Friday night, well-known mezzo-soprano Drea Pressley will play her new Celtic harp in her latest recital. At 7 p.m. in the final offering of the Unitarian Universalist Recital Series of 2024, Pressley will offer a musical program that includes famous art songs, folk ballads and Disney production tunes.
Adept at mixing musical styles, Pressley always presents interesting musical fare. She’s a regular performer on Durango stages. She’s been a soloist in the St. Mark’s Chamber Series and with the San Juan Symphony. Coming up on May 19, she will be featured in the Durango Choral Society’s Cabaret. And on July 24, Pressley is the soloist with the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra in a presentation of the Dr. Seuss story “Green Eggs and Ham.” She seems to have the right mix of whimsy, delight and musicality for all of the above.
In her solo recital Friday, you’ll get an umbrella preview of Pressley’s interpretive talents. With pianist Marilyn Garst, Pressley will offer the final program in the series’ stellar season Songs from the medieval period will be followed by Carissimi and Gluck arias from the 17th and 18th centuries. She will introduce a set of German lieder from the 19th century by Robert Schumann followed by 20th century songs by Britten and Barber. Toward the end of the program, the duo will shift to popular music with songs from Walt Disney productions “The Second Star to the Right” and “Colors of the Wind.” After Pressley sings these, Garst will follow with the solo piano arrangements.
If you go
WHAT: UUFD Recital Series: Mezzo-soprano Drea Pressley and Pianist Marilyn Garst.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.
WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Drive.
ADMISSION: Individual tickets $20, $8. Cash or checks.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit durangouu.org/events/recital-series, call 385-8668 or email mmgarst1940@gmail.com.
The heart of the program may be Pressley’s new Celtic harp.
“I will be performing my own arrangements of Scottish folk songs,” she said. “They are ‘Fhir a bhata’ and ‘O My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose.’”
The program will conclude with Broadway show tunes: Sondheim’s “I Wish I could Forget You,” and “Gimme Gimme,” an upbeat tune by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan.
Like so many professional musicians these days, Pressley has a performance career and a day job. She’s a certified financial planner for Edward Jones. Her long-standing music career has included extensive concertizing in the Los Angeles area with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the LA Philharmonic and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Various Southwest organizations have invited her to perform as a soloist such as Santa Fe’s Opera, Pro Musica, and Desert Chorale. She holds music degrees from Loyola University in New Orleans.
Garst is the classical pianist for the UU Fellowship and artistic director for the recital series. She earned her music degrees, bachelors, master’s and doctorate, from the University of Southern California, Indiana University and Michigan State University.
Friday’s recital completes 16 years of bringing the best and brightest of regional musicians to our area.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
