Pianist Victoria Kirsch and soprano Julie Makerov celebrate the artistic vision of Victor Raphael through art songs, operatic excerpts and readings based on the themes of the sun, moon, stars, planets, earth and water. Also featured on the program will be compositions that combine acoustic and electronic sounds, as well as vocal improvisations that explore the USC Fisher Museum's live acoustical space.

Victoria Kirsch is a popular teaching artist for L.A. Opera's Education and Community Programs Department, participating in the Opera for Educators and L.A. Opera 90012 programs, in addition to ongoing exhibit-based musical presentations at local museums. An active recitalist, she collaborates frequently with other USC alumni. She is the pianist and music director of the Los Angeles-based Operetta Foundation, which presents staged concerts of rare operetta gems, and she performs in numerous chamber music series, including Sundays Live at LACMA, Grand Performances at California Plaza, Jacaranda in Santa Monica, and the Brand Library Music Series in Glendale.

Soprano Julie Makerov has won acclaim for her captivating performances internationally. She made her debut with the Canadian Opera Company in the 2008-2009 season as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. She returned to Toronto later in the season to sing the title role in Dvorak's Rusalka. Makerov has also performed as soloist in Elegy for Matthew with the Pacific Chamber Symphony, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the University of California, and Mozart's Requiem with the Inland Empire Symphony. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Makerov was a finalist in the 2003 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Related Events

This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition Victor Raphael: Travels and Wanderings, 1979-2009, currently on display from September 9 to December 19.

Another tie-in is Videos by Victor Raphael on October 29, a screening of six Raphael videos, and a discussion with the artist and David Wilson, director of the Museum of Jurassic Technology.