Carnegie Hall 2025 Review: Sound Espressivo & Price Attractions Laureate Gala
By Afton Markay(Photo credit: Carnegie Hall)
An eclectic program ranging from vocal works and piano performances, to classical guitar pieces, as well as a lively castanet choir was presented by Sound Espressivo and Price Attractions at its 11th Laureate Gala in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on June 30th.
Performers represented winners of Sound Espressivo’s 2023-24 Laureate audition competition. The concert also featured an audience favorites contest sponsored by AdlerOaks Music. The winner is yet to be announced. Only vocal works are covered in this review.
Choral
The Chicago Kwonsa Choir opened the concert with a vigorous rendition of the Kirkland-Jinsil Lee arrangement of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” sung in Korean. The singers briefly left the stage, before returning in a new formation for their second piece, Craig Curry’s “All of These,” also sung in Korean. Conductor JinUk Lee led the choir and pianist Sarah Yun Mayer with precision. There was a sense of connectedness among the ensemble which in turn produced a polished performance. Lee’s thoughtful choice of repertoire highlighted the choir’s mastery of both traditional and contemporary works and their ability to create an authentic sound. While the performance was clearly well-rehearsed, Lee’s visible mouthing of the lyrics detracted from the overall presentation.
Vocal Solos
Soprano Lisa Leak’s performance of Gershwin’s “Summertime” with pianist Frane Rušinović did not make for a pleasant listening experience. The opening line, known for its iconic sustained notes, came across as a warble due to a slowed rate of vibrato. It’s important to note that this is not a technical flaw on Leak’s part, but rather a natural effect of aging, something that everyone will eventually experience, even the best of the best singers. Several high notes sounded strained, with an overly forward placement that compromised pitch accuracy. However, Leak’s diction stood out as a redeeming quality, reflecting her understanding of vocal technique.
The final vocal work of the evening was the world premiere of James Adler’s “Alleluia for Peace.” Soprano Dominika Zamara and the Lehner Quartet gave a graceful and deeply expressive inaugural performance. The brief instrumental introduction effectively established the emotional and stylistic framework of the piece. The piece opens in A minor but modulates upward, stepwise, to B-flat minor, and eventually B-flat major, a subtle yet powerful musical depiction of the fluid and evolving nature of the search for peace. This, matched with Adler’s evocative dynamic markings, which called for an intertwining ebb and flow of both the strings and vocal line, created a sense of breathing patterns. This served as yet another representation of one’s longing for peace, as the musical breaths were at times labored or uneasy, like a restful sigh, or rapid as if expressing joy or excitement.
Zamara’s entrance was crisp, followed by a skillful display of vocal spin and dynamic control throughout. She brought finesse to the purposefully repetitive text, maintaining interest and offered insightful interpretations to each phrase. The score, written for Zamara perfectly highlighted the soprano’s range, allowing her to show off the gorgeous placement of the vowels in the word, “Alleluia” in all registers of her voice.
While I believe an off-book performance would have come across as stronger, her thoughtful delivery made for a compelling and pleasing premiere performance.
Overall Observations
Sound Espressivo’s Laureate Gala featured a relaxed, drop-in environment. Many audience members stayed only for the duration of the performance they came to see, with people making their way in and out of the hall throughout the evening. Surprisingly, the movement of audience members was not disruptive. Personally, I found it helped distract from stage changes and gave attendees a chance to respectfully view the digital program.
Collaborative pianist Frane Rušinović deserves recognition for their stamina throughout the program and the versatility displayed across an extensive mix of vocal and instrumental works. Rušinović remained fully engaged with each soloist and maintained a fresh, exciting sound from start to finish.
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