Jeffrey Charles Palmer, countertenor and Irena Portenko, piano invite you join them on a musical voyage beginning in 19th century France with the song cycle Les nuits d'été by Hector Berlioz before sailing across the Celtic Sea to discover a beautifully curated selection of traditional Irish songs, including classic arrangements by Benjamin Britten and Hamilton Harty.
This concert is made possible, in part, with the generous support of Victor Goldsmith, PhD.
Jeffrey Charles Palmer, countertenor, had his vocal debut at the age of nine, singing the Pie Jesu from the Fauré Requiem Mass in his native Virginia. As a critically acclaimed recitalist, he has given concerts in venues across the globe, including the Marmorsaal of Mirabell Palace (Salzburg, Austria), the Hefei Grand Theatre (Hefei, China), and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (NYC, USA). Known for his ‘particularly attractive timbre with more warmth to the tone than often found with countertenors’ and for singing ‘with great imagination and deep feeling for the words’ (Henry Fogel, Fanfare Magazine), his eclectic taste and flexible musicality have allowed him to be as comfortable in Purcell and Handel as he is in Britten and Björk.
Named to a “select circle” of pianists by The New York Times, Irena Portenko, DMA is a sought-after concert pianist, music educator, and arts administrator. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dr. Portenko first displayed a talent for the piano at age three, making her debut performing Haydn’s Keyboard Concerto in D Major with the Ukrainian National Orchestra at the age of eight. Her career as a soloist has included a distinguished array of performances, including two concerti by R. Schumann and J. Brahms in one evening, accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. In her performances as a soloist with orchestra, she has played under the batons of Grammy-nominated Kenneth Kiesler (USA), Volodymyr Kozhuhar (Ukraine), Rossen Milanov (Bulgaria-USA), Volodymyr Sirenko (Ukraine), Uwe Harrer (Austria), Allin Vlasenko (Ukraine), and Dai Uk Lee (South Korea). In addition to her concert work, Dr. Portenko is an avid chamber musician, and has performed with a diverse range of musicians at festivals and in recital around the world.