The Sembrich Presents Nature, Our Gentlest Mother An Afternoon of Song with Sopranos Sylvia Stoner and Suna Gunther

The Sembrich continues its 2021 Summer Festival with Nature, Our Gentlest Mother an afternoon song recital with sopranos Sylvia Stoner and Suna Gunther. Celebrating the connection of nature and song, listeners will experience the beauty of Aaron Copland’s settings of Emily Dickinson poems, luscious songs by Richard Strauss, and works of women composers including Lori Laitman and Lili Boulanger.

Sylvia Stoner

“For nearly a century, The Sembrich’s studio and grounds have served as a source inspiration for musicians, artists, and the public,” says Director of Outreach Caleb Eick. “Madame Sembrich was herself deeply inspired by the natural world. This inspiration is evident in Sembrich’s 1917 song collection, My Favorite Folk Songs, four of which will be performed as part of the program.”

A diverse professional singer and actor, soprano Sylvia Stoner has been seen on stages across the country in both opera and theater. Her operatic credits include Lisa in Pikovaya Dama, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Manon in Manon Lescaut, Nedda in I Pagliacci, and Marguerite in Faust. She has performed in numerous productions and in various chamber works including Resphigi’s Il Tramonto in Italy with Orvieto Musica, as well as contemporary classical with the NewEar Ensemble, and early music with the Spencer Consort. She obtained her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree with honors in vocal performance at the University of Kansas and is currently the Artist-in-Residence in Voice at Skidmore College

Suna Gunther

Suna Gunther

Soprano Suna Gunther is currently a professor of voice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a fourteen-year member of the Grant Park Chorus of Chicago and was assistant music director and soprano soloist for Trio Chicago and Friends for ten years, with whom she traveled the world on behalf of the U.S. State Department as a "cultural ambassador". Concert tours included Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Turkey, Singapore, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Palau, The Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Chile, and Peru. Local performances have included appearances with the Schenectady Symphony, One Quiet Plunge new music ensemble, and the Saint Rose Camerata. She holds degrees in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University and Indiana University Bloomington. 

Tickets are $30 and are available online at TheSembrich.org/festival or by calling (518) 644-2431. This performance will take place on the lakeshore under a performance tent. A rain date is scheduled for Thursday, August 12 at 2:00 PM. If needed, The Sembrich will announce the use of this rain date by 6:00 PM on the day prior to the performance.