Nov. 14, 2024

Contact Mary Ellen Haupert at 608-796-3770 or mehaupert@viterbo.edu

VITERBO OUT OF OUR MINDS CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES CONCERT “WINTER TRAVEL” NOV. 23

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Viterbo University Out of Our Minds Chamber Series will continue with “Winter Travel” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 in the Fine Arts Center Nola Starling Recital Hall.

Baritone Harry Baechtel and pianist David Richardson will give a multi-media performance of Franz Schubert’s Winterreise, Op. 89, D. 911, with ​poetry by Willhelm Müller.

Baechtel, a native of northern California, enjoys a wide-ranging career in the vocal arts. Praised for his “mellifluous” baritone, he recently joined microphilharmonic for a performance of the Schoenberg chamber orchestra arrangement of Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, receiving rave reviews. “In a group of greatly trained musicians, Baechtel was the highlight of the evening,” wrote a reviewer in Eugene Weekly. Baechtel has extensive experience in the standard operatic and oratorio repertoires as well as in modern musical productions.

Richardson actively performs in the La Crosse area as a collaborative pianist, organist, and conductor. He works at Viterbo University, serving as the pianist for the 9th Street Singers along with several music theatre classes. He also serves as the pianist for the La Crosse Chamber Chorale and is the organist and choirmaster at Christ Episcopal Church in La Crosse. Other engagements in the area have included work with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Madison Opera, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Winona State University, and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in La Crosse. He holds three degrees in music.

The concert is free of charge but there will be a free will offering to cover artist fees and marketing expenses.

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Photo: Harry Baechtel