MeeAe Cecilia Nam

Dr. MeeAe Cecilia Nam, soprano, has received the following praise: “…whose voice is the epitome of Mozartean elegance and lyricism…” (New York Concerts Review), “…sings easy, flawlessly and effortlessly expressive” (the German Passauer Presse). She has appeared as guest artist with numerous ensemble groups and festivals, such as the Colorado Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, Colorado Summer Music Festival, the American Liszt Society, Boulder Bach Festival, Vianden International Music Festival, and the Concert Series of the Salzburg Summer Music Festival. Known for her musical versatility, sensitivity and genuine interpretation (the Denver Post), she has had a rich performance experience as a soloist in recitals, oratorios, sacred music, chamber and orchestral concerts, and stage works throughout the United States, Germany, Austria, and South Korea.

She has performed and premiered music written for her, and participated in many artistic collaborations with current composers in their works, including Joseph Dorfman’s one act opera Shulamith (Colorado premier), Voice of River Han by David Mullikin, David Kirtley’s Haiku songs of Karigane, Tan Dun’s Silkroad, and James Mobberly’s Words of Love. Her performances of Georgy Kurtag’s Kafka Fragmente have received the acclaim, “…Challenging music….Nam soared through it brilliantly, but brought that necessary degree of dramatic involvement as well … it was first-rate”, by Colorado Rocky Mountain News.

In addition to her position as Professor of Voice at Eastern Michigan University, she has been on the faculty of the Church Music Association of America and at the Vianden International Summer Festival and School in Luxembourg. She has also been Guest Artist and Clinician at numerous institutions such as the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, the Korean National University of Arts in Seoul, the Seoul National University of Education, University of Colorado in Boulder, and University of Tennessee in Knoxville, among many others.

Dr. Nam has developed a well-deserved reputation as an important scholar of the rare French song literature of Théodore Gouvy (1819–1898). She has also recorded a CD, Songs of Gouvy, for the Toccata Classics label. A few of the Gouvy songs have been previously recorded, but this is the first CD made of this important composer where the songs are performed in the original key in which they were written. Most of the songs on the CD have never been recorded.

This critical edition, in two volumes, of Théodore Gouvy’s songs, represents a partial culmination of Dr. Nam’s important work concerning this obscure, but remarkable, composer. These two volumes are a unique and exclusive publication, and a valuable contribution to song literature. They are the result of her extensive scholarship and research in France, Germany, and the United States.