Pac i f i c Symphony P-15

WILLIAM LACEY, CONDUCTOR

CHRISTINE BRANDES, SOPRANO

ELIZABETH BATTON, MEZZO-SOPRANO

BENJAMIN BUTTERFIELD, TENOR

TIMOTHY MIX, BASS

PACIFIC CHORALE

JOHN ALEXANDER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

ORANGE COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTERR E N É E A N D H E N R Y S E G E R S T R O M C O N C E R T H A L L

Sunday, December 13, 2009, at 3:00 p.m.

P R E S E N T S

S E G E R S T R O M C E N T E R F O R T H E A R T S

Messiahan Oratorio by

George Frideric HandelThe Words selected from Holy Scripture by

Charles Jennens

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PROGRAM

PART 1

Overture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Orchestra

Recit: Comfort ye my people . . . . . . . . .Benjamin Butterfield

Aria: Ev’ry valley shall be exalted . . . . . .Benjamin Butterfield

Chorus:And the glory of the Lord . . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Recit:Thus saith the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Timothy Mix

Aria: But who may abide the day of His coming

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elizabeth Batton

Chorus:And He shall purify . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Recit: Behold, a virgin shall conceive . . . . . .Elizabeth Batton

Aria: O thou that tellest good tidings

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elizabeth Batton and Pacific Chorale

Recit: For behold, darkness shall cover the earth Timothy Mix

Aria:The people that walked in darkness . . . . . .Timothy Mix

Chorus: For unto us a Child is born . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Pastoral Symphony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Orchestra

Recit:There were shepherds . . . . . . . . . . . .Christine Brandes

Recit:And lo! The angel of the Lord . . . . . .Christine Brandes

Recit:And the angel said unto them . . . . . .Christine Brandes

Recit:And suddenly there was with the Angel . . . . .Christine

Brandes

Chorus: Glory to God in the highest . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Aria: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion . .Christine Brandes

Recit:Then shall the eyes of the blind . . . . . .Elizabeth Batton

Duet: He shall feed His flock . . .Elizabeth Batton and Christine

Brandes

Chorus: His yoke is easy, His burthen is light . .Pacific Chorale

I N T E R M I S S I O N

PART 2

Chorus: Behold the Lamb of God . . . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Aria: He was despised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elizabeth Batton

Chorus: Surely He hath borne our griefs . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Chorus:And with His stripes we are healed . . .Pacific Chorale

Chorus:All we like sheep have gone astray . . .Pacific Chorale

Recit:All they that see Him . . . . . . . . . .Benjamin Butterfield

Chorus: He trusted in God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Recit:Thy rebuke hath broken His heart .Benjamin Butterfield

Aria: Behold, and see if there be any sorrow . . . . . . .Benjamin

Butterfield

Recit: He was cut off out of the land . . . . .Christine Brandes

Aria: But thou didst not leave his soul . . . . .Christine Brandes

Aria:Why do the nations so furiously rage . . . . .Timothy Mix

Chorus: Let us break their bonds asunder . . . .Pacific Chorale

Recit: He that dwelleth in heaven . . . . . .Benjamin Butterfield

Aria:Thou shalt break them . . . . . . . . . .Benjamin Butterfield

Chorus: Hallelujah! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

PART 3

Aria: I know that my Redeemer liveth . . . .Christine Brandes

Chorus: Since by man came death . . . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Recit: Behold, I tell you a mystery . . . . . . . . . .Timothy Mix

Aria:The trumpet shall sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Timothy Mix

Chorus:Worthy is the Lamb/Amen . . . . . . . . .Pacific Chorale

Pac i f i c Symphony P-17

Messiah (1741)BY GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (HALLE, SAXONY, 1685 – LONDON, 1759)

Instrumentation: 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 trumpets,timpani, harpsichord, organ, and strings.Performance time: approximately 2 hours.

Handel’s Messiah is one of thosemasterpieces we like to call “timeless”because we are so used to them that itis sometimes hard to imagine thatthey weren’t always with us.Also,being by far the composer’s mostpopular composition, some peoplemight assume it is the quintessentialHandel oratorio.The truth, however,is that Messiah is very much a productof its time, and it is actually a ratherunusual case among Handel’s works.

Handel turned to oratorio-writingin the 1730s, after the Italian operacompany he had founded and direct-ed in London was forced out of busi-ness by the competition. Replacingsecular subject matters by sacred oneswas not in itself the most far-reachingelement of change — after all, Italianopera and Italian oratorio were stylis-tically not very far removed. Moreimportant was the switch from theItalian language to English, whichdirectly affected musical style — notto mention the fact that Handel nowhad to rely on local singers, not greatstars imported from the continent.

Handel had practically no prece-dents to build on when he wrote hisfirst English oratorios. His first essayin the new genre was Esther, firstconceived as a shorter work back in1718, during what was only a tem-porary break in Handel’s Italianopera production. Esther was consid-erably revised and expanded for a

1732 revival, now quickly followedby Deborah,Athalia, Saul, and Israel inEgypt. All these oratorios (as well asmany of the later ones) are based ondramatic stories from the OldTestament, with the exception ofAthalia, which is an adaptation of atragedy by Racine. Messiah is unusualin that it is based on both the Newand the Old Testaments, and that ithas no dramatic action or namedcharacters: it is a retelling of the lifeof Christ through a judicious selec-tion of Bible verses, compiled forHandel by a gentleman namedCharles Jennens. (A son of a wealthyfamily who owned large estates inthe country, Jennens devoted himselfto literary, artistic, and political pur-suits in London.A great admirer ofHandel’s music, he served the com-poser as librettist not only in Messiahbut in Saul, Belshazzar and, possibly,Israel in Egypt as well.)

Messiah is also the only Handel

oratorio whose first performancetook place outside England (namely,in Dublin, Ireland), although wedon’t know for sure whether it hadbeen intended for Handel’s Dublinseason from the start.What we doknow is that Handel left London forDublin about two months after com-pleting Messiah, and stayed there fornine entire months, during whichtime he gave two full subscriptionseries of six concerts each, consistingof earlier oratiorios and even one ofHandel’s Italian operas in concertform. Messiah, performed on April13 at the end of the season, complet-ed this “baker’s dozen” of Dublinconcerts.

The capital of English-dominatedIreland had a fairly rich artistic sceneat the time, with considerable localtalent complemented by artists com-ing from London. Handel found agrateful and receptive audience there,packing a “Great Music Hall” onFishamble Street that was not nearlylarge enough for an event of thismagnitude.The most prominentmembers of Dublin high societywere all there, among a crowd ofabout 700 people. The Dublin Journal,which had called the work “the finestComposition of Musick that ever washeard” after the public dress rehearsal,wrote after the official premiere:

Words are wanting to express theexquisite Delight it afforded to theadmiring crouded Audience.TheSublime, the Grand, and theTender, adapted to the most ele-vated, majestick and movingWords, conspired to transport andcharm the ravished Heart and Ear.

PROGRAM NOTESBY PETER LAKI, Program Annotator for Pacific Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra

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Soon after his return to London,Handel produced Messiah at CoventGarden and, due to the great success,revived it every few years for the restof his life. He led his final Messiahperformance on April 6, 1759, eightdays before his death and long sincecompletely blind.After his death, thetradition of annual Messiah perform-ances continued, and spread to theEuropean continent and the UnitedStates. It never needed to be revived,for it never went out of fashion dur-ing the 267 years of its existence.

From 1742 until his death, Handelmade many revisions in the score,transposing arias to different vocalranges, even deleting numbers andadding new ones, so that the worknow exists in a multitude of versions,forcing performers to make choicesthat are not always easy.The WatkinsShaw edition, based on a carefulstudy of all sources, is the most wide-ly used version today.

The three parts of Messiah corre-spond to Nativity, Passion andResurrection, making the work

equally suitable for performance dur-ing the Lenten and Easter season (infact, the first performance took placeabout two weeks after Easter in1742). In this country, Messiah haslong been a special Christmas tradi-tion, with churches often presentingperformances or sing-alongs of Part Ialone. Yet the work only takes its fullmeaning in its entirety, surveyingChrist’s entire life story in whichbirth, death and eternal life becomeinseparable.

WHAT TO LISTEN FORAfter the overture, the first half of

Part I deals with “God’s Promise.”Within that section, the joyful news(“Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted”) iscontrasted with the fearful challengethis news may represent to the world(“But Who May Abide the Day ofHis Coming?”). Feelings of joy againpredominate in “O Thou That TellestGood Tidings to Zion.”Then, afteran image of “the people that walkedin darkness” seeing “a great light,” the“Promise” section culminates in theproclamation of the “WonderfulCounsellor, the mighty God, theeverlasting Father, the Prince ofPeace.”

Part I then continues with thefamous Pifa or “Pastoral Symphony,”an instrumental movement symboliz-ing the birth of the Child, followedby the angels’ hymn of praise.Themessage of joy and comfort is reiter-ated as Part I closes.

This message contrasts dramaticallywith the opening of Part II, where theLamb of God is seen suffering,“despised and rejected,” and theworld,“gone astray like sheep,”

becomes aware of the price ofredemption. Part II then reflects onthe Passion without literally recount-ing its events, anticipates Resurrectionand — after a powerful portrayal ofthe forces of evil — moves on to thefinal defeat of those forces and theproclamation of victory in the cele-brated Hallelujah chorus.

The main motive of Part III is theconquest of Death by Life, expressedin turn through an individual’s con-fession of faith (“I Know that MyRedeemer Liveth”), a communalstatement (“Since By Man CameDeath”) and the glorious announce-ment of Judgment Day completewith the angel’s trumpet (“TheTrumpet Shall Sound”). One lasttime we turn to a personal reflectionin the aria “If God Be For Us,”before the chorus makes its finalproclamation in “Worthy Is theLamb.”We see, then, how Jennens’sBiblical collage makes both theologi-cal and dramatic sense as it provides alogical train of thought by arranginga large number of religious topics ina unified and highly compellingsequence.

This dramatic logic, which makesup for the absence of a “plot” in theconventional sense, enabled Handelto write music that illustrated eachtopic, but also did infinitely morethan that. One could say that the texttakes its full meaning only whenjoined by the music. Handel placedhis contrapuntal virtuosity in theservice of drama in the great choralfugues (“And With His Stripes,” and“He Trusted in God”) and bent thestrict rules of fugue-writing innumerous ways to suit his dramatic

PROGRAM NOTES (continued)

Pac i f i c Symphony P-19

purpose. Often, as in “And He ShallPurify” or “For Unto Us A Child IsBorn,” the first voice drops out whenthe second, imitating voice enters. Itis an unorthodox practice thatreduces the counterpoint and eveneliminates it completely at times, yetit emphasizes single parts from thechorus almost as if they were individ-ual characters in a drama.The ariashave obvious links to the style ofItalian opera in which Handelworked for so many years; yetHandel tended to move away fromthe standard “da-capo” form which,with its insistence on repeating theentire first half after the middle sec-tion, could impede the dramatic flow.There is only one aria with a fullrepeat of its first section:“He wasdespised.”“The Trumpet ShallSound” has an almost full repeat,with the instrumental introductionomitted the second time.

Maybe the most unique quality ofthe music of Messiah is its combina-tion of religious feeling with uncom-mon vigor and natural robustness.Despite moments of grief and tragedywhich are by no means downplayedin the music, Messiah, from the open-ing Overture to the final “Amen,”really bursts with life.Which may wellbe one of the reasons why we don’twant to be without this work, espe-cially during a time of year tradition-ally associated with the celebration oflife and renewal.

FURTHER READINGThose who desire a detailed, movement-by-movement description of Messiah canbe referred to Jens Peter Larsen’s classicstudy (Handel’s Messiah: Origins,Composition, Sources. 2nd edition:New York: W.W.Norton, 1972). DonaldBurrows published a more recent and con-cise discussion of the work in theCambridge Music Handbook Series

(1991). Richard Luckett’s Handel’sMessiah:A Celebration (Orlando:Harcourt Brace, 1992) is a richly illus-trated and highly readable account, whileThomas F. Kelly tells the story of the firstperformance based on a large number ofcontemporary documents in his delightfulbook First Nights: Five MusicalPremieres (New Haven:Yale UniversityPress, 2000).

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PART I

Sinfonia

Accompagnato (Tenor)Comfort ye, comfort ye my People, saith your God; speak yecomfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her Warfare isaccomplish’d, that her Iniquity is pardon’d. The Voice of himthat 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)

Air (Tenor) Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry Mountain and Hillmade low, the Crooked straight, and the rough places plain.

(Isaiah 40, 4)

ChorusAnd the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all Flesh shallsee it together; for the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

(Isaiah 40, 5)

Accompagnato (Bass)Thus saith the Lord of Hosts;Yet once a little while, and I willshake the Heav’ns and the Earth; the Sea and the dry Land:and I will shake all Nations: and the Desire of all Nations shallcome.

(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)

Air (Alto)But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shallstand when He appeareth? For He is like a Refiner’s Fire.

(Malachi 3,2)

ChorusAnd he shall purify the Sons of Levi, that they may offer untothe Lord an Offering in Righteousness.

(Malachi 3,3)

Recitative (Alto)Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall callHis Name Emmanuel, God with us.

(Isaiah 7, 14; Matthew 1, 23)

Air (Alto) and ChorusO thou that tellest good Tidings to Zion, get thee up into thehigh Mountain: O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem,lift up thy Voice with Strength: lift it up, be not afraid: Sayunto the Cities of Judah, Behold your God. O thou that tellestgood Tidings to Zion, arise, shine, for thy Light is come, andthe Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

(Isaiah 40, 9; Isaiah 60.1)

Accompagnato (Bass)For behold, Darkness shall cover the Earth, and gross Darknessthe People: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his Gloryshall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thyLight, and Kings to the Brightness of thy Rising.

(Isaiah 60, 2-3)

Air (Bass)The people that walked in Darkness have seen a great Light;and they that dwell in the Land of the Shadow of Death, uponthem hath the Light shined.

(Isaiah 9,2)

ChorusFor unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and theGovernment shall be upon his Shoulder; and His Name shallbe called Wonderful, Counsellor,The Mighty God,TheEverlasting Father,The Prince of Peace.

(Isaiah 9,6)

Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)

Recitative (Soprano)There were Shepherds abiding in the Field, keeping Watchover their Flock by Night.

(Luke 2,8)

Accompagnato (Soprano)And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the Gloryof the Lord shone round about them, and they were soreafraid.

(Luke 2,9)

TEXTS

Pac i f i c Symphony P-21

Recitative (Soprano)And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold, I bringyou 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)

Accompagnato (Soprano)And suddenly there was with the Angel a Multitude of theheav’nly Host, praising God, and saying…

(Luke 2,13)

ChorusGlory to God in the Highest, and Peace on Earth, Good Willtowards Men.

(Luke 2,14)

Air (Soprano)Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion, O Daughter ofJerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is therighteous Saviour; and He shall speak Peace unto theHeathen.

(Zechariah 9, 9-10)

Recitative (Alto)Then shall the Eyes of the Blind be open’d, and the Ears ofthe Deaf unstopped; then shall the lame Man leap as a Hart,and the Tongue of the Dumb shall sing.

(Zechariah 35, 5-6)

Air (Alto and Soprano)He shall feed his Flock like a Shepherd: and He shall gatherthe Lambs with His Arm, and carry them in his Bosom, andgently lead those that are with young. Come unto Him all yethat labour, come unto Him all ye that are heavy laden, andHe will give you Rest.Take His Yoke upon you and learn ofHim; for He is meek and lowly of Heart: and ye shall findRest unto your souls.

(Isaiah 40, 11; Matthew 11, 28-29)

ChorusHis Yoke is easy, His Burthen is light.

(Matthew 11, 30)

PART II

ChorusBehold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the Sin of theWorld.

(John 1, 29)

Air (Alto)He was despised and rejected of Men, a Man of Sorrows, andacquainted with Grief.

(Isaiah 53, 3)

ChorusSurely he hath borne our Griefs and carried our Sorrows: Hewas wounded for our Transgressions, He was bruised for ourIniquities; the Chastisement of our Peace was upon Him.

(Isaiah 53, 4-5)

ChorusAnd with His Stripes we are healed.

(Isaiah 53, 5)

ChorusAll we, like Sheep, have gone astray, and we have turn’d ev’ryone to his own Way, and the Lord hath laid on Him theIniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53, 6)

Accompagnato (Tenor)All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn; they shoot outtheir Lips, and shake their Heads, saying…

(Psalm 22, 7)

ChorusHe trusted in God, that He would deliver Him; let Him deliv-er Him, if He delight in Him.

(Psalm 22,8)

Accompagnato (Tenor)Thy Rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full of Heaviness:He looked for some to have Pity on Him, but there was noMan, neither found He any to comfort Him.

(Psalm 69,21)

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TEXTS (continued)

Arioso (Tenor)Behold, and see, if there be any Sorrow like unto His Sorrow!

(Lamentations 1,12)

Accompagnato (Soprano)He was cut off out of the Land of the Living: For theTransgression of thy People was He stricken.

(Isaiah 53,8)

Air (Soprano) But thou didst not leave His soul in Hell, nor didst Thou suf-fer Thy Holy One to see Corruption.

(Psalm 16,10)

Air (Bass)Why do the Nations so furiously rage together? And why dothe People imagine a vain Thing? The Kings of the Earth riseup, and the Rulers take Counsel together against the Lord andagainst his Anointed.

(Psalm 2,1-2)

ChorusLet us break their Bonds asunder, and cast away their Yokesfrom us.

(Psalm 2,3)

Recitative (Tenor)He that dwelleth in Heaven shall laugh them to scorn; theLord shall have them in Derision.

(Psalm 2,4)

Air (Tenor)Thou shalt break them with a Rod of Iron; thou shalt dashthem in pieces like a Potter’s Vessel.

(Psalm 2,9)

ChorusHallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.TheKingdom of this World is become the Kingdom of our Lordand of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever, Kingof Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!

(Revelation 19,6; 11,15; 19,16)

PART III

Air (Soprano)I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand atthe latter Day upon the Earth: and tho’Worms destroy hisBody, yet in my Flesh shall I see God. For now is Christ risenfrom the Dead, the First-Fruits of them that sleep.

(Job 19,25-26; 1 Corinthians 15,20)

ChorusSince by Man came Death, by Man came also theResurrection of the Dead. For as in Adam all die, even so inChrist shall all be made alive.

(1 Corinthians 15,21-2)

Recitative (Bass)Behold, I tell you a Mystery:We shall not all sleep, but we shallall be chang’d, in a Moment, in the Twinkling of an Eye, at thelast Trumpet.

(1 Corinthians 15, 51-2)

Air (Bass)The Trumpet shall sound, and the Dead shall be rais’d incor-ruptible, and We shall be chang’d. For this corruptible mustput on Incorruption, and this Mortal must put onImmortality.

(1 Corinthians, 15,52-4)

ChorusWorthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us toGod by His Blood, to receive Power, and Riches, andWisdom, and Strength, and Honour, and Glory, and Blessing.Blessing and Honour, Glory and Pow’r be unto Him that sit-teth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.Amen.

(Revelation 5,12-14)

Pac i f i c Symphony P-23

WILLIAM LACEYCONDUCTOR

William Lacey’s recentoperatic engagements inEurope include both TheTales of Hoffmann andNabucco in the Netherlands,La vida breve and Il

Prigioniero with the Greek National Opera,and Fidelio, Don Giovanni and Idomeneowith the Birmingham Opera Company. InApril and May 2009 he conductedChabrier’s Le Roi Malgre Lui with at theOpera Comique.After Paris, he toured 10Italian cities with the Haydn Orchestra,conducting three programs of Rossini,Mendelssohn and Haydn. In 2011 hemakes his debut at the Liceu in Barcelona.

In North America, Lacey has recentlyconducted L’incoronazione di Poppea andThe Abduction from the Seraglio at HoustonGrand Opera, Don Giovanni with theCanadian Opera Company, The Magic Fluteand Cosi fan tutte with Santa Fe Opera,Tamerlano at Washington National Operaand Flavio at New York City Opera.Immediately following Tamerlano, he wasinvited to repeat the production (againwith Placido Domingo) at Los AngelesOpera. He has also been invited to returnto Houston Grand Opera and WashingtonNational Opera during 2010.

Recent concert appearances include theUlster Orchestra in Belfast, Mahler’s 5thSymphony and two programs of Haydnand Schubert at the Tyrol Festival, theHaydn Orchestra in Bolzano, the RealFilharmonia de Galicia, the Orquesta PabloSarasate in Pamplona, Handel’s Ottone atthe Casa da Musica in Porto, a concert ofclassical works at the Casa da Musica, theIsrael Camerata in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem,the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra,the Houston Symphony Orchestra, theRoyal Scottish National Orchestra, thecomplete Beethoven piano concertos withTill Fellner, as well as new works by Eric

Tanguy with L’Orchestre de Bretagne. Hehas also conducted the London Sinfonietta,the Orchestra della Toscana, the OrchestraFilharmonica Marchegiana, the MarinSymphony Orchestra, the Covent GardenChamber Orchestra, and the Tyrol FestivalOrchestra.

Lacey was born in London in 1973 andstudied music at King’s College Cambridge,and in Venice and Salzburg.As a pianist andchamber musician, he studied extensivelywith Gyorgy Kurtag and Alfred Brendel.He studied conducting with David Parryand Gustav Kuhn. He started his conduct-ing career with modern works at AlmeidaOpera (1996-98), and as an assistant con-ductor in London,Aldeburgh, Munich andPesaro (where he worked with the supportof the Peter Moores Foundation).Withsmall London companies, he conductedCarmen and English Eccentrics. In 1998 hisfirst commercial recording was released(Goehr’s Arianna).

Between 1998 and 2001, Lacey was thestaff conductor at San Francisco Opera.While there, he conducted La Boheme,TheTsar’s Bride, L’Elisir d’amore, Semele,The MagicFlute and Aida, performing with such artistsas Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Olga Borodina,Ruth Ann Swenson and Anna Netrebko. Healso conducted new productions of Cosi fantutte, L’Italiana in Algieri, and Albert Herringfor the San Francisco Opera Center.As assis-tant conductor he worked closely withValery Gergiev, Sir Charles Mackerras, andespecially with Donald Runnicles, mostnotably on Peter Grimes,The Ring, Parsifal andTristan und Isolde.

Lacey is an accomplished keyboardplayer, and he has often directed opera per-formances and concerts from the harpsi-chord, piano, chamber organ, or keyedglockenspiel. He has eclectic musical tastesand is actively involved in a wide range ofmusic, from Monteverdi and Byrd to jazzand composers of his own generation suchas Thomas Adès and Julian Anderson. Heenjoys giving presentations from the key-

board about music, and has recently givenlectures in Napa, Houston and Santa Fe.

CHRISTINE BRANDESSOPRANO

Noted for her radiant,crystalline voice andsuperb musicianship, sopra-no Christine Brandesbrings her committedartistry to repertoire rang-

ing from the 17th century to newly com-posed works and enjoys an active career inNorth America and abroad, performing atmany of the world’s most distinguished fes-tivals and concert series in programs span-ning from recitals and chamber music tooratorio and opera.

Highlights of Brandes’ 2009-10 seasoninclude a recording and European tour ofJomelli’s Ezio with world-renownedBaroque orchestra Il Complesso Baroccounder the baton of Alan Curtis as well as aNorth American tour of Purcell’s Dido andAeneas with the Philharmonia BaroqueOrchestra and Nicholas McGegan. Otherappearances feature performances withChicago’s Music of the Baroque, the ArionBaroque Orchestra in Montreal, and PacificSymphony. Brandes also returns to PortlandOpera to sing the role of Despina in Cosìfan tutte.

In the 2008-09 season Brandes’s operat-ic appearances included a return to theLyric Opera of Kansas City as Cleopatra inGiulio Cesare and to Seattle Opera asSusanna in Le nozze di Figaro. Concert per-formances saw her at the NationalSymphony Orchestra in Messiah and withthe Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra inHandel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato.

During past seasons, Brandes made herWashington National Opera debut asCatherine in William Bolcom’s A View fromthe Bridge and returned to the Central CityOpera as Maria Corona in Gian CarloMenotti’s The Saint of Bleecker Street. Her

ABOUT THE GUEST ARTISTS

ABOUT THE ARTISTS (continued)

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busy concert schedule included perform-ances of Schumann’s Das Paradies und diePeri with Sir Simon Rattle and thePhiladelphia Orchestra, the MozartRequiem with John Nelson and the Handel& Haydn Society, Bach’s St. MatthewPassion with Jane Glover and the Music ofthe Baroque, Handel’s L’Allegro with theMark Morris Dance Group and the SeattleSymphony, and Haydn’s Mass in the Time ofWar with Bernard Labadie and the SanFrancisco Symphony Orchestra.

Recent symphonic appearances haveincluded concerts with the ChicagoSymphony Orchestra under the batons ofboth Pierre Boulez and Esa-Pekka Salonen,performances of John Adams’s El Niño withthe Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s St.John Passion with Robert Spano and theAtlanta Symphony Orchestra, L’Enfant et lesSortilèges with Sir Simon Rattle and theLos Angeles Philharmonic, Mozart’sRequiem with the Cleveland Orchestra andJohn Nelson, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2with Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos andBeethoven’s Egmont with WolfgangSawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra,Mozart opera arias and Strauss orchestralsongs with the National SymphonyOrchestra and Heinz Fricke, Bach Cantataswith the New World Symphony Orchestra,Handel’s Messiah with the TorontoSymphony, the New York Philharmonic,and the Minnesota Orchestra, CarminaBurana with the Houston Symphony,Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Neeme Järviand the Detroit Symphony, and Barber’sKnoxville: Summer of 1915, and Mahler’sSymphony No. 4 with Andreas Delfs andthe Milwaukee Symphony. She has alsobowed at Lincoln Center’s Mostly MozartFestival and at the Ravinia Festival withthe Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra aswell as with the Orpheus ChamberOrchestra, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris,Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center,and the Freiburger Barockorchester, amongothers.

Brandes’ operatic career has been high-lighted by engagements at Houston GrandOpera in Ariodante with ChristopherHogwood and in Falstaff with Patrick

Summers; at Seattle Opera in Giulio Cesare;and at the Los Angeles Opera inL’Incoronazione di Poppea with Harry Bicketand in Hänsel und Gretel with Alan Gilbert.Additional performances have brought herto San Diego Opera in Ariodante, LyricOpera of Kansas City in The Turn of theScrew, Central City Opera in L’Incoronazionedi Poppea, Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Foundationin Così fan tutte, Opera Theatre of St. Louisin Cimarosa’s The Secret Marriage,Glimmerglass Opera both in Handel’sOrlando and Acis and Galatea, San FranciscoOpera in Semele under the baton of SirCharles Mackerras, the Opéra de Nancy inAlcina, New York City Opera in Acis andGalatea and Platée, and to the OperaCompany of Philadelphia in Die Zauberflöte,L’Elisir d’amore, and Don Giovanni.Additionally, Brandes has performed Lenozze di Figaro with New York City Opera,Opera Pacific, and with the opera compa-nies of Minnesota, Montréal, Philadelphia,and Québec.

ELIZABETH BATTONMEZZO-SOPRANO

One of the most promis-ing young singers essayingthe operatic repertoire,Elizabeth Batton was agrand winner of theMetropolitan Opera

National Council Auditions in 2003, thefirst recipient of the Alton E. Peters Award,and was delighted to join the MetropolitanOpera roster in 2003 for Schoenberg’sMoses and Aaron.

In 2008-09, Batton appeared as Sara inRoberto Devereux at the Dallas Opera,Charlotte in Werther with the KentuckyOpera, Maddalena in Rigoletto for theArizona Opera, and debuted the roles ofPrincipessa in Mascagni’s Il Piccolo Marat atAvery Fisher Hall and Samiro in Ghost ofVersailles in St. Louis. In 2009-10 andbeyond she will debut at L’opera deMontreal in Roberto Devereux, and the roleof Lucretia in Britten’s Rape of Lucretia withToledo Opera. She opened her 2006-07

season as Carmen with Indianapolis Opera,followed by the role of Suzuki in MadamaButterfly for her Washington Opera debutand further performances as Suzuki inOrlando. Batton opened the 2005-06 sea-son as Olga in Eugene Onegin at theCleveland Opera. She joined the DallasOpera for Ariadne auf Naxos, Les Contesd’Hoffmann, and Die Zauberflöte andreturned to the Opera Theater of St. Louisas Mrs. Rochester in Jane Eyre.

In recent seasons, Batton has been heardwith the American Symphony Orchestra intheir recording of Die Agyptische Helena andBruckner’s Mass in F Minor at Avery FisherHall. She debuted at the Los AngelesOpera as Nicklausse/Muse in the all-starcast of Les Contes d’ Hoffmann, and was alsoHermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’sDream at Pittsburgh Opera. Batton has per-formed with Opera North as Olga inEugene Onegin, and with the NationalOpera du Rhin in Strasbourg as Die DritteDame in Die Zauberflöte, which was telecastthroughout Europe, and was heard withthe American Composers Orchestra as Irasin Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra atCarnegie Hall. Making her professionaloperatic debut in the summer of 2000 asthe title role of Carmen with the UtahFestival Opera, Batton made her debut atthe New York City Opera later that seasonin several leading roles

Batton was born in Indianapolis,Indiana and earned her master’s of musicfrom Manhattan School of Music. She wasa winner of the Licia Albanese – PucciniCompetition and of the Career BuildersCompetition, in addition to being a finalistof the Loren Zachary Competition.

Pac i f i c Symphony P-25

BENJAMIN BUTTERFIELDTENOR

Regarded as a musicallyarresting presence by theSan Francisco Chronicle,Benjamin Butterfield is indemand for concert, operaand recital. His repertoire

has encompassed roles in The Barber ofSeville, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte,TheRake’s Progress, Persephone, Cunning LittleVixen and Tamerlano with performances inNaples at Il Teatro di San Carlo,Theatre duCapitole in Toulouse,Welsh NationalOpera, the Canadian Opera Company,L’Opera Nationale de Montpellier, andArizona Opera, as well as New York CityOpera, L’Opera de Montreal,VancouverOpera, Glimmerglass Opera Festival, andCanterbury Opera in New Zealand.

In concert he has appeared in Britten’sWar Requiem with the London SymphonyChorus and the State Orchestra ofThessaloniki, the St. Matthew Passion andSt. John Passion with the PhilharmoniaBaroque Orchestra under NicholasMcGegan, and Das Buch mit sieben Siegelnat the Toronto International ChoralFestival. He has toured throughout Europe,and has also performed with theSymphony Orchestras of Detroit, SanFrancisco, New Jersey and Chicago. Otherappearances have included the Saito KinenFestival with Seiji Ozawa, FestivalVancouver performing the Mad Woman inBritten’s Curlew River and in recital withGraham Johnson for VISI.

For the 2009-10 season, orchestral high-lights from Butterfield’s schedule includeBeethoven’s Ninth Symphony with theColorado Symphony under Music DirectorJeffrey Kahane, Acis and Galatea withChicago’s Music of the Baroque and with theVancouver Symphony performing Mozart’sRequiem. Other engagements include appear-ances at the Harrisburg Symphony, NationalArts Centre Orchestra,Vancouver Bach Choirand Victoria Symphony. Operatic highlightsinclude a return to Calgary Opera’s stage asOttavio in Don Giovanni.

Highlights from Butterfield’s previousseasons have included appearances at theCarmel Bach Festival in California andperformances of Messiah with the SanDiego Symphony and the American BachSoloists. Butterfield returned to OperaOntario as Belmonte in Mozart’s DieEntführung aus dem Serail and also asTamino at Calgary Opera in Mozart’s DieZauberflöte. Benjamin enjoys ongoing rela-tionships with the Calgary Philharmonic,the Toronto Symphony, Les Violons du Roiand Tafelmusik. In France he debuted withL’Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourgsinging L’enfance du Christ, sang in Berlioz’sRomeo and Juliet with the Toronto Symphonyunder Sir Andrew Davis, and performednumerous Bach cantatas at the BBC Promswith the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

Of his many recordings, Britten’sSerenade and Canticles have been recognizedby the Canadian Juno Awards. He has alsorecorded Brahms and SchumannLiebeslieder, music of Bach, Schutz andHaydn, Opera Encores, Psalm 80 ofRoussel, and Weihnachtsoratorium. Film andTV credits include Dido and Aeneas withthe Mark Morris Dance Company andTafelmusik, L’enfant et les sortileges with theMontreal Symphony, Messiah for ZDF inHalle with the English Concert, and Bach’sB minor Mass with the Bach Choir ofBethlehem for PBS. He is also heard regu-larly on CBC Radio.

TIMOTHY MIXBARITONE

Recipient of a 2008Richard TuckerFoundation Career Grant,Timothy Mix is recog-nized for the beauty of hisvoice and his compelling

stage presence. He received critical acclaimfor his pivotal role as Edward Gaines in theNew York premiere of Richard Danielpourand Toni Morrison’s Margaret Garner, in anew production by Tazewell Thompson, forwhich the American baritone receivedNew York City Opera’s 2008 Christopher

Keene Award.During the 2009-10 season, Mix makes

his Washington National Opera debut asFord in Falstaff, conducted by SebastianLang-Lessing, as well as his San FranciscoOpera debut in La Fanciulla del West, underthe baton of Nicola Luisotti. He also singshis first performances with Arizona Opera asMarcello in La Bohème, brings his Belcore toToledo Opera’s L’elisir d’amore and joinsOpera Southwest as Escamillo in Carmen.

The 2008-09 season featured a pair ofnotable house debuts: at Dallas Opera asthe Duke of Nottingham in the StephenLawless production of Donizetti’s RobertoDevereaux, conducted by Graeme Jenkins,and at Michigan Opera Theatre as EdwardGaines in Kenny Leon’s production ofMargaret Garner. Mix also sang the role ofMarcello in La Bohème at both OperaTheatre of Saint Louis and Palm BeachOpera. His concert calendar includedFauré’s Requiem with the BuffaloPhilharmonic, Beethoven’s Mass in C andDvorák’s Te Deum with Voices of Ascension,Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with theHudson Valley Philharmonic, and an operagala with the Springfield Symphony.

Career highlights include his BostonLyric Opera debut as Marcello; Escamillo inCarmen for his Opera Colorado debut; hisrole debut as Yevgeny Onegin at Virginia’sTodi Music Fest; Ford in Falstaff at NewYork City Opera; Belcore in L’elisir d’amoreat Opera Colorado; Clayton McAllister inCarlisle Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree at AtlantaOpera; Monterone in Rigoletto and Mr.Flint in Billy Budd with Pittsburgh Opera;and his Baltimore Opera debut as Krusinain Smetana’s The Bartered Bride.

A former Pittsburgh Opera Centerartist, Mix has sung with the PittsburghSymphony, Baltimore Symphony,AshevilleSymphony, the Yaraslavl Symphony inRussia, and the Finnish National OperaOrchestra.With Pittsburgh Opera, his per-formances include Baron Douphol (alsocovering Germont) in La Traviata, DonFernando in Fidelio and Count Almaviva inLe Nozze di Figaro. He was singled out forhis outstanding performance as Henry

P-26 Pac i f i c Symphony

Cuffe in Britten’s Gloriana at OperaTheatre of St. Louis in their 2005 season.He has also sung the title role in GianniSchicchi and Michele in Il Tabarro withPeabody Opera and Stankar in Stiffelio atSarasota Opera. In concert, he has per-formed the Fauré Requiem, Beethoven’sNinth Symphony and Handel’s Israel inEgypt. He also has appeared in recital ontour in Russia.

Having received the Founder’s Awardfrom the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis andthe Helen Jepson Dellera Award from theBradenton Opera Guild, he has alsoreceived awards in several competitions,most notably the Mirjam HelenInternational Singing Competition, thePalm Beach Opera Competition and theMetropolitan Opera National CouncilAuditions. In addition to being a 2007recipient of a Sullivan Foundation grant, hewas a first-prize winner in the RosaPonselle All Marylanders Competition, theNational Foundation for the Advancementof the Arts and the Catherine FileneShouse Youth Scholarship Competition.

JOHN ALEXANDERARTISTIC DIRECTOR OFPACIFIC CHORALE

Artistic Director of PacificChorale since 1972, JohnAlexander is one ofAmerica’s most respectedchoral conductors. He hasconducted his singers with

orchestras throughout Europe,Asia, the for-mer Soviet Union and South America and,closer to home, with Pacific Symphony,Pasadena Symphony, Musica Angelica andthe Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.Alexander has prepared choruses for manyof the world’s most outstanding orchestralconductors, including Zubin Mehta, PierreBoulez, Seiji Ozawa, Michael TilsonThomas, Leonard Slatkin, Esa-PekkaSalonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Lukas Foss,

Max Rudolf, Carl St.Clair, GerardSchwarz, Marin Alsop, John Mauceri, JohnWilliams, and Keith Lockhart.

Alexander is a board member and formerpresident of Chorus America, the serviceorganization for choruses in North America.He also has served on artistic review panelsfor national, statewide and local arts organi-zations, including the National Endowmentfor the Arts, the California Arts Council, andthe Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Alexander retired in spring 2006 fromhis position as director of choral studies atCalifornia State University, Fullerton, hav-ing been awarded the honor of professoremeritus. From 1970 to 1996, he held theposition of director of choral studies atCalifornia State University, Northridge. In2003, Chorus America honored him withthe establishment of the John AlexanderConducting Faculty Chair for their nation-al conducting workshops.

Alexander’s numerous tributes andawards include:The Distinguished FacultyMember award from California StateUniversity, Fullerton (2006); the HelenaModjeska Cultural Legacy Award (2003),presented in honor of his lifetime achieve-ment as an artistic visionary in the devel-opment of the arts in Orange County; theOutstanding Individual Artist Award (2000)from Arts Orange County; and theGershwin Award (1990), presented by thecounty of Los Angeles in recognition of hiscultural leadership in that city. In June2008,Alexander received the Michael KornFounders Award for Development of theProfessional Choral Art from ChorusAmerica.

ROBERT M. ISTADCHORUSMASTER, PACIFIC CHORALE

Dr. Robert M. Istad,Director of Choral Studiesat California StateUniversity, Fullerton(CSUF), conducts theCSUF University Singers

and Chamber Choir, in addition to teach-ing courses in conducting, advanced inter-pretation, and literature. He has preparedchoruses for Esa-Pekka Salonen and theLos Angeles Philharmonic, Carl St.Clairand Pacific Symphony, Sir Andrew Davisand the Los Angeles Philharmonic,Nicholas McGegan and the PhilharmoniaBaroque Orchestra and Keith Lockhart andthe Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. Istadreceived his bachelor of arts degree inmusic from Augustana College in RockIsland, Illinois, his master of music degreein choral conducting from California StateUniversity, Fullerton, and his doctor ofmusical arts degree in choral music at theUniversity of Southern California. In addi-tion to his duties at the Pacific Chorale, heserves as music director for the IrvineUnited Congregational Church, and is indemand as an adjudicator and guest clini-cian throughout the region.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS (continued)

Pac i f i c Symphony P-27

PACIFIC CHORALE

Founded in 1968, Pacific Chorale isinternationally recognized for exceptionalartistic expression, stimulating American-focused programming, and influentialeducation programs. Pacific Choralepresents a substantial performance seasonof its own at the Orange CountyPerforming Arts Center and is soughtregularly to perform with the nation’sleading symphonies. Under the inspiredguidance of Artistic Director JohnAlexander, Pacific Chorale has infused an Old World art form with California’shallmark innovation and cultural independence.

Pacific Chorale is comprised of 140professional and volunteer singers. Inaddition to its long-standing partnershipwith Pacific Symphony, the Chorale has performed with the Los AngelesPhilharmonic in Disney Hall on numer-

ous occasions. Other noted collabora-tions include the Hollywood BowlOrchestra, the Boston Symphony, theNational Symphony, and the LongBeach, Pasadena, Riverside and SanDiego symphonies. John Alexander andthe Chorale have toured extensively inEurope, South America and Asia, per-forming in London, Paris, Belgium,Germany, Estonia, Russia, Spain, Brazil,Argentina, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijingand Hong Kong, and collaborating withthe London Symphony, L’OrchestreLamoureux of Paris, the NationalOrchestra of Belgium, the ChinaNational Symphony, the Hong KongSinfonietta, the Estonian NationalSymphony, and the Orquesta SinfonicaNacional of Argentina.

Pacific Chorale, the seventh largest-budgeted chorus in the United States,has received numerous awards, includingChorus America’s prestigious “Margaret

Hillis Achievement Award for ChoralExcellence” and the first national“Educational Outreach Award.” In 2005,Pacific Chorale received the ASCAPChorus America Alice Parker Award foradventurous programming.

The Chorale’s outstanding perform-ances can be heard on seven CDs,including Musica and Nocturne, collec-tions of American a cappella works con-ducted by John Alexander; Songs ofEternity by James F. Hopkins and Voicesby Stephen Paulus, conducted by JohnAlexander and featuring PacificSymphony; Pacific Symphony’s Fire,Water, Paper:A Vietnam Oratorio by ElliotGoldenthal, and An American Requiem byRichard Danielpour (both recordingsconducted by Carl St.Clair); and a holi-day recording, Christmas Time Is Here,released on the Gothic Records label.

SOPRANOCaroline BaileyAllison D. HoltomBarbara KingsburyAndrea KlyverMaureen LombardinoYoung MacKeandRita MajorDeborah PasarowLinda Williams PearceDana RamosChikayo RatteeZanaida RoblesKatharin RundusRoberta WallLorraine Joy WellingVina Williams Slattery

ALTONancy BeachJudith BertolinoJulie Anne CampenI-Chin FeinblattJason FranciscoMary GallowayAnne HenleyJeanette MoonMichele M. MulidorPat NewtonDebra PenberthyKathleen PrestonLoraine ReedJoan SeveraJane Shim

TENORCarl Porter, Singers Memorial

ChairMichael Ben-YehudaJack BurkeJoseph CruzCraig DavisDavid EveredSteven M. HoffmanCraig S. KistlerJeff MorrisAaron MosleyAaron PalmerNicholas PrestonJohn S. St. MarieFaulkner White

BASSHenry AllainAram BarsamianRobert David BretónMac BrightTom HenleyGordon La CrossScott LevinRicardo McKillipsEmmanuel MirandaGeorge ReissDavid StankeyJoshua StansfieldJoseph TillotsonSteve WebbScott Ziemann

Pacific ChoraleJohn Alexander, Artistic Director

Kelly Ruggirello, President & CEOKimberly Dwan Bernatz, Chairman