BRUNSWICK – Newcastle native Lisa Graf will sing in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Bowdoin International Music Festival orchestra under the baton of Lewis Kaplan on the Fourth of July.

“Schiller’s Ode to Joy, which is quoted in the last movement, speaks of the ‘brotherhood of man,’ which I find directly analogous to the statement in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal,” said Kaplan. “In these times, I feel it is especially important that we keep that idea in mind. Plus, the Ninth Symphony ends with ‘musical fireworks.’ What could more appropriate?”

Graf, a soprano, is a member of the ensemble at the opera of Aachen, Germany, where she has performed the roles of the Countess in the “Marriage of Figaro;” Fiordiligi in “Cosi fan tutte;” Agathe in “Der Freischuetz;” Tatiana in “Eugene Onegin;” Marie in “Wozzeck;” and Floria Tosca and the Marschallin in “Der Rosenkavalier.”

As a recitalist, she has performed in concerts throughout Europe.

This will be Graf’s third appearance at the Bowdoin festival. She will be joined onstage by mezzo soprano Alison Tupay, tenor Brandon McReynolds, baritone Sidney Outlaw, and the Rachmaninov Festival Choir, directed by Anthony Antolini.

The July 4 concert is part of the Bowdoin Festival’s regular Friday night MusicFest series, which takes place June 27 to Aug. 1, in Brunswick High School’s Crooker Theater. To order tickets or for more information, call 725-3895 or visit www.bowdoinfestival.org.

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