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 Duo
LiveOak
contemporary
song
Frank
Wallace composer, baritone, guitar, lute
Nancy
Knowles mezzo-soprano, poet
Duo LiveOak is
a fresh, visionary voice in alternative classical music, creating
a body of lyrical contemporary art song rooted in traditions that
reflect both a temporal and an ethnic diversity. Nancy Knowles
and Frank Wallace collaborate as poet and composer in new songs
with echoes of blues, medieval, jazz, and classical music from
Ravel to avant garde. The power of great poetry infuses
their work.
Infectiously
charming in performance, graced with old fashioned skill and integrity,
Knowles
and Wallace are eloquent, whimsical, passionate, versatile, colorful,
and entirely original. Rare composer/performers, they do not merely
entertain--they engage the audience with their sense of drama,
Wallace’s guitar wizardry and their meltingly beautiful
vocal ensemble.
Duo LiveOak's musical roots go back to the 12th century: for two
decades LiveOak was known for its performances and recordings
of medieval and renaissance music. Committed to outreach,
education, and the environment, Nancy Knowles and Frank Wallace
are skilled teachers who are actively promoting a new humanism
in the arts that celebrates diversity
and
multiplicity.
Read
LiveOak History  See
Discography See
Photographs Read
interview
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Nancy Knowles,
mezzo-soprano, poet, visual artist and actress,is consistently
praised by critics and audiences alike for the beauty of her voice
as well as for her presence and grace on stage. As a poet she
collaborates with Wallace on the texts of his song cycles.
Knowles' poems have been set to music not only by Wallace, but
also by Ed Mascari, in a song cycle for Duo LiveOak, Between
Light and Dark the Spirit Dances. Nancy Knowles also
creates and performs solo dramatic works. With Wallace accompanying
on 16 new songs, she is currently performing SYZYGY: notes
from a far hill, a multidimensional piece with poetry,
dance and live painting, about loss, survival, and the healing
power of art.
Visit Knowles'
blog
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Frank
Wallace, guitarist, baritone, composer, has been recognized
for his extraordinary talent not only as a player of the classical
guitar and its ancestors, but also as a master of self-accompanied
song. Wallace's works for solo classical guitar and his songs
for voice, guitar and lute have a popular appeal, reflecting his
colorful career, drawing on influences ranging from avant
garde to medieval to the blues. The richness and complexity
of his song accompaniments and his compelling vocal melodies highlight
the influence of his mentors, from Britten to Schubert to Dowland.
In fall 2007 he released a new seasonal guitar CD, JOY:
songs and carols for a season of light on Gyre. Other
recent solo CDs include, Delphín, music
for vihuela de mano,
and
Sketches, his second disc featuring his own works
for classical guitar.
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