Russian Romantics
One World Symphony
Sung Jin Hong, Artistic Director and Conductor
Christopher Johnson, Pianist
One World Symphony Vocal Artists
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor (1909)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (highlights)
Join One World Symphony's all Russian program, awakening the depths of passion and obsession. The 1996 film Shine suggested that the ferocious demands and difficulties of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor (1909) plunged the protagonist into madness. By popular demand, New York pianist Christopher Johnson returns to One World Symphony as the featured soloist to showcase the piece's titanic range -- from imposing drama to quicksilver wit to tender lyricism. Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, based on Aleksandr Pushkin's novel, is devoted to the intense relationship between art, life, and reality through both Tatyana's and Onegin's single-minded and tragic fervors. Does life imitate art far more than art imitates life?
Sung Jin Hong is the artistic director, composer, and conductor of One World Symphony. Mr. Hong has guest conducted in Europe, such as Stadt Wien Konservatorium Orchester in Vienna, Austria, Lyrique-en-mer Festival in Brittany, France, and The Royal Northern Conservatory of Music in Manchester, UK. In the U.S, he has guest conducted the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa Ballet Company, Manhattan School of Music Symphony, Mannes Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Youth Symphony, Bard College Orchestra, Illinois Wesleyan New Music Players, Western Illinois University Cello Choir, Bradley University Wind Ensemble, Great Music For A Great City at CUNY, Wayne State University Symphony, the Prospect Chamber Players, Twin Cities Ballet Company, and Take Dance Company. Mr. Hong has held positions as Music Director and Conductor of Peoria Sinfonietta and Principal Conductor of IES Singerverein in Vienna. He has also collaborated with musicians from the MET Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic as a conductor. Highlights for the upcoming season include leading One World Symphony's new season as its artistic director and conductor and guest engagements conducting The Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Symphony, Fiery World Music Orchestra in Los Angeles, The Gandharvas, and his debut in Dallas conducting musicians from Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted and recorded world premieres for the world's leading classical record label Naxos. Mr. Hong had the great honor of being personal chosen by the New York Philharmonic Laureate Conductor Kurt Masur to conduct in masterclasses and a concert in New York.
American concert pianist Christopher Johnson is the First Prize Winner of several international piano competitions and winner of several international auditions. Since his critically acclaimed recital debuts at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Recital Hall, Mr. Johnson has appeared extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. He has soloed with dozens of professional symphony orchestras including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of New Jersey, and the Garden State Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Johnson was the pianist-in-residence of the Pierre Monteux School Orchestra in 1999, 2001, and 2005; pianist-in-residence of the Plainfield Symphony Orchestra (NJ) from 1998-2007; pianist-in- residence of Mostly Mozart at Monteux since 2006; and has been an annual fixture of the Bar Harbor Music Festival in Maine since 1996. In 2001, Mr. Johnson soloed in Washington D.C. (Lincoln Memorial) for President George W. Bush, an event presented to a live audience of 75, 000 and broadcast internationally to millions of viewers. In 2007, Mr. Johnson was asked by Alfred Music Publishing (Warner Brothers Publishing) to write an entire book of advanced piano arrangement based on Broadway shows, entitled Popular Performer: Broadway, which is now available for purchase. Mr. Johnson received his Bachelor's Degree from the Juilliard School (1996) and his Master's Degree (1998) and Doctor of Musical Arts (2003) from the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Johnson made his debut with One World Symphony last season as a featured artist by performing Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini.
Making her debut with One World Symphony, Hanna Golodinskii (Tatyana) has been a soloist and participant in annual U.S.A. Music Mission tours with the Kiev Youth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (Matthew McMurrin, conductor) and Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (Roger McMurrin, conductor). With that organization, she has performed in Mozart's Requiem, Vivaldi's Gloria, and Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass. Her solo in "Balulalow" from Britten's A Ceremony of Carols can be heard on the group's Proclaim the Glory of God compact disc. Her repertoire includes roles in Ravel's Child and Magic, Rimsky-Korsakov's Tale of Tsar Saltan, and Tchaikovsky's Iolanta with the State Opera and Ballet Theater for Youth, Kiev. Favorite roles include Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata, Margarita in Gounod's Faust, Natalka in Lysenko's Natalka Poltavka, Odarka in Vahnyanin's Kupalo, and Tatyana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, all with the Ukrainian National Academy Opera Theater's Youth Opera. She received her master's degree as an opera soloist and chamber performer in 2004 from the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev. Since 2005, Ms. Golodinskii has been a regular soloist with the Russian Chamber Chorus of New York. With this group she made her Carnegie Hall debut in "Sunset, Night, and Sunrise" program.
Anna Voevoda (Tatyana) received her Master's Degree with honours, specializing in Opera Singing, Chamber Singing and Voice teaching from Odessa National Music Academy in Ukraine in 2004. After graduation, Ms. Voevoda worked as a soloist in the Mikhail Vodyanoy Musical Comedy Theatre in Odessa and for the Odessa State Philarmonic Society. She has given more than 120 recitals and recieved an Honorary Diploma for singing the Mono-Opera Stranger's Letter by Antonio Spadavecchia, after Ms. Voevoda is also the winner of the International Vocal Competition in Smolensk, Russia, in 2006. Her repertoire includes the roles Aida, Tosca, Mimi, Lisa, Tatyana, Donna Anna, Amelia and others. Ms. Voevoda has lived in New York City since November 2006. She teaches at the Shostakovich School of Music and Art in Brooklyn and performs as a chamber singer in the Empire State Music Festival. This July she learned and performed the role of Tatyana in Eugene Onegin with Carol and Nico Castel of the New York Opera Society. In August 2008 she performed in Canadian Vocal Art Institute on Fundrising Concert, Master Class and Gala Concert in Montreal. Ms. Voevoda is making her debut with One World Symphony with the Romantic Russians program.
Juan Jose Ibarra (Onegin) has previously appeared with One World Symphony as Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Jochanaan in Salomé, Pistola in Falstaff, Bartolo in Le nozze di figaro, and Leporello in Don Giovanni. His has been featured artist with the Bronx Opera, the Utah Opera, the Natchez Opera Festival, the Asheville Lyric Opera, and the Brevard Music Festival. Among the roles he has performed at these venues are Leporello in Don Giovanni, Dr. Bartolo in Barber of Seville, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Frère Laurent in Romeo et Juliette, Ramfis in Aida, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, and Crespel in Les Contes d'Hoffman. In musical theater he has appeared in A Little Night Music, The Mikado, Once Upon a Mattress and Fiddler on the Roof. He participated in the American Symphony Orchestra's American premiere production of Janacek's Osud at the new Fisher Center of Bard College.
Tenor Hansu Kim (Lensky) received his master's degree with scholarship from Indiana University where he studied with renowned heldentenor James King. He returns to One World Symphony as Lensku. With One World Symphony, he has performed as Radamès in Aïda, Manrico in Il Trovatore, the title role of Faust, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, and most recently as Aegisth in Elektra. Other roles include the title role in Werther, Andres in Wozzeck (with Franz Grundheber as Wozzeck), Count Elemer in Arabella and Moor in Man of La Mancha. He has worked with Utah Festival Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera, New Rochelle Opera, National Lyric Opera, Dicapo Opera, Indiana University Opera Theater, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Eugene Concert Choir, Oregon Mozart Players, and the Washington Broadcasting System among others. He has performed three times at Isaac Stern Auditorium in Carnegie Hall with MidAmerica Productions and the New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra. He has won First Prize at the Dicapo Opera Vocal Competition and Second Prize at the Vera Scammon International Vocal Competition, Third Prize at the San Gennaro Vocal Competition, Audience Choice Award at the Sun Valley Opera Vocal Competition, Finalist at the Lieder Kranz Vocal Competition and Finalist at the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera Vocal Competition.
Gulnara Zanova's (Olga) artistry is a unique blend of both European and American musical traditions and schooling. She has sung leading roles nationally and internationally. Most recently she performed Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with Acadiana Symphony in Louisiana, Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Dalila (Samson et Dalila) with One World Symphony in New York City, Carmen with Gateway Orchestra, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) and Ulrica (Un ballo in Maschera) with Bourgas Philharmonic in Bulgaria. Later this year she will be singing Laura (La Gioconda) and Suzuki (Madama Butterfy) in Pennsylvania. Ms. Zanova made her Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist with the New England Ensemble in Mozart's Solemn Vespers and V. Williams' Serenade to Music. She has performed on several occasions at Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Chamber Ensemble. Frequent oratorio soloist, Ms. Zanova performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with several orchestras including Riverside Symphonia and Main Line Symphony Orchestra. She has sung a number of performances of Handel Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Vivaldi's Gloria, and Shostakovich From Jewish Folk-Poetry. She has given numerous recitals, including concert series for Bard Music Festival, Caramoor Center, and others. She sung at the opening of the "Russia!" exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum and the opening of the Russian Film Festival in New York City. She has won a New York Oratorio Society Outstanding Vocal Achievement Award, 2001; Liederkranz Foundation Finalist, 2001; and Licia Albanese- Puccini Foundation Finalist, 2000. Ms. Zanova attended The Juilliard School and The Academy of Vocal Arts, and Moscow Conservatory for piano.
A native of San Francisco, mezzo-soprano Silvie Jensen (Olga) studied voice and piano at the SF Conservatory before receiving a degree from Columbia University. Ms. Jensen has appeared in operas with Ash Lawn Opera, Stonington Opera House, Riverside Opera, Bronx Opera, New Amsterdam Opera, Mannes Baroque Ensemble, and Friends and Enemies of New Music. Ms. Jensen appeared at the Barbican in London with Ornette Coleman, and at Carnegie Hall with Philip Glass, and with Meredith Monk. She has sung many religious works, such as Bach's Cantatas, St. Matthew's Passion at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Handel's Messiah, and others. She has performed song recitals at Weill Hall, the Liederkranz Club, the Roerich Museum, and Symphony Space.
Hungarian mezzo-soprano Éva Látrányi (Larina/Filipievna) "made a promising debut" (The New York Times) singing the role of the Shepherd (Tosca) with New York Grand Opera at Central Park. Since then, also with NYGO, she has performed the roles of Annina (La Traviata), Sister Zelatrice (Suor Angelica), Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Countess Ceprano (Rigoletto) and Second Voice (Turandot). Ms. Látrányi has also appeared in the title role of Handel's The Choice of Hercules with Opera Harmonia, as Olga (Eugene Onegin) with the New York Opera Studio, and covered the role of Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) off-Broadway. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with NYGO singing excerpts as Maddalena from Rigoletto and Suzuki from Madama Butterfly. Ms. Látrányi is pleased to be returning to One World Symphony for the Russan Romantics program after making her company debut as the Third Maid in Elektra in January.
Adrienne Metzinger (Larina/Filipievna) returns as a vocal soloist with One World Symphony after having sung the roles of Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos in June of 2008, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare in June 2007, selections from Berlioz's Les nuits d'été in August of 2007, and most recently as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana. She is a founding member, graphic designer, and the Managing Director of One World Symphony. Ms. Metzinger had the honor of singing our National Anthem to begin New York City's televised 2003 Veteran's Day Parade as well as at a ceremony honoring Senator Hillary Clinton held by the United Spinal Association. In June of 2003, she made her Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall debut singing the music of Kurt Weill. Some of her opera credits include Emilia (Otello), Mercedes (Carmen), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Flora and Annina (La Traviata), Peep-Bo (The Mikado), Countess Ceprano (Rigoletto), Kate (Madama Butterfly), The Sandman/Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), and Kate (Ballad of Baby Doe), as well as Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro). She has also made numerous appearances with One World Symphony as a featured soloist in Britten's Ceremony of Carols, Bach's Magnificat, Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, as well many chamber and opera concerts singing selections by Barber, Verdi, Offenbach, and Weill to name a few. Ms. Metzinger has also performed world premiere works by Kyle Gann (orchestrated by Sung Jin Hong), Joan Dawidziak, and Stan Grill.
A native New Yorker from Harlem, Gene Howard (Zaretsky) attended the high school of Music and Art, the Hartt School of Music, the Manhattan School of music and Die Frankfurt Hochschule fur Musik, in Germany. He made his One World Symphony Orchestra debut this past January in the role of Plfeger in Strauss's Elektra. He has performed with the Bronx Opera, Harlem Opera Theatre and the Utah Festival Opera. He has sung with The Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, The Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Orchestra. He has been heard on WNYC FM Radio in New York City, WFMT FM Radio in Chicago, and has performed on the "Good Morning Montreal" television show in Canada. Among Mr. Howard's roles are Amantio from Gianni Schicchi, Bob from The Old Maid and The Thief, Fleville from Andrea Chenier, The Imperial Commissioner from Madama Butterfly, Lawyer Fraizer from Porgy and Bess, The Postman from The Scarf and Usher from Trial By Jury. His Lied repertoire consists of works by Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Strauss and Ives.
Friday, March 13, 2009
St. Ann and the Holy Trinity
Brooklyn Heights
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Ansche Chesed Synagogue
Manhattan
