The Hamilton College Performing Arts Series opens with baritone Jubilant Sykes, on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m., in Wellin Hall, Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts. The Grammy-nominated baritone brings a new dimension to the traditional vocal recital by drawing on gospel and jazz influences. Sykes is joined by guitarist Christopher Parkening and pianist Mark Rice for a unique performance that ranges from classical, Broadway and jazz standards to spirituals.
Opera News describes Jubilant Sykes as “... authentically passionate and vocally enthralling, masterfully fusing his classical, jazz and gospel backgrounds . . . a compelling, almost shamanistic power I’ve not heard elsewhere ...” He has worked with a number of notable conductors and has been the featured soloist with many of the world’s finest orchestras. Sykes has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Opera Berlin, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and London’s Barbican Centre, the New Orleans Jazz Festival and hundreds of other major venues around the world, appearing with a number of leading artists from different musical styles.
Wellin Hall in the Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts annually hosts two professional performing arts series: Classical Connections and Contemporary Voices and Visions.
Christopher Parkening is celebrated as one of the world’s preeminent virtuosos of the classical guitar. The Washington Post called him “the leading guitar virtuoso of our day, combining profound musical insight with complete technical mastery of his instrument.” Parkening’s performances, recordings and collaborations have included artists such as Kathleen Battle, Josh Groban, Jubilant Sykes and composers/conductors John Williams and Elmer Bernstein. A frequent soloist with leading orchestras, Parkening has performed at the White House and appeared on 20/20, The Today Show, The Tonight Show and Good Morning America, Currently, he is Distinguished Professor of Music and chair of the Guitar Department at Pepperdine University.
Mark Rice was trained as a classical pianist and studied at the University of Oregon. Active as both an accompanist and arranger, his instrumental arrangements have been performed by major orchestras including the London Symphony and Boston Pops.
Tickets for this event are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, and $5 for students. All seating is general admission. For more information, call the box office at 859-4331 or visit www.hamilton.edu/performingarts.
