Belmont University School of Music
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024 2:00 P.M. MCAFEE CONCERT HALL
Belmont University School of Music presents
the
Keith B. Moore
Classical Singers Recital
Every Valley Shall Be Exalted
George Frideric Handel from Messiah (1685-1759)
Die Post Franz Schubert from Winterreise, D911 (1797-1828)
Chase Lowery, tenor Alessandra Volpi, piano
Con amores, la mi madre
Fernando Obradors from Canciones clásicas españolas, vol. 1 (1897-1945)
The Black Swan Gian Carlo Menotti from The Medium (1911-2007)
Jiana Kevilus, soprano Stephen Cook, piano
Ophelia Lieder
Johannes Brahms
I. Wie erkenn ich dein Treulieb (1833-1897)
II. Sein Leichenhemd weiß
III. Auf morgen ist Sankt Valentins Tag
IV. Sie trugen ihn auf der Bahre bloß
V. Und kommt er nicht mehr zurück?
Deh, più a me non v’ascondete Giovanni Bononcini from Eraclea (1670-1747)
Emily Ives, soprano Aaron Bostwick, piano
Le colibri Ernest Chausson from 7 Mélodies, Op. 2 (1855-1899)
La serenata Paolo Tosti (1846-1916)
Clay Bradford, tenor Laura Benavides, piano
Nuit d’étoiles Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Spring Dominick Argento from Six Elizabethan Songs (1927-2019)
Nicole McColley, soprano Alessandra Volpi, piano
The Bird John Duke (1899-1984)
La promessa Gioachino Rossini from Soirées musicales (1792-1868)
Rebecca Pinkston, soprano Alessandra Volpi, piano
Das Veilchen Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Screw Spring Richard Hundley from Ten Songs (1931-2018)
Ashlyn Kolbert, soprano Aaron Bostwick, piano
The Last Rose of Summer
Benjamin Britten from Irish Folk Song Arrangements (1913-1976)
Automne Gabriel Fauré from Op. 18 (1845-1924)
Reagan Hall, soprano Alessandra Volpi, piano
Il lacerato spirito
Giuseppe Verdi from Simon Boccanegra (1813-1901)
Der Doppelgänger
Franz Schubert from Schwanengesang, D957 (1797-1828)
Skyler Peterson, bass Alessandra Volpi, piano
Why Do They Shut Me Out of Heaven
Aaron Copland from Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson (1900-1990)
Widmung
Robert Schumann from Myrthen, Op. 25 (1810-1856)
Daniela Baker, soprano Aaron Bostwick, piano
Che farò senza Euridice?
Christoph Willibald Gluck from Orfeo ed Euridice (1714-1787)
Sapphische Ode
Johannes Brahms from Fünf Lieder, Op. 94 (1833-1897)
Claire Tole, mezzo-soprano Alessandra Volpi, piano
Wind Elegy George Crumb from Three Early Songs (1929-2022)
Ragna Edvard Grieg from "Reiseminder fra Fjeld og Fjord" af Holger Drachmann, Op. 44 (1843-1907)
Sage McAndrew, soprano Alessandra Volpi, piano
When I Am Laid in Earth
Henry Purcell from Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626 (1659-1695)
Zueignung
Richard Strauss from 8 Gedichte aus ‘Letzte Blätter,’ Op. 10 (1864-1949)
Rox Davidson, mezzo-soprano
Laura Benavides, piano
About the Performers
Daniela Baker, soprano, is a sophomore vocal Music Performance major from Sacramento, California. She studies voice with Dr. Savanna Sokolnicki and currently sings with the Belmont Opera Theatre. Baker is vice president of the Belmont Opera Club and a part of Sigma Alpha Iota, a music fraternity for women. She is excited to be performing in the ensemble for Belmont Opera Theatre in scenes from Macbeth and The Little Prince. Baker is also honored to have a role in a scene from The Cunning Little Vixen, as the Jay. Baker has had the pleasure of performing as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, in her hometown theater company, Music and More Arts Academy. She also has been recognized as “excellent” by the Northern California Adjudicators of Music Board.
Tenor Clay Bradford is a junior Music Education major from Raleigh, North Carolina. Bradford is a student of Dr. Angela Yoon and is actively involved in the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), Chorale ensemble, Jazz Band I, and POPS ensemble. He has been a member of the Dean's list for the past four semesters at Belmont and has a deep passion for all things related to the Belmont community.
Rox Davidson, mezzo-soprano, is a sophomore vocal Music Performance major from Singapore, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Studying with Dr. Angela Yoon, Davidson is a member of Chorale and Belmont Opera Theatre; they are also interning at the Nashville Opera and are a member of Sigma Alpha Iota. This summer, Davidson worked as a voice teacher at the French
Woods Festival of the Performing Arts. In November, Davidson will be performing the role of Woodpecker in Janáček’s enchanting opera, The Cunning Little Vixen in Opera Theatre at Belmont’s fall scenes production.
Reagan Hall, soprano, is a junior Music major with a concentration in classical voice and a minor in Graphic Design from Southaven, Mississippi. She studies under Dr. Mark Whatley and has been a member of the Belmont Opera as well as University Singers at Belmont. Hall was a member of the ensemble for last year’s fall opera scenes and the spring production of The Merry Widow, and she will appear this fall in the Opera Scenes as a part of the “Witches Chorus” in Macbeth. Prior to coming to Belmont, Hall was very involved in Musical Theatre, both in high school and her local community, appearing in roles like Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!, Rose in Meet Me in St. Louis, and Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast. She has also received an Orpheum “Star” Award and World Strides “Outstanding” Choral Award.
Emily Ives, soprano, is a senior Music Education major from Falls Church, Virginia. Ives studies with Professor Rebekah Alexander and has sung with Chorale for the past two years. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), and has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council. She is a volunteer with the Nashville Children’s Choir and a volunteer teacher at W.O. Smith. Ives is the most recent recipient of the Music Education Scholarship at Belmont.
Jiana Kevilus, soprano, is in her senior year as a vocal Music Performance major studying with Dr. Savanna Sokolnicki. She had the opportunity to perform in Belmont’s 2023 Classical Singer’s Recital and is involved in Belmont Opera Theatre where she sang the role of Margo (The Merry Widow) and is preparing to sing the role of The Prince (The Little Prince) in Opera Scenes this Fall. She is also involved with Belmont’s musical theatre club Curtains Up!, where she performed the role of Rona (Spelling Bee). She is grateful to be performing with such a talented group of singers!
Ashlyn Kolbert, soprano, is a senior Music Therapy major from Fresno, California. She completed her junior recital in the spring and continues to study voice with Dr. Savanna Sokolnicki. Kolbert is no stranger to the stage; over the past decade, she has performed in numerous stage productions and created her own children’s theatre program, where she provides vocal instruction. She works at Friends Life Community as a Performing Arts Empowerment Specialist and was most recently a semi-finalist in the 2024 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) vocal competition.
Chase Lowery, tenor, is a senior vocal Music Performance major and is in the Honors program at Belmont. A student of Dr. Mark Whatley, Lowery made his operatic debut in Belmont Opera Theatre’s productions as Le Prince Charmant in Viardot’s Cendrillon (2023) and as Count Danilo in The Merry Widow (2024). He served for two years as Vice-President of the all major musical theatre club Curtain’s Up!, where he was involved in different productions as vocal director, producer, and conductor. Lowery is a member of Chamber Singers and ACDA at Belmont and is a campus Tour Guide through Bruin Recruiters where he serves as an officer. He is also the tenor section leader at West End United Methodist Church.
Sage McAndrew, mezzo-soprano, is a senior Music major with a concentration in classical voice and a minor in Music Business. From Manassas, Virginia, McAndrew studies voice with Professor Rebekah Alexander and is a current member of both the Opera Ensemble and Chorale Ensemble,
having previously sung with University Singers. McAndrew was also a soloist in the Belmont Belles, an a cappella ensemble in 2022. In addition to performance, McAndrew has taught piano lessons to a small number of beginner students, interned with the Americana Music Association, and served as the Event Coordinator for Active Minds.
Nicole McColley, soprano, is a senior Music Education major from Toms River, New Jersey. She is ecstatic to be making her second appearance in Belmont's Classical Singers Recital. McColley currently studies voice with Dr. Mark Whatley and sings with Belmont Chamber Singers. She is the Vice President of Belmont's National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and is a member of the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA). McColley recently placed second in the 2024 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Mid-South Regional Auditions. She performed the role of Ida in Franklin Light Opera’s Die Fledermaus, in the chorus for Belmont Opera Theater’s production of The Merry Widow, and on the Jersey Shore as a Singing Waitress at The Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shoppe!
Skylar Peterson, bass, is a junior vocal Music Performance major and Italian minor from West Palm Beach, Florida. A student of Dr. Mark Whatley, Peterson has performed with the Belmont Opera Theatre in the roles of Geronimo in a scene from Il Matrimonio Segreto, Pa in a scene from The Tender Land, Kromov in The Merry Widow, and will play the role of Friar Laurence in a scene from Romeo et Juliette later this semester. He has also been a member of University Singers, Chorale, and Jazz Band I (Bari Sax) at Belmont. In 2024, Peterson was a successful finalist in the Southeast region of the NATS competition. Additionally, he has been on the Dean’s list for four semesters at Belmont.
Soprano Rebecca Pinkston is a junior vocal Music Performance major from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Studying under Dr. Angela Yoon, she performs with Belmont Opera Theatre and has previously been a member of Belmont’s University Singers and Bel Canto. Having been an alternate in 2023, Pinkston is excited to share her love of music and talent on this year's Keith B. Moore Classical Singers Recital.
Claire Tole, mezzo-soprano, is a senior vocal Music Performance major and German minor from Dripping Springs, Texas. She studies voice with Dr. Mark Whatley and is coached and accompanied by Alessandra Volpi. This past summer, Tole was a young artist at the Prague Summer Night's Young Artists Festival, where she played Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, and in the summer of 2023, she was a student at the Opera Lucca Festival in Lucca, Italy. In October, Tole will be performing a selection of Italian works with the Nashville Bel Canto Foundation, and in November will be heard in Belmont Opera Theatre's scenes program. She is involved with several on-campus organizations such as Bruin Recruiters and Towering Traditions, and is a member of Phi Mu. This is Tole’s second appearance on the Classical Singers Recital at Belmont, and she has been on the Dean's list for six semesters.
About the Judges
Praised by The New York Times for singing with “bell-like clarity and surpassing sweetness,” and in Opera News magazine, “the mellifluous soprano Penelope Shumate puts her lines across with sincerity and attractive lucidity,” Penelope Shumate’s engagements include numerous soloist
appearances at Carnegie Hall as well as David Geffen Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. She can be heard on “Messiah Refreshed” recorded at Abbey Road Studios with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and in the title role on “Kassandra” (Navona Records). Her soloist performance activities include appearances with opera companies, orchestras, and festivals across America and she currently serves as Associate Professor of Voice and Director of Opera at Austin Peay State University. Visit www.penelopeshumate.com.
Todd Wedge, tenor, received the Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and furthered his studies with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature from Northwestern University. In 2015, Wedge joined the voice faculty at Kennesaw State University where he serves as an Associate Professor of voice, vocal literature, and voice pedagogy. Prior to this appointment, Wedge was the Department Head of the Vocal Music department at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts - a public arts magnet school that specializes in preconservatory curriculum for both classical voice, musical theatre, and vocal jazz.
In 2024, Wedge was a young artist with Chicago Opera Theater, after which he was invited to join the GRAMMY award-winning men’s ensemble Chanticleer with whom he sang three seasons. During this time, Wedge performed in over two hundred cities in fifteen countries, recorded four albums, and was a performer and clinician in countless singing festivals.
Wedge is frequently seen as a clinician, guest conductor, lecturer, recitalist and tenor soloist in oratorio works both regionally and nationally. Currently residing in Atlanta, GA, Wedge maintains a private vocal studio and is an active member of NATS, The Voice Foundation, NAfME, ACDA, and GMEA.
All are invited to the reception in the lobby following the recital.
Keith B. Moore Classical Singers Recital
The Classical Singers Recital began in 1992 as a way to provide an extra performance opportunity for our most outstanding classical vocal students each year in the School of Music. In 2019, the recital was renamed in honor of Professor Emeritus Dr. Keith B. Moore, who taught classical voice at Belmont for 38 years and served as Coordinator of the Vocal Program in the School of Music. A teacher, administrator, leader, and musical performer, Dr. Moore provided organization and leadership to one of the largest vocal programs in the country. He also served as a conductor, pianist, singer, and vocal pedagogue. Beyond Belmont, he gave numerous concert and operatic performances, including many roles with Nashville Opera and Tennessee Opera Theatre. Dr. Moore was also an active recording session artist, having sung background vocals on recordings with Amy Grant, Larnell Harris, Steve Green, Michael Crawford, Sandy Patti, and Michael W. Smith.
The thirteen performers for today’s Keith B. Moore Classical Singers Recital auditioned and were selected by guest adjudicators. These students represent a variety of study within the Belmont School of Music, which offers numerous majors in classical voice, including Church Music, Music Education, Music with an Outside Minor, Music Performance, Musical Theatre, and Music
Therapy, as well as graduate degrees in Pedagogy and Performance. Students in the classical voice area receive an education that is both challenging and nurturing, studying a wide range of musical styles and repertoire in a thriving Christian environment.
Upcoming Concerts and Events
Music and Discourse: Dr. Nicole Richard Williams
Instruments of Movement: How Rhythm Can Support Motor Skills in Autistic Individuals
Monday, September 30, 10:00 a.m. Hitch 130
Faculty Woodwind Quintet Monday, September 30, 7:30 p.m. McAfee Concert Hall
