Mezzo soprano performs Palestrant’s song cycle
Kesha Williams
March 14, 2005 Dr. Christopher Palestrant, an assistant professor in the ECSU Music Department, recently presented a song cycle–a group of nine songs to be performed together–"Songs of Journeys End" at in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Palestrant wrote the song cycle for a mezzo soprano accompanied by oboe, viola and piano. The mezzo soprano, Drea Pressley, performed the series for her performance at the Recital Albuquerque Academy. Dr. Palestrant, a composer, said the experience of writing a song cycle was challenging. Recordings will be used in classes where ECSU students are studying special scales in compositions used during the renaissance. Dr. Palestrant teaches music theory and composition at Elizabeth City State University