HART SONGS.

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PROGRAM NOTE.

Hart Songs is a song cycle for soprano and string trio, a setting of text from Monica Ferrell's collection of poems Eleven Steps to Breaking up a Hart, from her first book of poetry Beasts for the Chase, winner of the Kathryn A. Morton Poetry Prize. This set of poems examines a relationship seven years after it has ended; the narrator wades through and confronts her memories of the past relationship, projecting these recollections through the lens of mythology.

ARTIST biography.

British-American Soprano Catherine Hancock has established herself as a versatile artist, equally comfortable in multiple genres and styles ranging from Renaissance music to opera and performance art. She recently gained attention for her debut with Toledo Opera as Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), where the Toledo Blade stated “The highlight of the evening was the cocky pants role Cherubino (Catherine Hancock). Not only was the suave swain an excellent comic relief, but her second act Voi Che Sapete was simply exquisite.” Catherine splits her time between Western Massachusetts and New York City, where she performs regularly and is sought after particularly for her interpretations of early and contemporary repertoire. Recent career highlights include performances at BAM, MoMA, Alice Tully Hall, and with The Mark Morris Dance Group, Sandcastle New Music Collective presented by The Metropolis Ensemble, The New York Festival of Song, Glimmerglass Opera and the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. She recently made her European debut under the baton of Richard Egarr singing Valletto (L’inoronazione di Poppea) at the Snape Malting Proms as a Britten-Pears young artist. Other favorite opera performances include the roles of Orindo in Cavalli’s La Doriclea, Lucia in Hindemith’s The Long Christmas Dinner, Nella in Gianni Schicci, and Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte. Noted concert performances include Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire and String Quartet No. 2, Berio's Sequenza, Kurtag’s Kafka-Fragmente, Handel’s dramatic cantata La Lucrezia, and Ravel’s Chansons madécasses.

Catherine’s interest in contemporary and early music has added a unique dimension to her career.  She is dedicated to working with composers and has premiered dozens of new works, and on the other end of the spectrum she is passionate about performing unknown 17th century repertoire and specializes in British lute songs. She is a founding member of The Moirae Ensemble, a chamber music group that connects classical music and social responsibility through commissioning young composers. She works closely with cellist, Madeleine Shapiro (Director: Modernworks Co-director: The New Music Consort), and they are currently developing a project exploring and commissioning experimental works for voice and cello.  Additionally, she is a member of the early music ensemble Anglica Antiqua, a group which presents 17th century historical performance in conjunction with poetry and theater from the time. 

Catherine holds both a Bachelor and Master of Music from The Juilliard School and a Professional Studies Degree from Mannes, The New School for Music.

As a committed educator, Catherine has spent many years working in arts outreach and community engagement. She has worked extensively with Artists Striving to End Poverty, The International Rescue Committee, and Sing for Hope, bringing music and art to communities in New York that would otherwise have limited access to music education and performance. She also has a private studio in New York City, specializing in children’s voice and vocal therapy.  

In addition to singing, Catherine is a RYT 500 hour yoga instructor with a specialization in medical yoga therapy and mantra. She teaches yoga privately and at Chelsea Piers Sports Center in New York City. In alignment with her love of historical performance, Catherine studied lute and continuo with Richard Kolb and plays with the New York Continuo Collective. And always exploring different means of artistic expression, Catherine works part time as a visual artist and writer.

More about Catherine Hancock

poet biography.

Monica Ferrell is the author of three books of fiction and poetry, most recently the collection You Darling Thing (Four Way, 2018), a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Award and Believer Book Award in Poetry. Her novel The Answer Is Always Yes (Dial Press/Random House) was named one of Booklist's Top Ten Debut Novels of the Year. Her first collection of poems, Beasts for the Chase, was a finalist for the Asian American Writers Workshop Prize in Poetry and won the Sarabande Books Kathryn A. Morton Prize. She has been recognized with residencies at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation and the MacDowell Colony, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship, and a Discovery/The Nation Prize. She has taught fiction and poetry for the MFA Programs at Columbia University and Bennington College, and is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Purchase College (SUNY). She was born in New Delhi, India, and lives with her husband and children in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

More about Monica Ferrell