MOUNT VERNON — As a musical celebration of its sesquicentennial, Cornell College will host a concert featuring American works of the past 150 years.
“Beautiful Dreamer: 150 Years of American Music,” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, in King Chapel, presents baritone Jonathon Thull and soprano Nancy Hagen, with accompanists Lynda Hakken and Dan Knight on piano and Jama Stilwell on flute.
The free concert will feature a variety of musical styles and compositions representative of America’s diverse musical language — such as Stephen Foster’s folk song “Beautiful Dreamer,” art songs of Samuel Barber, cabaret songs by William Bolcom and torch songs by Linda Robbins Coleman. Also on tap are selections from familiar stage productions including Jerry Bock’s “Fiddler on the Roof,” Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma” and Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me, Kate.”
The performance also will celebrate Cornell’s musical lineage, with works by Don Chamberlain and the late Julian Bern, both of Cornell’s music faculty.
Thull, a voice instructor at Cornell, is founder and artistic director of Cornell Lyric Theatre. He is chorus master for the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre’s forthcoming productions of “La Traviata” and “Le nozze di Figaro” and will co-direct Iowa City Community Theatre’s spring production of “The Man of La Mancha.” His performing experience includes the title roles in “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Sweeney Todd.”
Hagen hosts the “Morning Program” on classical radio station KSUI-FM in Iowa City, produces the Cedar Rapids Symphony concert broadcasts and contributes to “Know the Score,” KSUI’s arts and humanities series. She has appeared with the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Quad City Mozart Festival, Waterloo/Cedar Falls Metropolitan Chorale, La Fosse Baroque Ensemble, early music ensemble Fiocchi di Granturco, University of Iowa Opera Theatre and UI Symphony Orchestra.