American Bach
Soloists Announce Messiah Tickets Now
on Sale

Wednesday, December 11 & Thursday December 12, 2013 at
7:30 p.m. in San Francisco's magnificent Grace Cathedral.
“What stood out above all, in this annual rite that drew a
huge crowd, was the sense of being addressed directly, personally, confidingly.
Conductor Jeffrey Thomas brought it all together, melding his ABS forces with
precision and intuitive responsiveness to Handel’s capacious 1742 masterwork.”
--Steven Winn, SFCV
Shawnette Sulker soprano - Eric Jurenas countertenor
Aaron Sheehan tenor - Mischa Bouvier baritone
Performed on period instruments with the American Bach
Choir, Jeffrey Thomas conductor
--Jeff McMillan, American Bach Soloists
National
Philharmonic Chorale to Perform Handel’s Messiah
at the Music Center at Strathmore
In celebration of the holidays, National Philharmonic
Chorale Artistic Director Stan Engebretson will conduct the National
Philharmonic in Handel’s Messiah on
Saturday, December 14 at 8 pm and Sunday,
December 15 at 3 pm at the Music Center at Strathmore. The concert will
feature the National Philharmonic’s nearly 200 voice all-volunteer Chorale, as
well as soloists Rosa Lamoreaux (soprano); Magdalena Wór (mezzo-soprano); Robert Petillo (tenor); and Kevin Deas (bass).
Handel’s Messiah,
among the most popular works in Western choral literature, was first performed
in Dublin on April 13, 1742. The composer’s most famous work is divided into
three parts that address specific events in the life of Christ. Part one is
primarily concerned with the Advent and Christmas stories; part two chronicles
Christ's passion, resurrection, ascension and commitment to spreading the
Christian message; and part three is based primarily upon the events chronicled
in the Revelation of St. John. The National Philharmonic and Chorale, in addition
to a stellar cast of soloists, will perform the complete work, which includes
such favorites as “The Trumpet Shall Sound,” “And the Glory of the Lord,” and,
of course, the famous “Hallelujah Chorus.”
A free pre-concert lecture will be offered at 6:45 pm on
December 14 and at 1:45 on December 15 in the concert hall at the Music Center
at Strathmore. To purchase tickets to National Philharmonic’s
Messiah concerts on December 14 and 15,
please visit
nationalphilharmonic.org or call the box office at (301) 581-5100.
Tickets start from $28. Kids 7-17 are FREE through the ALL KIDS, ALL FREE, ALL
THE TIME program (sponsored by The Gazette). ALL KIDS tickets must be purchased
in person or by phone.
--Deborah Birnbaum, National Philharmonic
Violinist Nicolo Eugelmi
Moves on from the Fine Arts Quartet
After four years with the Fine Arts Quartet, violinist
Nicolò Eugelmi looks forward to his Vancouver residency and new recording and
chamber music projects.
Described as “a player of rare perception” (The Strad) and “the ideal soloist” (La Presse, Montreal), violist Nicolò
Eugelmi has performed to critical and public acclaim in the world's finest
venues, including Carnegie Hall, the St. Petersburg Philharmonia, the Amsterdam
Concertgebouw, and the Berlin Philharmonie, among many others. For the last
four years, Eugelmi has performed with the distinguished Fine Arts Quartet,
touring extensively throughout Europe and North America, with as many as 100
concerts a year. Now, says Eugelmi, it is time to explore different challenges:
“As part of the Fine Arts Quartet, from 2009-2013, I had
the opportunity to perform a rich and diverse repertoire, collaborate with
great artists, and see the world. Over time, however, the nonstop schedule
became too much. It seemed that as soon as we returned from one tour, we were
flying off for the next one and, recently, it became evident that it was time
to move on. I have always embraced new challenges, and as I transition into a
new solo career— which for a violist is mainly chamber music and occasional
solo appearances—I look forward to renewed collaborations with friends and
colleagues around the world.” Notably, Eugelmi succeeded his own mentor in the
quartet's lineage, Gerald Stanick, with whom he earned his Bachelor and Master of
Music degrees at the University of British Columbia.
Last week, Nick returned to Vancouver as
Artist-in-Residence at UBC from November 8-16, where he performed Bach’s Concerto BWV 1053R with the UBC Chamber
Strings, a reconstruction by musicologist Wilfried Fischer of the lost Bach Viola Concerto based on BWV 49, 169, and
1053, in addition to viola and chamber music masterclasses. Other upcoming
projects include concerts with members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and
violinist David Kim, and a new recording with clarinetist Patrick Messina and
pianist Nina Tichman in Paris.
Nicolò Eugelmi has performed as soloist with the
Vancouver, Edmonton, and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, and l'Orchestre
Métropolitain, under conductors Mario Bernardi, Jon Washburn, Jacques Lacombe,
Jean-Claude Casadesus, and Charles Dutoit. He has given numerous Canadian,
North American, and world premieres, including John Harbison's Viola Concerto (1988), Gavin Bryars' The North Shore, Imant Raminsh's What Voices in an Unknown Tongue, and
his own commission from the late Jacques Hétu, Concerto pour Alto et Orchestre, Op.75. Musical collaborators have
included Joseph Kalichstein, Menahem Pressler, Martin Beaver, Andrew Dawes,
Paul Neubauer, the Vlach Quartet Prague, and Talich Quartets, among many
others. Mr. Eugelmi held the positions of Associate Principal Violist with the
Vancouver and Montreal Symphonies and Principal Violist with the Canadian Opera
Company.
Born in Canada to an Italian father and German mother,
Eugelmi’s extensive discography includes Brahms Sonatas and Songs, named
a “Strad Selection” by the prestigious magazine, and Brahms Lieder with contralto Marie-Nicole
Lemieux, a Juno Award nominee and Prix Opus winner as well as a Gramophone Editor's Choice.
For a complete bio and additional information please see:
www.nicoloeugelmi.com
--Shira Gilbert PR
Minnesota Opera
World Premiere Production of Silent Night
Broadcast Nationwide on PBS December 13
Conducted by Michael Christie, Silent Night was written by Kevin Puts, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer
Prize in Music, with libretto by Mark Campbell and based upon the
Oscar-nominated film Joyeux Nöel.
“With this remarkable debut, Puts assumes a central place in the American opera
firmament,” said Opera News. “Michael
Christie is a director open to adventure and challenge,” said The New York Times.
On December 13, 2013, Minnesota Opera’s world premiere
production of composer Kevin Puts’ Silent
Night, led by conductor Michael Christie, will be broadcast nationwide on
PBS. Puts won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for music with Silent Night, his first
opera. Minnesota Opera commissioned Puts to write the work with librettist Mark
Campbell and the opera received its world premiere, conducted by Minnesota
Opera Music Director Michael Christie, in St. Paul in November 2011. Pulitzer
officials described Silent Night as
"a stirring opera that recounts the true story of a spontaneous cease-fire
among Scottish, French and Germans during World War I, displaying versatility
of style and cutting straight to the heart."
The opera is based on the screenplay Joyeux Nöel by Christian Carion for an Oscar nominated motion
picture produced by Nord-Ouest Production. Silent
Night includes scenes sung in German, French, English, Italian and Latin.
NPR wrote, “Much of the opera is set in the trenches of a Belgian battlefield
during the days before Christmas 1914. On Christmas Eve, music comes from the
French and Scottish bunkers as soldiers celebrate the holiday. An opera-singing
German soldier responds with a Christmas song, and before long white flags wave
and a temporary truce is brokered. In the end, generals admonish their soldiers
for giving in and the battlefield is emptied as snow begins to fall. As soon as
Puts watched the film, he could envision the scenes unfolding onstage. His love
of cinema affected the rhythm of his opera.”
When Christie led Silent Night in 2013 with Opera Company
of Philadelphia, The New York Times
praised maestro Michael Christie’s “supple pacing and vitality.” Maestro
Christie was featured in Opera News in August 2012 as one of 25 people they
believed would “break out and become major forces in the field in the coming
decade.” During his tenure with the Phoenix Symphony, Christie premiered works
by 16 living composers, and has championed commissions by leading and emerging
composers alike, including Osvaldo Golijov, Matthew Hindson, Marjan Mozetich,
Stephen Paulus, Michael Daugherty, Mason Bates, Mark Grey, and more.
For the exact time of the broadcast in your area, visit
www.pbs.org.
--Christina Jensen PR
Chanticleer’s
Cherished NYC Christmas Concerts Come to St. Ignatius Loyola December 8 & 9
This December, two fixtures of the New York City holiday
scene—Chanticleer and the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola—team up to double your
Christmas joy. The Grammy-winning ensemble, widely considered the gold standard
of male choruses, brings its magical Christmas concert to the Church (980 Park
Avenue between 83rd and 84th Streets, NYC) for two dates: Sunday, December 8 at
4pm and Monday, December 9 at 7pm. Tickets are $75 preferred / $60 general and
can be purchased 24/7 at
www.smssconcerts.org or 212.288.2520.
The Upper East Side Church of St. Ignatius Loyola’s
stunning sanctuary is usually overflowing with musical abundance thanks to its
venerable music series Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, overseen by visionary
Artistic Director K. Scott Warren. But this Christmas season, the Church
celebrates a special gift: the arrival of Chanticleer, called “the world’s
reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker, to its new permanent home for the
holidays in New York City.
Ticket information:
December 1 at 4pm, Advent Lessons & Carols: Free will
offering (no ticket necessary)
December 8 at 4pm & December 9 at 7pm, Chanticleer
Tickets: $75 preferred / $60 general
December 15 at 3pm & 18 at 7pm, A Child is Born
Christmas Concert Tickets: $75 preferred / $60 general / $50 reduced.
Phone: 212.288.2520
24/7 ordering and customer service
--Amanda Sweet, BuckleSweet Media
Clare College
Choir, Cambridge, North American Tour
The poised and immaculate voices of the Choir of Clare
College, Cambridge embark on their first North American Tour December 9-14 2013
with dates in Princeton (NJ), Concord (NH), St. Johnsbury (VT), Cincinnati and
Cleveland Heights (OH).
"Thrilling ... Superb ensemble singing of the Choir
of Clare College under Graham Ross."
--Gramophone
The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge and director Graham
Ross return to the U.S. with a new Advent program based around the great
plainchant 'O' Antiphons. William Byrd's "Vigilate," Mendelssohn's
"Say, where is He born" "There shall a star from Jacob" and
Howells's "The fear of the Lord" are performed alongside traditional
and less-familiar works that echo the sentiments of the Antiphons. These
include the superb Roderick Williams setting of "O Adonai et Dux
domus" and two world premieres: "I sing of a maiden" and "O
Come, O come, Emmanuel" by Director Graham Ross.
Founded in 1971, the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge has
gained an international reputation as one of the leading university choral
groups in the world. Beyond its primary function of leading services three
times a week in the College Chapel in Cambridge, the Choir maintains an active
schedule recording, broadcasting and performing worldwide.
In addition to live performances the Choir has produced an
impressive discography. The Choir's CD of John Rutter's 'Requiem', produced by
the composer as is this disc, was awarded Editor's Choice by Gramophone,
amongst other accolades. The Choir's partnership with harmonia mundi includes
recordings of Handel's 'Messiah', Blow's 'Venus and Adonis' with René Jacobs,
and, most recently, world premiere recordings of choral works by Imogen Holst,
hailed for "impeccable ensemble" and "thrilling
performances."
"If you ever needed confirmation of the fantastically
high standard of choral singing that exists in the UK, look, or rather hear, no
further than the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge." --Classical Source
North American Tour: December 9-14, 2013
Choir of Clare College, Cambridge will bring "Veni
Emmanuel" on tour in December.
Dec. 9 Princeton,
NJ - Trinity Church
Dec. 10 Boston,
MA - TBD
Dec. 11 Concord,
NH - St. Paul's School
Dec. 12 St.
Johnsbury, VT - Vermont Catamount Arts Center
Dec. 13
Cincinnati, OH - St. Peter in Chains Cathedral
Dec. 14 Cleveland
Heights, OH - Fairmount Presbyterian Church
For more information, click
www.clarecollegechoir.com
--Sarah Folger, Harmonia Mundi
Harriet Tubman Opera Preview at Harlem’s
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Artist Q&A to follow, moderated by WQXRs Terrance McKnight
AOP (American Opera Projects) and the Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture will co-present an evening of scenes from Nkeiru
Okoye's folk opera
Harriet Tubman: When I
Crossed That Line to Freedom that tells of how a young girl born in
slavery, becomes Harriet Tubman, the legendary Underground Railroad conductor.
The musical excerpts will be followed by an artist Q&A moderated by WQXR's
Terrance McKnight. The concert will be presented on Monday, December 9, 2013 at
6:30 PM at the Langston Hughes Auditorium: 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York,
NY 10037-1801. General admission will be $10 ($8 for Schomburg Society Members)
and available by calling (212) 491-2206 or visiting
www.showclix.com/event/HarrietTubman.
Harriet Tubman
will include performances by soprano Sumayya Ali (Lincoln Center, Berkshire
Opera, Sarasota Opera), soprano Sequina DuBose (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera
Memphis, PAB Theater), contralto Nicole Mitchell (Lincoln Center Festival,
Sarasota Opera), tenor Clinton Ingram (Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera,
Teatro Real), and baritone Damian Norfleet (New York City Opera, Glimmerglass
Opera). The evening will feature a string ensemble with music direction by Mila
Henry, stage direction by Beth Greenberg (New York City Opera) and WQXR's
Terrance McKnight moderating a Q&A with the artists.
For more about American Opera Projects, visit
www.operaprojects.org.
--Matt Gray, American Opera Projects
Harpsichordist
Davitt Moroney Performs Bach’s Partitas
Nos. 1, 5, and 6 on Sunday,
December 1, at 3:00 p.m. in Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA
Renowned keyboard player and UC Berkeley professor of
music Davitt Moroney will perform J. S. Bach’s Partitas Nos. 1, 5, and 6 on Sunday, December 1, at 3:00 p.m. in
Hertz Hall. Recognized as “one of the most accomplished players in the world,
marrying deep scholarship with a lively musical imagination” (Washington Post), Moroney continues his
traversal of Bach’s major keyboard works that he began with his first concert
presented by Cal Performances in 2008.
Davitt Moroney has recorded nearly 60 CDs of music of the
16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, winning several Gramophone Awards, France's
Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles Cros, and other international prizes
for his performances. He has been praised by critics throughout Europe and
North America for his thoughtful musicality and expressive approach to the
keyboard.
Born in England in 1950, Davitt Moroney studied at the
University of London, King’s College, and earned concert performance and
teaching diplomas from London’s Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of
Music. After completing his doctorate in musicology at UC Berkeley in 1980,
Moroney moved to Paris. For over 20 years he worked primarily as a freelance
recitalist in various countries. He returned to Berkeley in 2001 and is now a
Professor of Music, University Organist, and Director of the University Baroque
Ensemble.
Among his most substantial recording sets are William
Byrd’s complete keyboard works (127 pieces, on seven CDs, using six
instruments) and the complete harpsichord and organ music of Louis Couperin
(more than 200 pieces, on seven CDs, using four historic instruments). His most
recent recordings include: the complete harpsichord works of Louis Marchand and
Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (2007); a two-CD album of works from the “Borel
Manuscript” (2008) of French harpsichord music preserved only in Berkeley’s
Hargrove Music Library. He has most recently
recorded the fifth in a ten-CD series devoted to the complete
harpsichord works of François Couperin (234 pieces). Moroney has given organ
and harpsichord master classes at the Paris Conservatoire, the Moscow
Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, The Juilliard School and Oberlin Conservatory, as
well as in South Korea, Finland, Belgium, and Switzerland, and regularly serves
as a judge of international organ and harpsichord competitions. Recent concerts
include recitals in Germany, Holland, Italy, England, and Scotland, and in
Berkeley with Cal Performances in the 2012-2013 season.
Ticket information:
Tickets for Davitt Moroney, on Sunday, December 1 at 3:00
p.m. in Hertz Hall are priced at $42.00 and are subject to change. Tickets are
available through the Ticket Office at Zellerbach Hall; at (510) 642-9988; at
www.calperformances.org; and at the door.
Half-price tickets are available for UC Berkeley students. UC faculty
and staff, senior citizens, other students and UC Alumni Association members
receive a $5.00 discount (Special Events excluded). For select performances,
Cal Performances offers UCB student, faculty and staff, senior, and community
rush tickets. For more information
about discounts, go to
http://calperformances.org/buy/discounts.php or call
(510) 642-9988.
--Rusty Barnes, Cal Performances
Joana Carneiro and Berkeley Symphony Present Peter Wyrick as Soloist in Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 December 5
Music Director Joana Carneiro and Berkeley Symphony
continue their 2013-2014 season on Thursday, December 5 at 8 p.m. in Zellerbach
Hall, Berkeley, CA, with a program featuring the music of Australian composer
Brett Dean alongside classical masterworks from Brahms and Haydn. San Francisco
Symphony Associate Principal cellist Peter Wyrick, praised for his “sumptuous
elegance” by Joshua Kosman in the San
Francisco Chronicle, joins Berkeley Symphony as soloist for Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major with
Brahms’s Symphony No. 2 completing
the program.
In addition to his respected section and solo work with
the San Francisco Symphony, Peter Wyrick has served as principal cellist of the
Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and Associate Principal Cellist of the New
York City Opera Orchestra. As a member of the Ridge String Quartet, he
performed throughout the world and recorded the Dvorák piano quintets with
pianist Rudolf Firkusny, an RCA recording that won France’s Diapason d’Or and a
Grammy nomination. Mr. Wyrick has participated in Finland’s Helsinki Festival,
the Spoleto Festival - both in this country and in Italy – and the Santa Fe
Chamber Music Festival. As soloist, he has also performed with the Aspen
Chamber Orchestra, Queens Philharmonic, American Chamber Orchestra, Oklahoma
Chamber Orchestra, Kozponti Sinfonicus in Budapest, Hungary and Silicon Valley
Orchestra. A versatile performer of all musical genres, Peter Wyrick will demonstrate
his artistry with Haydn’s Cello Concerto
No. 1 in C Major, a work considered to be a cornerstone of the cello
repertory. Composed early in Haydn’s career sometime between 1761 and 1765, the
score remained lost until its rediscovery in 1962. Following the unexpected
find in a collection held at the Czech National Library in Prague, the work was
given its second premiere in the same city with cellist Miloš Sádlo and Charles
Mackerras conducting the Czech Radio Symphony.
Australian composer Brett Dean composed Carlo in 1997,
dedicating it to the Australian Chamber Orchestra and concertmaster Richard
Tognetti, who commissioned the work. Combining music for strings with excerpts
sampled from the Madrigals of the pioneering late Renaissance composer Carlo
Gesualdo, the work traces a “journey between two different time zones.”
Gesualdo’s life was marred by the murder of his wife and her lover and it is
the intrinsic relationship between his dark background and music that is
explored throughout this work.
Despite writing all four symphonies much later in this
career, Brahms composed his second symphony less than a year after the first
symphony and it is considered one of the most beautiful and mellifluous. In
notes commenting on the picturesque seaside village of Pörtschach where he
composed the work, Brahms himself noted “…the melodies flow so freely that one
must be careful not to trample on them.” Although Brahms was pigeon-holed as a
conservative by his critics, his music was remarkably innovative, breathing
life and new directions into old-fashioned forms.
Single tickets for the concert are $15-$74. For more
information or to purchase tickets, call (510) 841-2800 x1 or visit
www.berkeleysymphony.org.
--Karen Ames and Brenden Guy, Karen Ames
Communications