The Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series, in collaboration with the Julian Autrey Song Foundation and the Presser Foundation, will present a free concert, 7 p.m. Saturday, March 22 at St. Mark’s in-the-Valley Church, 2901 Nojoqui Ave., Los Olivos
The concert program, Even the Trees Weep, created by tenor Kellan Dunlap with Lyndsi Maus, collaborative pianist, and composer Victor Cui, focuses on the tragedy of school shootings.
The concert of all American songs features classic composers such as Aaron Copland and Florence Price, as well as newly composed songs by Lori Laitman and John Musto.
The performance also includes spoken-word pieces based on testimonials from teachers, students and parents, bringing attention to this critical issue.
This program is intended for mature audiences only.
Dunlap is a lyric tenor from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He aims for dramatic and poignant text expression and ease in lyrical lines.
A former apprentice artist with Opera San Antonio, Dunlap was an apprentice artist at Des Moines Metro Opera in the summer of 2024. He was recently awarded first place in the National Student Auditions with the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and named a semifinalist in the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition.
Maus is an award-winning collaborative pianist who specializes in Lieder and working with singers. She holds a master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a master’s degree in Klavier Vokalbegleitung from the Kunst Universität Graz in Austria.
After her studies, she worked as a répétiteur in Germany at the Nuremberg State Opera and Regensburg Theater. In August 2022, she returned to the states to join the faculty at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.
She said she is committed to performing works that can spark important conversations. For example, she played for the world premiere of Anton Lubchenko’s opera “Mui,” which tells the story of a dystopian society where government controls all aspects of life and individuals lose all sense of identity.
Chinese American composer Cui said he finds inspiration from literature, histories, linguistics, zoologies, and sounds in nature, while seeking to balance freedom and control, poetics, and logic.
Cui’s music has been performed in both America and Europe. His piece “Poltergeist of Kayaköy” for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, premiered at the 2023 soundSCAPE Festival in Blonay, Switzerland.
Cui is pursuing a doctor of musical arts student at the Shepherd School of Music of Rice University. He holds a master of music in composition from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and a BA/MA joint degree in Music and Humanities from University of Chicago.