This program features the world premiere of Jonathan Howard Katz's new large work for solo soprano, "From Century to Century." Written jointly for vocalists Sophie Delphis, Stephanie Lamprea, Emily Solo, and Zen Wu, it takes a deep look at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair through the "eyes" of an imagined animatronic robot and the characters embedded in its programming. Texts come from source materials related to the Exposition.

Each vocalist will perform a quarter of this work, plus an additional piece:

Zen Wu will also perform the full premiere of Katz's work "A Scenario in My Head," a setting of 30 tweets by comedic writer Danielle Weisberg, written for her in 2020.

Sophie Delphis will perform Katz's mezzo-soprano cycle "As If Saying Goodbye" (2020), a setting of 3 poems by Andrea Cohen.

Stephanie Lamprea will perform "Sage's Garden" (2021) by composer Josiah Tayag Catalan, and Emily Solo will perform a selection from contemporary opera.

Jonathan Howard Katz, piano

Sophie Delphis, mezzo-soprano
Stephanie Lamprea, soprano
Emily Solo, soprano
Zen Wu, soprano