Sahar Hassan, soprano
Asako Hirabayashi, harpsichord
Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643)
Toccata Prima
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
"Sweeter than roses"
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Sonata K.491 and 492
Asako Hirabayashi
Dance (2008)
Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759)
"Da tempeste il legno infranto" from Julius Caesar
Margaret Humphrey, violin
Asako Hirabayashi, harpsichord
Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762)
Sonata IV
Largo
Allegro
Giovanni Battista Fontana (1571-1630)
Sonata Sexta
Antonio Pandolfi Mealli (1630-1669)
Sonata I "La Bernabea"
Francesco Geminiani
Sonata IV
Grave
Allegro
About the Artists:
Soprano Sahar Hassan had her operatic debut with Fresno Lyric Opera as Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and her roles have included Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, (Mozart); Gretel in Hansel und Gretel, (Humperdinck); Manon in Manon, (Massenet); Hero in Beatrice et Benedict, (Berlioz); Despina in Cosi fan Tutte, (Mozart); Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, (Mozart); Abigale in The Crucible, (Ward) and Marianne in Tartuffe, (Mechem). Ms. Hassan has been a soloist with the Sixteen Singers, Spectrum Singers, the Andover Choral Society and in 1998 she founded the successful Ensemble Rossignol for soprano, clarinet/flute and piano. Ms. Hassan’s oratorio performances have included Mozart’s Requiem, Mass in G by Schubert, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. The French Library, New England Conservatory, Chappaquiddick Summer Music Festival, Duxbury Center for the Arts, Longy School of Music, Chandler Street Recital Series and Fresno Museum of Fine Arts are amongst the many concert recital venues in which she has appeared. In addition, Ms. Hassan is a member of the Handel and Haydn Society vocal ensemble.
Miss Hassan’s students have been accepted into the undergraduate and graduate programs at New England Conservatory, Boston University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, New York University, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Ithaca College and Smith College. In addition several of them have spent summers with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Others have participated in the summer apprentice opera programs in Santa Fe, Portland and Salzburg and have performed in master classes with Jose van Dam, Elly Ameling, Warren Jones and Mary Dibbern
Ms. Hassan earned her Master of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music, with additional studies at the Hochschule für Musik in München, Germany and the Conservatoire de Versailles in France.
Sahar Hassan has been a voice teacher at Wellesley College and Phillips Exeter Academy. In addition, she was most recently on faculty at Salve Regina University and the New England Conservatory Division of Preparatory and Continuing Education.
Harpsichordist Asako Hirabayashi has been described by The Music Connoisseur as “an impressive talent, brilliant,” and by The New York Concert Review as “a gifted harpsichordist with genuine… refined sensibilities for phrasing, dynamic gradations and nuanced tonal beauty”. She has performed as a soloist throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Her New York debut recital at Carnegie Hall resulted from a winner of Special Presentation Award. She has been appeared as a guest soloist in international festivals and music series, such as the International Bach Festival in Sumy, Ukraine, International Contemporary Music Festival “Contrasts” in L’viv, Ukraine, the Festival Musicale delle Nazioni in Rome, Italy, the concert series at Palais du Pharo, sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in Marseille, France. She has been awarded numerous grants and scholarships including the Irene Diamond Scholarship from Julliard School, Subito grant from American Composers Forum and the Fund for U.S. Artists at international festivals and exhibitions. Her performances have been broadcast on New York radio station WBI, Cincinnati radio station WGUC, Ukrainian national Television and Ukrainian national radio, Minnesota TV WCCO. She is also a composer, taking a first prize and honorable mention prize in Alienor International Harpsichord Composition Competition sponsored by SEHKS in 2004 and 2008 and a first prize in a Composition Competition sponsored by NHK, Japanese television network in 1987. Her pieces are published by Skyline publications Inc. and Tundradogs Inc. She holds Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in composition from the Aichi Art University in Japan. She completed Doctorate in harpsichord performance at the Juilliard School (1998) and has studied with Lionel Party, Albert Fuller, Edward Parmentier and Eiji Hashimoto.
Margaret Humphrey, baroque violin, is currently an active Twin Cities freelance musician. She has performed solo and in ensemble with the Lyra Concert, Rose Ensemble, Ex Machina Baroque Opera Company, Minneapolis Chamber Symphony and Music da Camera. Along with appearances at the Boston Early Music Fesitval and the San Antonio Music Festival, Ms. Humphrey has performed and studied at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute. Ms. Humphrey was heard live on WGBH, Boston and on KSJN-Minnesota Public radio. She has toured widely in both the U.S. and South America.