PETER FREWEN will direct the Oratorio Chorale for concerts March 17 in Brunswick and March 18 in Falmouth.
The Oratorio Chorale presents music of the Baroque Era, featuring the Bach “Mass in GMinor ( the Lutheran Mass),” Handel’s “Foundling Hospital Anthem” and Vivaldi’s “ Gloria” on March 17 and 18. The Maine Chamber Ensemble will accompany the chorale.
Performances will be held at 7: 30 p. m. March 17 in Studzinski Recital Hall, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, and at 3 p.m. March 18 at Falmouth Congregational Church.
Soloists for this program are Jennifer Hansen, mezzo-soprano, Timothy Neill Johnson, tenor, John D. Adams, bass, and sopranos Aaron Dustin and Dana Hinchliffe.
Jennifer Hansen has performed as soloist throughout northern New England with choral societies like the Manchester Choral Society, the Handel Society of Dartmouth College, the Concord Community Chorus and the Oratorio Chorale, among many others. She has a special interest in the works of J.S. Bach, having performed in his “St. John Passion,” “St. Matthew Passion,” “Magnificat” and “Mass in B Minor,” and numerous cantatas.
Timothy Neill Johnson has performed and recorded chamber and concert music with many ensembles here and abroad, including the Los Angeles Baroque Ensemble, La Petite Bande, Collegium Vocale, Le Concert Spirituel de Paris, and Apollo’s Fire. He is currently on the faculty of both Bowdoin College and the University of Maine in Augusta.
John Adams is acclaimed as a concert soloist and for diverse opera and stage roles. His concert repertoire ranges from cantatas and oratorios by Bach, Handel and Haydn to premieres of new works with symphonies and orchestras, from California to New England. His musical stage credits range from “Cosi fan Tutte” to “Sweeney Todd” in productions by Boston Opera, Granite State Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Port Opera, New England Light Opera and Maine State Music Theater.
Sopranos Aaron Dustin and Dana Hinchliffe, both 12, will perform with the Oratorio Chorale in Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and Handel’s “Foundling Hospital Anthem.”
Dustin is a home-schooled seventh-grader who also attends Mt. Ararat Middle School for some activities, including the school’s jazz band and concert band. He plays tenor saxophone. He is in his second year singing with the Boy Singers of Maine in their concert choir, the group’s principal performing treble choir. He has sung solo at his family’s church.
Hinchliffe, a sixth-grader, has been singing for a good portion of his life, including the choirs at Hall School King Middle School, where he also sang solos. He also performed solos while a member of Boy Singers of Maine, including the Beatles’ “Hey Jude.” He studies saxophone, and plays cello and piano.
In his notes, director Peter Frewen points out that human suffering and concern for the poor are common themes of the three works on the program. The tone of the Bach “Mass in G-Minor” is one of deep tribulation. The works by Vivaldi and Handel share familiarity with the plight of orphans and children. Vivaldi’s “Gloria” was written during his tenure at the Ospedale della Pieta, in Venice, one of four orphanages for orphans and children whose parents were unable to care for them.
Handel’s “Foundling Hospital Anthem,” also known as “Blessed are they that considereth the poor,” continues this theme. It was written to raise crucial funds for London’s first home for abandoned children.
In keeping with this sentiment, representatives of Free the Kids (Proje Espwa) in Haiti will have a table at this program, seeking donations. Dr. Marc Boisvert, founder of Free the Kids, is a Lewiston native. The project includes an orphanage, a clinic and school with K-12 classes, as well as a vocational program.
Tickets cost $20 in advance, $25 at the door, half price for students, and free for children younger than 12. Tickets may be purchased from members of the Chorale, at Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick; Now You’re Cooking, and Etc. Finery in Bath; Book Review in Falmouth; Sherman’s Books and Stationery in Freeport; Clayton’s in Yarmouth; and Starbird Music and Longfellow Books in Portland.
For more information about this concert and the 2011-12 season, visit www.oratoriochorale.org. For ticket information, call 798- 7985.
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