PROGRAM NOTES
THE SEA AND THE LIGHT
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gemma New
Sought after for her insightful interpretations and dynamic presence , New Zealand-born Gemma New is Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra . Hailed by the St . Louis Post-Dispatch as “ a rising star in the musical firmament ,” New is the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award .
In summer 2021 , New led the New York Philharmonic ’ s 29th Annual Memorial Day Concert and made debuts at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and at the Aspen Music Festival . New ’ s 2021- 22 season includes appearances with the National , Baltimore , St . Louis , and Atlanta symphony orchestras ; Orchestre symphonique de Montréal ; Minnesota Orchestra ; and Kansas City Symphony . In Europe , New will make debuts with WDR Sinfonieorchester , BBC Philharmonic , Hallé Orchestra , Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra , and Orchestre national d ' Île-de-France .
New holds a Master of Music in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Institute , where she studied with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar . She graduated with honors from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance .
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is one of the most acclaimed singers of our time , performing in the world ’ s greatest opera houses and concert halls . Honored with four Grammy ® awards and the National Medal of Arts , Fleming has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace . In 2014 , she became the first classical artist ever to sing The Star-Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl .
Fleming ’ s latest album , Voice of Nature : the Anthropocene , was recently released on Decca . With Yannick Nézet-Séguin as pianist , the album is a collection of classical songs and world premieres exploring nature as both inspiration and casualty of humanity . A prominent advocate for research at the intersection of music , health , and neuroscience , Fleming ’ s other honors include the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal , Germany ’ s Cross of the Order of Merit , and France ’ s Chevalier de la Légion d ’ Honneur .
Rod Gilfry
American baritone Rod Gilfry , two-time Grammy Award nominee , singer , and actor , has performed in all of the world ’ s music capitals . His most recent Grammy nomination was for his performance in the title role of Messiaen ’ s Saint François d ’ Assise . Best-known as an opera singer , he is also an acclaimed recitalist and concert artist , and appears frequently in musical theater classics . His discography of 28 audio and video recordings includes the DVD and CD of his one-man show My Heart is So Full of You .
With a 77-role repertoire , Gilfry sings music from the Baroque to that composed expressly for him . Highlights of recent seasons include singing the Father in the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin ’ s Eurydice at Los Angeles Opera , reprising Henry Potter in Jake Heggie ’ s It ’ s a Wonderful Life at San Francisco Opera , and performing the world premiere of Kevin Puts ’ The Brightness of Light alongside Renée Fleming at the Tanglewood Festival .
Gemma New
Renée Fleming
Rod Gilfry
Experience the Performance Again A livestream of this performance is available for a limited time . A BSO Sessions episode , featuring an interview with Gemma New , will be released on December 13 and will remain available through the 2021-22 season .
Courtesy IMG Artists Roy Cox
NOV-DEC 2021 / OVERTURE 17