Two Sides Sounding, soprano and piano

Two Sides Sounding (Eleanor Taylor, soprano and Jocelyn Dueck, pianist) presents an evolving series of innovative song programs with roots in the classical salon tradition. The New York City-based duo brings this intimate art form into the 21st century through a solid commitment to working with living composers, and to programming new and underperformed music.  The pair began collaborating in 2000 while completing their studies at the University of Minnesota.  They have been featured as part of Nautilus Music Theater’s Rough Cuts series, The Schubert Club’s Courtroom Concerts Series, the Brooklyn New Music Collective, and the Friends and Enemies of New Music series.   Two Sides Sounding has appeared in New York City with the VIM: Tribeca recital series, the Greenwich House Music School, the Tuesday Concert Series at Saint Peter’s Church, and the Donnell Library Center at the New York Public Library. Their less-conventional venues include the Cornelia Street Café, the Listening Room at Caffe Vivaldi, and Marion’s Lounge. 

Two Sides Sounding has premiered works by Corey Dargel, Louis Durey, Christopher Gable, Gilda Lyons, and Sam Piperato.  They are the recent recipients of grant awards from the Brooklyn Arts Council and the American Composers Forum. Strongly committed to educational activities, last season the duo presented master classes for students at the University of Minnesota and Macalester College.  The duo is embarking on a collaboration with composers’ collective The South Oxford Six slated for fall 2010.

Soprano Eleanor Taylor divides her staged performances between new and old—in recent seasons she has given readings and concerts of new music-theater works at the Alliance Française, New Dramatists and NYU, performed with Brooklyn-based experimental music group Ensemble Youkali in works by Ravel and Stravinsky, and portrayed Gilbert & Sullivan heroines Josephine (HMS Pinafore), Yum-Yum (The Mikado) and Phyllis (Iolanthe) with Ridge Light Opera (NJ). Among her favorite traditional operatic roles are Laurie in The Tender Land, which she toured throughout the Midwest, Britten’s Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring), and Mozart’s Pamina (The Magic Flute) and Despina (Così fan tutte).  www.eleanortaylor.com 

Pianist Jocelyn Dueck has performed recently at Steinway Hall, Symphony Space, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival in her native Canada, and in venues across China with sibling pianists Dueck Three. She was a collaborator on 21C Liederabend at Galapagos, one of Time Out New York’s “Best of 2009.” Her collaborative engagements include performances at Alice Tully Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall, The Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series, CBC Radio, and NPR.  Jocelyn has been on the music staff of Glimmerglass Opera since 2005.  In 2008, she participated in Seattle Opera’s workshop of Daron Hagen’s opera Amelia, returned in 2009 to assist on their double-bill of Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung, and is back again this spring to assist in the world premiere of Amelia, starring Kate Lindsey, Nathan Gunn, Bill Burden and Jane Eaglen. Jocelyn is a professor on the faculties of Mannes College and NYU (DMA 2004). www.jocelyndueck.com