Join us for a selection of classical pieces by fortepianist Sylvia Berry, featuring gospels and spirituals by singer Jermaine Tulloch.
Kick off the inaugural Shirley Place Concert Series with us on Sunday, May 21 at 3pm as we welcome the vibrant Sylvia Berry, fortepianist, and Jermaine Tulloch, countertenor, to the Shirley-Eustis House's Great Hall. Ms. Berry will perform stylings on the 1825 Babcock pianoforte, interspersing short talks on the pieces and a historical perspective on performance traditions. Mr. Tulloch will open the concert with renditions of traditional African American spirituals, accompanied by pianist Lynval J. Lynch. A reception with light refreshments will follow.
Register here. Seating is limited, as this will be an intimate chamber concert.
Tickets are free for Shirley-Eustis House members, students, and recipients of WIC, EBT, or ConnectorCare. Tickets for the general public are $10 per person.
Questions? Call (617)-442-2275 or email programs@shirleyeustishouse.org.
The Shirley Place Concert Series is generously sponsored by TD Charitable and the Adelard A. and Valeda Lea Roy Foundation. We appreciate their contributions, which help us bring music to life in new and exciting ways at Shirley Place.
ABout the performers
Philadelphia native Sylvia Berry is one of North America's leading exponents of the fortepiano, as well as other historical keyboard instruments, including the harpsichord, virginal, and clavichord. Hailed by Early Music America as "a complete master of rhetoric, whether in driving passagework or [in] cantabile adagios," she is known not only for her exciting performances but for her engaging commentary about the music and the instruments she plays. She dedicates herself to the performance practices of the 18th and early 19th centuries, with an avid interest in the sociological phenomena surrounding the music of that period. Her disc of Haydn's London Sonatas - recorded for Acis on an 1806 Broadwood - garnered critical acclaim. A review in Fanfare enthused, "To say that Berry plays these works with vim, vigor, verve, and vitality, is actually a bit of an understatement." Ms. Berry is also a respected scholar and has written and lectured widely on these topics.
Jermaine Tulloch studied voice performance and pedagogy at the Longy School of Music. Since college, Jermaine has traveled the world performing and teaching classical music, musical theatre, and gospel.
Jermaine has toured for ten years with the World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir. Performance opportunities have included Faneuil Hall, local news stations, Symphony Hall, Boston Lyric Opera, Black Nativity, and The Today Show, to name a few. Television credits include a season of The Chorus (Jermaine) on the TLC Network. He has performed in regional productions across the east coast including Once on This Island (Papa Ge, Agwe, Ton Ton Julian), The Wiz (Lion), Treemonisha (Simone), Brother Nat (Amos), and Into the Woods (The Witch). Jermaine also continues to do solo recitals to feature new composers as well as introduce his audience to the "Countertenor" voice.
Through Masterclasses and private instruction, his goal is to educate his students on the foundations of vocal technique, as well as provide them with the skills to produce healthy singing. Through diction, interpretation, and acting coaching, he wishes to help students bring each song to life.
Currently, Jermaine is Director of Academic Mentoring at the Boston Public Schools District, Voice and Ensemble teacher at Riverside Theater Works, and Music Director at New Life COOLJC.