PORTSMOUTH- The Vern Riffe Center for the Arts (VRCFA) at Shawnee State University will host “Die schöne Müllerin” in celebration of Austrian composer Franz Schubert on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Eloise Covert Smith Theater of the VRCFA.

2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the composition of Schubert’s “Die schöne Müllerin”, which follows the story of an optimistic young man, a journeyman miller, who in his travels befriends a brook. The brook leads him to a mill, where he finds employment and falls in love with the miller’s daughter. The narrative of the cycle unfolds as he tries to win affection of the young maiden, but finds his passionate outpourings unreturned, resulting in a classic story of unrequited love. Join Dr. Stanley Workman Jr., tenor, and Julio Alves, guitar, as they celebrate the life of Franz Schubert.

In his regrettably short life, Schubert wrote more than 600 romantic art songs, the highly-prized German “lied” of the 19th century. In addition, he composed three song cycles, a series of three or more songs, tied together by a single narrative or theme: “Die schöne Müllerin” (The Beautiful Maid of the Mill), “Winterreise” (Winter Journey), and “Schwanengesang” (Swan Song). While Schubert invented neither the Lied, nor the song-cycle, he raised this genre to an artistical level that remains unsurpassed in the history of Western music.

Tickets for “Die schöne Müllerin” are available online at www.vrcfa.com or at the McKinley Box Office in the VRCFA, Monday through Friday. Tickets can also be purchased via telephone call at (740) 351-3600. Ticket prices for the show are $15 for standard, $12 for seniors, and $10 for those 18 years of age and under. Handicap accessible seating is available upon request.

For more information on upcoming shows at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, visit www.vrcfa.com or call the McKinley Box Office at (740) 351-3600.