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cover photographer credits Front: Piano in Emerson Concert Hall, Mark Teague
Back (top to bottom): Emory Big Band, Bill Head; Atlanta Master Chorale: Eric Richards;
Timothy Albrecht as Dracula: Carl Christie; Vega String Quartet, Dorn Brothers; Emerson Concert Hall,
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music at emory
concert series
201 4 – 2 0 1 5 season
Die Schöpfung (The Creation)
Emory university symphony Orchestra
Richard prior, conductor
emory university chorus
eric nelson, director
jonathan easter, rehearsal accompanist
Bradley Howard, tenor
Abigail Santos, soprano
Wade Thomas, baritone
friday, april 17, 2015, 8:00 p.m.
saturday, April 18, 2015, 8:00 p.m.
Emerson Concert Hall
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
P r ogr am
Die Schöpfung (The Creation) (1798)
Franz Joseph Haydn
(1732–1809)
I. Representation of Chaos
Recitative (Raphael): In the beginning
Chorus: And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters
Recitative (Uriel): And God saw the light
Aria with chorus: Now vanish before the holy beams
Recitative (Raphael): And God made the firmament
Chorus with Gabriel: The marv’lous work beholds amazed
Recitative (Raphael): And God said, let the waters
under heaven be gathered together
Aria (Gabriel): With verdure clad
Recitative (Uriel): And the heavenly host proclaimed the third day
Chorus: Awake the Harp
Recitative (Uriel): And God said, let there be lights
in the firmament of heaven
Recitative (Uriel): In splendor bright is rising now the sun
Chorus: The heavens are telling the glory of God
II.
Recitative (Gabriel): And God said, let the waters bring forth
Recitative (Raphael): And God created great whales
Chorus: The Lord is great
Recitative (Raphael): And God said, let the earth bring forth
Aria (Raphael): Straight opening her fertile womb
Recitative (Uriel): And God created man
Aria (Uriel): In native worth
Recitative (Raphael): And God saw everything that he had made
Chorus with trio: Achieved is the glorious work
III. Recitative (Adam): Our duty we have now performed
Duet (Adam, Eve): Graceful consort!
Recitative (Uriel): O happy pair
Chorus: Sing the Lord, ye voices all
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P r o g r a m not e s
Die Schöpfung (The Creation)
Johann Peter Salomon, a German-born violinist, composer,
and impresario who resided in London, was responsible for
convincing Franz Joseph Haydn to make two trips (1791–
1792, 1794–1795) from his native Austria to the great
English city. Both Haydn and his music were accorded an
extraordinary outpouring of enthusiasm and affection by
the London public. Those triumphant London years were,
according to Haydn, the happiest of his life.
While in London, Haydn heard many of the oratorios of the great Baroque
composer, George Frideric Handel. In 1791, Haydn attended a performance of
Handel’s Messiah at Westminster Abbey. During the famous Hallelujah Chorus,
Haydn wept, and exclaimed: “He is the master of us all.”
Salomon also gave Haydn an English libretto originally intended to serve
as the basis for another Handel oratorio. The English text, by a Mr. Lidley (or
Lindley), was inspired by John Milton’s Paradise Lost. For unknown reasons,
Handel never set the text to music. Haydn took the libretto back with him to
Vienna, and shared it with his friend, Baron Gottfried von Swieten, who set
about adapting the text into German. That text served as the basis for Haydn’s
choral masterpiece, the oratorio Die Schöpfung (The Creation).
Haydn composed The Creation during the years 1797 and 1798. He later
commented: “I was never so religious as during the composition of The
Creation. Daily I fell on my knees and asked God for strength.” When someone
asked Haydn why the composition of The Creation took place over such an
extended period, he responded: “Because I intend it to last for a long time.”
The premiere of Haydn’s The Creation took place under the composer’s
direction at the Schwarzenburg Palace in Vienna on April 29, 1798. The
first public performance was at the Vienna Burgtheater on March 19, 1799.
Both concerts were triumphs, and The Creation remained immensely popular
throughout Haydn’s lifetime. And indeed to this day, The Creation is recognized
as one of Haydn’s masterpieces, and one of the greatest of all oratorios.
Haydn was in his mid-sixties and at the height of his powers when he
composed The Creation. The composer drew upon a lifetime of experience
to create a work for soloists, chorus, and orchestra that is a miracle of vocal
and instrumental writing. The latter, in particular, is notable for the remarkable
way Haydn uses the various instruments of the orchestra to illuminate the text
describing the miracles of the Creation.
First Part
The First Part opens with a stunning orchestral Prelude (“Largo”), depicting the
chaos that existed prior to Creation. The remainder of the First Part describes
the first four days. The archangel Raphael (bass) and chorus relate the transition
from chaos to the stunning first appearance of light. The archangel Uriel
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(tenor) and chorus celebrate the disappearance of the spirits of hell. Raphael
narrates the creation of the firmament, the division of waters, and the onset
of fearsome storms. The archangel Gabriel (soprano) and chorus praise this
“marvelous work.” Raphael describes how God divided the waters from the
dry land, creating the Earth and Seas. Gabriel recounts the creation of grass,
herbs, and fruit. Uriel and the chorus celebrate the conclusion of Creation’s
third day. Uriel then relates the miracles of the fourth day—the formation of
the sun, moon, and the stars to mark the day and night, and the appearance
of the various seasons. The First Part concludes with the beloved chorus, The
heavens are telling the glory of God.
Second Part
The Second Part, opening with the fifth day, describes the creation of life.
Raphael narrates the creation of living creatures, and God’s command that
they “be fruitful and multiply.” The soloists and chorus wonder at the beauties
of these creations and of God’s glory. Raphael describes the sixth day, and
the procession of the creatures. But Raphael notes that God’s work was not
complete. Uriel then tells how God created man and woman. Raphael confirms
the end of the sixth day, and the soloists and chorus praise God and His work.
Third Part
The Third Part of The Creation describes Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve pledge themselves to each other. Uriel wishes the couple eternal
happiness, but warns against trying to pursue impermissible knowledge. The
Creation ends with everyone celebrating and praising God.
—Program notes by Ken Meltzer, unless otherwise indicated.
So lois t b io g r a phi es
Bradley Howard, tenor, director of vocal studies at Emory,
enjoys a career spanning the classical and modern choral
works, solo recitals, and operatic roles. Howard has a
repertoire including some of opera’s most classic roles,
including Mozart’s Tamino in The Magic Flute and Ferrando
in Così fan tutte, Puccini’s Rodolfo in La Bohème, Leoncavallo’s
Beppe in I Pagliacci, Rossini’s Count Almaviva in The Barber
of Seville, Britten’s Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, and
the title roles of Albert Herring and Candide. Howard’s concert engagements
include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem, Weill’s
Seven Deadly Sins, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Creation, Mendelssohn’s
Lobgesang, Handel’s Messiah and Saul, and Bach’s St. John Passion and B Minor
Mass. Howard’s solo recitals have been heard across the United States.
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Abigail Santos, soprano, has been celebrated for her
warm stage presence and satiny voice. Her recent
performances include singing with the Cincinnati Symphony,
the Kentucky Bach Choir, Lynn Philharmonia, Voices of
Ascension of New York City, the Santa Fe Opera apprentice
program, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and in Carnegie
Hall. Future performances include her debut with the
Atlanta Opera as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro and
collaborating with world famous conductor John Nelson in Costa Rica, New
Jersey, and Chicago. A College Conservatory of Cincinnati graduate, Santos
has performed as Morgana in Handel’s Alcina, Sofia in Rossini’s Il Signor
Bruschino, Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, and Zerlina in Mozart’s Don
Giovanni. She has performed with renowned opera programs such as Cincinnati
Opera, San Francisco Merola Opera program, International Vocal Arts Institute,
and CCM Spoleto. Santos was named a finalist of the 2014 MONC Southeast
region and the 2013 Santa Fe Opera Anna Case MacKay Award recipient.
Other honors include participating in the 2012 Kentucky Bach Choir
Competition, winning the 2011 Sam Adams Award and the 2010 Italo Tajo
Memorial Award, and being named a 2010 Metropolitan Opera National
semifinalist.
Wade Thomas, baritone, a native of Calhoun, Georgia,
has performed with numerous opera companies, most
recently with Atlanta Opera and St. Petersburg Opera in St.
Petersburg, Florida. Thomas’s vibrant, yet smooth baritone
vocal quality and compelling stage presence have garnered
acclaim in performances including Guglielmo in Così fan
tutte, Falstaff in Merry Wives of Windsor, Count Almaviva in
Le Nozze di Figaro, Germont in La Traviata, Enrico in Lucia di
Lammermoor, Tonio and Silvio in I Pagliacci, and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore.
Earlier in his training, Thomas participated in renowned opera apprentice
programs such as Central City Opera in Colorado and the Santa Fe Opera,
where he performed the role of the School Teacher in Osvaldo Golijov’s new
and Grammy Award–winning opera, Ainadamar. Thomas went on to perform
this opera in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City. He has also
appeared with Opera Omaha, Natchez Opera, Opera Theatre of Northern
Virginia, Brevard Music Festival, Opera Columbus, Opera Birmingham, Ohio
State Opera, and Samford Operaworks. His concert and oratorio work include
Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, and Five Mystical Songs
by Vaughn-Williams. Awards include the Richard F. Gold Career Grant, the
Campbell Watcher Memorial Award, and the Anna Case MacKay Vocal Grant
from Santa Fe Opera, the Carmen D’Esopo Award from the Connecticut Opera
Guild, and Opera Columbus Voice Competition. Thomas is a graduate of
Samford and Ohio State universities.
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E m o ry U n i v e r s ity Sy mph ony Orchestra
The Emory University Symphony Orchestra (EUSO) experience provides a musical
environment of the highest caliber, nurturing individual artistic excellence and
ensemble performance. The EUSO presents a varied repertoire of music from
the Baroque period to the twenty-first century, often combining forces with the
Emory choirs to feature masterworks of the rich symphonic-choral tradition.
The one hundred–member orchestra draws its membership from all disciplines
across the campus and from all divisions of the university.
Richard Prior, conductor
Richard Prior is director of orchestral studies at Emory and
senior lecturer in composition where he holds the Edward
Goodwin Scruggs Chair and conducts the Emory University
and Youth Symphony orchestras. Prior is also conductor of
the Rome Symphony Orchestra (Georgia) where he holds
the Georgia Power Conducting Chair. Prior’s musical training
began in his native England, where he received degrees
from Leeds and Nottingham Universities. He has taught at
several universities and colleges in the United States and at St. Catherine’s
College, Oxford University where he was a visiting fellow in music.
As a guest conductor, Prior has led performances with members of the New
York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Houston Symphony,
Montreal Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra. Internationally, he has appeared
with the National Symphony of Ukraine, the Odessa Philharmonic, and the Cairo
National Symphony, and in the United States, with the Charlotte Symphony
Orchestra, the New Orleans Civic Symphony, the Rome Symphony Orchestra,
and most recently the LaGrange Symphony. Prior has worked with a range of
distinguished soloists including sopranos Silvia McNair and Yulia Van Doren; cellist
Matt Haimovitz; violinists David Kim, Katherine Wolfe, and Sinisa Ciric; pianists
William Ransom and James Swisher; oboist Joseph Robinson; clarinetist Ashraf
Attalla; jazz saxophonist Victor Goines; and vocal sensation Janelle Monáe.
With a strong background in choral music, Prior is a versatile conductor who
can draw together the forces for opera and standard major repertoire including
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mozart’s Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah, in
addition to contemporary works. He continues to work as a guest clinician with
regional high school honor groups and All State orchestras across the country.
Reviews in the professional press cite his “stirring conviction,” “precision,”
and “stylishness and flexibility,” with the noted “meteoric rise” of ensembles
under his direction. Prior’s mentors and teachers include Sir Simon Rattle, James
Paul, and William LaRue Jones. He is a founding member and past president of
the College Orchestra Directors Association (South Central Division), he served
on the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Arts and Cultural Assessment Committee,
and he is past president of the 501c(3) ReStringHaiti organization dedicated to
expanding music education and performance opportunities to Haiti.
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e m o ry u n i v e r s ity s y mph ony orchestra
The Joel M. Felner, MD, and Edward Goodwin Scruggs Chairs
The two named chairs, concertmaster and principal second violin, are in
recognition of gifts-in-kind to the Emory University Symphony Orchestra in the
value of $317,000. Joel M. Felner is associate dean at the Emory University
School of Medicine; Edward Goodwin Scruggs was for thirty-seven years a
tenured member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The lives of both men
represent distinguished careers and great philanthropy as patrons of the arts
and friends of Emory University. The concertmaster plays a 1687 Grancino and
the principal second performs on an 1870 Scarampella.
Flute
Warren Ma
Rosemary Lee
Oboe
Lauren Firestone
Rachel Corbitt
Clarinet
Tyler Cooke
Dalton Corbin
Bassoon
Haley Matthews
Rachel Brenner
Horn
Alex Lutz
Kevin Sullivan
Trumpet
Christopher Naber
Clint McLendon
Trombone
Parker Ellison
Matthew Thoburn
Bass Trombone
Grant Singer
VIOLIN I
Daun Kwag
Sean Chew
Anders Olsen
Caroline Plott
I-Chiu (Joseph) Lin
Justin Liu
Richard Upton
Justin Moore
John Park
Lindsay Fisher
Benito Thompson
Sunny Yue
Yeerin Kwon
Peter Lee
VIOLIN II
Joseph Matthews
Michael Crawford
Yeonjae (Iris) Lim
Nimia Maya
Shiqu (Jenny) Zhang
Henry Hays
Alexander Sun
Jimmy Chen
Carrie Ciccotello
Ariana Rahgozar
Sophia Lu
Jaqueline Yap
Jeffrey You
Camilia Heninger
VIOLA
Minjee Kim, co-principal
Rebecca Flank, co-principal
Yongyong Li
Katherine Hur
Kara Goldstone
Mallory Carnes
Catherine Holmes
Cammie Wagner
Millie Ma
Safiyah Bharwani
Nicholas Singletary
Priyanka Pai
Madeline Drace
Giang Ha
Peter Ngyuen
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CELLO
Anna Bing, co-principal
Clifford Redwine, co-principal
Carolyn Ranti
James Dickey
Kylie Baker
Sophia Wang
James Allen
Joel Lee
Caitlin Anderson
RuQi Chen
Isabel Goddard
Emily Chang
BASS
Sam Budnyk
Timothy Boykin
Shalina Grover
Richard Lorenc
Kait McGann-Ludwin
Brandon Sibilia
Bijean Ford
harpsichord
Jonathan Easter
Timpani
Erin Baker
Comb in e d Ch o r us
The Emory Concert Choir is a select fifty-voice chamber choir. The ensemble
has sung at both the Southern and National Conventions of the American
Choral Directors Association. The Emory Concert Choir has performed at Avery
Fisher Hall in New York City, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the Berlinerdom
in Berlin, the Vatican in Rome, and St. Nicholas Church in Prague. The choir
sings a wide variety of sacred and secular repertoire from the Middle Ages to
the present, from chant to folk song. Recent performances have included the
Vivaldi Gloria, the Bach Magnificat, Dove’s Seek Him Who Maketh the Seven
Stars, and Whitacre’s Cloudburst.
Open to all Emory University students as well as to members of the Emory
community, the University Chorus holds a unique place in Emory life. Music
majors and nonmajors, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff,
parents and their children, workers and retirees, alumni and neighbors, all come
together to rehearse each Monday night, united by their common love of singing.
Eric Nelson, director
Eric Nelson is professor of music and director of choral studies
at Emory, where he conducts the Concert Choir and the
University Chorus. He also teaches graduate choral
conducting, methods, and literature. In addition, Nelson is the
artistic director of the Atlanta Master Chorale and the minister
of music at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta.
He has degrees in voice and conducting from Houghton
College, Westminster Choir College, and Indiana University.
Nelson has conducted choirs throughout North America and Europe,
including performances in London; Rome; Krakow; Berlin; Leipzig; Prague;
Moscow; Washington, D.C.; Carnegie Hall; Lincoln Center; and the Sydney
Opera House. His choirs have appeared at seven American Choral Directors
Association conventions, including the Concert Choir’s performance at
Chicago’s Orchestra Hall for the National Convention in 2011 and the Atlanta
Master Chorale’s performance for the Southern Regional Convention in 2014.
His ensembles have been praised for their ability to combine a high level of
technical precision with warmth of musical expression. His Atlanta Master
Chorale was awarded the “Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence” by
Chorus America and the “Prudential Leadership Award” from BoardSource.
Nelson’s compositions have been sung by choirs throughout the United States,
including performances for the American Choral Director’s Association, the Music
Educators National Conference, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians,
the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, the American Guild of Organists, and
for numerous churches, colleges, and universities. Nelson is the editor of the
Atlanta Master Chorale Choral Series, a division of Morningstar Music Publishers.
His compositions are also published by Colla Voce and Augsburg Fortress.
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Comb in e d c h o r us
Soprano
Gina Alawaye
Sarah Anderson
Barbara Antley
Zoë Ashwood
Bel Sarah Bayona
Katie Boice
Lee Ann Brunson
Carolyn Bryant
Shayna Burack
Minyung Cheong
Liz DeSimone
Annie Duguid
Anna Farmer
Rebecca Flikier
Amy Gorowitz
Chris Guo
Marisa Hann
Bonnie Hardie
Rashida Hassan
Xiaokun He
Shannon Hill
Ashley Hoffman
Julia Hudgins
Hyejung Jun
Dolly Katz
Arooj Khalid
Yedarm Kim
Briana Krackow
Isabelle Lee
Ann Lin
Sarah Lindberg
Nancy Martin
Emily Mast
Kathy Matthews
Naomi Newton
Lynn O’Neill
Aspen Ono
Kim Papastavridis
Shangrila Parvin
Zoë Pollock
Lokita Rajan
Preeti Ravindhran
Berit Reisenauer
Sarah Robbins
Stephanie Roberts
Morgan Rubin
Sue Sandell
Meredith Thompson
Megan Withers
Minah Woo
Alto
Carol Allums
Whitney Anderson
Beth Bell
Alex Berman
Hannah Rose
Blakeley
Xinran Chen
Kate Finneran
Sharon Fisher
Samantha Frischling
Cloe Gentile
Emily Griswold
Hannah Harmatz
Susan Heerin
Rita Helfand
Victoria Hood
Migyeong Jang
Ji Eun Kim
Lauren Kim
Laura Lacombe
Valérie Loichot
Kelsey Maher
Francesca Mucciaccio
Esther Neibart
Susan Nelson
Erika Ono
Ivy Overcash
Kitty Quitmeyer
Lydia Rautman
Emma Reidy
Lynn Rogers
Mary Slaughter
Erin Son
Erin Stearns
Emily Summerbell
Jane von Seggern
Laurie Ann Taylor
Hannah Teetor
Leila Varzi
Marianne Wages
Crystal Wang
Rachel Wang
Kadina Webb
Kelly Weirich
Phyllis Weiss
Lyneice Williams
Whitney Williams
Jingwen Yang
Rosa Zhang
Yuchen Zhang
Tenor
Conway Amar
Matthew Cole
Jon Easter
Charles Forrest
Dustin Goodman
Jeffrey Haylon
Ken Hepburn
Yang Hong
Paul Jang
James Kang
David Lee
Brian Levenson
Zach Liang
Marvin Lim
Charles Matthews
Tianjun Ren
Colin Reynolds
Andy Ross
Alex Shin
Wenzheng Sun
Brandon Valyan-Clark
Bean Woo
Tom Zhang
Michael Zhong
11
Bass
Eric Aaron
Malik Alexander
Alex Bedenbaugh
Joey Benevento
Andrew Bixler-Smith
George Deng
Ethan Farmer
Isaac Feiner
Paul Frysh
Alan Goldman
Casey Hall
Jerry Ho
Daniel HollandMoritz
Jonathan Hussung
George Inglis
Dennis Jones
James Kennedy
Simon Kim
Don Kollarik
J. Scott Matthews
Jeffrey Meng
Geoffrey Middleton
Phil Murdie
Eric Newell
Devin Porter
Jack Reilly
Brandon Robinson
Alex Rogers
Greg Sefian
George Sustman
Ryan Sutherland
Will Vander Pols
Cecil Walker
David Webster
Daniel Weiss
Chip Wilmot
Andrew Winston
Shannon Young