PROGRAM NOTES
MESSIAH
Edward Polochick Esther Heideman Sylvia Leith Matthew Hill Rob McGinness
ABOUT THE ARTISTS Edward Polochick
Since winning the Leopold Stokowski Conducting Award , Edward Polochick has attracted attention as an orchestral , operatic , and choral conductor . He is currently Music Director of Lincoln ’ s Symphony Orchestra and for over four decades served as Associate Conductor of Orchestras , Director of Choral Ensembles , and Opera Conductor for the Peabody Institute . He founded Concert Artists of Baltimore in 1987 , an all-professional chamber orchestra and all-professional vocal ensemble , which presented critically acclaimed performances in the Baltimore / D . C . area for over three decades .
His appearances have included the Baltimore , Chautauqua , Aalborg , St . Petersburg , and Mexican State symphony orchestras ; the Houston , Omaha , and Jacksonville symphonies ; the Opera Company of Philadelphia ; and the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra . An accomplished pianist and harpsichordist , he has also appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra .
Polochick resides in Baltimore , where he is often asked to share his music knowledge at various lecture series , adjudications , and radio broadcasts .
Esther Heideman
“ Angelic ” has often been used to describe the silvery , pure , sweet tone of Esther Heideman ’ s voice . In 2000 , she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Licia Albanese Competition . In 2001 , she made her Metropolitan Opera debut singing Pamina in Mozart ’ s Die Zauberflöte . Heideman has performed with major orchestras throughout the world and has been featured on multiple recordings including Mahler ’ s Symphony No . 4 with the St . Louis Symphony , Richard Evan ’ s Ireland ’ s Poet-Patriots , and Stephen Paulus ’ The Three Hermits .
Upcoming performances include Christmas with Choral Arts at the Kennedy Center , Handel ’ s Messiah at Carnegie Hall , Beethoven ’ s Missa solemnis with the National Philharmonic and Beveridge ’ s Yizkor Requiem with the New Dominion Chorale . When not performing , she enjoys teaching lessons and masterclasses and sharing her knowledge and experience with young performers . During the COVID-19 lockdown Heideman provided free streamed music for online funerals and services .
Sylvia Leith
Praised for her “ plangent mezzo-soprano ” by Washington Classical Review , Sylvia Leith is a versatile performer whose repertoire spans from the medieval to the contemporary . Recent solo highlights include Mahler ’ s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in recital for Emmanuel Music in Baltimore , Helena in Purcell ’ s A Fairy Queen with the IN Series , and Elgar ’ s Sea Pictures with Washington Young Sinfonia . Her operatic roles include Cesare in Handel ’ s Giulio Cesare in Egitto , Nerone in Monteverdi ’ s L ’ incoronazione di Poppea , Nancy in Britten ’ s Albert Herring , Endimione in Cavalli ’ s La Calisto , and Hänsel in Humperdinck ’ s Hänsel und Gretel . Equally dedicated to chamber and choral singing , Leith is a founding member of the new vocal quartet , the Polyphonists , as well as the Uncommon Music Festival , and she performs with Washington Bach Consort , The Thirteen , Ensemble Altera , Cathedra , and Bridge . Leith lives in Baltimore , where she is a member of the Choir of Emmanuel Church .
Matthew Hill
Garnering numerous accolades for performances of opera , art song , and oratorio , Matthew Hill has become one of the most sought-after tenors in the Washington , D . C . metropolitan area . Highly regarded for his interpretations of Bach , Hill ' s Evangelist performance was praised by
Washington Classical Review for “ clarion high notes placed with unfailing precision .”
Solo concert work includes Handel ’ s Messiah and Israel in Egypt , Mozart ’ s Requiem , Bach ’ s Mass in B Minor , Evangelist in Bach ’ s St . Matthew and St . John passions , and numerous Bach cantatas , with ensembles including the American Bach Soloists , the Washington Bach Consort , and the Washington National Cathedral Choirs . Hill is also a member of the U . S . Air Force Band Singing Sergeants .
Hill recently won first place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards Competition and received both a Master of Music in Opera Performance and Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Maryland , College Park .
Rob McGinness
Employing his “ impressive singing … well-supported tone and supple phrasing ,” ( Baltimore Sun ) baritone Rob McGinness connects characters to ideas and listeners to sounds .
As a featured soloist , McGinness has performed in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Carnegie Hall ’ s Stern Auditorium . Other concert credits include Carmina Burana with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and Brahms Requiem with The Washington Chorus , for which The Washington Post praised his “ warm baritone .”
Often featured portraying operas ’ “ bad boy ,” McGinness ’ operatic credits include the title roles in Eugene Onegin and Don Giovanni , as well as Marcello in La bohème . An enthusiast for Russian repertoire , Rob has performed leading roles in Rimski-Korsakov ’ s Tsar ’ s Bride , Mozart and Salieri , The Snow Maiden , and Sadko , as well as Tchaikovsky ’ s Iolanta .
Currently a member of the Arizona Opera Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio , Rob holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Peabody Institute , where he currently teaches courses on grant writing and career skills .
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