Feiner Musicke -is a husband and wife duo committed to the performance, publication and recording of music for voice and harp. Because the repertoire is limited, they have taken it upon themselves to transcribe many pieces originally written for piano and voice. Several of these transcriptions can be heard on their first recording, Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal. They have also published transcriptions of three songs by Claude Debussy.
The Duo has performed throughout America for festivals and conferences and on numerous Recital Series. This includes performances at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, the Summer French Institute at the University of California Santa Barbara, the Madeleine Festival at the Madeleine Cathedral in Salt Lake City, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the Tallahassee Music Club, the Music House in Greenville, NC, the Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta and the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College, and the Lake Chelan Bach Festival.
Feiner Musicke blends their power, grace and passion to create a unique and unforgettable musical experience.
Tenor Mel Foster is an Associate Professor of Voice and Associate Provost for Academic Success at Morehouse College. Dr. Foster has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music where he was a student of John Maloy and his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara where he was under the tutelage of Elizabeth Mannion. Dr. Foster is extremely grateful for the mentorship of Victor Roman and his focus on mezza voce.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Foster believes his experience at the Brevard Music Festival as a teenager heavily influenced his decision to commit his life to singing. Since then, he has had the opportunity to be engaged in opera, oratorio, and recital performances in the United States and Europe. In the 25 years that Dr. Foster has taught at Morehouse, he has enjoyed rewarding performance and teaching experiences. Endeavoring to create more roles for African-American operatic tenors, he has premiered more than ten roles and solos for the Americolor Opera Alliance, a performing arts organization for which he is now the Artistic Director. Along with being interested in the lost art of intimate operatic singing, most recently, Dr. Foster has become interested in the vital role that the Arts play in sustaining culture.
Highlights of his performances have been with the Americolor Opera Alliance in the role of Ellington Dupont in The Bridge(premiere), Johnnie Washington in Carmen J(premiere), as Alonzo Herndon in The Herndons, as Missouri in The Great Divide(premiere), as Melchior in 3Kings and a Prince, as Ransom in Madame CJ(premiere), as Ray Grayson in The Pink Lady(premiere), as Aleph in The Candlers(premiere), and role Sam in The Opera Singer(premiere). With the Atlanta Opera, he performed the role of Nelson in their historic 2008 European tour of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Other performances have been in Salt Lake City in The Life of Roland Hayes and the Moor Tenors' Project; tenor soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Fairbanks Symphony and the Macon Symphony: the Rome Festival as Ferrando in Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte in Rome, Italy; twice performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in a nationally broadcasted event entitled A King Celebration in memory of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; as a featured soloist with the Atlanta Chamber Players; Mozart's Requiem with the Augusta Choral Society; tenor soloist in Bach's St. John's Passion with the St. Paul's Bach Society; and tenor soloist in the Verdi's Requiem with the Interlochen Arts Festival Philharmonic.
As Associate Professor of Voice at Morehouse College, Dr. Foster enjoys performing a variety of repertoire as a member of the Feiner Musicke Duo, teaching, and helping to expand performance opportunities for the BIPOC community.
Photographer: Dot Paul
Harpist Ellen Heinicke Foster is currently 2nd Harp for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Since 2014, she has been the Adjunct Professor of Harp at Southern Adventist University. She has a Bachelor of Music, Cum Laude, in Harp and Music Education from The Eastman School of Music. After teaching K-6 Music in Lawrence, Kansas, she continued her harp studies, receiving a Master of Music in Harp Performance from the University of British Columbia and an Artist Diploma from Yale University. Her teachers include Nancy Allen, Rita Costanzi, and Eileen Malone.
While a graduate student, she won the Concerto Competition at the University of British Columbia and was Runner Up in the Concerto Competition during a summer at the Aspen Music Festival. Mrs. Foster has performed throughout America, Canada, and Europe as a soloist, accompanist, and orchestra member. She has performed with the Vancouver Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Connecticut Opera, Santa Barbara Symphony, Santa Barbara Opera, Atlanta Symphony, Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Boy Choir, and the Georgia Boy Choir, as well as numerous orchestras and choruses in the Southeast. She also performs regularly as part of the Feiner Musicke Duo with her husband, tenor, Mel Foster.
As an educator, she has been a teacher and mentor for the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble, taught at The Carver Schools, and is the Director of the North Atlanta Harp Ensemble. Mrs. Foster has been an active member of the American Harp Society and has served 3 terms as President of the Georgia Chapter.
In addition, Mrs. Foster and her husband have published three volumes of works for Voice and Harp. Two of the sets are songs of Claude Debussy and one is songs of Gabriel Fauré. The Feiner Musicke Duo continues to transcribe and perform music not originally written for voice and harp.
Mrs. Foster can be heard on recordings with the Atlanta Symphony, Macon Symphony, Atlanta Boy Choir, Georgia Boy Choir, and the Feiner Musicke Duo.