RADFORD – Radford University music professors Nitza Kats and David Otis Castonguay will present a solo voice recital on Monday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m., in the Covington Performance Hall. This is the first time the two have collaborated on a solo recital.

The recital features Schumann’s song cycle Liederkreis, op. 39, a group of songs based on poems by the German Romantic poet Eichendorff. Written in 1840, most of the song reflects on love, courtship and marriage.

The second half of the recital begins with a short three-song set of songs by Ravel Don Quichotte a Dulcinee, composed in 1932-33. The last work written by Ravel, the songs focus on heroic love, devotional prayer and an epic depiction of drinking.

Songs by American composer Irving Fine will be performed. “Childhood Fables for Grownups” is described as an intricate, comical work that relates to stories of four animals  – Polaroli the Bear, Tigeroo, Lenny the Leopard, which is dedicated to Leonard Bernstein. Also, there’s a frog that tricks a snake out of eating it.

The last set continues the animal theme with two works by the Russian composer Mussorgsky.

Castonguay presented biennial recitals until 2000 when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. After a nine-year absence from the stage, he scheduled a recital with Kats to celebrate the acoustics of the Covington Center. In August his wife’s battle with cancer returned and she is now receiving chemotherapy.

Castonguay says, “An extraordinary coincidence is that October is breast cancer awareness month and the recital will include an opportunity for patrons to receive educational materials about breast cancer from the Susan B. Komen Foundation. The RU music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha will also collect donations for breast cancer research."

To learn more, call the music department at (540) 831-5177.