Upcoming Events
Scenes from the Operatic Stage
This event is free and open to the public. Scenes from the Operatic Stage brings together some of opera’s most compelling moments of love, conflict, comedy, and heartbreak. Featuring fully staged scenes from beloved operas spanning multiple styles and eras, this concert showcases the dramatic power, vocal artistry, and theatrical imagination at the heart of the operatic tradition.
Georgia will be singing the role of Pamina in Pamina’s Suicide Scene from Die Zauberflöte.
An Evening of Songs by Tom Cipullo
This event is free and open to the public. This concert celebrates the art songs of American composer Tom Cipullo, whose music is known for its emotional immediacy, lyrical intensity, and keen sensitivity to text. Exploring themes of love, loss, memory, and identity, Cipullo’s songs pair expressive vocal writing with richly nuanced piano parts, creating works that are both intimate and dramatic. All songs on this program will be coached by the composer, offering performers and audiences a rare opportunity to experience this repertoire shaped directly by the composer’s own artistic insight.
The Nordic Project
This event is free and open to the public. This project introduces vocal repertoire from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark, exploring the beauty and cultural richness of Nordic art song. As part of SongFest, the Scandinavian Project and Concert will feature songs in Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, and Danish, coached by Kathleen Roland-Silverstein and Francesco Barfoed.
Participants will examine repertoire rooted in folk traditions and trace its development into works now featured on international concert stages. A basic introduction to Scandinavian diction will be provided, along with repertoire resources for continued study. No prior knowledge of the languages is required.
Songs of Resilience and American Voices
This event is free and open to the public. Songs of Resilience and American Voices pairs Sheila Silver’s newly composed Songs of Resilience with vocal music by American composers spanning a variety of styles and traditions. Conceived in response to contemporary world events, Silver’s cycle reflects themes of resistance, courage, compassion, and hope through newly commissioned texts written specifically for the project. Together with works by other American composers, the program celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of song to inspire reflection, connection, and humanity.
I, Too, Sing America - A Celebration of Black Art Song
This event is free and open to the public. Concerts will be presented in Daniel Recital Hall and Daniel Chapel at Furman University and feature SongFest participants, faculty, and guest artists.
A livestream will be available for all concerts, with the exception of the master classes led by Jamie Barton. All master classes will take place in the Daniel Music Building on the campus of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Auditors are welcome to attend selected master classes and are encouraged to support SongFest through a contribution.
Free parking is available on campus.
Martin Katz Masterclass: The Songs of Richard Strauss
This event is free and open to the public. Concerts will be presented in Daniel Recital Hall and Daniel Chapel at Furman University and feature SongFest participants, faculty, and guest artists.
A livestream will be available for all concerts, with the exception of the master classes led by Jamie Barton. All master classes will take place in the Daniel Music Building on the campus of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Auditors are welcome to attend selected master classes and are encouraged to support SongFest through a contribution.
Free parking is available on campus.
Jamie Barton Masterclass
This event is free and open to the public. SongFest is honored to welcome Jamie Barton for a special residency featuring masterclasses for singers and pianists. Renowned for her commanding artistry, musical insight, and generosity as a teacher, Barton will work closely with participants on technique, interpretation, collaboration, and expressive communication. Her masterclasses offer a rare opportunity to engage with one of today’s leading operatic artists in an intensive, supportive learning environment that reflects SongFest’s commitment to artistic excellence and professional development.
Harrower Summer Opera Presents: GIANNI SCHICCHI & SUOR ANGELICA
“When discussing Giacomo Puccini, one immediately thinks of works such as La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, which are among the most famous in the history of opera! However, some of his most successful arias come from works that could be considered "minor," but which have nothing to envy his most famous compositions. Such is the case, for example, with the aria O mio babbino caro, made famous by Maria Callas’ interpretation. Not everyone may know that this aria is from the opera Gianni Schicchi, first performed in 1918 and inspired by an episode narrated in Canto XXX of Dante's Inferno. The famous romance narrates the story of Lauretta: set in 14th-century Florence, the young girl begs her father, the clever Gianni Schicchi, to help the Donati family recover an inheritance lost due to a poorly worded will. Due to the hatred he holds towards the Donati family, he hesitates, delays, and protests, but it is ultimately Lauretta's love for Buoso Donati that convinces him to act... not without a surprising finale!” - Medici.tv
Harrower Summer Opera Presents: THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
“Margaret Johnson, the wife of an American businessman, is touring the Tuscan countryside with her daughter, Clara. While sightseeing, Clara – a beautiful, surprisingly childish young woman – loses her hat in a sudden gust. As if guided by an unseen hand, the hat lands at the feet of Fabrizio Naccarelli, a handsome Florentine, who returns it to Clara. This brief episode, charged with coincidence and fate, sparks an immediate and intense romance between Clara and Fabrizio. Margaret, extremely protective of her daughter, attempts to keep Clara and Fabrizio apart. But as events unfold, a secret is revealed: in addition to the cultural differences between the young lovers, Clara is not quite all that she appears. Unable to suppress the truth about her daughter, Margaret is forced to reconsider not only Clara's future, but her own hopes as well.” - Concordtheatricals.com
Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre Presents: STREET SCENE
Purchase tickets in advance at furmanmusic.ludus.com, or call the music office at 864.294.2086. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.
“Youthful desire, forbidden love, and brutal vengeance simmer to an explosion in the diverse melting pot of a 1940s New York City tenement. As the heat of the day builds, a family is pushed to an eruption that changes the community forever. Soaring operatic arias and duets rub shoulders with jazz and the jitterbug. With numbers such as ‘Lonely House’ and ‘Moon-faced, Starry-eyed’, it’s no wonder that Street Scene was awarded Best Original Score at the first Tony Awards in 1947.” - Music.iastate.edu
Sarah Reese Lyric Theatre Presents: STREET SCENE
Purchase tickets in advance at furmanmusic.ludus.com, or call the music office at 864.294.2086. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.
“Youthful desire, forbidden love, and brutal vengeance simmer to an explosion in the diverse melting pot of a 1940s New York City tenement. As the heat of the day builds, a family is pushed to an eruption that changes the community forever. Soaring operatic arias and duets rub shoulders with jazz and the jitterbug. With numbers such as ‘Lonely House’ and ‘Moon-faced, Starry-eyed’, it’s no wonder that Street Scene was awarded Best Original Score at the first Tony Awards in 1947.” - Music.iastate.edu
Georgia Thomas Senior Voice Recital
Georgia invites you to attend her Senior Recital, the final recital she will give at Furman University. This event is not ticketed. Free admission.
Can’t make it? Tune in to the livestream at the time of the performance on the Furman Music YouTube.