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Program
Kedrick Armstrong conductor
Jessica Rivera soprano
Kelley O’Connor mezzo-soprano
Martin Bakari tenor
Kevin Short bass-baritone
Montclair State University Singers | Heather J. Buchanan, director
New Jersey Symphony
George Frideric Handel Messiah
Part I
Intermission
Part II
Part III
George Frideric Handel: Messiah
Messiah is like no other oratorio. It holds a unique position in the literature, especially in Britain and the United States, where its annual performance during December has become a ritual as integral to the Christmas season as Santa Claus in the shopping malls. Yet this beloved work, arguably the most popular choral composition in the entire repertoire, would be more accurately placed during Lenten season, dealing as it does with crucifixion, resurrection, and redemption, as well as with the birth of Christ. Probably no one would be more surprised than George Frederic Handel to observe the hold its choruses have taken on holiday musical programs in English-speaking countries!
Various musical forms bind the work closely to the operatic tradition, of which Handel was an acknowledged master. The oratorio opens with a French overture (labeled "sinfonia") for strings, with a slow introduction in dotted rhythms followed by a vigorous fugue. Both "He was despised" and "The trumpet shall sound" are da capo arias, tripartite structures in which a central, contrasting middle section is followed by an exact repeat of the opening music. This formula was conventional in Italian opera, and was quite familiar to Handel's English audiences.
But other aspects of Messiah depart decisively from operatic tradition, as Handel knew that he must if he were to re-establish musical pre-eminence in English society. His economic situation was frail in the late 1730s. Italian opera, which had been his forte, was in serious decline, and he had turned to oratorio in order to appeal more directly to English taste and secure his own material and artistic future.
Oratorio in England was a middle-class venture, in contrast to the opera, which was still largely the province of the landed gentry and the nobility. Production costs were far lower for oratorio because no scenery, costumes or machinery were required. Furthermore, oratorio texts tended to be drawn directly from Scripture or at least based on sacred subjects, which meant that attendance at an oratorio was morally acceptable, perhaps even desirable. None of the stigma of opera or theatre (hotbeds of iniquity, both) lay over oratorio. Its greater appeal to the middle class is a major factor in accounting for its popularity.
Handel must be credited almost single-handedly with the development of the English oratorio. Though the genre was well cultivated on the continent for decades before Handel's arrival in England, particularly in Italy and Germany, no strong British oratorio composer preceded Handel. He fused elements of the English sacred choral tradition (hence the strong emphasis on choruses in Messiah) with characteristics of Italian opera to create a form and style uniquely his. A third component of his oratorio style is the German Passion, which manifests itself most prominently in the Part II choruses. But even a cursory comparison of Messiah with one of the great Bach Passions reveals a fundamental difference in attitude. Where Bach focuses on suffering and Christ's sacrifice for mankind's sake, Handel concentrates on hope, glory, and salvation. The overall mood is more joyous and celebratory in Messiah.
What distinguishes Messiah from Israel in Egypt (1739), Samson (1743), Susanna (1749), or any of the other Handel oratorios is that it is essentially non-dramatic, in the sense that the action is not related by major players on the concert stage. The soloists do not represent specific characters. And the chorus, with its prominent role, may be likened to the people, whether the oppressed people of Israel or the proud-spirited English themselves. As the scholar Howard Smither has noted:
Not only were [Handel's audiences] generally familiar with the stories, but they perceived a parallel between the Israelites and the English of their own time; both were intensely nationalistic and led by heroic figures, and both regarded themselves as being under the special protection of God, who was worshipped by pomp and splendor.
Credit for this unusual approach must be awarded not only to Handel, but also to his librettist Charles Jennens (1700-1773). Drawing exclusively from the prayer book psalter and Old Testament texts (despite the Christian emphasis of the subject matter), Jennens compiled a masterly libretto that has been widely underrated in assessing Handel's achievement in Messiah.
One possible explanation for the apparent oversight is Jennens' unattractiveness as a person. A wealthy dandy, he maintained a friendship with Handel, yet lorded his wealth and social station over the German composer. Both ostentatious and foppish, he was nicknamed "Solyman the Magnificent" by his contemporaries because of his flashy dress and retinue. After Messiah received its first London performance in March 1743, Jennens had the hubris to write to his friend Edward Holdsworth expressing dissatisfaction that Handel had composed such indifferent music for his first class libretto!
I shall show you a collection I gave Handel, call'd Messiah, which I value highly, and he has made a fine Entertainment of it, tho' not near so good as he might and ought to have done. I have with great difficulty made him correct some of the grossest faults in the composition, but he retained his overture obstinately, in which there are some passages far unworthy of Handel, but much more unworthy of Messiah.
Jennens was quite insistent that Handel make adjustments in the work for London performances. Those changes have resulted in scholarly difficulty identifying a definitive version of the work.
Yet in all fairness, we must not sell Jennens short. He knew music well, and was enough of a connnoisseur to amass an enormous collection of Handel's manuscripts; most of them currently reside in the British Museum collection. He knew his Scripture and his secular literature, and had an uncanny sense for what would work well with music. In addition to culling Messiah's texts, Jennens also collaborated with Handel on Saul (1738), L'Allegro, Il Penseroso ed il Moderato (1740, after Milton), and Belshazzar (1744).
Some of the alterations that Jennens suggested to Handel were practical. For example, the Dublin premiere in April 1742 is believed to have taken place with limited instrumental resources, resulting in limited scoring for obbligato trumpet, strings and continuo. However, once the work was mounted in London, where Handel knew he could count on additional instrumentalists, he added in parts for oboes, horns (doubling trumpet), bassoons (doubling the bass line), and timpani. He may have doubled the oboe parts with trumpets as well.
Similarly, Handel rewrote several arias to accommodate the vocal capabilities on London soloists. In one case, "But Who may Abide," six extant versions of the aria have survived: one for bass (the Dublin premiere), one for tenor, and three different arrangements for the castrato Gaetano Guadagni. The sixth version is in recitative. Handel's apparent willingness to make these adjustments for individual singers leads to the inference that his flexibility was motivated by practical concerns. He wished to promote his music in performance, and did what seemed necessary in order to ensure success.
No doubt it would astonish Handel, were he alive today, to audit one of the mass renderings that have become so popular in modern times. If he were to be startled at the huge numbers of performers, or raised his eyebrows a bit when a melismatic choral passage was inexpertly delivered by enthusiastic amateurs, he would surely derive enormous satisfaction that his music, so uplifting and reaffirming, continues to bring so much joy to the hearts of music-lovers everywhere.
Extended Notes and Artist Bios
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George Frideric Handel: Messiah
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George Frideric Handel
Born: February 23, 1685, in Halle, Germany
Died: April 14, 1759, in London, England
Composed: August 22–September 14, 1741
World Premiere: April 13, 1742, in Dublin, Ireland
Duration: 2 hours and 10 minutes
Instrumentation: two oboes, bassoon, two trumpets, timpani, harpsichord, organ; bass-baritone, countertenor, alto, and soprano soloists, mixed chorus, and stringsPART 1
Sinfonia (Overture)
Accompagnato (Tenor)
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:1–3)
Air (Tenor)
Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain. (Isaiah 40:4)
Chorus
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:5)
Accompagnato (Bass-baritone)
Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts: Yet once a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come. (Haggai 2:6–7)
The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the Covenant, whom you delight in; behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
Air (Mezzo-soprano)
But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire. (Malachi 3:2)
Chorus
And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:3)
Recitative (Mezzo-soprano)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)
Air and Chorus (Mezzo-soprano)
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain.
O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God! (Isaiah 40:9)Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1)
Accompagnato (Bass-baritone)
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
(Isaiah 60:2–3)Air (Bass-baritone)
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)
Chorus
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
Recitative (Soprano)
There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. (Luke 2:8)
Arioso (Soprano)
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. (Luke 2:9)
Recitative (Soprano)
And the angel said unto them: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10–11)
Accompagnato (Soprano)
And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying: (Luke 2:13)
Chorus
Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men. (Luke 2:14)
Air (Soprano)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is the righteous Savior, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen. (Zecharaiah 9:9–10)
Recitative (Mezzo-soprano)
Then shall the eyes of the blind be open’d, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. (Isaiah 35:5–6)
Duet (Mezzo-soprano and Soprano)
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)
Come unto Him, all ye that labor, come unto Him that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take his yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:28–29)
Chorus
His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)
INTERMISSION
PART II
Chorus
Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
Air (Mezzo-soprano)
He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3)
He gave His back to the smiters, and
His cheeks to them that plucked off His hair: He hid not His face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)Chorus
Surely He hath borne our griefs.
And with his stripes.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4–6)
Recitative (Tenor)
All they that see Him. (Psalms 22:8)
Chorus
He trusted in God. (Psalms 22:9)
Air (Bass-baritone)
Why do the nations so furiously rage together, and why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed. (Psalm 2:1–2)
Recitative (Tenor)
He that dwelleth in Heaven. (Psalms 2:4,9)
Air (Tenor)
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. (Psalm 2:9)
Chorus
Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)
The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:16)
Hallelujah!
PART III
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.(Job 19:25–26)
For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep. (I Corinthians 15:20)
Chorus
Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (I Corinthians 15:21–22)
Accompagnato (Bass-baritone)
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (I Corinthians 15:51–52)
Air (Bass-baritone)
The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians 15:52)
Chorus
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 5:12–14)
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Artist Bio: Kedrick Armstrong, conductor
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Kedrick Armstrong is music director of the Oakland Symphony, and his first two seasons have been met with critical praise for his programming, dynamic stage presence and palpable energy for music-making and audience connectivity. During his tenure, the Symphony embarked on a groundbreaking project elevating the voices of seven remarkable Black American composers. The goal of “Blacknificent 7” is to cement the legacies of these works in the American classical canon, and to reach new, diverse audiences through innovative storytelling and digital distribution.
Kedrick’s 2026–27 guest conducting appearances include debuts with the Atlanta, New Jersey, Richmond, and Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, and with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in a program including five new works by American composers.
Highlights of the 2025–26 season included the world premiere of a new production of Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha with the Washington National Opera. He made his orchestral conducting debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival, Springfield Symphony, and returned to Chicago Sinfonietta.
Named by The Washington Post as one of “22 for ’22: Composers and performers to watch,” Kedrick uses his voice and platform as a Black conductor to advocate for classical music’s performance, publication, and preservation of minority voices. Kedrick spent several seasons as the music mentor/supervisor for “EmpowerYouth! Igniting Creativity through the Arts,” a collaboration with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Urban League. He also worked with young people through outreach programs at Ravinia Festival’s REACH*TEACH*PLAY, Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, and Chicago Sinfonietta’s Audience Matters.
Kedrick is an alumnus of Chicago Sinfonietta’s Freeman Fellowship program, serving as assistant conductor in 2018–19. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music history and literature from Wheaton College and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Colorado Boulder. He graduated from the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and has studied, assisted, and covered conductors Mei-Ann Chen, Gary Lewis, John Nelson, Cliff Colnot, and Lidiya Yankovskaya.
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Artist Bio: Jessica Rivera, soprano
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GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Jessica Rivera “has established herself as a singer of uncommon vocal luster and musical intelligence” (San Francisco Classical Review). She infuses dimension and spirituality in her performances on international concert and opera stages, which has garnered Rivera unique artistic collaborations with celebrated composers and conductors.
Rivera recently premiered Nico Muhly’s The Right of Your Senses at Walt Disney Concert Hall. A major voice in the rich culture of Latin American music, Rivera performed Antonio Lysy’s Te Amo Argentina at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica and sang Gabriela Lena Frank’s Conquest Requiem in its premiere with the Houston Symphony. In June 2026, she premiered Roberto Sierra’s Réquiem Isleño at the Casals Festival.
Orchestral highlights include Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión según San Marcos with the Minnesota Orchestra, Frank’s La Centinela y la Paloma with the Aspen Philharmonic, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 at the Grand Teton Music Festival, Mozart’s Requiem with the Louisville Orchestra and San Diego Symphony, and Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Rivera has worked closely with John Adams throughout her career and received international praise portraying Kumudha in the world premiere of A Flowering Tree. Under Adams’s baton, she sang the role with the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and London Symphony Orchestra. Rivera made her European operatic debut as Kitty Oppenheimer in Sellars’s production of Adams’ Doctor Atomic with the Dutch National Opera and joined the Metropolitan Opera for its production of Doctor Atomic.
Rivera made her Santa Fe Opera debut in 2005 as Nuria in the world premiere of the revised edition of Golijov’s Ainadamar. She reprised the role for the 2007 GRAMMY Award-winning recording with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Her latest recording, An Homage to Victoria de los Ángeles, was released in 2022 on Urtext. Rivera currently serves as a member of the vocal faculty at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
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Artist Bio: Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
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Mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor performs and inhabits a broad selection of repertoire, from Beethoven, Mahler, and Brahms to Dessner, Corigliano, and Adams. She performs with leading orchestras and conductors around the world, with preeminent artists in recitals and chamber music, and with highly acclaimed opera companies in the US and abroad.
In the 2026–27 season, O’Connor gives the world premiere of a new song cycle by Gonzalo Grau with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. She sings Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Aspen Festival Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Pacific Symphony. Other highlights include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Kalamazoo Symphony; Handel’s Messiah with the New Jersey Symphony; Bernstein’s Songfest with the Kansas City Symphony; Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with the Fort Worth Symphony; and John Adams’ El Niño with Gulbenkian Orchestra. Chamber and recital highlights include performances at Chamber Music Napa, Chamber Music in the Chilterns, and Garth Newel.
Recently, O’Connor premiered an extended version of Thomas Adès’s America: A Prophecy in her debut with the Gewandhausorchester under Andris Nelsons, and gave the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ Siddhartha, She at the Aspen Music Festival. John Adams wrote the title role of The Gospel According to the Other Mary for O’Connor, and she has performed the work, both in concert and in Peter Sellars’ fully staged production, under the batons of John Adams, Gustavo Dudamel, Grant Gershon, Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Simon Rattle, and David Robertson. She continues to be a leading interpreter of Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs, having performed this moving set of songs with orchestras around the world.
For her debut with the Atlanta Symphony in Golijov’s Ainadamar, O’Connor joined Robert Spano for a GRAMMY Award-winning Deutsche Grammophon recording. O’Connor’s newest recording, a collaboration with Spano, is Songs of Orpheus, a series of song cycles by Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy, George Crumb, and Spano himself.
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Artist Bio: Martin Bakari, tenor
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Praised by Opera News as a "vocally charismatic" performer with a "golden tenor," Martin Bakari continues to distinguish himself as a dynamic artist in a wide array of musical and theatrical genres. A 2018 George London Competition award winner, Mr. Bakari's 2025-26 season includes all three tenor roles in performances and a commercial recording of L'enfant et les sortilèges (Barcelona Symphony Orchestra), Ernesto in Don Pasquale (Opéra de Baugé), Sportin' Life in Porgy & Bess (Dayton Opera), Goro in Madama Butterfly (Opera Colorado), Bill Watson/Lloyd the Bartender in The Shining (Nashville Opera), Zweiter Schäfer in Daphne (Seattle Opera), a song recital (Lyric Fest), and the tenor soloist in Lori Laitman's Vedem (Music of Remembrance), The Ordering of Moses (The Syracuse Orchestra), Messiah (Pacific Symphony, Boise Philharmonic), and On Wenlock Edge (Cannon Beach Music Festival). His 2026-27 season includes returns to Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, and Calvin Oratorio Society and debuts with Los Angeles Opera, St. Barth Music Festival, the National Chorale, New World Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Bellingham Symphony, and New Jersey Symphony.
Other recent opera credits include Charlie Parker in Charlie Parker's Yardbird (Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, New Orleans Opera, Dayton Opera, Indianapolis Opera), Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (Virginia Opera, Kentucky Opera), Goro in Madama Butterfly (Dallas Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Utah Opera), Mime in Das Rheingold and Greene Evans in the premiere of Jubilee (Seattle Opera), Dr. Caius in Falstaff and Wilson (cover) in the premiere of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence (Houston Grand Opera), Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro (Seattle Opera, Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, Opera Saratoga), Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville (Opera Montana), Pong in Turandot (Opera Colorado), Ferrando in Cosí fan tutte (Syracuse Opera), Tamino in The Magic Flute (Opéra Louisiane), Prince Claus in Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus (Chicago Opera Theater), Michael in Dave Ragland's Steele Roots and Mingo in Porgy & Bess (Atlanta Opera), Bootleg Joe in Will Liverman and DJ King Rico's The Factotum (Portland Opera), Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette (Vashon Opera), Sellem in The Rake’s Progress (Lakes Area Music Festival), Gastone in La traviata (Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, Cincinnati Opera), Beppe in Pagliacci (Raylynmor Opera), Peter the Honeyman in Porgy & Bess (Seattle Opera, Fort Worth Opera), and Triquet in Eugene Onegin (Seattle Opera).
Recent concert and recital engagements include the tenor soloist in the premiere of Paul Moravec’s A Nation of Others (Oratorio Society of NY at Carnegie Hall), Messiah (Oratorio Society of NY at Carnegie Hall, Indianapolis Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, The Syracuse Orchestra, Calvin Oratorio Society), Carmina Burana (Cecilia Chorus of NY at Carnegie Hall, Symphony San Jose, Lubbock Symphony, New Hampshire Philharmonic), Ellen Reid’s dreams of the new world (PROTOTYPE Festival), and Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus (Grant Park Music Festival), a United Kingdom recital tour (Mirror Visions Ensemble), recitals of Paul Laurence Dunbar songs (Seattle Opera) and German Lieder (Sound Salon), and The Cartography Project (The Kennedy Center/Washington National Opera). Mr. Bakari also premiered and recorded Grigory Smirnov's song cycle Dowson Songs (Naxos) which was featured by Opera News as a "Critic's Choice" recording.
Other notable new music credits include the premiere of Sheila Silver’s A Thousand Splendid Suns (Seattle Opera), a national tour of Wynton Marsalis' Abyssinian Mass (Blue Engine Records/Sony), Philip Glass’ In the Penal Colony and a double bill of David Lang’s The Difficulty of Crossing a Field and The Little Match Girl Passion (Portland Opera), Daniel Catan's Il postino and Philip Glass' The Witches of Venice (Opera Saratoga), Dan Sonenberg's The Summer King (Pittsburgh Opera, Detroit Opera), Ricky Ian Gordon's Morning Star and Michi Wiancko's Murasaki’s Moon (On Site Opera), Jeremy Howard Beck's The Long Walk (Utah Opera, Pittsburgh Opera), Tobin Stokes' Fallujah (The Kennedy Center), the premiere of Anthony Gatto's Wise Blood (Walker Art Center/New Focus Recordings), William Bolcom's Lucrezia and Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin (Boston University), James Dashow’s Archimedes (Neuma Records), and Ted Hearne's The Source (LA Opera/Beth Morrison Projects).
Since 2016, Mr. Bakari has joined NY Harlem Productions for tours of Porgy & Bess as both Sportin' Life and Mingo, which have marked his German debuts at Semperoper Dresden, Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsches Theater München, Alte Oper Frankfurt, and the Kölner Philharmonie, his Israeli debuts in Haifa and Tel Aviv, and his Italian debut at Bari's Teatro Petruzzelli.
Chosen by James Levine to sing in a Tanglewood production of Ariadne auf Naxos, Mr. Bakari spent two summers as a Tanglewood Fellow during which he also sang John Harbison's Full Moon in March and a double bill of Milhaud's L'enlèvement d'Europe and L'abandon d'Ariane directed by Mark Morris. Of his performance in Full Moon in March, The New York Times wrote, "Bakari mastered completely the high-tension and occasionally melodic vocal writing."
In addition to the George London Competition, Mr. Bakari has received major awards from the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, Orpheus Vocal Competition, Tanglewood, the Juilliard School, and Boston University. He has since been engaged by Palm Beach Opera and has also appeared with Madison Opera, Opera North, Opera Carolina, Eugene Opera, Opera Ebony, Little Opera Theatre of NY, Pine Mountain Music Festival, and the Harlem Chamber Players.
Mr. Bakari is an alumnus of the master's degree program at Juilliard, the B.M. and Opera Institute programs at Boston University, and the study-abroad program at London's Royal College of Music. In addition to the numerous opera and musical theatre roles he performed while in Boston, he was an active concert soloist with performances including Elijah (Symphony Hall) and a solo concert of Italian arias (Salem Philharmonic Orchestra). A Filipino-African American, Mr. Bakari is featured as the cover story of FilAm Magazine’s June 2022 issue.
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Artist Bio: Kevin Short, bass-baritone
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Kevin Short’s current engagements include The King in Aida (Washington National Opera and Opera Philadelphia), Angelotti in Tosca, Lepidus in John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, Frazier in Porgy and Bess (Metropolitan Opera), Porgy in Porgy and Bess (Gürzenich-Orchester Köln at the Kölner Philharmonie), and soloist in Wynton Marsalis’ Symphony No. 5, “Liberty” (Philadelphia Orchestra US Tour). Recent work includes Porgy (NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester Hamburg), Headmaster/Preacher/Mr. Dingle in Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio (Cincinnati Opera), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, “Choral” (The Philadelphia Orchestra), Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand” (Grant Park Music Festival), and Rivers/Ralston in Gordon Getty’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips (Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg).
With over 20 Metropolitan Opera roles to his credit, his recent highlights include Porgy, Sam in Un ballo in maschera, Uncle Paul in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Doctor Grenvil in La traviata, and Nurse in Elektra. Kevin also performed the title role in Der fliegende Holländer, Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Rocco and Don Fernando (Fidelio), Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress), Mephistopheles (Faust), Philippe II (Don Carlos), Zaccaria (Nabucco), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Jack Rance (La Fanciulla del West) in Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Arizona Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Seattle Opera, New York City Opera, Opéra-Comique, Opéra de Reims, Welsh National Opera, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Oper Köln, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Theater Basel, Stadttheater Bern, Theater St.Gallen, and festivals including Baden-Baden, Bregenz, Aix-en-Provence, Savonlinna, and Spoleto. Concert appearances include Opera Orchestra of New York, Avery Fisher Hall, The Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, and RAI Orchestra. His solo aria album, Mephistopheles and Other Bad Guys, with Lawrence Foster and Orchestre de l’Opéra de Marseille was released in 2018 (PENTATONE). Kevin received his training at Morgan State University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and The Juilliard School.
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Artist Bio: Montclair State University Singers | Heather J. Buchanan, director
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Under the direction of Australian-born conductor Heather J. Buchanan since September 2003, the Montclair State University choral program has been recognized for successful collaborations with world-renowned artists and celebrated professional musicians in national and international venues, including Meredith Monk, Richard Alston Dance Company (UK), VOCES8 (UK), and Eric Whitacre. Montclair choirs appear regularly with the New Jersey Symphony and have won critical acclaim for their “heartfelt conviction,” “and vibrant sound,” being a “marvel of diction, tuning, and rhythm,” “eloquence” and for singing with the “crispness and dexterity of a professional choir.” Pianist Gregory Stout is the Montclair choral accompanist.
University Singers, Montclair’s flagship choir, is an elective mixed-voice ensemble comprising undergraduate and graduate students with a passion for choral singing. Previous New Jersey Symphony performances include Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem, the US premiere of Kate Whitley’s Speak Out, and George Frideric Handel’s Messiah annually since 2014. They recorded Songs of Ascension with Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble on the prestigious European label ECM Records under legendary producer Manfred Eicher, which received a GRAMMY Award® nomination in the Producer of the Year Category. Their solo recording I Sing Because is available on Spotify and iTunes.
Established in 1908, Montclair State is a Research Doctoral Institution ranked in the top tier of national universities, with 13 degree-granting colleges/schools serving more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students. At Montclair’s John J. Cali School of Music, students study with a world-class faculty drawn from the finest musicians and scholars in the New York metropolitan area and beyond. Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Dr. Heather J. Buchanan holds degrees from the University of New England (Australia), Westminster Choir College of Rider University (USA), and the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University (Australia), and is a Licensed Body Mapping Educator. A vibrant teacher, dynamic performer, and passionate health advocate for musicians, she is in demand as a guest conductor, somatic educator, and choral clinician in the US and abroad.