Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle

Transcription

1 Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle Yunjin Audrey Kim, soprano Jessica Ann Best, mezzo-soprano Matthew Swensen, tenor Isaac Assor, bass David Baskeyfield and Christopher Petit, pianos Edward J. Dean, harmonium First Inversion, Lee Wright, conductor Saturday, October 4, 8:00PM Sunday, October 5, 4:00PM Downtown Presbyterian Church 121 N. Fitzhugh St. Rochester, NY

2 Welcome! It is with gratitude and joy that I welcome you into collaboration today with these amazing artists, this delightful music, and this sacred space. Your presence not only supports the work and play of the people on stage, but creates part of this unique performance that will never happen again in the same way. You change us, we change you, and the music engages everyone. For me, connecting with these artists and this music over the last two weeks has been a dream-come-true. The sharing of collective wisdom, experience, and joy has been a tremendous gift. It is my hope that today s experience inspires unexpected growth, introduces you to a new friend, leaves you with some new tunes to whistle while you work, and encourages appreciation for the diversity represented on stage and in the audience. I want to thank all of our season ticket holders, especially our founding subscibers, who have helped to make this performance possible. If you are not yet a season subscriber, please consider applying the cost of today s ticket towards a season subscription. When you commit to First Inversion with your presence, you give a gift with implications far beyond your own imagining. Thank you for joining us! In gratitude, Lee Wright Founder and Artistic Director First Inversion, Rochester, NY Leewright@firstinversion.org First Inversion Season Page 2

3 Program Gioachino Rossini ( ) Petite Messe Solennelle (1863) First Inversion Yunjin Audrey Kim, soprano Jessica Ann Best, mezzo-soprano Matthew Swensen, tenor Isaac Assor, bass David Baskeyfield, piano (primo) Christopher Petit, piano (secondo) Edward J. Dean, Harmonium Lee Wright, conductor Kyrie Gloria Laudamus te Gratias Domine Deus Qui Tollis Quoniam Cum Sancto Spiritu Jessica Ann Best, Matthew Swensen, Isaac Assor Matthew Swensen Yunjin Audrey Kim and Jessica Best Isaac Assor Intermission Credo Credo in unum Deum Cruxifixus Et resurrexit Et vitam venturi Prélude religieux (pendant l offertoire) Ritournelle Yunjin Audrey Kim David Baskeyfield and Edward Dean Sanctus O salutaris Agnus Dei Yunjin Audrey Kim Jessica Ann Best Please join us for a reception following our performance in the Hallock Lounge. First Inversion Season Page 3

4 Soloists The Grand Prize winner of the LaDue Professional Recital Competition, Soprano Yunjin Audrey Kim has made appearances on the opera, concert and recital stage. On the opera stage, Ms. Kim has appeared as Elisetta in Il Matrimonio Segreto at Eastman and has performed lead roles in many main productions and scenes including Cosi Fan Tutte as Fiordiligi, Dido and Aeneas as Dido and, also as First Witch, Don Giovanni as Donna Anna, The Rake's Progress as Anne Truelove and Der Rosenkavalier as Sophie, to name a few. Ms. Kim has performed in master class with Maestro Gildo DiNunzio from the Metropolitan Opera and in October of 2013, made her debut at Carnegie Hall performing songs of Nikolai Medtner. Concert solo appearances include a performance of Bach's St. John's Passion as soprano soloist at The Bach's Festival, a performance of Messiaen s Poémes pour Mi with the Eastman Philharmonia, a performance with the Eastman-Rochester Chorus as soprano soloist for Beethoven s Missa solemnis at Kodak Hall and a soloist for Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with Ad Hoc Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Kim has been winner of the Mu Phi International Fraternity Competition, the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), James Madison University s concerto competition and Eastman Concerto Competition. Ms. Kim was also featured on the album A Thousand Burnt Offerings released in South Korea in April Ms. Kim has collaborated with composer Arlene Elizabeth Sierra, culminating in a performance of her composition Hearing Things in a guest lecture recital. Additional master class performances include Martina Arroyo, Kevin Kennedy, Peter Mark, Wieland Mueller, Sharon Chirstman, Rick Chirstman, and Fabiana Bravo. Ms. Kim holds a Master s degree in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor s degree from James Madison University. Ms. Kim currently resides in Rochester, NY where she regularly performs and teaches throughout central New York. Jessica Ann Best (Mezzo-Soprano) is a sparkling and versatile performer who immediately captivates an audience with her dramatic presence and carefully-crafted vocal nuance from the moment she steps onstage. Ms. Best just returned from The Savannah Voice Festival, singing as one of the festival's leading artists. Ms. Best made her debut with Gotham Chamber Opera in New York City in October of 2014, in their production of Baden, Baden Ms. Best covered the major mezzo roles of Die Amme in Toch's, Die Prinzessen auf der Erbse and Bessie in Weill's, Mahagonny-Songspiel. She performed the role of Tante Emma in Hindemith's Hin und zurück and was as a featured ensemble member in Milhaud's, L'enlèvement d'europe under the direction of Paul Curran and baton of Neal Goren. Ms. Best begins the season with performances with the Rochester Lyric Opera and a tours with the Savannah Voice Festival throughout the year. In March of 2015, Ms. Best will sing Ciesca in Puccini's, Gianni Schicchi with the Savannah Voice Festival, the Savannah Music Festival and the Savannah Philharmonic. In June 2015, Ms. Best makes her stage debut with Nickel City Opera, reprising her role of Marcellina in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. She will return to the Savannah Voice Festival in July and August 2015 to sing a leading role in the summer opera, perform as a leading artist in concerts, and lead the education and outreach teams. Other credits include: The Finger Lakes Opera, Opera Tampa, The Santa Fe Opera, The Buffalo Philharmonic, The Florida Orchestra, Geva Theatre, The Rochester Oratorio Society, The Rochester Chamber Orchestra, The Rochester Oratorio Society and the Rochester Bach Festival. Ms. Best holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Nazareth College. She is member of AGMA and AEA. You can follow her on Facebook at: jessbestsings and Youtube: joyfulsong84. First Inversion Season Page 4

5 Tenor Matthew Swensen is completing his undergraduate degree at the Eastman School of Music in voice performance. A native of Rochester, Mr. Swensen has one numerous awards, including 1st prize in the William Schmidt vocal competition, 1st place at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, 3rd Place at the Classical Singer High School Voice Compeition, 1st place at the Glenn Miller Voice Competition, 1st place in the inaugural Jonathan B. Angelone Scholarship Competition, 1st place in the National Association of Teachers of Singers Competition, 1st place in the Barbara Starpoli Voice Competition, and 1st Place at the Upstate NY NATS Conventions in 2009 and He sang the role of Heddle Nash for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra s recording of Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music, recorded on the Harmonia Mundi Record Label. Past performances include several benefit recitals in Rochester and in Boston, MA. Matt was the tenor soloist for the Bach St. Matthew Passion with the Eastman Chorale and Orchestra, Handel s Messiah with the Brookline Orchestra at St. Paul s Church in Boston and with the Genesse Symphony, the Mozart Requiem in Boston Massachussets with the Brookline Symphony, and the Bach Magnificat with Third Presbyterian Church and soloists from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Matt sang tenor arias in Bach s St. John Passion for the Rochester Bach Festival, with David Chin, conductor. Past roles with Eastman Opera Theater include Cobweb in Britten s A Midsummer Night s Dream in 2003, Lippo Fiorentino in Kurt Weil s Street Scene in 2012, Stephen Kodaly in Jerry Bock s She Loves Me in 2013, and Father Confessor in Poulenc s Dialogues of the Carmelites in April He just finished singing Remendado in Finger Lakes Opera s Carmen. In the Fall he sings Mayor Upford in Britten s Albert Herring on November 6th and 8th in Kilbourn Hall. His degree recital at Eastman is Friday, November 14th at 7PM in Hatch Hall, and he is hosting a Liederabend recital of Strauss and Schumann on December 1st at 8:30PM in Ciminelli Hall at the Eastman School. Isaac Assor is a first year Master s student in Vocal Performance and Literature at Eastman School of Music, studying with Katherine Ciesinski. He recently completed his undergraduate degree at Columbia University, double majoring in Music and Psychology. He recently performed as the bass soloist in Beethoven s Missa solemnis with the Barnard- Columbia Chorus, the title role in Purcell s Dido and Aeneas with the Columbia Bach Society, Papageno in Mozart s Die Zauberflöte and Pandolphe in Massenet s Cendrillon with the Siena Music Festival, the Gamekeeper in Janeček s The Cunning Little Vixen, as well as Ottone in Monteverdi s L incoronazione di Poppea with the Manhattan School of Music Summer Voice Festival. He is also the former president, and now a member of the Board of Directors of the Musical Mentors Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free private music instruction to children in underserved regions of NYC. He is excited and honored to be a part of First Inversion s debut performance! Please visit for more information! Interested in Singing with First Inversion? Auditions for our January concert will be held in early November. Visit firstinversion.org/sing-with-us/ to fill out a new singer survey today. Audition times and requirements will be posted in late October. First Inversion Season Page 5

6 Keyboardists David Baskeyfield is a British concert organist critically acclaimed for virtuosity, musicality, aplomb, an impressive command of registration, exquisite playing (La Presse, Montreal; Dallas Morning News; Choir and Organ, UK) and, on improvisation, A remarkably cogent toccata and fugue, the latter especially brilliant for its lucid subjects, episodes, imitative elaborations and fluid key shifts (Michael Huebner, Birmingham News), he enjoys a performing career on both sides of the Atlantic. He is the winner of the first prize and audience prize at the St Albans International Organ Competition, 2011, which followed success in a number earlier competitions. He was most recently a finalist in the improvisation competition at St Albans, Convention and festival engagements, both as performer and instructor, include the Royal Canadian College of Organists Convention 2014; the East Texas Organ Festival 2014; the Calgary Organ Festival 2014; the American Guild of Organists Region VIII (Pacific Northwest) Convention 2013; and the AGO National Convention Recent and upcoming solo recital venues include Washington National Cathedral; St Thomas 5th Avenue; the Cathedral of St John the Divine; King s College, Cambridge, Chartres Cathedral, and St Sulpice among others. David was an organ scholar at St John s College, Oxford, where he read law and studied organ with John Wellingham and David Sanger. On the encouragement of David Higgs he crossed the Atlantic to begin graduate work at the Eastman School of Music, studying under Higgs (interpretation) and William Porter (improvisation). He is currently Director of Music at Christ Episcopal Church, Pittsford, New York. Aside from solo performance, David enjoys work as a collaborative pianist, continuo player, occasional cocktail pianist and sometime Rhodes player in a local surf rock band. He is increasingly renowned for silent film accompaniment. He has been broadcast a number of times on American Public Media s Pipedreams, playing repertoire and improvisations.. Christopher Petit received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music as a student of David Higgs. He earned a BA in Art History from the College of Wooster, where he was awarded a research grant for his thesis on the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral. Chris was awarded third prize in the 2008 Dublin International Organ Competition, was a finalist in the 2009 Kotka International Organ Competition, Finland, a semi-finalist in the 2013 Westfield International Organ Competition, and was the first recipient of Eastman's Gerald Barnes Award for Excellence in Pipe Organ Performance. Currently he is Director of Music at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Pittsford, Director of the Genesee Valley Orchestra and Chorus, organist for the University of Rochester s Protestant Chapel Community, and a member of the Christ Church Schola Cantorum. Chris also teaches Healthy Keyboard Technique to incoming organ students at the Eastman School of Music, and is director of workshops for People in Concert ( a company that brings the benefits of the arts to businesses and organizations. Edward Dean (b. 1991) is a MM candidate and Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester NY, the Director of Music at St Luke and St Simon Cyrene, Rochester NY, and is a prize-winning graduate of the Royal College of Music, London. At Eastman, Edward is in the studio of Professor Nathan Laube and is generously supported by several scholarships including Eastman s Ann Anway scholarship and also the Charles R. Nicholls Memorial Scholarship. Edward enjoys an international career, having held organist positions in Paris (The American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity), London (St Bride's, Fleet Street), and Norway (The Anglican Church, Oslo). First Inversion Season Page 6

7 First Inversion seeks to empower Rochester s finest avocational singers, engage professional singers with fresh ideas, and to inspire our audiences through honest connection with a rich and varied repertoire. First Inversion welcomes singers who love choral music, have significant choral experience, and who wish to use each rehearsal and performance as an opportunity to improve their own musicianship and choral artistry. Our rehearsal process encourages the letting go of old or unhelpful styles of learning, thinking, and singing in order to allow each individual's artistry to become more fearless and selfless every step of the way. A "connection-first" approach facilitates fast-paced learning. Ultimately, the ensemble provides a safe place where singers can continually invert and transform their choral musicianship for the better through a mindful, self-aware approach to communal music creation. For pictures and biographies of each singer, please visit firstinversion.org/singers/ The Choir Sopranos Cassie Buckel Lindsay Buckel Natalie Buickians^* Tansy Deutsch Yunjin Audrey Kim** Anica Lee^ Pati Piper Amy Steinberg Joan Sussman Tenors Christian Bigliani^ Jason Cloen Jake Dassa^ Orlando Diaz^ Michael Gehl Sean McNeeley^* Matthew Swensen^** Jeffrey Tabor Altos Lisa Barnes Alexandra Bermel Jessica Best** Kathryn Borden Glenda Brayman Ashley Hibbard* Megan Lighthouse Migle Zaliukaite^ Basses Isaac Assor^** Mark Darling Craig Knight Cody Muller^* Brent Neeley Joe Pellittieri Evan Roberts^ Brian Stevens Jack Spula Tim Thomas **Soloist *Section Leader ^current student at the Eastman School of Music First Inversion Season Page 7

8 Lee Wright, Artistic Director of Brahms' Alto Rhapsody and Dvorak's Te Deum, also in Kodak Hall. Just last year, he conducted the New Horizons Orchestra of the Eastman Community Music School in a well-received season. Now entering his final year of coursework at Eastman, Lee is excited about the possibilities for community building and deepening collaborative connections with this new ensemble: First Inversion. Since coming to Rochester in 1997 to begin his studies as an organ performance major with David Higgs at the Eastman School of Music, Lee has become wellestablished in Rochester's musical life. As an organist and church musician, he has served Christ Church, Rochester, Salem United Church of Christ, Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church (Brighton), and Downtown United Presbyterian Church (Rochester), where he has led the music ministry for the past 10 years. As a choral conductor, Lee wasted no time in getting involved with the Rochester choral scene. As a freshman in college, Lee was instrumental in organizing the first annual Eastman Rochester Messiah-Sing. During his tenure at Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church, he developed a community arts series called Arts Alive. As part of the Arts Alive Series, Lee established the Twelve Corners Community Chamber Singers and organized a community-wide celebration of Mozart's sacred choral music entitled, "Holy Mozart!" featuring Mozart s Requiem. During his early years at Downtown Presbyterian, he continued to bring the Rochester choral community together in collaborations including community-wide performances of the Fauré and Duruflé Requiems with orchestra. Later, Lee conducted the Rochester Gay Men's Chorus and the noted chamber choir, Madrigalia. Driven by Lee's deep commitment to community and collaboration, First Inversion brings together both professional and avocational singers from Eastman and the larger community with the goal of true personal and musical growth through a focus on fearless and selfless musical expression. When singers truly open to each other and their audience with vulnerability and mutual respect, the music is able to transcend social and economic divides, opening a space for honest communication and lasting connection. When not studying or rehearsing, Lee enjoys exploring Rochester's incredible park system with his two dogs and partner, Aaron. He is also an avid knitter and has recently caught the paper-crafting bug. Lee and Aaron make their home in Rochester's historic Maplewood neighborhood next door to the city's nationally accredited rose garden. In 2011, he completed a masters degree in choral conducting at Ithaca college, where he studied with Larry Doebler, Jeff Meyer, and Brian DeMaris. In 2012, Lee turned his focus to doctoral studies in choral conducting with William Weinert at the Eastman School of Music, where he has conducted many of the schools choirs in performance. His doctoral research project focuses on the development of the concert spiritual in the late 19th century. In 2013, Lee was invited to conduct the Monroe AllCounty Mixed High School Choir in a concert at Kodak Hall of the Eastman School of Music. Later in the year, he conducted the Eastman Rochester Chorus and the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra in a performance First Inversion Season Page 8

9 Thank you to our Founding Subscribers Anonymous, A DUPC friend and admirer, Liz Bell and Tansy Deutsch, Judy Boyd, Priscilla and Rob Brown, Jim Costich and Lee Sheldon, Juli Elliot, Michael Gehl and Jeff Caruso, Aaron Gallant: In loving memory of my grandmother, Phyllis Gallant, who taught me the joys of music, Margaret H. Haining, David and Mary Ann Hamilton, William Kelly and Bradley Forth, Deb and Gary Leary, Peter and Gail Mott: In honor and memory of Ed Cain, Charles Owens, Pati and Steve Piper, Joanne and David Poland, Susan and Bob Richane, Pat Youngdahl and Michal McKenzie Texts and Translations Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis. Laudamus te; benedicimus te; adoramus te; glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dextram Patris, O miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. Glory be to God in the highest. And in earth peace to men of good will. We praise Thee; we bless Thee; we worship Thee; we glorify Thee. We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory. O Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us. For thou only art holy, thou only art the Lord, thou only art the most high, Jesus Christ. Together with the Holy Ghost in the glory of God the Father. Amen. First Inversion Season Page 9

10 Credo in unum Deum; Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Credo in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, Et ex Patre natum ante omnia sæcula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, Genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri: per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas. Et ascendit in coelum: sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, judicare vivos et mortuos: cujus regni non erit finis. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum, et vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per Prophetas. Credo in unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma, in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum et vitam venturi sæculi. Amen. I believe in one God; the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, light of light, true God of true God, begotten not made; being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation descended from heaven; and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. He was crucified also for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. And on the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures: and ascended into heaven. He sitteth at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; and His kingdom shall have no end. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, Who prodeedeth from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; as it was told by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And I await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Osanna in excelsis. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. First Inversion Season Page 10

11 O salutaris Hostia, Quae cæli pandis ostium: Bella premunt hostilia, Da robur, fer auxilium. Uni trinoque Domino Sit sempiterna gloria, Qui vitam sine termino Nobis donet in patria. Amen. O saving Victim, opening wide The gate of Heaven to us below; Our foes press hard on every side; Your aid supply; Your strength bestow. To your great name be endless praise, Immortal Godhead, One in Three. O grant us endless length of days, In our true native land with thee. Amen. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei. Dona nobis pacem. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God. Grant us peace. Acknowledgements To the staff and congregation of Downtown Presbyterian Church for your generous support To David Higgs and the Eastman School of Music for the use of the Mustel Harmonium To Brandon Ferraro for your beautiful videography To Carl Pultz for recording our début performance To Mitch Moore, piano technician To Greg Babbitt, house manager, Nancy Brown, reception coordinator, and To all of our volunteers for your invaluable help To all of the performers for your commitment and artistry To you, our audience, without whom we would create into a vacuum. Thank You!! Download this program to your phone or computer using the link or QR code below. Then leave this program for another patron to use. Thank you for helping us to conserve our natural resources! First Inversion Season Page 11

12 Stay in Touch with First Inversion! Sign up for our mailing list at our website: firstinversion.org Like us on Facebook and share with your friends Visit our concert calendar and purchase tickets for future concerts Firstinversion.org/concerts/ Fill out our volunteer survey Firstinversion.org/volunteers Fill out our new singer survey Firstinversion.org/sing-with-us/ Please take five minutes to provide feedback about today s concert with this simple survey. First Inversion Season Page 12