23 Feb Interview with Shannon Mercer
ClevelandClassical.com’s Mike Telin spoke with Shannon Mercer in anticipation of her debut with Les Délices for Folly of Youth:
“As an audience member, I can tell if a performer is or is not connecting to the text,” said Mercer. “And composers like Handel wanted the text to reach the people, so they could identify it with their own experiences. To do that, you can draw on things from your own life: remembering what it’s like to be young and carefree, and thinking that nothing can harm you. Which is what Icarus is doing when he says, ÔÇÿI’m going to be fine, don’t worry about me.’”