THE PLANETS WITH HEYWARD
Academy , he was appointed assistant conductor of the Hallé Orchestra , where he was mentored by Sir Mark Elder , and became Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra . In 2023 , he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music .
Jonathon is committed to education and community outreach work , as well as to including new music within his imaginative concert programs .
Jess Gillam
Jess Gillam is celebrated as a leading figure of the saxophone . With her electrifying performances , vibrant stage presence and magnetic personality , the ‘ uniquely mercurial ’ ( The Times ) Gillam has been invited to play on the world ’ s major stages since becoming the youngest ever soloist to perform at the Last Night of the Proms and was hailed for her ‘ effortless virtuosity and limitless expressiveness ’ ( Arts Desk ). Equally at home behind the microphone , Gillam has shattered glass ceilings as the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3 with her award-winning weekly show , This Classical Life .
Passionate about broadening the repertoire for the saxophone , Gillam gives the premieres of various works in the current season ; this includes Glasslands by Anna Clyne with the Festival Orchestra of the Lincoln Center , Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra , etc . Further premieres include the world premiere of Dani Howard ’ s Saxophone Concerto with Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2025 and the London Premiere of Karl
Jess Gillam
Robin Clewley
Jenkins ’ s Stravaganza in a sold-out BBC Proms performance in August 2024 .
Highlights of Gillam ’ s concerto appearances have included performances with the BBC , DSO Berlin , Gothenburg , Iceland , Lahti , London , NDR Elbphilharmonie , and Sydney Symphony Orchestras , as well as the London , Royal Liverpool and Munich Philharmonics , among others . Further afield , concerto highlights in the U . S . have included the Houston Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra .
As an exclusive recording artist with Decca Classics , Jess Gillam is the first and only saxophonist to be signed to the major label . Both her albums have reached No . 1 in the U . K . Classical Music Charts and her debut album , Rise , was listed in The Times ’ Top 100 albums of 2019 .
Baltimore Choral Arts Society
Baltimore Choral Arts Society , now in its 59th season , celebrates the joy of choral music through exceptional performances and diverse educational partnerships . The chorus and Chamber Singers present concerts throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and Europe . Baltimore Choral Arts regularly performs with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , National Philharmonic , and other prominent area ensembles . This year , Music Director Anthony Blake Clark has established large-scale collaborations with Sister Cities Girlchoir , Morgan State University Chorus , and Peabody Conservatory .
Choral Arts provides thoughtful and impactful music education initiatives that serve youth in and around Baltimore . These include CoroLAB , a partnership with high school choral music programs ; Vocal Fellows , a leadership opportunity for professional singers ; the Student Composer Project , a competition for high-school and college composers ; and Sing and Play with Baltimore Choral Arts , a series of free music classes for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers ,
Baltimore Choral Arts Society
presented in partnership with the Enoch Pratt Free Library .
In an ongoing effort to make choral music accessible throughout the Baltimore region , Choral Arts produces Discovery Series programming . These outreach initiatives include free performances and events such as open rehearsals , audience singalongs , and community concerts .
Recent awards and recognitions include the 2023 Capital Emmy ® for Diversity / Equity / Inclusion with Maryland Public Television for Artworks : Dreamer , a documentary featuring Choral Arts ’ 2022 performance of Mozart ’ s Requiem and Jasmine Barnes ’ Portraits : Douglass and Tubman ; the 2020 Chorus America / ASCAP Alice Parker Award ; and the 2020 American Prize in Community Chorus Conducting ( Anthony Blake Clark ).
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM
by Heather O ' Donovan
James Lee III
Born November 26 , 1975 in St . Joseph , Michigan Resides in Edgewood , Maryland
SUKKOT THROUGH ORION ' S NEBULA [ 2011 ]
The musical catalog of James Lee III , the BSO ’ s 2024 – 25 Composer in Residence , evinces an enduring affinity for the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church , founded in Battle Creek , Michigan , an hour from Lee ’ s birthplace . A singular , striking throughline of biblical imagery permeates much of Lee ’ s acclaimed oeuvre , which has found favor among leading
Side A Photography
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