“Group Therapy”
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Schola Sings Solo presents “Group Therapy” Saturday, January 21 • 8:00 pm St. John’s in the Village New York City This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Please silence all electronic devices. Please do not take flash photographs of the singers during the performance. Thank you! Program “The New World,”Songs for a New World Jason Robert Brown Full Cast “I have dreamt,” Wuthering Heights Bernard Hermann Jennifer Gaskins, mezzo soprano Grateful John Bucchino Deborah King, mezzo soprano “I Bought Me a Cat,” Old American Songs, I Aaron Copland Dorian Lake, baritone “Il est doux, il est bon,” Hérodiade arr. Undine Smith Moore Barbara Nowicki, soprano Phanuel, I search without cease for my mother! He speaks! A voice cried to me: “Have hope, Ah! When will he return! When shall I hear him? hasten to Jerusalem!” I did not find her, alas! I suffered, I was alone, and my heart was calmed And I remain alone here below. listening to his voice melodious and tender! He whose word effaces all sorrow, Can I live without you, beloved Prophet! the Prophet is here! It is to him that I go! It was there, in that desert, to which the astounded He is kind, he is good; his speech is serene, crowd had followed his steps, he speaks, all is silent! Lighter on the palm that he received me one day, abandoned child, the attentive breeze passes noiselessly. and that he opened to me his arms!. What a Wonderful World You raise me up Brendan Graham and Rolf Lovland Betsy Mackenzie-Stubbs, soprano; Kerry Stubbs, baritone Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In Galt MacDermot words by James Rado and Gerome Ragni Full Cast 2 Intermission “Vedrai, carino,” Don Giovanni Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mary Ellen Assue, soprano You will see, my dear It’s a certain balm if you’ll be good I carry within me the cure which I can give you, I have for you! if you’ll try it. It’s natural You want to know It won’t give you disgust where I keep it? though no apothecary Then feel it beating, can prescribe it. put your hand here. “Being Alive,” Company Stephen Sondheim Deborah King, mezzo-soprano “Bess, You is My Woman,” Porgy and Bess George Gershwin Mary Ellen Assue, soprano; Dorian Lake, baritone “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” The King and I Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein Barbara Nowicki, soprano Where the Music Comes Lee Hoiby Laura Greenwald-Strom, soprano; How Can I Keep From Singing Robert I. Hugh, arr. Full Cast “A Simple Song,” Mass Leonard Bernstein Laura Greenwald-Strom, soprano; Dorian Lake, baritone Alleluia Ned Rorem Jennifer Gaskins, mezzo-soprano “Over the Rainbow,” The Wizard of Oz Harold Arlen Betsy Mackenzie-Stubbs, mezzo-soprano Will there really be a morning Craig Hella-Johnson Laura Greenwald-Strom, soprano; Deborah King, mezzo-soprano “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Carousel Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein Full Cast 3 About the Artists Mary Ellen Assue, soprano, is a Jennifer teaches music at DePaul Catholic High School Silver Spring, Maryland native whose in Wayne, New Jersey, directs the youth choirs at Calvary experience has led her to travels abroad Lutheran Church in Cranford, New Jersey, and is a member where she gained her first professional of Schola Cantorum on Hudson. music contract singing in Otsu, Japan. Since returning to the United States, she Laura Greenwald-Strom, soprano, has worked as a teacher of piano and voice, and a singer is a Professor in the Caldwell College of various styles of music, including commercial, jazz, Music Department where she serves as concert, and opera. Ms. Assue has performed with various Director of the College Choir, the Opera arts organizations such as the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Workshop and the Concert Series. Dr. Opera Colorado, Florida Grand Opera, and others. She Greenwald has taught voice at Caldwell has most recently portrayed the roles of Clara in Porgy and College, Drew University and privately for over 20 years Bess with Fresno Grand Opera and Despina in Così fan in NJ. She received her DMA from Manhattan School of tutte with Commonwealth Opera. Music, and her MM in Voice Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. She was awarded the 2011 Caldwell College Jennifer Gaskins, mezzo-soprano, Excellence in Teaching Award. holds degrees in voice performance from Dr. Greenwald has specialized in music by women Westminster choir College of Rider composers, many of whose compositions she has performed University in Princeton, New Jersey in recital at Caldwell College, Drew University, the Festival and Concordia University in River of Women Composers at IUP and Ohio University’s Forest, Illinois. While at Westminster, Conference on Women in Music. Dr. Greenwald has Jennifer was a member of the Westminster Symphonic performed as a member of the professional vocal quartet Choir. She sang the role of Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff Chantez! and is now a member of the highly acclaimed with the Westminster Opera Workshop and acted as a ensembles of Schola Cantorum on Hudson. She resides in supernumerary in Handel’s Oreste with the Westminster West Orange with her son, Andrew and husband, David Opera Theater. At Concordia, Jennifer participated in the Strom. Kapelle Choir and in honors recitals, toured nationally and internationally, appeared as a soloist in daily chapel services, Deborah King, mezzo-soprano, is and was a two-time winner of the annual solo and concerto a conductor, singer, and educator, active competition. A native of the Chicago suburbs, Jennifer was most prominently in the northern New a member of the New Classic Singers, a professional choral Jersey and Manhattan areas. As a mezzo ensemble, and appeared in the chorus of the DuPage soloist, she has done recital, oratorio, Opera Theater’s production of Gounod’s Faust. Jennifer and small-ensemble work primarily; has performed with many of the world’s major orchestras, and her voice studio is active with adult singers, and high including the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, school singers preparing for conservatory auditions. She Lucerne Festival, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and is Artistic Director and Founder of the choral ensemble the Ravinia Festival. She has sung for such conductors as Schola Cantorum on Hudson, and of its international Pierre Boulez, Christoph Eschenbach, Neeme Järvi, Leif initiative in support of new choral music, Project : Encore™. Segerstam, and Sir Georg Solti. Most recently Jennifer She serves frequently as an adjudicator, workshop performed the mezzo-sopano solo of Haydn’s Missa in clinician, and guest conductor. Dr. King has served on the Angustiis with the Westminster Community Chorus and faculties of several colleges and universities, and is known orchestra, and was an Associate Artist with the Princeton for building church music programs recognized for their Festival’s production of Puccini’s La Bohéme. Jennifer is an excellence and passion in worship leadership. Locally, she active church musician and has been a soloist in Chicago, has coordinated the Annual High School Choral Festival Philadelphia, and New York area churches. Currently, for the New Jersey Chapter of the American Choral 4 For more information about tonight’s performers, call (888) 407-6002, ext. 4, or email [email protected] About the Artists Directors Association since 1995, and is Coordinator competitions. She performs in opera, recital, and oratorio; of the Repertoire Committee for the New York Choral and has performed as soloist with the Choral Arts Society of Consortium. Dr. King’s experiences as a vocal performer, New Jersey; the Oratorio Singers of Westfield, New Jersey; writer and editor add to her understanding of the demands the Morris Choral Society; the Hunterdon Choral Union; on choral singers. Dr. King holds a Ph.D. in Musicology and with Voice’s, Inc., an ensemble of professional soloists, from the University of North Texas as well as a Master where she appeared as Mary in Laud to the Nativity. Ms. of Music in Music Education from North Texas State Mackenzie-Stubbs has performed with the Trenton Civic University, and a Bachelor’s degreee in vocal performance Opera as Suzuki in Madame Butterfly; and most recently from Texas Christian University. with the Little Opera Company of New Jersey, where she appeared as Flora in La Traviata. Other operatic roles with Dorian Lake, baritone, is an active the Little Opera Company of NJ include: Dorabella in vocalist, percussionist, and composer/ Cosi fan tutte; Marcellina in Le Nozze de Figaro; and Mama arranger within the NYC Tri-state area. Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana. Other roles include: Mother He graduated with a B.A. in Music in Amahl and the Night Visitors; Mrs. Page in The Merry from Wagner College, Staten Island, Wives of Windsor; and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel. NY. Recruited by fellow alumni of his alma mater, he became a member of Schola Cantorum Ms. Mackenzie-Stubbs and her husband, tenor Kerry on Hudson in 2008. Mr. Lake has an eclectic array of Stubbs, maintain a private voice studio in Kenilworth, NJ. musical background and experience, working with choirs Select students are members of the NJ All State Chorus of all sizes, concert bands, orchestras, operas (he recently and Women’s Ensemble and can be seen performing leading premiered the lead role of Sor Giuseppe in the new opera roles in their school musicals and summer theater programs and as soloists in school concerts. Ms. Mackenzie-Stubbs Il Negozio di Campagna), plays and musicals, as well as smaller bands playing everything from Jazz to Pop and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Rock.