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Anna DeGraff (mezzo-soprano) will present her recital, “Sonnets & Scenes,” at 7:30pm Friday, August 29, 2025 at Founders Recital Hall featuring music by 20th and 21st century composers. DeGraff is an instructor of voice and music history at �ձ�av��Ƶ whose voice has been described as having “great expressive power, errant and wild” (Duluth News Tribune) while her interpretations have been noted as “comely” and “cute, quirky, and flirty” (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Lincoln Journal Star). This recital will feature the premieres of three new unaccompanied sonnets by Alabama-based composer Colin Kemper, who will be in attendance.
Joining DeGraff will be Dr. Mark Stevens, �ձ�av��Ƶ Assistant Professor of piano and music theory. Stevens, an advocate for contemporary classical music, is equally at home as a collaborative and solo artist. He recently premiered 10 new works for solo piano by a diverse range of American composers, a project that has been featured nationally in recital and conference performances.
The recital will be dramatically staged by Casey Paradies, �ձ�av��Ƶ theatre instructor. His research and teaching interests lie in performance styles, specifically ancient Greek, Shakespeare, Commedia del’Arte and movement techniques.