Bright is the Ring of Words - A Recital
Schubert Lieder
Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel
Victorian Songs & Ballads
Bright is the Ring of Words promises to be an enchanting evening, mixing music by Schubert and Vaughan Williams with popular Victorian songs and ballads. Baritone Felix Kemp featured in the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Spring 2021 Digital Season singing Songs by Schubert, orchestrated by Brahms. A Britten-Pears Young Artist, he has appeared in recital at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and with Oxford Lieder. Official accompanist for Cardiff Singer of the World, pianist Simon Lepper has performed at major venues world-wide including London’s Wigmore Hall, Salzburg’s Mozarteum, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall, New York.
FELIX KEMP
Praised by The Guardian for his “appealing baritone,” Felix Kemp’s recent engagements have included songs by Schubert (orch. Brahms) with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the role of Juan in a recording of Joseph Phibbs’ Juliana for Resonus Classics. Forthcoming engagements include an opera gala at Leeds Castle with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, two song recitals alongside Roderick Williams as part of Momentum Now, and Awakening Shadow by Luke Styles with Britten’s Canticles at the Cheltenham and Presteigne Festivals.
Prior to the pandemic, engagements included a Crush Room recital at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Don Fernando Fidelio for Lyric Opera, Dublin, Bach Lutheran Mass and Mozart Requiem on tour with The Israel Camerata Jerusalem, Mendelssohn Elijah at Arundel and Lincoln cathedrals, Haydn Nelson Mass at Lichfield Cathedral, the opening concert of the 2019 London Song Festival and two recitals of songs by Brahms, Wolf, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky with Sholto Kynoch for Oxford Lieder.
SIMON LEPPER
Simon read music at King’s College, Cambridge before studying piano accompaniment with Michael Dussek at the Royal Academy of Music and later with Ruben Lifschitz at the Fondation Royaumont. He is a currently professor of collaborative piano and a vocal repertoire coach at the Royal College of Music, London where he also in charge of the collaborative piano course. Since 2003 he has been an official accompanist for the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Performance highlights have included an invitation from the Wigmore Hall, London to present a three concert project on the songs of Joseph Marx; recital tours with Stéphane Degout which have included the Ravinia and Edinburgh Festivals and the opera houses of Bordeaux, Dijon, La Monnaie, Lausanne and Lyon; recitals at Carnegie Hall, New York with Karen Cargill and Sally Matthews and at the Frick Collection with Christopher Purves; performances of the Schubert song cycles with Mark Padmore including at the Schubertiade, Hohenhems, recitals with Christiane Karg at Frankfrut Opera and the Rheingau Fesitval and recitals with Angelika Kirchschlager in Verbier and at the Wigmore Hall.
He has presented an all Schubert programme with Ilker Arcayürek in Barcelona, Zürich, New York (Park Armory), San Francisco and at the Wigmore Hall where further appearances have included recitals with Dame Felicity Palmer, Karen Cargill, Sally Matthews and Mark Padmore. With Benjamin Appl he toured to India including recitals in Mumbai and Chennai and gave the opening performance for the highest concert hall in the wolrd in Shenzhen with Aida Garifulina.
Performers: Felix Kemp, Baritone and Simon Lepper, collaborative pianist
This event is part of the Rye Arts Festival’s 50th-anniversary celebrations.
Venue Details:
The site will open at 6:30 pm and the bar will be open before the event. Please be aware this is an outdoor bar, which may be subject to closure by particularly inclement weather.
Rye Creative Centre is fully accessible for wheelchairs and offers disabled parking.
On-site parking is available and free for all event attendees.