Art Song Recital – Britten Folk Songs

As part of the Rites of Spring’s program, Opera Days in the Hamptons, join us for a performance by soprano Ashley Galvani Bell, tenor Yiran Xing, and harpist Ruth Bennett. This program highlights a rich selection of European art songs and folk traditions, including works by André Caplet, Maurice Ravel, and Benjamin Britten. Audiences will experience Britten’s evocative folk song arrangements for voice and harp alongside Ravel’s vibrant Greek folk melodies and a virtuosic harp paraphrase inspired by Verdi’s Rigoletto. Internationally acclaimed performers bring these pieces to life, showcasing expressive vocal artistry paired with the shimmering sound of the harp. This intimate recital offers a rare opportunity to hear beloved folk-inspired repertoire in the historic setting of the Bridgehampton Museum.

Ashley Galvani Bell, soprano

Yiran Xing, tenor

Ruth Bennet, harp

2 Sonnets by A. Caplet

I.                     Quand reverrai-je, hélas

II.                   Doux fut le trait

Paraphrase on the theme from the Opera Rigoletto by Ekaterina Walter-Kühne for solo harp

5   Mélodies populaires grecques by M. Ravel

I.         Chanson de la mariée. Modéré

II.       Là-bas, vers l'église. Andante

III.     Quel galant m'est comparable. Allegro

IV.     Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques. Lento

V.      Tout gai!. Allegro

8 Folksong arrangements for High Voice and Harp by B. Britten

I.                     Lord! I married Me a Wife (1:14)

II.                   She's Like the Swallow (2:32)

III.                 Lemady (1:35)

IV.                 Bonny at Morn (3:10)

V.                  I was Lonely and Forlorn (Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn) (2:26

VI.                 David of the White Rock (Dafydd y Garreg Wen) (2:52)

VII.               The False Knight upon the Road (3:17)

VIII.             Bird Scarer's Song (0:59)

Ashley Galvani Bell, soprano

Hailed by OPERA NEWS as “delightful”, Ashley Galvani Bell performed as a soloist in the United States, Italy, Spain, France, Denmark and Russia. This season included her debut in DENMARK with Operaen i Midten as the title role in KLARA, her debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore with Boheme Opera New Jersey, her debut as Micaela in Carmen with Bay Street Theatre & reprising her signature role of Cio Cio San in Madama Butterfly, which she has performed throughout the US, in both New Jersey and California. 2024 included singing with New York City Opera in both a 100 year Puccini Anniversary concert and a dance production of Klara directed by acclaimed Broadway choreographer Richard Stafford, returning to ABAO Bilbao covering both Mimi and Musetta in La Bohème, singing the title role in Pedro Halffter's Penelope's Dream at the Ateneo de Madrid & in Logroño, singing Cio Cio San at Bay Street Theatre and Mimi at McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California, and joining Teatro de la Maestranza for La Bella Susona. Highlights of 2o22- 2023 included her debut with ABAO Bilbao Opera as Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte where ProOpera highlighted her "superabundance of talent", her debut with Teatro Perez Galdos in Gran Canaria, Spain as the title role of Klara, singing Cio Cio San in Madama Butterfly with both Bohème Opera New Jersey and Daytona Beach Symphony Society, her debut in Milan, Italy as soprano soloist in Exultate Jubilate with Orchestra UNIMI, Violetta in La Traviata, the title role in the world premiere of Penelope's Dream as well as Soprano soloist in Zemlinsky's Lyrische Symphonie all with Spain's festival Musica en Villafranca, and her successful debut with Seville's Teatro de la Maestranza as Violetta in La Traviata. Other notable performances have included her Carnegie Hall debut as soprano soloist in Hadyn’s “Nelson” Mass and Schubert’s Mass in C with MidAmerica Productions. Ashley is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale University, a winner of Yale’s Browne Irish Performing Arts Award and speaks five languages fluently.

Yiran Xing, tenor

Tenor Yiran Xing recently completed the Artist Diploma at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, where he studied with Professor Stefano Algieri. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and serving as a Voice Teaching Assistant at the Stony Brook University School of Music, studying with Professor Brenda Harris. He also holds a Master of Music degree in Opera and Vocal Art from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was recognized for outstanding vocal artistry.

Yiran’s recent engagements include singing Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute with full scholarship and stipend, as well as serving as soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiemin Montreal. His operatic credits further include Le Chevalier in Dialogues of the Carmelites (Cleveland Opera Theater), Le Prince in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Alfredo in La Traviata, and Fenton in Falstaff.

At McGill, Yiran was selected as one of only sixteen singers to participate in the prestigious Song Interpretation class for two consecutive years. He was also named a finalist in the Wirth Vocal Prize, advancing as one of just four singers chosen across the entire Schulich School of Music. A recipient of the Pianicaro China Graduate Award and the Della Pergola Award, he is deeply committed to both performance and pedagogy.

Ruth Bennett, harp

Hailed as “a very solid musician with a beautiful tone and impressively refined playing” (Bart van Oort), she is highly regarded as a versatile and engaging artist and has performed throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan. 

Recently relocated back to New York after fifteen years playing in the Yucatán Symphony Orchestra in Mexico, she maintains an active schedule between the U.S. and Latin America, appearing frequently as soloist, chamber musician, and educator. She has performed with American Ballet Theater and the Metropolitan Opera, as guest principal harpist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (U.K.) and played in several on- and off-Broadway shows.

Bennett recently collaborated with Björk as a member of her ensemble during her Cornucopia album tour throughout Europe, England, and Mexico City. 

A consistent prize winner in the competition circuit, Bennett won Third Prize at the second Dutch International Harp Competition (2012), where she performed Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” in the final stage with the Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht conducted by Johannes Leertouwer.

She also received First Prize in the 2009 edition of the National Harp Competition in Mexico City and awards at the American Harp Society National Contest.

Born in England to a musical family, Bennett began her studies at the piano but was eventually persuaded to learn the harp with her grandmother, a former student of Carlos Salzedo. She holds a bachelor’s degree in performance from Crane School of Music at S.U.N.Y. Potsdam, a master’s degree in performance and performer’s certificate from Eastman School of Music, where she was awarded the Eileen Malone Scholarship, and a Professional Studies Certificate in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music, under the tutelage of Deborah Hoffman. Ruth Bennett joined the Conservatory in 2022 and is assistant professor of harp.