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Event Description/ Synopsis (1-2 paragraphs)
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Internationally active composer / pianist John Sharpley is joined by one of Singapore’s most outstanding tenors, Reuben Lai, in Four Songs from Kahlil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’.
Following an introduction to the Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran (1883 – 1930) and his ever-popular book, The Prophet, the concert features a dramatized version of Sharpley’s recent song cycle along with supporting guest actress Morwenna Maclean. The simple yet profound meanings behind these inspired words are eternal beacons of light. Music and text join to create an emotionally engaging and spiritually uplifting experience
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Biographies of performers
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John Sharpley’s music has been described as "an undulating flow of notes that suggest the elusive beauty of spare, pristine phenomena." (The Globe and Mail, Toronto). He earned a Doctorate in Music Composition from Boston University and is formerly composer-in-residence for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and co-founder of Opera Viva (Singapore). He has held recent residencies at Illinois Wesleyan University, the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Symposium (Melbourne), Across Oceans International Festival (Toronto, Canada) and the New Composition Festival (Bangkok, Thailand). His honours include the Texas Composer of the Year Prize and a New York Film Festival Award. His full-scale opera Fences recently premiered in Singapore (2012) to critical acclaim.
Reuben Lai studied at the Guildhall in London and at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Operatic roles that Reuben has recently performed include Lenski in Evgeny Onegin, the Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos. Described as a “first rate tenor” by Opera magazine for his role as Truffaldino in L’amour des trios oranges by Prokofieff, he has also received praise for his role as Lenski and the Chevalier de la Force. Recently he has sung the role of 2nd Nazarene for Singapore Lyric Opera’s production Salome and the role of Mr Lee for the world premiere of John Sharpley's Singaporean opera Fences.
Morwenna Maclean is originally from Perth, Western Australia, and moved to Singapore in 2011 to study acting at LASALLE. She is currently in her final year and after graduating she plans to move to Berlin to pursue her love of theatre in Germany.
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