“Cliburn at the Kimbell” presents Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien, Dec. 6

Mariusz Kwiecien

Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien is recognized as one of today's leading young baritones. Known for his rich voice, incisive musicianship, and captivating stage presence, he performs with the foremost opera companies and symphony orchestras in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Mr. Kwiecien opened the Metropolitan Opera's 2007-2008 season with performances of Enrico in a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor. He can also be heard in recitals across North America this season, including the Vancouver Recital Society; UC Berkeley's CalPerformances series; and the Vocal Arts Society in Washington, D. C. Also this season, Mr. Kwiecien will be a featured soloist in Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony conducted by Robert Spano, which will be recorded for Telarc. He returns to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden for his first performance of Germont in La Traviata, then travels to Lyric Opera of Chicago to sing the title role in Eugene Onegin and to the Seattle Opera for his first performances of Ricardo in I puritani. He ends the season at the Santa Fe Opera in the role of Count Almaviva in a new production of Le nozze di Figaro.

An alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Program, Mr. Kwiecien has appeared frequently in recent seasons at the Metropolitan Opera. Under the baton of James Levine, he has sung Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Guglielmo in Cosí fan Tutte. He has also worked with Maestro Levine at the Tanglewood Festival and at Carnegie Hall with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has distinguished himself as Don Giovanni, a role he has sung at the Vienna State Opera, Royal Opera House, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, and in a new production at the Warsaw Opera. Mr. Kwiecien has also made heralded debuts at the San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, and the Los Angeles Opera.

Mariusz Kwiecien's European career has been highlighted by roles at the Paris Opera, Netherlands Opera, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and his debut at La Scala as Ottokar in Der Freischütz. He made his debuts at the Bolshoi Opera and Graz Opera singing the title role of Eugene Onegin, a role he has also sung at the Warsaw Opera. Additionally, he has appeared as Marcello in La bohème with the Hamburg State Opera and as Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at the Glyndebourne Festival, conducted by Zubin Mehta.

Howard Watkins

American pianist Howard Watkins is in the vanguard of the current generation of collaborative pianists and is a frequent collaborator with some of the world's leading musicians, both on the concert stage and as an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Watkins has performed in numerous recitals and concerts throughout the United States, South America, Europe, Russia, Israel, and the Far East. In recent seasons, he has appeared in recital and on television with Kathleen Battle, Grace Bumbry, Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, Elizabeth Futral, Anthony Dean Griffey, and violinist Sarah Chang; as well as with rising tenors Lawrence Brownlee and Gregory Turay, winners of the 2006 and 2000 Richard Tucker Foundation Awards; tenor Charles Castronovo; and Canadian soprano Alexandra Deshorties. Under the aegis of the Marilyn Horne Foundation, Mr. Watkins has performed in recitals and educational residencies in the United States, and has also appeared in the Horne Foundation gala New York recital at Juilliard.

Mr. Watkins has given recitals and concerts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Pierpont Morgan Library, and Alice Tully Hall with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In addition, he has performed with the MET Chamber Ensemble in Weill and Zankel Halls under the baton of James Levine. He has accompanied the classes of such legendary artists as Marilyn Horne, Renata Scotto, Regina Resnik, Regine Crespin, and Birgit Nilsson, among others. A number of his performances have been broadcast on WQXR in New York as part of George Jellinek's The Vocal Scene and the Young Artist Showcase, and he has recorded for the Centaur and Prestant labels. As an educator, Mr. Watkins serves on the faculty of the Tanglewood Music Center. He has also taught at the Aspen Music Festival, the Banff Centre, Meadowmount School of Music, the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, and the VOICExperience in Florida with Sherrill Milnes. He is a faculty member of the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. Mr. Watkins has taught at the North Carolina School of the Arts in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, and worked on the music staffs of the Los Angeles Opera, the Washington National Opera, the Lake George Opera Festival, and Palm Beach Opera.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Watkins received his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton, and he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 1998 at the University of Michigan. In 2004, Mr. Watkins was honored as the recipient of both the Paul C. Boylan Award from the University of Michigan for his outstanding contributions to the field of music and a Special Achievement Award from the National Alumni Association of the University of Dayton. He is currently a resident of New York City.

Program

Schumann

Dicterliebe, Op. 48

Tchaikovsky

"Blagoslavlyayu vas, lesa," Op. 47, No. 5

"Net, tol'ko tot, kto znal," Op. 6, No. 6

"Serenada Don Zhuana," Op. 38, No. 1

Karlowicz

"Smutna jest dusza moja," Op. 1, No. 6

"Spi w blaskach nocy," Op. 3, No. 4

"Pamientam ciche, jasne, zeote dnie," Op. 1

"Mow do mnie jeszcze," Op. 3, No. 5

"Najpiekniejsze piosnki," Op. 4, No. 1

Ravel

Don Quichotte à Dulcinée

Chanson Romanesque

Chanson épique

Chanson à boire