Professor of Music Reflects on Teaching Career in Upcoming Recital

Dr. Tana Field will perform selections from her experiences as a student and faculty member

 

MURRAY, Ky. – Dr. Tana Field, professor of music at Murray State University and award-winning mezzo-soprano, will perform a recital on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 3:30 p.m. in Farrell Recital Hall located on Murray State’s campus. Dr. Field will be joined by Min-Kyo Jung, pianist. The recital is free and open to the public.

The recital will feature a wide range of works by W.A. Mozart, Antonín Dvořák, Reynaldo Hahn, Stephano Donaudy, Ellen Gilson Voth and Timothy Takach. Dr. Field says that many of her choices have connection to her time in education, either as a student or faculty member. 

“(My selections) include pieces that I have worked on with Murray State students and have always wanted to sing myself but had yet to do so,” said Dr. Field, “with a couple of works I actually sang as a student nearly 20 years ago and wanted to re-visit; it's like being a student all over again! I will finish off with two recently composed pieces by composers that are my age – I enjoy the challenge of learning brand new works.”

An active performer of oratorio, mezzo-soprano Dr. Field has appeared as a featured soloist with the Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Baroque Ensemble, the Lebanon Symphony and Chorus, Evansville Symphony Orchestra, Evansville Bach Singers and Chamber Orchestra, Musica Sacra of Cincinnati, the Northern Kentucky Community Chorus, the Wright State University Choruses, Mosaic-Arts, Waldorf Artist Series and the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy.

Dr. Field’s operatic roles include The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw, Anna Maurrant in Street Scene, Florence Pike in Albert Herring, Nancy in A Hand of Bridge, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, La Badessa and Suor Zelatrice in Suor Angelica and The Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music. She also created the roles of Rosa Stein in Cathy Lesser-Mansfield's The Sparks Fly Upward and Bluma Gebirtig in Joel Hoffman’s The Memory Game.

Recent awards include second and third prizes in the voice divisions of the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, as well as the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation’s Brena Hazzard and Sarah Eikenberry Voice awards. Dr. Field was a semi-finalist in the National Orpheus Vocal Competition and a finalist in the Regional Artists Competition of the Milwaukee Bel Canto Chorus. In 2011, Dr. Field was one of 12 voice teachers chosen for the prestigious National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program and currently serves as the program’s literature coordinator.

Dr. Field earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Luther College and a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in voice performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. A former member of the voice faculty at Luther College, Dr. Field currently maintains a private studio and serves as Professor of Music at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.

For more information on Murray State University’s Department of Music please visit murraystate.edu/music.