2009-2010 Season New York Soloists Tickets Previous Seasons This website and all content copyright 2005-2009 AnimaMusic 110 West 90th Street – 3A New York, NY 10024 tel.    (212) 864-7827 fax    (212) 864-7946 info@AnimaMusic.org Website Design: Canfield Design Studios, Inc.		Soloists Soprano ILANA DAVIDSON, internationally acclaimed for her crystalline voice, assured musicality and interpretive insight, is equally at home in Baroque and contemporary repertoire. She has collaborated with composers William Bolcom, John Zorn, and Bright Sheng, and her recording of Bolcom's Songs of Innocence and of Experience won four Grammy Awards in 2006, including Best Classical Album. Ms. Davidson's close association with the music of Ernst Krenek began with rapturously received performances as the Queen in Das Geheime Königreich and Die Nachtigall in Austria and includes a solo debut recording of his Lieder and a recital tour as well as performances and a new recording of his opera What Price Confidence (Capriccio). In the 2009-2010 Season, Ms. Davidson sang the world premiere of Libby Larson's opera Everyman Jack and made her Alice Tully Hall debut as the First Wife in Philip Glass/Robert Moran's The Juniper Tree, earning unanimous critical acclaim for both. Other career highlights include two engagements at New York's Carnegie Hall: Songs of Innocence and of Experience with Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony, and Mahler's Second Symphony with Benjamin Zander and the Boston Philharmonic. A prolific recording artist, recent and forthcoming recordings include Kurt Weill's Down in the Valley (Capriccio) and Stanley Kubrick's Mountain Home by Paul Elwood. Highlights of the 2009-2010 season include the role of Amor in Gluck's Orphée et Euridice and Mahler's Second Symphony with the Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, Haydn's Creation with the Harrisburg Symphony, two programs with the Monadnock Music Festival, and Mozart's Vespers and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the Berkshire Choral Festival. Ms. Davidson is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and was a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and a participant in the Aston Magna Early Music Academy. She has performed regularly as a soloist with "Cantatas in Context" since its inaugural season in 2001. http://www.ilanadavidson.com/ "Ms. Davidson's delicate small instrument shone with precision in the coloratura of her BWV 19 aria and made a lovely thing out of the brief recitative near the work's end." — Anne Midgette, The New York Times, Sept. 21, 2001   Praised by critics as "a radiant-voiced stand-out" (The Washington Post), "full of light" (The Goldberg International Magazine, UK) and "a thrill to experience" (The Herald-Times, Indiana), soprano SHEREZADE PANTHAKI is in constant demand as an opera and oratorio soloist. She has appeared in leading roles with the American Opera Theater in Washington, DC, and the Bloomington Early Music Festival Opera, and is the winner of several Young Artist awards. Ms. Panthaki's recent and upcoming engagements include performances of repertoire ranging from Hildegard von Bingen to Poulenc with the Portland Baroque Orchestra (Oregon), Ensemble du COGE (Paris), Chatham Baroque (Pittsburgh), Carmel Bach Festival, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Iowa Bach Festival, Ensemble Voltaire (Indianapolis), Ars Musica (Chicago), Catacoustic Consort (Cincinnati), Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Tafelmusik Baroque Institute (Toronto), Boston Early Music Festival (fringe), Bach Society of St. Louis, Amherst Early Music Festival (Vermont), and Madison Early Music Festival. As a frequent performer with the Boston-based La Donna Musicale, she has championed the works of female Baroque composers at numerous international festivals, including the Utrecht Early Music Festival, Murten Classics Festival (Switzerland), and Banco de la Republica series (Colombia). Ms. Panthaki is a founding member of the acclaimed early music vocal quartet Gravitación with whom she has recorded Medieval and Renaissance repertory. Her discography also includes recordings of 17th- and 18th-century music by women composers with La Donna Musicale. For the past five years, Ms. Panthaki served as Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Urbana, Illinois, and taught on the Voice Faculty at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. In the Fall of 2009, she entered the Artist Diploma program at Yale University's Institute of Sacred Music – the only soprano to have been accepted – where she is a soloist with the Yale Schola Cantorum under the direction of Maestro Masaaki Suzuki.   Described by The New York Times as "a voice you want to hear and, even more, an artist you want to follow," mezzo-soprano BRENDA PATTERSON recently made her Metropolitan Opera debut ("an impressive showing" – Operacast) as a Wood Sprite in Dvorak's Rusalka. In residence for three seasons (2005-2008) at the Hamburgische Staatsoper in Germany, she sang such roles there as Idamante, Dorabella, Niklausse, Annio, Hänsel, Cherubino, and Rosina, among many others. In 2007 she presented a program of solo Bach cantatas (sung "beautifully, richly, soulfully" – The New York Sun) with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and the Handel & Haydn Society of Boston as part of the "Cantatas in Context" series. A Juilliard graduate and recipient of the Taranow Prize in Voice, she was the 2004 Winner of the Alice Tully Vocal Arts Debut Recital Competition in New York. She has participated in most of the major American music festivals such as Aspen, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Music Academy of the West, and the Cleveland Art Song Festival, and has sung roles with Glimmerglass Opera (Alcina, Orlando Paladino), the Berkshire Opera (Fidalma, Il Matrimonio Segreto), the Sideshow Opera (Orfeo, Orfeo ed Euridice), and in New York City Opera's American Composers' Showcase. She is also a regular guest at the Greenwich Music Festival where she has performed the role of Dido and a broad range of chamber music. Other recent projects included a performance at L'Opéra de Montréal's annual gala, a recording with the ARSIS label of Su Lian Tan and Jamaica Kincaid's "Jamaica's Songs," as well as a solo show with the Gotham Chamber Opera and the Armitage Gone! dance troupe entitled "Ariadne Unhinged," which Opera Today described as "electric." Ms. Patterson is covering the roles of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro and Der Gymnasiast/Die Garderobiere in Berg's Lulu at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2009-2010 season. "Brenda Patterson [was] the mezzo-soprano of the afternoon. What a revelation. Her instrument is juicy and beautiful, and her technique is rock-solid: She sings in the center of the center of any note. And she sings with taste, style, and intelligence. One had the impression of listening to — of discovering, in my case — a great singer." — Jay Nordlinger, New York Sun, December 21, 2004   Acclaimed for his versatility in both opera and concert, WILLIAM FERGUSON is recognized as one of today's most promising young artists. In 2006, the Richmond, Virginia native made his debut with the Santa Fe Opera as Caliban in the North American premiere of Thomas Adès' The Tempest and in 2005 performed with Opera Australia (Sydney) singing Truffaldino in The Love for Three Oranges (subsequently released on the Chandos label). The same year, Ferguson joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera where he has performed Beppe in I Pagliacci as well as roles in Le Nozze di Figaro and The Magic Flute under the baton of James Levine. A regular artist at The New York City Opera, he has performed the title role in Candide, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado, and Hérisson de Porc-Épic in L'Étoile. He has also sung leading roles in Wozzeck (Andres), Così fan tutte (Ferrando), Pirates of Penzance (Frederic), Albert Herring, L'Heure Espagnole (Gonzalve), Falstaff (Fenton ), and The Turn of the Screw (Peter Quint). A compelling interpreter of new music, Mr. Ferguson sang Bentley Drummle in Dominick Argento's Miss Havisham's Fire (Opera Theatre of St. Louis) and performed in the world premieres of Anthony Davis' Wakonda's Dream (Opera Omaha), and Robert Aldridge's Elmer Gantry (Peak Performances at Montclair). Equally at home in Baroque repertoire, when Ferguson sang the role of Hippolyte in Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie as a last minute replacement in St. Louis, a review in Opera News reported that he sang "with grace, and striking self-possession." A passionate concert and recital performer, Mr. Ferguson has appeared with The American Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (England), Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orchestra of New York, Oratorio Society of New York, Orchestra of St. Luke's, and Radio Filharmonisch Orkest (Netherlands). His repertoire ranges from the Baroque masters to the song cycles of Schubert, Schumann, Janáček, and Rorem, and he has sung in chamber programs and recitals at the 92nd Street Y, Bard Music Festival, Marlboro Music Festival, Young Concert Artists, Delaware Master Chamber Series, and Clarksville Community Concerts. Ferguson has also performed extensively with The Marilyn Horne Foundation as well as The New York Festival of Song. Mr. Ferguson has been the recipient of several awards and honors including First Place in the Oratorio Society of New York Solo Competition, The Elihu Hyndman Career Grant from Opera Theatre of St. Louis, The Judges' Award in the Opera Index Competition, a Bagby Foundation Career Grant, and The Alan Weiler Award for Excellence presented by Opera Orchestra of New York. In 2003 he was awarded the Alice Tully Vocal Arts Debut Recital Award granting him a New York recital debut in Alice Tully Hall. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from The Juilliard School and has performed regularly on the "Cantatas in Context" series since 2001.   Tenor SCOTT MURPHREE has distinguished himself as a concert and recital singer as well as on the opera stage. Recent engagements have included Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Utah Opera), both Tamino and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Opera Delaware), Bach Cantatas with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Haydn's Die Schöpfung at Sacred Music in a Sacred Space. At Mostly Mozart he covered the roles of Alessandro in Il re pastore and Ferrando in Cosi fan tuttè. Other recent engagements have included Handel's Messiah with the Oratorio Society of New York in Carnegie Hall and the role of Nikola Tesla in Violet Fire with performances at the National Theater, Belgrade, and Brooklyn Academy of Music. Following his performance in Handel's Saul at Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, Paul Griffiths of The New York Times wrote that he "gave an excellent performance as Jonathan, radiant and expressive, completely in command" and described his opening aria as "one of the musical high points." Future engagements include Handel's Messiah with Princeton Pro Musica and the National Chorale. Other solo concert engagements include appearances with the Eos Orchestra, Newberry Consort, Friends and Enemies of New Music, Mirror Vision Ensemble, Symphony of Southeast Texas, Broadway Bach Ensemble, Holy Trinity Bach Foundation and Bachworks. He has also appeared in concert at the Cape May Festival, Music Festival of the Hamptons, Aspen Music Festival, and Pacific Music Festival in Japan. He gave a solo recital of songs commissioned by Alice Esty in Weill Recital Hall, and has also sung at Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd Street Y and Town Hall, performing the songs of Ned Rorem with the composer at the piano. He has worked closely with composers such as Robert Beaser and Richard Hundley and has premiered works written especially for him by Yehudi Wyner, Christopher Berg, Tom Cipullo and Richard Pearson Thomas. In New York, Mr. Murphree has been heard at Florence Gould Hall, Cooper Union and the Kosciuszko Foundation, and he has also presented recitals in Paris, London, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Stockholm. He has created roles in several world premieres, including Percy Bysshe Shelley in Mary Shelley at the Ethical Culture Society, Arviragus in Cymbeline, and Billy in Billy and Zelda with Opera Delaware. He has participated in productions of Paul Bunyan with Glimmerglass Opera and in Jonathan Miller's staged version of Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He is the recipient of the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Award and was selected as finalist for both the Joy in Singing Award and the PoulencPlus! Centennial Competition. He received his education at the University of North Texas, Yale University, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.   Hailed as one of classical music's "rising stars" by the Wall Street Journal, baritone CHRISTÒPHEREN NOMURA has performed in opera productions, oratorios, and recital programs throughout the world. He is a frequent soloist with Cantatas in Context, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Carmel Bach Festival, Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival, Handel & Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival, Boston Baroque, and Berkshire Choral Festival, and has appeared with Apollo's Fire, Tafelmusik, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Chicago's Music of The Baroque, and the Oregon Bach Festival. In the realm of opera, Mr. Nomura has sung leading roles in Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, Le nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, Madama Butterfly, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Don Pasquale. He has appeared with many prominent North American symphony orchestras, including those of Boston, San Francisco, Minnesota, Vancouver, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Utah, Baltimore, and North Carolina, as well as the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Pops, and performed under such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, James Conlon, Sergiu Comissiona, Roger Norrington, Christopher Hogwood, Ton Koopman, Bruno Weil, Andrew Parrott, and Nicholas McGegan. Together with the S'Kampa, Boromeo and St. Lawrence String Quartets and pianists Martin Katz, Dalton Baldwin, Charles Wadsworth, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and William Bolcom, he has performed at chamber music festivals in Santa Fe, Marlboro, Tanglewood, La Jolla, Spoleto, Music @ Menlo, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has given more than 250 recitals throughout North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Africa, and has appeared at Lincoln Center, the "Making Music" series at Carnegie Hall, the Bank of America Celebrity Series in Boston, the Rising Stars Series at Ravinia, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Vancouver Recital Society, often combining performances with residencies. Mr. Nomura's discography includes recordings on the Sony, Dorian, Teldec, London, Denon, TDK and L'oiseau Lyre labels. His recording of the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 (Telarc) was nominated for a Grammy (Best Classical Ensemble Recording). He has recorded Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin for Well-Tempered Productions and Never Broken, a solo recording of contemporary compositions (Center Stage Records, 2004). All Is Bright, with Grant Llewellyn and the Handel & Haydn Society (Dec., 2005) debuted on the Billboard classical charts at No. 8 and was named Musicweb International's "Recording of the Month." Mr. Nomura has received numerous awards, including a four-year Fulbright Grant to study with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey, and Gérard Souzay. He was winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions as well as the Naumburg, USIA Music Ambassadors, and the Marilyn Horne Foundation competitions. He holds a Master's degree and Artists Diploma from New England Conservatory. "The soloists, especially, were impressive...The afternoon's brightest spot was the performance of baritone Christòpheren Nomura. He always sang on top of his beats, and his beautifully honed power-voice was distinguished by lucid diction." — Adam Baer, New York Sun, January 6, 2004   MARK RISINGER, bass, has performed opera and oratorio throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico. He has made numerous appearances with New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Baltimore Opera, Arizona Opera, Utah Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Connecticut Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Lyrique-en-Mer Festival, in repertoire that includes Leporello, Figaro, Sarastro, Raimondo, Frere Laurent, the Hoffmann villains, and several roles in Strauss's Salome. He has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, New York Choral Society, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Opera Orchestra of New York, Boston Baroque, and Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, in repertoire ranging from the cantatas and Passions of J.S. Bach to Haydn's Die Schöpfung, Rossini's Stabat Mater, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and the Requiem masses of Mozart and Verdi. In addition to degrees in English literature, Mr. Risinger holds a Ph.D. in Musicology from Harvard University, where he completed a dissertation on the compositional process of G.F. Handel and where he was Lecturer on Music for five years. In addition to singing, he is a frequent guest lecturer and is editing Handel's Semele for the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe.