The Art Song Preservation Society of NY

HAPPY FRIDAY! Go into your weekend with beautiful music.

ASPS Summer of Song Recital 2026: Laura Strickling & Mark Markham, Sidney Outlaw & Warren Jones

The festival's opening recital featured acclaimed guest artists Laura Strickling, Mark Markham, Sidney Outlaw, and Warren Jones. This special evening showcased celebrated performers whose artistry and leadership in the art song world have inspired audiences and young musicians alike. With a program that highlighted vocal beauty, interpretive insight, and collaborative excellence, this concert set the stage for the inspiring weeks that followed.

This project was made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York state legislature, and the Howard Gilman Foundation, and is administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). Program funding is also provided by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ). The UMEZ Arts Engagement program is administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). LMCC serves, connects, and makes space for artists and community.

ASPS Summer of Song Recital 2026: Laura Strickling & Mark Markham, Sidney Outlaw & Warren Jones Sunday, June 7, 2026, 5 pm ETRECITAL – Laura Strickling, soprano &...

Summer of Song Festival Recital 2: Italian, German, Spanish & Great American Songbook 6/20/26

https://youtu.be/i96d6M-QUr0?si=ECrTrwHN7F2wR48e

This project is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York state legislature, and the Howard Gilman Foundation, and is administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). Program funding is also provided by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ). The UMEZ Arts Engagement program is administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). LMCC serves, connects, and makes space for artists and community.

Summer of Song Festival Recital 2: Italian, German, Spanish & Great American Songbook 6/20/26 Saturday, June 20, 2026, 7 pm ETProgram Participant Recital 2 – It...

Summer of Song Program Participant Recital 1 – French and American Music
Mikowsky Hall at Manhattan School of Music
June 13, 2026

An evening of French and American repertoire:

https://youtu.be/lZXg2xiyO0c?si=Dznwb1x3UxhWojTN

This project is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York state legislature, and the Howard Gilman Foundation, and is administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). Program funding is also provided by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ). The UMEZ Arts Engagement program is administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC). LMCC serves, connects, and makes space for artists and community.

Summer of Song Program Festival Recital – French and American Music, 6/13/26 Saturday, June 13, 2026, 7 pm ETProgram Participant Recital 1 – Fr...

What an extraordinary evening of music-making!

A heartfelt thank you to our remarkable singers and pianists for sharing their passion, dedication, and artistry with us tonight. After two weeks of intensive study, collaboration, and growth, it was inspiring to witness these talented artists bring such beauty, imagination, and expressive power to the stage.

We are equally grateful to everyone who joined us in the audience. Your presence, encouragement, and support mean so much to these emerging artists and to all of us at the Summer of Song Festival.

The Summer of Song Festival is built on the shared love of song, and evenings like this remind us why this work matters. Thank you for being an essential part of this musical community and for helping us celebrate the next generation of artists.

Bravo to all who performed, and thank you for making this a truly memorable night!

Happening TONIGHT at 7 PM!

Join us for the culminating performance of the 2026 Summer of Song Festival: Program Participant Recital II – Italian, German, Spanish Language Song & The Great American Songbook.

After two weeks of intensive study, masterclasses, coachings, workshops, and collaborative work with our distinguished faculty, our festival singers and pianists take the stage to share the artistry, growth, and musical discoveries of their Summer of Song journey.

Italian song
German Lieder
Spanish and Latin American repertoire
Selections from the Great American Songbook
Emerging artists from across the United States and beyond

This final recital celebrates not only beautiful music, but the dedication, collaboration, and artistic community that have defined this year’s festival.

Free Admission
Mikowsky Hall, Manhattan School of Music
Saturday, June 20, 2026
7:00 PM ET

Bring a friend and help us celebrate these remarkable singers and collaborative pianists as we bring the 2026 Summer of Song Festival to a vibrant close!

Top Takeaways from Dana Calvey’s Alexander Technique Workshop
ASPSNY Summer of Song Festival

A heartfelt thank you to Dana Calvey for two extraordinary Alexander Technique sessions with our Summer of Song participants.

Dana reminded us that Alexander Technique is not about “standing up straight” or forcing the body into a correct position. It is a process of awareness, attention, release, and coordination.

A few top takeaways for singers and pianists:

Alexander Technique is a process, not a position.
The goal is not to hold the “right posture,” but to notice what we are doing and allow the body’s natural coordination to return.

The body and mind work together.
How we think, prepare, anticipate, or try to “get it right” can show up physically in the neck, breath, jaw, tongue, spine, shoulders, hips, and legs.

Breath does not need to be forced.
Dana encouraged participants to imagine “smelling something nice” — allowing air to arrive naturally rather than grabbing or managing the breath.

The tongue matters.
A free tongue can help release the jaw, throat, neck, and breath — essential for singers, pianists, and anyone using the body in performance.

Awareness is not tension.
The work is not to hold relaxation, but to gently notice: I am not gripping my neck. I am not tensing my legs. I am not holding myself up unnecessarily.

The whole body participates.
Breath, sound, movement, presence, and performance involve the entire body — from head and spine to ribs, pelvis, sitting bones, legs, and feet.

Musicians are athletes.
The body is the instrument that plays the instrument. Practicing the body is part of practicing music.

Thank you, Dana, for helping our participants experience more ease, presence, freedom, and possibility in their bodies and artistry.

Such beautiful music yesterday!

Thank you Nils for an outstanding German Lieder masterclass!

Top Takeaways from Nils Neubert’s German Song Masterclass
ASPSNY Summer of Song Festival

A heartfelt thank you to Nils Neubert for a rich, detailed, and deeply insightful German Song Masterclass with our Summer of Song singers and pianists.

Nils reminded us that German diction is not simply a set of rules — it is a musical activity. Language, sound, breath, timing, and meaning all work together. The goal is not merely to pronounce German “correctly,” but to make the text sing clearly, freely, and truthfully.

A few top takeaways:

Diction is musical, not mechanical.
The question is not only “Is this correct?” but “Does this help the voice, the phrase, the poem, and the listener?”

The text is the singer’s instrument.
The words shape timing, tuning, resonance, breath, color, and emotional clarity.

Letters can flow, jam, or leak.
Consonants should not interrupt the line. Even unvoiced consonants carry air and can support legato.

Legato is not only vowel singing.
In song, true legato must include the consonants, the breath, and the movement of the language.

German singing is not about pure vowels — it is about clear vowels.
Sometimes the vowel that feels “wrong” in the singer’s head is exactly what allows the word to project clearly in the hall.

Good diction supports the voice.
Nils reminded us: the singer should not distort the language, and the language should not distort the singer.

R, H, glottals, and final consonants all have musical function.
Every letter must serve the word, the phrase, and the musical line — not dominate or interrupt it.

For pianists: let the piano be the piano.
The piano does not always need to imitate an orchestra. Its own colors, voice leading, counterpoint, timing, and texture are essential to the world of the song.

Accompany the language, not just the notes.
Pianists must listen for the singer’s consonants, vowels, breath, and timing, because the text changes how the phrase moves.

German song is text as music.
The poem, the voice, the piano, and the body all work together to create meaning.

Thank you, Nils, for reminding us that German song is not diction plus music. It is language, sound, poetry, and collaboration brought fully to life.

Thank you so much Nate for an outstanding technical challenges at the piano workshop!

Practical Takeaways from Nathaniel LaNasa’s Piano Workshop
ASPSNY Summer of Song Festival

A huge thank you to pianist and teacher Nathaniel LaNasa for an insightful, generous, and deeply practical workshop with our Summer of Song pianists.

Nate reminded us that technical difficulty at the piano is not always about needing more strength, more repetition, or more effort. Often, the real work is learning how to identify the exact place where the body, the sound, or the coordination begins to break down — and then finding a freer, more organized way through.

A few top takeaways for pianists:

Find the symptom.
Is the passage uneven? tense? too stretchy? too loud? too weak? hard to balance? Name what is actually happening.

Locate the exact spot.
Instead of saying “this passage is hard,” ask: between which two notes does the problem begin?

Technique is choreography.
Difficult passages often need better physical organization, not more force.

Keep the arm behind the finger.
When the hand feels unsupported, the sound and coordination suffer.

Build ease in small units.
Practice the smallest workable gesture, then link it back into the phrase.

Let each note send you to the next.
A note or chord is not only an arrival — it can also prepare the next movement.

Use mental timing.
Sometimes a tiny moment of organization in practice creates more freedom, security, and musical flow.

Let technique serve the sound.
The goal is never just to “get through” a passage. The goal is to create a sound that feels free, balanced, and musically alive.

Thank you, Nate, for reminding us that a technical problem is not a failure — it is information. With curiosity, precision, and physical awareness, practice becomes more creative, more efficient, and more joyful.

Only TWO days left! Join us this Saturday for the final recital of the Summer of Song Festival 2026!

The Art Song Preservation Society of New York invites you to Summer of Song Recital II, the culminating performance of this year’s festival.

After two weeks of masterclasses, workshops, coachings, collaboration, and artistic growth, our festival participants will come together for one final evening of song featuring repertoire from Italy, Germany, Spain and Latin America, along with selections from The Great American Songbook.

Saturday, June 20, 2026
7:00 PM ET
Mikowsky Hall
Manhattan School of Music
130 Claremont Avenue, NYC

This is a FREE concert and a wonderful opportunity to hear the artistry, growth, and collaborative spirit of our remarkable singers and pianists.

Come help us fill the hall and celebrate the vibrant close of the Summer of Song Festival 2026!

Suggested donation: $20
Donations via PayPal — no amount is too small, no amount is too big!

We hope to see you there!