Soprano Meredith Mecum and cellist Justin Dougherty will present a recital of music by queer composers featuring newly commissioned works for soprano and cello by composers Dominick DiOrio, director of choral activities at LSC-Montgomery; Brian Kelly; Steven Knell; and Bruce Trinkley. Additionally, the concert will include works for solo cello and chamber ensembles by renowned composers Benjamin Britten, Henry Cowell, and Ned Rorem, and emerging and established composers Emily Cooley, Adrian Childs, Joseph Colombo, and Laura Kaminsky.
The concert is the second in the college’s “Queering the Pitch” recital series that introduces and celebrates the great works created by composers who are members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and allies (LGBTQA) community.
An acclaimed soprano, Mecum has sung the role of Donna Anna in “Don Giovanni” with New York Lyric Opera and covered the same role at Ash Lawn Opera. She has appeared as Rosalinde in “Die Fledermaus” with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance and as Rose Segal in the New York premiere of John Musto's “Later the Same Evening” at the Manhattan School of Music. She can be heard on the Albany Records recording of Musto’s work. In addition, she has performed as the soprano soloist in “Faure’s Requiem,” “Saint Saens’s Christmas Oratorio,” “Poulenc’s Gloria,” and “Rutter’s Requiem” at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church.
She was recently awarded second place in the New York Lyric Opera Competition and second place in the first annual Ades Vocal Competition at Manhattan School of Music.
Mecum completed her master of music degree at Manhattan School of Music and her bachelor of musical arts in voice performance and art history from Pennsylvania State University.
Dougherty is the cellist in the Hodgson String Quartet and has been called “simply outstanding,” (Bay Area Reporter) and “a rising star,” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). He has performed solo, chamber music, and orchestral concerts on many of the great stages in the U.S. and Europe.
Dedicated to the efforts of living composers and the expansion of the cello repertoire, Dougherty has premiered more than three dozen works by composers such as Donald Martino, David Rakowski, Gunther Schuller, Steven Stucky, and John Tavener. His recent projects include collaborations with cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Scott Kluksdahl, John Moran, and David Russell; pianists Judith Gordon and Tae Kim; and violinists Risa Browder and Stanley Ritchie.
Dougherty holds performance degrees from Pennsylvania State University and The Boston Conservatory. He completed his graduate study as an assistant to his mentor, the renowned cellist Rhonda Rider. Dougherty is currently the Franklin College Fellow at the University of Georgia.
For more information about the concert or the music department at LSC-Montgomery, contact Denise Meyers at 936.273.7021 or Denise.K.Meyers@LoneStar.edu; or visit www.LoneStar.edu/music-montgomery.
LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45, between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more information about the college, call 936.273.7000, or visit www.LoneStar.edu/montgomery.
With 75,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, and the fastest-growing community college system in Texas. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball, and LSC-University Park, five centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.