John Brancy And Peter Dugan To Present Free, Live-Streamed Memorial Day Recital In Partnership With Sing For Hope 

Sing for Hope will present a free, live-streamed Memorial Day Weekend recital featuring 2020 GRAMMY winner John Brancy and acclaimed pianist Peter Dugan, host of NPR's "From the Top." The special 30-minute program, scheduled for Saturday, May 23rd, at 8 PM ET and streamed live at facebook.com/sing4hope, will feature selections from Brancy and Dugan's upcoming album "The Journey Home," which commemorates in song the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The program tells the story of men and women finding their way back home, literally and figuratively, from the ravages of war, and features a compelling selection of music by Holst, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Irving Berlin, Pete Seeger, and more. The artists' recent pre-album-launch tour included performances at the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, US Naval Academy, West Point Academy, and The Smithsonian Institute.

"Sing for Hope's work with veterans began with a partnership with James J. Peters VA Medical Center in 2013 and now extends to other great facilities across the US," said Sing for Hope Co-Founder Camille Zamora. "Witnessing our veterans in creative collaboration in our programs with artists like John and Peter, we are reminded of the power of the arts to connect, inspire, strengthen, and heal."

John Brancy and Peter Dugan are longtime Sing for Hope artist partners who met as students at Juilliard. Over the past several years, the friends have collaborated on innovative music-making that honors veterans, and have volunteered their time and talent in Sing for Hope's VA programs. "John and I are so excited to have found a way to perform a live collaborative recital, even though we are on opposite coasts!" said Dugan. "We are honored to be partnering with Sing for Hope this Memorial Day weekend, and we hope to shine a light on the important work that they are doing to bring music and healing to veterans."

Monica Yunus, Sing for Hope Co-Founder, said, "Memorial Day allows us a moment to pause and remember the brave people who have given their lives in service to our country. Against the backdrop of the current moment, their sacrifice feels more poignant than ever. Sing for Hope is honored to partner with John and Peter to present this special Memorial Weekend Recital and to commemorate our veterans in song."

Watch the concert live on Saturday, May 23rd, at 8 pm at facebook.com/sing4hope and learn more about Sing for Hope's work with veterans at www.singforhope.org.

About John Brancy: GRAMMY Winning Baritone John Brancy's intense musicality and communicative power place him among the finest of baritones of his generation. Brancy won First Prize in the Art Song Division of the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montreal. The win that recognized him as a premiere interpreter of Art Song repertoire in our time. The New Jersey native also won First Prize in the 2018 Lotte Lenya Competition in New York, Second Prize at the 2017 Wigmore Hall Competition in London and prior to that won the media prize in the 2017 Belvedere International Singing Competition in Moscow and First Prize in the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition in 2015. He is also a past First Prize winner of the Marilyn Horne Song Competition and the Sullivan Foundation Grand Prize. https://www.johnbrancy.com/

About Peter Dugan: He is heard nationwide as the newly announced host of NPR's beloved program From the Top. He has appeared as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and abroad. Mr. Dugan has performed in duos and trios with artists ranging from Itzhak Perlman and Renee Fleming to Jesse Colin Young and Glenn Close. The Wall Street Journal described Mr. Dugan's collaboration with violinist Charles Yang as a "classical-meets-rockstar duo." Mr. Dugan has been presented in chamber music recitals by Carnegie Hall, Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, Music at Menlo, Moab Music Festival, and recently in recital with Joshua Bell at the Minnesota Beethoven Festival. https://www.peterduganpiano.com/