I
Dan Kempson, Baritone

Linda Hall, accompanist

II
Nils Neubert, Tenor

Linda Hall, accompanist

III
Youngmi Kim, Soprano

Linda Hall, accompanist

IV
Jonathan Estabrooks, Baritone

Bryan Wagorn,  accompanist

V
Blythe Gaissert, Mezzo-soprano

Djordje Nesic, accompanist

VI
Edward Mout, Tenor

Linda Hall, accompanist

VII
Christopher Reames, Baritone

Linda Hall, accompanist

VIII
Emily Duncan-Brown, Soprano

Linda Hall, accompanist

P r e s e n t a t i o n  o f  A w a r d s

      The Ruth Lopin Nash Award was created in 1983 by the Lopin family in memory of the late Mrs. Nash, a music lover and musician. Ellen Lopin Blair, Chairwoman of the Society and a member of the chorus, will present the award in honor of her sister.

Second Place                                  $5,000

      The Stanley C. Meyerson Award was created in his memory in 2004 by his family. His sister Linda Amster, a member of the chorus, will present the award.

Third Place                                      $2,500

      The Docia Goodwin Franklin Award was created in her memory in 2008 by her grand-daughter, Joanne Spellun, a member of the chorus. Ms. Spellun will present the award.

Other Finalists                               $500 each

      These awards will be presented by Janet Plucknett, Competition Chairwoman and Vice President of the Society.

Richard Westenberg Awards    $500 each

      Created in 2009 by Musica Sacra in memory of its late founder, a longtime Solo Competition judge, these two awards for excellence in 18^th and 19^th  century stylistic interpretation are given at the discretion of the judges. Kent Tritle will present them.

Janet Plucknett, Competition Chairwoman
Kent Tritle, Music Director • David Rosenmeyer, Associate Conductor

Judges: Julianne Baird • Stephen Fox • Alfred F. Hubay
Jeffrey S. Larson • Frank Nemhauser • James Noble • Rachel Rosales
David Rosenmeyer • Peter Stewart • Kent Tritle

Staff: Tim Dwight • Susan Kern • Grace Matubis
Joanne Spellun • Judy Williams
Program development and production: Marie Gangemi

Flowers courtesy of Susan Fisher and Gary Schieneman
in memory of Grace Fisher and Dr. Bruce Schieneman.

      Julianne Baird maintains a busy concert and recording schedule of solo recitals and performances of baroque opera and oratorio. She will makes her Australian debut in May.
      With more than 130 recordings to her credit, Julianne Baird has been  named one of the world’s ten most recorded classical artists. In addition to her major roles in a series of acclaimed recordings of Handel and Gluck operatic premieres, upcoming releases include Handel Dramatic Arias with Oboe from Alcina and Rinaldo with the Dryden Ensemble.  In 2010 she turned her attention to the music of 18^th century women composers, recording the complete Biblical Cantatas of Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and the Milanese composer, Maria Theresa Agnesi.  The premiere CD of the 18^th-century Venetian composer Anna Bon was released by La Donna Musicale in May 2010.
      Dr. Julianne Baird is recognized internationally as one whose “virtuosic vocal style is firmly rooted in scholarship.” Her book Introduction to the Art of Singing, Cambridge University Press, now in its third printing, is used by singers and professional schools internationally. The Musical World of Benjamin Franklin (CD and song book) was released in 2007 by The Colonial Institute.

      Alfred F. Hubay's career at the Metropolitan Opera spanned over 60 years and included the positions of House Manager, Box Office Manager, and Consultant to the Marketing and Box Office operations. He was a panelist on the Texaco Opera Quiz for 38 consecutive years.
      Mr. Hubay serves on the boards of the Oratorio Society of New York, the Glimmerglass Opera, the George London Foundation for Singers,  and the Martina Arroyo Foundation. He is vice-president of the Bagby Foundation for the Musical Arts and a trustee for the Lanie and Ethel Foundation and is on the advisory board of the Richard Tucker Music Foundation. He is also a judge for the George London Foundation, Opera Index, Opera at Florham, and the Marcella Sembrich Voice Scholarship Competition.
      In 1979 Mr. Hubay was awarded the Verdi Medal of Achievement by the Metropolitan Opera National Council.

      Jeffrey S. Larson is an Associate Manager in the Vocal Division at Columbia Artists Management. A Texas native, he works with a distinguished roster of artists who perform with leading opera companies and symphony orchestras around the world.  As a performer, Mr. Larson was heard at the Aspen Music Festival, Pine Mountain Music Festival, and with Opera North in New Hampshire.  A former voice instructor in Houston, his students consistently received recognition at district and regional competitions presented by the National Association of Teachers of Singing and at Texas State solo and choral competitions.  He holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Texas Tech University, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Kentucky, and a Master of Arts in Performing Arts Administration from New York University.  He currently resides in New York City with his wife Jessica and their dog Lily.

      Frank Nemhauser is Music Director of the Berkshire Choral Festival and the Westchester Choral Society and Director of Vocal Studies at the Mannes College of Music. He has served as Music Director of the Hartford Chorale, Chorus Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Associate Director of the Collegiate Chorale. Mr. Nemhauser has been a guest conductor with the Houston Masterworks Chorus, the Dessoff Choirs, the Greenwich Choral Society, and the Handel Choir of Baltimore and has led workshops and clinics for the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, the New Amsterdam Singers, the Augusta Choral Society, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and the Southwestern Virginia Spotlight on the Arts Festival. In addition to conducting at the Festival’s home in the Berkshires, Mr. Nemhauser has led BCF performances in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Canterbury, England, and Salzburg, Austria.
      As a singer, Frank Nemhauser has appeared throughout the United States and Europe, appearing with the New York City Opera National Company, the Ensemble for Early Music, and Chanticleer and has performed at numerous festivals including Tanglewood, Edinburgh, Aspen, and Spoleto.

      Kent Tritle marks his sixth season as Music Director of The Oratorio Society of New York. In addition to leading the Society’s annual Messiah performances, he has conducted repertoire such as Mendelssohn’s Paulus, Saint-Saëns’ Messe de requiem, and Paul Moravec’s Songs of Love and War. Under his leadership, in 2010 the Society’s bass section joined the New York Philharmonic and music director Alan Gilbert for a performance of Varèse’s Nocturnal. In 2008, the Society joined the Juilliard Orchestra in a performance of Bernstein’s “Kaddish,” also conducted by Alan Gilbert, as part of the Bernstein: The Best of all Possible Worlds festival.
      Mr. Tritle is founder and Music Director of Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, the acclaimed concert series at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, Music Director of Musica Sacra, Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music, and a member of the graduate faculty of The Juilliard School, currently directing a graduate practicum on oratorio and teaching choral conducting. An acclaimed organ virtuoso, he is also the organist of the New York Philharmonic.
      In December 2010 WQXR launched “The Choral Mix with Kent Tritle,” a weekly show that explores the extraordinary riches of the choral repertoire. Airing every Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., it showcases the breadth of activity in New York’s choral community, and around the world.

O f f i c i a l  A c c o m p a n i s t

      Linda Hall is currently on the staff of the Metropolitan Opera as an assistant conductor. Ms. Hall has frequently performed on the Texaco Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. She has adjudicated the regional Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and has been the official pianist for the National Council semifinals onstage at the Metropolitan Opera for several years.
      Ms. Hall collaborates with many singers and instrumentalists in concerts throughout the United States and abroad. She has recorded with cellist Jascha Silberstein on the Heritage label and with flutist Patricia Spencer on the Neuma label. During the summer, she has taught master classes in Israel, Japan, and China. Linda Hall is a native of New York State. She resides in White Plains.