BENJAMIN BRITTEN Centenary Celebration (One Year Early for Plan Ahead Programming) Beverly O’Regan Thiele, soprano Christine O’Meally, mezzo-soprano Steven Stolen, tenor Kurt Ollmann, baritone Richard Walters, pianist and presenter NATS National Conference Orlando Sunday, July 1, 2012 1:00 PM Presented by Boosey & Hawkes publications are exclusively distributed by Hal Leonard. Benjamin Britten 1913-1976 BENJAMIN BRITTEN Centenary Celebration selections to be performed, with readings from Britten’s writings and media clips Sonnet XVI from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo To lie flat on the back from Fish in the Unruffled Lakes Steven Stolen Now the leaves are falling fast from On This Island Beverly O’Regan Thiele Mother Comfort Beverly O’Regan Thiele, Christine O’Meally Canticle II (Abraham and Isaac), opening section only Christine O’Meally, Steven Stolen Morning from Evening, Morning, Night At Day-Close in November from Winter Words The Choirmaster’s Burial from Winter Words Kurt Ollmann Evening Hymn, Henry Purcell, realization by Britten Steven Stolen Folksong Arrangements: The Last Rose of Summer Come you not from Newcastle? Beverly O’Regan Thiele The Salley Gardens The Brisk Young Widow Kurt Ollmann Richard Walters, pianist and presenter Sonnet XVI from Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo translation of the Italian text Just as there is a high, a low, and a middle style in pen and ink, and as within the marble are images rich and poor, according as our fancy knows how to draw them forth: so within your heart, dear love, there are perhaps, as well as pride, some humble feelings: but I draw thence only what is my desert and like to what I show outside on my face. Whoever sows sighs, tears and lamentations (Heaven’s moisture on earth, simple and pure, adapts itself differently to different seeds) reaps and gathers grief and sadness: whoever looks on high beauty with so great a grief reaps doubtful hopes and sure and bitter pain. ---------------------------------- Known for her consummate acting and clear, silver-toned, warm voice, Iowa native BEVERLY O’REGAN THIELE is among the best in her field for her interpretation of contemporary opera and equally at home in the classics, concert and recital work. Her successes include Magda Sorel in The Consul, which she sang with Washington National Opera as well as with Berkshire Opera, and recorded the role on the Newport Classics Label. She returned to WNO to sing Blanche in Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Ms. O'Regan Thiele created leading soprano roles in two world premieres for Michael Nyman: Man and Boy Dada and Love Counts, both with the Badisches Staatstheater, Karlsruhe, Germany. Also in Karlsruhe, she sang Chrysothemis in Elektra, Giulietta in Les contes d’Hoffmann and Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, a role she also sang with Lyric Opera of Chicago and New York City Opera. She has sung Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw with the Broomhill Opera Festival in the UK, and the title role in the East Coast premiere of Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin. She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of the title role in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah with Des Moines Metro Opera, as well as Arkadina in the professional premiere of Thomas Pasatierie's latest rendition of The Seagull with New York’s Dicapo Opera, a role she repeated in Szeged, Hungary. Other roles: Donna Elvira with Glimmerglass Opera, Mississippi Opera and Toledo Opera; Fiordiligi with Lake George Opera, Opera Omaha and Fort Worth Opera; Musetta with New York City Opera and Orlando Opera. Ms. O'Regan Thiele has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Washington National Opera in Die Walkure, Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten, War and Peace, Moses und Aaron, and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. She ventured into the musical theatre genre as Rosabella in Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella with Utah Opera Festival. Her inspirational CD, Live in the Light,was released in 2010. She may be heard on the Hal Leonard recordings The Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein for Soprano, Benjamin Britten: 12 Selected Folksong Arrangements, and Folksongs in Recital. Mezzo-soprano CHRISTINE O’MEALLY has performed everything from the motets of J.S. Bach to the melodies of Irving Berlin to the minimalism of Philip Glass. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has called her voice “an amazing instrument.” The Washington Post said, “her voice is lovely and her stage presence is natural and full of vitality.” Her performances include appearances with Racine Symphony, Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, Washington Bach Consort, Opera Theater of Northern Virginia, Washington Savoyards, In Tandem Theatre, Windfall Theater, The Young Victorian Theater of Baltimore, and Skylight Opera Theatre. She created the role of The Woman in Red in Dominick Argento’s A Dream of Valentino in its world premiere with the Washington Opera. Her concert appearances include performances with the Racine Symphony as the alto soloist in the Mozart Requiem, Wheaton Symphony, Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Choral Artists, Washington Bach Consort, Handel Choir of Baltimore, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. On recordings, Ms. O’Meally may be heard on Mark Brymer’s Christmas Suite with Milwaukee Children's Choir under the direction of Emily Crocker, Flight Box with Present Music, and in “Cinq Poèmes de Tristan Tzara” with pianist Milton Peckarsky on the CD La Clé de L’Horizon. A NATS member since 1997 and a past participant in the NATS intern program, she is on the faculties of Cardinal Stritch University and at Carroll University, and maintains a private voice studio in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Ms. O’Meally received an M.M. in vocal performance from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. American baritone KURT OLLMANN first came to prominence singing Riff on the Deutsche Grammophon recording of West Side Story, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Ollmann’s operatic career has since taken him to La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, the Rome Opera, Brussels’ La Monnaie, the Wexford Festival, as well as the Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington, Santa Fe, Glimmerglass and New York City opera companies. He has sung with the London Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre de Paris, Rome’s Accademia de Santa Cecilia, the New York Philharmonic, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the orchestras of Boston, Baltimore, San Francisco, among many others. A noted recitalist, Mr. Ollmann studied song literature with Gérard Souzay and Pierre Bernac, and has made a specialty of French and American song literature. He has premiered works by Leonard Bernstein, Ned Rorem, Michael Torke, Richard Danielpour and Peter Lieberson, and has appeared regularly with the New York Festival of Song. His recordings include songs of Leguerney with pianist Mary Dibbern, songs of Roussel with pianist Dalton Baldwin, Schumann songs with pianist Michael Barrett, and Rorem songs with the composer. Other recordings include Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette with Placido Domingo, Gershwin’s Oh, Kay! with Dawn Upshaw, Bernstein’s Candide and West Side Story, Ravel’s L’Heure Espagnole under André Previn, and Pelléas et Melisande. Mr. Ollmann has recorded for Hal Leonard Corporation since 2004, and can be heard on several companion CDs with music books, including Samuel Barber: 10 Selected Songs, Britten: 12 Selected Folksong Arrangements, Folksongs in Recital, The Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein for Baritone/Bass, and others. Mr. Ollmann is on the voice faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Tenor STEVEN STOLEN enjoys an active and eclectic life as a singing artist, educator, arts administrator and community leader. His singing experiences have included solo appearances with many of the country’s finest symphony orchestras including the symphonies of San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Baltimore, St Louis, San Antonio, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik of Toronto and many others. Mr. Stolen has appeared many times with the Indianapolis Symphony. He has sung at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra and made his New York debut as Jonathan in Handel’s Saul at the BAM Festival. He is the founder and Resident Artist of Meridian Song Project in Indianapolis, the only vocal chamber music series of its kind in the midwest. Mr. Stolen enjoyed a long career in academia, serving on the faculties at Central Michigan University, Roanoke College, his alma mater, Simpson College, Bowling Green State University, and nearly fifteen years at Butler University, where he also served as head of the music department in the Jordan College of Fine Arts and as Executive Director of Major Gifts and Campaign Programs with Butler’s office of University Advancement. After a successful tenure as Executive Director of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, Mr. Stolen was named Managing Director of the Indiana Repertory Theatre, where he serves as co-CEO, managing and directing the administrative, financial and overall business affairs of Indiana’s largest professional theatre company. He is co-editor of two editions published by Hal Leonard, English Songs: Renaissance to Baroque, and Schubert: 100 Songs. He has been a recording artist for Hal Leonard since 1991, heard on dozens of companion CDs to music publications, including Benjamin Britten: 12 Selected Folksong Arrangements, Samuel Barber: 10 Selected Songs, Folksongs in Recital, 14 Sacred Solos, and The Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein for Tenor. RICHARD WALTERS is Vice President of Classical and Vocal Publications at Hal Leonard Corporation, and directs publishing and marketing of G. Schirmer, Boosey & Hawkes and Hal Leonard publications for voice, classical piano, classical solo instrumental and chamber music. He also directs distribution of Schott, Henle and other European publishers, and is closely involved in managing Hal Leonard’s classical European ventures, which includes directing the publishing for Ricordi, Durand and Salabert. Richard has edited more than 60 volumes in The Vocal Library series, including The Oratorio Anthology, Standard Vocal Literature, and collections of songs by Schubert, Brahms, Strauss, Fauré and Quilter.