Concert details
- Date: Friday, 11 April 2025
- Time: 5:30 p.m.
- Location: 1300 FRIB Laboratory
Program
Soirées musicales—Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
La pastorella dell’Alpi
Il rimprovero
L’invito
Sieben Frühe Lieder—Alban Berg (1885-1935)
Nacht
Schilflied
Die Nachtigall
Traumgekrönt
Im Zimmer
Liebesode
Sommertage
Intermission
Mélodies persanes, Op. 26—Saint Saëns (1810-1849)
La Brise
La Splendeur vide
La solitaire
A tí—Jaime León (1921-2015)
Sabor a mí—Alvaro Carrillo (1921-1969)
Júrame—Maria Grever (1885-1951)
Performer bios
Paula Duva-Rodriguez, mezzo-soprano
Paula Duva-Rodriguez is a Colombian American mezzo-soprano pursuing her Master of Music in the studio of Jane Bunnell at Michigan State University (MSU). Duva-Rodriguez recently completed her final opera at MSU, singing the title role of La Cenerentola. Duva-Rodriguez first gained notice for her “warm and powerful voice” backed by her “Chaplinesque” performance as Ramiro in La finta giardiniera (MSU Opera Theatre). Other roles in Duva-Rodriguez’s repertory include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Mrs. Segstom in A Little Night Music, La tasse chinoise/La libellule in L’enfant et les sortilèges, Nancy in Albert Herring, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, and Cherubino in Act II of Le nozze di Figaro. Concert repertory includes Alto Soloist positions for Handel’s Messiah, (Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra), Schubert’s Magnificat (GLCO), Rutter’s Gloria (People’s Church of East Lansing) and Haydn’s Missa in tempore belli (PCEL). Duva-Rodriguez was also a recipient of the Mezzo-Soprano Prize, sponsored by Hilda Harris at the 2024 George Shirley competition. Duva-Rodriguez dabbles in other music adventures, having been a vocalist for MSU’s salsa band Salsa Verde and a jazz combo vocalist at MSU, along with having played saxophone for several years. Duva-Rodriguez completed her Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts in English at Michigan State University.
Yushi Hu, piano
Yushi Hu is a current Doctor of Musical Arts student in collaborative piano at the Michigan State University College of Music.
Born in Shanghai, China, Yushi Hu began her piano studies at the age of 4. She attended Shanghai Normal University College of Music, where she received a second-prize scholarship, graduated with honors, and received a Bachelor of Music degree in Musicology (Music Education) under the tutelage of Prof. Haobing Zhu. Hu later completed her Master of Music degree at the Michigan State University College of Music, majoring in both piano pedagogy and collaborative piano under the tutelage of Prof. Zhihua Tang, Prof. Derek Polischuk and Dr. Tamar Mikelazde.
As a collaborative pianist, Hu has worked actively with singers, instrumentalists, and conductors. And as part of the degree requirements, she has given several collaborative recitals with many outstanding performers. As a soloist, Hu has been invited to give performances in Steinway & Sons Shanghai as a part of a series of events. In addition, she has won prizes from several well-known competitions including the Hong Kong International Piano Competition and Internationaler Deutscher Irmler-Klavierwettbewerb (Qingdao).
