Charming, entertaining, and daringly virtuosic, Jenny Kim-Godfrey and Dr. Jonathan Godfrey form the soprano and classical guitar duo known as Corda Voce (Cor-da VO-chay - Italian for "string voice"). Since 2015 they have intertwined the influences of cabaret, classical, jazz, and popular music to create a program that has delighted and surprised audiences of all ages and musical interests throughout North America. Recent engagements include the concert series’ of Guitar Sarasota, the Sarasota Institute of Lifelong Learning, the Choral Artists of Sarasota, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, the Venice Theatre, Ave Maria University, the Landings Learning Group Concert Series, the Gravenhurst Opera House (Ontario), Meredith College (NC), the Pinellas County Opera League, the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters, and the St. Petersburg Opera Guild, among many others. They have made several appearances on ABC-7 Sarasota’s SunCoast View and have appeared as guest artists on the Portfolio Composer Podcast.
Both graduates of the Indiana
University Jacobs School of Music (where they met and, incidentally, fell in
love!), Jenny and Jonathan individually have extensive experience collaborating
with Grammy-award winning performers and performing on stages around the world
from concert halls to outreach venues. Together as Corda Voce, Jenny and
Jonathan have crafted a diverse and lively repertoire focusing on songs not
originally written for guitar that, after some creative arrangement, make
dazzling use of the instrument while showcasing Jenny’s agile coloratura technique
and “nightingale tone” (Virginia Zeani). Yet whether sharing cabaret standards
or reimagining mainstay musical theater numbers, the heart of Corda Voce is
rooted in music that is simply meant to be fun, engaging, sometimes quirky, and
always memorable. The resulting program is one that promises to take the listener on a musical journey from the sublime to the comedic - and all the way back again.
Jonathan Godfrey
DM, Indiana University
MM, Cleveland Institute of Music
BM, LaGrange College
www.TampaBayGuitar.com
SAMPLE REPERTOIRE
CLASSICAL/ART SONG
A Word on My Ear - Michael Flanders/Donald Swann; arr. Jonathan Godfrey
Ave Maria - Franz Schubert (Arr. Napoleon Coste)
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 - Heitor Villa-Lobos
Korean Folk Songs: Dongshimcho, Arirang - Traditional; arr. Jonathan Godfrey
Les filles de Cadix - Leo Delibes; arr. Jonathan Godfrey
My Ship - Kurt Weill; arr. Jonathan Godfrey
Romancero Gitano (Choral work) - Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
The Sayings of Yogi Berra - Roger Hudson (Arranged for Corda Voce)
Theme and Variations on “A vous dirais je maman” - Adolphe Adam; arr. Jonathan Godfrey
Tico-Tico no Fuba - Zequinha de Abreu, arr. Jonathan Godfrey
POP/CABARET/THEATER - (all original arrangements by Jonathan Godfrey)
Carnival Town - Norah Jones
I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
My Favorite Things - Rodgers and Hammerstein
My Stupid Mouth - John Mayer
Taylor the Latte Boy - Marcy Heisler/Zina Goldrich
The Girl in 14G - Jeanine Tesori
The Stars and the Moon - Jason Robert Brown
GUITAR SOLOS (often heard at Corda Voce concerts)
Fuoco - Roland Dyens
Tango en Skaii - Roland Dyens
Torre bermeja - Isaac Albeniz