word" on Saturday, May 14.  

 

The concert will feature two works by British composer Richard Pantcheff: the US premiere of To Autumn, featuring British poetry on the theme of autumn, and the world premiere of New England Elegy, with a text by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Kutik will also perform works of JS Bach for solo violin.

 

The texts will be narrated by baritone and Berkshire County resident Benjamin Luxon, who has performed title roles at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and the English National Opera. Luxon's retirement from singing has led to a career shift to narration and spoken word performances.  

 

Violinist Yevgeny Kutik, raised in Berkshire County, made his orchestral debut in 2003 with the Boston Pops as the winner of the Boston Symphony Young Artists competition. Since then he has appeared as a soloist with orchestras across the US and Europe. His most recent CD, released in 2021, is entitled "The Death of Juliet and Other Tales," featuring the music of Prokofiev and settings of Russian folk music by contemporary composers.      

 

Composer Richard Pantcheff is a specialist in music for the Church of England whose organ and choral works have been performed in sacred and secular venues in England and South Africa. His piece for solo cello "…the field long-slept in pastoral green…" had its world premiere at Tanglewood in the summer of 2021. Pantcheff will attend the concert to introduce his work.

 

The concert will take place Saturday May 14 at 4 pm at the First Congregational Church, 4 Main Street in Stockbridge. Admission is $35 at the door. Covid-19: currently the venue is mask-optional but protocols are subject to change based upon then current conditions. The venue does not currently require proof of vaccination  but if conditions change, audience members should be prepared to show proof of vaccination at the door.