On Sunday, April 7, at 3:00pm a Recital to Benefit the Wellesley Choral Society takes place at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills.

This intimate concert features Edward Whalen, tenor, and Trio Viscaria. The musicians in the Trio are Monica Pegis, violin; David Fisher, cello; Hisako Hiratsuka, piano.

Mr. Whalen opens the concert with Songs of Travel by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958). This song cycle consists of nine art songs whose texts are poems by Robert Louis Stevenson. The songs were composed between 1901 and 1904. In the second half Trio Viscaria plays Piano Trio, No. 4, Op. 90, “Dumky” by the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841 – 1904). The work was completed in 1891. The subtitle “Dumky” signifies a melancholy, introspective song or ballad. The term is originally Ukrainian and is used for certain types of folk songs of Slavic peoples. The music critic Daniel Felsenfeld described this work as being “an uninhibited Bohemian lament.”

All performers donate their services for the benefit of Wellesley Choral Society. Edward Whalen is Music Director of Wellesley Choral Society as well as Director of the Upper School Chorus and music teacher at Milton Academy. As a vocal soloist he has appeared with Boston Lyric Opera, Lake George Opera and Boston Aria Guild among others. In this recital, Mr. Whalen is accompanied on the piano by Virginia Grimes.

Hisako Hiratsuka is a graduate of Tokyo University of Arts and Music. She currently teaches piano at Tufts University and has an active career as chamber music player and accompanist. She is also rehearsal accompanist for Wellesley Choral Society and has appeared as soloist in many of the Society’s concerts. Monica Pegis is a graduate of New England Conservatory of Music. She is an avid interpreter of contemporary classical music and appears regularly as soloist or orchestral player with many different musical organizations. David Fisher is a graduate of Curtis Institute of Music. Separately, he graduated from Swarthmore College, Cornell Medical School and Rockefeller University.

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills is located at 309 Washington Street, Wellesley Hills, MA, at the intersection of Routes 9 and 16, right next to the clock tower.

The venue is handicapped accessible and there is ample free parking. Suggested donation: $20

Please also visit www.wellesleycs.org or www.wellesleychoralsociety.org

Sources consulted: Joseph Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, 1963; Wikipedia