OWU Music Faculty Present 'Virginia Woolf' Lecture, Song Cycle Recital

February 6, 2004

DELAWARE, OHIO -- Marilyn Nims, mezzo soprano, and Tracy Cowden, pianist, members of the Ohio Wesleyan University music faculty, will present the song cycle From the Diary of Virginia Woolf by Dominick Argento at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, in Sanborn Hall's Jemison Auditorium.

The program will begin with a discussion by Dr. Cowden regarding the relationship of Virginia Woolf's writings to their settings by Argento. The duo will then perform the work in its entirety.

In From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, American composer Dominick Argento has set to music eight excerpts from British author Virginia Woolf's famous diary, beginning with an entry from April, 1919, and concluding with her last entry in March, 1941. Virginia Woolf is well known not only for her innovative literary contributions, but also for her troubled personal life. The diary chronicles the author's most spontaneous thoughts in her journey for self-discovery, and Argento illuminates her words with complex, thought-provoking, and extraordinarily beautiful musical settings. The work was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1975.

Tracy Cowden is currently Assistant Professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, where she teaches applied and class piano and serves as departmental staff accompanist. In October 2001, she appeared as concerto soloist with the Ohio Wesleyan University Chamber Orchestra. She also maintains an active schedule as a collaborative pianist and has performed in duo and chamber music recitals throughout the United States and Canada. She recently recorded a CD with colleague Nancy Gamso entitled Blackwood and Silver, which features duo repertoire for flute with piano and clarinet with piano; this was released in 2003.

Marilyn Nims is Associate Professor at Ohio Wesleyan. She has been mezzo soprano soloist with many orchestras and choral groups including the Columbus, Mansfield, Welsh Hills, and Central Ohio Symphony Orchestras, the Columbus Bach Ensemble, and Cantari Singers of Columbus. She has special affection for the song recital, and her programs present a diverse repertory, often highlighting the vocal music of Spain and Latin America. She has made singing translations of two zarzuelas, Agua, azucarillos y aguardiente and Bohemios, both of which have been produced by the Ohio Wesleyan Opera Theatre. She will again perform on the Jemison stage in Respighi's Il Tramonto with the Duvall Ensemble on April 13.

The concert is offered to the public free of charge. For more information, call the Ohio Wesleyan Music Department at 740-368-3700.