Duluth Concert Celebrates American Songbook with Duo’s Dynamic Performance
DULUTH, MN – Soprano Sasha Cooke and pianist Myra Huang delivered a captivating concert at the Matinee Musicale of Duluth on Saturday, showcasing a diverse program ranging from Alma Mahler to George Gershwin, culminating in a well-received encore.The performance, titled “Of Thee I Sing,” highlighted the artists’ versatility and ability to connect disparate musical styles through thematic threads of nostalgia, immigration, and American optimism.
The program began with a bittersweet rendition of Alma Mahler’s “Laue Sommernacht,” described as a “bittersweet nostalgic lullaby,” and continued through Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Was du mir bist?” and Kurt Weill’s tango-infused “Youkali.” Cooke’s performance of the spiritual “Give Me Jesus,” arranged by Moses Hogan, drew comparisons to Shirley Verrett for its emotional depth, while Leonard Bernstein’s “A Simple Song” from Mass prompted reflection on the composer’s signature style.A playful interpretation of Michael Tilson Thomas’s “Grace,” penned as a tribute to Bernstein, featured Cooke as a “charmingly comic dinner guest” and Huang’s impressive whistling.
The concert explored connections between Jewish immigrant composers with a performance of Stephen Sondheim’s ”Children Will Listen” from Into the Woods,presented as an updated echo of “You’ve Got to Be Taught.” The evening reached a celebratory peak with George Gershwin’s “Of Thee I Sing,” where both artists “unabashedly swing[ed],” according to the review,and Cooke conveyed “that ‘certain thing,baby.'” The concert concluded with an encore performance of ”In the beginning” from Jake Heggie‘s of Gods and Cats.
Those in the Duluth area have one final opportunity to experience “Of Thee I Sing” tomorrow night. Tickets are available at https://www.matineemusicale.org/2025-26-concerts.
