The William Baker Choral Foundation in Georgia Presents

The 25th Anniversary Concert The REQUIEM of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Music of America in the Time of Mozart

Summer Singers of Atlanta Orchestra of the American Heartland Dr. William O. Baker, Music Director & Conductor Lynn Swanson, Executive Associate Music Director Scott Smith, Choral Associate Leanne Elmer Herrmann, Accompanist

Arietha Lockhart, soprano Holly McCarren, alto Christopher Patton, tenor Stephen Ozcomert, bass

Sunday Afternoon, 3 August 2014 Saint Mark United Methodist Church Atlanta, Georgia

www.FestivalSingers.org

The 25th Anniversary Summer Singers of Atlanta

William O. Baker, DMA

Founder of the Choral Foundation

Lynn Swanson

WBCF Executive Associate Music Director

Christine Freeman

Associate Music Director/Senior Vocal Coach

Scott C. Smith

Choral Associate & Administrator, Atlanta

Jamea Sale

Choral Assistant, Kansas City

Charles Nelson

Director, Northwest Georgia Summer Singers

Amy Thropp

Director, Zimria Festivale Atlanta

Thomas Sheets

Assistant Conductor,

Lynn Swanson Festival Singers

Chris Barnard, Kansas City

Ellen Hicks, Atlanta

Cindy Sheets, Lee’s Summit

Robert Stoskopf, Cobb

Administrators & Managers

Bruno Paige

Student Intern

R. Douglas Helvering, DMA

Contributing Editor, Amber Waves Music

Leanne Elmer Herrmann

Steven McDonald, DMA

Ivy Belk Pirl

Rosanne St. Clair

O. Wayne Smith, DMA

Staff Accompanists

The William Baker Choral Foundation, Inc.

5450 Buena Vista Street, Suite 100

Roeland Park, Kansas 66205

Kansas City/Lee’s Summit 913.403.9223

Atlanta Office : 404.909.8357

Cobb/Cartersville 678.787.9189

Website: www.FestivalSingers.org

E-mail: Mail@FestivalSingers.org

+Erika Archibald Mary Gowing Toni Page

James Amzen Samantha Gowing Art Peddle

George Arrington Dianne Gresham Margaret Peddle

Dale Becker Thomas Gresham Ray Pelosi

+David Beckers Chrissy Haddad Gabrielle Perez

David Bedell John Harr LaDonna Pitts

Jeanne Bedell Claudia Harris Cathy Ramos

Edward Bell Pat Harris Ronald Reese

*+Jorge Blanco *+Ellen Hicks Delores Rugless

Laura Blanco Jean Hobgood +John Sabine

Cindy Bohn Anne Hodgskiss Sarah Sambol

+Karla Booker *+Susan Hollows Marianna Schuck

Sheila Brock A. Reneé Holmes Bob Schwartz

Kathyrn E. Brunson Harriet Hoskyns-Abrahall Carol Schwartz

Wallace Buckner Henry Hsu +Sarah Shalf

Brenda Caroll Kay Johnson Lois Simon

David Caron Bethann Johnston Susan Small

Sarah Chodrow Suzanne Johnston Cynthia Smith

Terence Chorba Mark Kagika +Scott Smith

Harry Clark Madelyn Kallman Gerald Stacy

Linder Clark Richard Kauffman Karin Stern

+Kimberly Cook Pamela Kilmer Steve Stern

Betsy Crawford Kelly Koelker Andrea Stokfisz

Jim Crawford Laura Lacombe +*Ann Stoskopf

Hallie Cullen Susan Lawton Oreta Hinamon Taylor

+William Dreyfoos Jennifer Levy Thom Thompson

Laris Dukes Eric Lucas Terri Thornton

+*Vince Evans Cathy Maher *Amy Thropp

Sarah Fechter Myron Martin Craig Tovey

Joseph Ferst Nancy Martin +Leslie Truman

Sonia Fishkin Cheryl McBane Joseph Valles

Gail Foorman Huell McBane Katherine Villyard

+Marla Franks Lynne McIntyre Elizabeth Whitfield

Gerald Freeman Bess Miller Gabrielle Willet

Abby Frick +Jenny Munro Ruth Willet

Elsie Frick Walter Murray +Kathryn Wilson

Leah Frick +*David Nieland Aimee Winkle

Maggie Frick Joan Nieland *Niccole Winney

Bill Gardner Caroline Nuckolls Alan Zaring

+Dorothy Goodson Rich Nuckolls Ziwen Zhu

+John Goodson Laura O’Connell

*)Member/Alumni, Lynn Swanson Festival Singers

+) Member/Alumni, William Baker Festival Singers

The Board of Trustees

William O. Baker, Roeland Park, Kansas, Acting ChairDavid Barker, Belton, Missouri, Chair-ElectMary Puetz, Sioux Center, Iowa, Vice Chair

Ann Stoskopf, Marietta, Georgia, Treasurer/CFO

David Chastain, Acworth, Georgia, Trustee at LargeJohn Schaefer, Kansas City, Missouri, Trustee at Large

Ross Kimbrough, Overland Park, Kansas, Trustee at Large

Greg Wegst, Mission, Kansas, Trustee at Large

Trustees EmeritusWilliam W. Dreyfoos, Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Michael S. McGarry, Atlanta, GeorgiaRoss Malme, Atlanta, Georgia

Brad Piroutek, Spring Hill, KansasScott Smith, Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. William O. Baker, Founder of the Choral Foundation

William O. Baker has earned a reputation as an entrepreneurial conductor and creator of choral organizations. He founded the DeKalb Choral Guild in 1978 at the age of 19. By the age of 21 he had conducted Brahms’ German Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Schubert’s Mass in G, and Handel’s Messiah with professional orchestras, launching a career of ambitious artistic leadership that now has extended over thirty-seven years. In the last few years he has conducted the St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor of Bach, and the Sacred Service of Ernest Bloch, at the time of performances the only Kansas City-based conductor to lead the works in over a quarter-century.

Baker created the Atlanta-based William Baker Festival Singers, originally called “Gwinnett” Festival Singers, in 1985, and established the William Baker Choral Foundation in 1990. In 1998 the conductor moved his home to the Kansas City area and created the Kansas City ensemble of the Festival Singers. The Choral Foundation has created over a dozen ensembles based in three states, involving hundreds of singers in the course of any year. His choirs have performed for numerous conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the American Guild of Organists, in addition to the 1982 World’s Fair and music festivals in the United States and Great Britain, most notably annual appearances before capacity audiences at Charleston’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival since 1989. He has led the Festival Singers in the production of 19 nationally released recordings, and in television and radio appearances across the nation, including The First Art, The Sounds of Majesty and National Public Radio’s Performance Today. No stranger to the orchestral podium, William Baker created the Mountain Park Wind Symphony in 1994, and the Kansas City Wind Symphony in 1998. Recent orchestral performances have included Vivaldi: The Seasons, Sibelius: Finlandia, Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Bizet: Suite L’Alesienne, Haydn: Symphony No. 59 “Fire,” Mozart: Symphony No. 41, Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 and Symphony No. 9. Choral collaborations have included projects with members of the Kansas City Symphony, the Kazanetti Chamber Orchestra, the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra, and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. He is Founder & Music Director of the Atlanta-based Orchestra of the American Heartland. Dr. Baker served as Minister of Music for a number of significant Lutheran, Presbyterian and United Methodist congregations across the South and the Midwest. Major appointments have included the historic Grace United Methodist Church in Midtown Atlanta and The Village Church in suburban Kansas City, the nation’s second largest Presbyterian congregation. Presently, he serves as director of The Cathedral Chorale, the choir for Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City’s 8:00 AM Eucharist. He is the author of Hearts & Hands & Voices: Weekly Reflections on Music and the Church, published by Amber Waves Music. An Atlanta native, Dr. Baker studied voice and choral conducting at Mercer University and the University of Georgia before culminating his formal education at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago where he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting. He holds the position of Associate Professor of Music at the Conservatory where he teaches applied conducting and choral methods. The Baker family makes their home in northeastern Kansas. Dr. Baker commutes weekly to serve conducting responsibilities in Georgia, Kansas and Missouri. His accomplishments have been recognized in his native state through proclamations by two Georgia Governors, Joe Frank Harris and Sonny Purdue, and United States Congressman Phil Gingrey. In 2012 he was honored for his lifetime contributions to the cultural life of his hometown by the Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta.

The Summer Singers of Atlanta

William O. Baker, DMA, Music Director & Conductor

Lynn Swanson, Executive Associate Music Director Ellen Hicks, Manager Leanne Elmer Herrmann, Accompanist Scott Smith, Choral Associate

The Summer Singers of Atlanta was founded in 1990 as one of the first projects of the William Baker Choral Foundation. The membership of the non-auditioned ensemble ranges from 125-175 members each summer, with singers coming from as far as Florida, Alabama and Tennessee to join in the summer tradition. Rehearsals begin in June of each year in preparation for August performances of a major work for chorus and orchestra, along with other varied selections. Past seasons have included the Requiems of Brahms, Mozart and Rutter, Haydn’s The Creation, Schubert’s Mass in G, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s cantata Wachet auf, Beethoven’s Mass in C & Symphony No. 9, Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Coronation Mass & Solemn Vespers, and many other classical masterpieces. As “Atlanta’s original summer chorus,” The Summer Singers of Atlanta has become a model that has been often imitated in Atlanta and in other cities. One of the greatest accomplishments for the organization has been the heightened interest in the choral art and in classical masterworks that the chorus has inspired. Membership is open to all adults and mature youth.

The 2015 26th Summer Singers of Atlanta will feature Franz Josef Haydn’s The Creation, performed with full orchestra and distinguished soloists. Registration opens March 1, 2015. Please visit the Choral Foundation’s website at www.FestivalSingers.org throughout the year for additional information about the Summer Singers and all of the Choral Foundation’s exciting ensembles.

Scott Smith, Choral Associate, is a native of Chicago, IL, He has made Atlanta his home since 1992. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Scott has enjoyed many different aspects of music. Scott has been a member of many different choirs including The Soul Children of Chicago, University of Illinois Concert & Chamber Choirs, Augustana College Handel Oratorio Society, Chordbusters, The Michael O’Neal Singers, St. Mark UMC Chancel Choir, Summer Singers of Atlanta, Just Voices and the William Baker Festival Singers. Scott has performed the role of Joe in “Showboat”, Andy Lee in “42nd Street” and Balthazar in “Amahl and the Night Visitors” and he has published a setting of the spiritual “Nobody Knows the Trouble I See” through Amber Waves. Scott stepped on the podium for the first time as a conductor in 1997 when he took on the role of

choral assistant for the 125 member Summer Singers of Atlanta. He continues to serve in the capacity of trustee emeritus and choral assistant for the William Baker Choral Foundation’s Atlanta ensembles. Scott is employed by IBM and lives in Southwest Atlanta with his partner Mark and two very spoiled basset hounds. When he’s not singing, Scott enjoys cooking, gardening and growing orchids.

Leanne Elmer Herrmann, Accompanist, has served as Accompanist of the Summer Singers of Atlanta since the chorus’ founding in 1990. She is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. She works throughout the metro Atlanta area as a free-lance accompanist and chamber music pianist. Ms. Herrmann has been the accompanist of The DeKalb Choral Guild since being appointed to the post by then-director William Baker in 1988. She is the accompanist for the Collegium Vocale and is the staff pianist for the Paideia School in Atlanta. She has appeared in concert with the Gwinnett Young Singers, the Young Singers of Callanwolde, and the William Baker Festival Singers. She makes her home in Decatur, Georgia.

AUDITIONSThe William Baker Festival SingersDr. William O. Baker, Music Director & Conductor

Lynn Swanson, Executive Associate Music Director Scott Smith, Choral Associate & Administrator

Thirtieth Anniversary Season in 2014-2015 includes Candlelight & Carols, Convocation

2015, masterworks with orchestra including Bach: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, Vaughan

Williams: Lord, Thou Hast Been Our Refuge, and Allegri: Miserere Mei. The Festival Singers

have performed to capacity audiences at Charleston’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival since 1989.

2014-2015 will be Dr. Baker’s valedictory season as Music Director.

Rehearsals Sunday Evenings, 6:00-8:30, in Midtown Atlanta

404.909.8357 Mail@FestivalSingers.org www.FestivalSingers.org

The Lynn Swanson Festival SingersLynn Swanson, Music Director & Conductor

Thomas Sheets, Assistant Conductor Ivy Belk Pirl, Accompanist

Sixth Concert Season includes Candlelight & Carols with the Festival Singers

Leonard Bernstein CHICHESTER PSALMS for Chorus & Chamber Orchestra

and other modern masterworks, along with timeless A Cappella Classics and Spirituals

Rehearsals Tuesday Evenings, 7:15-9:30, in Smyrna, Georgia

678.787.9189 LSwanson@FestivalSingers.org www.FestivalSingers.org

Please Call Today for Your Audition Appointment

www.FestivalSingers.org

The 25th Anniversary ConcertSunday Afternoon, 3 August 2014 at 3:00 PM, Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia

Introit

NORTHFIELDJeremiah INGALLS, 1764-1838

The Choral Public Domain Library

How long, dear Savior, O how long,

Shall this bright hour delay?

Fly swifter ‘round ye wheels of time,

And bring the welcome day!

Lo, what a glorious sight appears

To our believing eyes;

The earth and seas are passed away,

And these old rolling skies!

From the Third Heaven where God resides,

That holy, happy place,

The new Jerusalem comes down,

Adorned with shining grace.-Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Welcome

I

WHEN JESUS WEPTWilliam BILLINGS, 1746-1800

The Choral Public Domain Library

When Jesus wept a falling tear

In mercy flowed beyond all bound.

When Jesus groaned a trembling fear

Seized all the guilty world around

CHESTERWilliam BILLINGS, 1746-1800

The Choral Public Domain Library

Let tyrants shake their iron rod.

And slavery clank her galling chains,

We’ll fear them not, we trust in God,

New England’s God forever reigns.

The foe comes on with haughty stride,

Our troops advance with martial noise,

Their veterans flee before our youth,

And geerals yield to beardless boys.

Howe and Burgoyne and Clinton, too,

With Prescott and Cornwallis joined,

Together plot our overthrow

In one infernal league combined.

What grateful offering shall we bring,

What shall we render to the Lord?

Loud hallelujahs let us sing,

And praise His name on every chord!

II

GO CONGREGATION GO

SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR

GRIEFSJohn ANTES, 1740-1811

Boosey & Hawkes 5303

Go, congregation, go and see,

See Thy Savior in Gethsemane.

There is a scene which with amaze

Must strike thy gaze:

Thy Maker prays!-Christian Gregor, 1723-1801

Surely He hath borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows.

He was wounded for our transgressions.

He was bruised for our iniquities.

The chastisement of our peace lay upon Him,

And with His stripes we are healed.

-Isaiah 53:4-5

Arietha Lockhart, soloist

Student Intern Bruno Paige, conducting

III

Allegro from

EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK, K525Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, 1756-1791

International Music Score Library

Orchestra of the American Heartland

Student Intern Bruno Paige, conducting

IV

REQUIEM, K626Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART, 1756-1791

The Choral Public Domain Library

Completed by Franz Xaver Süssmayr, 1766-1803

First Performance as completed,

Wednesday, 2 January 1793, Jahn-Saal, Vienna

Most Recent Choral Foundation Performance,

The William Baker Festival Singers,

Sunday, 12 October 2012, Atlanta, Georgia

Sung in Latin

INTROIT ET KYRIE

Grant them eternal rest,

O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

To Thee, O God, are praises sung in Zion,

and unto Thee shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.

Unto Thee all flesh shall come.

Given by Larisa Garrison Dukes, daughter and niece,

In memory of J. Lloyd Garrison and William D. Garrison

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.

SEQUENZ

Dies Irae: The day of wrath, that day shall

Dissolve the world in ashes as witnessed David and the Sibyl.

What trembling there shall be when the Judge shall come!

Tuba mirum: The trumpet, scattering a

Wondrous sound through the tombs of all lands,

shall bring all souls unto Thee.

Death and Nature shall be astounded when the creature

Shall rise again to answer to the Judge.

A book shall be brought forth in which

Shall be contained all by which the world shall be judged.

When the Judge shall sit, all that is hidden will be made known,

And nothing shall remain unavenged.

What shall I say in my misery? Who will be my advocate?

Rex tremedae: King of Majesty

Who freely redeemed the world, save me, O Source of Mercy!

Recordare: Remember, merciful Jesus, that I am the cause of

Thy journey, lest I am lost on that day. Seeking me has made

Thee weary; Thou didst redeem me by suffering the cross.

Let not such labor be vain.

O just Judge of vengeance,

Give me the gift of remission before the day of reckoning.

I groan as one guilty; my face blushes at my sin.

Spare me, Thy supplicant, O God.

Thou who absolved Mary and, with compassion,

Heard the prayer of the thief, Thou hast given me hope also.

My prayers are not worthy, but Thou showest Thy mercy lest

I burn in everlasting fire.

Give me place among Thy sheep and

Set me apart from the goats. Set me on Thy right hand.

Confutatis: When the damned are confounded and

Condemned to the flames, call me with the blessed.

I pray, kneeling in supplication, my heart contrite as ashes,

Take me into Thy care.

Lacrymosa: Lamentable is that day on which the guilty

Shall rise from the ashes to be judged.

Spare me, O God, for the sake of Thy merciful Son,

Jesus; and give me peace. Amen.

DOMINE JESU CHRISTE

O Lord, Jesus Christ, King of glory,

Deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the

Torment of hell and from the bottomless pit;

Deliver them from the mouth of the lion,

Lest Tartarus swallow them; lest they fall into darkness.

But let St. Michael, the standard-bearer,

Bring them forth into holy light;

Which Thou promised to Abraham and to his posterity.

HOSTIAS

To Thee, O Lord, we render our offerings of praise and prayer.

Receive them for the souls we commemorate this day,

As Thou promised to Abraham and to his posterity.

SANCTUS ET BENEDICTUS

Holy, holy, holy Lord. God of power and might.

Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.

Hosanna in the highest.Given by Jill & Joe Ferst in memory of M. Rita Ferst

Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

AGNUS DEI

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world,

Grant them rest.

COMMUNIO

Let everlasting light shine upon them,

O Lord, with Thy saints, for only Thou art merciful.

Grant to the departed eternal rest, O Lord,

And may perpetual light shine upon them.Given by The Baker Family in memory of Tammy Kim Baker

The Orchestra of the American Heartland

Dr. William O. Baker, Music Director & Conductor

Michele Mariage Volz, Personnel Manager & Contractor

Violin I

Michele Mariage Volz

Violin II

Elizabeth Alvarez

Viola

Julie Rosseter Sweeney

Violoncello

George Butler

Bass

Lyn DeRamus

Clarinet

Greg Collins

Miranda Dorhman

Bassoons

John Grove

Debbie Grove

Trumpet

Paul Poovey

Clayton Chastain

Trombones

Hollie Lawling

Mark Boehm

Richard Brady

Timpani

Jeff Kershner

The 9th Cobb Summer Singers

The Orchestra of the American HeartlandLynn Swanson, Music Director & Conductor

Arietha Lockhart & John LaForge, soloists

JOHANNES BRAHMS A GERMAN REQUIEMPerformed in English Translation by Robert Shaw

Sunday Evening, 10 August 2014 at 7:00 PM

ST. BENEDICT’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

2160 Cooper Lake Drive, Smyrna, Georgia

ALL SEATS $25

Available at the door or online: www.FestivalSingers.org

SOLOISTS

Arietha Lockhart, coloratura soprano, has been awarded many prizes and honors, including a fellowship to perform the role of Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos) at the Aspen Music Festival Opera Theatre, 2nd place in the first Classical Singer Competition sponsored by Classical Singer Magazine, The National Opera Association Competition’s Legacy Award in the professional division, 2nd place in The Center for Contemporary Opera International Competition (prize, a New York debut recital at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall), and the Friedrich Shorr Memorial Prize in Voice and 3rd place in the Oratorio Society of New York competition. During studies at the American Institute for Musical Studies, won the first place vote of the jury in the Meistersinger Competition in Graz, Austria, and received the gold medallion as the audience’s 1st place choice.

Ms. Lockhart is a member of the Grammy Award winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and has performed with the Atlanta Chamber Players and the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. She is a favorite of Choral Foundation audiences, having performed in several productions with the William Baker Festival Singers and the Summer Singers of Atlanta, including Bach’s St. John Passion, Haydn’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem & Mass in C.Minor, and Beethoven Mass in C and Symphony No. 9. She is a music educator in the DeKalb School System, and Co-President of the Atlanta Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon Music Fraternity.

Holly McCarren, alto, a Georgia native, performs regularly in the Atlanta area. She is a member of Coro Vocati under the direction of John Dickson. She can be heard in their soon to be released CD as the soloist in John Corigliano's "Fern Hill". Ms. McCarren sings with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus. Her passion for early music led her to work most recently with Robert Bolyard's group, Uncommon Practice. Her solo concert engagements include, New Trinity Baroque, The Atlanta Baroque Ensemble, Ritornello, Etowah Chamber Orchestra, and many more. Currently, Ms. McCarren holds a position of alto staff singer at Northside United Methodist Church in Atlanta.

Christopher Patton, tenor, received his Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance with minors in Italian, German and a concentration in composition from Kennesaw State University. Mr. Patton, a native of Little Rock, AR, taught himself to read music at an early age and began singing and composing at the age of 7. An active singer, composer, arranger and conductor, he studied voice with Evelyn Hughes, Dr. Oral Moses and participated in master classes with William Warfield, Ellen Faul and Marilyn Horne. He studied composition with Tommy Joe Anderson, Steven Everett and received considerable and valuable advice from Jennifer Higdon, Michael Torke and Robert Owens. Mr. Patton sang for 9 seasons with Capitol City Opera where he sang roles in operas by Benjamin Britten, Gaetano Donizetti, Samuel Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti.

He is a member of the choir of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Chamber Chorus, and The Atlanta Singers, a 16 voice a cappella chamber group. Mr. Patton has appeared on 2 Grammy Award winning recordings with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and My Spirit Sang, a contemporary a cappella recording with The Atlanta Singers and is working on a recording of rarely heard works for tenor scheduled to be released late 2015.

Stephen Ozcomert, bass, is regularly heard in Atlanta area concert halls. He has performed as a soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, including an assisting soloist (“Sergeant”) for 2007 performances and Telarc Digital recording of Puccini’s La Boheme under Robert Spano. He also played the role of a Japanese Envoy in the 2009 ASO performances of Stravinsky’s Nightingale in both Atlanta and Carnegie Hall. Steve also was an assisting soloist under Robert Shaw for the 1996 performances of Bach’s St.Matthew Passion in Atlanta and Carnegie Hall and has served as soloist in performances of the ASO Chorus and Chamber Chorus on several other occasions under Norman Mackenzie, Donald Runnicles, Jere Flynt, Yoel Levi, and others. Steve currently serves as a staff soloist at the Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church and frequently appears as soloist with the Meridian Chorale conducted by Steven Darsey and with the Emory University Orchestra and Chorus under Eric Nelson and Richard Prior. He

appeared in the 2010 Spivey Hall performance of Bach’s Passion According to St. John with The William Baker Festival Singers, and in a 2011 performance of the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Dr. Baker and the Summer Singers of Atlanta. He appeared in recent Choral Foundation performances of Beethoven’s Mass in C and Ernest Bloch’s Avodath Hakodesh. Steve’s solo work has been featured several times in radio broadcasts by WABE. Steve has sung performances of a number of operas and operettas and has an extensive repertoire of more than twenty oratorios from Bach Cantatas, the Requiems of Mozart, Faure, Durufle, and Brahms, to Orff’s Carmina Burana. Steve is a student of Elizabeth Colson.

BRUNO PAIGE, Student Intern

Bruno Page has been appointed as Student Intern in the Atlanta area and will be working with the Summer Singers of Atlanta. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Chicago State University, and a Masters of Orchestral Conducting from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He has studied orchestral and opera conducting in Prague and Sienna, Italy. For ten years he served on the faculty of the University of Michigan at Flint, and for five years served as Music Director & Conductor of the South Shore Philharmonic in Chicago. He has returned to school to earn his Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the American Conservatory of Music where he is a student of Dr. William Baker. The appearance of Bruno Paige in today’s concert is in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Doctor of Musical Arts

from the American Conservatory of Music, and is under the advisement of Dr. William O. Baker, Associate Professor.

STUDENT INTERNS & CHORAL SCHOLARS

The Choral Foundation’s continuing education program for aspiring professionals has involved some 30 young men and women over the past quarter century. Participants in the program have included students from schools such as St. Olaf College, the University of Kansas, Georgia State University, Reinhardt University, the American Conservatory of Music, Emory University, Florida A&M University, and many others. Many of these choral leaders now serve significant university, church, professional and music education positions across the nation. The Student Intern program supports candidates for degrees at the master’s level. Choral Scholars are pursuing a degree at the doctoral level. Both

Choral Scholars and Student Interns benefit from the hands-on experience of working with professional and volunteer ensembles as well as the practical training of working with the staff of a national arts organization. For information about the Choral Foundation’s continuing education programs, please contact the Choral Foundation at 404-909-8357.

Leaving a Legacy of Immortal Music Through the Choral Foundation

Have you considered remembering the work of the William Baker Choral Foundation in your will, estate plan or through a donor advised fund? At the Choral Foundation we are working to build an organization that will connect people with music of timeless beauty and worth for many generations to come. Your gift to our work through your

estate will help us bring the life-changing joys of participation in the performance of great music to thousands of men, women, youth and children yet unborn. Your gift may be designated to support the work of the Choral Foundation

in a specific community, or through a particular ensemble, or a special project.

Please advise your will preparer, estate planner, or attorney of your desire to support the work of The William Baker Choral Foundation, Inc. through a legacy gift. Our office staff will gladly provide the necessary information to insure that

your gift is received and properly applied. Please call 404.909.8357 for more details.

The William Baker Choral Foundation 5450 Buena Vista Street, Suite 100, Roeland Park, KS 66205

Kansas City/Lee’s Summit: 913.403.9223 Atlanta: 404.909.8357 Cobb/Cartersville: 678-787-9189

The William Baker Festival Singers, Midtown Atlanta, 1985, and Prairie Village, Kansas, 1998 Created in 1985 by William O. Baker and Janis M. Lane as The Gwinnett Festival Singers

The Summer Singers of Atlanta, Midtown Atlanta, 1990

William O. Baker, DMA, Music Director & Conductor

The Cobb Summer Singers, Smyrna, Georgia, 2006

The Lynn Swanson Festival Singers, Smyrna, Georgia, 2009 Lynn Swanson, Music Director & Conductor

Zimria Festivale Atlanta, Dunwoody, Georgia, 2014

Amy Thropp, Music Director & Conductor

The Summer Singers of Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, 1999

William O. Baker, DMA, Music Director & Conductor

The Summer Singers of Lee’s Summit, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, 2014

Lynn Swanson & William O. Baker, DMA, Co-Music Directors

The Northwest Georgia Summer Singers, Cartersville, Georgia, 2010, 2014

Charles Nelson, Music Director & Conductor

Amber Waves Music Publishing

William O. Baker, DMA, President Dr. R. Douglas Helvering, Contributing Editor www.AmberWavesPublishing.com

The Choral Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation of the State of Kansas, licensed for business in the

State of Georgia and in the State of Missouri. The William Baker Choral Foundation of Georgia, LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the WBCF, Inc. The organization is funded by public and corporate grants and by commercial sponsorship, but the vast majority of the organization’s support comes from

individuals who believe in the work of changing lives and destinies through music of timeless beauty and worth. If YOU would like to invest in the quality of life in your community in a meaningful way, please consider supporting the Choral Foundation.

All gifts are fully tax-deductible and urgently needed. See your tax professional for maximum benefit.

www.FestivalSingers.org

ANNOUNCEMENT OF POSITION - MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

Dr. Baker has announced his retirement as Music Director of the Atlanta ensemble of The William Baker Festival Singers following the 2014-2015 30th Anniversary Season.

The Choral Foundation is accepting applications for the position of Music Director of the original Festival Singers chorus based in Atlanta. Applications must include a Curriculum Vitae, and audio or

video samples of recent performances. Applications will ONLY be accepted by postal mail.

The William Baker Choral Foundation 5450 Buena Vista St, #100, Roeland Park, KS 62205 404-909-8357 Search@FestivalSingers.org

Supporters of the William Baker Choral Foundation

SOLI DEO GLORIA CIRCLE Gifts of $10,000 and aboveMarilyn Altman, in memory of Hagan Thompson

Kenneth & Nancy Babcock, Ken Babcock Sales Tom & Sheri Schrader, CottageCare, Inc.

CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE Gifts of $5,000-$10,000IBM Corporation Virginia Hicks Smith, in memory of Andrew Cain

Dr. Michael S. McGarry Curtis and Mary Puetz Jim and Sue Schrock

SECTION LEADERS CIRCLE Gifts of $2,500-$5,000Dr. & Mrs. William O. Baker Jorge & Alice Blanco John & Dorothy Goodson

Paul & Joan Priefert Dr. Pratima Singh Scott C. Smith Lynn Swanson

MAESTOSO CIRCLE Gifts of $1000-$2500Kenna BabcockMary Burnett & Ken WerneBruce & Debbie CasolariDr. Tom CoulterBryan FreemanSue GoddardFred & Rhonda GrunwaldKen & Bambi KendrickRoss & Amanda KimbroughKristina KrissJenny & Doug MunroMary E. OhlssonRobert & Melissa OvertonJohn & Jamea SaleSarah ShalfDr. O. Wayne SmithAnn StoskopfJane SullivanHerb & Jeri SwansonAmy ThroppMartha Lee Cain Tranby Music Performance Trust

BEL CANTO CIRCLEGifts of $500-$1000Barbara BrimDavid & Lori ChastainPhillip & Connie CheekDr. Jill DavisWilliam DreyfoosDr. Marla Jane FranksR. Larry & Marsha FreemanDavid & Jenice GrebHallmark Corporate FoundationMarcia MeinCindy SheetsScott & Silke TalsmaTerry & Ann VinesGreg Wegst

BRILLANTE CIRCLEGifts of $250-$500Glenna AbneyDavid & Diane BarkerJocelyn BotkinRonald Burgess

Terence ChorbaLouise DevlinKent & Laura DickinsonJennifer EngelhardtJoseph and Jill Ferst, in memory of M. Rita FerstJames & Deann FreemanMichael HeggeElisabeth HenryDavid & Faye HollandMark HoughtonKimberly Clark FoundationYolanda PhillipsPaul & Tricia ReichertJohn & Leona SchaeferJasbeer SinghGeorge & Carolyn SmithJoseph Steffen

SINGERS CIRCLEGifts of $100-$250Erika ArchibaldMarian ArmstrongJulia BabenseeWilliam Bankhead, Sr.Michael BarnesRoger & Linda Becker in memory of Margie Cameron JarrettTim BellConnie BergeronRobert & Linda BonsteinJim & Joyce BraddockCarole BredesonCynthia Clark CampbellGeorge Campbell in honor of Gail CampbellMichael CarterLaura & Robert CasperDiane CurrencePeter & Mary DeVeauNancy EastEdgar EllysonJ.T. & Pattie FriersonGerry FairlyKate FosterKaren Kay HallGordon HenkeFelicia Hernandez

Ellen Hicks, in memory of Katherine HicksJenny HolcombHenry HsuKathryn HueyRuth JohnsonThomas & Helen JonesMarlene LinkJames & Barbara MeadowsKathleen MichaudBob & Bev MillerWilliam MonkBill MoodyTodd Allen MooreCarter & Hampton MorrisPamela Pendergast, in memory of Mildred Popplewell DunnFrances RobinsonGwynn RossElizabeth ScarazzoKathryn SenkbeilAndrew SingletaryDr. Robert & Florence Smith, IIIKatharine StevensonKeith SweattDrs. Georgia and Jean WestJoyce WhittierRon and Adrienne WilsonLaura YoungbloodFred Zimmerman

IN-KIND GIFTSSarah ChodrowGene Claxton, Unisource Document ProductsCountryside Christian ChurchIBM CorporationEddie RossSt. Benedict’s Episcopal ChurchSaint Mark United Methodist ChurchSt. Paul’s Episcopal ChurchCharles St. ClairPlease report corrections toMail@FestivalSingers.org