Pictured below: Choruses from Boston Latin and Brockton High Schools sang together in a Collaborative Youth Concert this spring.
Karen S. and George D. Levy Educational Outreach Program Spring 2010 Newsletter
Recent Program Highlights Vocal Quartet In January and February, the Vocal Quartet visited public schools in Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Lawrence, Lynn, Medford, Wayland, and Woburn with Voices of History and Voices of the Stage. In April, they will bring an expanded version of Voices of the Stage to Exploritas (formerly Elderhostel), visiting three retirement communities, as well as continuing visits to Boston, Lowell, and Lynn public schools.
Heartstrings Program Since 1985, the Handel and Haydn Society’s Karen S. and George D. Levy Educational Outreach Program has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to innovative music education. The program serves approximately 10,000 children in communities throughout eastern Massachusetts each year with initiatives that give children meaningful opportunities to experience and perform classical music: Vocal Quartet performances, Collaborative Youth Concerts, the Vocal Apprenticeship Program (VAP), Heartstrings program, coaching, and masterclasses.
Published March 2010
The Handel and Haydn Society welcomed 54 students (grades 7-9) and teachers from Breed Middle School (Lynn), Fletcher-Maynard Academy (Cambridge), and the Newman School (Boston) for a rehearsal at Symphony Hall on January 28. Students heard works by Caldara, Gluck, and Mozart, conducted by Artistic Director Harry Christophers. For many it was the first time listening to a countertenor.
Collaborative Youth Concerts
High school choirs from Lawrence High School (February 9), Brockton High and Boston Latin School (February 11) sang Mozart’s Missa Brevis, K.194 and Ave Verum Corpus with the Society's Period Instrument Orchestra and Vocal Quartet. The Society is grateful to conductor John Finney and the Quartet soloists, as well as music directors Penny Knight, Nancy McGhee, Paul Pitts, and Ryan Snyder for their dedication and hard work preparing the choirs. On February 27 at Boston University’s Tsai Performance Center, Young Women’s Chorus sang Ronald Perera’s Earthsongs with the Simmons College Chorale and the New England Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Richard Pittman. Mr. Perera met with the choirs during rehearsal and was present at the concert. The work was originally commissioned for Smith College.
Upcoming VAP Concerts
VAP Family News
Young Men’s Chorus will sing in the Third Annual Young Men’s Choral Festival with Boston Children’s Chorus, Boston Arts Academy, Rindge and Latin High School, and the Harvard Glee Club. The performance will be at 7.30pm on April 10, 2010 at First Church, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge; admission is free. The concert will feature individual choirs as well as combined songs led by Harvard Glee Club Conductor Jameson Marvin.
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Youth Chorus will perform in the Massachusetts American Choral Director’s Association Big Sing - Boston 2010 Children’s Choir Festival from 6.30-8pm on April 13, at United Parish, 210 Harvard Street, Brookline; admission is $1.00.
Ella Caggiano and Jackson Schwartz will be featured this spring in the Needham Freelance Troupe’s production of The Universe and Other Stuff.
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The annual VAP Spring Choral concert (Singers, Youth Chorus, Young Men’s and Young Women’s Choruses) will be presented on Monday, May 17, 7:30 p.m. at the Boston Latin School auditorium. General seating admission is $5.00.
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Congratulations! Congratulations to students who sang in the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Senior District Choruses in January: Lisa Barone, Rachel Berger, Lyndsey Charette, Nachelis Cuevas, Ty Cuipylo-Watkins, Melissa Ennulat, Ciaran Foley, Kelsey Giovannacci, Gia Greene, Katie Hopkins, Mark Joseph, Christopher Kelleher, Jenna Lorusso, Reed McConnell, Bryan Mendes, Andrew Milne, Marina Napoletano, Lucy Page, Evan Pappazisis, Campbell Rogers, Rachel Stigers, and Sophie Weisskoff. Orchestra members included violinists Eric Doyle and Alison Fisher, and violists Allyn McCourt and Emory Paine. Bravo to Samuel Feinstein, Katherine Gross, Samantha Martin, Megan Peterson, Ruby Sands, and Sophie Whorf singing in MMEA’s Junior District Choruses in March. Eastern District Jr. Band included flutist Amy Lipman; violists Bailey Lee and Sarah Sylvestre will play in the Northeast Jr. District Orchestra. The MMEA All-State Chorus sang in Symphony Hall on March 20 and included Gia Greene, Jenna Lorusso, Andrew Milne, Evan Pappazisis, and Rachel Stigers. Christopher Martin (Musicianship II) was the Assistant Chairman for the Chorus. Special thanks to Chris Martin, Lisa Graham, and Joe Stillitano for coaching senior and junior district masterclasses this winter.
Spring Auditions
Members of the Singers will perform after the pre-concert lecture and during intermission of the April 11 performance of Beethoven Pastoral at Symphony Hall.
Youth Chorus Hannah Frith is playing a jungle animal in the Arlington Children’s Theater musical production of Seussical. Jenny Hilder played cello in a string quartet that performed for His Royal Highness Prince Michael when he visited the British School of Boston. She also sang the national anthem with her school choir at TD Bank Garden before a Boston Blazers lacrosse game. Megan Peterson will sing in the chorus of Mount St. Joseph Academy’s production of Seussical.
Young Men’s Chorus/ Young Women’s Chorus/ Soloists Members of the Young Men’s Chorus will perform after the pre-concert lecture and during intermission of the April 30 performance of Bach Portrait at Symphony Hall.
Lisa Barone received the Methuen School Committee’s SOAR (Student Overall Achievement Recognition) award in Performing Arts in February. Rachel Berger recently received a scholarship from the Westborough Community Chorus for continued vocal studies. She is performing in Westborough High School’s Once on This Island production in March. Fiona Buchanan was awarded a Gold Key for Art Portfolio in the 2010 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards. She will join the cast of Swampscott High School’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in May. Eric Doyle has been selected for Weston High School’s spring 2010 musical Curtains; last fall he was in the WHS production of The Woman from Szeuchuan. His a cappella group, Town Criers was awarded second runner up for New England on February 6. Ciaran Foley played Herb Thompson in Boston Latin School’s production of Fortress during the MA High School Drama Guild One Act Play Festival, selected for the semifinals in March. Gia Greene premiered “Dido’s Death” (a song composed by Elias Dagher, a student at Milton Academy) for Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ NEC masterclass on January 30, and also the NEC Contemporary Music Festival the following day. Gia had a painting displayed at Urbano Studio, Jamaica Plain, in an exhibit that
Chorus auditions will be held from 9am-3pm on May 22, 2010, at Boston Latin School, 78 Avenue de Louis Pasteur. VAP High School Soloist auditions will be held on June 19, 2010, at the New England Conservatory, starting at 9.30am. For further information, contact Robin Baker at rbaker@handelandhaydn.org, or call 617 262 1815, ext. 126.
Meredith Lustig (2009 Maze Award, 2005 Achtmeyer Award) sang works by Beach and Blitzstein in Killer B’s: American Song from Amy Beach to the Beach Boys, a collaboration between the Juilliard School and the New York Festival of Song, on January 13. Meredith is in her first year of a master’s degree program at Juilliard. Michael Maloney (Soloists ‘08) was the opening act for Nashville’s Carter Twins at Medford High School on Pictured above: 2008 Achtmeyer Award winners Evangelyna Etienne February 12 for a performing arts and Deborah Pierre pose for a photo after a concert. fundraiser. He got the audience rocking to “Sweet Caroline” and “Piano Man,” and closed with his Rachel Stigers played Sister in started March 6. She is working “The Long and Winding Road to Beverly High School’s production on material for two bands Medford,” a Beatles parody (first (Ferrets and Dwell), and a solo CD. of The Will Rogers Follies, prize winner in WROR’s “Townie March 11-14. Tunes” contest in 2007). Jenna Lorusso is the senior student-elected leader of Roxanne Michaud (YWC ‘09) Acton-Boxborough High School’s VAP Alumni works at the Urbano Studio in 23-voice Madrigal Ensemble Jamaica Plain, which empowers Ashley Buckhout (YWC ’07) (winner of two urban teens and professional spent three months in Florence, MICCA Gold Awards). artists to effect social change Italy last fall and will be singing through visionary works of art in Boston Baroque’s outreach Samantha Martin played a and performance. program of Telemann’s St. Luke’s dancing and singing rug in Passion. Masconomet High School’s Melissa Piantedosi (YWC ’07), a Beauty and the Beast, and senior at Boston Conservatory, Evangelyna Etienne (2008 performed in the MHS jazz choir will be the Third Maiden in Achtmeyer Award) appeared concert in February. Gotovac’s Ero s onoga svijeta, as in two Gordon College Ino in a student directed scene productions this spring, as the Reed McConnell was inducted of Handel’s Semele, and will Witch in Hansel and Gretel, and into the National Honor Society. sing in ensembles for scenes of Third Lady in The Magic Flute. L’Elisir D’Amore and I Capuletti. She is also working as an intern Bryan Mendes will sing with She is a member of the Boston in GC’s music department. She Bishop Fenwick High School’s Conservatory Troubadors who Concert Choir at New York City’s will attend the Franco-American perform in nursing homes during Vocal Academy in France next Heritage Music Festival during the school year. summer. March 26-28. Joshua Paro will be in the cast of Breed Middle School’s production of Once Upon an Island in April. Ruby Sands is in the chorus for Winchester High School’s production of The Pajama Game.
Abha Gallewale (YWC‘09) is a member of Tufts’ oldest allfemale a cappella group, the Jackson Jills. The Jills have been nominated for a national CARA (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award) for Best Female Collegiate Album.
Deborah Pierre (2008 Achtmeyer Award) performed in Curtain Up: Original Musical Theater Songs (written and arranged by Berklee students) on March 2. Patrick Wicker (Soloists ‘09) a member of Harvard’s Krokodiloes, will perform March 27 following a trip to Bermuda.
He will also play Jack in Harvard’s production of Into the Woods in late April. Patrick will sing at Carnegie Hall on May 5 with the Kroks and also in June for a six continent tour. Suzanne Wyman (Soloists ‘09) has been singing in Boston and New York with Boston University’s Chordially Yours. They will record a new CD with Suzie’s solo performance of “Halo.” Lisa Yanofsky (YWC ‘08) is a sophomore at Oberlin College majoring in art history and vocal performance. She is organizing a concert fundraiser for Haitian relief at Concord-Carlisle High School on April 1 at 8pm.
Faculty News Congratulations to Michelle Shoemaker (Musicianship I), husband Ryan and daughter Eveline, who added Elliott Francis (born December 14) to the family. Welcome back Michelle! Lisa Graham’s Wellesley College Choir performed February 13 at the ACDA Eastern Division Conference in Philadelphia. Dr. Graham also conducted The Brookline Chorus in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem on March 7 at All Saints Parish, Brookline. Quartet soprano Teresa Wakim was a soloist in Handel’s Israel in Egypt with Back Bay Chorale at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, March 13, 8pm; and will be a soloist in Night of French Cantatas with Les Bostonades at Lindsay Chapel, Emmanuel Church in Boston, April 10, 8pm, and in When Britten Met Haydn with The Boston Cecilia at All Saints Parish in Brookline, April 16, 8pm.
Two Ways to Support the Education Programs Buy a Luxury Raffle ticket
Make a gift to the 2010 Board Challenge
You could win one of five exciting prizes including exotic trips to Hawaii and Tortola, beautiful diamond jewelry, memorable sports experiences with the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, and an unforgettable performance opportunity with the Society! 100% of your raffle ticket purchase supports the education and artistic initiatives of Handel and Haydn and only 1,000 tickets will be sold.
Strengthening the Society for the Bicentennial
Tickets are $100 and are available at VAP rehearsals, Handel and Haydn concerts, and through the Box Office at 300 Massachusetts Ave, Boston. Drawing date is May 2, 2010 so buy your ticket soon before they are gone! For more details visit www.handelandhaydn.org/raffle.
As the Handel and Haydn Society’s Bicentennial quickly approaches and as we celebrate Artistic Director Harry Christophers’ first season, leaders from Handel and Haydn’s Board have launched a matching challenge grant: Strengthening the Society for the Bicentennial. Any gift made between now and June 30, 2010 will be matched one for one by these Board members, up to $75,000. Please help us meet this goal with a taxdeductible contribution to the Society today. You may make a gift online at www.handelandhaydn.org/give or call 617 262 1815.
Thank you for joining with us in building a strong foundation for our audiences, musicians, and the children in our education programs.
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Jeff McConnell & Janet Chumley Eric Mesh Beth P. Milham in memory of Barbara Maze Mary & Sherif Nada in memory of Barbara Maze Margaret & Carl Nagel Greg Netland & Kim Holliday Nancy Nizel Maureen & Douglas Olsen John W. Osgood in memory of Barbara Maze Elizabeth & David Page Winifred & Leroy Parker Gail & Frank Patania Andrew & Patricia Peterson Loumona Petroff Francesca & Michael Pfrommer Alan D. Rothstein in memory of Barbara Maze Rolly Rouse & Carole Collins Susan & Andrew Spence Claire Spinner Richard & Margaret Vidale in memory of Barbara Maze Kathleen & Walter Weld in memory of Barbara Maze Four Anonymous Donors One Anonymous Donor in memory of Barbara Maze Supported in part by: