Harlow Robinson, host
Josie Larsen, soprano
Mary Kray, mezzo-soprano
Yeghishe Manucharyan, tenor
Joey Vasconi, piano
Featuring a live performance of SHOSTAKOVICH’s From Jewish Folk Poetry
Judaism in the Soviet Union
“The distinguishing feature of Jewish music is the ability to build a jolly melody on sad intonations," Shostakovich told a friend. "Why does a man strike up a jolly song? Because he feels sad at heart.” This sort of black humor--“laughter through tears”--struck a deep chord in Shostakovich. Anti-semitism and the difficult historical experience of the Jewish people in Tsarist Russia, the USSR and elsewhere profoundly disturbed him, especially since many of his close friends and colleagues were Jewish and he saw first-hand the injustices and humiliation they suffered at the hands of Stalin and Hitler. Shostakovich incorporated Jewish themes into numerous works: the Second Piano Trio (1944), the First Violin Concerto (1947), From Jewish Folk Poetry (1948) the Fourth String Quartet (1949), and the “Babi yar” Symphony No.13 (1962). Prof. Harlow Robinson will discuss these works and other issues of Shostakovich's relationship to Jewish themes.
Harlow Robinson
Harlow Robinson is an author, journalist, lecturer and Matthews Distinguished
University Professor of History, Emeritus, at Northeastern University. His books include Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood’s Russians; Sergei Prokofiev: A Biography; Selected Letters of Sergei Prokofiev; The Last Impresario: The Life, Times and Legacy of Sol Hurok; and Lewis Milestone: Life and Films. His articles, essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Opera News, Musical America, Cineaste and San Francisco Chronicle. He has provided program annotation for The Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Rotterdam Philharmonic. He has lectured at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Metropolitan Opera Guild, Boston Symphony, Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, Aspen Music Festival, Bard Festival and Carnegie Hall. In
2010, he was named an Academy Film Scholar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Josie Larsen
Josie Larsen, a current Artist Diploma student of Bradley Williams at the New England Conservatory, is a lyric soprano from Sammamish, Washington. Recently, Josie performed as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte, Elaine in Later the Same Evening, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Mimi in La Bohème, and the Governess in The Turn of the Screw. This summer Josie will be a Lehrer Fellow at Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. At this program she will be delighted to sing the role of Annunciata in Bolcom’s Lucrezia. Additionally, she will be covering the role of Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Last summer Josie attended the Aspen Music Festival where she studied the role of the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Her concert performances have included Mozart’s
Mass in C Minor and Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Villa-Lobos. Josie completed her Bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University in 2021 and her Master’s degree at The New England Conservatory in 2023, both in Vocal Performance. This spring she will complete the second and final year of her Artist Diploma. Josie’s greatest joy from performing comes from the opportunity it provides to connect with others from all around the world no matter the language.
Mary Kray
Mary Kray is a Boston-based operatic mezzo-soprano and voice teacher. She has performed a diverse range of operatic repertoire with companies such as Boston Opera Collaborative, NEMPAC Opera Project, and Boston Lyric Opera. Notable roles include Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Marcellina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Alongside her work in opera, she has performed as Alto Soloist in various concert works such as Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and Handel’s Messiah. Mary has been recognized at both the district and regional levels of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2018-2021) and by the National Society of Arts and Letters.
Beyond her work as a performer, Mary is a dedicated educator, songwriter and passionate advocate for artistic expression. She has maintained her private voice studio since 2020 and currently serves as a musicianship teacher with the Handel and Haydn Society. She is a graduate of Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she received her Master of Music in Opera Performance (2023). Mary is currently a Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist at Boston Lyric Opera. Mary is committed to fostering a more compassionate and inclusive artistic landscape by integrating a trauma-informed approach into her teaching and creative work, ensuring a holistic and supportive environment for students and collaborators alike.
Yeghishe Manucharyan
Armenian American tenor Yeghishe Manucharyan is an acclaimed interpreter of Italian, French, and Russian operatic repertoire. Manucharyan made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2011 singing Eustazio in Armida, opposite Renée Fleming. Highlights of his recent performing schedule include singing Lensky in Eugene Onegin with Opera Carolina and Tulsa Opera; Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera North; Eduardo in Un giorno di Regno with Odyssey Opera; Rodolfo in La bohème with Tulsa and Eugene Operas; and Ivan Lykov in Tsar’s Bride with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall. He made his New York City Opera debut as Nadir in The Pearl Fishers, followed by Ottavio in Don Giovanni. An acclaimed specialist in the bel canto repertoire, Manucharyan has sung Riccardo in Donizetti’s Maria di Rohan at Wexford Festival; Leicester in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarta with San Diego Opera; Rodrigo in Rossini’s La donna del lago with the Minnesota Opera; Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Barber of Seville with Toledo Opera; the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto with the Baltimore Opera; and Percy in Anna Bollena with Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall. He performed the role of Argirio in Rossini’s Tancredi at Wexford Festival, Opera Boston, and Warsaw Grand Opera alongside Ewa Podlis. Highly in demand as a concert soloist, Manucharyan is known for his interpretation of Verdi’s Requiem, which he performed with the Charlotte and Dallas symphony orchestras, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and Boston University Orchestra and Chorus at Symphony Hall, among others. He is also in demand as a soloist in Berlioz’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Missa solemnis. Manucharyan holds a bachelor of music from Tchaikovsky Central Music School, a master’s degree from Komitas State Conservatory, and an artist’s diploma from Boston University’s Opera Institute.
Joseph Vasconi
Hailed for his “adroit facility and depth of understanding that belies his student status” (Sequenza 21), American pianist, Joseph Vasconi, has emerged as a versatile artist, excelling as a soloist, collaborator, and chamber musician. Born in 2001 in Los Gatos, CA, Vasconi began piano lessons at age five. In recent years, Vasconi has garnered numerous top prizes including First Prize at the 2018 Cunningham International Piano Competition in Philadelphia, PA, First prize in the United States Open Music Competition in Oakland, CA, and was named an Honorable Mention Winner by the National YoungArts Foundation in Miami, FL. In addition to competitions, Vasconi has appeared and performed at many prestigious music festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School as well as the Tanglewood Music Center – where he was awarded the Leonard Bernstein fellowship for two consecutive summers. At these festivals, he had the privilege of working closely with legendary pianists such as Emanuel Ax, Fabio Bidini, Jeremy Denk, and Marc-Andre Hamelin – among many others. Vasconi earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, studying under Stephen Drury and Meng-Chieh Liu, and graduated with academic honors in May 2025.
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