Music about grief is a bit like medicine: most people don’t reach for it until they find themselves in need. The Vertex Duo, composed of mezzo-soprano Kristin Gornstein (KG) and pianist Jeremy Chan (JC), might sympathize, having created just this medicine for the soul in the wake of some of their darkest biographical hours.
The result is JOY, TOO, a curiously wonderful collection of melancholy songs — so lyrical and beautiful, one doesn’t have to be sad to want to listen to it.
Today, Kristin and Jeremy are our featured artists in the “Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to learn about Kristin’s most memorable experience at The Met, and Jeremy’s pursuits as a foodie…
Tell us about your first performance
KG: The first time I performed an art song in recital was my sophomore year at Butler University. My teacher, Dr. Katherine Kelton, helped me pick songs that I still sing today! There was a Pauline Viardot song, Mozart (of course), and a set by Roger Quilter. Art song is the music I return to again and again.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
KG: I’m terrible with favorites! I don’t have any. But (if time and space were not an issue), Benjamin Britten, Kaija Saariaho, and Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel come immediately to mind.
JC: Beyoncé, Park Hyo Shin, Golijov, Clara Rockmore, Celine Dion, Cirque du Soleil, Farinelli, Poulenc (we share the same birthday, January 7!), Kahlil Gibran, Satie, Michael Jackson, Jackson Pollock, Yayoi Kusama, and MC Escher come to mind.
What’s the greatest performance you’ve ever seen, and what made it special?
KG: One of my top 5 would be the opera L’amour de Loin by Saariaho, which I saw at the Met in 2016. It was a perfect combination of fantastical set design, wonderful singing, and spellbinding composition. I sat down, blinked, and it was intermission.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
JC: A doggy day spa owner/groomer, or an acrobat.
KG: I have no idea at all, which is probably why I’m still a musician.
What advice would you give to your younger self if given the chance?
JC: You’ll never be ready. Take the first step, and see where that leads. You have nothing to lose.
What are your passions beyond music?
JC: I’m a big foodie, and have a separate IG account just for my food adventures, @hungrypianistnyc.
Vertex Duo, comprised of Jeremy Chan (piano) and Kristin Gornstein (mezzo-soprano), bring the perspective of multiple cultures, backgrounds, and musical aesthetics to their work, sharing a love for freshness and improvisation in classical music. They have performed together in recitals at Seiji Ozawa Hall, Caramoor Center for the Arts, and the DiMenna Center in New York City. Chan and Gornstein met performing the works of William Bolcom, and this shared focus on performing the works of living composers has brought them to their current project, a recording of contemporary songs exploring the ways in which we find joy through sorrow. Featuring a newly commissioned song set by Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Alex Weiser as well as works by Kamala Sankaram, Annika Socolofsky, James Primosch, Max Johnson, and Robert Balaguer, the album is entitled JOY TOO, and will be released on Navona Records in 2024.
