Press Release
November 23, 2009
Orchestra Nova's Holiday Gift to San Diego :
$10 Discount on all Masterpiece Messiah Tickets
Orchestra Nova San Diego and the Bach Collegium San Diego chorus will partner to present the only performance of Handel's Messiah by professional musicians in San Diego this holiday season. The performance will be conducted by Jung-Ho Pak, Orchestra Nova's artistic director and conductor, and will be performed in three local churches: St. Paul 's Cathedral-Downtown, St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church-La Jolla, and Solana Beach Presbyterian Church-Solana Beach . It will be performed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 10, 11 and 12, at 7:30 p.m.
As a special holiday gift to San Diegans, Orchestra Nova is giving a $10 discount to all Masterpiece Messiah ticket buyers in addition to an extraordinary concert experience.
Masterpiece Messiah , Orchestra Nova's highly acclaimed dramatic presentation , includes video of great masterpieces of art that complements the music as it is performed. The orchestra and chorus, under the leadership of music director Ruben Valenzuela, will be joined by four extraordinarily talented guests soloists: soprano Virginia Sublett, alto Katherine Lundeen, tenor Robert MacNeil and bass John Polhamus.
This authentic 18 th century re-creation of George Frideric Handel's Messiah has become a tradition for the orchestra. This approach is based on the "early instrument" style of playing and singing. Without the heavy vibrato in the instruments and by using smaller and lighter forces, the sound is much closer to the original that Handel would have envisioned and heard, with clearer text and instrumental color.
Soprano Virginia Sublett is renowned for her clear diction and expressive soprano voice and this is her fifth appearance with the orchestra. She has performed with the New York City Opera, the Los Angeles Opera and other opera companies across the country and in Europe . She lived in San Diego for 24 years and received her graduate degrees in music from the University of California , San Diego . She is currently on the faculty at North Dakota State University where she teaches applied voice, opera theatre and voice-related academic subjects.
Alto Katherine Lundeen reprises her role as a guest soloist for the orchestra's Messiah performances with her rich and expressive voice, matched by her technical agility. Well-known for her dramatic personality and stage presence, she is a frequent concert artist throughout California . As the winner of the International Opera Singers Competition, Katherine made her New York debut in 2002 at Carnegie Hall. For the past nine years, she has been alto section leader and soloist with the Village Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe.
Tenor Robert MacNeil has been praised by the Los Angeles Times for possessing a voice that is “clarion” and “clear,” An accomplished concert artist, the tenor has been soloist in more than fifty performances of Handel's Messiah. He has soloed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in performances of Elijah , the Sydney Choral Festival in the Berlioz' Requiem and in Orff's Carmina Burana with the Central Union Philharmonic in Beijing . He made his Carnegie Hall solo debut in Britten's The World of the Spirit and appeared in Rome with the Orchestra Roma Symphonia in Verdi's Requiem.
Bass John Polhamus has been part of the early music community in San Diego at several points in his varied career. In 1990 he founded and led the Tomás Luis de Victoria choir, the first professional polyphonic vocal ensemble to hail from the city. In 2001 he founded the Chorus Breviarii, a Gregorian chant Study and Liturgical Group, with whom he still works. He has collaborated with and has been bass soloist with Bach Collegium San Diego since 2003.
Bach Collegium San Diego was founded in 2003 by Ruben Valenzuela with the purpose of presenting historically informed performances of music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods of history. The chorus consists of the finest singers in San Diego . Ruben Valenzuela, music director, holds an M.A. in musicology from San Diego State University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in musicology and historical performance practices at Claremont Graduate University . In addition to conducting and music direction, he has distinguished himself as an organist, harpsichordist and continuo player. He is currently the director of music and organist for St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Del Mar.
The Masterpiece Messiah concert series will be performed at three venues:
Thursday, December 10, St. Paul's Cathedral-Downtown, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 11, St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church-La Jolla, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 12, Solana Beach Presbyterian Church-Solana Beach , 7:30 p.m.
Tickets : 858-350-0290 or orchestranova.org.
Photos of guest artists and the orchestra available through marketing@orchestranova.org.
