HANDEL SOCIETY OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGERobert Duff artistic director and conductor

GIUSEPPE VERDIMESSA DA REQUIEMwith Othalie Graham sopranoCynthia Hanna mezzo sopranoBrian Cheney tenorKyle Albertson bass

Saturday, May 16, 2015 T 8 pm Spaulding Auditorium T Dartmouth College

These performances are made possible in part by generous support from the Choral Arts Foundation of the Upper Valley (choralartsuv.org), the Gordon Russell 1955 Fund, the Glick Family Student Ensemble Fund and Friends of the Handel Society.

presents

PROGRAMMessa da Requiem Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) 1. Requiem

2. Dies irae Dies irae Tuba mirum Liber scriptus Quid sum miser Rex tremendae Recordare Ingemisco Confutatis Lacrymosa

3. Offertorio

4. Sanctus

5. Agnus Dei

6. Lux aeterna

7. Libera me

PROGRAM NOTESMessa da RequiemGiuseppe Verdi Born in October 1813 in Roncole, near Busseto. Died January 27, 1901, in Milan.

In 1892, the Italian composer Verdi wrote to the German conductor and pianist Hans von Bülow: “Happy you, who are the children of Bach! And we? We, too, children of Palestrina, once had a great school and today? Perhaps it is corrupt and in danger of falling in ruin! If we could only turn back to the beginning!”

That last sentence was, like many things Verdi wrote and said, mostly a rhetorical gesture. There could be no going back, nor would Verdi really have wanted to. In his lifetime, he had seen tremendous changes in the way he and his countrymen lived, most of them for the better. He discovered his identity as a composer at the same time Italy discovered her identity as a nation, and the Risorgimento marched to the anthems from his early patriotic operas. Italy, unified in Palestrina’s time only by the Church and hope for a better life in the hereafter, was being brought together by urgent business in the here and now.

Verdi reserved his greatest reverence for the statesmen, artists, poets and soldiers who had envisioned a unified Italy and brought it about. Compared to them, he said, his own composition of lurid spectacles for his adoring public made him feel like “a clown, an oranghoutan.” He was especially awestruck when his friend the Countess Maffei arranged for him to meet the novelist Alessandro Manzoni in 1848. In his novel I promessi sposi, first published in 1827, Manzoni had done for the Italian language what Martin Luther did for German, or Shakespeare and the King James Bible for English: he took one of Italy’s dozens of local languages (the Tuscan dialect, spoken by Dante and other citizens of

Florence) and made it a national language. After his meeting with Manzoni, Verdi wrote the Countess: “What can I say? How to describe the extraordinary, indefinable sensation the presence of the saint, as you call him, produced in me. I would have gone down on my knees before him if we were allowed to worship men.”

In a sense, of course, Verdi’s age did exactly that: worshipped, if not men, at least men’s capacity to know and feel and do. Verdi, a religious skeptic who drove his wife to church but wouldn’t go inside, avidly read newspapers and practiced scientific farming on his country estate. But his operas testify eloquently to his feeling for the tragic side of the human condition, and he looked on sadly as the great figures of the Risorgimento died one by one, and his new country squan-dered its energies on parliamentary squabbles and imperial adventures. The death of Manzoni on May 22, 1873, at age 89, touched Verdi deeply. “Now all is over,” he wrote to Countess Maffei, “and with him ends the most pure, the most holy, the greatest of our glories. I have read many papers. Not one speaks fittingly of him. Many words, but none deeply felt.”

Immediately, this “child of Palestrina” began thinking of a fitting tribute to a modern hero of Italian culture. He wrote to his publisher Giulio Ricordi that, while he lacked the heart to attend Manzoni’s funeral, “I shall come soon to visit his grave, quite inconspicuously, and perhaps, after I have thought it over and measured my strength, I shall propose something to honor his memory.” Within a few months, he offered to the city council of Milan a new setting of the Mass for the Dead (often referred to by the first word of its text, Requiem) for the public commemoration of the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death. On that date, May 22, 1874, Verdi himself conducted the work’s first performance in St. Mark’s Church, Milan.

PROGRAM NOTES CONTINUED

TEXT AND TRANSLATIONSI. REQUIEM AND KYRIE

Solo Quartet and ChorusRequiem aeternam dona eis, Domine;et lux perpetua luceat eis.Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.Exaudi orationem meam:ad te omnis caro veniet.

Kyrie eleison.Christe eleison.Kyrie eleison.

Solo Quartet and ChorusGrant them eternal rest, O Lord;and may perpetual light shine upon them.A hymn in Zion befits you, O God,and a debt will be paid to you in Jerusalem.Hear my prayer:all earthly flesh will come to you.

Lord, have mercy upon us.Christ, have mercy upon us.Lord, have mercy upon us.

II. SEQUENCE

ChorusDies irae, dies illa,solvet saeclum in favilla,teste David cum Sibylla.

Quantus tremor est futurus,quando judex est venturus,cuncta stricte discussurus!

ChorusThe day of wrath, that day willdissolve the world in ashes,as David and the Sibyl prophesied.

How great will be the terror,when the Judge comeswho will smash everything completely!

From that moment on, the Requiem was recog-nized as a masterpiece, a fitting conclusion to Verdi’s long career. Freed for once from the pop-ular stage, Verdi let his learning show in splendid fugues and ensembles. He arranged the Latin texts to suit a public occasion, not a church ser-vice; gone are such invocations of the afterlife as the antiphons In Paradisum and Ego sum resur-rectio et viva (“I am the resurrection and the life”). He thus turned the spotlight on human aspirations and fears, in this life and at the time of judgment. When he sat down to compose, he was not shy at all about “letting

Verdi be Verdi.” In proposing his own solution to the problem of writing religious music in an age of individualism, he created a work that has always reminded listeners of his operas. And why not? Composers of all eras have set the Requiem Mass as a drama of death and over- coming death. For Verdi, his Requiem was a distillation, without sets or costumes, of the great human themes—pity, terror, guilt, courage, glory, redemption—that had been his life’s work.

David Wright

TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS CONTINUEDTuba mirum spargens sonum,per sepulcra regionem,coget omnes ante thronum.

Bass Mors stupebit et natura,cum resurget creatura,judicanti responsura.

Mezzo soprano and Chorus Liber scriptus proferetur,in quo totum continetur,unde mundus judicetur.

Judex ergo cum sedebit,quidquid latet apparebit:nil inultum remanebit.

Dies irae, dies illa,solvet saeclum in favilla,teste David cum Sibylla.

Soprano, Mezzo soprano and Tenor Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?Quem patronum rogaturus,cum vix justus sit securus?

Solo Quartet and Chorus Rex tremendae majestatis,qui salvandos salvas gratis:salva me, fons pietatis.

Soprano and Mezzo sopranoRecordare, Jesu pie,quod sum causa tuae viae:ne me perdas illa die.

Quaerens me, sedisti lassus;redemisti crucem passus:tantus labor non sit cassus.

Juste judex ultionis:donum fac remissionisante diem rationis.

The trumpet, scattering a marvelous soundthrough the tombs of every land,will gather all before the throne.

BassDeath and Nature shall stand amazed,when all Creation rises againto answer to the Judge.

Mezzo soprano and ChorusA written book will be brought forth,which contains everythingfor which the world will be judged.

Therefore when the Judge takes His seat,whatever is hidden will be revealed:nothing shall remain unavenged.

The day of wrath, that day willdissolve the world in ashes,as David and the Sibyl prophesied.

Soprano, Mezzo soprano and TenorWhat can a wretch like me say?Whom shall I ask to intercede for me,when even the just ones are unsafe?

Solo Quartet and ChorusKing of dreadful majesty.who freely saves the redeemed ones,save me, O font of pity.

Soprano and Mezzo sopranoRecall, merciful Jesus,that I was the reason for your journey:do not destroy me on that day.

In seeking me, you sat down wearily;enduring the Cross, you redeemed me:do not let these pains to have been in vain.

Just Judge of punishment:give me the gift of redemptionbefore the day of reckoning.

TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS CONTINUEDTenor Ingemisco tamquam reus, culpa rubet vultus meus;supplicanti parce, Deus.

Qui Mariam absolvisti,et latronem exaudisti,mihi quoque spem dedisti.

Preces meae non sunt digne,sed tu, bonus, fac benigne,ne perenni cremer igne.

Inter oves locum praesta,et ab haedis me sequestra,statuens in parte dextra.

Bass and ChorusConfutatis maledictis,flammis acribus addictis,voca me cum benedictis.

Oro supplex et acclinis,cor contritum quasi cinis:gere curam mei finis.

Dies irae, dies illa,solvet saeclum in favilla,teste David cum Sibylla.

Solo Quartet and Chorus Lacrymosa dies illa,qua resurget ex favilla,judicandus homo reus.Huic ergo parce, Deus.

Pie Jesu Domine:dona eis requiem.Amen.

TenorI groan as a guilty one,and my face blushes with guilt;spare the supplicant, O God.

You, who absolved Mary Magdalene,and heard the prayer of the thief,have given me hope, as well.

My prayers are not worthy,but show mercy, benevolent one,lest I burn forever in fire.

Give me a place among the sheep,and separate me from the goats,placing me on your right hand.

Bass and ChorusWhen the damned are silenced,and given to the fierce flames,call me with the blessed ones.

I pray, suppliant and kneeling,with a heart contrite as ashes:take my ending into your care.

The day of wrath, that day willdissolve the world in ashes,as David and the Sibyl prophesied.

Solo Quartet and ChorusThat day is one of weeping,on which shall rise from the ashesthe guilty man, to be judged.Therefore, spare this one, O God.

Merciful Lord Jesus:grant them peace.Amen.

III. OFFERTORIO

Solo QuartetDomine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae:libera animas omnium fidelumdefunctorum de poenis inferniet profundo lacu; libera eas de ore leonis; ne absorbeat eas tartarus,ne cadant in obscurum. Sed signifer sanctus Michaelrepraesentet eas in lucem sanctam,Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.

Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus. Tu suscipe pro animabus illis, quarum hodie memoriam facimus. Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam, Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.

Libera animas omnium fidelum defunctorum de poenis inferni; fac eas de morte transire ad vitam.

IV. SANCTUS

Double ChorusSanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis!Benedictus qui venit in nomini Domini. Hosanna in excelsis!

V. AGNUS DEI

Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, and Chorus Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem.Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.

Solo QuartetO Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory:deliver the souls of all the faithfuldead from the pains of hell and from thedeep pit; deliver them from the mouth of the lion; that hell may not swallow them, andthat they may not fall into darkness.But may the holy standard-bearer Michaelshow them the holy light which you once promised to Abraham and his descendants.

We offer to you, O Lord, sacrifices and prayers. Receive them on behalf of those souls whom we commemorate today.Grant, O Lord, that they might pass from death into that life which you once promised to Abraham and his descendants.

Deliver the souls of all the faithful dead from the pains of hell; Grant that they might pass from death into that life.

Double ChorusHoly, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.Hosanna in the highest!Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!

Soprano, Mezzo soprano, and ChorusLamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant them rest.Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant them rest everlasting.

TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS CONTINUED

TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS CONTINUEDVI. LUX AETERNA

Mezzo soprano, Tenor and BassLux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, cum sanctis tuis in aeternam; quia pius es.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis, cum sanctis tuis in aeternam; quia pius es.

VII. LIBERA ME

Soprano and ChorusLibera me, Domine, de morte aeterna in die illa tremenda; quando coeli movendi sunt et terra: dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.

Tremens factus sum ego et timeo, dum discussio venerit atque ventura ira, quando coeli movendi sunt et terra.

Dies irae, dies illa calamitatis et miseriae; dies magna et amara valde.

Requiem aeternam, dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna in die illa tremenda.

Libera me, Domine, quando coeli movendi sunt et terra; dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna in die illa tremenda.

Libera me.

Mezzo-soprano, Tenor and BassLet eternal light shine upon them, O Lord,with your saints forever; for you are merciful.

Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon themwith your saints forever; for you are merciful.

Soprano and ChorusDeliver me, O Lord, from eternal death on that awful day, when the heavens and the earth shall be moved: when you will come to judge the world by fire.

I tremble, and I fear the judgment and the wrath to come, when the heavens and the earth shall be moved.

The day of wrath, that day of calamity and misery; a great and bitter day, indeed.

Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.

Deliver me, Lord, from eternal death on that awful day.

Deliver me, O Lord, when the heavens and the earth shall be moved; when you will come to judge the world by fire.

Deliver me, Lord, from eternal death on that awful day.

Deliver me.

ABOUT THE ARTISTSOthalie Graham soprano is receiving critical acclaim internationally. As Tosca, the San Francisco Chronicle says: “Graham displayed a potent and secure soprano that soared effortlessly through the role. Most impressive was her blend of delicacy and sheer muscle, which often combined forces within the space of a single phrase…her rendition of Vissi d’arte was a heartbreaker.”

Recent engagements include the title role of Aïda with Opera Carolina, Toledo Opera and with the Festival Euro Mediterraneo at Teatro Greco di Siracusa; the title role in Turandot with Michigan Opera Theatre; Isolde in Tristan und Isolde in concert in Zagreb, Croatia; and Minnie in La fanciulla del West with Indianapolis Opera and Nashville Opera. This season sees Graham sing Turandot at Opera Carolina and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional in Mexico; Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with Jacksonville Symphony and Prima Donna/Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos at Festival opera.

Emerging into the Wagnerian repertoire, Graham’s notable roles also include Senta in Der fliegender Holländer, Brünnhilde and Sieglinde in Wagner’s Der Ring de Nibelungen and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser.

Known for her interpretation of the title role in Turandot, she portrayed the icy princess with Arizona Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Columbus, Opera Delaware, Utah Festival Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, Pensacola Opera, Sacramento Opera, Boston’s Chorus Pro Musica, the Westfield Symphony Orchestra, the Harrisburg Symphony and Opera de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico. Of her Turandot, EDGE Boston lauded: “The title role was sung by Othalie Graham, a remarkable Canadian soprano who has made something of a

specialty of the grueling role, and has apparently survived unscathed. Her voice is sumptuous, with firmly focused, penetrating high notes...Those awesome high C’s were made even more impressive by her dead-on intonation. Possessing beauty, temperament and superb acting skills, Graham is destined for stardom in the world of opera.”

Additional appearances include Odabella in Attila with Sarasota Opera, the title role of Aïda for the inaugural performance of the Istanbul International Opera Festival, Leonora in Il trovatore with Utah Festival Opera, the title role in Tosca with Festival Opera and the title role in Elektra at Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts.

Graham is in high demand, gracing concert and recital stages worldwide. She is a Kennedy Center favorite, having appeared in concert as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, the title role in Turandot, Verdi and Wagner galas, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Washington Chorus.

Graham regularly headlines gala concerts with international orchestras. Highlights include a New York recital début with the Liederkranz Society after winning its annual competition; a Wagner concert co-sponsored by the Wagner Society of Washington D.C. featuring Brünnhilde’s Immolation Scene from Götterdäm-merung and Isolde’s Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde; Isolde in Tristan und Isolde with the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra in California; Brünnhilde excerpts from Die Walküre for the L’Opéra de Montréal gala; a featured appearance with Eve Queler at the Dahesh Museum of Art opera galas for Pacific Opera Victoria, Vancouver Opera and Canada’s Oakville Symphony; an all-Wagner concert with the Oakland East Bay Symphony; a Wagner Gala with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa

ABOUT THE ARTISTS CONTINUEDin Mexico; a Gala Concert with the Phil- harmonic Orchestra of Sonora; and a series of concerts with ProMusica Festival Opera.

Graham was the first-place winner of the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition in the Wagner Division; the first-place winner of the Joyce Dutka Competition; a recipient of the prestigious Sullivan Foundation Grant; and the first-place winner in the Wagner Division of the Liederkranz Competition. In Canada, her many awards and honors include the coveted Jean Chalmers prize in the Canadian Music Competition, winner of the Edward Johnson Competition and first place in the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Competition.

Cynthia Hanna mezzo soprano has been hailed by the Washington Post for her “bright, luminous mezzo-soprano of vast power and potential.” This season included performances by Hanna of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Utah Symphony, and of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Seattle Youth Symphony. In 2015, she also joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for the company’s new production of Iolanta. Last season, she made her debut performance with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Third Wood Nymph in Rusalka, performed the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Opera Grand Rapids, and performed the role of Meg Page in Falstaff with Emerald City Opera. She also joined the American Symphony Orchestra for a performance as Wiegelis in Feuersnot at Carnegie Hall.

Recently, Hanna made her international operatic debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly at the Savonlinna Festival and subsequently returned to the company for roles in two world premieres: Joan of Arc in Free Will, and the Guard in Hakola’s La Fenice. She has performed with the Washington National Opera as the Page in Salomé. As a former member of the

company’s prestigious Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, she sang Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Mercedes in Carmen, and Flora in La Traviata in the company’s young artist production, in addition to excerpts of the title role of Carmen in concerts at the Kennedy Center.

Additional opera roles include that of Meg Page in Utah Opera’s production Falstaff, Emilia in Sarasota Opera’s production of Otello, Maddalena in Beijing’s Reignwood Theater production of Rigoletto, Alisa in Dallas Opera’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor, and Made-moiselle Dangeville in Washington Concert Opera’s production of Adriana Lecouvreur. Hanna has also appeared with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and also with Opera North as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte and Ines in Il Trovatore, for which she received the company’s Brunson Young Artist Award.

While a young artist at the Glimmerglass Festival, Hanna sang Mercedes in Carmen and gave the world premiere of Tesori’s A Blizzard on Marblehead Neck with Glimmerglass Opera. As a member of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Opera Program, she sang the roles of Amneris in scenes from Aida, and Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel for the Schwabacher Summer Concert.

A frequent performer on the concert stage, Hanna joined the Utah Symphony for Mozart’s Requiem, Debussy’s La damoiselle elue and Bernstein’s Mass, Charleston Symphony for Verdi’s Requiem, and the American Symphony Orchestra for Spohr’s Die letzten Dinge and Fanny Mendelssohn’s Musik für die Toten der Cholera-Epidemie. She has also performed Brahms’ Zwei Gesänge on the National Symphony Orchestra’s Kennedy Center Chamber Players Series and Stravinsky’s Les Noces with the Post Classical Ensemble. Other concert appearances

include Handel’s Messiah with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, performances of Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah with the South Carolina Philharmonia and a program of opera favorites at the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. She sang performances of Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium in Columbia, S.C., and joined the University of South Carolina Symphony Orchestra as soloist for Beethoven’s Mass in C, Bellini’s Messa a quarto voce and Mozart’s Regina Coeli.

Hanna holds a Master of Music from the University of South Carolina where she also sang Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri and Charlotte in A Little Night Music. Additionally, she is the 2010 winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in the North Carolina district and third place winner of the Southeastern region.

Brian Cheney tenor protégé of legendary tenor, Jerry Hadley, is quickly gaining national acclaim for his portrayal of characters such as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Rodolfo in La Bohème, the Duke in Rigoletto, Candide in Candide and Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress. Classical Voice of North Carolinastated: “Tenor Brian Cheney’s portrayal of Don José was the most effective dramatic and vocal realization of character in the production.....this excellent singer revealed a voice of amazing power and great beauty. Cheney’s booming tenor voice and effective dramatic realization of the passionate Don José soon made him the audience’s favorite character.”

Following Cheney’s debut at Carnegie Hall in 2007, he has been performing concert works and oratorio throughout the country. The Daily Gazette in Albany, NY, had this to say about his recent performance of the Messiah: “Tenor Brian Cheney was a revelation. Cheney’s voice was like

spun gold. He seemed to dwell on his notes, basking in their loveliness. Each phrase was sculpted, each word was cleanly enunciated. Not just a gorgeous voice, Cheney showed imagina-tion as he altered his colors or use of vibrato.” Cheney has performed numerous times as a soloist at Carnegie Hall with his most recent performance in 2013 performing a world premiere of Hungarian music with the American Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Leon Botstein. In 2011, Cheney also made his Lincoln Center debut as tenor soloist for the tenth anniversary of 9/11 at Avery Fisher Hall, appearing with acclaimed soprano Jessye Norman. Most recently, he gave a world premiere performance of a song cycle for tenor and orchestra, Daniel Steven Crafts’ From a Distant Mesa with the New Mexico Philharmonic.

He has served as tenor soloist in pieces ranging from Verdi’s Requiem and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

Cheney is also an accomplished recitalist, performing recitals and concerts throughout the country, from cities like San Francisco, Tulsa and Key Largo to his New York City recital debut at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. The New York Sun hailed Cheney’s Weill Hall performance by saying, “Cheney exhibited such control, expressiveness and pure vocal beauty that he certainly had the full house at Weill Recital Hall in the palm of his hand all evening.”

Kyle Albertson bass-baritone is renowned not only for his versatile voice, confidence and style, but also for his ability to bring a character to life on stage. Of a recent performance as Don Pomponio in Rossini’s rarely staged La gazzetta, critics raved, “Albertson’s commanding stage presence and burnished baritone provided the comic sun around which all of the lesser planets

ABOUT THE ARTISTS CONTINUED

spun. What a fine actor-singer and what fine savoring of the Italian language.” In recent seasons, Albertson made his mark on the operatic world performing a variety of roles such as Leporello in Don Giovanni, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut and Henry Kissinger in Nixon in China. Other noted roles in Albertson’s repertoire include Blitch in Susannah, Méphistophélès in Faust, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro and the Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann.

This season’s engagements include a return to The Metropolitan Opera for Manon and The Merry Widow, a turn as Bonze in Madam Butterfly with Atlanta Opera, and as Rodriguez in Past the Checkpoints in concert with HGOco.

In recent seasons Albertson made his Dallas Opera debut as Zuniga in Carmen; joined the Metropolitan Opera roster to cover Bretigny in Manon and Masetto in Don Giovanni, and for productions of Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, and Dialogues des carmélites; per-formed Papageno in Boston Youth Symphony’s concert performance of Die Zauberflöte at Symphony Hall; debuted the title role of Sweeney Todd with Syracuse Opera; performed Rucker Lattimore in Cold Sassy Tree with Sugar Creek Opera Festival; sang the Prison Warden in Dead Man Walking, Hobson in Peter Grimes and the Duke in Roméo et Juliette, all with Des Moines Metro Opera; made his Carnegie Hall debut in Rutter’s Mass of the Children and excerpts from Messiah; and performed a concert version of Der Rosenkavalier with Christoph Eschenbach and the National Symphony.

He also made his debut as Lescaut in Manon Lescaut with Opera Grand Rapids; his début with Austin Lyric Opera as Count Monterone in Rigoletto; sang Leporello in Don Giovanni with Opera on the James; and appeared with Glimmerglass Opera as Gus O’Neill in John

Musto’s Later the Same Evening, and in produc-tions of Cherubini’s opéra comique Médée and the world première of A Blizzard on Marblehead Neck. Albertson enjoys a strong relationship with Chicago Opera Theater, having performed Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Henry Kissinger in Nixon in China, lauded by the Chicago Sun Times and The Chicago Tribune for his “watchful” and “effective” portrayal.

As an apprentice artist at Santa Fe Opera for two seasons, he performed Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro and covered the roles of Howard Joyce in the world première of Paul Moravec’s The Letter, the Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Baron Duphol in La traviata, and Hercules in Gluck’s Alceste. Albertson is a graduate of the resident artist program at Minnesota Opera. During his time there, he performed the roles of Count Ribbing in Un ballo in maschera, Haly in L’italiana in Algeri, Count Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, Lindorf/Dr. Miracle in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, Archibald Douglas in Rossini’s La donna del lago, and Nilakantha in Lakmé, of which critics enthused “Albertson made an imposing Nilakantha, bringing life to a character that is barely two-dimensional.” With the Merola Opera Program, Albertson sang the role of Geronimo in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto; and as a member of the Aspen Opera Theater Center, he performed Escamillo in Carmen, Besso in Giasone, Harašta in The Cunning Little Vixen and Count Monterone in Rigoletto.

Albertson won second place in The Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competi-tion; was a finalist in the George London Foundation Competition, the Marcello Giordani Competition, and the Liederkranz Competition; and was a national semi-finalist in the Metropoli-tan Opera National Council Auditions. He holds a master of music degree from DePaul University,

ABOUT THE ARTISTS CONTINUED

where he studied with world-renowned mezzo soprano Susanne Mentzer, and a bachelor of music from the University of Northern Iowa, where he studied with David Smalley. He is cur-rently in the studio of Dr. Steven King.

Robert Duff conductor is the artistic director of the Handel Society of Dartmouth College, and teaches courses in music theory and musicianship in the Music Department. Before coming to Dartmouth in 2004, Dr. Duff served on the faculties of Pomona College, Claremont Graduate University and Mount St. Mary’s College, and as the Director of Music for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where he directed the music programs for nearly 300 parishes. He holds degrees in conducting, piano and voice from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Temple University and the University of Southern California, where he earned a doctorate of musical arts in 2000.

An active commissioner of new music, Dr. Duff has given several world premieres of works for both orchestral and choral forces. He has served as Councilor to the New Hampshire Council on the Arts, and is the past President of the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association.

Handel Society of Dartmouth College is the oldest student, faculty, staff and community organization in the United States devoted to the performance of choral-orchestral major works. The Society was founded in 1807 by Dartmouth faculty and students to “promote the cause of true and genuine sacred music.” Led by John Hubbard, Dartmouth Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy, the Society sought to advance the works of Baroque masters through performance. Members of the Society believed the grand choruses of George Frideric Handel exemplified their goals and thus adopted his

name for their group. Since its inception, the Handel Society has grown considerably in size and in its scope of programming. Today comprising 100 members drawn from the Dartmouth student body, faculty and staff and the Upper Valley community, the Society performs two concerts a year of major works both old and new. For more information about the Handel Society, call 603/646-3414 or visit our website at www.handelsociety.org.

Erma Mellinger vocal coach has been a principal artist with many opera companies across the United States, including the Cleveland Opera, the Florida Grand Opera, the Dallas Opera, the Sarasota Opera, the Chautauqua Opera, the Fresno International Grand Opera, Opera North, the Pittsburgh Opera Theater and the Shreve-port Opera. Her roles, in over thirty operas, include: Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Idamante in Idomeneo, Empress Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Nicklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Preziosilla in La Forza del Destino, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Prince Charming in Cendrillon, Martha in Faust, Tisbe in La Cenerentola and Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Hailed for her “rich, vibrant, creamy voice,” Mellinger is also at home on the concert and recital stage. She has appeared as soloist with many major orchestras, including the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Monterey Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Florida Symphony Orchestra, the Westfield Symphony, the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. She has given solo recitals sponsored by the Buffalo Opera, the Adirondack Ensemble, ChamberWorks at Dartmouth College and Classicopia.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS CONTINUED

Mellinger graduated first in her class from Northwestern University, where she received her bachelor of music degree in vocal performance. She earned her master of music degree from Eastman School of Music, where she also received honors in performance and teaching. She is a frequent guest artist on the Dartmouth campus, performing regularly with the Handel Society, the Wind Symphony and the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra. Mellinger began teaching voice at Dartmouth in 1996.

Annemieke Spoelstra collaborative pianist was born in Kampen, The Netherlands, and started piano lessons with Joke Venhuizen at age seven. She studied classical piano at the Conservatory in Zwolle, The Netherlands, with Rudy de Heus, earning her degrees Docerend and Uitvoerend Musicus (Bachelor and Masters as performing artist) for soloist, chamber music and art song accompaniment. She later studied art song accompaniment at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam as a duo with German tenor Immo Schröder. She has often been invited to serve

as collaborative artist at conservatories and in national and international competitions. At age twenty-one, Spoelstra was first-prize winner at the Dutch National competition Young Music Talent Nederland for best accompanist. She was praised for her touch and coloring. In 1997 she was first-prize winner for music student of the year for her final recital. The jury report wrote, “She shows great intellect in music pedagogy and is a sensible, great performer, with well- balanced programs.” In 2001 she was a finalist in Paris at the international Nadia and Lili Boulanger competition. Since January 2004, she has been a US resident living in Vermont. She performs solo, teaches piano at St. Michael’s College and at her studio, and coaches vocalists and instrumentalists for auditions, competitions and performance. Spoelstra serves as accompanist for the chorale at St. Michael’s College, and has accompanied the Vermont Youth Orchestra Choruses and the Thetford Chamber Singers. She has performed concerts in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and the USA.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS CONTINUED

Many thanks are extended to the Board of Directors of the Handel Society and the numerous members-at-large of the organization, community and student, for their fine work on behalf of the Handel Society.

We thank the Choral Arts Foundation of the Upper Valley and the Friends of the Handel Society (Dartmouth College alumni, past and present community Handel Society members, and regional audience supporters of the Handel Society) for the financial support of the Handel Society’s concert season.

Additional thanks to Hilary Pridgen of The Trumbull House for providing accommodations for guest soloists. The Trumbull Bed & Breakfast, 40 Etna Road, Hanover, NH 03755; (603) 643-2370 or toll-free (800) 651-5141; www.trumbullhouse.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For information on the Choral Arts Foundation of the Upper Valley, please contact:

Choral Arts Foundation of the Upper ValleyP.O. Box 716, Hanover, NH 03755info@ChoralArtsUV.org

Robert Duff conductorErma Mellinger vocal coach

Annemieke Spoelstra collaborative pianistBenjamin Weinstock ’17 student manager

HANDEL SOCIETY OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

SopranoMegan BeckerAlice BennettEugenia Braasch*Susan Cancio-BelloDaniela Childers ‘16Meg Darrow WilliamsElse Drooff ‘18Karen EndicottLydia Freehafer ‘18Julianne J. HardenTrish HeathertonMardy HighKendall Hoyt*Ling Jing ‘15Elissa JonesSharon McMonagleJaclyn Pageau ‘18Susan PiersonKatie Price GRMary Quinton-Barry*Jayne RandolphKatherine RappaportJo ShelnuttGretchen Twork*Kaitlin Whitehorn ‘16Valerie Wiersma

AltoCarissa Aoki GR*Carol BarrAndrea N. BrownJeanne ChambersKathy ChristieHelen Clark*Joanne Coburn*Johanna Evans ‘11Anne FeldeLindsey FeraLinda L. FowlerAnna GadoRidie Wilson GhezziNicole JohnsonEmily JonesSarah Kleinschmidt GSMMary MacVeyKristi MedillCathleen E. MorrowRosemary Orgren*Brigid ESG RiceBonnie Robinson*Margaret RobinsonJacqueline SmithElisebeth Sullivan*Averill TinkerAlison B. WillisKristin Winkle ‘18

TenorGary E. Barton*Brian ClancyMichael CukanScot DrysdaleJon FeldeDan GottsegenHenry HiggsRob HoweJeffrey IlerGregert JohnsonJames KingJoel LazarDavid ThronRichard Waddell*Adam Weinstein ‘98*Benjamin Weinstock ‘17Pat Yealy

BassJohn ArcherWilliam BraaschStephen CampbellDavid C. ClarkJacob R. Cutler ‘18Trevor Davis '18Raul Del Cid '17Charles FaulknerRobert FoggPaul Wilder Frazel ‘15John A. GrahamTom GrayEvan J. Griffith ‘15Ethan Klein ‘16Daniel MeersonAndrew Nalani ‘16Jimmy Ragan ‘16David T. RobinsonJohn SeveringhausCameron StevensSam Stratton ‘15Jarrett Taylor ‘18Jack Van HoffRobert Wetzel ‘76

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GR=Graduate StudentGSM=Geisel School of Medicine Student

*Member, Handel Society Board of Directors

ORCHESTRAViolin 1Elizabeth Young concertmasterZoya TsvetkovaKathy AndrewJane KittredgeLeah Zelnick Marcia Lehninger Kay Rooney-Matthews Yumi Okada

Violin 2Bozena O’Brien principalJessica HelieMelanie Dexter Micah BrightwellMeghan Todt Svetlana Gurina Hilary HatchKatie Thomas

ViolaMarcia Cassidy principalRussell WilsonLeslie SonderAndrew Waid Harold Lieberman

CelloEmily Taubl principalRachel GawellCherry KimCaleigh DraneAna Kim

BassDaniel Gorn principalDavid GoodchildEvan Premo

FluteDavid Ordovsky principalAnne JansonPeggy Friedland

PiccoloPeggy Friedland

OboeMargaret Herlehy principalAnn Greenawalt

ClarinetMatthew Marsit principalNicholas Graham

BassoonJanet Polk principalRebecca EldredgeWren SaundersLauren LaPointe

HornMichael Lombardi principalPatrick KennellyJoy WorlandRon Wold

TrumpetGreg Smith principalGeoffrey ShamuSamantha GlazierMichael GorhamChris LaneAndrew SorgDaniel M. JacksonRobert Wright III

TromboneBrittany Lasch principalJoe WalshSteven Nugget

TubaJerome Stover principal

TimpaniJeremy Levine principal

PercussionChristopher Swist principal

For tickets or more info call the Box Office at 603.646.2422 or visit hop.dartmouth.edu. Sign up for weekly HopMail bulletins online or become a fan of “Hopkins Center, Dartmouth” on Facebook

WORLD PREMIERE SALLY PINKAS pianotue MAY 19 7 pmSPAULDING AUDITORIUM

Written after Shostakovich was evacuated from the Siege of Leningrad in 1943, Sonata No. 2 is a searing, haunting testimony to those 900 days, full of that city’s beauty and culture as well as the horrific suffering of its inhabitants. In addition, the Hop’s pianist-in-residence premieres a work by a young Puerto Rican composer who integrates elements of Caribbean folk music with the bracing aesthetic of minimalism.

DARTMOUTH DANCE ENSEMBLEEVER/GREEN JOHN HEGINBOTHAM & REBECCA STENN guest directors

fri & sat MAY 22 & 23 8 pm THE MOORE THEATER

Four seasons and 16 dancers from throughout the Dartmouth community coincide for a joyful, inventive program. Nationally renowned choreographers John Heginbotham and Rebecca Stenn direct this talented, dedicated ensemble, and Geisel School of Medicine student Philip Montana, a professional dancer, contributes a solo work. Includes live music.

DARTMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANTHONY PRINCIOTTI conductor

sun MAY 31 2 pm SPAULDING AUDITORIUM

One of Mahler’s darkest works, his Sixth is an unforgettable trip through human heights and depths, complete with special percussion meant to sound like “hammer blows of fate.” The third Mahler symphony the DSO has played in the past five years, it’s an extraordinarily rich universe of experience, emotion and expression from one of the giants of classical music.

D A RT M O UTHRECYCLES

If you do not wish to keep your playbill, please discard it in the recycling bin provided in the lobby. Thank you.

Assistive Listening Devices available in the lobby.

R

Please turn off your cell phone inside the theater.

Marga Rahmann Associate Director/General Manager Joseph Clifford Director of Audience Engagement Jay Cary Business and Administrative Officer Bill Pence Director of Hopkins Center Film Margaret Lawrence Director of Programming Joshua Price Kol Director of Student Performance Programs

HOPKINS CENTER MANAGEMENT STAFFJeffrey H. James ‘75a Howard Gilman Director

HOPKINS CENTER BOARD OF OVERSEERS

Austin M. Beutner ’82 Kenneth L. Burns H’93

Barbara J. Couch Allan H. Glick ’60, T’61, P’88

Barry Grove ’73 Caroline Diamond Harrison ’86, P’16

Kelly Fowler Hunter ’83, T’88, P’13, P’15Richard P. Kiphart ’63

Robert H. Manegold ’75, P’02, P’06Michael A. Marriott ’84, P’18Nini MeyerHans C. Morris ’80, P’11, P’14 Chair of the BoardRobert S. Weil ’40, P’73 HonoraryFrederick B. Whittemore ’53, T’54, P’88, P’90, H’03Jennifer A. Williams ’85Diana L. Taylor ’77 Trustee Representative

For tickets or more info call the Box Office at 603.646.2422 or visit hop.dartmouth.edu. Sign up for weekly HopMail bulletins online or become a fan of “Hopkins Center, Dartmouth” on Facebook

WORLD MUSIC PERCUSSION ENSEMBLEAFRO/ANDEAN FUSION HAFIZ SHABAZZ director

wed MAY 27 7 pm SPAULDING AUDITORIUMJoin this musical trek combining the rhythms and melodies of West Africa and South America’s great mountain chain. Led by master drummer Shabazz, this engaging ensemble is joined, on pan pipes and vocals, by Chilean multi-instrumentalist Roberto Clavijo, a veteran of the internationally touring groups Guamary, Gypsy Real and Viva Quetzal; Venezuelan pianist Abe Sanchez, from Viva Quetzal and other Latin ensembles; and, on reeds, Jon Weeks, whose affiliations include Viva Quetzal, Orquestra Unidad and The Temptations.

PILOBOLUStue & wed JUN 30 & JUL 1 8 pm SPAULDING AUDITORIUM“Wildly creative and physically daring” (Newsday), world renowned dance-theater company Pilobolus returns to the Hop! Springing from a Dartmouth dance class in 1972, the company has developed a signature style—traditional dance combined with shape shifting, shadow play and other experimentations—that is accessible, exhilarating and challenges the way we think about dance. General ticket sales begin May 27.