Romance Noel: A Classical Holiday Celebration – Mineral Point, WI

Join Rhapsody Duo Jessica Kressin and Marianna McLean for a holiday piano performance of timeless classics on Saturday, December 7 at 8:00 PM. Doors will open at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show, plus Eventbrite fees. Friends of the MPOH will have access to tickets starting Monday, July 1 and the general public will have access starting Monday, July 15.

The show will begin with Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker favorites – “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy,” “Waltz of the Flowers,” “Trepak,” and others. After the intermission, Jessica and Marianna will take you west to spend the rest of the evening with Schubert, Brahms, and other Romantic composers, famous for their captivating melodies, sparkling harmonies, and broad emotional range.

Marianna and Jessica have been performing together for five years. Together, they are an unstoppable force, mainly because no one is trying to stop them.

Marianna McLean began studying piano at age six in the Soviet Union. After emigrating to the United States in 1990, she gave occasional piano performances while searching for a forever profession, vacillating between science, software engineering, and law (her chosen profession). Although she raised two musical kids, Marianna did not dream of performing in public again until she met Jessica, who inspired her to return to the stage. Marianna and Jessica’s Rhapsody Duo was born out of their close friendship and frequent classical “jam” sessions. They love concerting together and are not planning on stopping any time soon.

Jessica Kressin, a native of Webster City, Iowa, did her doctoral work in Piano Performance at the University of Colorado Boulder. She studied with Dr. Andrew Cooperstock and regularly gives performances in the greater Denver area. Jessica has performed with many instrumentalists and singers in venues such as the Denver Art Museum, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and the White House. She has extensive experience as an opera rehearsal pianist and coach, having served as music director and pianist at Breaking Glass Arts, a small immersive opera company based in Denver. Jessica frequently collaborates with singers at Opera on Tap events around the Denver area as well. Most recently, she served as music director for the premiere of Denver-based composer Nathan Hall’s opera titled “Atlas of Remote Islands” at the Holiday Theater in collaboration with Opera on Tap and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. Jessica also shares a passion for piano duet repertoire with Marianna, and, together, they formed Rhapsody Duo out of their love for collaboration and piano music. Jessica also holds degrees in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma and Piano Performance from Wartburg College and has studied with Dr. Jane Magrath and Dr. Suzanne Torkelson.