Soprano Eileen Egan Mack and pianist Michael Clement present A Song of Yaddo, an intimate musical program celebrating the life and work of Katrina Trask, visionary founder of Yaddo and a remarkable yet often overlooked composer, poet, and lyricist.
While widely known as a philanthropist and cultural patron, Katrina Trask was also a gifted musician whose creative output reflected her deep spiritual convictions and belief in service to others. This program features a selection of songs written by Trask herself, alongside works created through her collaborations with prominent composers of her era. In these collaborations, Trask often served as lyricist, including for settings by R. Nathaniel Dett, a pioneering Black composer and musical innovator.
The concert also includes music by Trask’s contemporaries, such as Victor Herbert and Sergei Rachmaninoff, placing her work within the broader musical landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Interwoven throughout the performance are biographical reflections that illuminate Trask’s life, her collaborators, and the guiding principles that shaped her art. Audiences will explore how her faith in a greater good, her resilience through personal hardship, and her devotion to uplifting others continue to resonate through her music.
This program is made possible through the dedicated research of Rumara Jewett, whose work has uncovered and preserved a rich body of information about Katrina Trask’s musical legacy.
Event Date: Thursday, March 19, 7pm
Program length: approximately 50–60 minutes.
Tickets: $10 General Entrance, Free for Museum Members