Sioux City Symphony Orchestra

SIOUX CITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Mark Francis, Executive Director Ryan Haskins, Music Director and Conductor Trinette Patterson, Office Manager 518 Pierce Street, Sioux City, Iowa 51101

Date: April 1, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Trinette Patterson ● 712‐277‐2111 ● [email protected]

SIOUX CITY SYMPHONY PRESENTS AN ODE TO JOY CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

Sioux City, Iowa – The Sioux City Symphony Orchestra (SCSO) will present Ode to Joy, 100th Year Season Finale featuring Beethoven’s triumphant Ninth Symphony as well as two works by American composer Aaron Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man and Lincoln Portrait. The concert will be at the Orpheum Theatre, Saturday April 16 at 7:30 p.m. with a pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m.

The Symphony No. 9 in D Minor is one of the greatest and most popular works in Beethoven’s entire repertoire. Also known as the “Choral Symphony,” it was composed when Beethoven was almost completely deaf and is the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony.

“We’re proud to be presenting one of the most brilliant works ever composed during our landmark 100th anniversary season.” Ryan Haskins, SCSO music director and conductor, said. “This is a symphony that never fails to move the audience with its extraordinary beauty and emotion.”

Four guest soloists, each of whom has an exceptional record of classical performance, will sing in the fourth and final movement.

John Osborn, , a native of Sioux City, Iowa, graduated from Bishop Heelan High School in 1990 and received his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from Simpson College. He has gained international acclaim in performances with leading theaters around the world including the Metropolitan , Vienna State Opera, Teatro alla Scala, , Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Berlin State Opera, L’Opéra National de Paris, San Francisco Opera, Zurich Opera, Theatre de , Brussels, Grand Theatre de Genève and at the . He is a specialist in the Bel Canto repertoire and French .

He made a spectacular debut with the Academia di Santa Cecilia in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell in concert performances under in 2007 and has since sung the role in Rome, at the Royal Albert Hall in London, a new production at the Dutch National Opera and at the Royal Opera House – Covent Garden. His other Bel Canto roles have included Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Elvino in La Sonnambula, and the title role in Rossini’s .

Amanda Hall, soprano, has earned recognition for her performances of demanding roles on both the operatic and concert stages. Recent highlights include her first performances of Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor and Gilda in Rigoletto, both with Opera Theater of Connecticut, Blanche in Hawaii Opera Theatre’s production of Dialogues des Carmelites, Carmina Burana with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and performing and recording the role of Amelia in Simon Boccanegra at the Beethoven Festival in Warsaw. Past highlights include Violetta in La traviata with Western Plains Opera Company, joining the roster of New York City Opera for its production of A Quiet Place, Donna Anna in as a guest artist with Yale Opera, soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with Lynn University, and in Haydn’s The Creation with the Idaho State Civic Symphony.

Margaret Mezzacappa, mezzo-soprano, is a graduate of Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. She made her San Francisco Opera debut as Antonia's Mother in Les Contes d'Hoffmann. She received a bachelor’s degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. Since 2008, the Ohio native has won numerous awards, from the George London Foundation Vocal Competition; the Giulio Gari Foundation International Vocal Competition; and the Giargiari Bel Canto Competition.

Canadian bass Robert Pomakov begins 2015-2016 returning for his fourth season to the Metropolitan Opera as Don Basilo in Barlett Sher’s production of , and Monterone in Michael Mayer’s production of Rigoletto conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado. Mr. Pomakov has been a prize winner in several of the world's premier singing competitions: a finalist in the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Belgium, second place at the Belvedere Competition in Vienna and third place in Plácido Domingo's Operalia. Mr. Pomakov was decorated with the Simeon, the First Honorary Medal from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria.

Eight regional choirs will participate in this performance. They are Briar Cliff University Singers, Iowa Lakes Community College Chamber Choir, Morningside College Choir, Northwestern College A cappella Choir, Sioux County Oratorio, Siouxland Master Chorale, University of South Dakota Choral Ensembles, and Western Iowa Tech Community College Concert Choir.

The narrator for Lincoln Portrait is Maya Stojan. Stojan was raised in Switzerland and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career in 2008 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in actor training at the Hartt School of Theatre and Music in Connecticut. Shortly after Stojan arrived in Los Angeles, she started booking roles in both independent and feature films. Stojan starred on ABC's Castle and Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.

The concert sponsors are The Wanzek Family Foundation, Drs. Diane Werth and Allan Manalan, and Thorpe & Company Jewellers. The 2015-16 Season Sponsor is WinnaVegas Casino & Resort.

For further information, contact Trinette Patterson at [email protected] or 712-277- 2111. Visit the SCSO at Facebook, Twitter and You Tube.