SONGS OF SLUMBER.

Scroll down for program note, recording, perusal score,
purchase options, and commissioner biography

PROGRAM NOTE.

Rafael and I met in graduate school, and quickly realized that we shared the same birthday, in the same year. Every year we have at least one interaction - a hearty series of well-wishing and catching up on our birthdays. The work that truly solidified this beautiful friendship between birthday buddies was Opus 33, Songs of Slumber. From Rafael:

“I attended a performance of a piece saxophonist Stephanie Anne Munoz had commissioned in memory of her mother - the piece was so heartfelt and I’d been wanting to work with Stephanie Ann Boyd for some time, so asking her to write this set of pieces so close to my heart (which utilizes a text by my mother) seemed the perfect pairing.”

Songs of Slumber is a set of three lullabies: one in French (anonymous children’s text), one in German (written by Rafael’s mother), and one in English, by poet Ken Gaertner. This set of lullabies will eventually grow to include lullabies in many languages.

I’m especially grateful to Mr. Gaertner for giving me carte blanche to work with his poetry. A former marine who marched in Selma for civil rights in the 1960s and became an award-winning playwright and poet in NYC in the 1980s, he became a co-worker of my father and as a young child I attended a concert of his poetry set to music, and decided that one day, when I was a “good enough” composer, I’d ask permission to set his poetry. At the end of undergraduate, I set a poems of his for my “Three Disparate Sisters” (2013). And when Rafael asked for this collection of lullabies, I asked if I might work with one of Ken’s pieces for the American lullaby.

Recording.

commissioner biography.

Tenor Rafael Helbig-Kostka was born in Germany, and as a child he moved to California, where he discovered his love for opera and ultimately followed his passion into university and beyond. 

Rafael begins the first half of the 2019/2020 season, his second year at the Musiktheater Linz, by singing the role of Male Chorus from Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia.” Afterwards, he will make his mainstage debut as Pedrillo in Mozart’s “Die Entführung aus dem Serail,” and will sing the title role from Liszt’s lost opera “Sardanapalo” as part of the Oper am Klavier series. In the second half of the season, he will make his role debut as Paolino in Cimarosa’s “Il Matrimonio Segreto,” as well as singing First Shepherd in the world premiere of Michael Obst’s opera “Unter dem Gletscher” on the mainstage of the Musiktheater in Linz.

Rafael Helbig-Kostka joined the Upper-Austria Opera Studio at the Musiktheater Linz for the 2018/2019 season, and made his debut as Simon in the German Language premiere of the opera “Simon” by Gerard Stäbler. He next appeared in the opera “The Transposed Heads,” by Australian-American composer Peggy Glanville-Hicks, where his performance was praised for his “beautiful timbre, and possessing a bright, cleanly lead and flexible voice, which had noticeable heft but without any audible tension, especially in his higher range.” (Onlinemerker.com) In his last show of the season, Rafael “shined” (OÖNachrichten) as the romantic lead Boleslav Zagorsky from Joseph Beer’s neglected operetta “Die Polnische Hochzeit,” possessing a “beautiful and radiant tenor voice, which was emotionally moving without being heavy handed.” (Onlinemerker). He closed his season by jumping in at the Musiktheater Linz as Walter de Courcey, in the musical Chess.

He recently placed third in the 2019 Operetta competition at the Anton Bruckner University, and was a 2018 Finalist of the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition, as well as a 2017 Finalist in the New England Region for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

He had the pleasure of spending the 2016 and 2017 summer season as a Gerdine Young Artist with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where he understudied roles such as Tito from Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Berthold/Flogger/and Titorelli from the North American premiere of Philip Glass’ opera “The Trial,” based on the Kafka novel, as well as Brighella in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. He was a Featured Young Artist with the Opera Theater Pittsburgh Summerfest (Now Pittsburgh Festival Opera), where he performed the roles of the Italian Tenor in Richard Strauss’ “Capriccio,” and Basilio in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” In addition, he understudied the role of Flamand in Capriccio. He has also attended other programs such as the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar and the International Vocal Arts Institute.   

He earned his Master's degree in Voice from the New England Conservatory and his Bachelor's degree in Voice from California State University Stanislaus. During his time at NEC, he sang the roles of: Rektor (The Cunning Little Vixen), Rinuccio, Pylades in Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride, Ferrando, and Tamino. While he attended Stanislaus, he sang the role of Le Remendado from Bizet’s Carmen, and also Giuseppe from Verdi’s La Traviata, both with the Townsend Opera Company (now Modesto Opera).

He enjoys returning to his roots in California, as well as giving recitals, giving him an outlet of studying and pursing art song in addition to opera. 

More about Rafael Helbig-Kostka

POET biography.

Poet/Dramatist Ken Gaertner (1933-2018) was a celebrated American writer. He was Professor of Drama at Ave Maria College of the Americas, and his work appeared in America, Christian Century, New Oxford Review, and Poem.

List of productions and publications:
Six New York productions of plays, 1978-2006 working with The Open Eye Theatre, Actor’s Institute, Vital Theatre, Mystic Theatre, and others.
Several productions in the midwest and Europe. Breath Of The Spirit, Seven dramatic poems performed by actor and actress with organ and
flute, New York City 2004, Paris, France, 2005, Lisbon, Portugal, 2005, Ann Arbor, MI 2006. Koan Bread, book of poems, published 1989.
Published poetry and/or plays in Commonweal, America, The Christian Century, In The West Of Ireland, Poem, Poet Lore, St. Austin’s Review, Four Quarters, Emery’s Journal, The Midwest Quarterly, Audience, and many other magazines. Winner of the Editor’s Choice Award for poem, 911, published in The Penwood Review. Winner of the one-act play contest, Seventeen Hoofbeats, performed at The Actor’s Institute, New York City. A Flowery Relationship, produced 2004, New York City, The Samuel French One Act Festival. printed in Audienc Park Avenue, literary quarterly Oct. 2008. Empty Bowl, one-act verse play, published in Audience February 2009
Summer Roses in Winter, printed in Audience Magazine, Summer 2009. Seventeen Hoofbeats, two act play, published in Audience Magazine Fall 2009. The Gallantry Of Laundry, performed BrooklynOneTheater, 2009. Ken was Listed in Who’s Who In America by Marquis Press and n International Authors and Writers Who’s Who by International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England. He was a Member of The Dramatists Guild Of America