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Published on 9/26/08
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Over the past 15 years, powerhouse soprano Christine Goerke has racked up triumphs on all three sides of Lincoln Center, embracing music from Handel to Poulenc. People spoke of her—and still do—as a Wagnerian contender. But Goerke has been virtually absent from the city’s stages during the two most recent seasons, causing alarm for some New York–centric fans. No need to worry. She recently scored raves as Chrysothemis in Strauss’s Elektra in Florence and Washington, D.C., and offered strong work in Falstaff and Norma in Philadelphia. But two very personal projects kept her busier still: Maggie, her baby daughter, and Music at Southampton, a vocal-music festival she has created in conjunction with the State University of New York–Stony Brook. Both are now two years old and flourishing; the festival opens its second season on Thursday 10.
For Goerke, a native Long Islander, Music at Southampton addresses a serious gap in the region’s summer offerings. “There was zero vocal music on the east end during the summers,” she says. “Folks have had to go back into New York, where there’s not so much going on, or to Tanglewood or Glimmerglass. Why not offer them something in their backyard, bringing in really high-end folks?”
While serving on the Dean’s Council of the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook, her alma mater, Goerke saw a golden opportunity when she learned that the school was acquiring the former Long Island University campus in Southampton. “I knew there was a small theater there that seated about 400,” she says. She met with Stony Brook president Shirley Strum Kenny, volunteered her services as artistic director, then reached out to friends in the business. “Anthony Dean Griffey and Kristine Jepson did recitals for peanuts, bless them,” she notes. “And we had Liz McCartney do a Broadway cabaret that was so popular, she’s back this year.”
The first year’s activities taught Goerke a thing or two about mounting a successful event. “We learned not to program on Saturdays, when there’s already a lot going on,” she explains. “One program conflicted with a Prince concert. Hey, I’m a child of the ’80s; had I known, I would have been out there screaming along with Prince!” Goerke quickly realized that Hamptonites tended to start their weekends on Thursday, so she scheduled this year’s concerts for that night. Easy access from the Long Island Railroad and the Hampton Jitney provided further attractions.
Support from both the community and the institution has been gratifying. “Dr. and Mrs. Morrell Avram, who had donated the theater in the first place, have been wonderful; I think they’re happy it will be in use,” Goerke notes. “The Avrams and SUNY–Stony Brook generously helped pay for a mind-blowing complete renovation this year. The acoustics are great, it’s now very comfortable, and the 180-degree stadium seating lends itself to an intimate atmosphere we want for voice- and piano-based events.”
This season’s program, titled “Sustainable Treasures,” runs the gamut from an opening-night Brahms celebration shared with another Long Island organization, PianoFest, to McCartney’s festival-ending tribute to Rosemary Clooney (August 28). In between come recitals by three impressive opera singers (Jill Grove, Patrick Carfizzi and Christine Brewer), a cabaret engagement by Sylvia McNair, and jazz evenings by saxophonist Joel Frahm and combo New Jazz Generation.
Once the festival ends, Goerke gets back to her day job, with her first Fidelio (opposite Griffey) in Philadelphia, a return to the Met in Rusalka and a Houston Lohengrin all coming this season. But she’s already planning future activities in Southampton, including a hoped-for collaboration with one of Long Island’s most famous native sons. “I was really impressed by Billy Joel’s classical album and I’m hoping he’ll write some songs for us,” she says. “I may have to sell a kidney—but it’ll be worth it!”
Music at Southampton opens Thu 10. For a schedule, see stonybrook.edu/sb/southampton/treasures.
