April 4, 2024

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

VITERBO UNIVERSITY OUT OF OUR MINDS CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES TO FEATURE “FRENCH PASTRY” APRIL 13

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The final concert of the Viterbo University Out of Our Minds Chamber Series will feature the talents of soprano Ann Schoenecker, oboist Carolyn Haupert Drazich, bassoonist Jeff Copp, and pianist Mary Ellen Haupert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 13 in the Fine Arts Center Nola Starling Recital Hall.

The program opens with Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns’ Sonata for Oboe and Piano, followed by song cycles by Debussy and Poulenc, and ending with Poulenc’s Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano.

Mary Ellen Haupert will perform with her eldest daughter, Carolyn Haupert Drazich. Carolyn studied oboe with Mary Beth Hensel while growing up in La Crosse. She continued her studies at the College of St. Benedict with oboist and Alexander Master Teacher Andrea Fedele, and graduated with a BA in oboe performance and minor in German. She is currently a registered nurse who lives and works at Essentia-St. Mary’s in Duluth with her husband, Dr. Brandon Drazich.

Ann Schoenecker is no stranger to La Crosse audiences. She is a professor at Viterbo University who specializes in training both classical and contemporary voices who was moved to the theatre and music theatre department this year because of the demand for her skillful teaching. Schoenecker and Haupert have performed together for several years and will perform two song cycles for this concert, Debussy’s Quatre chansons de jeunesse (Four Songs of Youth) and Poulenc’s La Courte Paille (The Short Straw).

Poulenc’s Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano is an early work (composed when Poulenc was in his early 20s) that is often considered his first major chamber work. It was dedicated to Manuel de Falla, but received “coaching” from Poulenc’s colleague, Igor Stravinsky. Haupert first performed the piece with Jeff Copp and oboist Mary Beth Hensel in the 1990s to great acclaim.

The concert is free and open to the public. There will be a free will offering to cover artist fees and marketing expenses.

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