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Platinum Season SponsorPhillip N. and Mary A. Lyons

Silver Season SponsorCharles and Ling Zhang

Tonight’s program and the premiere of Facing West are underwritten in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

2018–2019 SeasonImagine...Inspire...Create

Branding and PacificChorale.org website by

ECSTASIES ABOVEThe Music of Tarik O’ReganSaturday, May 18, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.Segerstrom Center for the ArtsSamueli Theater

Pacific ChoraleRobert Istad, Artistic Director

Salastina Music SocietyKevin Kumar and Maia Jasper White, co-directors/violinsMeredith Crawford, violaCharles Tyler, celloEric Shetzen, bass

Robert Istad, conducting

O vera digna hostia from Sequence for St. Wulfstan (2003)

Blessed Are They (2013) Maria Cristina Navarro, soprano • Salastina Music Society

All Things Common (2017) Rebecca Hasquet, soprano

Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis: Variations for Choir (2001)Quartet: Rebecca Hasquet, Jane Hyunjung Shim, Nicholas Preston and Raphael Poon • Charles Tyler, cello

Alleluia, laus et gloria (2004)

Turn (2016) Chelsea Chaves-Tan, soprano • Daniel Alvarez, tenor

Facing West (2019) World Premiere Commissionsponsored by Lenora Meister, Salt-Away Products Inc.Kathryn Lillich, soprano • Charles Tyler, cello

I Listen to the Stillness of Youfrom Mass Observation (2016)

The Ecstasies Above (2006)Quartet 1: Kathryn Lillich, Laurel Sanders, Nicholas Preston and Ryan AntalQuartet 2: Katie Martini, Jane Hyunjung Shim, Nate Widelitz and Jackson McDonaldSalastina Music Society

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Blessed Are They (2013) Text from All Saint’s Day (1867) by Ada Cambridge (1844-1926) and Lights Out (1916) by Edward Thomas (1878–1917)

Blessed are they whose labours only cease When God decrees the quiet, sweet release; Who lie down calmly in the sleep of peace. Blessed are they!

I have come to the borders of sleep, The unfathomable deep Forest where all must lose Their way, however straight, Or winding, soon or late; They cannot choose.

Whose dust is angel-guarded, where the flowers And soft moss cover it, in this earth of ours; Whose souls are roaming in celestial bowers. Blessed are they!

O vera digna hostia from Sequence for St. Wulfstan (2003)

O vera digna hostia, Per quam fracta sunt tartara, Redempta plebs captivata, Reddita vitae praemia! Amen.

MagnificatMagnificat anima mea Dominum.Et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo.Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae: ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est: et sanctum nomen ejus,Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.

Fecit potentiam in bracchio suo: dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.

Luke 1:46–55My soul magnifies the Lord.And my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior.For he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.For he who is mighty has done great things to me; and holy is his name.And his mercy is on them who fear him from generation to generation.He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud, even the arrogant of heart.

Texts

Deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles.

Esurientes implevit bonis: et divites dimisit inanes.

Suscepit Israel, puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae.Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini ejus in saecula.Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

He has deposed the mighty from their seats, and exalted the humble.The hungry he has filled with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy.As it was spoken to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed for ever.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O Thou from whom hell’s monarch flies, O great, O very sacrifice Thy captive people are set free, And endless life restored in Thee! Amen.

Nunc DimittisNunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum, in pace:Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum,Quod parasti ante facem omnium populorum,Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Luke 2:29–32Now let your servant depart in peace, O Lord, according to your world.For my eyes have seen your salvation,Which you have prepared before the face of all peoples,A light as revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory of your people Israel.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

All Things Common (2017)

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. (Luke 11:17)

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. (Romans 14:19)

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which they possessed was their own; but they had all things common. (Acts 4:32)

Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis: Variations for Choir (2001)

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In Heaven a spirit doth dwell “Whose heart-strings are a lute”; None sing so wildly wellAs the angel Israfel,And the giddy stars (so legends tell), Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell Of his voice, all mute.

Tottering above In her highest noon, The enamoured moonBlushes with love, While, to listen, the red levin (With the rapid Pleiads, even, Which were seven,) Pauses in Heaven.

And they say (the starry choir And the other listening things) That Israfeli’s fireIs owing to that lyre By which he sits and sings— The trembling living wire Of those unusual strings.

But the skies that angel trod, Where deep thoughts are a duty, Where Love’s a grown-up God, Where the Houri glances are Imbued with all the beauty Which we worship in a star.

The ecstasies above With thy burning measures suit— Thy grief, thy joy, thy hate, thy love, With the fervour of thy lute— Well may the stars be mute!

Yes, Heaven is thine; but this Is a world of sweets and sours; Our flowers are merely—flowers, And the shadow of thy perfect bliss Is the sunshine of ours.

If I could dwellWhere Israfel Hath dwelt, and he where I,He might not sing so wildly well A mortal melody,While a bolder note than this might swell From my lyre within the sky.

Endless world, unfinished universeAnd without beginning, but where each partImage is of the whole and a lightshowAlong the eternal ways, tell me, shall once, shallEver there be an end to your steady fire,You, a diamond in the hollow of a hand?

Texts, continued

Turn (2016) Text from Cirkelloop (Cycle) (1908) by Albert Verwey (1865–1937), translated by Cliff Crego

I am a spark without goal, without direction,Thrown into the universe as my journey began,Before long another sun bound itself to meAnd turning I lived for an unmeasured while,A kernel of life, empty in itself,Full of the energy that in and round me spun.O that I could without knowing for centuriesTurn within the ungrasped radiating rose.

Facing West (2019) Text from Leaves of Grass (1860) by Walt Whitman (1819–1892)

Facing west, from California’s shores,Inquiring, tireless, seeking what is yet unfound,I, a child, very old, over waves, towards the house of maternity, the land of migrations, look afar,Look off the shores of my Western Sea—the circle almost circled;For, starting westward from Hindustan, from the vales of Kashmere,From Asia—from the north—from the God, the sage, and the hero,From the south—from the flowery peninsulas, and the spice islands;Long having wander’d since—round the earth having wander’d,Now I face home again—very pleas’d and joyous;(But where is what I started for, so long ago? And why is it yet unfound?)

I Listen to the Stillness of You from Mass Observation (2016)Text from Amores (1916) by D.H. Lawrence (1885–1930)

I listen to the stillness of you, My dear, among it all;I feel your silence touch my words as I talk, And take them in thrall.

The Ecstasies Above (2006)Text from Israfel (1831) by Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)

Alleluia, laus et gloria et virtus Deo nostro.Quia vera et justa sunt judicia ejus. Alleluia.

Alleluia, praise and glory and honor to our God. For true and righteous are his judgments. Alleluia.

Alleluia, laus et gloria (2004)

My words fly off a forgeThe length of a spark; I see the night-sky easily sip themUp in the dark.

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About the Program

by Dr. John KoegelCalifornia State University, Fullerton

Today’s concert of music by Pacific Chorale’s Composer-in-Residence Tarik O’Regan features choral works for a variety of vocal and

instrumental combinations composed over several decades, and shows the arc of his musical style and compositional career—from the earliest piece performed, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimmitis of 2001, to Facing West, completed in 2019. O’Regan began composing choral works during his undergraduate music studies at Oxford University, where he wrote for the famous all-male Choir of New College, Oxford, with its boy trebles, and continued during his time as a postgraduate composition student at Cambridge University, where he wrote for the renowned SATB mixed choir at Clare College, under the directorship of Tim Brown. The works on today’s program represent his many British-American connections and commissions from musical organizations on both sides of the Atlantic. O’Regan’s newest work, his setting of Walt Whitman’s poem Facing West, reflects his recent move to San Francisco, and is an appropriate choice for a new Californian composer writing for a California ensemble, who views our state with a new perspective.

O Vera Digna Hostia (“Oh, True Worthy Sacrifice”), for unaccompanied choir, was a prize winner in the 2003 Concours Européen de Composition pour Choeurs et Maîtrises de Cathédrales. While O’Regan was Composer-in-Residence at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, Dr. Christopher de Hamel, Librarian of the renowned Parker Library there, introduced him to this medieval text for Easter. It appears in the Portiforium of St. Wulfstan (Bishop of Worcester, 1062-1095)—probably copied in the late 1060s—held in the Parker Library. (A portiforium is a breviary or portable book of sacred texts for the canonical hours, or offices of the Catholic Church.) De Hamel felt that the books and manuscripts in the Parker Library need to be seen and read. They were collected by Matthew Parker (1504-1575), Archbishop of Canterbury and Master of Corpus Christi College, from monastery and cathedral libraries disbursed during the Reformation in the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. (Corpus Christi College has helpfully placed online digitized versions of most of the Parker Library manuscripts, including this breviary.) O Vera Digna Hostia begins and ends with framing ascending and descending melodic intervals of seconds. A musical

highlight of the piece is the pairing of independent or interlocking outer (soprano and bass) and inner (alto and tenor) voices alternating with block chordal writing. Repetition of the text “O vera digna hostia” (“Oh, true worthy sacrifice”) alternates with repeated statements of “Per quem fracta sunt tartara” (“From whom Hell’s monarch flies”), emphasizing the importance of Christ’s pascal sacrifice.

Blessed Are They, for chorus and string quartet, setting a text about remembrance, was commissioned in 2013 by Frank A. Thomas, Jr. in honor of Raymond and Elizabeth Chenault, long-time organists and choirmasters at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Atlanta, and was first performed there on All Saints’ Sunday, November 3, 2013. It sets excerpts from Ada Cambridge’s poem “All Saints’ Day” and Edward Thomas’s “Lights Out” in an apt connection. Although written for All Saints’ Day, it can be performed on any occasion. In Blessed Are They, O’Regan explores musical and poetic ideas about the meaning of sleep and repose. The string quintet provides more than instrumental accompaniment, and helps to elaborate on the meaning of the text, while providing a sense of rhythmic and melodic propulsion that supports the sometimes slower-moving choral lines.

All Things Common, the 2018 American Choral Directors Association’s (ACDA) Raymond Brock Commission, has been performed extensively, at ACDA regional meetings and elsewhere. O’Regan carefully chose texts from the King James Version of the New Testament calling for peace, which are especially relevant for us today: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation” (Luke 11:17), “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace” (Romans 14:19), and “…But they had all things common” (Acts 4:32). A notable, recurring musical feature of the work is O’Regan’s mirroring of the meaning of the text about the “kingdom divided against itself” with his presentation of canons on these words in close rhythmic and melodic succession. These canonic statements only resolve at the very end of the piece, and in quietude, on the word “common” at the end of the phrase “But they had all things common,” suggesting a hope for resolution to global conflict.

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O’Regan’s Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (2001), for chorus, vocal soloists, and solo cello or soprano saxophone, is the earliest work on the program, and was commissioned by Tim Brown and the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge. The paired texts of the Magnificat (the Canticle of Mary: “My soul doth magnify the Lord) and Nunc Dimittis (the canticle of Simeon: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word”) are integral components of the Anglican Evensong (evening prayer) service. Because of its length, however, O’Regan’s setting is more commonly performed as a concert work. As in many of his other works, this one uses canons and canonic patterns, and quasi-minimalist, repetitive techniques paired with a highly developed thematic palette. The work represents a textual and musical journey through different musical sounds, including the use of plainchant, and aleatoric sections that are sometimes paired with strongly metered chordal choral exclamations, and the use of two solo obbligato instruments, the cello or the soprano saxophone (thus creating two separate versions). O’Regan also explores the contrast of sonic space with various combinations and permutations of the full choir (ripieno) and vocal solo group (concertante).

The a cappella work Alleluia, Laus et Gloria, commissioned by the BBC in 2003 for the Pro Musica Girls’ Choir of Hungary, was rearranged for mixed SATB choir for first performance by Robert Istad and California State University, Fullerton’s University Singers. Its short text of praise is reflected in O’Regan’s short exuberant musical setting. He uses block musical cells, musical repetition, and a rhythmic ostinato (repeated) pattern underneath melodic bubbling to present a musical exclamation of pure joy.

Turn was commissioned by the ensemble Conspirare and premiered by that group in May 2016. It sets the poem Cirkelloop (Cycle) by Dutch poet Albert Verwey (1865-1937)—translated by Cliff Crego—and was inspired by O’Regan’s visit to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, and the painting of Verwey by Dutch painter Jan Veth (1864-1925). Written for divided eight-part unaccompanied choir, Turn is written almost entirely in irregular 7/4 meter. O’Regan often places melodic lines inside the choral ensemble texture, and the chorus expands as the piece unfolds, with an emphasis on flowing rhythmic filigree, and ostinato patterns throughout. The music presents a feeling of constant flowing or turning, and the forward momentum is heightened towards the end of the piece with the sudden change of harmony on the word “you” in the phrase “You, a diamond in the hollow of a hand.” O’Regan musically emphasizes the suggestion of the text about feeling microscopic in the grand scheme of life.

O’Regan’s Facing West for eight-part chorus and solo cello was commissioned by Pacific Chorale and Robert Istad and sponsored by Lenora Meister and Salt-Away Products Inc., and was completed in April

2019. The composer sets the text of Walt Whitman, who published the poem of the same title in the 1860 edition of his famous collection Leaves of Grass (first published in 1855), a decade after California’s statehood in 1850. Whitman’s poem consists of one long sentence in free verse, divided into 11 lines. Just like the poem, O’Regan’s music equals one long sentence, slowly unfolding and building in sound in overlaid musical lines. The tempo marking is “quasi recitative,” suggesting a musical declamation of Whitman’s poetry. O’Regan’s composition and Whitman’s poem ask us to imagine far away places, not only by looking towards California from the east, from Whitman’s New York City, but also through looking westward from the perspective of California towards Asia, and to other places far beyond the Western Sea.

“I Listen to the Stillness of You” is a short section for unaccompanied chorus from O’Regan’s Mass Observation of 2017. It sets two stanzas of D. H. Lawrence’s longer poem “Listening” from the collection Amores (1916). His setting of Lawrence’s poem musically represents the poetic image of two lovers, one of whom is carefully watching the other. The complicated larger work from which it comes treats the intrusiveness of modern life and loss of privacy, our uneasy relationship with technology and government surveillance, and the idea of anonymous watching. In contrast, the intimate, quiet, gorgeous excerpt “I Listen to the Stillness of You” is gentle and simple.

The Ecstasies Above of 2006, the capstone for today’s concert, is written for two solo vocal quartets, chorus, and string quartet. It was a Robert Baker Fund, Yale Institute of Sacred Music (Yale University) commission, and was premiered by the Yale Schola Cantorum under the direction of Simon Carrington. A frequently performed work, The Ecstasies Above sets the poem Israfel by American poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), first published in 1836 in The Southern Literary Messenger. The poem presents the Koranic imagery of Israfel, the Angel of Music, who will blow the trumpet from a holy rock in Jerusalem to announce the Day of Resurrection: “And the angel Israfel, whose heart-strings are a lute, and who has the sweetest voice of all God’s creatures.” According to O’Regan, “Poe suggests that if Israfel were placed in an earthly environment, he would not sing with such zest. From the Koranic source of the name of the protagonist, the story is refashioned by Poe into an homage of ecumenicity to an all-encompassing angel of music.” The Ecstasies Above combines a popular sensibility with the Anglican choral tradition and rhythmic minimalism, and positions contrasting sections and sound combinations between the three main musical groups.

About the Program, continued

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Robert Istad is Artistic Director of Pacific Chorale and Director of Choral Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Dr. Istad regularly conducts

and collaborates with Pacific Chorale, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, Sony Classical Records, Yarlung Records, Berkshire Choral International, and Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. He is also Dean of Chorus America’s national Academy for Conductors.

Istad has prepared choruses for a number of America’s finest conductors and orchestras, including: Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Carl St.Clair and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, as well as conductors Esa–Pekka Salonen, Keith Lockhart, Nicholas McGegan, Vasilly Sinaisky, Sir Andrew Davis, Bramwell Tovey, John Williams, Eugene Kohn, Eric Whitacre, Giancarlo Guerrero, Marin Alsop, George Fenton, and Robert Moody.

Istad is also Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at California State University, Fullerton. He was recognized as CSU Fullerton’s 2016 Outstanding Professor of the Year. At CSU Fullerton, Istad conducts the University Singers and Women’s Choir in addition to teaching courses in conducting, performance practice and literature. Recently, he and the University Singers performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Andrea Bocelli, Kathleen Battle, recorded albums with Yarlung Records and with composer John Williams and Sony Classical.

He and his singers performed a concert of Tarik O’Regan’s music for Distinguished Concerts International New York at Carnegie Hall in November 2015. They have performed at numerous regional and national ACDA conferences including the 2018 ACDA Western Division Conference and 2013 ACDA National Conference in Dallas, Texas. They also performed for the 2013 National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conference in Charleston, SC. Istad and the CSUF University Singers have performed all over the world, including a 2017 performance in Russia’s famous Glinka Cappella, a 2015 residency and performances in Paris, France, engagements at the 2012 Ottobeuren Festival of Music in Germany, the 2012 Eingen Festival of music in Germany, a 2010 performance for UNESCO in Pisa, Italy, and in 2008 at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary.

Istad is former Artistic Director of Long Beach Camerata Singers and Long Beach Bach Festival. Under his leadership, Long Beach Camerata Singers became recognized as one of the leading arts organizations of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, created a performing partnership with Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, as well as performed with Pacific Symphony Orchestra, and Long Beach Opera.

Istad received his Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, his Master of Music degree in choral conducting from California State University, Fullerton and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral music at the University of Southern California. He studied conducting with Dr. William Dehning, John Alexander and Dr. Jon Hurty.

Istad is President of the California Choral Director’s Association, and is in demand as an adjudicator, guest conductor, speaker and clinician throughout the nation.

About the Artistic DirectorRobert Istad

Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons Artistic Director Chair

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Tarik O’ReganComposer-in-Residence

Tarik O’Regan (born: London, 1978) has written music for a wide variety of ensembles and organizations; these include the BBC Symphony

Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Sydney Dance Company, Chamber Choir Ireland, BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, and the Royal Opera House, London.

The Phoenix, his opera about the life of Lorenzo Da Ponte, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera with a libretto by John Caird, received its premiere in April 2019, starring Thomas Hampson and Luca Pisaroni. Other highlights of the 2018/19 season include revival performances of two large-scale concert works, Solitude Trilogy and Mass Observation, by the Vancouver Chamber Choir and Houston Chamber Choir respectively. This season also marks the second year of his three-year appointment as Composer in Residence with the Pacific Chorale.

O’Regan’s music is described as “exquisite and delicate” (The Washington Post); “beautifully-imagined, holding the audience rapt” (The Financial Times); “sublime: a piece that you didn’t want to end” (The Times, London); and generating “previously unheard sound worlds with astonishing effect” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Recorded on over 30 albums, and published exclusively by Novello & Co. Ltd, part of the Music Sales Group, his work has been recognized with two GRAMMY® nominations (including Best Classical Album), and both New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer Best Classical Releases of the Year for Threshold of Night; the NEA Artistic Excellence Award, and a South Bank Sky Arts Award nomination for Heart of Darkness; a Gramophone Award nomination for Scattered Rhymes; two British Composer Awards; and by Time Out London (Top Five Concerts of the Year), WQXR/Q2 (CD of the Week) and WNYC (Pick of the Week). “One of the leading British composers of his generation” (Gramophone) who is writing “music of startling beauty” (The Observer), Tarik O’Regan was born in London in 1978. He grew up predominantly in Croydon, South London, spending some of his childhood in Morocco, where his mother was born, and in Algeria. Following the completion of his undergraduate studies at Pembroke College, Oxford, and private study with Jeremy Dale Roberts, he began serving as the classical recordings reviewer for The Observer newspaper, a position he held for four years. During part of this time he also worked for investment bank JPMorgan Chase.

O’Regan then continued his postgraduate studies in composition under the direction of both Robin Holloway at Cambridge University, where he was appointed Composer in Residence at Corpus Christi College, and Robert Saxton.

O’Regan has been appointed to the Fulbright Chester Schirmer Fellowship at Columbia University; a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship at Harvard; and positions at Trinity and Corpus Christi Colleges in Cambridge, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and Yale. He has served on the composition faculty of Rutgers University, and as Senior Advisor to the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University. A frequent television and radio broadcaster, O’Regan has written and presented two documentaries for BBC Radio 4: Composing LA and Composing New York. In 2017, he was elected to an Honorary Fellowship of Pembroke College, Oxford and to the board of Yaddo.

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About Pacific Chorale

Founded in 1968 by Dr. Maurice Allard, Pacific Chorale is internationally recognized for exceptional artistic expression, stimulating

American-focused programming, and influential education programs. Under the artistic leadership of Robert Istad, the Chorale presents a substantial performance season of its own at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, California, and is sought regularly to perform with the nation’s leading symphonies. Pacific Chorale has infused an Old World art form with California’s hallmark innovation and cultural independence, expanding the traditional concepts of choral repertoire and performance.

Pacific Chorale is comprised of 140 professional and volunteer singers. In addition to its long-standing partnership with Pacific Symphony, the Chorale has performed with such renowned American ensembles as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the National Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and Musica Angelica. Other noted collaborations within the Southern California community include the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, and Riverside Symphony.

During the remarkable 45-year tenure (1972-2017) of Artistic Director Emeritus John Alexander, the Chorale toured extensively in Europe, South America and Asia, performing in London, Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing and Hong Kong, and collaborating with the London Symphony, the Munich Symphony, L’Orchestre Lamoureux and L’Orchestre de St-Louis-en-l’Île of Paris, the National Orchestra of Belgium, the China National Symphony, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Estonian National Symphony, and the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Argentina. In 2018, Pacific Chorale traveled to New York City to join Pacific Symphony in making their Carnegie Hall debut, performing The Passion of Ramakrishna as part of composer Philip Glass’s 80th birthday celebration.

Education programs are central to the Chorale’s vision of inspiring love of choral music and lifelong learning. Pacific Chorale’s innovative educational initiatives have have opened the door to the art of choral music and the magic of the creative process for thousands of students and adults annually, including: a Choral Academy for elementary school students modeled on the El Sistema movement; a Choral Camp presented in association with California State University, Fullerton providing high school students with training in music theory and vocal production; a Choral Festival uniting 400 singers each summer in a free community performance; Intro to the Arts and Passage to the Arts, partnerships with local social service organizations and high school choral directors that allow students, at-risk youth, and low-income families to attend Pacific Chorale performances free of charge; competitions and master classes to nurture the talent of young composers; and Concert Previews that provide deeper insight into the Chorale’s performance repertoire.

Pacific Chorale has received numerous awards from Chorus America, the service organization for North American choral groups, including the prestigious “Margaret Hillis Achievement Award for Choral Excellence,” the first national “Educational Outreach Award,” the 2005 ASCAP Chorus America Alice Parker Award for adventurous programming, and the 2015 “Education and Community Engagement Award.”

Pacific Chorale can be heard on numerous recordings, including American Voices, a collection of American choral works; Songs of Eternity by James F. Hopkins and Voices by Stephen Paulus, featuring Pacific Symphony; a holiday recording, Christmas Time Is Here, on the Gothic Records label; a live concert recording of Sergei Rachmaninov’s Vespers; the world premiere recording of Frank Ticheli’s The Shore for chorus and orchestra; and the world premiere recording of Jake Heggie’s choral opera The Radio Hour, all conducted by John Alexander. Pacific Chorale also appears on six recordings released by Pacific Symphony and conducted by Carl St.Clair: Elliot Goldenthal’s Fire, Water, Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio; Richard Danielpour’s An American Requiem; Philip Glass’s The Passion of Ramakrishna; Michael Daugherty’s Mount Rushmore; Richard Danielpour’s Toward a Season of Peace; and William Bolcom’s Prometheus with pianist Jeffrey Biegel.

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Salastina Music Society

Kevin Kumar

Kevin Kumar’s dynamic musical career has been marked by diversity. His experience inspired him to become the co-founder and co-director of Salastina Music Society, an organization dedicated to making classical music relevant in a forward-looking society (salastina.org). He is also an artistic director for

the Canandaigua LakeMusic Festival in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

As a violinist, his performances regularly receive rave reviews: “In addition to making an utterly beautiful sound, Kumar is a born leader, and the performance responded to every last facet of a work gigantic in stature” (Music-Web International). Also praised for his “obvious communicative powers,” “sense of sheer enjoyment,” and having “the precision and tonal richness of a virtuoso,” Kevin has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and other orchestras. He has also been a concertmaster with orchestras in the US and Europe, and his chamber music performances have been broadcast live internationally. In Los Angeles, Kevin is an active recording artist for major motion picture and television scoring, often acting as concertmaster for sessions.

In the popular music realm, Kevin has been a songwriter and producer for international major label artists. In addition to attending Columbia University and the Manhattan School of Music, Kevin received the Jascha Heifetz Scholarship and his Advanced Studies in Music Diploma from the University of Southern California and Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University. He currently lives in Orange County and is the proud, doting father of a toddler son and infant daughter.

Maia Jasper White

Maia Jasper White is a chamber musician, teacher, and musical entrepreneur.

She is the co-founder and co-director of Salastina, an acclaimed LA-based chamber music series celebrating its tenth

season in 2019/2020. Outside of her work with Salastina, Maia’s chamber music performances have brought her around the country and the world. Highlights include concerts in Portugal, the Netherlands, France, Israel, Canada, and Turkey.

A dedicated teacher, Maia is the Director of Chamber Music at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The robust program serves nearly 10% of the student body. She served on the chamber music faculty of the Colburn School of Performing Arts for ten years. Additionally, Maia has taught both violin and chamber music at Chapman University and the Luzerne Music Center. She also served as a guest artist-teacher in period performance practice at CalArts.

Maia joined the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s first violin section in 2010. She was a member of the Pacific Symphony’s first violin section for 10 years. She twice served as Concertmaster of the Crested Butte Music Festival in Colorado.

Her orchestral work also includes scoring for motion pictures and television. She has contributed to scores by John Williams, Danny Elfman, Tom Newman, and Alexandre Desplat, among many others. Scoring is also how she met her husband, composer Philip White.

Maia studied English and Musicology at Yale, and continued her violin studies at USC and the Paris Conservatory. She received a certificate in nonprofit management from the Center for Nonprofit Management, and was a participant in the League of American Orchestra’s Essentials of Orchestra Management Program. She loves writing about music, and gets it out of her system on Salastina’s blog.

Maia and Philip live in Glendale with their son Galen (2) and daughter Naomi (born early this Spring).

Meredith Crawford

Violist Meredith Crawford, a Maine native, studied under the tutelage of Professor Peter Slowik at Oberlin College and Conservatory. She graduated in 2009 after completing Oberlin’s double-degree program with both a B.M. in Viola Performance and a B.A. in English Literature. After being inducted into the Pi Kappa

Lambda honor society, she received the prestigious Prize for Musicianship, awarded to students judged to be “the most outstanding of those elected to Pi Kappa Lambda.” Crawford was the first-prize winner of the Ohio Viola Society’s annual competition in 2007, the 2009 Skokie Valley Symphony Annual Young Artist Competition and the 2009-10 Oberlin Conservatory Competition—the first win for a violist in over a decade.

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At the age of 22—before the completion of her senior year at Oberlin Conservatory—she won her first orchestral audition and a seat with Pacific Symphony. In September 2012, she was awarded the position of assistant principal viola and five years later, she won her current position with the orchestra as principal viola. Additionally, she has been performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic since April 2010, and more recently with the Riverside Philharmonic (as principal viola), the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Irvine’s Mozart Classical Orchestra. Crawford is also an active chamber musician, performing frequently with the L.A.-based Salastina Music Society, the Historic Portsmouth Chamber Music Series in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and the High Desert Chamber Music series in Bend, Ore. Crawford is also on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, where she is assistant principal viola of the faculty orchestra under the baton of Gerard Schwarz. She currently resides in beautiful Belmont Shore (where her neighbors include Pacific Symphony’s principal flutist Benjamin Smolen and principal oboist Jessica Pearlman) with her two cats, Twinkie and Rahula.

Charles Tyler

Charles Tyler has enjoyed a varied career as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral performer in concert venues around the world. He was named winner of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Concerto Competition, top prizewinner of the Osaka International Music Competition, and winner of the

Atwater Kent Strings Competition. Charles served as co-principal cello of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Japan for three seasons where he also appeared in numerous chamber music and solo recital concerts. In past summers he has participated in the Tanglewood Music Center, Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, and was principal cellist of the National Repertory Orchestra. Charles also performs as a member of the Arizona MusicFest Orchestra each winter in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Charles currently resides in Los Angeles where he maintains an active performing career. He has performed on the Jacaranda and Dilijan Chamber music series, the Hear Now Music Festival and has

collaborated with the Salastina Music Society. Charles also frequently performs in various orchestras around Southern California including the L.A. Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and many more. In addition to classical performances, Charles can also be heard on numerous scores for film and television.

His principal teachers and mentors include Richard Aaron, Tanya Carey, Joel Krosnick, Antonio Lysy and Michel Strauss. He has received degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and The Juilliard School and participated in an exchange with the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Charles also received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. He is a dedicated pedagogue who has served as the teaching assistant in chamber music and cello at UCLA and currently maintains a private teaching studio in Los Angeles.

Eric Shetzen

Double bassist Eric Shetzen earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at The Juilliard School as a student of New York Philharmonic bassists Orin O’Brien and David Grossman. He has served as Principal Bass of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center

Orchestra in Osaka, Japan; the Castleton Festival; and the Juilliard Orchestra. He also was a Double Bass Fellow in the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy directed by Michael Tilson Thomas. An avid chamber musician, Eric has collaborated with members of the Juilliard String Quartet, the Lyris String Quartet, violinist Jennifer Koh, and conductors Lorin Maazel and James Conlon. He was the first bassist to be invited to the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Blue Hill (ME) by artistic director Seymour Lipkin and performed with Maxim Vengerov in Tuscany, Italy at the Incontri in Terra di Siena Music Festival. Eric now performs as a freelance bassist in Los Angeles both onstage in various ensembles such as Jacaranda: Music at the Edge, Contemporary Performance Collective, and Hear/Now Music Festival, as well as offstage in a variety of studio recording soundtracks for film and television.

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About the ArtistsDaniel Alvarez Daniel Alvarez is a lifelong musician, classically trained in voice and violin. Daniel received his teaching credential from CSU Fullerton this past spring and is now the director of vocal music at Murrieta Mesa High School. He is also a cantor at St. Juliana Falconieri Church in Fullerton. He has had the privilege of singing with such renowned artists as

Andrea Bocelli, Deborah Voigt, Kathleen Battle, and John Proulx, and has sung under the direction of John Williams, Nicholas McGegan, Carl St.Clair, and others. He currently resides in Corona, and actively performs and teaches throughout Southern California.

Ryan Thomas Antal Ryan Antal currently resides in Long Beach, where he received a bachelor’s degree in voice performance and choral education from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach. While there, he regularly performed with the Opera Institute and Chamber Singers. Ryan served as the Minister of Music at Garden Grove Presbyterian Church and

bass section leader/soloist at both Geneva Presbyterian Church and Lakewood Village Community Church before arriving in his current post as bass section leader/soloist for St. Andrew’s in Newport Beach. He has a long-standing history with Arrowbear Music Camp as a student counselor, coach, and conductor. Ryan was a member of the inaugural Golden Bridge project with Suzi Digby and has performed regularly with the Orange County Choral Society and the De Angelis Vocal Ensemble. As an Orange County native, Ryan is thrilled to be enjoying his sixth season with Pacific Chorale.

Chelsea Chaves Since graduating with her master’s degree from the USC Thornton School of Music, Chelsea Chaves has sung with Pacific Chorale, soloed with Pacific Symphony, and performed at various private events around Los

Angeles and Orange County. Chelsea is currently performing in Pacific Symphony’s Class Act program and Long Beach Opera outreach. Last year, she was a recipient of a prestigious vocal scholarship from the Profant Foundation in Santa Barbara. Roles performed include Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) with the Astoria Music Festival, Hanna Glawari (Die lustige Witwe) with Chapman University, and Lay Sister (Suor

Angelica) with Opera Santa Barbara. She has also covered the roles of Violetta (La Traviata) and Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) for Pacific Symphony. Previous Young Artist Programs include OperaWorks, SongFest, the Astoria Music Festival and Musiktheater Bavaria. She was a finalist for the Loren L. Zachary Competition in 2015 and has sung the National Anthem at two Lakers games. For more information, visit www.chelseachaves.com.

Saunder ChoiSaunder Choi is a Los Angeles-based Filipino composer and choral artist. His works have also been performed by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the Crossing Choir, the L.A. Master Chorale Chamber Singers, Sacra Profana, Tonality, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, and many others. He has been commissioned by the L.A. Choral Lab, Andrea

Veneracion International Choral Festival, SYC Ensemble Singers (Singapore), Choral Arts Initiative, the Earth Choir (Taiwan), Taipei Philharmonic Choir and Women’s Choir, Archipelago Singers (Indonesia), and many others. As an arranger and orchestrator, Saunder has written for Tony-Award winner Lea Salonga, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, the Tim Janis Christmas Shows at Carnegie Hall, Ballet Philippines, etc.

He won the 2017 Indianapolis Symphonic Choir Carol Commission competition and awarded the 1st prize in the 2014 American Prize for Choral Composition (student division). He was also a finalist for the 2012 and 2015 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award and was one of the five composition fellows at the 2016 Big Sky Choral Initiative.

Pacific Chorale RosterRobert M. Istad, Artistic Director & ConductorJohn Alexander, Artistic Director EmeritusNate Widelitz, Assistant ConductorDavid Clemensen, Accompanist

SOPRANOChelsea Chaves-TanRebecca HasquetKathryn LillichKatie MartiniMaria Cristina NavarroJoslyn Amber Sarshad

ALTODenean R. DysonStacey KikkawaLaurel SandersJane Hyunjung ShimAlison StickleyAngel Yu McKay

TENORNicholas A. Preston, Roger W. Johnson Memorial ChairDaniel AlvarezSaunder ChoiAlan GarciaJohnny G. GonzalesNate Widelitz

BASSRyan Thomas AntalMatthew KellawayYannick LambrechtJackson McDonaldRicardo McKillips Jr.Jason Pano

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As a choral artist, he maintains an active singing schedule in Southern California. He regularly sings with the L.A. Choral Lab, C3LA: Contemporary Choral Collective of Los Angeles, and HEX Vocal Ensemble. He serves as a teaching artist for the Los Angeles Master Chorale Voices Within and Oratorio Project, as well as Pacific Chorale Academy. He is currently Director of Music at Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica. His works are published and distributed MusicSpoke, Earthsongs, and See-A-Dot Publishing.

Born in Manila, Philippines, Saunder holds degrees from De La Salle University – Manila, Berklee College of Music, and the USC Thornton School of Music. His works are published and distributed MusicSpoke, Earthsongs, and See-A-Dot Publishing.

Denean R. Dyson A free-spirited mezzo- soprano with a genuine passion for music, Denean Dyson is a true artist classically trained yet accomplished in many genres. Her vocal flexibility, whether singing classical repertoire, R&B, soul, or jazz, allows her to offer a beautifully skilled and emotionally artistic sound in every performance. A Vegas-

born chanteuse, Denean earned a B.A. in music from CSU Fullerton School of Music and immediately launched into a career as a professional singer and performer, entertaining audiences in solo and ensemble performances in the United States and abroad.

Denean’s artistry has earned her the privilege of working with many legendary artists such as renown mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, jazz and blues legend Barbara Morrison, and singer and actress Reba McEntire. Her vocal diversity is most displayed in her work as a featured soloist, such as her 2016 portrayal of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in Concert with Pacific Symphony, her solo work on Jake Heggie’s 2014 premiere choral opera The Radio Hour (Delos) and in Pacific Chorale’s commanding 2017 performance of the Bernstein Mass. As a headlining artist, Denean excels at getting people off their seats and on their feet dancing, having recently entertained thousands in attendance at the 2018 CSU Fullerton Concert Under the Stars. She further brings her skill and devotion to the arts in her stage endeavors, dominating the stage last fall with her performances of “Satisfied” from Hamilton and “One Night Only” from Dreamgirls in Segerstrom Center’s Cabaret Series performance of Rob & Friends: A Little Night Music. Denean especially enjoys infusing her knowledge and professional experience into her curriculum at Orange County School of the Arts, where she serves as the Classical Voice Conservatory’s jazz voice instructor. Denean is honored to have also performed in ensembles for gifted conductors like Gustavo Dudamel, John Williams, Ludwig Wicki, John Alexander, Robert Istad, Carl St. Clair, Nicholas McGegan, and Keith Lockhart, in performances before large audiences in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Staples Center, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, and many more. For many of her public and private events, Denean is often joined by talented professional musicians in a group known as The Soul Foundation. SoulFo is based in Long Beach, CA, the city Denean now lovingly calls home. Find out more about the band and Denean on her website, DeneanDysonMusic.

com or follow all the shenanigans on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ DDysonMusic.

Alan Garcia Alan Garcia, tenor, received his B.A. in music education and teaching credential from CSU Fullerton. While in school, Alan studied voice with Dr. Mark Goodrich and sang in choirs with Dr. Robert Istad and Dr. Christopher Peterson. During this time, he sang as a soloist for Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G minor, O’Regan’s The Ecstasies

Above, and Mozart’s Regina Coeli. Since graduating, Alan has continued singing professionally as a chorister and soloist with Choral Arts Initiative, De Angeles Ensemble, and Tonality. Currently, he is director of choirs at Magnolia High School, where he was recognized as Teacher of the Year in his first year of teaching. He also serves as cantor and section leader at St. Norbert Catholic Church. Alan is ecstatic and honored to be entering his second season with Pacific Chorale and looks forward to the many musical projects to come.

Johnny G. Gonzales Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, tenor Johnny Gonzales received his bachelor of music in vocal performance from CSU Fullerton. While at Fullerton, Mr. Gonzales studied privately with Dr. Mark Goodrich. He was fortunate enough to sing in ensembles directed by both Dr. Christopher Peterson and Dr. Robert Istad during his undergraduate studies. He has

been seen on the concert stage and the operatic stage as both a soloist and an ensemble member. He has been seen in the complete roles of Count Danilo Danilovich in Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow, and as Dr. Cajus in Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. He has also performed scenes as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff, and Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. He has also been a soloist in choral masterworks such as Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F major, J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, and Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine.

Rebecca Hasquet Rebecca Hasquet holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach, where she was a student of Brian Farrell and the soprano section leader of the Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Talberg. She was also a member of the Opera Institute: performances include Mozart’s Don Giovanni

(Donna Elvira) and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (Marcellina), as well as scenes from Puccini’s La Rondine (Magda de Civry) and Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier (The Marschallin). Campus highlights include being a soloist for BCCM’s Celebrating Music of Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor, performing with the live and virtual choir at the TED Conference 2013 for composer Eric Whitacre, as

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well as singing a sold-out performance with the Rolling Stones for the opening night of their “50 and Counting” tour at The Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Prior to CSU Long Beach, Rebecca was a soprano in the Santa Clarita Master Chorale directed by Allan Petker, as well as a member of the Chamber Choir at College of the Canyons. During the entirety of her undergraduate studies, she was a soprano section leader at Idyllwild Arts Academy for their Summer Festival Choir. Rebecca has since continued to stay active as a soloist, chorister, and instructor. She was recently a staff singer of Meistersingers in Orange, and is currently the soprano section leader of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church of Long Beach. Rebecca also provides vocal coaching at Canyon High School in Anaheim Hills, and creates commissioned music arrangements and transcriptions in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas.

Matthew Kellaway

Matthew Kellaway is excited and proud to be entering his sixth season with Pacific Chorale. He continues to perform solos with the Chorale, and has sung with many other prestigious vocal ensembles including Disney’s Voices of Liberty, the internationally broadcast Hour of Power Choir, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Matthew is currently director of the men’s chorus at

Biola University, where he has also provided individual voice instruction, taught conducting classes and served as assistant director for the Biola Conservatory of Music opera program. As a baritone known for his versatility of style, Matthew has sung many operatic and musical theater roles including Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marquis de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Betto in Gianni Schicchi, Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods, Friedrich Bhaer in Little Women, Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore and Germont in La Traviata.

Stacey Kikkawa Stacey Y. Kikkawa is the director of the vocal music program at Beverly Hills High School. Under her leadership, the Beverly Hills High School Madrigal Singers have been featured on the “Christmas in July” special for the TV show Home & Family on The Hallmark Channel, and have performed all over the Greater Los Angeles area. Most

recently, the Madrigal Singers performed in the Interfaith Convocation for Music in Worship at the 2018 ACDA Western Division Conference in Pasadena. Ms. Kikkawa has led high school choirs in Northern and Southern California and has performed and placed in many Heritage festivals, Festival of Gold, and the Northern California Golden State Choral Competitions. Ms. Kikkawa completed her masters degree in choral conducting performance at CSU Fullerton under Dr. Robert Istad, where she was the recipient of the Elliot and Kathleen Alexander Memorial Scholarship in 2012. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music in music education, and

a Bachelor of Music in performance with a dual emphasis in conducting and voice from Chapman University under Dr. William Hall and Margaret Dehning. Since 2014, Ms. Kikkawa has served the California Choral Directors Association as Southern Regional Representative (2 terms), and was the assistant to the All-State Honor Choir chair. She also performs as a staff singer with Pacific Chorale and the Long Beach Camerata Singers.

Yannick Lambrecht

Yannick Lambrecht, a native of Belgium, is a lyric bass-baritone currently residing in Southern California. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the Chapman Conservatory of Music, and has been active as a soloist and professional choral musician for oratorio and major works. A lover of both early and new music,

Yannick has performed with L.A. Master Chorale, Pacific Bach Project, De Angelis Vocal Ensemble, Golden Bridge Consort, Meistersingers, and Bach Collegium of San Diego. Yannick began his professional singing career with the Festival Opera Chorus in productions of Faust, Il Trovatore, and Don Giovanni. He is grateful to be singing in his sixth season with the Pacific Chorale.

Kathryn Lillich Hailed as a “world-class vocal talent,” soprano Kathryn Lillich has quickly established herself as a highly sought-after and versatile vocalist. Her performances as coloratura soprano and Celtic harpist draw praise from conductors, stage directors, and audiences alike. Most recently, Kathryn sang the role of Melissa

in a new production of Handel’s Amadigi, directed by James Darrah. Her past performances include the role of Mary Crawford in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park, La Fée in Opera UCLA’s production of Cendrillon by Massenet, as well as a debut at Carnegie Hall as the soloist in Tarik O’Regan’s Triptych. Her professional choral work includes Pacific Chorale, Long Beach Camerata Singers, and the renowned vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire. Kathryn has worked with a number of notable conductors, composers, and stage directors, including Peter Kazaras, James Darrah, Daniel Beckwith, John Alexander, Jonathan Sheffer, Tarik O’Regan, Steven Stubbs, Ruben Valenzuela, Patrick Quigley, and John Williams. Kathryn holds a B.A. in music from Luther College where she studied both vocal performance and music education, and an M.M. in vocal performance from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. In addition to her classical music career she is a Celtic harpist and folk singer, and maintains a thriving teaching studio in piano, voice, and Celtic harp.

Katie Martini Katie Martini is thrilled to be joining Pacific Chorale this season, as she finishes her undergraduate studies at the CSU Fullerton School of Music. There, she has had

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the opportunity to study vocal technique with Patricia Prunty, and has had many wonderful performance opportunities. With the CSU Fullerton University Singers, under the direction of Dr. Robert Istad, Katie has had the privilege of traveling and performing in New York, Paris, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, and St. Petersburg, Russia. In the choir’s 2012 tour to New York, she performed as a soloist on

Tarik O’Regan’s The Ecstasies Above at Carnegie Hall. She is also a featured soloist on Nostos: The Homecoming of Music produced by Yarlung Records, which showcases the choir’s 2017 tour program. In May of 2018, Katie was honored to sing as the soprano soloist for a CSU Fullerton performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah featuring alumnus Rod Gilfry, and conducted by Maestro John Alexander. With the CSU Fullerton opera department, Katie has played the roles of La Princesse in Maurice Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Alice Ford in Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Katie took third place in this year’s Music Associates Concerto and Aria Competition, as well as first place in 2016. She was also the recipient of the music faculty nominated Theodore Presser Scholarship Award for 2017. Most recently, Katie had the pleasure of performing in Rob and Friends: A Little Night Music put on by Segerstrom Center for the Arts in November. She is excited to be a part of tonight’s performance, and looks forward to making more music with Pacific Chorale.

Jackson McDonald Jackson McDonald holds a vocational degree in music production from Fullerton College, and is currently in his final year at CSU Fullerton pursuing a B.A. in music with an emphasis in voice. Jackson sings with the Hour of Power Choir at Shepherd’s Grove Church, the CSU Fullerton University Singers, and is now thrilled to be singing his first season

with the Pacific Chorale. When he’s not singing, Jackson is around Orange County providing recording services.

Maria Cristina Navarro Maria Cristina “Kit” Navarro has given recitals, orchestral guest appearances and opera performances in Switzerland, the United States, Philippines and Austria. The Orange County Register describes her as “the gifted soprano... whose effortless production and lustrous, satiny tone were angelic” ... “a coloratura specialist whose portrayal has harvested special applause”

according to the Badener Tagblatt. She has performed with the Biel, Basel and Baden Theaters in Switzerland, San Diego Opera, Los Angeles Opera, El Paso Opera, Long Beach Opera and Opera Pacific. Notable roles she has performed were Queen of the Night, Olympia, Adina, Nerina, Najade and Pedro. She has also portrayed the Matchmaker in L.A. Opera’s

commissioned work On Gold Mountain by Nathan Wang, Jasmin in the Filipino opera Karim at Jasmin by Dr. Ramon Geluz, Sisa in Felipe de Leon’s Noli Me Tangere the opera and Maria Clara in Ryan Cayabyab’s Noli Me Tangere the Musical. Maria Cristina has sung solos for the Stadtorchester Solothurn, Children’s Orchestra Society of New York, Pacific Symphony, Pacific Chorale, Kalamazoo Symphony in Michigan, Corona del Mar Baroque Festival, Long Beach Camerata Singers, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra and CCP’s Filipino Artist Series among others. Her solo soprano repertoire includes the Requiems of Fauré, Brahms and Mozart, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Judas Maccabaeus and Dixit Dominus, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s St. John Passion, Magnificat and Cantata No. 51, Schubert’s Mass in G, and Mozart’s Mass in C minor. As a former member-soloist of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, UP Filipiniana Dance Group and Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music, she has competed in ensemble competitions and toured the world. Maria Cristina has sung in the music recordings of the films Click and Lady in the Water with the L.A. Master Chorale, John Alexander Singers’ American Voices and Jake Heggie’s choral opera The Radio Hour. She was also a part of Andrea Bocelli’s Christmas concerts in California, the West Coast tour of The Lord of the Rings with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, and back-up vocals for Reba McEntire. She has been a soloist for Pacific Chorale in its tours of Spain, Paris, Budapest and Vienna. Maria Cristina received her bachelor’s degree in voice at the University of the Philippines and her diploma in music theater studies at the Biel Conservatory in Switzerland. A first prize winner in the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA), she was also a recipient of the Migros Genossenschafts-Bund Studienpreis and a first prize winner in the Elvira Luthi Wegmann vocal competition in Switzerland.

Jason Pano Jason Pano holds a bachelor of music in music theory and composition from CSU Sacramento and is currently finishing his master of music in choral conducting at CSU Fullerton. He holds IMDB credits as copyist and orchestrator for the 2013 Disney film Contest, and is sought out as an arranger throughout California. Jason has sung for the Sacramento Master Singers, the VITA Academy,

and Long Beach Camerata. Jason currently serves as choral director at Palisades United Methodist Church in Capistrano Beach and works in community engagement, outreach, and recruitment as a social media specialist for the CSU Fullerton College of the Arts, California Choral Directors Association, and Pacific Chorale.

Raphael PoonOriginally from Singapore, bass-baritone Raphael Poon did not discover his interest in music until college. During his time at CSU Fullerton, Raphael studied with Janet Smith, and had the privilege to work with many coaches and professors such as Dr. Robert Istad and Dr. Christopher Peterson. He has sung and toured with the CSU Fullerton University Singers through Sweden, Estonia, Finland,

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and Russia, as well as the 2018 ACDA Western Division conference. Raphael has also performed operatic roles such as Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Mr. Page in Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. He is thrilled and honored to be joining Pacific Chorale for his first season.

Nicholas A. Preston Praised by the Orange County Register as being “resonant and warm” and by the classical music site Bachtrack as “a ringing stentorian tenor,” Hawai’i native Nicholas Preston is in demand as a soloist in Southern California and beyond, having performed throughout California, and touring as a soloist in France, Italy, and

Spain. He has been a member of Pacific Chorale since 2002, and has frequently appeared as a soloist with the ensemble. Nicholas has also performed as a soloist with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Claremont Chorale, Santa Maria Philharmonic Society, Cypress Masterworks Chorale, and The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. He has worked under the batons of John Alexander, Carl St.Clair, Keith Lockhart, John Williams, Nicholas McGegan, Kent Nagano, John Mauceri, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Grant Gershon and Gustavo Dudamel. Nicholas’ solo appearances include Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Horatio Parker’s Hora Novissima, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Symphony No. 9, Bach’s B Minor Mass and St. Matthew Passion, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and Judas Maccabeus, and Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. In December of 2014 he appeared as a soloist with Pacific Symphony in their production of Handel’s Messiah, and in May of 2015, he performed as the soloist in Herbert Howells’ Hymnus Paradisi with Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony. More recent performances include the role of “Messenger” in Pacific Symphony’s production of Aida, tenor soloist in the Vespers of 1610 by Claudio Monteverdi with Long Beach Camerata Singers, and tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Long Beach Symphony, both in April 2017. Nicholas was featured in the world premiere Philip Glass’ The Passion of Ramakrishna, which was commissioned for the grand opening of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and premiered by the Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony under the direction of Carl St.Clair in 2006. In April of this year, he reprised the same role at his debut in Carnegie Hall. Nicholas is also involved with Pacific Symphony’s award-winning education programs, being a presenter with the Class Act program as well as a featured soloist in the Youth Concerts. Nicholas received his B.A. in music from Loyola Marymount University, and currently resides in Orange County with his wife, Dr. Kathleen Preston, and their daughter, Zelda. www.nicholaspreston.com

Laurel Sanders Laurel Sanders is a versatile mezzo-soprano, an accomplished performer, and a dedicated teacher. She has sung professionally with many Southern California ensembles, including Pacific Chorale, the Charles Dickens Carolers, Nova Vocal Ensemble, and Lark Musical

Society. Her studio recording credits include television show theme music and Internet multimedia projects, as well as a symphonic metal album. Laurel performs weekly as a soloist in the Schola Cantorum of St. John Chrysostom Church, and for the past four years has served as organist for Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church. An ardent devotee of the arts, she loves to cultivate a passion for music in her many voice and piano students. When she’s not working, Laurel enjoys practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu and hanging out with her family and her two cats.

Joslyn Amber Sarshad Joslyn Sarshad is a soprano from Boulder, Colorado who’s been loving the L.A. scene for a decade. After graduating with a vocal performance degree from CSU Fullerton in 2015, Joslyn immersed herself in the choral scene, singing with groups such as Pacific Chorale, Choral Arts Initiative, Cogitatio Chorale and the Hour of Power Choir. She has enjoyed performing operatic

and musical theater roles such as Amelia in Menotti’s Amelia al Ballo, Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music with Pacific Symphony Opera’s outreach program. Concert solo highlights include Poulenc’s Gloria at La Madeleine church in Paris, selections from Handel’s Messiah across Orange and Los Angeles counties, and the world premieres of art songs by Arthur Duran. Joslyn is also a singer-songwriter and has had her performances broadcast on international television. In 2018 Joslyn launched her L.A.-based music studio, where she teaches voice, piano, and guitar to students of all ages. She creates a unique teaching environment by incorporating yoga and Alexander Technique into all of her lessons. Joslyn knows that music has the power to change people’s hearts and she is grateful to be singing for you all tonight! More information is available at www.JoslynSarshad.com.

Jane Hyunjung Shim Mezzo-soprano Jane Hyun-Jung Shim, a native of Korea, is known as a rich, clear and sensitive singer. Ms. Shim studied at CSU Fullerton. While in school, she was coached as a soprano and has performed many soprano roles. She also won several competitions while in school. Ms. Shim is now a familiar face to Orange County choral music audiences as a mezzo-soprano. Since joining

Pacific Chorale in 1999, she has appeared as a soloist in many works, including Bach’s B Minor Mass, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Duruflé’s Requiem, Verdi’s La Traviata, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Bach’s Magnificat, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

She has been a featured soloist with Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Musica Angelica, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, Pacific Chorale, John Alexander Singers, Chorus America Conducting Academy, Berkshire Choral International, Long

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Beach Camerata Singers, Dallas Korean Master Chorale, Angeles Chorale, Southern California Korean Christian Choir, Hour of Power, CSU Fullerton University Singers, and Azusa Pacific University. Ms. Shim’s international performances include the European premiere of Jake Heggie’s “He Will Gather Us Around” (from Dead Man Walking) at St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest and Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church of St. Jerome) in Vienna. She has also performed at Matthias Church in Budapest; Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) in Vienna; and St-Sulpice, St-Étienne-du-Mont, St-Louis-en-l’Île, and La Madeleine in Paris. Her beautiful solo work in Duruflé’s Requiem with Pacific Chorale’s Choral Festival 2011 led to a performance at Église St-Étienne-du-Mont, where Duruflé had been the titular organist.

Ms. Shim is currently the alto section leader of Pacific Chorale, a staff singer at Hour of Power Choir, and a conductor and music director of Il-Shin Presbyterian Church in Buena Park.

Alison Stickley Alto Alison Stickley received her B.A. in music education this May from CSU Fullerton, where she studied voice under Susan Montgomery-Kinsey, and sang in choirs with Dr. Robert Istad and Dr. Christopher Peterson. Before transferring to CSU Fullerton, Alison studied at Mt. San Antonio College, where she sang in choirs with Bruce Rogers and was appointed student director in her

final year. She is driven by her passion for enriching the lives of others through music, and is currently pursuing her teaching credential at CSU Fullerton to accomplish her dream of becoming an elementary school music teacher. Alison has enjoyed bringing exceptional choral music to her hometown community of La Verne, California with Profectus Chamber Choir for the past five years and counting, for which she also serves on the executive board as secretary. While still in school, she keeps busy with several part- time jobs, including singing for St. Norbert Catholic Church in Orange as section leader and cantor, and is now delighted to be singing her first season with the Pacific Chorale. Alison has won many scholarly and musical awards throughout her educational career, most recently winning Mu Phi Epsilon’s International Sterling Achievement Award, which is the highest honor bestowed on a collegiate member of the professional music fraternity, deemed to be the most outstanding of all graduating seniors.

Nate Widelitz Singer, conductor, and educator Nate Widelitz has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Singapore’s Esplanade, and Osaka’s Izumi Hall under the batons of Gustavo Dudamel, Franz Welser-Möst, Nicholas McGegan, Masaaki Suzuki, and Helmuth Rilling. He has collaborated with Bach Collegium Japan, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic

Orchestras, and the Cleveland Orchestra and Grammy

Award- winning artists such as Kelley O’Connor, Max van Egmond, and Ingrid Michaelson.

Recent milestones include Nate’s appointments in 2017 as assistant conductor of Pacific Chorale and a faculty member at CSU Los Angeles, his solo singing debut at Disney Hall with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and his debut on the podium with an all-professional ensemble as guest director of the Horizon Chamber Choir. 2018 will see Nate assume direction of the Collegiate Chorale at Mt. San Antonio College and the Philharmonic Choir at Los Angeles Valley College, make his conducting debut with Pacific Chorale at Segerstrom Concert Hall, and begin his appointment as a faculty member at Pierce College. Holding degrees in vocal arts from the University of Southern California and choral conducting from Yale University, Nate spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he conducted research and authored a thesis on the women’s dvuglas music of the Shopski Kray region. He has since taught music at every level from fourth grade through college, led choirs on tours of Italy and Austria, and sung professionally as a soloist in New York, San Francisco, Hartford, and Los Angeles.

Angel Yu McKay Angel Yu McKay, a mezzo-soprano transplant from Texas, first began her collegiate music studies at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. While there, she sang in Concert Women’s Chorus, University Chorus, and Concert Chorale, and in the choruses for the Moores Opera Institute’s productions of Der Freischütz, Die Fledermaus, Eugene Onegin, The Love for

Three Oranges, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Miss Havisham’s Fire. A graduate of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance, she participated in University Choir, Chamber Choir, and sang the roles of Leonora in La Favorita (Opera Scenes) and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the conservatory’s Opera Institute. Angel currently works as a private voice and piano instructor in the greater Los Angeles area, and sings in the Chancel Choir at Westwood United Methodist Church as the alto soloist/section leader. She has previously sung with the John Alexander Singers, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Long Beach Camerata Singers, Los Angeles Bach Festival Chorus, Choral Arts Initiative, Paul Delgado Singers, Pacific American Master Chorale, Temple Israel–Long Beach, San Diego Opera Chorus, and she currently sings with Pacific Chorale as a staff singer and at Vallejo Drive Church of Seventh-Day Adventists as the alto II section leader/soloist. In addition to being in demand as a professional chorister, she is beginning to establish herself as a solo artist with recent performances as the alto/mezzo-soprano soloist in Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël, alto soloist in J.S. Bach’s Magnificat in D and Mass in F, alto soloist in Vivaldi’s Magnificat, and the role of Dorabella in a production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Upcoming engagements include chorus work in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and Verdi’s “Defiant Requiem” with Pacific Symphony, and a recording project and concert of composer Tarik O’Regan’s music with Pacific Chorale.