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Island Baritone Buz Tennent Pays Homage to Mentor Father, November 13

Hawai?i Public Radio presents baritone Buz Tennent in "If I Sing," a centennial tribute concert honoring his mentor and father, Arthur Tennent, on Sunday, November 13, at 4:00 p.m. The program suggests the wide range of interests shared by father and son: opera arias by Thomas and Korngold, French melodie of Chausson and Poulenc, German lieder by Schubert and Strauss, English art song featuring Vaughan Williams and Ireland, American sea shanty arrangements by Dougherty, and Broadway selections. Tennent will be joined by his longtime piano accompanist Eric Schank.
 
Reservations may be made online at www.hprtickets.org or by calling the station (955-8821) during regular business hours. Tickets are $30 general, $25 for HPR members, and $15 for students with ID; service fees are applied to online orders. The Atherton Studio is located at Hawai?i Public Radio, 738 K?heka Street. Doors open a half hour before the performance. Advance ticket purchase strongly encouraged as the house is frequently sold out before the performance date.
 
Arthur Tennent was a respected voice teacher, concert singer and recitalist, recording artist and the guardian of the legacy of his mother, artist Madge Tennent.
 
“He was my first voice teacher,” said Buz Tennent. “He gave me the gift of his time, an insatiable curiosity and passion for the arts, a voracious appetite for reading, and he infused me with an enthusiasm for singing and the noble art of teaching.”
 
Continued Tennent, “We?ll close this tribute concert with 'The Impossible Dream' from Man of La Mancha. This was my father's signature song and really represents what he was about -- his romantic ideals, never giving up, persevering. He was somewhat quixotic in his nature, so the song very much exemplifies what he was about."
 
About the artists

Buz Tennent is internationally recognized as a versatile performing artist, equally at home in opera, oratorio, musical theatre, TV, and film. Highlights of his varied career include leading roles with Staatsoper Hannover, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Palma de Mallorca, and Hawaii Opera Theatre. Additional career highlights include a Carnegie Recital debut, Emile Debeque on a South Pacific National Tour, and Javert in Les Miserables at Palik? Theatre. Tennent is a professor of voice at Chaminade University and teaches privately.
 
Eric Schank attended the University of Hawai?i where he studied piano with Edward Shipwright, after which he pursued graduate studies at the University of Akron.  Returning to Hawai?i, Mr. Schank was employed by the University of Hawai?i's Department of Theatre and Dance, as well as the University's Music Department, as an accompanist.  He has over the years, been a pianist in many vocal, instrumental, and chamber music recitals, and continues to be the pianist for the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble. In January 2016, Mr. Schank joined the staff of Hawaii Opera Theatre as a part of its education program.

Read original press release.

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