The Cleveland Orchestra Summer Choral Institute
Vocal and Collaborative Piano
Fellows Recital
Eleanor Bennett-White
Anna Bjerken
Lucas Buhrman
Caitlin Glastonbury
Jie Lee
Cailey Martinez
Bri Mosley
Devon Russo
Jonathan Fuller, piano
Charles Ligus, piano
Prepared by Daniel Overly
Friday, June 26, 2026 | 11:00 AM
Reinberger Chamber Hall - Severance Music Center
Texts & translations
Selections from
Siete canciones populares españolas
I. El paño moruno
Gregorio Martínez Sierra (1881 - 1947)
Al paño fino, en la tienda,
una mancha le cayó.
Por menos precio se vende,
porque perdió su valor.
¡Ay!
I. The Moorish cloth
English translation © Jacqueline Cockburn
On the delicate fabric in the shop
there fell a stain.
It sells for less
for it has lost its value
Ay!
III. Asturiana
Anonymous
Por ver si me consolaba,
arrimeme a un pino verde,
Por verme llorar, lloraba.
Y el pino como era verde,
por verme llorar, lloraba!
III. Asturian song
English translation © Jacqueline Cockburn
To see if it might console me
I drew near a green pine.
To see me weep, it wept.
And the pine, since it was green,
wept to see me weeping!
IV. Jota
Anonymous
Dicen que no nos queremos,
porque no nos ven hablar.
A tu corazón y al mío
se lo pueden preguntar.
Ya me despido de tí,
de tu casa y tu ventana.
Y aunque no quiera tu madre.
Adiós, niña, hasta mañana.
IV. Jota
English translation © Jacqueline Cockburn
They say we're not in love
since they never see us talk;
let them ask
your heart and mine!
I must leave you now,
your house and your window,
and though your mother disapprove,
goodbye, sweet love, till tomorrow.
V. Nana
Anonymous
Duérmete, niño, duerme,
duerme, mi alma,
duérmete, lucerito,
de la mañana.
Naninta, nana.
duérmete, lucerito
de la mañana.
V. Lullaby
English translation © Jacqueline Cockburn
Sleep, little one, sleep,
sleep, my darling,
sleep, my little
morning star.
Lullay, lullay,
sleep, my little
morning star.
VII. Polo
Anonymous
¡Ay!
Guardo una pena en mi pecho
que a nadie se la diré.
¡Malhaya el amor, malhaya
y quien me lo dió a entender!
¡Ay!
VII. Polo
English translation © Jacqueline Cockburn
Ay!
I have an ache in my heart
of which I can tell no one.
A curse on love, and a curse
on the one who made me feel it!
Ay!
Translations by Jacqueline Cockburn and Richard Stokes published in the The Spanish Song Companion (Gollancz, 1992)
Feldeinsamkeit
Feldeinsamkeit
Hermann Allmers
Ich ruhe still im hohen grünen Gras
Und sende lange meinen Blick nach oben,
Von Grillen rings umschwirrt ohn’ Unterlaß,
Von Himmelsbläue wundersam umwoben.
Die schönen weißen Wolken ziehn dahin
Durchs tiefe Blau, wie schöne stille Träume;
Mir ist, als ob ich längst gestorben bin,
Und ziehe selig mit durch ew’ge Räume.
Alone in Fields
English translation © Richard Stokes
I rest at peace in tall green grass
And gaze steadily aloft,
Surrounded by unceasing crickets,
Wondrously interwoven with blue sky.
The lovely white clouds go drifting by
Through the deep blue, like lovely silent dreams;
I feel as if I have long been dead,
Drifting happily with them through eternal space.
Translations by Richard Stokes,
author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Selections from Shéhérazade
La flûte enchantée
Tristan Klingsor
L'ombre est douce et mon maître dort
Coiffé d'un bonnet conique de soie
Et son long nez jaune en sa barbe blanche.
Mais moi, je suis éveillée encore
Et j'écoute au dehors
Une chanson de flûte où s'épanche
Tour à tour la tristesse ou la joie.
Un air tour à tour langoureux ou frivole
Que mon amoureux chéri joue,
Et quand je m'approche de la croisée
Il me semble que chaque note s'envole
De la flûte vers ma joue
Comme un mystérieux baiser.
The enchanted flute
English translation © Richard Stokes
The shade is soft and my master sleeps,
A cone-shaped silken cap on his head,
And his long yellow nose in his white beard.
But I am still awake,
Listening to the song
Of a flute outside that pours forth
Sadness and joy in turn,
A tune now languorous now lively,
Which my dear lover plays.
And when I draw near the casement,
Each note seems to fly
From the flute to my cheek
Like a mysterious kiss.
L'indifférent
Tristan Klingsor
Tes yeux sont doux comme ceux d’une fille,
Jeune étranger,
Et la courbe fine
De ton beau visage de duvet ombragé
Est plus séduisante encore de ligne.
Ta lèvre chante sur le pas de ma porte
Une langue inconnue et charmante
Comme une musique fausse. . .
Entre! Et que mon vin te réconforte . . .
Mais non, tu passes
Et de mon seuil je te vois t’éloigner
Me faisant un dernier geste avec grâce,
Et la hanche légèrement ployée
Par ta démarche féminine et lasse. . . .
The indifferent one
English translation © Richard Stokes
Your eyes are soft like girl's,
Young stranger,
And the delicate curve
Of your handsome down-shaded face
Is still more attractively shaped.
Your lips sing at my door
An unknown charming tongue,
Like music off-pitch;
Enter! And let my wine refresh you...
But no, you pass by
And I see you leaving my threshold,
Gracefully waving farewell,
Your hips lightly swaying
In your languid feminine way.
Morning
Utro
M.L. Yanov
«Ljublju tebja!» -- shepnula dnju zarja
I, nebo obkhvativ, zardelas' ot priznan'ja,
I solnca luch, prirodu ozarja,
S ulybkoj posylal jej zhguchije lobzan'ja.
A den', kak by jeshchjo ne doverjaja,
Osushchestvleniju svoikh zavetnykh grjoz,
Spuskalsja na zemlju, s ulybkoj utiraja
Blestevshije vokrug rjady almaznykh sljoz...
Morning
Translation copyright ©
by Anton Bespalov and Rianne Stam
"I love you!" Daybreak whispered to day
and, while enfolding the skies, blushed from that confession,
and a sunbeam, illuminating nature,
with a smile sent her a burning kiss.
And the day, as if still doubting
the fulfillment of his most cherished dreams,
descended over the land, and with a smile dried
her glittering tears like rows of diamonds.
Der Doppelgänger
Der Doppelgänger
Heinrich Heine
Still ist die Nacht, es ruhen die Gassen,
In diesem Hause wohnte mein Schatz;
Sie hat schon längst die Stadt verlassen,
Doch steht noch das Haus auf demselben Platz.
Da steht auch ein Mensch und starrt in die Höhe
Und ringt die Hände vor Schmerzensgewalt;
Mir graust es, wenn ich sein Antlitz sehe –
Der Mond zeigt mir meine eigne Gestalt.
Du Doppelgänger, du bleicher Geselle!
Was äffst du nach mein Liebesleid,
Das mich gequält auf dieser Stelle
So manche Nacht, in alter Zeit?
My Double
Translation copyright © Emma Lazarus
The quiet night broods over roof-tree and steeple;
Within this house dwelt my treasure rare;
'Tis long since she left this town and its people,
But the house stands still on the self-same square.
Here stands, too, a man; toward heaven he gazes,
And he wrings his hands with a wild despair;
I shudder with awe when his face he raises,--
For the moonlight shows mine own self there.
Oh, pale sad creature! my ghost, my double,
Why dost thou ape my passion and tears,
That haunted me here with such cruel trouble,
So many a night in the olden years?
Galathea
Galathea
Frank Wedekind
Ach, wie brenn’ ich vor Verlangen,
Galathea, schönes Kind,
Dir zu küssen deine Wangen,
Weil sie so entzückend sind.
Wonne die mir widerfahre,
Galathea, schönes Kind,
Dir zu küssen deine Haare,
Weil sie so verlockend sind.
Nimmer wehr’ mir bis ich ende,
Galathea, schönes Kind,
Dir zu küssen deine Hände,
Weil sie so verlockend sind.
Ach, du ahnst nicht, wie ich glühe,
Galathea, schönes Kind,
Dir zu küssen deine Knie,
Weil sie so verlockend sind.
Und was tät ich nicht, du Süße,
Galathea, schönes Kind,
Dir zu küssen deine Füße,
Weil sie so verlockend sind.
Aber deinen Mund enthülle,
Mädchen, meinen Küßen nie,
Denn in seiner Reize Fülle,
Küßt ihn nur die Phantasie.
Ah, how I’m burning with desire
English translation © Richard Stokes
Ah, how I’m burning with desire,
Galathea, lovely child,
Just to kiss your cheeks,
Because they’re so enchanting.
The rapture that I feel,
Galathea, lovely child,
Just to kiss your tresses,
Because they’re so enticing.
Never resist me, till I’ve finished,
Galathea, lovely child,
Kissing your hands,
Because they’re so enticing.
Ah, you do not sense how I burn,
Galathea, lovely child,
To kiss your knees,
Because they’re so enticing.
And what wouldn’t I do, my sweet,
Galathea, lovely child,
To kiss your feet,
Because they’re so enticing.
But never expose your lips,
Sweet girl, to my kisses,
For the fullness of their charms
Can only be kissed in fantasy.
Translation © Richard Stokes,
author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Youkali
Youkali
Roger Fernay
C’est presque au bout du monde
Ma barque vagabonde
Errant au gré de l’onde
M’y conduisit un jour
L’île est toute petite
Mais la fée qui l’habite
Gentiment nous invite
À en faire le tour
Youkali, c’est le pays de nos désirs
Youkali, c’est le bonheur, c’est le plaisir
Youkali, c’est la terre où l’on quitte tous les soucis
C’est, dans notre nuit, comme une éclaircie
L’étoile qu’on suit, c’est Youkali
Youkali, c’est le respect de tous les vœux échangés
Youkali, c’est le pays des beaux amours partagés
C’est l’espérance qui est au cœur de tous les humains
La délivrance que nous attendons tous pour demain
Youkali, c’est le pays de nos désirs
Youkali, c’est le bonheur, c’est le plaisir
Mais c’est un rêve, une folie
Il n’y a pas de Youkali
Et la vie nous entraîne
Lassante, quotidienne
Mais la pauvre âme humaine
Cherchant partout l’oubli
A, pour quitter la terre
Su trouver le mystère
Où nos rêves se terrent
En quelque Youkali
Youkali
Unknown translator
It is almost in the end of the world,
My boat wandering
at the mercy of the waves
Took me there one day.
This island is small,
But the fairy that lives ther
Gently invite us
To take a tour
Youkali, it is the land of our desires
Youkali, it is happiness and pleasure,
Youkali, it is the land where one leaves all cares
It is the light in our night
The star we follow, that's Youkali.
Youkali, it is the respect of all the taken vows
Youkali, it is the country of beautiful love,
It is the hope in the heart of all humans,
The deliverance that we wait for tomorrow,
Youkali, it is the land of our desires
Youkali, it is happiness and pleasure,
But it is a dream, is madness,
There is no Youkali.
And life drags us down
tiresome, unadventurous
But the poor human soul
Seeking everywhere oblivion
has known, to leave the earth
to find the mystery
where our dreams take refuge
in some Youkali
bios
Jonathan Fuller is a collaborative pianist, tenor and songwriter currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Many roles are played in this field of work, and some particularly cherished ones over the years include being the music director of the premiere of Damon Intrabartolo’s bare, the winner of “Best Modern Rock Song” at the 2020 Just Plain Folks music awards, a showcase artist at SXSW in 2023, and a collaborator with these excellent singers.
Charles Ligus is a pianist, composer, and music director originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Currently based in Toledo, he is a recent graduate of Bowling Green State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Music Education with instrumental specialization. At BGSU, he collaborated extensively with the voice studio and won first place in the 2024 Marjorie Conrad Art Song Competition (Undergraduate Division) with soprano Laney Mitchell. Charles will join Toledo Opera as resident pianist for the 2026–27 season. He currently serves as music director and organist at Grace Lutheran Church in Fremont, Ohio, and regularly music directs productions throughout Northwest Ohio.
Praised for her “vocal agility and clarity of sound”, mezzo-soprano Eleanor Bennett-White has performed across the Pacific Northwest with groups such as Resonance Ensemble and Victoria Baroque. In addition to serving as artistic director/conductor for the San Juan Singers from 2023-2025, she has participated in emerging artist programs with Seraphic Fire at the Aspen Music Festival, Spire Chamber Ensemble, and Fuma Sacra, and is a founding member of the Madrona Consort, a San Juan Island-based vocal chamber ensemble. Eleanor holds degrees in vocal performance from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the University of Northern Colorado.
A passionate interpreter of both early and contemporary repertoire, soprano Anna Bjerken has performed with the Boston Early Music Festival and Eastman Opera Theater singing the roles of Margarita Xirgu in Golijov’s Ainadamar, Agrippina in Handel’s Agrippina, and covering Octavia in Keiser’s Octavia. This past season, she performed in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s production of Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer, and at Eastman, portrayed Leona’s Mother in Cerrone’s In a Grove, Orfeo in Rossi’s L’Orfeo, and sang solos in Bach Cantatas 39, 80, 129, and 202. This fall, she will begin her Masters at Eastman under tenor Anthony Dean Griffey.
Lucas Buhrman is a rising 2nd year at Oberlin Conservatory studying vocal performance with Prof. Timothy LeFebvre. At Oberlin, Lucas performs with the Oberlin College Choir, with which he has been a featured soloist, and the NOW Chorale, a student-run ensemble that performs student-written choral works. He was a three-time Pennsylvania All-State Vocalist. Lucas is honored to be performing Considering Matthew Shepard with the SCI choir, wherein he will be singing as a member of the choir and performing the solo, “The Fence (Before).” Lucas is proud to be a recipient of the Shari Bierman Singer Fellowship for the 26-27 Cleveland Orchestra Chorus Season.
Caitlin Glastonbury is a soprano storyteller praised for their “ethereally beautiful sounds.” They hold an affinity for vocal repertoire from the Baroque and Renaissance eras, and have a growing identity as a pioneer for experimental writing and techniques for the voice. Based in Baltimore, they perform regularly in Washington, DC, New Haven, and New York City. In the 2026-27 season, Caitlin is excited to make their company debuts with Tenet Vocal Artists in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Bach in Baltimore as the soprano soloist in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata 70. Stay in touch online at caitlinglastonbury.com or @caitlinglastonbury on Instagram!
Soprano Jie Lee was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Jie earned her Bachelor of Music degree from National Taiwan Normal University and her Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Frost School of Music. She has appeared as a soloist in oratorios such as Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Mendelssohn's Paulus, and Mark Hayes' Gloria. Jie also performs in operas, including Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Destino & Second Fury in La Calisto, Brigitta in Iolanta, and Nora in Riders to the sea.
Cailey Martinez is a 22-year old mezzo-soprano, oboist, and English hornist currently based in Georgia. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from Mercer University in May of 2026, where she studied voice under Dr. Richard Kosowski and oboe/English horn with Dr. M. Isaac Ripple and Maestro Adrian Gnam. As an operatic performer, some of her most recent roles include Zita (Gianni Schicchi), La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), and Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti). She has made appearances both nationally and internationally, qualifying as a top 15 semifinalist for her NATS NSA competition categories in 2024 and 2026 and performing overseas with the Mercer Singers, Wind Ensemble, and Woodwind Quintet. In the fall, Cailey will begin her Master of Music in Vocal Performance as the opera graduate assistant at the University of Kentucky.
Bri Mosley is a vocalist and performer from Cleveland, Ohio, holding a degree in Voice Performance from the College of Wooster. Her work is rooted in preserving and celebrating the contributions of Black artists, a passion reflected in her undergraduate thesis on Black musicians' impact on the music industry. She has appeared as a featured soloist throughout Cleveland, including Karamu House's A Motown Christmas at Playhouse Square, and has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus. Bri is excited to debut at Severance Music Center with this incredible team of artists.
Devon Russo is a bass-baritone, conductor, composer, & educator based in New England. He serves as Artist-Teacher in Classical Voice & Director of Opera Theatre at the University of Rhode Island and Director of Choral Activities at Bryant University. As a performer he has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Handel & Haydn Society, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and Seraphic Fire. He has taken part in the Boston Lyric, Mozarteum Salzburg, Boston Early Music Festival, Voces8, Académie Orford Musique, & Tafelmusik young artist programs. He and holds degrees from the University of Rhode Island (BM), Manhattan School of Music (MM), and Boston University (DMA).