Creation vs. Evolution
The Creation and The Rite of Spring

Stravinisky: The Rite of Spring (1913)
Haydn: The Creation (Highlights)
Keith Bailey: Revelation (World Premiere 2008)

One World Symphony
One World Symphony Vocal Artists
Sung Jin Hong, Conductor

Sunday Exclusive! One World Symphony collaborates with the Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy to present Abstraction of Feelings

The question of our origins has haunted the collective imagination since the beginning of time. This spring the concert hall will bear musical witness to the exploration of this controversial matter with works such as Stravinsky's primal The Rite of Spring (depicted as evolution in Disney's landmark film Fantasia) and Haydn's celebratory oratorio, The Creation. Making his debut with One World Symphony, composer Keith Bailey will present his world premiere, Revelation, a mystical sound-world that evokes a cryptic light punctuated by fanfare.

Sung Jin Hong is the artistic director, composer, and conductor of One World Symphony. Mr. Hong has guest conducted in Europe, such as Stadt Wien Konservatorium Orchester in Vienna, Austria, Lyrique-en-mer Festival in Brittany, France, and The Royal Northern Conservatory of Music in Manchester, UK. In the U.S, he has guest conducted the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa Ballet Company, Manhattan School of Music Symphony, Mannes Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Youth Symphony, Bard College Orchestra, Illinois Wesleyan New Music Players, Western Illinois University Cello Choir, Bradley University Wind Ensemble, Great Music For A Great City at CUNY, Wayne State University Symphony, the Prospect Chamber Players, Twin Cities Ballet Company, and Take Dance Company. Mr. Hong has held positions as Music Director and Conductor of Peoria Sinfonietta and Principal Conductor of IES Singerverein in Vienna. He has also collaborated with musicians from the MET Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic as a conductor. Highlights for the upcoming season include leading One World Symphony's new season as its artistic director and conductor and guest engagements conducting The Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Symphony, Fiery World Music Orchestra in Los Angeles, The Gandharvas, and his debut in Dallas conducting musicians from Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted and recorded world premieres for the world's leading classical record label Naxos. Mr. Hong had the great honor of being personal chosen by the New York Philharmonic Laureate Conductor Kurt Masur to conduct in masterclasses and a concert in New York.

Keith Bailey is largely a self-taught composer, although the highlights of his compositional studies were with Hugh Wood in London, England in the 1970s, and Nils Vigeland in Manhattan and Morton Feldman in Buffalo, NY in the 1980s. Originally from London, Keith began his artistic life at a very tender age through music, art, and dance, but eventually opted for music. He performed on drums and percussion extensively throughout England and Europe during the 1960s and '70s in concerts, music festivals, TV, recordings and film recordings, and his compositions were often broadcast on the BBC and other European radio stations during that period. In the USA he has performed numerous solo concerts on his vast collection of Temple Percussion, and also founded the NYC based choral group, the Gandharvas, whose voices are dedicated to the performance of sacred music from the Renaissance to the current period. He currently resides in Southern California.

Bass Daniel Alexander has sung with the Sarasota Opera, Annapolis Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bard Summerscape Festival, Verbier Festival of Switzerland, and in New York with the Dessoff Choirs, Long Island Pops, St. Andrew Chorale, New York Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Orchestra of St. Luke's. He sang in the NY premiere of the opera Grendel, directed by Julie Taymor and was featured in the New York premiere of Joby Talbott's "Path of Miracles," broadcast on WNYC. Daniel is on the Grammy-winning CD On the Transmigration of Souls, by John Adams. Television performances include The Today Show and PBS's Live, from Lincoln Center. He holds BS and MM degrees from Indiana University with post graduate study at the San Francisco Conservatory.

Mischa Frusztajer, Bass, has performed with many of the leading orchestras in the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, LA Philharmonic, and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. His recent opera credits include performances of Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Mazetto in Don Giovanni, Angelotti in Tosca, and Colline in La Bohème. In addition to his opera work, he is a frequent soloist in the choral repertoire with leading groups in the New York area. While living in Moscow from 1998 to 2001, he studied voice with Gallina Semyonovna Kuznetsova, retired lead soloist of the Stanislavsky opera, and faculty member of the Gnessen Institute. Mischa currently studies voice with Jacque Trussel, Director of Voice and Opera Studies at SUNY Purchase.

 

Baritone Rod Gomez returns to OWS to sing Adam in Haydn's Creation. Former appearances with the company include Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ford in Falstaff, Copeland's Old American Songs, and the multiple roles of Narrator, Soldier and Devil in Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale, among others. Solo operatic credits include appearances with the companies of Manila, Glimmerglass, San Diego, Sacramento, Nevada, Utah Festival, and Opera Pacific, as well as concert performances with the American Symphony Orchestra, NY Philharmonic, Berkeley Symphony, and Sacramento Symphony. Other recent NY-area appearances include Carmina Burana (National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall), the Requiems of Faure (Little Orchestra Society) and Brahms (Germantown Symphony), Evangelist in Arvo Pärt's Passio (St. Andrew's Music Society), Kodaly's Missa Brevis (Riverside Choral Society) and Dave Brubek's rarely-heard Earth is Our Mother (Merkin Hall). His discography includes Grandfather in Alice Parker's opera Family Reunion. Future engagements include La Bohème's Marcello (Pocket Opera, San Francisco) and Don Pasquale's Malatesta (Sonoma City Opera). OWS audiences may be more familiar with his work as a stage director, as he has directed numerous productions for the company, including Carmen, Suor Angelica, Le Nozze di Figaro, and this season's acclaimed Peter Grimes.

Sonya Headlam maintains an active performance schedule in the NYC area. Described as having a voice of "liquid tone" her engagements span the genres of art song, concert and operatic works. Sonya's concert engagements have included Fauré's Requiem, Haydn's Missa Brevis, The Messiah, Berlioz's Les nuits d'été, Vivaldi's Gloria, Mahler's Fourth Symphony, and most recently Brahms' Ein Deutches Requiem with the Milwaukee Master Singers. Sonya's recent recital activity includes a performance of 19th and 20th century art song on the Trinity Church Recital Series at St. Paul's Chapel in Manhattan. Equally comfortable on the operatic stage, Sonya's roles include Frasquita in Carmen, Musetta in La Bohème, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro and most recently Laurie in The Tender Land. Increasingly involved in the contemporary music scene, Sonya was recently a featured artist in two world premieres: Michael Sahl's Katrina, Voices of the Lost, performed at the Tribeca New Music Festival and Richard Thompson's The Mask in the Mirror. Sonya, a native of Ohio, received her training from Miami University and Mannes College of Music

Hailed by the Jerusalem Post as "a magnificent dramatic voice," mezzo-soprano Sara Henry has charmed audiences around the world. Sara began her formal vocal studies at La Scuola di Musica di Sesto, in Florence, Italy and went on to graduate from Sarah Lawrence College, where she made her debut as the contralto soloist in J.S. Bach's Weihnachts Oratorio. Highlights of her career have included the roles of Rosina, Orfeo, Diana (La Calisto), Giovanna Seymour (Anna Bolena), Carmen, and a trio of Handelian heroes: Ariodante (Ariodante), Ruggiero (Alcina), and Arsamene (Xerxes). Later this season, she will appear as Carmen with Sound Symphony of Long Island and Adalgisa in Norma with the West Side Opera Society of NYC.

 

Lena S. Lee, soprano, recently completed a string of successful debuts and performances in New York City. In 2008, Ms. Lee has been invited to sing Gabriel in Haydn's oratorio The Creation with One World Symphony. This is after she made her successful debut as Servilia in the opera La Clemenza di Tito with the same company in 2006. Her first New York debut as Carolian in Il Matrimonio Segreto was with Manhattan School of Music Opera. She also sang in many operas in Korea including Despina in Cosi fan Tutte and Pamina in Die Zauberflote with Seoul National University Opera. As a Concert soloist, Ms. Lee has appeared in the "Midday Concert" at the United Nations in 2007 and has performed with the Godman Band at Lincoln Center, as well as appearing in many recitals in New York and New Jersey. Her performance in Chamber music includes the role of Dalinda in Handel's Ariodante, soprano soloist in Vivaldi's Gloria, Handel's Messiah and Haydn's The Creation. A native of Seoul, Korea, Ms. Lee holds a Bachelor of music degree from Seoul National University and Master's degree and Professional Studies in voice from the Manhattan School of Music where she was honored with many scholarships.

Soprano Kate Oberjat received her bachelor of music from Northwestern University, and is a native of San Diego, California. She has sung with Nashville Opera, New York Opera Society, Dicapo Opera Theatre, La Jolla Symphony, San Diego Master Chorale, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera Guild and Los Angeles Opera. Performed roles for this "impressive soloist" (Voice of San Diego) include Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Micaela in Carmen, Ophelia in Hamlet, Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Nannetta in Falstaff, Kriemhild in The Merry Nibelungs, Susanna in The Secret of Susanna, Turpial in the world premiere of Carlos Franzetti's Gauchito and the Pony and Soprano in Carmina Burana. Kate recently completed the Mary Ragland Young Artist program with Nashville Opera where she performed the role of Josephine in their production of H.M.S. Pinafore. The Scene proclaimed, "Oberjat is a fetching ingénue, and her acting is superb. She executes a winning duet with Johnson ("Refrain, Audacious Tar"), then movingly hits the high B-flat on her solo ballad, "Sorry Her Lot." With One World Symphony, Kate has sung Musetta in La Bohème, Genovieffa in Suor Angelica, and Merab in Saul and premiered Stan Grill's song cycle Ophelia Songs.

Baritone Mark Riley has apprenticed with Chautauqua Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Memphis and Ashlawn Opera Festival. He has also performed with Augusta Opera, Shreveport Opera and Longview Opera. His favorite roles performed include Marcello in La Bohème, Papageno in The Magic Flute, Sid in Albert Herring, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Gugliemo in Cosi fan tutte. Mark received his Masters in vocal performance from Louisiana State University and his Bachelors from Mercyhurst College. He is a recipient of the Governor's Award for the National Association of the Teachers of Singing awarded to the singer with the most career potential. He has also performed in Master Classes with such well-known artists as Jay Lessenger, Phyllis Curtin, Robert Ward, Heidi Grant Murphy, Michael Eliason and Robert Grayson. He currently resides in Belleville, NJ with his wife Pamela, who is a flutist.

 

Alex Wang, a tenor with an eclectic performance history, is pleased to return to One World Symphony with which he previously sang the role of Roderigo in Otello. Among other exploits, he has sung and danced on the marquee of Radio City Music Hall with Celine Dion ("Celine Dion: A Decade of Song" on CBS/VH1); performed the tenor solo in the world premiere of Song by Lisa DeSpain at The Joyce Theater in Manhattan for the Buglisi/Foreman Dance Company; sung backup for Aretha Franklin on the Grammy Awards; appeared as soloist in Lowell Liebermann's Missa Brevis Op. 15 at Alice Tully Hall and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms at Symphony Space (broadcast live on WNYC); sung for American Ballet Theatre and the Mark Morris Dance Company; and played "punk rock guy" in a commercial for VH1. In March 2008, he presented a recital with bass Daniel Alexander and pianist Ruth Price in St. Louis and was Pilate in Arvo Pärt's Passio with the St. Andrew Chamber Choir at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Alexander Weaver, tenor, is quickly establishing himself as a new, exciting presence on the operatic stage. The fall began with a performance of Italian Opera Favorites at the Donnell Library in New York City. Following this is a performance of Camille in Lehar's Merry Widow with the Jacksonville Lyric Opera in Florida. He will return to Florida for performances as Rodolfo in La Bohème also with the Jacksonville Lyric Opera in Key West Florida in February. Last season marked his New York debut as Ferrando in the National Opera Center's production of Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte, as well as his debut with Chautauqua Opera as a member of their Studio Artists' Program. While at Chautauqua, Alexander made his mainstage debut there as the Nightingale in their production of Once Upon a Mattress. The season also saw Alexander in productions of Susannah and HMS Pinafore with Cedar Rapids Opera, and Gianni Schicchi at Texas Tech University. Finally, the season saw Alexander appear in concerts with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, Riverside Opera in Staten Island, and the Westfield Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of past seasons include performances of Tito in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, Dancairo in Bizet's Carmen, and appearances with Midland Opera, Lubbock Chorale, and Texas Tech University Music Theater.

Carla Wesby is a professional soprano pursuing her career in New York. She received her Bachelor of Music from Valparaiso University, and her Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music. She is a founding member of Opera Collective, a group devoted to performing and making opera more accessible. She has sung with New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and recently made her Lincoln Center debut as a soloist with American Symphony Orchestra. She has been a soloist with Staten Island Symphony, Westchester Chorale, and can be heard on numerous Alice Parker recordings. Carla is a cantor and soloist at the Cathedral of St Patrick. She enjoys singing opera, art song, music theater, and oratorio, and is pleased to be singing with One World Symphony again.


Friday, April 11, 2008
St. Ann and the Holy Trinity
Brooklyn Heights, New York

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Sunday, April 13, 2008
Ansche Chesed Synagogue
Manhattan, New York

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