Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Iris Derke, Co-Founder and General Director Jonathan Griffith, Co-Founder and Artistic Director presents Eric Whitacre’s Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings Eric Whitacre, Composer and Conductor Exstasis: Hila Plitmann Logos: Damon Kirsche Ignis: Doug Kreeger Fervio: Daniel Tatar Pieta: Sara Jean Ford Aia: Marie Wallace Gravitas: Rodolfo Nieto David Noroña, Narrator Greg Chun, DJ On Ensemble, Taiko/Percussion Fang Fang Xu, Cello Chorus of Angels: Distinguished Concerts Singers International Creative Team: Eric Whitacre, David Noroña, and Greg Chun March 8, 2011 PROGRAM Selection of musical numbers: ACT I 1. Prologue (The Oracle and Chorus of Angels) 2. Children of Paradise (Exstasis, Logos, Ignis, Chorus of Angels) 3. Forgotten (Exstasis, Logos) 4. Exstasis’s Vision (Chorus of Angels) 5. This is the Way (Logos, Ignis, Chorus of Angels) 6. What If (Exstasis, Pieta, Aia, Fervio, Gravitas) 7. The Principles (Exstasis, Ignis, Chorus of Angels) 8. Logos’s Vision (Chorus of Angels) 9. Eldest of All (Logos) 10. The Oracle (Chorus of Angels) 11. You Don’t Know Him (Exstasis, Pieta, Aia, Fervio, Gravitas) 12. Act I Finale (Full cast) Entr’acte (Chorus of Angels) ACT II 1. Little One (Ignis) 2. Libertas Imperio (Logos, Ignis, Chorus of Angels) 3. Sleep My Child (Exstasis, Pieta, Aia) 4. All Alone (Fervio) 5. Little One (Reprise) (Ignis, Chorus of Angels) 6. Forgotten (Reprise) (Exstasis, Logos) 7. The Choice (Chorus of Angels) 8. The Rage (Exstasis, Chorus of Angels) 9. The Battle (Chorus of Angels) 10. Bliss (Full cast) Please turn off your cell phones and other electronic devices. MEET THE ARTISTS ERIC WHITACRE wide audience. Recent and upcoming commis - An accomplished composer sions include works for Chanticleer; The and conductor, Eric Whitacre King’s Singers; Conspirare; and the London has quickly become one of the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. most popular and performed His music has been featured on dozens of composers of his generation. commercial and independent recordings. His The Los Angeles Times has first recording, The Music of Eric Whitacre , was praised his compositions as hailed by The American Record Guide as one of “works of unearthly beauty and imagination, the top ten classical albums of 1997. In 2006, a (with) electric, chilling harmonies”; while the full collection of his a cappella music, BBC raves that “what hits you straight between Cloudburst and Other Choral Works , was the eyes is the honesty, optimism and sheer released on the renowned British classical label belief that passes any pretension. This is music Hyperion Records. The album quickly became that can actually make you smile.” an international best seller, appearing in the top Though he had received no formal ten of both Billboard’s and iTune’s Top Classical training before the age of 18, his first experi - Albums charts. Two years after its debut, the crit - ences singing in college choir changed his life, ically acclaimed release continues to be a top- and he completed his first concert work, Go, seller. The collection earned a 2007 Grammy Lovely, Rose , at the age of 21. Eric went on to nomination for Best Choral Performance. the Juilliard School, earning his Master of Most recently, Whitacre has received Music degree and studying with Pulitzer Prize- acclaim for Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings . and Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano. Winner of the ASCAP Harold Arlen award, Many of Whitacre’s works have entered Paradise Lost also gained Whitacre the presti - the standard choral and symphonic repertories gious Richard Rodgers Award for most prom - and have become the subject of several recent ising musical theater composer. Following its scholarly works and doctoral dissertations. His sold-out run, the most recent production earned works Water Night, Cloudburst, Sleep, Lux 10 nominations at the 2007 Los Angeles Stage Aurumque and A Boy and a Girl are among the Alliance Ovation Awards, including one for most popular choral works of the last decade, Best World Premiere Musical. and his Ghost Train , Godzilla Eats Las Vegas , and October have achieved equal success in DAVID NOROÑA the symphonic wind community. His work has David Noroña has more than received thousands of performances, with 20 years experience in enter - sheet music sales of more than 1,000,000 tainment as an actor, writer, copies worldwide. He has received composi - director and producer. His tion awards from the Barlow International numerous theater, film and Composition Competition, the American television credits include Choral Directors Association and the American starring opposite Brooke Composers Forum. In 2001, Whitacre became Shields in Lipstick Jungle and originating the the youngest recipient ever awarded the cov - role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys at the La eted Raymond C. Brock commission by the Jolla Playhouse. He recently traveled to Haiti American Choral Directors Association. to shoot the docu-series pilot One Act of As a conductor, Whitacre has appeared Kindness (O.A.K.), which he created, wrote with hundreds of professional and educational and produced. He is co-creator, co-lyricist and ensembles throughout the world. In the last ten director of Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings . years he has conducted concerts of his choral A four-time marathoner, he lives in Los and symphonic music in Japan, Australia, Angeles with his wife and three sons. China, Singapore, South America and much of Europe, as well as dozens of American univer - sities and colleges where he regularly conducts seminars and lectures with young musicians. Over the past few years, these loyal fans and supporters have moved online, spreading Eric’s popularity to an ever-expanding world - MEET THE ARTISTS HILA PLITMANN Damon has appeared with both LA’s Reprise Jerusalem native Hila Plitmann series in She Loves Me (as Kodaly, with has become known world - Rebecca Luker) and On the 20th Century (as wide for her astonishing Bruce Granit, with Carolee Carmello) and with musicianship and gossamer NY’s Encores series in Strike Up the Band , and voice. A glittering soprano, On a Clear Day... (with Kristin Chenoweth). she has worked with many of today’s leading conductors, DOUG KREEGER including Kurt Masur, Robert Spano, Marin Doug Kreeger recently starred Alsop, Esa Pekka Salonen, Andrew Litton, and Off-Broadway as Cesari in Steven Sloane. She has appeared as a headliner Guy Fredrick Glass’ world- with the New York Philharmonic, the Los premiere play The Last Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, Castrato . On Broadway, Doug the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota played Jean Prouvaire (Marius Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the u/s) in the original company of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the New Israeli the revival of Les Miserables . Off-Broadway, he Opera, and numerous other orchestras and created the roles of Ian in Rooms: A Rock ensembles in the U.S. and abroad. Ms. Romance at New World Stages, Richard Loeb in Plitmann is building an impressive catalogue Thrill Me: The Leopold And Loeb Story at the of recordings, including releases on the Decca, York Theatre, Jordan in Departure Lounge at the Telarc, Naxos, CRI and Disney labels. Public Theatre, Jesus in Judas & Me at the She has recently appeared as the soloist of NYMF, and Stu in Yank! , also at the NYMF. several world premieres, including Paul Doug has appeared twice in the NYC Fringe Revere’s Ride with the Atlanta Symphony, Festival, first in 2005 when he starred as Todd in written by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Swimming Upstream , which earned him a David Del Tredici; Esa Pekka Salonen’s Wing Fringe Award for Outstanding Actor, and then in on Wing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, 2010 as Lester Wilcox in Veritas , which earned the composer conducting; Two Awakenings a Fringe Award for Outstanding Ensemble. and a Double Lullaby , a song cycle written for Doug is a Helen Hayes Award Nominee. Thanks her by Pulitzer Prize winner Aaron Jay Kernis; to The Mine. Visit dougkreeger.com and Mr. Tambourine Man by Oscar- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John DANIEL TATAR Corigliano with the Minnesota Orchestra, for Daniel Tatar made his which Ms. Plitmann was awarded a 2008 Carnegie Hall debut as Fervio Grammy for Best Classical Performance. in the DCINY production of Eric Whitacre’s Paradise Lost: DAMON KIRSCHE Shadows & Wings , which he Raised on an organic farm in also performed in the fully North Dakota, Damon Kirsche staged production in Pasadena, performs in theatres and con - California. Daniel originated the role of Denny cert halls across the country, in the long-running hit Life Could Be a Dream , hailed for his “riveting show - both at the Hudson Mainstage and Laguna manship,” (Variety) and his Playhouse. Other credits include: Barfee in The “resplendent power and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee panache” (Backstage). (McCoy-Rigby, Ovation nomination), Valentin Recent appearances include: Camelot in Kiss of the Spider Woman (Havok Theatre, (Arthur) MTWichita, Oklahoma! (Curly) Ovation Award), Ahmet Ertegun in Ray Charles South Bay Cities, and Fade Out/Fade In Live (Pasadena Playhouse, NAACP Award), (Byron Prong) with LA’s Musical Theatre Jamie in The Last Five Years (Pasadena Guild. Damon premiered An Italian Straw Hat Playhouse), the Reprise! concerts of Elegies and (Émile / Nisnardi) and appeared in A Little Baby (as Danny, opposite Kerry Butler), Night Music (Carl Magnus) at South Coast Mohammed in The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife Repertory. His Freddy in McCoy/Rigby’s My (Laguna Playhouse), Steppenwolf Theatre Fair Lady earned him an Ovation nomination. Company’s The Ballad of Little Jo (with Judy MEET THE ARTISTS Kuhn), and Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing RODOLFO NIETO Technicolor Dreamcoat (Drury Lane Bass-Baritone and Chicago Oakbrook). danieltatar.com native Rodolfo Nieto is quickly establishing himself SARA JEAN FORD as a prominent and exciting Sara Jean Ford has wowed emerging artist.