Kuwento Mizik
Jean Bernard Cerin, baritone
Veena Kulkarni-Rankin, piano

Tuesday, December 05, 2023 - 7:30 PM
American Philosophical Society

American Philosophical Society

Benjamin Franklin Hall,
427 Chestnut Street
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$25.00 per ticket

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About This Performance

2022 Musical Fund Society Award winner Jean Bernard Cerin and pianist Veena Kulkarni-Rankin fuse classical and world music with storytelling in a transformative concert experience as the duo Kuwento Mizik. Informed by the artists’ Indian, Filipino, American and Haitian heritage, the duo takes listeners around the world through music programs that span European and American art songs, Brazilian and Haitian folk music to Indian and Persian love songs.

In Krik! Krak! Songs and Stories from Haiti,  listeners will take a deep dive into the rarely explored world of Haitian art songs, solo classical piano repertoire, arrangements of traditional folk songs for the concert stage and Kuwento Mizik’s original adaptation of the Haitian folktale, Tezen.

Running time: 1 hour and 30 minutes (including intermission) 

Watch the livestreamed concert via the video player below.

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Special thanks to Susan Giesecke Bloom and A. Charles Winkelman with support from The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, Theodore Presser Foundation, Dot and Rick Nelson, Sid Kaplan, and the American Philosophical Society for their support of our livestream series, and for helping us deliver world-class artistry to audiences around the globe.

The Artist(s)

Jean Bernard Cerin
Jean Bernard Cerin, baritone
2022 Musical Fund Society Career Advancement Award winner Jean Bernard Cerin is a multifaceted artist and scholar who produces and performs in projects ranging from film, recital, oratorio, traditional storytelling, opera, and folk music. Last season, he directed and starred in the documentary Lisette (2022), which made its premier at the Berkeley Early Music Festival in California.… Read More
Rankin
Veena Kulkarni-Rankin, piano
Veena Kulkarni-Rankin was born and raised in the US Midwest and began her piano studies at the age of five. She won many youth competitions, studied at Indiana University, and then earned a doctorate in Piano Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Michigan. Finding great fulfillment in teaching, she is currently the Lead Instructor at Faber Piano Institute.… Read More
Kuwento Mizik
Crossover classical duo baritone Jean Bernard Cerin and pianist Veena K. Kulkarni-Rankin fuse classical and world music with storytelling into transformative concert experiences.  With Indian-Filipino-American and Haitian backgrounds, Veena and Jean Bernard synthesize their broad cultural heritage with western classical training.  Kuwento (KWEN-toh), Filipino for “story” and Mizik (mi-ZEEK), Haitian Creole for “music” capture exactly what they do:  art songs,… Read More

Videos

Jean Bernard Cerin & Veena Kulkarni-Rankin | Deep River, arr. Moses Hogan
Jean Bernard Cerin & Veena Kulkarni-Rankin | Allah's Favorite Butterfly