Kansas Arts on Tour Roster - Classical Music Ensembles

The Lyric Arts Trio is a classical chamber music ensemble of clarinet, soprano voice and piano. One of the longest-tenured chamber music artists on the Kansas Arts Commission Touring Program roster, the trio has been a part of Kansas culture since 1990. An engaging mélange of the best of vocal and instrumental worlds, the Lyric Arts Trio presents concerts of solos, duos and trios, enlivened with informal commentary on the music from the artists. The trio has a broad repertoire, from Mozart and Schubert to several works created especially for the ensemble. Trio members are Suzanne Hillis Ackin, soprano; Elena Lence Talley, clarinet; and Daniel Velicer, piano.

Program Descriptions

Recitals are typically structured around a theme, although any program can be customized to suit the needs and wishes of the presenter. Tour programs offered in the 2008-09 season will include:

• Hearts and Flowers: A program celebrating love and nature in all its beauty, including Schubert’s famous “Shepherd on the Rock”, Menotti’s “Steal Me, Sweet Thief” and Gordon Jacob’s supremely tuneful Seasonal Songs.

• A Shakespeare Festival: One of our most popular programs returns. Includes settings of “How Do I Love Thee”, a lushly romantic song cycle by Erich Korngold, selections from Bernstein’s West Side Story (a modern re-telling of Romeo and Juliet), as well as Bernstein’s jazzy Clarinet Sonata.

• Great Poets: Great music hand in hand with the words of great poets.  Features settings of poetry by Robert Frost, William Blake, Emily Dickinson and James Joyce, among others.

Other programs are available and new programs can be created for a presenter. Concerts are approximately one hour and one-half in length.

Master classes in chamber music, voice, piano or clarinet/woodwinds are available for advanced high school and college students.