By Beth David, Editor
You’ve heard the songs before, but probably not like this. Imagine the big voice of an opera soloist singing “Oh Susanna,” “I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” and other traditional and folk music Americana from a couple of centuries ago. Pair it up with a masterful pianist in an intimate setting, and you are experiencing “art song.”
That is what Cooper Joseph Kendall and Semyon Berezin brought to the Rotch-Jones-Duff House on 7/17/26, performing a collection of songs aptly chosen for the 250th birthday of the United States.
Tenor, Cooper Joseph Kendall, performs “Jenny June,” written by Stephen Collins Foster, at a concert in the “Summer At Home” tour on 7/17/26 at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House in New Bedford. Photo by Beth David.
Mr. Kendall, a classically trained tenor from Connecticut, has strong ties to New Bedford. His mother grew up here in a very well known family. Mr. Kendall’s grandfather was Edward Coury, a long-time state representative. Cooper’s grandmother, Theresa Coury, ran Call Me Ishmael restaurant in downtown New Bedford for many years.
Pianist Semyon Berezin, from Saratov, Russia, began working with Mr. Kendall a few years ago at the Musik-Akademie Basel in Switzerland, where they both live now.
The tour this summer, dubbed “Summer at Home,” featured nine concerts in the US of pure Americana. In addition to the tenor and the pianist, the duo was joined by soprano, Jinni Shen, in New Bedford.
Mr. Kendall said the 250th birthday of the US is also the 200th birthday of Stephen Collins Foster (1826–1864). Known as the “Father of American Music,” he wrote many of the fun folk songs we all grew up with: Oh Susanna, Swanee River, Beautiful Dreamer, Camptown Races, and so many more.
Mr. Kendall said that in the US, his classical training limits him mostly to singing opera. So he and Mr. Berezin are trying something very different as they turn their classical training to this art form.
They have played in intimate settings, which is best suited for the music. The goal is to create a fan base in the US.
As for the performance, the listener needs to be prepared for the energetic playing of the pianist. The piano is an active participant in this gig, not a background player.
Mr. Kendall peppers his performances with tidbits and stories about Stephen Collins Foster: he loved summer, and he loved writing about summer and you can hear “wafting breezes” in the music and his lyrics.
Foster also had some fun with his music and lyrics, as shown with Mr. & Mrs. Brown, a comedic duet that Mr. Kendall performed with Ms. Shen.
After the performance at the RJD, Mr. Kendall said he likes the smaller venues, without a stage separating him from the audience. The intimate setting lets him feel what the audience is feeling. When he sees them react with warmth, he said, he knows he has chosen the right songs.
L-R: Pianist, Semyon Berezin; Soprano, Jinni Shen; Tenor, Cooper Joseph Kendall, perform “Will Thou Be Gone, Love?”, a duet by Stephen Collins Foster based on the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet, at a concert in their “Summer at Home” tour on 7/17/26 at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House in New Bedford. Photo by Beth David.
The venues for parlor performances and house parties are much more limited than they were in Foster’s days, said Mr. Kendall.
“It just does not exist anymore,” he said. “So we have to try to find another way to connect.”
People need to feel connected, he said.
“You have to make it meaningful for people, but also practical,” he said. “You need the support of a lot of people.”
Singing a solo is “very satisfying,” he said, but there are simply not enough gigs. So this effort combines something different with the standard concert.
Ms. Shen and Mr. Berezin voiced similar sentiments about the audience.
Mr. Berezin, of course, has to play on a different piano at every venue. He said the instruments have been “very nice,” at each place.
He could, of course, play piano solos. But, he said, his favorite thing to play is a duet with voice.
He likes the smaller settings, too.
“You’re so close to the audience,” said Mr. Berezin. “You get feedback with every note.”
Summertime, he added, is about friendship, musicianship, love, and celebration, a perfect fit for the tour.
Ms. Shen a member of the Butler Opera Center at The University of Texas at Austin, said she, too, appreciates the intimate settings of places like the RJD.
“You can see their hands, how they look at you,” she said, adding she gets “different vibes” from different communities.
“They are all super loving,” said Ms. Shen. “They just want to hear you.”
This was not her first time in New Bedford. During the pandemic, she performed outside for a group of Cooper’s relatives when gatherings inside were discouraged.
“It was very special because it was the first time I got to see how powerful music and song could be with Cooper and his family,” said Ms. Shen. “It feels like home.”
Mr. Kendall’s first CD with Mr. Berezin is a collection of German student songs. Their music is available on all streaming platforms. Visit cjktenor.com for more information, videos, and links to their music.
Editor’s note: Mr. Kendall is the editor’s cousin. (And she makes no apologies for showing wholehearted support of these young musicians and their ambitious goals.)
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