Experience a centuries-wide sweep of choral repertoire from the peerless Mozart Requiem to a stunning rainmaking litany by Grammy-winning American composer Christopher Tin.
Conducted by Jo Anne Wasserman with full orchestra and soloists, the first half of our concert will feature Mozart’s Requiem, a timeless piece that has captivated audiences for centuries,.
The second half will include contemporary composers: Morten Lauridsen, Rollo Dilworth, Ola Gjeilo.
And our grand finale will see us perform for the first time a spectacular 13-minute composition by Christopher Tin – Waloyo Yamoni (We Overcome the Wind) – with tenor Jimmer Bolden who performed it at the 2016 London premiere at Cadogen Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and soprano Tamara Bevard, a frequent Choral Society soloist.
The first reverberating plea from tenor Jimmer Bolden thrusts the listener into the world of the Lango people of Uganda. A rainmaking litany, the emotional heart of his luminescent choral work rings true even if you don’t speak the Lango language.
We have a few other surprises in store, so don’t miss our closing concert of our 75th Anniversary season.
Venue
First Presbyterian Church
21 East Constance Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Date
Saturday, May 6, 2023, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 7, 2023, 3:00 p.m.
Tickets
Festival Seating
Free parking available.
General Admission $25
Student / Child $10
American baritone, Ralph Cato has travelled the world extensively, telling stories in song with his warm, clarion baritone voice.
Tenor, Benjamin Brecher has performed over fifty operatic roles with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies, specializing in the high lying lyric tenor repertoire. He has performed 16 roles with New York City Opera alone. Career highlights include performances with Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opera de Nice, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, L’Opera de Montreal, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among many others. His orchestral solo repertoire includes Mozart, Handel, Orff, Bach, Haydn, as well as many performances of Britten. In 2000 he began performing the great Irish Tenor songs in a concert produced for him entitled A Celtic Celebration, Twenty years later, the show has become a North American hit with performances with 45 Symphonies in North America. Ben continues his discography having added his twelfth recording in 2016 Forgotten Liszt, with pianist Robert Koenig, and will record a new release in 2022 entitled “Three Centuries of Thomas Moore” including the music of Britten, Berlioz, and Sarah Gibson on MSR Classics. He is a Professor of Voice at University of California Santa Barbara, where he has served as the Head of Voice.
Tracy Van Fleet is pleased to return to the Santa Barbara Choral Society. As a soloist, she has performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Lüneburg Symphony in Germany, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, Pasadena Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Los Angeles Bach Festival, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic, USC Symphony and Chorus, and others. She has had many appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Opera Pacific, San Diego Opera and Opera Colorado.
Born and raised in Southern California, April Amante is a versatile soprano with expertise and facility in repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary musical theater.