'Cause it makes me feel home: Songs of Blitzstein, Bolcom, and Scheer
Drew Santini, baritone
Recognized for his unusual warmth of sound and presence, baritone Drew Santini is active singing concerts and opera on both sides of the Atlantic. In recent seasons he has appeared as soloist with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic, the Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht, and Finnish Baroque Orchestra. This season he sang the role of William in Opera2Day’s tour of Philip Glass’ The Fall of the House of Usher. He is a founding member of Damask Vocal Quartet and holds degrees from The Juilliard School (MM) and Manhattan School of Music (BM). He lives in The Hague and when he’s not making music, you’ll find him in the pottery studio or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread. www.drewsantini.com
©Evelien van Rijn
Alessandro Soccorsi, piano
Alessandro Soccorsi, piano, graduated from the Conservatory ‘Alfredo Casella’ in L’Aquila in 2003 and continued his studies at the Arts Academy in Rome. He moved to the Netherlands in 2008, where he studied for his Master’s degree at the Royal Conservatory (The Hague). He collaborated as accompanist in several courses, festival and masterclasses with musicians like A. Oliva, D. Formisano, Chiara Tonelli( in Rome) and William Bennett, Rien de Reede (in Amsterdam).
Currently he is a chamber music teacher and accompanist for cello and saxophone class at Royal Conservatory of The Hague, after accompanying the flute and bassoon class in the Conservatory “A. Casella” of L’Aquila, Italy.
©Annelies van der Vegt
He has been working on the production of a CD released by the label Naxos in 2017 about the woodwinds chamber music of C. Widor in which Alessandro collaborated with musician of Concertgebouw Orchestra like Olivier Patey, Alexei Ogrintchouk and the flutist Thies Roorda. Naxos released this year a Cd titled “Flute music from the Harlequin years," in which Alessandro and Thies Roorda offer a stroll through unfamiliar but beautiful repertoire by composers like G. Antheil, T. Harsanyi, P. de Breville.
He has performed as a soloist and as a chamber musician with ensembles at numerous festivals and music events in Italy and the Netherlands. His participation in the music programme ‘The Age of Boulez’ organized by the Boulez Foundation was highly praised. In the Liszt Festival at the Royal Conservatory he was the soloist in Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto and in 2013 with the Brabant Orchestra in Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor. In 2016 he was a soloist with the Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese, performing in the L’Aquila Contemporanea Festival. His performance of Vivier’s Shiraz was praised unanimously by new music lovers and connoisseurs and has triggered his interest in the work of this composer. After careful study of the piano and chamber music works by Vivier, he decided to present a CD with some of the most interesting pieces. His adaption of Pulau Dewata, music for variable ensemble, for piano and two percussionists displays the composer’s colourful writing at its best.