SUMMER 2011 RECAP // UPCOMING CONCERTS // CURRENT VAP NEWS // VAP ALUMNI NEWS // VAP FACULTY NEWS // IN MEMORIAM: EVANGELYNA ETIENNE // SPOTLIGHT: ANNA STROMER // UPCOMING H&H EVENTS
SUMMER 2011 RECAP A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE: 9/11 MEMORIAL CONCERT
The ensembles on stage at NEC’s Jordan Hall.
Joe Stillitano, Ed Committee Chair Kathy Weld, Alyson Greer, and Ben Zander.
On September 11, the Handel and Haydn Society’s Young Men’s and Young Women’s Choruses performed at NEC’s Jordan Hall as part of the City of Boston’s “Day of Remembrance.” The centerpiece of the program was the world premiere of Illuminessence: prayers for peace, an interfaith oratorio commissioned by the Vatican from composer Silvio Amato. Other pieces included Massenet’s “Meditation” from Thaïs and an excerpt from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 featuring the famous “Ode to Joy.” The Handel and Haydn choristers performed alongside soloists from NEC and the NEC Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and Youth Chorale, led by Benjamin Zander. The event was broadcast live by WGBH on both of its stations, All-Classical 95.5 and 89.7. We extend our apologies to Hannah Frith, whose name was not included on the 9/11 program roster. Ms. Frith has been a faithful and valuable member of VAP (Singers, Youth Chorus, and Young Women’s Chorus) since 2005.
CURRENT VAP NEWS SINGERS Breanna Vasily was awarded “most enthusiastic in water sports” at Camp Leslie, where she swam in Pentucket Pond and received instruction in crafts, archery, dancing, and basketball.
YOUTH CHORUS Jaime Boag performed in her middle school talent show this past spring, wowing the audience with her performance of Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi. Alana Despres attended the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Days in the Arts (DARTS) camp at Tanglewood. Amaya Sangurima-Jimenez played violin at the Somerville String Camp during the last two weeks of July.
YOUNG MEN’S CHORUS, YOUNG WOMEN’S CHORUS, AND SOLOISTS Susan Dudka attended The Boston Conservatory’s Vocal/Choral Intensive Program in July. Britta Erikson sang at Berklee College of Music’s Vocal Summit in June (3 days) and at Berklee’s Singer-Songwriter and Vocal Performance Program at its new campus in Valencia, Spain. Sixty participants from 20 countries were accepted to the program and worked with Sally Taylor, Livingston Taylor, Donna McElroy, Ken Zambello, and Soledad Gimenez, among others. Britta also attended The Boston Conservatory’s Vocal/Choral Intensive Program in July. Lynea German auditioned for American Idol at Hollywood Studios Disney in August with “Colors of the Wind” from Disney’s Pocahontas. She made it to the finals and placed in the top two out of four contestants.
Kathryn (Katie) Hopkins participated in Emerson College’s Pre-College Studio Acting Program from July 11–August 13. The program gives high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to develop their acting skills, and also gives students the opportunity to prepare, refine, and perform audition pieces. Bailey Lee attended the New England Music Camp as a violist with the BYSO Repertory Orchestra. She also ranked ninth out of 168 420 crews by the Southern Massachusetts Sailing Association after participating in six designated Grand Prix regattas in July and August. Stephenson (Steve) Lee ranked 12th out of 158 420 skippers by the Southern Massachusetts Sailing Association after participating in six Grand Prix regattas. Both Bailey and Steve became US Sailing Level 1-certified sailing instructors and were junior sailing instructors at a yacht club on Cape Cod. Megan Peterson and Ruby Sands sang at the Harmony Explosion! summer camp at Worcester State University from August 11–14. Megan also spent 10 days on a mission trip with Mission Possible, an outreach program that addresses the basic needs of the underserved, as well as spiritual training and ministry. Jessica Toupin was a cast member at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine this past August. On August 6 and 7, she performed the role of the Fairy Mother Wilhelmina in the children’s play Fairy Houses. Following that play, she was a member of the children’s ensemble for The Music Man from August 9–20.
UPCOMING CONCERTS OCT
29
NOV
14
Vocal Quartet presents Voices of the Stage WGBH Classical Cartoon Festival Symphony Hall 11.30am Admission $15
Lord & Taylor Holiday Campaign: “What is Christmas made of?” Youth Chorus Prudential Center, Boylston Street 5.30pm Free Admission
NOV
27 NOV
27
DEC
11
DEC
17
H&H Singers Concert Boston Children’s Museum 2.15pm and 2.45pm Free with museum admission ($12)
Young Women’s Chorus at Holiday Music Series Copley Place Mall 5.30pm Free Admission
Winter VAP Choral Ensembles Concert United Parish of Brookline, 200 Harvard Street 5pm Admission $5
Winter VAP Soloists Recital Seully Hall, The Boston Conservatory, 8 The Fenway 3pm Free Admission
VAP FACULTY NEWS
VAP ALUMNI NEWS
Christian Figueroa sang the national anthem at the Red Sox game against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park on August 4 (the Sox won!). Christian also performed in a gala fundraiser on October 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for his high school alma mater, Academia del Perpetuo Socorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Help), sharing the stage with Broadway actors Josie de Guzman, Tony Chiroldes, and others.
Carolyn Cole (Soloists ’01) presented a cabaret concert at LynnArts on July 30 to help support the efforts of SPIN (Serving People in Need, Inc.), an organization that provides summer youth employment and arts programs in Lynn. The show was a mix of rock, blues, and musical theater featuring Carolyn and the Rusty Scott Trio. Carolyn recently performed in The Stephen Schwartz Project in Washington, DC. She resides in New York City.
H&H welcomes Alyson Greer, newly appointed conductor of the Young Women’s Chorus, this fall. Since 2006, she has been Director of Choral Music at Hanover High School, where she directs five choirs. Alyson is also the Co-Founder and Assistant Director of Quincy Point Music Academy. She holds both a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and a Master of Music Education degree from The Boston Conservatory. She was a Full Conductor Fellow at the Sarteano Chamber Choir Conducting Workshop (Tuscany, Italy), where she participated in master classes with Simon Carrington and Bronislawa Falinska and was a featured alto soloist in the Chamber Choir. We also congratulate Alyson and her husband Allan Espinosa on their wedding last July. Michelle Shoemaker (Music Theory Instructor) joined the administration at the All Newton Music School as Director of Communications in September. She also played clarinet in a recital with flutist Vanessa Breault Mulvey in September at The Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY, as part of the alumni performance series celebrating the school’s 125th anniversary. Susan (Consoli) Turner sang with the Boston Camerata in concerts of early American music on August 27 and 28 at the Parc Floral de Paris, France.
Michael Maloney (Soloists ’09) performed this summer at the Yankee Homecoming in Newburyport, at Dockside Restaurant in Malden for a benefit concert, and at the Farmer’s Market in front of Boston City Hall. He was also a featured artist at Best Buy Boston in June, took three summer courses at UMass Boston, and was a musical director for a summer program at the Wang Theatre. Michael can be heard at youtube.com/michaelmmusic. Roxanne Michaud (YWC ’09) entered the Art Institute of Boston as an Art History major this fall. Suzanne Wyman (YWC ’09) is a junior at Boston University. She is majoring in Advertising at the College of Communication with a concentration in Women’s Studies. Liza Ziering (YWC ’10) is majoring in Music at Kenyon College in Ohio (Class of 2013), where she sings with the Concert Chorale and enjoys composing. This fall, she is studying at University College Cork in County Cork, Ireland, where she is also attending an Early Start Semester program in Irish music.
IN MEMORIAM
LEFT: Accepting the Maze Award in 2011. RIGHT TOP: Singing in a soloists recital. RIGHT BOTTOM: Receiving the Achtmeyer Award in 2008.
EVANGELYNA ETIENNE Evangelyna Etienne (Soloists ‘08, Achtmeyer Award ’08, Maze Award ’11) passed away on September 11. Evangelyna joined VAP Singers at age 10 in 2001, and progressed through Youth Chorus and Young Women’s Chorus; as a High School Soloist she studied voice and vocal chamber music with Barbara Winchester at NEC. She completed her junior year as a Music Education major at Gordon College, where she studied voice with Susan Brooks. Evangelyna was one of only four winners nationwide of the Eric Whitacre Scholarship and sang under his direction at Carnegie Hall in 2010. In her 2011 Maze Award essay, Evangelyna wrote, “My interest in classical music is solely due to my involvement with H&H.… I know I wouldn’t be in music education, or music at all, if I didn’t have wonderful musicians who brought out and nurtured the musician within me.” Faculty members Matthew Garrett and Lisa Graham (chorus), Bert Yocom (piano), and Barbara Winchester (voice) recalled how much they enjoyed teaching Evangelyna, a talented student who demonstrated tremendous warmth and dignity over the years. A VAP scholarship will be established in Evangelyna’s honor later this year. For information or to make a contribution, contact Emily Yoder at 617 262 1815 or eyoder@handelandhaydn.org.
SPOTLIGHT: ANNA STROMER
Anna (third from left) with Jared Leto (fourth from left) and his band, 30 Seconds to Mars, after their performance on MTV Unplugged.
Anna Stromer joined VAP in 2004 and sang in both Youth Chorus and Young Women’s Chorus before being accepted to the VAP Soloist program in 2006. She studied voice with Barbara Winchester at NEC. She also studied viola with William Frampton and Alexander Vavilov and played first stand viola in the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. The Society’s Education Committee was so moved by her talent on both voice and viola that she was awarded a special “Music Encouragement” prize “H&H not only gave in 2009. Since graduating from VAP, Anna has been appointed violist for the Vitamin String Quartet. This group, with Anna, made its live debut on MTV Unplugged: 30 Seconds to Mars with singer Jared Leto in August.
Anna the viola lessons, but also the few chances for solo performance she had in order to gain the confidence to do something like this.” – JOAN STROMER , ANNA’S MOTHER
In addition to her performance with Vitamin String Quartet, Anna also played viola on Wyclef Jean’s upcoming CD. She is a member of the rock band Art Decade, which recently recorded its first of several CDs with Eldest Only productions. She entered the Berklee College of Music as a freshman Viola Performance major in September 2011.
Web Extra: Scan the QR code above to view Anna performing.
YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A DIFFERENCE Our educational programming is 90% subsidized and is sustained by the generosity of foundations, corporate sponsors, government entities, and individual donors. Please consider making a tax-deductable gift; it is an investment in our youth and Boston’s arts community. For more information on the benefits of giving or to make a contribution online, visit handelandhaydn.org/support. Thank you for your support. For foundation and corporate giving contact: Trevor Pollack tpollack@handelandhaydn.org or 617 262 1815 x116
For individual giving contact: Emily Yoder eyoder@handelandhaydn.org or 617 262 1815 x117
INSTITUTIONS
INDIVIDUALS
Abbot & Dorothy H. Stevens Foundation Alice Willard Dorr Foundation Amelia Peabody Foundation Analog Devices, Inc. Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation The Boston Conservatory Boston Cultural Council The Boston Foundation Brockton Cultural Council Charles and Sara Goldberg Charitable Trust Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. Clipper Ship Foundation David Greenewalt Charitable Trust Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee Eaton Vance Management Esther B. Kahn Charitable Foundation The Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust John H. and H. Naomi Tomfohrde Foundation John Hancock Financial Services Kingsbury Road Charitable Foundation Lawrence Cultural Council The Ludcke Foundation Lynn Cultural Council Massachusetts Cultural Council Medford Arts Council National Endowment for the Arts New England Conservatory Preparatory School The Parthenon Group Sacerdote & Co., Inc. Schrafft Charitable Trust Stearns Charitable Trust Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation
Allison & William Achtmeyer Carol Airasian Mark & Maura Amrich Rafael & Ana Ardon Eric & Barbara Baatz Ann & Michael Barone Julian & Marion Bullitt Annette & Majid Charmchi Robert Conners Robert & Marita Coombs Valerie Edith Cowart Matt Coyle Jessica Cross Aurelio & Michelle D’Amico Nancie & Paul DeJoie Michael Diener & Barbara Soojian Dan & Joanne Dudka Christine J. Duncan Chris & Karen Erikson Edward & Eileen Faulkner Joseph M. Flynn Dan & Lois Frasier Paul & Diana Gallo The Gattozzi Family The Glass Family Roger & Val Govaert Don Haber & Connie Houck Nancy & Bill Hammer Andrew Hammond Suzanne & Easley Hamner Sissel Hunt Derek & Meghan Jacoby Mary & Eric Johnson James & Mary Karamourtopoulos Susan Kearns Brenda & Peter Kronberg Michael & Angela Lafontant Kenneth Lam & Karrie Chan-Lam Waltrud A. Lampe Linda B. Lank David & Hallie Lee Karen S. & George D. Levy Family Foundation Winifred I. Li & William P. Oliver
Alfonso & Kathryn Link Alex & Julia Lipman Carol & James Lydon Joseph & Gwynedd Maranzano Margaret Marshall & Anthony Lewis Jose & Barbara Mazzotti Mary & Sherif Nada Margaret & Carl Nagel Lorrel B. Nichols Nancy Nizel Elizabeth & David Page Maria Paiewonsky Winifred & Leroy Parker Carol Parrish & Paul Clark Guy & Stella Parry Maurice M. Pechet Fund on behalf of Dr. Maurice Pechet Andrew & Patricia Peterson Francesca & Michael Pfrommer Anne Rookey Michelle Savia Emily F. Schabacker Robert H. Scott & Diane T. Spencer Robert & Rosmarie Scully Linda & Alexander Singer-Berk David & Marla Smith Malcolm & Penelope Sparrow Susan & Andrew Spence Eric, Susan & Rachel Steinberg in honor of Lisa Graham Ashley & Willis Stinson Joyce Sullivan Timothy Watkins & Donna Cuipylo Elizabeth & Robert Wax Kathleen & Walter Weld Ray Williams Kathryn Willmore Wilson Family Foundation Katie & Marshall Wolf Jean & Ron Woodward Anonymous in memory of Barbara Maze Five Anonymous Donors As of October 1, 2011.
A principal leader of Boston’s arts community since 1815, the Handel and Haydn Society is preparing for its Bicentennial in 2015. As part of the celebration, each new season will incorporate works that are significant to the Society’s history as well as those never before played. The 2011–2012 Season includes Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, featuring the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Choruses; a rare US appearance by conductor Rinaldo Alessandrini; and the H&H solo debut of new concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. See the entire season at handelandhaydn.org/concerts.
HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY
2011–2012 SEASON UPCOMING CONCERTS Pergolesi Stabat Mater October 28 & 30, 2011 NEC’s Jordan Hall
Handel Messiah December 2–4, 2011 Symphony Hall
A Bach Christmas December 15 & 18, 2011 NEC’s Jordan Hall
Vivaldi The Four Seasons January 20 & 22, 2012 Symphony Hall
Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor Liesbeth Devos, soprano Emily Righter, mezzo-soprano
Harry Christophers, conductor Sarah Coburn, soprano Lawrence Zazzo, countertenor Tom Randle, tenor Tyler Duncan, baritone
Steven Fox, conductor
Harry Christophers, conductor Aisslinn Nosky, violin
The full season, subscription details, and more information are available at handelandhaydn.org.
Handel and Haydn Society Horticultural Hall 300 Massachuetts Avenue Boston, MA 02115 617 262 1815 617 266 4217 (fax) handelandhaydn.org
Connect with the Society: facebook.com/handelandhaydn twitter.com/handelandhaydn youtube.com/handelandhaydn
Watch online: Education Program videos are available online at handelandhaydn.org/media.