Rita Barbour Kern Masterworks

Inspired by two iconic American women, Pulitzer-prize winning composer Kevin Puts has created a multimedia experience that demands to be seen and heard live. Renée Fleming makes her triumphant return to Toledo, singing from the letters of Georgia O’Keefe. Joined by baritone Rod Gilfry, who portrays Ms. O’Keefe’s longtime correspondent and partner Alfred Stieglitz, this orchestral song cycle traces their relationship in a piece that explores the intersection between visual art, letters, the orchestra, and the human voice.   

A lost letter is the tragic catalyst behind Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which inspired Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to write some of his most unforgettable melodies. Reena Esmail’s Black Iris, named after a Georgia O’Keefe painting, poignantly explores the tension between a musical world that joyfully inspires and a musical industry that too often silences the voices of women.  

Renée Fleming’s appearance is made possible through a generous gift from Bob and Sue Savage.