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JEFFREY THOMASmusic director

MessiahGeorge Frideric Handel

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The American Bach Soloists are Artists-in-Residence at St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere.

Welcome from the Music Director

We couldn’t have done it without you! Two years ago, as we began to celebrate twenty years of sensational

concerts, we resolved to make our third decade one in which we would celebrate our musicians, our audiences, our communities, and our marvelous Northern California culture. We began to plan and produce a series of collaborations including the ABS Master Class Series at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and those spectacular performances of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks with a laser light show right here in Grace Cathedral. We renewed our commitment to present the timeless masterworks of J. S. Bach and his contemporaries, and to make them accessible to audiences that would include both students and connoisseurs of all ages.

Many of you have been with us for many years, supporting our educational and outreach programs, and challenging us to be the best that we can be. We’ve learned from you and from all of our patrons that ABS’ audiences want valuable musical experiences that are inspiring, memorable, and informative. We’ve met those challenges and have become a leader among Northern California’s performing arts organizations in educating and supporting emerging artists who will, without question, uphold the highest aesthetic standards of Baroque music performance for present and future generations.

Last summer’s debut of the American Bach Soloists AcAdemy was an extraordinary success. Our audience grew dramatically and the reputation of ABS—already a source of pride for our musicians and patrons—has now reached as far as the homelands of some of our students from China, Japan, and Russia. The AcAdemy and the return of our SummerFest programs together provide opportunities for exciting future collaborations with Bay Area artists, choreographers, and theater companies. And this is all in addition to our regular annual concert offerings.

Our 2010/11 Season features two exciting premieres: the first West Coast performances of Antonio Lotti’s “Mass for Three Choirs” and the American premiere of a recently discovered Concerto for Recorder by Telemann. Our February performances of “Music for the Royal Women of Britannia” will combine some exquisite and rarely heard repertoire with wonderfully personal glimpses into the greatly treasured relationships that Purcell and Handel had with their royal patronesses.

Truly, we couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our patrons—individuals, foundations, corporations, and government funding agencies—and we promise to continue to make them proud of their dedication and loyalty to the American Bach Soloists.

The holidays that we share at this time of the year remind me of how grateful I am to our audiences, to our musicians, and to the music that we love. While it is indeed a privilege to have such riches in our lives, it is also essential. Our community would be at a great loss were it not for the generosity and vision of patrons who ensure future seasons of Northern California’s fine arts organizations, including ours: the American Bach Soloists.

With warmest wishes and heartfelt gratitude, all of us at American Bach Soloists thank you for your continued support!

JEFFREY THOMAS

On the cover: Detail from “The Nativity” by Petrus Christus, circa 1465; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

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Contributors

This list represents contributions received between December 6, 2009 and December 6, 2010. We

deeply regret any errors or omissions.

Corporate, Government, and Foundation Support

$10,000 and aboveGrants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax

FundClarence E. Heller Charitable FoundationCharles Hosmer Morse FoundationE. Nakamichi FoundationNational Endowment for the Arts

$5,000-$9,999Ann and Gordon Getty FoundationThe Bernard Osher FoundationWallis Foundation

Up to $4,999AT&T Foundation Matching Gifts ProgramAXA Foundation Matching Gifts ProgramClorox FoundationCounty of MarinThe San Francisco Foundation

Individual Support

Royal Patrons: $10,000 and aboveAnonymousJose and Carol AlonsoHugh Davies and Kaneez MunjeeDan and Lee DrakeJan GoldbergFraser and Helen Muirhead

Bach Family Circle: $5,000 - $9,999John and Lois CroweAngela Hilt and Blake ReinhardtMarie Hogan and Douglas Lutgen

Capellmeisters: $2,500 - $4,999Richard and Sharon BoyerDavid Cates and Cheryl SumsionJudith FlynnKevin and Peggy HarringtonBenjamin and Lynette HartPaul and Sandra OgdenNancy Quinn and Tom DriscollJim and Jennifer SteelquistJ.P. Crametz and Tamar Ravid

Kwei and Michele ÜRichard and Shipley Walters

$1,000 - $2,499Anonymous (2)Peter and Claudia BrownWendy BuchenJohn and Jane BuffingtonLisa CapaldiniDavid and Judy CovinSilvia DavidsonRichard G. FabianThomas and Phyllis FarverTom Flesher and Adam VerretRichard FordeAlfred and Irene M. GlassgoldJohn F. HeilMilton and Carol HollenbergJames and Joan KellyNorman LarsonOlaf and Jeannette LeifsonMardi LelandJames MeehanPaul MorinVirginia PattersonMark and Katherine PerlAnn PrestonMartin and Elizabeth SeckerPeter and Asiye SonnenFred Stark and Roman ShiJeffrey Thomas

Cantors: $500 - $999Gretchen BrosiusBarbara Casey and Richard SigginsDonna ChazenEric Collier and Joseph NewellGarniss CurtisDavid Davies and Ama TorranceMag DimondA. John and Paula GambsSusan and Stafford KeeginJessica KinlochRichard and Patricia LeeWilliam LokkeFrank PajerskiCharles QuesenberryDavid and Dair RauschColby and Katherine RobertsGeerat and Edith VermeijDelia Voitoff-Bauman and Steven BaumanCharles and Elizabeth Wilts

$250 - $499Peter and Margaret ArmstrongLynne CarmichaelUni CordobaJoseph and Judy CraigChauncey and Emily DiLauraBob and Margaret EldredBarbara Thomas FexaPerry and Cynthia FosterDavid Franklin and Ruedi TheoniLowell and Nancy FrokerRobert and Ann GoldbergPhilip and Ruth HicksKen HoffmanNorman and Rae LeaperJanice MastertonLee and Hannelore McCrumbMarian MetsonAndrew Morgan and Danny RichardKrista Muirhead and Barry GrossmanDebra NagyLissa NicolausSteven Peterson and Peter JaretDavid and Mary RaubBill and Ray RiessChristopher RobertsonGary Schilling and Stefan HastrupPatricia ShepherdHart and Wilma SmithDavid Tayler and Hanneke van ProosdijMillicent TomkinsBarbara Van SlykeDiana WilksDavid WilsonThomas and Ann Watrous

Choristers: $100 - $249Cheryl Arnold and John FrykmanPhyllis and Tom BaerJudith Barker and Judith MittenessCharles BeadleRobert BermanEdward BettsErnst and Hannah BibersteinBorden and Betty BloomDaniel and Diana BortRonni BregaRoberta BrokawDavid and Carol BrownRobert and Lynn CampbellLynne CarrGael ChapmanGary Chock

Nakamichi Foundation

ClarenCe e. Heller

CHaritable Foundation

The American Bach Soloists gratefully acknowledge the generous support received from

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ContributorsRoy and Margaret ClarkeMendel Cohen and Julia VestalRobert and Mary CommandayRobert Cook and Blanca HaendlerJacqueline DesoerLester and Elaine DropkinNancy DuboisRobert and Susan FlaxMargaret FuerstPhil GarrattJim and Laura GregoryBarry GrossmanDarrow and Gwen HaagensenDavid HammerLauri HarperDonna HeinleDaniel HershRalph and Leny HeymannLaurence JacobsDavid G. King, MD William and Janette KnickMarcia KolbThomas KosterMalcolm and Natalie MackenzieJohn MarkRaymond MartinezMarcia McCowinSharon MenkeJim and Julie C. MonsonJanet MorrisCatheryn MullingerPaul NettelmanMary Belle O’Brien and Georgia HeidJerome OremlandKay PepitoneDove PierceJim PulsPenelope Rink and Frederick TothEd and Maureen RinneDavid RobinsonGary RoofCynthia SawtellJohn and Pamela SebastianCharles and Janet SeimEdith SimonsonJeanne SmithScott SocharMariana SteinbergRobert ThompsonRick TrautnerRobert and Susan VannemanKurt Von Meier,Effie WesterveltJerri WittDennis WolframskiFoster and Betty WrightJanet Youngblood

Friends: $25 - $99Jesse AntinJeff BartakJohanna BaruchWard and Patricia BeldingAl BernsteinJohn BinghamMary BostIrving and Karen BroidoLeslie BrownCalifornia Painted SilkStephanie CartwrightDikran and Christa ChamlianAnn Cheng

CLIR Center For Learning In RetirementSteven EdwardsElliott and Laurel FeigenbaumSandra FrancisSusan Garbini and Ian MacGregorWieneke GorterDouglas and Joyce HamiltonCynthia HeardenHelen HenonEllen HersheyWayne and Laurell HuberPeter HusonBob Isaacson and Virginia StearnsLaurel JohnsonShelley JohnsonCharles and Paige KelsoIsik KizilyalliPeter KlostermanGretchen KnoellGeorge Kovatch and J. Robert WiskotzilJeremy KranzJennifer LaneWilliam LangleyHarold and Helene LecarRobert LevinSally LevinsonJennifer LindsayDeana Logan and Joseph C. NajpaverDavid and Carolyn LongMalcolm and Sandy MansonLarry MariettaBlair MartinJo Maxon and Karl RuppenthalNoreen MazelisAnn McCownGuy Micco and Wende WilliamsJesse and Catherine MillerMichael and Elfrieda O’NeillMary OsterlohJoy PhoenixLinda PolsbyKathleen RathkeGail Riley and Moira LittleRoy RosenthalVicki and Robert SchaevitzNorman SchlossbergRobert SenselCecelia ShawSteve SiegelmanHarold and Matonich SkilbredGerald and Sandra SwaffordJean SwearingenHeidi WatermanPeter and Barbara Winkelstein

Bach KidsSharon and Richard Boyer, in honor of:

Jake D. Sutter Keira N. Sutter Alexander J. Sutter Leah G. Sutter

Jan Goldberg, in honor of: Cameron Gremmels Michael Goldberg Alexander Goldberg

TributesSharon and Richard Boyer, in memory of

Mamie F. VercelliSharon and Richard Boyer, in memory of

Edward T. Smithburn

Sharon and Richard Boyer, in memory of Rosemary Pollastrini

Janice Masterton, in honor of Jim and Jennifer Steelquist

Janice Masterton, in memory of Larry Masterton

In-Kind SupportAmerican Conservatory TheaterAmy Schwab DesignsAnchor Brewing CompanyAnn RosenfeldAsian Art Museum of San FranciscoBarbara CaseyBenissimo RestaurantBenjamin & Lynette HartBerkeley Repertory Theatre and Lo Coco’sBistro Ginolina Carde BlancheColby & Katherine RobertsCynthia & Perry FosterDavid CatesDavid Wilsonde Luna JewelryDelicious! CateringElfrieda LangemannFentons CreameryGrgich Hills EstateHeart O’ The Mountain WineryHeidi WatermanHelen Drake MuirheadHugh Davies & Kaneez MunjeeJan Goldberg and Ken HoffmanJason’s RestaurantJennifer Lane and the UNT CollegiumJohanna BaruchJose & Carol AlonsoKatherine McKeeKatherine Roberts PerlKen HoffmanKermit Lynch Wine MerchantKevin D. HarringtonLark TheaterLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLissa NicolausMarie HoganMarin SymphonyMarin TheatreMeeker VineyardMerola Opera ProgramMichele & Kwei ÜMillicent TomkinsNancy Quinn & Tom DriscollOakland A’sPaul MorinPenman Photographic ArtistsRaymond MartinezRick YoshimotoRock Wall WinesSam’s Anchor CafeSF Opera and Andrew MorganSharon BoyerShelley JohnsonSmith-Rafael Film CenterTafelmusikThe Chabot Space & Science CenterTrumer BrauereiTwisted SilverWard St. CafeWaters Edge HotelWildfox Restaurant

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BACH KIDSThe music of J.S. Bach has been handed down from generation to generation. Its beauty and humanity inspires and enhances our lives. This rich legacy is currently under our watch—but the future belongs to our children.

ABS’ BACH KIDS program is the perfect way to cherish a child by investing on their behalf in performances of Bach’s music for audiences today and in the future.

For each tax-deductible donation of $100 or more, we’ll list the name of your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or any other young person in your life in a special section of our program booklets for one year.

• A unique gift for any child: they’ll see their name in print!

• When they’re old enough, bring them to ABS concerts with our special discounted Bach Family Tickets ($5 when accompanied by an adult with a regular-priced ticket).

Name(s) of Bach Kids

Donor NameAddressCity State Zip CodePhone Email

My check is enclosed, made payable to American Bach Soloists.Please charge my: VISA Mastercard AmexCard # ExpirationName on CardSignature

MAIL: American Bach Soloists - 44 Page Street, Suite 504 - San Francisco, CA 94102-5973PHONE: 415-621-7900 FAX: 415-621-7920

TWO SPECIAL WAYS TO HONOR YOUR LOVED ONES

TRIBUTE GIFTSAll of us have treasured people in our lives who have been significant and meaningful.  The teachers who went that extra mile, the family members who’ve given unqualified support, the mentors and colleagues who have enriched our work lives: they all hold special places in our hearts and minds. 

Recognize these special people by making a donation to ABS in their honor or memory.

For each tax-deductible contribution of $100 or more, you can have someone acknowledged in ABS’ program booklets for one year in our special Tributes section.

In addition to listing their names in our programs, we can also send a letter informing them or their family of your gift. Simply provide their address on a separate piece of paper.

Name(s) of Tributes

(Choose one:) in honor of in memory of

(Choose one:) in honor of in memory of

Enclosed is my donation of $_______ for a total of ______ Bach Kids and/or Tributes gifts

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Donor Benefits

We can’t do it without you! American Bach Soloists strive to retain reasonable ticket prices even though sales cover only about 40% of the cost of presenting these outstanding concerts. ABS is proud to receive significant government and foundation support, but the bulk of our contributed income comes from generous donations from individuals like you. As an ABS donor, you play a crucial role in bringing these wonderful programs to the widest possible audience.

Your gift in any amount is greatly appreciated!

Name

Address

City State Zip Code

E-mail Phone

Yes, I want to help ABS thrive! Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of: $25 $50 $100 $250 $500 $1,000 $2,500 Other: _________

My check is enclosed, made payable to American Bach Soloists. Please charge my: Visa Mastercard American Express Discover

Card # Expiration

Name on Card

Signature

• MAIL:ABS•44PageStreet,Suite504•SanFrancisco,CA94102-5973• PHONE:415-621-7900•FAX:415-621-7920• ONLINE: use our secure server: americanbach.org/support

GIFTS OF STOCK

We also welcome gifts of appreciated securities. To arrange transfers, please call (415) 621-7900.

VEHICLE DONATION

Donating your used vehicles to ABS has never been easier thanks to our partnership with the Vehicle Donation Processing Center! You receive a tax-deductible donation and ABS gets cash! Call the VDPC at 800-390-4790 or visit their website: donatecarusa.com.

Donor Benefits*Exclusive sponsorship of a guest artist

Sponsorship of an ABS program

Invitation for two to a special ABS private “House Concert” performance

Four complimentary Section A “companion” tickets to any ABS performance (other than Messiah)

Invitation for two to an ABS rehearsal

Complimentary copy of ABS Season Highlights CD

Invitation for two to a post-concert reception with ABS musicians

Acknowledgment in ABS programs for one year

Choristers Cantors Capellmeisters Bach Family

Royal Patrons

*Gifts to American Bach Soloists are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Certain benefits have a fair market value (indicated above) that must be deducted from your gift to determine the tax-deductible portion of the contribution. You may elect to decline all the benefits in your giving category, and receive a tax-deduction of the full value of your gift.

Please list my (our) name(s) as:

Thank You!

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American Bach Soloists Discography

americanbach.org/media

MASTERWORKS SERIES

Bach Brandenburg Concertos

Bach Harpsichord Concertos

Bach Italian Transcriptions

Bach Mass in B Minor

Bach Violin Concertos

Beethoven Ninth Symphony

Corelli Concerti Grossi

Handel Messiah

Haydn Masses

Schütz Choral & Vocal Works

Carols for Christmas

The Art of Ian Howell

BACH CANTATA SERIES

Solo Cantatas

Trauerode

Mühlhausen Cantatas

Cantatas for Easter

Weimar Cantatas

Favorite Cantatas

freestreaming audio

americanbach.org/player

Listen to ABS

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About American Bach Soloists

The AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS (“ABS”) were founded in 1989 with the mission of introducing contemporary audiences to the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach through historically informed performances. Under the leadership of Co-founder and Music Director Jeffrey Thomas, the ensemble has achieved its vision of assembling the world’s finest vocalists and period-instrument performers to bring this brilliant music to life.

For twenty-one years, Jeffrey Thomas has brought thoughtful, meaningful, and informed perspectives to his performances as Artistic and Music Director of the American Bach Soloists. Recognized worldwide as one of the foremost interpreters of the music of Bach and the Baroque, he continues to inspire audiences and performers alike through his keen insights into the passions behind musical expression. Fanfare Magazine proclaimed that “Thomas’ direction seems just right, capturing the humanity of the music…there is no higher praise for Bach performance.”

Critical acclaim has been extensive: The Wall Street Journal named ABS “the best American specialists in early music…a flawless ensemble…a level of musical finesse one rarely encounters;” San Francisco Classical Voice declared that “there is nothing routine or settled about their work. Jeffrey Thomas is still pushing the musical Baroque envelope;” and the San Francisco Chronicle recently extolled the ensemble’s “divinely inspired singing.”

The first public concerts were given in February 1990 at St. Stephen’s Church in Belvedere, where the ensemble serves as Artists-in-Residence. 1993 brought the debut of ABS’s first annual summer festival in Tiburon/Belvedere. By the fifth season, regular

performances had been inaugurated in San Francisco and Berkeley, and as a result of highly successful collaborations with the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, ABS’ full concert seasons expanded to the Davis/Sacramento region in 2005. As their audience increased, so the artistic direction of the ensemble expanded to include Bach’s purely instrumental and larger choral masterpieces, as well as music of his contemporaries and that of the early Classical era.

The American Bach Soloists present an annual Subscription Series with performances in Belvedere, Berkeley, Davis, and San Francisco. Their annual holiday performances of Handel’s Messiah, presented each December before capacity audiences since 1992, have become a Bay Area tradition. In addition to their regular subscription season, the American Bach Soloists have been presented at some of the world’s leading early music and chamber music festivals, and have appeared worldwide from Santa Fe to Hong Kong and Singapore. In 1998, in conjunction with the Fifth Biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition, ABS established the American Bach Soloists & Henry I. Goldberg International Young Artists Competition as a way to foster emerging musicians who wish to pursue a career in early music.

In conjunction with ABS’ 15th Anniversary Season in 2003-04, Maestro Thomas announced the “Bach Cycle,” an ambitious plan to present all of Bach’s major oratorios, including two Passions, the oratorios for Christmas and Easter, and the Mass in B Minor; the violin and harpsichord concertos, Brandenburg Concertos, and orchestral suites; the major cantatas from Bach’s years in Mühlhausen, Weimar, and Leipzig; and the sonatas and suites for violin, flute, cello, and viola da gamba.

“Superbly musical ... wonderfully suave ... fresh, different” — Gramophone

“ABS is a rare, perhaps unique, organization that does something highly specialized and quite esoteric that still involves (and delights) a general audience…the houses were full and the concerts

were rich, rewarding, and well-received.” — marin independent Journal

“Thomas’ Bach orchestra is superb!” — GoldberG maGazine

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ABS has been a leader throughout the Bay Area in their commitment to artistic collaborations. Some recent examples include a collaboration with two San Francisco dance organizations, Xeno and Ultra Gypsy, at The Crucible in Oakland in 2004 and collaborations with the well-known Mark Morris Dance Group in 2004 and 1999. To celebrate their 20th Anniversary Season, ABS joined forces with San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral and Lighting Systems Design Inc. (based in Orlando FL) in a spectacular laser show rendering of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks. And in 2011, ABS will collaborate with San Francisco choreographer Todd Eckert in three new works using music by Bach, Telemann, and Vivaldi.

The Chorus of the American Bach Soloists has shone in repertoire from the Baroque and early Classical eras. With the inception of the Choral Series in 2004, these fine singers have been featured on programs exploring over five centuries of choral music. To acknowledge this splendid work, the American Bach Soloists announced in 2006 a new name for their choral ensemble: American Bach Choir. Critics have acclaimed their “sounds of remarkable transparency and body.”

In July 2010, the American Bach Soloists inaugurated North America’s newest annual professional training program in Historically Informed Performance Practice. Drawing on their distinguished roster of performers, the American Bach Soloists AcAdemy offers advanced conservatory-level students and emerging professionals unique opportunities to study

and perform Baroque music in a multi-disciplinary learning environment. The AcAdemy is held in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s exquisite new facilities in the heart of the city’s arts district.

The American Bach Soloists have a discography of eighteen CDs on the Koch International Classics, Delos International, and American Bach Soloists labels, including six volumes of Bach cantatas, many performed one on a part. The ensemble’s critically acclaimed disc of Bach’s Mass in B Minor has been called a benchmark recording and a “joyous new performance” (The Washington Post). One of their most popular offerings is an historically significant version of Handel’s Messiah, recorded live during performances in 2004 at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis, and released in November 2005 on the Delos International label. In 2007, ABS’ entire catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, cantatas, and transcriptions of Italian music, Haydn Masses, choral and vocal works by Schütz, and other works was re-released on iTunes, Magnatune.com, Amazon, CDBaby, and ABS’ own excellent and resourceful web site, which features free streaming audio of most titles. The same year brought two new and much-anticipated releases: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. The most recent release, 1685 & The Art of Ian Howell, features the remarkable young countertenor (and recent winner of the ABS Young Artist Competition) in works by Bach, Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti.

About American Bach Soloists

Board of Directors, Founders, Staff, Advisory Council & Acknowledgments

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Hugh Davies, President Lynette A. Hart, Vice President Jan Goldberg, Treasurer Marie Hogan, Secretary Jose Alonso Richard J. Boyer David Cates Cindy Cooper John H. Crowe Benjamin L. Hart Jessica Kinloch Helen Drake Muirhead

FOUNDERS

Jeffrey Thomas Jonathan Dimmock Richard H. Graff The Rev. & Mrs. Alvin S. Haag Mr. & Mrs. Robert V. Kane Dr. & Mrs. Paul C. Ogden

STAFF

Jeffrey Thomas Artistic and Music Director

Maura Lafferty Business Manager

Steven Lehning Assistant to the Music Director and Production Manager

Katherine McKee Director of Patron Services

Heli Roiha Bookkeeper

Lisa May Box Office and Concert Manager

Keith Perry Academy Administrator

Daniel Webster Stage and House Manager

E.J. Chavez Stage Crew

Joseph Sargent Writer

Quinn Associates Development Consultants

NEQA/Communications Publicists

ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Right Reverend Marc Andrus Irv Broido Karen Broido Diane Dragone Corty Fengler Tom Flesher Phil Garratt John Karl Hirten Corey Jamason Sandra M. Ogden Don Roth Kwei Ü Elizabeth F. Wilts Charles E. Wilts

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Vestry, Staff, and Parishioners The Reverend Robert Gieselmann, Interim Rector John Karl Hirten, Organist

University of California at Davis Instrument Loans

Linda Brewer Jan Goldberg & Ken Hoffman Andrew Luchansky & Elisabeth Reed James & Maxine Risley John Rouse Jean Spencer Millicent Tomkins Dr. Kwei & Michele Ü Carl & Adele Zachrisson Housing and Hospitality

Patricia Wolf Jubillee Gee William Langley Office Volunteers

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We Believe

MASTER CLASSES ABS will present three Master Classes in collaboration with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, during our 2010-2011 Season. All Master Classes are free and open to the public. No tickets or advance reservations are required.

Jeffrey Thomas conductor Wednesday 16 February 2011 7:30 pm

Kate van Orden bassoon Wednesday 16 March 2011 7:30 pm

Janet See flute Tuesday 5 April 2011 7:30 pm

San Francisco Conservatory of Music 50 Oak Street at Van Ness, San Francisco CA 94102

ABS WEB SITE - americanbach.org Our excellent web site features over 200 artist biographies, links to program notes and concert repertory details, and options to listen to or purchase our celebrated series of critically acclaimed recordings. Additionally, you will find information about how you can help ABS by volunteering, providing financial support, or purchasing ads in our concert program booklets. Educational resources are available, including information about early instruments, our education and outreach programs, and links to other organizations.

FREE PRE-CONCERT “INSIGHTS” Learn more about the program! One hour prior to each performance from February through May, enjoy a free and informative lecture given by ABS musicians.

FREE TICKETS FOR MUSIC EDUCATORS All K-12 music educators are invited to attend one of our concerts free of charge in exchange for their input regarding our educational programs. And each educator may purchase one additional companion ticket at 50% off. For more information, please call (415) 621-7900 or go to: americanbach.org/educators

FREE CHORAL WORKSHOP Each year, ABS presents a Choral Workshop designed specifically for experienced choral singers. Within a rehearsal environment under the leadership of ABS Artistic Director Jeffrey Thomas, historically informed performance practice and aesthetics regarding Baroque vocal technique, phrasing, tempos, choral balance, and rhetoric are examined and cultivated in a musically enlightening and enriching event.

Saturday 29 January 2011 10:00 am to 4:00 pm St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco

The workshop is provided completely free of charge, but space is limited so early registration is encouraged. For more information, please visit: americanbach.org/workshop

Education and Outreach

Jeffrey Thomas, Music Director

• The experience of Art is a human right.• Music is essential to our quality of life.• Bach’s creativity and life epitomize ideals of artistic virtuosity,

humanitarianism within changing worlds, and the primacy of education.

Every Arts Organization must:• educate present and future generations.• uphold the highest aesthetic standards.• enlighten its own and greater audiences.• relate to the community and culture in which it thrives.• inspire the intellects of its patrons.• serve as a compelling model for other cultural organizations.

Arts Patrons want:• to have meaningful, memorable, and valuable experiences.• to be empowered, knowledgeable, and informed consumers.• to be involved as integral participants, not just observers.

The American Bach Soloists:• promote artistic excellence.• sustain the musical heritage of historical cultures.• value and respect the diversity of our patrons and sponsors.• treasure the gifted instrumentalists and singers that we present.• nurture young and emerging talent.• support the efforts of all who endeavor to preserve history, celebrate

culture, and ensure the accessibility of the Arts.

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January 15–21David DanielsInternationally acclaimed countertenor sings Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater and Handel arias.

February 11–15Hummel’s Concerto for Keyed TrumpetItalian virtuoso Gabriele Cassone plays Hummel’s concerto and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 1.

30th Anniversary SeasonBerkeley, San Francisco, and AthertonTickets start at $25–$30 Save 10% with discount code abs11.

Learn more:

philharmonia.org(415) 252-1288

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AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS

Violins

Elizabeth Blumenstock (leader) Andrea Guarneri, Cermona, 1660.*

Cynthia Albers George Craske, London, circa 1840; after Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri del Gusù, Cremona, 1730s.

Maria Caswell Antoni Rief, Vils, Austrian Tyrol, 1725.

Tekla Cunningham Johannes Eberle, Prague, 1807

Andrew Davies Augustine Chauppy, Paris, 1749.

Katherine Kyme Johann Gottlob Pfretzichner, Mittenwald, 1791.

Tyler Lewis Anonymous, Brescia, circa 1580.

Maxine Nemerovski Timothy Johnson, Bloomington, IN, 1999; after Stradivari, Cremona, 17th century.

Sara Usher Desiderio Quercetani, Parma, Italy, 2001; after Stradivari, Cremona, 17th century.

Lisa Wiess Anonymous, 19th century; after Paolo Antonio Testore, Contrada, Larga di Milano, 1730s.

Alica Yang Richard Duke, London, 1762.

*The 1660 Andrea Guarneri violin played by Ms. Blumenstock, is made available to her though the generosity of the Philharmonia Baroque Period Instrument Trust.

Violas

David Daniel Bowes Richard Duke, London, circa 1780.

Daria D’Andrea School of Gioffredo Cappa, Turin, 1758.

Jason Pyszkowski Jay Haide, El Cerrito, CA, 2008; after Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Brescia, circa 1580.

Aaron Westman Dmitry Badiarov, Brussels, 2003; after Antonio Bagatella, Padua, circa 1750.

Violoncellos

William Skeen (continuo) Anonymous, The Netherlands, circa 1680.

Robert Howard Anonymous, Italy, circa 1750.

Shirley Edith Hunt Anonymous, Milan, circa 1706.

Contrabasses

Steven Lehning (continuo) Anonymous, Austria, circa 1830.

Christopher Deppe Johann Neuner II & Cantius Hornsteiner, Mittenwald, circa 1880.

Kristen Zoernig Joseph Wrent, Rotterdam, 1648.

Harpsichord

Corey Jamason Davis John Phillips, Berkeley, California; after Ruckers-Taskin, 1780.

San Francisco Willard Martin, Bethlehem, PA, 1990; after François Blanchet, Paris, circa 1730.

Organ

Steven Bailey John Brombaugh & Associates, Oregon, 1980.

Oboes

Michael Dupree Harry A. vas Dias, Decatur, Georgia, 1992; after Thomas Stanesby Sr. circa 1720.

Stephen Bard Levin & Robinson, New York, 1996; after Saxon Models

Bassoons

Kate van Orden Peter de Konigh, The Netherlands, 1986; copy of Thierriot Prudent, Paris, circa 1770.

Charles Koster Paul Hailperin, Zell, Germany, 1995; after M. Deper, Vienna, circa, 1725.

Trumpets

Kathryn James Adduci (solo) Rainer Egger, Basel, 2005; after Leonhard Ehe III, Nuremburg, 1748.

Stephen Escher Frank Tomes, London, 1993; after Johann Leonhard Ehe III, Nuremburg, 1746.  

Timpani

Kent Reed Anonymous, England, circa 1840.

AMERICAN BACH CHOIR

Sopranos

Jennifer Brody Michelle Clair Tonia D’Amelio Julia Earl Elisabeth Engan Susan Judy Allison Z. Lloyd Diana Pray Cheryl Sumsion

Altos Dan Cromeenes Elisabeth Elliassen Kevin Fox Linda Liebschutz Katherine E. McKee Amelia Triest Delia Voitoff-Bauman Heidi Waterman

Tenors

Edward Betts Corey Head Andrew Morgan Mark Mueller Colby Roberts John Rouse Sam Smith

Basses

John Kendall Bailey Adam Cole Hugh Davies Jeffrey Fields Thomas Hart Raymond Martinez James Nicholas Monios Chad Runyon

The Musicians and Their Instruments

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Tonight’s ProgramAMERICANBACHSOLOISTS•AMERICANBACHCHOIR

AriannaZukerman,soprano•JenniferLane,altoWesleyRogers,tenor•JamesMaddalena,baritone

Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)Messiah (Foundling Hospital version, 1754)

Thursday December 16, 2010 and Friday December 17, 2010Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

•

PART THE FIRST

SINFONY

SCENE IRECITATIVE, accompanied – Tenor - Comfort ye, comfort ye my People

ARIA – Tenor - Ev’ry Valley shall be exaltedCHORUS - And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed

SCENE IIRECITATIVE, accompanied – Bass - Thus saith the Lord of HostsARIA – Soprano - But who may abide the Day of his coming?

CHORUS - And he shall purify the Sons of Levi

SCENE IIIRECITATIVE – Alto - Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a SonARIA – Alto & CHORUS - O thou that tellest good Tidings to Zion

RECITATIVE, accompanied – Bass - For behold, Darkness shall cover the EarthARIA – Bass - The People that walked in Darkness have seen a great Light

CHORUS - For unto us a Child is born

SCENE IVPIFA

RECITATIVE – Soprano - There were Shepherds abiding in the FieldARIOSO – Soprano - And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them

RECITATIVE – Soprano - And the Angel said unto them, Fear notRECITATIVE, accompanied – Soprano - And suddenly there was with the Angel

a MultitudeCHORUS - Glory to God

SCENE VARIA – Soprano - Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Sion

RECITATIVE – Soprano - Then shall the Eyes of the Blind be open’dARIA – Soprano - He shall feed his Flock like a shepherd

CHORUS - His Yoke is easy

—INTERMISSION—

PART THE SECOND

SCENE ICHORUS - Behold the Lamb of God

ARIA – Alto - He was despised and rejected of MenCHORUS - Surely he hath borne our Griefs

CHORUS - And with His Stripes we are healedCHORUS - All we, like Sheep, have gone astray

RECITATIVE, accompanied – Tenor - All they that see him laugh him to scornCHORUS - He trusted in God, that he would deliver him

(Scene I continued)RECITATIVE, accompanied – Tenor - Thy Rebuke hath broken his Heart

ARIA – Tenor - Behold, and see

SCENE IIRECITATIVE, accompanied – Soprano - He was cut off out of the Land of the Living

ARIA – Soprano - But Thou didst not leave his Soul in Hell

SCENE IIISEMICHORUS - Lift up your Heads, O ye Gates

SCENE IVRECITATIVE – Tenor - Unto which of the Angels said He at any time

CHORUS - Let all the Angels of God worship Him

SCENE VARIA – Soprano - Thou art gone up on High

CHORUS - The Lord gave the WordARIA – Soprano - How beautiful are the Feet of them

CHORUS - Their Sound is gone out into all Lands

SCENE VIARIA – Bass - Why do the Nations so furiously rage together?

CHORUS - Let us break their Bonds asunder

SCENE VIIRECITATIVE – Tenor - He that dwelleth in Heaven shall laugh them to scorn

ARIA – Tenor - Thou shalt break them with a Rod of IronCHORUS - Hallelujah!

PART THE THIRD

SCENE IARIA – Soprano - I know that my Redeemer liveth

CHORUS - Since by Man came Death

SCENE IIRECITATIVE, accompanied – Bass - Behold, I tell you a Mystery

ARIA – Bass - The Trumpet shall sound

SCENE IIIRECITATIVE – Alto - Then shall be brought to pass

DUET - Alto and Tenor - O Death, where is thy Sting?CHORUS - But Thanks be to God

ARIA – Soprano - If God is for us, who can be against us?

SCENE IVCHORUS - Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

CHORUS - Amen.

Join us this concert season for some of our favorite music and discover exciting new works we know our audiences will love. You’ll hear two recently discovered Baroque treasures: the West Coast premiere of Antonio Lotti’s Mass for Three Choirs, and the first US performance of a recorder concerto by Telemann.

And next summer, look for the return of our Academy at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music when ABS joins the next generation of early music virtuosi in exciting collaborations, faculty and student recitals, and a performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor.

2010-2011Our 22nd Season

San Francisco • Belvedere • Berkeley • Davis

Jeffrey Thomas - Artistic Director

Music for the Royal Women of BritanniaPurcell Now Does the Glorious Day Appear Come, Ye Sons of Art

Handel Te Deum in D Major Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne “Eternal Source of Light Divine”

ELIZABETH WEIGLE soprano IAN HOWELL countertenor CLIFTON MASSEY countertenor AARON SHEEHAN tenor JESSE BLUMBERG baritone American Bach Choir

Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel took great joy in composing music for their royal patrons, Queens Mary II of England, Anne of Great Britain, and Caroline of Ansbach. Join ABS, the American Bach Choir, and a quintet of splendid vocal soloists for a rare treat of sumptuous music!

Friday 25 February 2011 8:00 pm St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere

Saturday 26 February 2011 8:00 pm First Congregational Church, Berkeley

Sunday 27 February 2011 7:00 pm St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco

Monday 28 February 2011 8:00 pm Davis Community Church, Davis

Free Pre-Concert “INSIGHTS” by UC Berkeley professor Kate van Orden begin one hour prior to each performance.

These performances are generously sponsored by Angela Hilt & Blake Reinhardt.

The Davis performance is generously sponsored by John & Lois Crowe and Richard & Shipley Walters.

Now Does the Glorious Day Appear

• Subscribe and Save! ABS Subscribers receive a discount of 15% • free ticket exchange and replacement • • distinctive status • exclusive perks • and are guaranteed the best seats in the house •

Brilliant Secular Treasures by Bach & Telemann

Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten “Wedding Cantata” Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht “Coffee Cantata”

Telemann “Ode on the Death of a Pet Canary” Concerto in G Minor for Recorder (US Premiere)

YULIA VAN DOREN soprano JOSHUA COPELAND baritone JOHANNA NOVOM violin JUDITH LINSENBERG recorder

Bach had a tremendous sense of humor! His famous “Coffee Cantata” shows the Leipzig Meister to be a man of wit and comedy, and as au courant as any other. Three of our most brilliant ABS Young Artist Competition prizewinners and the Bay Area’s own virtuoso, Judith Linsenberg, will collaborate with the ABS orchestra in the best and brightest secular music by Bach and Telemann, including the ridiculously absurd “Ode on the Death of a Pet Canary” and the US premiere of Telemann’s recently discovered Concerto in G Minor for Recorder and Strings.

Friday 1 April 2011 8:00 pm St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere

Saturday 2 April 2011 8:00 pm First Congregational Church, Berkeley

Sunday 3 April 2011 7:00 pm St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco

Monday 4 April 2011 8:00 pm Davis Community Church, Davis

Free Pre-Concert “INSIGHTS” by Jeffrey Thomas begin one hour prior to each performance.

These performances are generously sponsored by Jan Goldberg.

The Belvedere performance is generously sponsored by Wendy Buchen.

April FolliesA West Coast Premiere

Bach Magnificat in D Major

Lotti Mass for Three Choirs (West Coast Premiere)

The 2010-2011 Season Finale will bring to the West Coast the premiere of a work that was discovered just a decade ago: the Mass for Three Choirs by the Venetian master Antonio Lotti. ABS maestro Jeffrey Thomas—recognized worldwide as one of the foremost interpreters of the music of Bach and the Baroque—will lead the celebrated American Bach Choir in this ravishing music from the great tradition of San Marco’s maestri di cappella, paired with one of J.S. Bach’s most joyous and universally popular works, the Magnificat in D Major.

Friday 6 May 2011 8:00 pm St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere

Saturday 7 May 2011 8:00 pm First Congregational Church, Berkeley

Sunday 8 May 2011 7:00 pm St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco

Monday 9 May 2011 8:00 pm Davis Community Church, Davis

Free Pre-Concert “INSIGHTS” by CSU Sacramento lecturer Steven Lehning begin one hour prior to each performance.

These performances are generously sponsored by Hugh Davies & Kaneez Munjee and Jose & Carol Alonso.

The Davis performance is generously sponsored by Jim & Jennifer Steelquist.

Bach & Lotti

• Subscribe and Save! ABS Subscribers receive a discount of 15% • free ticket exchange and replacement • • distinctive status • exclusive perks • and are guaranteed the best seats in the house •

americanbach.org(415) 621-7900

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sung by the contralto, Susanna Cibber, a singing actress whom Handel found to be tremendously compelling. Over the next few years he continued to assign that “status” aria to her until 1749, the year before the first performance of Messiah in London’s Foundling Hospital. In this case it was awarded to a treble, or boy soprano, perhaps as a prescient indication of discussions that were underway to bring the oratorio into that venue, a home for abandoned or orphaned children. And the following year, in 1750, it was again transposed down a few keys so that it could be sung by the most recently arrived operatic star, the great Italian castrato, Gaetano Guadagni (1728-1792). Only for the last performance of Messiah conducted by Handel in 1754 was the final aria heard as it was first composed, for soprano (and we shall hear that version tonight!).

Program Notes

Within the decade that followed Handel’s composition of Messiah in 1741, nearly a dozen different casts and

configurations of vocal soloists were employed by the composer during those first ten years of what would become a never-ending history of performances worldwide. In each case, and for the remaining years of Handel’s life, he made revisions to his score that made the best use of the particular talents of his solo singers. While it is certainly true that Handel’s arrangements and transcriptions of arias that were employed for the work’s premiere in Dublin (1742) were due to the inadequacy of some of the singers at his disposal there, all subsequent revisions sought to show both the artists and the work in their best light. Customizing a musical work for the sake of the performers was not uncommon. In fact, it was not unheard of for an operatic vocalist (of necessarily considerable reputation) to carry along his or her favorite arias from city to city, insisting that they be incorporated into otherwise intact and singularly composed musical works for the stage. This indulgence was not as unreasonable as one might first assume.

The operatic style during Handel’s day has since become known as opera seria, a term that literally means “serious” opera and that was devised to mark the differences between those works and opera buffa, comic operas that were the outgrowth of commedia dell’arte. There were strict conventions within opera seria, including the utilization of the da capo, or A-B-A, format for arias. Secco recitatives, accompanied only by continuo (usually harpsichord and violoncello, and probably with contrabass), were used to reveal plot details and to introduce the arias (or, rarely, duets) that would illuminate the emotions of whichever character would sing them. But there were also non-musical conventions of equally practical importance. In most cases the singer would exit at the end of an aria; hence the term “exit aria.” Of course, the primary reason for this theatrical device was to solicit applause from the audience for the singer (although some of the approval might just as well have been intended for the composer). And each principal singer would fully expect to sing a number of arias in a variety of moods; lamentation, revenge, defiance, melancholy, anger, and heroic virtue were common sentiments. The texts of the arias were rarely longer than four or eight lines, and rather generic, so it was more or less reasonable that a singer could substitute a favorite aria from another work so long as the general emotion was appropriate.

Other traditions further supported this kind of expected artistic license. In most cases, final arias within any opera of the period were always awarded to the most important singer, not necessarily the most important character. This sort of deference to the talent made a great deal of sense as, during Handel’s day, the singers themselves were as much of an attraction to the audience, if not more so, as the composers and their works might have been. So, in Handel’s implementations of various casts of Messiah soloists, he made redistributions of the workload to be fair or, in some cases, to be flattering to the members of any particular roster. When surveying all of the versions of Messiah, it is very interesting to look first at the assignment of the final aria, “If God be for us.” Although originally composed for soprano, even for the premiere he altered the key so that it could be

London’s Foundling Hospital, a home “for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children,” was established in 1739 in the Bloomsbury area. Its founder, Thomas Coram (1668-1751), was a sea captain and had spent a number of his early years in the American colonies. Following a career as a successful London merchant, he turned his attention to philanthropy and, in particular, rescuing homeless, abandoned children. At that time, charity and philanthropy had become not only critically essential to the survival of Londoners as a whole, but it had also gained an oddly self-serving functionality as part of the fantastic expansion of London and the greater English empire. The rate of growth of London during the 18th century was exponential. About three-fourths of Londoners had been born elsewhere. Its culture was as diverse as the most modern 21st-century city. London offered opportunities and wealth to the industrious and ambitious, as well as a thriving underworld, anonymity, and meager subsistence to criminals

Thomas Coram (detail) by William Hogarth, 1740.

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The Foundling Hospital

and the unskilled. Its hierarchical systems of social status were ingrained, accepted, and treasured, despite the fact that the 18th century offered all Londoners the chance to upgrade their places and stations within that cosmopolis. Ironically, though, even those who were able to buy into higher levels of society through their successes as merchants were as eager as the blue-blooded aristocracy to maintain whatever distinctions of social status could be maintained. The wealthy typically lived in five-storey townhouses while the lower classes (those not housed as servants in the top floors of the elite’s homes) often lived in terribly unhealthy and cramped hovels. During most of the 1700s, Londoners were subjected to dreadful pollution, reprehensibly unsanitary conditions, and mostly unbridled crime.

Many of those poor conditions were the result of the preponderance of manufacturing industries within London’s commercial organism. About a third of London’s population were employed by manufacturing ventures, and the resulting pollution had turned the Thames River into, literally, a sewer. Still, this flourishing business culture helped increase overseas trade at least threefold during the century, and the spoils were global political power and domestic wealth. But the victims of all this were the children. Many lived only a few short years, and still others were abandoned to live on their own in the filth, smoke, and mire of London’s poorer quarters.

In the face of such undeniable misery, the wealthy could hardly turn a blind eye. During an era of destitution, depravity, and victimization, the beliefs of the Latitudinarian branch of the Church of England were timely assertions that benevolent and charitable deeds, rather than (or at least in addition to) the formalities of church worship, were essential to the quality of the moral state of the individual. Only by engaging in acts of compassion and by the establishment of a supporting relationship with the less fortunate could their plights, their suffering, and the terrible waste of human life be acceptably mitigated and tolerated.

Thus, charity became fashionable. Merchants supported charities that in turn supported the working class. Businesses needed healthy workers in great numbers to keep their machines well oiled and their industries thriving. Consumers were needed on the other side of the coin, so to speak, so the maintenance of the lower classes was in the best interest of those entrepreneurs. The kingdom itself needed to be defended at sea and abroad, so healthy battalions had to be provided. By supporting the less fortunate and encouraging their strength and independence, to a degree, those who had newly acquired wealth could gain prestige and propriety while nurturing their economic self-interests. To have a “bleeding heart” was especially in vogue among London’s upper-class women. Their ever-increasing opportunities to fashion socially relevant activities led quite naturally to their involvement in charities, which in turn substantiated their refinement, respectability, and moral rank. William Hogarth (1697-1764), the great English painter, satirist, and cartoonist, called this transformative time “a golden age of English philanthropy” and one of the greatest results of it was the Foundling Hospital.

Program Notes

In 18th-century London, the term “hospital” was applied to institutions for the physically ill as well as for the mentally ill, and to organizations that, through hospitality, supported particular factions of London’s population including sailors, refugees, penitent prostitutes, and destitute children. To a great degree, the efforts of Coram, assisted by Hogarth and Handel, firmly established the Foundling Hospital as one of England’s most long-lived and admirable benevolent institutions. Even before the buildings were completed—a process that took ten years from 1742 to 1752—children were first admitted to temporary housing in March, 1741. No questions were asked, but overcrowding quickly led to the establishment of rules for acceptance. The requirement that children be aged no more than two months was relaxed by the House of Commons in 1756 so that children up to twelve months would be accepted. During the next few years, more than 15,000 infants were left at its doors. Even within the Hospital, though, more than two thirds of them would not survive long enough to be apprenticed during their teenage years.

Coincidentally, in the same year that the Foundling Hospital accepted its first charges, Handel composed Messiah. Charles Jennens, the librettist for Messiah, had probably made the suggestion to Handel that the premiere of the work might take place in Dublin as a charity event. In fact, on March 27, 1742, Faulkner’s Dublin Journal published an announcement that:

“For Relief of the Prisoners in the several Gaols, and for the Support of Mercer’s Hospital in Stephen’s Street, and of the Charitable Infirmary on the Inns Quay, on Monday the 12th of April, will be performed at the Musick Hall in Fishamble Street, Mr. Handel’s new Grand Oratorio, call’d the Messiah…”

The previous decade or so had been quite unpleasant for Handel. He had begun to suffer financial difficulties, and by the early 1730s his professional life was simply unraveling. He was nearly bankrupt and had fallen very much out of the critical favor of the aristocratic public for whom he had composed his Italian operas. They were expensive to produce and not accessible enough for his audience. But, in fact, Handel himself was the object of what must have felt like brutal betrayal by his patrons, his audience, and even his musicians.

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Program NotesFor the first half of his life, Handel had led a charmed

existence. He seems to have waltzed into one happy situation after another, in which he enjoyed the patronage of royalty, the aristocracy, and the culture-seeking population at large. He was unexaggeratedly a national hero, despite his non-domestic origins. He had lived in extravagant estates, kept the most celebrated artists, writers, and musicians in his closest circles, and profited—although, not necessarily financially—from the tremendous favor that was bestowed upon him by an entire empire. His unprecedented success was so irreproachable that he was, without a doubt, completely unprepared for what amounted to a staggering fall from grace. But what emerged in 1741-42 was a work that would transcend the boundaries of musical forms, subject matter, social and cultural expectations, and, eventually, the bitterness of his rivals. And it would restore “the great Mr. Handel” to the revered status that he had enjoyed decades before.

The first performance of Messiah took place on April 13, 1742, in Dublin’s new music hall on Fishamble Street, and was a tremendous success. The review that appeared in Faulkner’s Dublin Journal proclaimed:

“Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crowded Audience. The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestick and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear.”

Performances in subsequent years took place in London, but those were met with less enthusiastic receptions. Messiah had blurred the distinctions between opera, oratorio, passion, and cantata, and perhaps some Londoners found this to be a fundamental fault. So it is fascinating to note that when the function of Messiah was returned to that of a work presented for the benefit of charities, and when the venue became an ecclesiastical structure rather than a theatre, the oratorio took hold of its permanent place in the hearts of audiences, then in London and now throughout the world.

For at least one year before the first Foundling Hospital performance of Messiah in 1750, Handel was involved with the charity, probably drawn to it through his associations with Hogarth and the music publisher John Walsh (1709-1766) who had been elected a governor in 1748. On May 4, 1749, Handel had made an offer, which was gratefully accepted, to present a benefit concert of vocal and instrumental music to help in the completion of the hospital’s chapel. The hospital reciprocated with an invitation to Handel, which he declined, to become one of its governors. On May 27th, Handel directed a performance (in the unfinished chapel) of excerpts from his Fireworks Music, Solomon, and the newly composed Foundling Hospital Anthem, “Blessed are they that considereth the poor and needy.” (The Foundling Hospital Anthem was Handel’s last work of English church music.) The “Hallelujah” chorus from Messiah was the final work, a premonition of what was in store for the following year. Royalty were in attendance.

Nearly one year later, on May 1, 1750, Handel performed Messiah in the (still not quite finished) chapel. That day marked

what can be seen as the most significant day in Handel’s career. The benefit concert’s success was extraordinary. More than 1,000 people crowded into the space, and more were turned away. Massive public attention to the event, coupled with unequivocal approbation for the oratorio, served Handel well and generated new commitment on the part of the London audience to uphold Handel and his oratorios as the great beacons of English music that they are. He became a governor of the hospital; since more than £1,000 had been raised by his performances, the fee required of governors was waived. Due to the overcrowded conditions on May 1, a second performance was offered on May 15, especially to those who were turned away a fortnight before, that resulted in the first documentation of an entire audience standing for the “Hallelujah” chorus. For the 1750 performances, Handel employed London’s newest vocal superstar, Gaetano Guadagni, who had arrived two years before in 1748 at the age of twenty, as part of an Italian opera company. The music historian Charles Burney (1726-1814) wrote about Guadagni:

“His voice was then a full and well toned counter-tenor…the excellence of his voice attracted the notice of Handel, who assigned him the parts in his oratorios of the Messiah and Samson, which had been originally composed for Mrs. Cibber…”

In subsequent years, the Foundling Hospital continued to rely upon annual performances of Messiah for significant income. But Handel’s life was approaching its very real twilight. The great colleague whom Handel never met, Johann Sebastian Bach, had undergone two operations on his eyes, both unsuccessful, the second of which led within months to Bach’s death in 1750. By the next year, Handel’s own eyesight was deteriorating rapidly. By March 1751, he was blind in one eye but nevertheless directed two performances of Messiah (in the still unfinished chapel) and even played voluntaries on the organ. 1752 brought more performances of

Foundling Hospital Chapel as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermann’s

Microcosm of London (1808-11).

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Messiah, still under the composer’s direction, but his eyesight continued to deteriorate despite various treatments and an operation. On August 17 a London newspaper reported that Handel had been “seiz’d a few days ago with a Paralytick [sic] Disorder in his Head which has deprived him of Sight,” and in March of 1753 Handel’s dear and longtime friend, Lady (Susan) Shaftesbury, reported that (at a performance) “it was such a melancholy pleasure, as drew tears of sorrow, to see the great though unhappy Handel, dejected, wan and dark, sitting by, not playing on the harpsichord, and to think how his light had been spent by being overplied in music’s cause.”

Soon, though, the Foundling Hospital Chapel was due for its official opening. Messiah was performed in April of 1753 in the Covent Garden theatre, and three days later the Chapel was dedicated at a performance of the Foundling Hospital Anthem. The last report of any public performance conducted by the blind Handel comes from the May 1 revival of Messiah for the benefit of the Hospital, although Handel almost certainly led Messiah one final time in 1754. Ironically, for that performance Handel reassigned a substantial number of arias to the voice types that he had in mind when he composed the work 13 years before. Annual performances to benefit the charity continued until his death in 1759 and beyond, leading to more than 250 years of performances throughout the world, having reached millions upon millions of listeners.

© Jeffrey Thomas, 2010

Program Notes

Handel (blind with Messiah score) by Thomas Hudson, 1756.

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of sound whether the bow was moving up or down. And, of course, concert halls grew in size, so instruments were made to play louder. In the 20th century, some composers required sounds that acoustic instruments simply could not produce; hence the genre of electronic music.

One of the most exciting sounds we hear from these “early instruments,” however, is the inherent tension during the most climactic moments in a musical work. If you haven’t already done so, find a recording of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony played by an orchestra of period instruments—ABS’ own recently released recording comes to mind!—and listen to the most dissonant or loud moments. You’ll be glad to hear the instruments being pushed to their limits, and you just might find the ease and aplomb with which modern instruments and their players perform the same passages to be lackluster by comparison.

Finally, a short note about antiques and repro-ductions: While it is not uncommon to find violins and violoncellos (or ‘cellos as they are known today) that are more than 300 years old being played in orchestras like ours, very few surviving antique wind instruments are still playable. Consequently, period wind instruments are almost always copies of originals.

Several decades ago, a movement began in the classical music industry to perform music on the instruments that were used during the

composer’s lifetime. Unquestionably advanced by the advent of CD recordings in the early 1980s, this marriage of scholarship and style became known as “historically informed performance practice.” But it encompasses more than just the proper choice of instruments for the performance of music from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical eras. Fine points of expression, articulation, and even the way instruments are tuned play a large role in what you are hearing tonight.

Probably for most of us it is the use of these beautiful and, in most cases, truly antique and priceless instruments that brings the most unique quality to these performances. Rather than cataloguing all the well-founded and essential reasons to use period instruments for this music, it is even more compelling to consider why the use of modern instruments would cheat us of the experience a composer like Handel meant to give to us.

Instruments have evolved and grown over the

centuries, mostly because composers would present new challenges to instrumentalists, and therefore to those who built their instruments. When a composer like Bach or Beethoven would write the most difficult passages that would tax the limits of an instrument’s responsiveness, within a decade or so instrument builders found a way to accommodate the challenges. In the Baroque period, musical phrases were made up of strong and weak notes, falling on strong and weak beats within a bar. When a violinist would move the bow in a downward stroke across a string, the sound was stronger than when the bow would be moved in an upward direction. But eventually the lengths of musical phrases grew, and more notes were meant to be played in a connected way, leading much further down the line to a phrase’s focal point. Accordingly, the bows for stringed instruments were then made to create the same amount

About Early Instruments

23

The following libretto is adapted from the printed word-book for the first London performances of Messiah in 1743, and incorporates Handel’s own

designations of part headings, scenes, and movement headings.

•

MESSIAH AN ORATORIO

Set to Musick by George-Frideric Handel, Esq.

PART THE FIRST

SINFONY

SCENE I

RECITATIVE, accompanied - Tenor

Comfort ye, comfort ye my People, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her Warfare is accomplish’d, that her Iniquity is pardon’d. The Voice of him that crieth in the Wilderness, prepare ye the Way of the Lord, make straight in the Desert a Highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:1-3)

SONG - Tenor

Ev’ry Valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry Mountain and Hill made low, the Crooked straight, and the rough Places plain. (Isaiah 40:4)

CHORUS

And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all Flesh shall see it together; for the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:5)

SCENE II

RECITATIVE, accompanied - Bass

Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; Yet once a little while, and I will shake the Heav’ns and the Earth; the Sea and the dry Land: And I will shake all Nations; and the Desire of all Nations shall come. (Haggai 2:6-7) The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple, ev’n the Messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in: Behold He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

SONG – Soprano

But who may abide the Day of his coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a Refiner’s Fire. (Malachi 3:2)

CHORUS

And he shall purify the Sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an Offering in Righteousness. (Malachi 3:3)

SCENE III

RECITATIVE - Alto

Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his Name Emmanuel, GOD WITH US. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)

SONG - Alto & CHORUS

O thou that tellest good Tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high Mountain: O thou that tellest good Tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy Voice with Strength; lift it up, be not afraid: Say unto the Cities of Judah, Behold your God. O thou that tellest good Tidings to Zion, Arise, shine, for thy Light is come, and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah 60:1)

RECITATIVE, accompanied - Bass

For behold, Darkness shall cover the Earth, and gross Darkness the People: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his Glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy Light, and Kings to the Brightness of thy Rising. (Isaiah 60:2-3)

SONG - Bass

The People that walked in Darkness have seen a great Light; And they that dwell in the Land of the Shadow of Death, upon them hath the Light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

CHORUS

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the Government shall be upon his Shoulder; and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

SCENE IV

PIFA

RECITATIVE - Soprano

There were Shepherds abiding in the Field, keeping Watch over their Flock by Night. (Luke 2:8)

ARIOSO - Soprano

And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the Glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. (Luke 2:9)

RECITATIVE - Soprano

And the Angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold, I bring you good Tidings of great Joy, which shall be to all People. For unto you is born this Day, in the City of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

RECITATIVE, accompanied - Soprano

And suddenly there was with the Angel a Multitude of the heav’nly Host, praising God, and saying ... (Luke 2:13)

CHORUS

Glory to God in the Highest, and Peace on Earth, Good Will towards Men. (Luke 2:14)

SCENE V

SONG - Soprano

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Sion, shout, O Daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is the righteous Saviour; and He shall speak Peace unto the Heathen. (Zechariah 9:9-10)

RECITATIVE - Soprano

Then shall the Eyes of the Blind be open’d, and the Ears of the Deaf unstopped; then shall the lame Man leap as an Hart, and the Tongue of the Dumb shall sing. (Zechariah 35:5-6)

SONG – Soprano

He shall feed his Flock like a shepherd: and He shall gather the Lambs with his Arm, and carry them in his Bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Come unto Him all ye that labour, come unto Him all ye that are heavy laden, and He will give you Rest. Take his Yoke upon you and learn of Him; for He is meek and lowly of Heart: and ye shall find Rest unto your souls. (Isaiah 40:11; Matthew 11:28-29)

CHORUS

His Yoke is easy, his Burthen is light. (Matthew 11:30)

—INTERMISSION—

Libretto

24

Millicent TomkinsArtist

Musical Still Life & Giclée PrintsEmail: millicenttomkins@earthlink.net

Website: millicenttomkins.com Telephone: 415-383-7194

San Francisco

Renaissance Voices Todd Jolly, Music Director

Special p erformance:

Music for 12th Night - The Boar’s Head with guest artists:

Phan tom of the Opera’s Susan Gundun as, soprano

& Brocelïande’s Margare t Davis, Celtic Harp

We celebrate Twelfth Night to end the holiday season

with the music of Medieval thru Contemporary England &

a feast of wassail, king’s cake & roast pork pie!

January 15 & 16, 2011

The Music of Joy *** EMA 25th Anniversary Concert ***

Join us in celebrating EMA’s 25 years of service to the

Early Music community with Tomás Luis de Victoria’s

“Missa Gaudeamus” & other joyful music of the

Renaissance & Early Baroque

March 19, 20 & 27, 2011

The Music of Love Jacquet de Mantua’s “Missa Ancor che col partire” with

Matthew Locke’s delightful masque “Cupid & Death”

August 13, 14, 20 & 21, 2011

Visit our website for de tails & ticke ts:

www.SFRV.org

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS OR SERVICE

with

Advertising with ABS allows you to support one of the finest early music ensembles in the country while getting your message to our highly educated patrons in a cost-

effective method!

415-621-7900advertise@americanbach.orgamericanbach.org/advertise

25

Take the AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS home to share with your friends and family

✯ GIFT WRAPPED FOR THE HOLIDAYS ✯CDs on sale during intermission

Handel’s Messiah Carols for Christmas

In July 2010, the American Bach Soloists inaugurated North America’s newest and most elite summer training program for advanced conservatory-level students and emerging professionals in the field of Historically Informed Performance Practice.

The American Bach Soloists AcAdemy—held in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s exquisite facilities in the heart of the city’s arts district—offers nearly two weeks of public events that present the celebrated artists of the American Bach Soloists performing side-by-side with the next generation of early music virtuosi.

Join us next summer ... July 14–23, 2011 americanbach.org/academy

ACADEMY SPONSORS

The American Bach Soloists AcAdemy Sponsors represent the San Francisco Bay Area arts community’s most culturally responsible patrons who are excited to provide uniquely challenging and artistically productive educational experiences to the world’s next generation of professional musicians specializing in the timeless repertoire of the Baroque era and, in particular, the music of Bach and his contemporaries.

Whether your passion is for the Arts, Education, or Music, your investment in the careers of the cream of the crop from conservatories around the globe will help ensure the future of great music that has inspired generations from all walks of life.

As a member of this essential and prestigious society, you will be invited to a special opening reception on the first day of the Academy to meet our students and faculty. You will also be invited to a special private reception at the conclusion of the Academy. And you will have first access to Priority Ticketing for all events.

Also available: Brandenburg Concertos; St. Matthew Passion Highlights; Cantatas; Mass in B Minor; and other titlesSingle CDs: $10 ✯ Double sets: $15

26

PART THE SECOND

SCENE I

CHORUS

Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the Sin of the World. (John 1:29)

SONG - Alto

He was despised and rejected of Men, a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief. He gave his Back to the Smiters, and his Cheeks to them that plucked off the Hair: He hid not his Face from Shame and Spitting. (Isaiah 53:3; Isaiah 50:6)

CHORUS

Surely he hath borne our Griefs and carried our Sorrows: He was wounded for our Transgressions, He was bruised for our Iniquities; the Chastisement of our Peace was upon Him. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

CHORUS

And with His Stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

CHORUS

All we, like Sheep, have gone astray, we have turned ev’ry one to his own Way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the Iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

RECITATIVE, accompanied - Tenor

All they that see him laugh him to scorn; they shoot out their Lips, and shake their Heads, saying ... (Psalm 22:7)

CHORUS

He trusted in God, that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, if he delight in him. (Psalm 22:8)

RECITATIVE, accompanied - Tenor

Thy Rebuke hath broken his Heart; He is full of Heaviness: He looked for some to have Pity on him, but there was no Man, neither found he any to comfort him. (Psalm 69:21)

SONG - Tenor

Behold, and see, if there be any Sorrow like unto his Sorrow! (Lamentations 1:12)

SCENE II

RECITATIVE, accompanied - Soprano

He was cut off out of the Land of the Living: For the Transgression of thy People was He stricken. (Isaiah 53:8)

SONG - Soprano

But Thou didst not leave his Soul in Hell, nor didst Thou suffer thy Holy One to see Corruption. (Psalm 16:10)

SCENE III

SEMICHORUS

Lift up your Heads, O ye Gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting Doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord Strong and Mighty; the Lord Mighty in Battle. Lift up your Heads, O ye Gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting Doors, and the King of

Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts: he is the King of Glory. (Psalm 24:7-10)

SCENE IV

RECITATIVE - Tenor

Unto which of the Angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this Day have I begotten thee? (Hebrews 1:5)

CHORUS

Let all the Angels of God worship Him. (Hebrews 1:6)

SCENE V

SONG - Soprano

Thou art gone up on High; Thou has led Captivity captive, and received Gifts for Men, yea, even for thine Enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them. (Psalm 68:18)

CHORUS

The Lord gave the Word: Great was the Company of the Preachers. (Psalm 68:11)

ARIA - Soprano

How beautiful are the Feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. (Romans 10:15)

CHORUS

Their Sound is gone out into all Lands, and their Words unto the Ends of the World. (Romans 10: 18)

SCENE VI

SONG - Bass

Why do the Nations so furiously rage together? and why do the People imagine a vain Thing? The Kings of the Earth rise up, and the Rulers take Counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed. (Psalm 2:1-2)

CHORUS

Let us break their Bonds asunder, and cast away their Yokes from us. (Psalm 2:3)

SCENE VII

RECITATIVE - Tenor

He that dwelleth in Heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in Derision. (Psalm 2:4)

SONG - Tenor

Thou shalt break them with a Rod of Iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a Potter’s Vessel. (Psalm 2:9)

CHORUS

Hallelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The Kingdom of this World is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah! (Revelation 19:6; 11:15; 19:16)

Libretto

27

PART THE THIRD

SCENE I

SONG - Soprano

I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter Day upon the Earth: And tho’ Worms destroy this Body, yet in my Flesh shall I see God. For now is Christ risen from the Dead, the First-Fruits of them that sleep. (Job 19:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:20)

CHORUS

Since by Man came Death, by Man came also the Resurrection of the Dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

SCENE II

RECITATIVE, accompanied - Bass

Behold, I tell you a Mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be chang’d, in a Moment, in the Twinkling of an Eye, at the last Trumpet. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

SONG - Bass

The Trumpet shall sound, and the Dead shall be rais’d incorruptible, and We shall be chang’d. For this corruptible must put on Incorruption, and this Mortal must put on Immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:52-54)

SCENE III

RECITATIVE - Alto

Then shall be brought to pass the Saying that is written; Death is swallow’d up in Victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54)

DUET - Alto and Tenor

O Death, where is thy Sting? O Grave, where is thy Victory? The Sting of Death is Sin, and the Strength of Sin is the Law. (1 Corinthians 15:55-56)

CHORUS

But Thanks be to God, who giveth Us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

SONG - Soprano

If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay anything to the Charge of God’s Elect? It is God that justifieth; Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again; who is at the Right Hand of God, who maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:31 and 33-34)

SCENE IV

CHORUS

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His Blood, to receive Power, and Riches, and Wisdom, and Strength, and Honour, and Glory, and Blessing. Blessing and Honour, Glory and Pow’r be unto Him that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. (Revelation 5:12-14)

CHORUS

Amen.

Libretto

Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus: To Stand or Not To Stand…

Perhaps the best-known and widely accepted concert “tradition” is standing for the Hallelujah chorus. Legend has it that King George II leapt to his feet when he heard it during one of the work’s first performances in London. Because no person could remain seated while the King stood, the entire audience rose with him. Some credit this anecdote as the origin of the “standing ovation”.

But a closer look at the facts reveals that there is no evidence that the King ever attended such a performance. The first written account of the story appeared in 1780, more than 35 years after the cited performance, and it was written by someone who admits to not having witnessed the King’s presence himself. However, the King was known to attend such events incognito. So he, in fact, at least might have been there.

If he was in attendance, there is much speculation as to why he stood at all. Theories range from the reverent to the simply unflattering: he might have been stretching his legs, relieving his gout, leaving for the bathroom, or suddenly awakened by the chorus’ forte entrance. But the general opinion is that his own sense of obeisance compelled him to stand upon hearing the majestic and undeniably enthralling music of the Hallelujah chorus.

The custom is common in English speaking countries, but essentially unknown in all others. Many have objected, in more contemporary eras, to the distastefully imperialistic implications of following the King’s lead in this manner. After all, the general audience only stood because they had to do so. But others are quick and well justified to point out that Handel’s Messiah is certainly the most well known and universally enjoyed major work in the Baroque oratorio genre—if not among all “classical” music works—and that standing as a group, in the name of tradition, unites the audience with the performers for a few minutes in a most energizing way.

No matter how convincingly some can argue that this “tradition” is rooted in untrustworthy hearsay, you have only to look at the performers when you stand at that wondrous, thrilling moment: you will see their smiles and their spirits lifted even higher, knowing that millions upon millions of people have stood at that very same moment in music, and in virtually every corner of the world. Even Haydn stood with the crowd at a performance in Westminster Abbey. It is said that he wept and proclaimed of George Frideric Handel, “He is the master of us all.”

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Music Director Jeffrey Thomas

JEFFREY THOMAS has brought thoughtful, meaningful, and informed perspectives to his performances as Artistic and Music Director of the American Bach Soloists for more than two decades. Recognized worldwide as one of the foremost interpreters of the music of Bach and the Baroque, he continues to inspire audiences and performers alike through his keen insights into the passions behind musical expression. He has directed and conducted recordings of more than 25 cantatas, the Mass in B Minor, Musical Offering, motets, chamber music, and works by Schütz, Pergolesi, Vivaldi, Haydn, and Beethoven. Fanfare magazine has praised his series of Bach recordings, stating that “Thomas’ direction seems just right, capturing the humanity of the music…there is no higher praise for Bach performance.” He has appeared with the Baltimore, Berkeley, Boston, Detroit, Houston, National, Rochester, Minnesota, and San Francisco symphony orchestras; with the Vienna Symphony and the New Japan Philharmonic; with virtually every American baroque orchestra; and in Austria, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Mexico. He has performed at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Spoleto USA Festival, Ravinia Festival, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Berkeley Festival and Exhibition, Boston Early Music Festival, Bethlehem Bach Festival, Göttingen Festival, Tage Alte Musik Festival in Regensburg, E. Nakamichi Baroque Festival in Los Angeles, the Smithsonian Institution, and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s “Next Wave Festival,” and he has collaborated on several occasions as conductor with the Mark Morris Dance Group.

Before devoting all of his time to conducting, he was one of the first recipients of the San Francisco Opera Company’s prestigious Adler Fellowships. Cited by the Wall Street Journal as “a superstar among oratorio tenors,” Mr. Thomas’ extensive discography of vocal music includes dozens of recordings of major works for Decca, EMI, Erato, Koch International Classics, Denon, Harmonia Mundi, Smithsonian, Newport Classics, and Arabesque. Mr. Thomas is an avid exponent of contemporary music, and has conducted the premiers of new operas, including David Conte’s Gift of the Magi and Firebird Motel, and premiered song cycles of several composers, including

two cycles written especially for him. He has performed lieder recitals at the Smithsonian, song recitals at various universities, and appeared with his own vocal chamber music ensemble, L’Aria Viva.

Educated at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard School of Music, with further studies in English literature at Cambridge University, he has taught at the Amherst Early Music Workshop, Oberlin College Conservatory Baroque Performance Institute, San Francisco Early Music Society, and Southern Utah Early Music Workshops, presented master classes at the New England Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, SUNY at Buffalo, Swarthmore College, and Washington University, been on the faculty of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, and was artist-in-residence at the University of California, where he is now professor of music (Barbara K. Jackson Chair in Choral Conducting) and director of choral ensembles in the Department of Music at UC Davis. He was a UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow from 2001 to 2006; and the Rockefeller Foundation awarded him a prestigious Residency at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center at Villa Serbelloni for April 2007, to work on his manuscript, “Handel’s Messiah: A Life of Its Own.”

In the Press...

“Thomas united enlightened historical performance practice with native musical intelligence.”

San FranciSco examiner

“Thomas cast the music in winningly immediate terms…a performance marked by crisp rhythmic focus and tender lyricism.”

San FranciSco chronicle

“Under the dexterous leadership of Music Director Jeffrey Thomas, the choir produced sounds of remarkable transparency and body.”

San FranciSco chronicle

“Thomas’ direction seems just right, capturing the humanity of the music…there is no higher praise for Bach performance.”

FanFare maGazine

29

Artist Profiles

ARIANNA ZUKERMAN (soprano) possesses a luminous voice with “the breadth of dramatic inflection to make for a powerfully effective performance” (Opera). The Washington Post observes “Arianna Zukerman possesses a remarkable voice that combines the range, warmth and facility of a Rossini mezzo with shimmering, round high notes and exquisite pianissimos that would make any soprano jealous.”

Arianna Zukerman’s 2010-11 season includes several return engagements including Verdi’s Requiem with the National Philharmonic, Messiah with American Bach Soloists, and Mozart’s Requiem with New Choral Society. She also continues her collaboration with Lorin Maazel as Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia at University of California at Berkeley; sings Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with both Toledo Symphony Orchestra and in a return to the National Arts Centre Orchestra; and appears in recital with the Miami String Quartet at Rice University through Houston Friends of Music, and with pianist Navah Perlman at Bridgewater College. Her 2009-10 season also featured several reengagements including the Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra (Lisbon) to sing Salieri’s Requiem, Music of the Baroque in Mozart’s Requiem, and National Arts Centre singing Mozart’s “Ch’io mi scordi di te”. She also sang First Lady in Die Zauberflöte and as soloist in “Black & White Opera Soirée,” with Opera Lyra Ottawa; Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra; in a recital titled “Virgins, Vixens, Muses and Dames” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (DC); Messiah with both the New Choral Society and University of Richmond; Mozart’s Requiem with Washington Chorus; Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with National Philharmonic; Verdi’s Requiem with Rochester Philharmonic; Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Bruckner’s Te Deum at UC Davis; Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and “L’amero saro costante” at Ravinia Festival; and in recital with pianist Navah Perlman for El Paso Pro Musica.

In 2008-09, Ms. Zukerman sang as soloist in Mozart’s Requiem in a return to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Pinchas Zukerman conducting; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Barber’s Prayers of Kierkegaard with the Nashville Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting; Verdi’s Requiem with the Springfield Symphony; Messiah with both the Rochester Philharmonic and Alabama Symphony; Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and “L’amero saro costante” with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra; and Fauré’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Magnificat, and Hör mein Bitten with

Berkshire Choral Festival. She also appeared in recital at Joplin Pro Musica, the University of Montevallo, and the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC. In summer of 2009 she returned to Chateauville Foundation to reprise the role of Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia under Lorin Maazel, with performances at the conductor’s estate in Virginia; appeared at Festival Classique den Haag in the Netherlands with violinist Daniel Hope in James Whitbourn’s Annelies; and at the Berkshire Choral Festival in Montreal singing Mendelssohn’s Paulus, with Julian Wachner conducting.

Ms. Zukerman appears frequently in solo recitals in the United States and Europe. An accomplished chamber musician, she continues to enjoy an ongoing collaboration with the Miami String Quartet, which has taken them to many prominent chamber music venues including Kent State University, the Hartt School, the Chamber Music Series at the University of Oregon, and the Pro Arte Musical in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Certain that the arts are a link to higher achievement in all areas of life, Arianna Zukerman maintains an active schedule as an Adjunct Professor at Catholic University of America and in master classes around the United States. A past recipient of the Sullivan Foundation Award, Ms. Zukerman was a member of the Bavarian State Opera Junges Ensemble. She studied theatre at Brown University and received her Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School. She resides with her husband in Washington, DC.

JENNIFER LANE (mezzo-soprano) is “a singer whose dark, bottomless voice is matched by her expressiveness and intelligence.” The press has described her singing as “clear, rich, plangent,” “compelling and dramatic,” and possessing “agility and charisma,” “awesome technique and gorgeous tone,” and praised her Apollo (Handel’s Terpsicore) as “a glowing god of music who dominated the stage.” Ms. Lane is internationally recognized for her striking interpretations of repertoire ranging from the early Baroque to today’s composers. She recently created the role of Charmian London—opposite baritone Rodney Gilfrey as Jack London—in Libby Larsen’s Everyman Jack for Sonoma City Opera. During 2008, she toured throughout Spain in the dual roles of Messaggiera/Speranza in Monteverdi’s Orfeo in celebration of the opera’s 400th anniversary. Ms. Lane’s opera credits also include l’Opéra de Monte Carlo, Aix-en-Provence, Les Arts Florissants, New York City Opera, Palm Beach Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, among many others.

JENNIFER LANE

ARIANNA ZUKERMAN

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Jennifer Lane has over forty commercial CD recordings, among them winners of Gramophone and other awards. Her films, Dido & Æneas with the Mark Morris Dance Group and The Opera Lover, have also won many awards. With Robert Craft, on Naxos, Ms. Lane has recorded Sravinsky’s Oedipus Rex (Jocasta), Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder (Waldtaube), and Das Buch Der Hängenden Gärten. She has several solo CDs available, including The Pleasures & Follies of Love (Koch) and Airs de Cour (Magnatune.com). Her newest recording, “Own the Pow’r of Harmony!” in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death, was released on Magnatune.com this year. Ms. Lane’s career also spans opera production and direction. While at Stanford University, she produced and directed several full, period productions, and created an early music collegium. Ms. Lane’s more recent productions include updated stagings of Handel’s Semele and Acis & Galatea at the Shakespeare Blackfriars Theatre in Staunton, VA. In addition to master classes, workshops and clinics in the US and abroad, Ms. Lane serves as Associate Professor of Voice at the University of North Texas.

JAMES MADDALENA (baritone) is known for his outstanding work in contemporary music. He created the notable characters of Richard Nixon and The Captain in two operas by John Adams, the award winning Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghoffer, respectively. He is closely associated with other composers such as John Harbison, Gunther Schuller, Eliot Goldenthal, Robert Moran, Domenic Argento, Marc Blitzstein and Michael Tippett, among others, via performances with such companies as New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, The Washington Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, The Frankfurt Opera, Opera de la Monnaie in Brussels, Australia’s Adelaide Festival, The Netherlands Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and The Opera de Lyon as well as with The Chicago Symphony, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, The Brooklyn Philharmonic, The Royal Scottish Orchestra, The Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and The London Symphony. Other highlights of Mr. Maddalena’s career include Schubert’s demanding song cycle Die Winterreise sung at The Brooklyn Academy of Music with Robert Spano as accompanist and the complete cycle of Bach cantatas with Boston’s Emmanuel Music. He has recorded prolifically for Decca/London, BMG Classical Catalyst, Nonesuch, Teldec, Sony Classical, Harmonia Mundi and EMI.

Artist Profiles

JAMES MADDALENA

WESLEY ROGERS

FARALLON ASSOCIATESInsurance Brokers

Division of MOC Insurance Services

Peter B. Brown, Senior Vice President

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E-mail: pbrown@farallonins.com

WESLEY ROGERS (tenor), hailed by San Francisco Classical Voice as possessing the “kind of tenor that pours forth powerfully, effortlessly, seemingly for any length of time,” is making his mark on both operatic and concert stages throughout the United States. While a member of Seattle Opera, Wesley performed the role of Peter Quint in Britten’s Turn of the Screw, Maintop in Billy Budd, and Trin in Fanciulla del West. This spring the young tenor performed the role of Alfredo in Skagit Opera’s La Traviata and the title role in Tacoma Opera’s Faust. Recent concert engagements have included Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the American Bach Soloists, Britten’s War Requiem with Orchestra Seattle, Mozart’s Coronation Mass with EOS Orchestra, and Louis Gruenberg’s The Daniel Jazz at the Bard Festival. Mr. Rogers has also performed with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, the Cabrillo Festival, Capella Romano, The Tudor Choir, Opera Memphis, and Sun Valley Center for the Arts. Upcoming engagements include Tony in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s West Side Story Suite and Rossini’s Stabat Mater at University of California at Davis.

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March 4–6, 2011

Dietrich BuxtehuDe Membra Jesu Nostri

april 29 – May 1, 2011

Johannes Brahms & the German LeGacyBrahms, Schütz, and Hassler

Fridays at 8 PM — San FranciscoSaturdays at 8 PM — Palo Alto

Sundays at 4 PM — Berkeley

415-262-0272 · www.calbach.org

special BacH BeNeFiT cONceRT & RecepTiONAn Afternoon with Corey Jamason

Spend a delightful January afternoon with the San Francisco Bach Choir’s Artistic Director Corey Jamason at the keyboard! This all-Bach concert and conversation-in-the-round, held in the reception hall at Calvary, is offered as a special celebratory event for our audience and benefit for the choir. Hear Bach’s dazzling Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue and the profound Overture in the French Style, and then enjoy a dessert reception with the director following the concert. (Limited seating)

Sunday, January 16, 2011, 4pmCalvary Presbyterian Church, Fillmore & Jackson, SF

. . . Corey Jamason playing Bach is one of the true glories of the regional scene, and Jamason demonstrated once again what a remarkable range of expression is possible on the harpsichord. . .

—The Santa Barbara Independent

All seAts $50

www.sfbach.org 415·441·4942

KDFC’s Sounds of the Season, your favorite classical musicon 102.1 KDFC with some holiday pieces mixed in - the best choral gems, brass, harp and string quartet arrangements of the music that brings the holidays home...and to your office!

The only place to find this unique mix of the Sounds of the Season is 102.1 KDFC and streaming on KDFC.com

Christmas. And then some. Christmas. And then some.