Graduating Student Recital | William Aldenberg, tenor

As a classical tenor with passions for pedagogy, arts marketing, directing, research, and conducting, William D. Aldenberg feels equally at home both on and backstage. William’s first musical love is nineteenth-century lieder, though he actively performs many genres, including opera, oratorio, contemporary art song, and musical theater. Recent roles include Le Doyen in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Businessman and Drunkard in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince, and Peter (Father) in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel. He is pursuing a Graduate Performance Diploma in Vocal Studies from the Longy School of Music, studying under Dr. Tyler Reece. William holds an M.M. in Vocal Performance from Longy, and a B.M. in Vocal Performance and B.A. in Music History from the University of Connecticut.

Liz Derstine is a Boston-based pianist and composer whose work bridges classical training with personal storytelling. She is an experienced collaborator across a wide range of genres, with repertoire spanning opera, art song, oratorio, musical theatre, pop, and chamber music.

Liz is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano and Composition at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, where she studies piano with Eri Nakamura and composition with Alexandra du Bois. She is a Collaborative Piano Fellow and Patricia Ostrander and Presidential Scholar, and will graduate in May 2025. Her compositional voice is often inspired by time spent in nature, including her thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

In addition to her studies, Liz is a pianist for the theater department at Brandeis University and Sacred Heart Parish in Roslindale. Her original music has been featured on television shows including Wednesday (Netflix) and Awkward (MTV).