Come Down Angels – A Recital of Songs by Women Composers
Saturday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m. Tickets on sale now!
Cherish with us the seldom-heard women lyrical composers of the world in a candle-lit evening of musical collaborations by this seasoned concert duet, interspersing songs with biographical details of the composers. Revel in the diverse styles, sensibilities, moods, and genres expressed by these brilliant women from different eras, backgrounds and complex lives. From the 19th century German piano virtuoso Clara Schumann (wife of Robert), and the French Romantic composer Cécile Chaminade to more recent composers such as Venezuelan modernist Modesta Bor, the much lauded African American Undine Smith Moore whose styles are rooted in gospel, spirituals, and blues, and the contemporary New Englander Gwyneth Walker, composer of over 400 works, marked by beauty, energy, drama, and even humor. Together we celebrate the extraordinary talents and achievements of these, and many more, women of musical greatness.
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Importantly, these composers were also celebrated educators, as are this evenings performers:
Melissa Jean Chåvez is a winner of the Bach-Handel Competition, and a finalist in the American Prize for Opera, Classical Singer Competition, MidAtlantic NATSAA, Shenandoah Concerto Competition, Philadelphia Lieder Society Competition, Opera at San Nicola Competition, and has received multiple grants for recital performances. She has been acclaimed by the Washington Post for her “voluptuous voice” and “cool exemplary production.” Melissa has performed in over thirty five operas including Michaela in “Carmen”, Fiordiligi in “Così fan tutte,” Donna Anna in “Don Giovanni,” the title role in “Adriana Lecouvreur,” Beatrice in “Beatrice et Benedict,” and many more. She also has performed as a featured soloist in many orchestral and symphonic concerts. Melissa is currently a staff member at Shenandoah University and on the faculty of the PAVAN Virginia Summer Regional Governor’s School.
Nevin Bender, chamber musician, solo pianist, collaborative pianist and educator, enjoys a rich and diverse international music career. He served as collaborative pianist at National United Methodist Church in Washington D.C. from 2015-2022. Highlights from a 30-year career in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area include winning 1st place in the Virginia MTNA piano solo competition, performing in the Brahms Requiem for four-hand piano with Arlene Shrut and the National United Methodist Festival Choir, serving as Music Director at Washington Waldorf School. He then relocated to Southern Germany to work as a collaborative pianist, soloist, and piano teacher. In 2025 he returned to the United States to teach music at the San Francisco Waldorf School and continue his work as a collaborative pianist and piano teacher. Mr. Bender pursued his doctoral studies at the University of Maryland under Robert McCoy and Rita Slone.
Tickets available online at TicketTailor.com.