Ode to Joy (Maseterworks 7)

Leif Bjaland, conductor (Symphony No. 9)
Dirk Meyer, conductor (Symphony No. 1)
Theresa Hamm-Smith, soprano
Paula Rasmussen, alto
Harold Meers, tenor
John Sauvey, baritone
Key Chorale (Joseph Caulkins, conductor)

Thursday, April 2, 8 p.m., Van Wezel
Friday, April 3, 8 p.m., Neel
Saturday, April 4, at 8 p.m., Van Wezel
Sunday, April 5, 2:30 p.m., Van Wezel

The Orchestra's 60^th anniversary Masterworks season comes to a triumphant conclusion with a performance of Beethoven's First and Ninth symphonies! Assistant Conductor Dirk Meyer makes his Masterworks debut leading the Orchestra in a performance of the First Symphony. Leif Bjaland will then lead a tour de force in the uplifting Ninth Symphony, which contains the well known Ode to Joy, miraculously composed when Beethoven was completely deaf. Joining the Orchestra are The Key Chorale and singing sensations Theresa Hamm-Smith, Paula Rasmussen, Harold Meers, and John Sauvey. You won't want to miss the rousing finale of the Masterworks season, featuring a pair of works by one of the greatest composers of all time!

The Orchestra Association will present Classical Conversations, an informative pre-concert talk on Thursday, April 2, at 10:30 a.m. in Holley Hall of the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center. Admission is $8 and tickets may be purchased at the door.

About Our Guest Vocalists

Paula Rasmussen

Mezzo-soprano Paula Rasmussen is one of America's rising stars, recognized equally for her performances in concert and opera. She has performed with Opera National de Paris, Oper Stadt der Koln, Welsh National Opera, Bayerische Sattsaoper, De Nederlandse Opera, Glyndebourne, Grand Theatre de Geneve, Los Angeles Opera, Dallas Opera, New York City Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera as well as the Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati May Festival and the Atlanta Symphony.

Theresa Hamm-Smith

Young American lyric soprano Theresa Hamm-Smith debuted as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Chautauqua Opera, sang the Brahms' Requiem with the Baton Rouge Symphony and performed a full solo recital and concert schedule throughout the U.S. and South Korea. Ms. Hamm-Smith recently made her San Francisco Opera debut in the world premiere of Dead Man Walking, receiving excellent reviews for her portrayal of Sister Rose, which she also recorded for the Erato Label. She has toured the globe in the Houston Grand Opera/Sherwin Goldman Production of Porgy and Bess as Serena, later switching to the role of Bess for the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal in Sao Paolo and the Virginia Opera.

Harold Meers

Harold Gray Meers, tenor, has enjoyed a wide and varied career across the United States as an operatic performer since his 1997 debut in Cosi fan tutte with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He has also performed in Cosi fan tutte with the Bangkok and Sacramento Operas, and Die Zauberflote in Bangkok. Among his most recent credits are: the Novice in Billy Budd with the San Francisco Opera, Camille in The Merry Widow with the Virginia Opera, Ernesto in Don Pasquale with the Baltimore Opera, and Little Bat in Susannah with the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He has also performed with Opera Theatre of St Louis, the Boston Lyric Opera and the West Bay Opera.

John Sauvey

American bass-baritone John Sauvey has been delighting audiences since 1998 in a variety of roles and venues. He has performed the title role in Gianni Schicchi, has appeared as Papageno in The Magic Flute, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, and Hermann in Les contes D'Hoffmann. Mr. Sauvey has also performed such roles as Figaro and Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Marullo in Rigoletto, Masetto in Don Giovanni, and Peter in Hansel and Gretel. He has also performed in La Traviata, Dialogues of the Carmelites, La Bohemè, Albert Herring, and Carmen. Mr. Sauvey has also had the opportunity to create the roles of Lord Henry, in the world premiere of Hans Schaeuble's Dorian Gray, and Mr. Berhman in the world premiere of the opera The Last Leaf.