From Russia With Love
One World Symphony
Sung Jin Hong, Artistic Director and Conductor
Christopher Johnson, Pianist
One World Symphony Vocal Artists
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vocalise (1912)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: from Pique Dame (Queen of Spades)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor
Experience the mystery and dark glamour of a Russian winter. A song without words, Rachmaninoff's Vocalise soars as it spins an achingly beautiful melody in an endless thread. At the 1875 world premiere of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1, the enraptured audience demanded an encore of the entire first movement. New York City pianist Christopher Johnson, who brought One World audiences to their feet with his performances of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.3 and Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, returns to perform this virtual epitome of the romantic piano concerto. Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame, based on Alexander Pushkin's novella, teems with currents of deep obsession and the inevitable downward spiral toward madness for one's burning desire. How much would one gamble for love?
Performance length: 2 hours with intermission
Sung Jin Hong is the artistic director, composer, and conductor of One World Symphony. Hailed by The Village Voice as "a promising young conductor" and by The Korea Herald as "Creator of New York's Hip Classical," as a composer, The New York Times praised Hong's From The Alchemist as transforming "a novel to a lush Mahlerian sound." A passionate educator, Hong was awarded a grant from VH1's Save the Music Foundation to continue teaching at Harlem Children Zone's The Promise Academy. 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.
"To hear Christopher Johnson perform [Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1], on the cusp of a great career, is to believe. Possessing a Van Cliburn intensity, he deserves to have the career of a true musical star." (Westfield Leader). American concert pianist Christopher Johnson has become One World Symphony's audience favorite. His recent performances with One World Symphony, such as Rachmaninoff's titanic Piano Concerto No. 3 and Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini, have brought audiences to their feet. Mr. 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 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.
Anna Voevoda (Liza) returns to One World Symphony after making her debut performing Tatiana in Eugene Onegin in March 2009. She received her Master's Degree with honors, 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 Philharmonic Society. She has given more than 120 recitals and received an Honorary Diploma for singing the Mono-Opera Stranger's Letter by Antonio Spadavecchia. Ms. Voevoda is also the winner of the International Vocal Competition in Smolensk, Russia, in 2006. Her repertoire includes the roles Aïda, Tosca, Mimi, Lisa, Tatiana, 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. In August 2008 she performed in the Canadian Vocal Art Institute on Fundraising Concert, Master Class and Gala Concert in Montreal.
Making her debut with One World Symphony, soprano Cheryl Warfield (Liza) has performed over 15 roles in the standard operatic repertory during her career. Ms. Warfield made her European operatic debut as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosí Fan Tutte with the Rome Festival Orchestra, and has appeared with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Bregenz Festival (Austria), the Theater des Westins (Berlin), and in Italy, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. She produced the Amore Opera inaugural production of La Bohème last December, and has written, produced and starred in the spirituals concert "Paul Robeson: A Celebration of Culture," and the one-woman show Meet Dorothy Maynor, about the legendary soprano who founded the Harlem School of the Arts. Ms. Warfield is a member of Actor's Equity and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, having appeared on Broadway in Hal Prince's Showboat and as an extra in film and commercials.
Soprano Amberleigh Aller is very excited to be singing Rachmaninoff's Vocalise with One World Symphony. She recently performed with conductor Sung Jun Hong as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, as Lucia in the mad scene of Lucia di Lammermoor, as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Frasquita in Carmen, and Marzelline in Fidelio. Other roles include Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera, Olympia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Norina in Don Pasquale. Ms. Aller also has a great appreciation for contemporary music and has had the opportunity to work with many living composers including Thomas Pasatieri, Robert Kritz, Stanley Grill, Robert Paterson and Philip Glass. Coming up, she will perform Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Forecast New Music and a one act opera by New York composer, James Barry.
Mezzo soprano Ainsley Ryan is thrilled to perform again with One World Symphony as Polina and Milovzor. Ms. Ryan most recently performed the role of Erika in One World Symphony's production of Samuel Barber's Vanessa and First Maid in Richard Strauss's Elektra. Other recent appearances include Auntie in Britten's Peter Grimes, the Page in Strauss's Salomé, and Sextus in Handel's Giulio Cesare with One World Symphony; the world premiere of Stan Grill's In Flight; Prince Orlofsky in Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus with the Natchez Festival of Music; the Sandman in Liederkranz Opera Theater's production of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel; and Orfeo in One World Symphony's production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. Recent solo oratorio engagements include two performances of Dvorak's Stabat Mater and the Duruflé Requiem. Ms. Ryan currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband, Chris, and their children, Tatum and Perkin.
Elizabeth Russo (Countess), mezzo soprano, is well known for her powerful voice and strong stage presence. "Elizabeth Russo, with a dark voluminous mezzo, gave a sensuous account of Carmen's Habanera," (Classical Singer) Recent performances include Hayden's Lord Nelson Mass with the Garden State Philharmonic, Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia and the Witch in Hansel & Gretel with OPERAMICI , as well as Mama Lucia with Chelsea Opera and Waltraute in Die Walkure with Opera Dramatica of NYC. Ms. Russo was Waltraute with the Albany Symphony, the Rhinemaiden Wellgunde in Gotterdammerung, Princepessa in Suor Angelica, and with Sorg Opera of Middletown Ohio, Lady Jane in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience. Glad to be returning to One World Symphony, Ms. Russo's other roles performed here are Mama Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana, Herodias in Salomé and Amneris in Aïda.
American tenor Jason Papowitz (Herman) returns to One World Symphony after making his debut as Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus. He has performed a number of the central leading roles in the operatic literature including Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Manrico in Il Trovatore, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Alfredo in La Traviata, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, and Radamès in Aïda. In 2005 he created the title role of Cain in the world premiere of the opera by Bulgarian composer Lyubomir Denev. Most recently he performed Don José in Carmen and his first Danilo in The Merry Widow. At his first audition in Europe at the prestigious Prague State Opera, he was immediately offered a year-long contract including the opening night performance of the title role in a new production of Don Giovanni by Gazzaniga. Other theaters, companies and venues include The National Opera Theater, Taiwan; the Virgin Atlantic Holders Festival, Barbados; Ostrava State Opera; Bulgaria Hall, Sofia; Plovdiv National Opera; Stara Zagora Opera; Burgas Opera; numerous theaters in England on the Eurostage 2002 Tour; numerous theaters throughout the United States with Opera Verdi Europa; Santa Margherita Summer Festival, Italy; Taconic Opera; and Opera in the Heights, Texas. He is an honor's graduate in philosophy of both K.U. Leuven, Belgium (M.A.) and Vassar College, USA (B.A.).
Making his debut with One World Symphony, Aleksander Korenkov (Prince Yeletsky) has performed in concerts all over Russia and Europe, United States and Japan. Graduating from Moscow State Conservatory, he has played the main roles in Eugene Onegin, La Traviata, Iolanta, and La Bohème. Mr. Korenkov is a winner of many international contests such as IBLA Grand Prize, Bella voce and Amber Nightingale and a finalist of Jose Iturbe and Elena Obraztsova International Competitions among others. Since 2004 he has been working as soloist of Academy of Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia. He has performed on different stages of the world during Mariinsky Theatre's tours. Among those are: Théâtre du Châtelet, (Paris, France), Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) and Opera Theater of Kiev (Ukraine).
Anne Marie Schubert (Prilepa) returns to One World Symphony after performing Nora in Vaughan Williams' Riders to the Sea and as Aufseherin in Richard Strauss's Elektra. She received her degree in vocal performance from the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America. Some of her opera roles include Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), the Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), Atalanta (Xerxes) and the Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel). Ms. Schubert made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2006 with the Pacific Opera Company and returned there in 2007. She has appeared with OperaOggiNY as Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium, La Zelatrice and the Maestra delle Novizie in Suor Angelica, and as Jean Gaussin in Sapho. She also appeared in OperaOggiNY's winter gala as the soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah. This will be Ms. Schubert's second performance with One World Symphony following her performance of the Aufseherin (Elektra). She currently studies with Judith Coen.
Making her debut with One World Symphony, Brooklyn native Sibongile Boyd (Prilepa) is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she performed several opera roles and appeared in recital. Since graduating from Harvard, Ms. Boyd has performed opera and oratorio roles with Delaware Valley Opera, Binghamton University Chorus and Orchestra, Natchez Festival of Music, and Opera Company of Brooklyn, and appeared in concert with the Aspen Music Festival, Bargemusic, Regina Opera, and the Brooklyn Public Library (Dweck Performing Arts Center). Roles performed include Blonde, Monica, Zerlina, and Gabriel/Eve (The Creation). Most recently, Ms. Boyd appeared with Opera Company of Brooklyn in the role of Adele in Die Fledermaus.
Melinda Learnard (Governess) is very excited to make her debut as a soloist with One World Symphony. Ms. Learnard was recently seen at Symphony Space in New York Lyric Opera Theatre's Artist-in-Residence concert as well as in the ensemble for One World Symphony's Die Fledermaus. She was also recently in New York Opera Forum's Le Nozze di Figaro as Marcellina. Her interests encompass all music, but especially Spanish solo repertoire and American art song. Before moving to New York to study voice with Shirlee Emmons, Ms. Learnard graduated from Millikin University in Illinois. In addition to performing, she coaches rock and pop bands in performance preparation using a classical singing approach. When she gets the chance, Ms. Learnard also records dance and pop music with Brooklyn artists and bands.
Friday, March 5, 2010
St. Ann and the Holy Trinity
Brooklyn HeightsBrooklyn Heights
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Ansche Chesed Synagogue
Manhattan
