News Detail
The Performing Arts Department’s Choral Union and the Arts at Grace concert series will present J. S. Bach’s complete “St. Matthew Passion” in English on Good Friday, April 2, at 19 Church St., formerly the United Community Church, in Cortland.
Part One begins at 4 p.m. and Part Two starts at 7:15 p.m. following a dinner break. There is no charge for admission, though voluntary contributions will be accepted at the door.
Recognized as one of the most remarkable choral works ever written, the “St. Matthew Passion” is rarely performed in part because of its scope. This highly complex masterpiece requires a double chorus, two orchestras, a children’s chorus, and six soloists to tell the story of Good Friday according to the Gospel of St. Matthew.
More than 65 children and adult volunteer musicians from the area will join 49 highly trained professionals to offer the work to the greater Cortland community. To learn more about the performers, visit passion.cortlandchoral.com.
During the one-and-one-half hour intermission between Parts One and Two, a light dinner will be available for $8 at Grace Episcopal Church, 13 Court St., Cortland. To make dinner reservations, send an e-mail to The Arts at Grace or call Grace Episcopal Church between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday at (607) 753-3073. Directions to the concert and meal venues are available at www.cortlandmusic.org.
Key performers include:
Tenor Kirk Dougherty will sing the role of the Evangelist. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Dougherty has performed with Dell’Arte Opera, Central City Opera, the Greenwich Choral Society and the Fayetteville Opera. He is currently a resident artist at Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, N.Y.
Baritone Steven Stull will perform the role of Jesus. Stull has appeared with Glimmerglass, Syracuse and Tri-Cities opera companies as well as with the Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Jacksonville and West Virginia orchestras. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Oberlin College Conservatory and Tri-Cities Resident Artists Program. Stull is co-founder of Ithaca’s CRS Barn Studio, which presents an eclectic summer series of music and dance performances on a farm overlooking Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, N.Y.
Soprano Lianne Coble is an active concert soloist who recently made her Carnegie Hall debut. She also has soloed with the Syracuse Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic and the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Symphony, and has performed operatic roles with the Syracuse and Berkshire Operas, Ash Lawn Opera Festival and Opera Colorado. Coble holds degrees in music from SUNY Fredonia and Florida State University and has been a Regional Winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions.
Mezzo-Soprano Jennifer Kay holds degrees from Ithaca College and Boston University. In 2005 Kay joined the Voice Faculty of Ithaca College. Originally from Manalapan, N.J., She has been a soloist at the Rochester Bach Festival, Oneida Civic Chorale, Colgate University and Hamilton College. She sings regularly with the Rochester-based early music ensemble, Publick Musick.
Tenor David Parks joined the voice faculty at Ithaca College in 1987. His degrees are from the University of Arizona, University of Michigan and Westminster Choir College. He also has been an active national and international performer in opera, oratorio and recital with repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the 21st century.
SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department Chair David Neal, a bass-baritone, has appeared nationally and regionally with Lake George, Syracuse, Baltimore and Tri-Cities opera companies. A graduate of Cornell University and the Peabody Conservatory of Music, he has been in concert at The Times Center and the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Neal premiered works by Robert Paterson and Lowell Liebermann during the Arts at Grace 2008 concert series. Neal is also artistic director of the Arts at Grace and he performs frequently with the Society for New Music.
Three conductors will direct the three featured choirs:
SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department Professor Stephen B. Wilson will conduct the Choral Union. Wilson holds degrees in voice and conducting from the University of California, Santa Barbara and Ball State University in Indiana. He was on the faculties of Emerson College (Boston) and North Carolina Wesleyan College before coming to SUNY Cortland in 1985. In 1992, Wilson received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He currently conducts the Choral Union and the College Singers and teaches music theory. A highly eclectic musician, Wilson often sings throughout the region, plays the organ, conducts church choirs and plays keyboard in the local bluegrass group TheJazzHappensBand. His choral arrangements have been performed in California, North Carolina, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York.
Performing Arts Department Lecturer Marion Giambattista will be assistant conductor, directing the smaller Chorus II. She is recognized regionally both as a performer and teacher and has given voice and chamber music recitals and sung solos with a variety of organizations. After receiving a master’s degree in vocal performance at Syracuse University, she taught chorus and voice at Cortland High School for a decade. Currently, Giambattista continues to sing and also teaches at Cornell University.
Children’s Choir Director Ann Finamore was a vocal music teacher in the Cortland City School District for 33 years before retiring in 2006. She also co-directed the Cortland Boys’ Choir and assisted with musicals. She currently teaches private piano and voice lessons. Finamore has degrees from Mansfield University and Ithaca College in music education and performance.
The Arts at Grace is a community outreach effort of Grace Episcopal Church, assisted by individual and business contributors from the greater Cortland community. Its mission is to provide wonderful music at no charge to any one who wants to hear it. Admission is always free, while donations are welcome. Major contributors to the “St. Matthew Passion” include the Wilkins Foundation, the New York State Arts Decentralization Grant Program and the SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department.