PROGRAM NOTES
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
PROGRAM NOTES
TO AWAKEN THE SLEEPER
James Conlon
James Conlon , one of today ’ s most versatile and respected conductors , has cultivated a vast symphonic , operatic , and choral repertoire . Since his debut with the New York Philharmonic , he has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra . Through worldwide touring , an extensive discography and videography , and television appearances , he is one of classical music ’ s most recognized figures .
Mr . Conlon is Music Director of LA Opera , where since 2006 he has led more performances than any other conductor in the company ’ s history . He is also Artistic Advisor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra .
In an effort to call attention to lesserknown works of composers silenced by the Nazi regime , Mr . Conlon has devoted himself to extensive programming of this music throughout Europe and North America . For his efforts , he was awarded the Roger E . Joseph Prize at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion ( 2013 ); a Crystal Globe Award from the Anti-Defamation League ( 2007 ); and the Zemlinsky Prize ( 1999 ).
His recordings of LA Opera productions including Corigliano ’ s The Ghosts of Versailles released on PentaTone and Weill ’ s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny on EuroArts have received four Grammy ® awards . Mr . Conlon was named Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana by Sergio Mattarella , President of the Italian Republic , and Commandeur de L ’ Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture . In
2002 , he received France ’ s highest honor , the Legion d ’ Honneur from then-President of the French Republic Jacques Chirac .
Rodrick Dixon
Rodrick Dixon possesses a versatile tenor voice of extraordinary range that has earned him the respect of conductors , orchestras , and opera companies throughout North America .
On the concert stage , he has appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra , The Philadelphia Orchestra , Los Angeles Philharmonic , Ravinia Festival , Cincinnati Symphony , American Symphony Orchestra , Atlanta Symphony , Vail Music Festival , Kimmel Center , and The Longfellow Chorus . He has also performed at Sydney Arts Festival in Australia . Last season included appearances with the Enescu Festival in the title role of Zemlinsky Der Zwerg , Philadelphia Orchestra for Beethoven ’ s Missa Solemnis , Florida Orchestra for Mozart ’ s Requiem , Calvin University for Handel ’ s Messiah . the Richmond Symphony , Greensboro Symphony , Alexandria Symphony for Beethoven ’ s Symphony No . 9 and appearances in Detroit and Chicago for Too Hot to Handel . The current season includes notable debuts with the New York Philharmonic , Baltimore Symphony , Netherlands Philharmonic , Nashville Symphony , Peoria Symphony and South Dakota Symphony and returns to the Colorado Symphony and Cincinnati Symphony . Next season includes his debut at Royal Opera House , Covent Garden as Froh in Das Rheingold and return to Los Angeles Opera in the title role of Der Zwerg .
James Conlon
Rodrick Dixon
He has appeared on television in a number of PBS specials . He was part of the original cast of Ragtime on Broadway , and in Show Boat at the Auditorium Theatre . He has also appeared on recordings ( Sony / BMG ), PBS Great Performances Cook , Dixon & Young Volume One , Follow That Star Christmas CD , Liam Lawton ’ s Sacred Land , Rodrick Dixon Live in Concert , and a Christmas album with the Cincinnati Pops .
Experience the Performance Again A livestream of this program is available for a limited time .
Dan Steinberg for LA Opera Dan Demetriad
FROM THE PODIUM
by James Conlon
It is essential that Black Americans , who represent a majority population of Baltimore , be well represented on the Baltimore Symphony ’ s stage . When I signed on to assist the orchestra until Jonathon Heyward takes over as Music Director next season , I embraced the idea that substantial works by Black composers should figure in the programming , a natural expansion of the “ Recovered Voices ” incentive that focuses on figures affected by political repression in World War II . Adolphus Hailstork ’ s Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed celebrates one of the greatest Americans who ever lived . My father was active in civil rights , and when I was 13 he took me to hear Dr . King speak — and I got to shake his hand . His death is one of the great shames of our country . Any epitaph for him is deeply meaningful for me and for all of us . Alvin Singleton is another senior eminence among
African-American composers . I met him when I was a teenager ; we have been lifelong friends and I have conducted a number of his pieces . His 56 Blows ponders the question “ Who Guards the Guardians ?” which , in the context of police brutality , remains a very present concern of American life . Joel Thompson , a composer very much on the rise , uses a James Baldwin text that invites us to grapple with race and equality . Putting these three pieces together asserts and amplifies this crucial matter . Shostakovich , who lived through the abuses of the Stalin era in Russia , is also a politically charged composer . It ’ s not always possible to decode exactly what he ’ s saying , and part of the fascination with Shostakovich is that he leaves so many unanswered questions . What is certain is that all of these pieces respond to the society and politics of their time , right up to today .
MAY-JUN 2023 / OVERTURE 33