PROGRAM NOTES
BEETHOVEN NINTH
Marin Alsop Ah Young Hong Taylor Raven Jonathan Johnson Simon Shibambu
ABOUT THE ARTISTS Marin Alsop
One of the foremost conductors of our time , Marin Alsop represents a powerful and inspiring voice . The first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the U . S ., South America , Austria , and Britain , she is the first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship . She holds positions as Chief Conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra ; first Music Director of the University of Maryland ’ s National Orchestral Institute + Festival ; Conductor of Honour of Brazil ’ s São Paulo Symphony Orchestra ; and Chief Conductor and Curator of Chicago ’ s Ravinia Festival , where she conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra ’ s summer residencies . This year , after an outstanding 14-year tenure as its Music Director , she assumes the title of Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra . She is also the founder of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship , which promotes and nurtures the careers of fellow female conductors .
Ah Young Hong
A soprano of “ fearlessness and consummate artistry ” ( Opera News ), Ah Young Hong has interpreted a vast array of repertoire , ranging from the music of Monteverdi to Georg Friedrich Haas . Widely recognized for her work in Michael Hersch ’ s monodrama On the Threshold of Winter , The New York Times praised Hong ’ s performance in the world premiere as “ the opera ’ s blazing , lone star .” Recent performances include solo appearances with violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja , the BBC Symphony Orchestra , Camerata Bern , and the Aldeburgh and Ojai music festivals . Highlight concerts of 2021 – 22 include the premiere performances in the title role of Hersch ’ s Poppaea at the Wien Modern and ZeitRäume Basel festivals , a new chamber piece by Hersch to be premiered with Decoda at Carnegie Hall , and the world premiere of Shih-Hui Chen ’ s one-woman opera , Or / And . Anticipated this season is the recording of Hersch ’ s the script of storms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the New Focus Recordings label .
Taylor Raven
Mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven , named a “ vocal sensation ” by Washington Classical Review , has quickly established herself in opera , concert , and recital . Highlights of the 2021 – 22 include debuts with Houston Grand Opera as Dritte Dame in The Magic Flute , Washington Concert Opera as Mallika in Lakmé , and North Carolina Opera for Moravec ’ s Sanctuary Road . On the concert stage she will make debuts with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra , Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , Orchestra Iowa , and return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic . Additional engagements include the world premiere of a song cycle commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with Urban Arias and a return to the roster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago . Last season she made debuts at Des Moines Metro Opera as Pauline in Pique Dame and Finger Lakes Opera as Rosina in The Barber of Seville . A recent graduate of the Young Artist Program at the LA Opera where she was seen as Annio in La clemenza di Tito , Tebaldo in Don Carlo , the Kosky production of The Magic Flute as Dritte Dame conducted by James Colon , and Sandman in Hansel and Gretel . As a Filene Artist at Wolf Trap Opera , she performed Rosina in The Barber of Seville and Concepción in L ’ heure espagnole .
Jonathan Johnson
Rising young tenor Jonathan Johnson ’ s many recent engagements have included Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd at Opera Omaha ; the Prince in The Love for Three Oranges with Opera Philadelphia , where he was named as one of their Emerging Artists ; Jonathan Dale in Silent Night with Utah Opera ; Beppe in I Pagliacci with Opera Colorado ; the title role in Candide with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra , Utah Symphony Orchestra , and Des Moines Metro Opera ; Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Lyric Opera of Chicago , and Fenton in Falstaff at San Diego Opera . He has also appeared with the Detroit Symphony in Messiah and with the Cincinnati Symphony for Schumann ’ s Paradise and the Peri .
Hailing from Macon , GA , Johnson is a graduate of the Patrick G . & Shirley W . Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago . He holds a master ’ s degree and Professional Artist Certificate from the A . J . Fletcher Opera Institute of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and earned a Bachelor of Music from Townsend School of Music at Mercer University .
Simon Shibambu
South African bass-baritone Simon Shibambu studied voice at Tshwane University of Technology and was finalist of the 2018 Operalia competition . He joined the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Project in 2016 , performing alongside Netrebko and Domingo , and was Jette Parker Young Artist for the Royal Opera House , Covent Garden . His many roles for Royal Opera House included Angelotti in Tosca , Doctor Grenvil in La Traviata , Montano in Otello , and Second Armed Man in The Magic Flute . Recent performances include Angelotti in Tosca with English National Opera ; Porgy in Porgy and Bess with the South Facing Festival ; and appearances with the Dutch National Opera , Aix-en-Provence Festival , and Theatre an der Wien . He has appeared in concert with the Rotterdam Philharmonic , Bournemouth Symphony , BBC Scottish Symphony , and Oslo Philharmonic orchestras , as well as the London Handel Festival and Orchestra dell ’ Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia . Forthcoming engagements include Tosca with Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier , The Magic Flute with Opéra de Rouen Normandie , and a return to Covent Garden for Salome .
MAR-APR 2022 / OVERTURE 27