Faculty Recital: Michael Meraw, Baritone, and Leonardo Ciampa, Piano

Artist(s)

Michael Meraw

Baritone Michael Meraw has performed with companies across North America (including: Pacific Opera Victoria, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, the Banff Centre, Edmonton Opera, the Richard Eaton Singers, Symphony Regina, the National Arts Centre, the Thirteen Strings, Opéra Atelier, Opera in Concert, Montreal Opera, Seattle Opera, Virginia Opera, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra), in repertoire ranging from Monteverdi and Handel, to Webern and Szymanowski. Not only has Meraw garnered critical acclaim in the standard repertoire, winning praise for his Figaro in Rossini's Barber of Seville and Orff's Carmina Burana, but he has also brought lesser-known works to new audiences through his incisive portrayals of such roles as King Roger by Szymanowski ("Meraw did well as Roger, with nervy urgency and gripping delivery of his increasingly anguished lines..." — Geoff Chapman, The Toronto Star) and Sir John A. MacDonald in Somers's Louis Riel ("Dealing with a vocal part that veers from sprechgesang to dramatic declamation, baritone Michael Meraw showed great vocal cut and thrust, in addition to contributing a striking stage presence." — Richard Turp, Opera Canada). Mr. Meraw has performed many of the standard baritone parts in oratorio including Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Judas Maccabeas, Joshua and Israel in Egypt, and the Requiems of Brahms and Fauré. A regular recitalist, his repertoire spans the baritone repertoire in English, French, German, Italian, and Russian.

Leonardo Ciampa

Born in Boston in 1971, composer, organist, and pianist Leonardo Ciampa is a musician of international reputation. Ciampa is director of music at Our Lady of the Angels in Worcester, MA (since 2024), Founding Director of the Organ Festival of Worcester (since 2023), and Honorary Maestro di Cappella of the Basilica in Gubbio, Italy (since 2015). Previously, he was Artistic Director of the “Music for a Great Hall” concert series at Mechanics Hall (2023-24), Mechanics Hall Composer-in-Residence (2021-2023), founding director of Arts MetroWest (2012-2019), and artistic director of organ concerts at MIT (2009-2016).

As an organ recitalist, Ciampa has made more than a dozen European tours encompassing Italy, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. He has given organ recitals at cathedrals in Vienna, New York City, Boston, Lucca, Altenberg, Brandenburg, Tortona, and Biella; at basilicas in Rome, Turin, Loreto, Tortona, Gubbio, Absam, and Rieti; and at abbeys in Dürnstein and Camaiore. His compositions includ Suite Siciliana, Op. 145 (for two violins, piano, and orchestra), commissioned by the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston to open their 25th anniversary season at Harvard's Sanders Theatre; several cantatas; several organ symphonies (including the Kresge Organ Symphony, premiered at MIT, and the Worcester Organ Symphony, premiered at Mechanics Hall); a piano quintet (premiered by the Lavazza Chamber Ensemble) Missa Pamphyliana, premiered at the Basilica of Sant' Ubaldo in Gubbio by the Cantores Beati Ubaldi; Suite Divina (Three Dances for Organ), premiered at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City (2019); and numerous organ works which are part of the repertoire of organists throughout the United States.

As a pianist, Ciampa has performed as a soloist in such venues as Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall and Mechanics Hall in Worcester. In 2010 he commemorated Chopin's 200th birthday with six recitals at First Church in Boston.

An avid writer, Ciampa has written several books, including The Twilight of Belcanto (including an interview with Virginia Zeani), Don Lorenzo Perosi (the first English-language biography of that composer), and Gigli (the first book on the great tenor in English in 56 years).