By Nestor CASTIGLIONE

It may be thought by those who aren’t plugged into the genre that Europe is still where the new generations of classical musicians blossom. In fact, people only need look around their own city to see that the blossoming of great instrumentalists, composers and singers often happens right here in the U.S. – sometimes in one’s own neighborhood. Take Merced Stratton, for example, a promising young singer who hails from the Crescenta Valley.

A junior at Cal State University, Northridge (CSUN) and a student of CSUN’s Dianne Ketchie, Stratton explained that she has had a keen interest in singing since the fourth grade.

“It was in high school where I really began to feel that I loved singing in a more classical style,” the Crescenta Valley High School alum explained. “It’s a style that I enjoy singing and am adept at. My choir teacher, Shannon Mack, was really impressed by my voice and encouraged me to pursue it as a future.”

Though locals can regularly hear her as a soloist in the choir at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church of the Mountains, she’ll be enjoying the spotlight all to herself this Sunday, Feb. 4 on a mixed recital of songs and lieder by Mozart, Salieri, Schumann, Barber and Bernstein. The centrepiece will be Leonard Bernstein’s playful “I Hate Music!: A Cycle of Five Kid Songs” from early in his career before his defining successes on Broadway and on the conductor’s rostrum.

Stratton was first introduced to Bernstein’s music via a performance of his opera “Trouble in Tahiti” and said she “absolutely loves his music.”

“He’s such an interesting composer. There’s a lot of jazz influences,” Stratton said. “It also presents a lot of technical challenges in terms of the time signatures and not being immediately intuitive for a vocalist to sing. That’s really fun for me and I enjoy challenging myself to figure out how to put all that together. It’s a style that I definitely want to continue to explore.”

Though familiar with the work for a number of years, Stratton was also moved to include the Bernstein work as an homage to the composer’s centennial being commemorated this year.

“On the other side of the coin,” as Stratton characterized them, were the songs she included on the program by Mozart and his colleague Antonio Salieri.

“Their music makes a lot of sense for a singer and it’s easy to meet their challenges,” she said.

Her recital also encapsulates some of the ambitions that Stratton is eager to pursue upon graduation.

“I do love performing. I also sing musical theatre, which I really enjoy. But one of my larger aspirations after graduating is session work [in the recording studio]. I’m a great sight reader and have really strong listening work. Those are things I definitely want to get into.”

Merced Stratton’s recital will take place on Sunday, Feb. 4 in the Cypress Recital Hall of CSUN. Paid parking is available in lot B-1. Admission is free. Please call CSUN’s Music Office at (818) 677–2246 for more information.

Stratton will also be starring in the school’s upcoming production of Mozart’s “Der Schauspieldirektor.” For more information about that production, please visit https://www.csun.edu/mike-curb-arts-media-communication/music/opera.

  Merced STRATTON, Nestor CASTIGLIONE