EE Faculty Recital: Clara Sandler, Mezzo Soprano

Artist(s)

Clara Sandler, mezzo-soprano, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, feels at home in a wide range of styles, from opera, oratorio and recitals, to zarzuela and tango. Critics have praised her singing as “both powerful and gentle, capturing a remarkable range of emotions”, her voice possessing “a radiantly rich and mellow tone quality”. Clara was the featured soloist at the Boston premiere of Górecki’s “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”, with the Boston Chamber Ensemble, under conductor S.M.Clark. With this orchestra she was also soloist for Wagner’s “Wesendonk Lieder”, her voice praised by The Boston Globe for her “dark and attractive timbre”.

Her soloist appearances in opera, operetta and oratorio with many Boston area music organizations, include the Handel & Haydn Society (under John Finney), Boston Academy of Music (under Charles Peltz and David Daniels), Philharmonic Society of Arlington (under John Bavicchi), Greater Merrimack Valley Choral (under David Tierney), New Bedford Symphony (under F. John Adams), Providence Singers (under Charles Fassett), among others. 

An avid researcher of music from Spain and Latin America, Clara has presented recitals in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Uruguay and in her native Buenos Aires. She is a member of the Boston Arts Consort, organization which specializes in programs of music and culture from Spain and Latin America.

Her CD “Alma Apasionada: Songs from Spain and Argentina”, recorded in Jordan Hall, was released by Newport Classic. Composer Osvaldo Golijov wrote: “The repertoire is beautiful. The singing is truly passionate and spontaneous: each song flows generous and warm, as if it was a live performance.” Clara has also recorded on Arsis Records in Daniel Pinkham’s “Two One-Act Operas”, conducted by John Finney.

A graduate of the New England Conservatory, Clara is on the Voice faculty at Boston College Music department and at NEC’s Expanded Education. 

Clara is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, a mind-body awareness method for finding ease and freedom of movement through changing tension-habits. She teaches Alexander classes for musicians at the New England Conservatory (EE) and privately at her studio in Brookline, MA. Clara has presented Alexander Technique workshops in New York, Boston, Buenos Aires, José Ignacio (Uruguay), Berlin, Ennis (Ireland), Wimborne (UK) and at the Suzuki Festival in Lima, Perú. This past summer she taught the technique at NEC’s Summer Orchestra Institute (SOI) and at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI). 
www.clarasandler.com


Jean Danton, Soprano/Equity Actor, has appeared throughout the United States and Europe in oratorio, opera, recitals, musicals, and on the concert stage.  “A stunning soprano” (Providence Journal), she has performed under renowned conductors Keith Lockhart, Christopher Hogwood, Helmuth Rilling, Martin Pearlman, Bruce Hangen, John Finney, and Julian Wachner. Ms. Danton made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Masterwork Chorus, and her Lincoln Center debut at Avery Fisher Hall with the National Chorale, in both performing Handel's Messiah. Her numerous solo performances include the Boston Pops Orchestra, Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Oregon Bach Festival, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Nashua Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Breckenridge Music Festival, North Carolina Symphony, Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra, and the Biellese Festival and Associazione Culturale, in Italy.

Ms. Danton's stage performances include roles with the American Repertory Theatre (ART), Boston Baroque, Greater Buffalo Opera, Boston Classical Orchestra, New England Light Opera, Lowell Opera Co., and the Boston Early Music Festival.  She performs often in Pops and Musical Theatre concerts, appearing with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Hillyer Festival Orchestra, Fall River Symphony, North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra, Wellesley Symphony, and American Classics. A strong promoter of contemporary music, she has premiered works by Delvyn Case, William Moylan, Thomas Oboe Lee, Chris Florio, and Aleksandra Vrebalov. Her versatility also extends to jazz, including concerts with the Orchestra at Indian Hill with Bruce Hangen, and with the Rusty Scott Quartet.  

She has performed on many prestigious concert series including the N.Y.C. Trinity Church Concert Series, the Twentieth Century Music Series at the N.Y. Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, Mt. Auburn Concert Series, Yale Center for British Art, and the Atelier Concert Series at the American Church in Paris, France.

Ms. Danton’s chamber music festival appearances include the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, and the New York Bach Aria Festival.

Ms. Danton has several solo albums on Albany Records, Newport Classic, and CD Baby ranging from classical, contemporary, and chamber music to musical theatre, jazz, and inspirational music. She is a featured artist on Pandora Premium and her film credits include vocals for PBS, Lifetime, and Oregon Public Broadcasting. 

She is on the Voice Faculty at Boston College, Salem State University, and New England Conservatory (AE) where she also taught acting and co-directed both the Opera Workshop and Musical Theatre Workshop Courses. She is the Music Director and Cantor at St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Cambridge, and the Music Director at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Cambridge. www.jeandanton.com and www.facebook.com…


Linda Papatopoli performs extensively in the Boston area as soloist and in collaboration with musicians, artists, and dancers. She has performed concertos in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, and has given concerts and master classes in Italy and Japan with visual artist and tenor Kaji Aso. She has performed solo and duo-piano at Carnegie Recital Hall and accompanied voice at the Metropolitan Opera Studios under bass-baritone Mario Bertolino. Upcoming solo engagements in 2027 include “The Piano Music of Fumio Hayasaka, Kurasowa’s Favorite Composer”. (Kaji Aso Studio, Boston) 

Ms. Papatopoli is on the roster at the Jose Mateo Dance Theatre in Cambridge and is on the faculty of Boston College where she teaches piano and directs the Boston College Piano Ensemble. 
Ms. Papatopoli’s passion for the classical and traditional music of Spain and her interest in culture led her to found the “Boston Arts Consort”, producing events to celebrate Spain’s rich heritage. The Consort has been featured in the Boston Globe and Voyager Magazine.This past October the Consort presented “From Spain to Boston: The Life of Rafael Guastavino in Words and Music” at the Boston Public Library, bringing to light the work of the 19th-century architect who helped build the Library and showcasing his lesser-known gift as a composer. In July, the group will present “A Night in Spain–Andalusia!”, an evening of music, dance, and poetry with a tapas reception. (Cambridge Center for Adult Education) 
Ms. Papatopoli holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education cum laude with secondary studies in English Literature from Wilkes University, a Masters in Performance with honors from the Boston Conservatory, post-graduate work at New England Conservatory and the Mozarteum in Austria, and private study with Ann Karnovsky, student of Rosina Lhevine. 

Linda is delighted to accompany Clara Sandler tonight on this special occasion. She has had the honor of performing with both Clara and Jean Danton in many concerts together and she looks forward to many more.