Christmas portion of ‘Messiah’ to be performed Dec. 2
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, the St. Luke’s Parish Choir, the
National Park College Singers, and the Hot Springs Music Festival Chorus will combine to present the Advent and Christmas portion of Handel’s “Messiah” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at St
Luke’s, 228 Spring St.
They will be joined by instrumentalists from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and
Henderson State University. All are under the direction of Lynn
Payette, director of Music at St.
Luke’s and executive director of the Hot Springs Music Festival, and director of the Festival
Chorus.
The vocal soloists are baritone Ferris Allen, who has performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Opera in the
Rock, Opera Theatre of Saint
Louis, the Teatro Colón, American Opera Theater, Aspen Opera
Theater, BAM, and Apollo’s Fire.
Opera News called his performance in William Bolcom’s A
Wedding the most “enjoyable,”
“subtle” and “best acted” of opening night, according to a news release.
After studies at Oberlin
Conservatory and the Juilliard
School, Allen received the first
Jacobs Fellowship at the newly renamed Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Allen has served on the faculties of Indiana
University, Oberlin Conservatory, Wabash College and the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He teaches voice and choir, among other courses, at National Park College in Hot Springs.
Tenor Daniel Foltz-Morrison is a Bronx resident and native. Previous credits include Don José (“Carmen”) and Sam Polk (“Susannah”) with Opera in the Ozarks; Max (“Der Freischütz”) with Bronx Opera; and Harris (“Fallujah”) with the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. Highlights from this season include Nika Magadoff (“The Consul”) with Bronx Opera and Tony Candolino (Master Class) with the Bermuda Festival for the Performing Arts. Arkansas audiences can hear his Pinkerton (“Madama Butterfly”) this May with Opera in the Rock and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Arkansas Native Alyssa Hicks, mezzo soprano, is a Little Rock native and is currently completing her master’s degree at Westminster Choir College. Her operatic highlights include the characters: Madame de Croissy (“Dialogues des Carmelites”) and Elisetta (“The Secret Marriage”). Hicks has also been a soloist in “Archer’s Requiem,” Schubert’s Mass in G, Mozart’s Missa Brevis in C, K. 220, and Handel’s “Messiah.” Upcoming roles include Bride (“A Vow”), Dinah (“Trouble in Tahiti”), and Autumn (“Service Provider”).
Praised for her “fresh and exuberant” stage presence, Russian soprano Ekaterina Kotcherguina is a flexible performer, equally compelling when portraying lighthearted damsels or tragic heroines, the release said. She holds an affinity for music of the Baroque and Classical period and particularly enjoys singing innovative interpretations of the Baroque repertoire. Her 2018-19 season features performances including the Hot Springs Music Festival, the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, the Boulder Chamber Orchestra, and Boulder Opera Company.
There is no charge for admission, but donations for the Hot Springs Music Festival Scholarship Fund and the National Park College Foundation will be accepted. Call Payette at 501-623-1653 for more information. The church is handicap accessible.