Dr. Ronald H. High, Fulbright Scholar
presents a concert of
African American Vocal Music Genres and Hungarian Folk Songs
assisted by
Dr. Anikó Pál, piano
featuring
Classical and Vocal Jazz Singers from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music
Sunday: December 18, 2016-19:00
Old Academy of Music
1064 Budapest, VI ker.
Vörösmarty u. 35.
Free admission
I
Spirituals
There's a Meeting Here Tonight-Traditional Ronald H.High/Anikó Pál*
Honor, Honor-arr. Hall Johnson (1888-1970) Ronald H. High/Anikó Pál*
Deep River-arr. Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949) Pál Mátyás Tóth//Ronald H. High
Oh, What a Beautiful City!-arr. Edward Boatner (1898-1981) Ronald H. High/Anikó Pál*
He's Got the Whole World in His Hand-arr. Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) Lilla Horti/Ronald H. High
II
Hungarian Folk Songs
Csütörtökön este-arr. Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) Katalin Sipos
Kocsi, szekér-arr. Zoltán Kodály Katalin Sipos/ Anikó/Pál *
Három út előttem-Zoltán Kodály Fülöp Péter Tardos/Anikó Pál*
Elmënyëk, elmënyëk-Traditional Fülöp Péter Tardos/ Anikó Pál*
III
Art Songs
A.
To a Brown Girl, Dead-Margaret Bonds Fülöp Péter Tardos/Anikó/Pál*
A Child's Grace - Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-) Katalin Sipos/Anikó Pál*
Compensation-Charles Lloyd, Jr. (1948-) Fülöp Péter Tardos/Ronald H. High
How Beautiful Are the Feet-Julia Perry (1924-1979) Katalin Sipos/Ronald H.High
B.
In Thine Own Image-Samuel Adler+ (1928-) Ronald H. High/Anikó Pál*
An April Day-Florence Price (1888-1953) Katalin Sipos/Anikó Pál*
Lullaby to You-Betty Jackson King (1928-1994) Andrea Meláth/Anikó Pál*
Song to the Dark Virgin-Florence Price Andrea Meláth/Anikó Pál*
IV
Dramatic Works:
A. Operas (including works based on African American Life), Cantatas
Cassandra's Lullaby (A Christmas Miracle)-Mark Fax (1911-1974) Lilla Horti/ Ronald H. High
I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' (Porgy and Bess)-George Gershwin+ (1898-1987) Fülöp Péter Tardos/Anikó Pál*
Summertime (Porgy and Bess)-George Gershwin Lilla Horti/Ronald H. High
He Came to Alabama (Free at Last)-Lena J. McLin (1929-) Pál Mátyás Tóth/Anikó Pál*
Ride on, King Jesus (Son of Man)-arr. Hall Johnson Lilla Horti/Ronald H. High
B. Musical Theater, Broadway
Believe in Yourself (The Wiz)-Charlie Smalls (1943-1987) Evelin Máthé/Ronald H. High
It Takes a Whole Lot of Human Feeling (Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope)-Micki Grant (1941-) Evelin Máthé/Ronald H. High
Make Them Hear You (Ragtime)-Stephen Flaherty+ (1960-) Attila Erdős/Ronald H. High
non-African American composers+
Anikó Pál, piano*
Ronald H. High, piano (no *)
Performers' Fächer
Soprano
Lilla Horti
Aimeé Fisk+
Mezzo-sopranos
Andrea Meláth
Katalin Sipos
Evelin Máthé
Tenor
Ronald H. High
Baritone
Attila Erdős
Bass-baritone
Fülöp Péter Tardos
Bass
Pál Mátyás Tóth
performed on December 15, 2016+
Biographical Profiles
Ronald H. High, a native of Marshall, Texas, received a Bachelor of Music degree, cum laude,
from the University of North Texas; a Master of Music degree, with distinction, from Arizona State
University; and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign,
where he was a pupil of William Warfield. High has studied with other master teachers and coaches
in piano, organ and voice in the United States and abroad. He has performed as a collaborative
pianist with several notable vocal and instrumental artists. In 1979 High was selected to participate
in the International Singing Competition in Toulouse, France, and in 1981 he was a district winner
in the Central Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Chicago. He was invited to sing in the
Carnegie Hall Centennial Choir in New York, under the direction of Robert Shaw. In 2005 High
was a Senior Fulbright Scholar at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, Germany,
where he coached singers and pianists from different parts of the world. In 2008 High was a guest
lecturer for the British Voice Association Conference at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
in London. He has been a recipient of numerous postdoctoral grants and fellowships that have
afforded him the opportunity to conduct research at Northwestern University, Harvard University,
New York University and Emory University. He has participated in master classes at the Eastman
School of Music, the Shenandoah Conservatory, the Music Academy of the West and the Blossom
Music Festival. High was a tenured professor at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina,
where he was chosen as the ''Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year.'' He is listed in past editions
of Outstanding Young Men of America, Men of Distinction, the Dictionary of International
Biography and American Keyboard Artists. Pupils of his have been winners in major competitions,
performers with opera companies and orchestras throughout the world and are teachers of singing at
prestigious institutions of higher education.
Anikó Pál is a répétiteur at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest. She has been working
with singers for 20 years, both at the Liszt Academy and the Hungarian State Opera.
Andrea Meláth, mezzo-soprano, started her higher education at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of
Music in Budapest. She completed her studies in 1998, and in the same year, she was awarded the
Annie Fisher Grant. In 1996 she participated at the Bayreuth Festival with another scholarship. She
debuted in the role of Cherubino of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro in 1998, then later that year she
acted in the leading role of Henry Purcell's opera, Dido and Aeneas. In 1999 she debuted in the
Hungarian State Opera in the role of Rosetta in János Vajda's Leonce and Lena. Since then she has
been a permanent guest performer at the Hungarian State Opera. In 1999 she won 3rd Prize at the
Wigmore Hall International Song Competition in London. For her high level interpretation of
contemporary Hungarian music, she has received the Artisjus Award nine times. Beyond her artistic
career, she taught as Associate Professor of singing at the University of Pécs between 2007 and
2012. Since 2013 she has been the Head of the Liszt Academy's Department of Vocal Studies.
Katalin Sipos is a student of the well-known Hungarian soprano, Ingrid Kertesi, at the Liszt
Academy of Music, where she is in the second year of her undergraduate studies for the BA degree.
Katalin began her musical pre-studies with several years of singing in choirs and learning to play
the violin, piano and harp. After that she focused exclusively on singing. She has performed in all
of the large concert halls of Budapest as a member of choirs and as a soloist as well.
Fülöp Péter Tardos has studied for three years with mezzo-soprano Katalin Halmai at the Liszt
Academy of Music. Although he started playing the violin when he was seven, he soon realized
that his true passion lies in singing. During the last nine years, he has been part of several wellreceived performances, having sung in Hungary and Belgium. He will complete his undergraduate
studies for the BA degree in June of 2017.
Evelin Máthé graduated in 2014 as a jazz singer at the Liszt Academy of Music. She and her
quartet are regular performers on Sundays at the Palace of Arts, where they introduce the younger
generation to the inspirational world of music. She is also giving lessons to young people. Evelin
studies with Ágnes Lakatos of the vocal jazz faculty at both the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music
and the Liszt Academy of Music.
Lilla Horti completed her secondary musical studies at the János Vántus Secondary School of
Music in Szeged. She was admitted to continue at the Liszt Academy, first in the BA course of
Classical Singing, then she went on to the Opera Singing MA under the tutelage of Éva Marton and
Emese Virág. She has performed numerous roles with distinction. In 2012 she was awarded first
prize of the National Professional Singing Competition and second prize at the 3rd József Simándy
International Singing Competition. She won the Second Category of the 22nd International
Competition for Opera Singers Ferruccio Tagliavini. In September of this year, Lilla was a winner
in the International Éva Marton Singing Competition.
Atilla Erdős was born in Esztergom in 1991. He is pursuing a MA degree at the Liszt Academy of
Music under the tutelage of Éva Marton. He has participated in master classes with Júlia Hamari,
Nicolas Clapton, Johannes von Duisburg, György Vashegyi and Miklós Szinetár. He has worked
with conductors that include Gergely Madaras, Gergely Vajda and Christian Schumann. In
September of this year, he competed in the International Éva Marton Singing Competition and
advanced to the semi-finals.
Pál Mátyás Tóth, a native of Kolozsvár, started learning music when he was six years old. His
background also includes eleven years of playing the piano. He received the BA degree last year at
the Liszt Academy of Music. He is studying in the first class in the oratorio and lied singing
programme at the Liszt Academy of Music.
Aimée Fisk was born and raised in Leeds. She is a graduate of the Birmingham Conservatoire with
first class honors under the tutelage of Maureen Brathwaite. She has performed in numerous
productions in the classical and jazz fields. She is a pupil of Atilla Kiss B. at the Liszt Academy of
Music.
Acknowledgements
Guests
Ushers
Dr. AndreaVigh
Dr. Anikó Pál
Lilla Sugó
Ágnes Lakatos
Andrea Meláth
Fulbright Commission, grantees, alumni
Annamária Sas, Károly Jókay
Wesselényi utcai Baptista Templom
Balázs Koncsárd
Dr. Rosetta Dingle (South Carolina)