2020 Spooky Organ Concert Performers' Biographies

2020 SPOOKY ORGAN CONCERT PERFORMERS’ BIOGRAPHIES JENNIFER CHRISTEN, a Buffalo, NY native is the Principal two national tours of Camelot, most notably opposite Robert Goulet’s he has performed at numerous leading UK festivals, presenting Oboist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. She has performed King Arthur. He co-starred with Frederica von Stade and the Naples a collaborative programme (funded by Arts Council England) as Guest Principal Oboe with the Pittsburgh, Detroit, Baltimore and Philharmonic Orchestra in a program broadcast internationally by showcasing Scottish Baroque Music with Highland dance. With Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras and as Guest English Horn with the PBS entitled Pops at the Phil: A Century of Broadway. With the BBC, Ensemble Hesperi, Thomas is also a ‘Live Music Now’ artist, Atlanta Symphony. Ms. Christen studied at the Juilliard School with he was a featured soloist on the documentary Kurt Weill in America. delivering regular workshops in care homes, day centres and SEND John Mack, Nathan Hughes and Elaine Douvas. Before her time in Mr. Narducci created the role of Captain Hook on the world premiere schools across the UK. In 2014-15, Thomas was a Junior Fellow in Indianapolis, Ms. Christen spent a year in Miami Beach with the New complete recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Peter Pan, co-starring Harpsichord and Continuo at the Royal College of Music, and in World Symphony under Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas. She Linda Eder. Narducci received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Voice 2019, he was selected as a Britten-Pears young artist, performing has also spent several summers with the Verbier Festival Orchestra in from Indiana University, where he was awarded the prestigious Bach cantatas under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe at Snape Switzerland, where she met her husband. As a teacher, Ms. Christen Performer’s Certificate. After a 25-year professional singing career, he Maltings. Thomas is passionate about teaching figured bass and has had the pleasure of working with students at the Verbier Music returned to Indiana University to achieve his Master of Music in Voice continuo and is undertaking research into how seventeenth and Camp, Indiana University Summer Music Clinic, Indiana University in 2015. eighteenth centuries continuo treatises can be adapted for use in Med Orchestra and with the students of the New World Symphony in keyboard education today. Thomas currently teaches basso continuo Indianapolis. She enjoys traveling, good coffee, exploring local food, THOMAS ALLERY is a versatile keyboard player who performs in the Historical Performance department at the Royal College of and running. She has an identical twin sister who plays the flute. regularly as a solo harpsichordist and organist, and as a continuo Music. player with several chamber ensembles. He is currently Director SYDNEY HARTWICK began studying the violin at age six of Music and organist at St. Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside, the Applauded in London by the Sunday Times for performances of “great and is currently a first-year master’s student in violin performance famous Wren church in the heart of the City of London. Here he plays panache,” pianist GREGORY MARTIN’s playing has been called at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she studies the 2010 organ by Kenneth Tickell and presents an exciting musical “filled with imagination, fire, and lyricism...a virtuoso performance” with Simin Ganatra. Sydney has had the opportunity to solo with programme which involves chamber music recitals, organ recitals, a and praised for its “mature and subtle understanding, all the while orchestras including the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Louisville summer music festival, early music concerts, and an amateur chorus, handling formidable technical difficulties with ease and fluency.” He Orchestra, and Muncie Symphony Orchestra. She is also a substitute as well as providing liturgical choral and organ music for church has been featured throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan violinist for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Outside of the services and services for the ancient Livery companies of the City of as both a soloist and chamber musician, as well as being a prize- music world, Sydney enjoys running and cooking. London. Thomas has also held posts at Magdalen College, Oxford, and winner in various international competitions. Recent performances at St. Marylebone Parish Church, and from 2014-19, he was Director have included engagements at Carnegie Recital Hall; collaborations From New York City’s Lincoln Center to the Great Hall of the People of Chapel Music at Worcester College, University of Oxford. with members of the orchestras of Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, in Beijing, baritone DANIEL NARDUccI has appeared in and New York, and the Dresden Staatskapelle; and the premieres performances across the globe on the opera, concert, and musical Having initially studied Music at the University of Oxford, he of unpublished compositions by Ralph Vaughan Williams and theatre stages. On the operatic stage, he has performed roles in graduated with distinction from the Masters programme at the Royal Gerald Finzi. He is an active composer, his works having been called Madame Butterfly, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, La Bohème, College of Music in 2014. In 2018 he was awarded a scholarship to “glorious” and “inspired,” and in 2014 was named co-artistic director The Barber of Seville, The Elixir of Love, and I Pagliacci with the study for an Artist Diploma at the Guildhall School of Music and of the Ronen Chamber Ensemble (Indianapolis). He has lectured at Washington National Opera, New Orleans Opera, Central City Opera, Drama. As a recitalist, Thomas has performed in many of the UK’s the University of Berlin, the Grieg Academy (Norway), and Oxford Palm Beach Opera, Kentucky Opera, Nashville Opera, Indianapolis great buildings including St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. Lawrence Jewry, University, and is Head of Academics at the Cornish-American Song Opera, and Opera Santa Barbara. Since his professional debut with Blackburn Cathedral, St. George’s Hanover Square, and Southwark Institute (England). Recent publications are the translation into the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under the direction of Erich Kunzel, Cathedral. In 2016 he was supported by the Eric Thompson trust English of composer Emile Naoumoff’s memoirs, and articles on Mr. Narducci has appeared with many of the world’s most prestigious to study historic organ repertoire with Erwin Wiersinga at the Vaughan Williams and J.R.R. Tolkien, with forthcoming essays on orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Martinikirk in Groningen, Holland. Grieg, Schumann, and Brahms. Martin studied at Indiana University, Boston Pops, Naples Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Rochester the University of Cincinnati, and Worcester College, Oxford, and is Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Houston Thomas is in regular demand as a continuo player on organ Assistant Professor at the University of Indianapolis. He is married Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, and the and harpsichord, and is the regular continuo player of award- to clarinetist Christina Martin, with whom he regularly appears in Detroit Symphony. Mr. Narducci played the role of Lancelot during winning chamber ensemble, Ensemble Hesperi. With this group, concert..

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