On May 24, 2022, Park Avenue’s Recital Series will continue with a concert from baritone Justin Austin and pianist Howard Watkins.

The program will explore Austin’s perspective on what it means to be an American through the lens of composers such as Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Weill, Damien Sneed, and art songs by Ricky Ian Gordon which set to music poems by Langston Hughes.

Austin has recently made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in their production of Brett Deans’s “Hamlet,” and will appear as a soloist in The Oratorio Society of New York’s upcoming performance of Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” at Carnegie Hall. Currently a student under Catherine Maliftano, Austin has performed with The Glimmerglass Festival, the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich Opera Festival, and more.

Watkins currently serves as an Assistant Conductor at the Met, and has performed worldwide with leading artists such as Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, Thomas Hampson, Matthew Polenzani, and more. He has held faculty positions at The Juilliard School, Merola Opera Program, Yale School of Music, Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, and Tokyo International Vocal Arts Academy, among others.

Tickets are available for $55, with audience members being required to provide proof of vaccination and ID. Masks are required within the venue.