Albany Pro Musica Bach's B Minor Mass

BACH’S B MINOR MASS

April 28 th , 2024

TROY SAVINGS BANK MUSIC HALL

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of José Daniel Flores-Caraballo, Opalka Family Artistic Director

Photo credit: Gary Gold

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A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT

On behalf of the Albany Pro Musica Board of Directors, I welcome you to this concert, and to our notable 43rd season. We’re grateful for the opportunity to share some musical adventures with you.

Throughout the past four decades, Albany Pro Musica’s commitment has never wavered: to offer Capital Region audiences choral music at a level of excellence that can elevate the human spirit. While we each absorb a musical performance differently, the coming together of musicians and audience creates – for a while, at least –a new community. And as great music touches us in a setting as glorious as the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, we are carried beyond mere entertainment: We are transformed. That’s what we hope to offer you today.

We are particularly proud to salute Maestro José Daniel Flores-Caraballo as we celebrate the 10th season of his leadership of our organization. José Daniel’s dedication to extraordinary musical standards and to a broader reach for the ensemble has made us all aware of how fortunate we are to have drawn his unique talent to our community. We hope you get a chance to connect individually with the maestro during this season so that you can share with him your own perspectives on these performances.

One more thing: Our organization in recent years has renewed its commitment to music education, with an expanded High School Choral Festival (now held annually at the University at Albany) and, last summer, with the first-ever Pro Musica International Choral Festival, a dazzling success at Queen’s University in Canada. We have more plans in the works to ensure that future generations will get the opportunity, which so many of us have treasured, to experience glorious music.

Your presence here helps Albany Pro Musica continue this tradition of great choral music in our community. We hope you’ll join us again next season for more wonderful music.

Rex Smith, President Albany Pro Musica Board of Directors

LETTER FROM THE OPALKA FAMILY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

As I wrap up my tenth season with Albany Pro Musica, it is my great honor and pleasure to reflect on my time with this extraordinary organization, as we build a future together. APM’s founding director, David Griggs-Janower, built APM on a strong foundation; it has been a natural, organic process to build upon that legacy over the past nine seasons and bring APM into this next phase of the chorus’s life.

APM continues to elevate the quality of our performances by adding new talent and new growth opportunities for singers, performing ambitious repertoire, engaging remarkable guest artists, and more. Our Artist Series, launched in 2017, brings world-renowned instrumental ensembles to perform with APM. We continue to perform some of the great masterworks from the choral canon, in addition to more intimate works and contemporary repertoire. Through our Composer in Residence program, APM has engaged talented contemporary composers to commission and perform new works that add to the choral arts.

Albany Pro Musica has established and strengthened partnerships with educational and artistic institutions that inspire our chorus, invigorate our audiences, and open doors to new communities of music-lovers. They’ve also helped us expand our educational mission and programs, including the High School Choral Festival in partnership with the University at Albany, workshops and masterclasses, and the new Pro Musica International Choral Festival, launched in the summer of 2023 with Queen’s University. These ambitious and transformative programs are changing the lives of students in the Capital District and beyond.

For the 2023-2024 season we have presented concerts that range widely in style. We launched the season in October with Legacy, an eclectic concert that celebrated our Composer-in-Residence program and featured music by Donald McCullough, Ola Gjeilo, Bradley Ellingboe, and Steve Murray. My good friend Rafael Davila, celebrated operatic tenor, had special permission from The Met to join the chorus and orchestra for The Many Moods of Christmas

in December. In March, APM and the acclaimed Alturas Duo explored the flavor and traditions of South America with Cadera de las Islas, or Oceana, an evocative work for chorus, guitar, charango, and viola based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Finally, today we end our season with J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor, considered by some the most venerated work in the choral literature, with four phenomenal soloists and an orchestra comprised of period instrumentalists drawn from the Handel + Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Apollo’s Fire, Trinity Baroque, and others.

As I look ahead to Albany Pro Musica’s future, I am filled with tremendous optimism about the opportunities for continued excellence and growth in our artistic and educational mission. I am committed to expanding and strengthening those APM programs that make a difference in our community, which tell important stories, and which are inspiring and transformative—in both the concert hall and the classroom.

Our organization is strong, and our dreams are becoming a reality thanks to the generous support of our patrons and donors. APM’s budget has grown significantly in the past nine seasons, with increased fundraising to meet the operational and artistic needs of the organization. You, too, can be a protagonist in this exciting journey. Please consider joining APM’s committed donors, who make it all possible, by underwriting a concert or a season, contributing to the annual fund, becoming a corporate sponsor or providing foundation support, joining the Lux Aeterna Society for planned giving, or attending our special fundraising events.

Finally, I must add that I am humbled and honored by the tremendous trust and commitment of our Board of Directors, Council of Advisors, and staff; the remarkable artistry of our chorus; and the love and dedication of you, our audience. I’m so grateful for your continued support and shared vision.

MUCHAS GRACIAS!

José Daniel Flores-Caraballo Opalka Family Artistic Director

ALBANY PRO MUSICA PRESENTS

BACH’S B MINOR MASS

April 28, 2024 at 3:00pm

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

ALBANY PRO MUSICA CONCERT CHORUS & ORCHESTRA

JOSÉ DANIEL FLORES-CARABALLO

Opalka Family Artistic Director

CLARA ROTTSOLK, Soprano

KATHERINE SKOVIRA, Alto

DANN COAKWELL, Tenor

WOODROW BYNUM, Bass

NOAH PALMER, Assistant Director & Accompanist

Support for our 2023-2024 season comes from our marquee season underwriters

Christine and George R. Hearst III

Ellen Jabbur

Chet and Karen Opalka

Wayne A. Senitta, Jr. and Daniel Washington

William Tuthill and Gregory Anderson

Additional season support provided by Michael and Linda Wolff

Support for this concert provided by

Vaughn Nevin

Marion Terenzio and Patricia O’Connor

John J. Nigro and

James Gaughan and Keith Lee

Michael and Margery Whiteman

Hannelore Wilfert and Karl Moschner

This event is being professionally recorded, photographed, and filmed for archival and promotional purposes.

Please silence all electronic devices.

PROGRAM

Johann Sebastian Bach Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (1749) (1685-1750)

MISSA

Kyrie

“Bach resolve[d],” in his setting of the Mass, “not merely to mime the gestures of belief, nor to interpret doctrine via music of his invention, but to extend the very range of music’s possibilities and through such exploration to make sense of the world in which he lived and whatever lay beyond it.”

— J.E. Gardiner

The musical and spiritual impact of Bach’s B minor Mass is indeed transcendental. I believe that Bach’s poignant concluding prayer for peace, Dona nobis pacem, sums up his vision for this masterwork and his aspiration for humanity. Albany Pro Musica joins in this plea, and we dedicate today’s performance to the hope for a more peaceful world.

— José Daniel FloresCaraballo

Kyrie eleison

Christe eleison

Kyrie eleison

Gloria

Gloria in excelsis / Et in terra pax

Laudamus te

Gratias agimus tibi

Domine Deus

Qui tollis peccata mundi

Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris

Quoniam tu solus sanctus

Cum Sancto Spiritu

~ INTERMISSION ~

SYMBOLUM NICENUM

Credo in unum Deum

Patrem omnipotentem

Et in unum Dominum

Et incarnatus est Crucifixus

Et resurrexit

Et in Spiritum sanctum Dominum Confiteor

Et expecto

SANCTUS

Sanctus / Pleni sunt coeli

OSANNA, BENEDICTUS, AGNUS DEI ET

DONA NOBIS PACEM

Osanna in excelsis

Benedictus

Osanna in excelsis

Agnus Dei

Dona nobis pacem

Mass in B minor

Latin mass text

MISSA

Kyrie

Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy upon us.

Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us.

Gloria

Gloria in excelsis Deo. Glory be to God on high.

Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. And on earth peace to men of good will.

Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te.

We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee.

Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.

We thank thee for thy great glory.

Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, Altissime, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.

Lord God, heavenly King, Father almighty. O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ Highest, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.

Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.

Thou who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou who takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.

Qui sedes ad dextram Patris, miserere nobis.

Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.

Quoniam tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe.

For thou only art holy, thou only art the Lord, thou only, Christ, art most high.

Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

With the Holy Ghost in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

SYMBOLUM NICENUM

Credo in unum Deum

Credo in unum Deum.

I believe in one God.

Patrem omnipotentem

Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

The Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

Et in unum Dominum

Et in unum Dominum, Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula, Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri, per quem omnia facta sunt, qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by who all things were made: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven.

Et incarnatus est

Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria virgine, et homo factus est.

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

Crucifixus

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est.

And was crucified also under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried.

Et resurrexit

Et resurrexit tertia die secundum scripturas, et ascendit in coelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris, et iterum venturus est cum gloria judicare vivos et mortuos, cujus regni non erit finis.

And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father: and he shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

Et in Spiritum sanctum Dominum

Et in Spiritum sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre Filioque procedit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per Prophetas est. Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, who prodeedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Confiteor

Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum.

I acknowledge baptism for the remission of sins.

Et expecto

Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.

And I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

SANCTUS

Sanctus / Pleni sunt coeli

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.

Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria ejus.

Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.

OSANNA, BENEDICTUS, AGNUS DEI ET DONA NOBIS PACEM

Osanna in excelsis

Osanna in excelsis.

Glory be to Thee, O Lord most high.

Benedictus

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

Blessed is he, who cometh in the name of the Lord.

Osanna in excelsis

Osanna in excelsis.

Glory be to Thee, O Lord most high.

Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

Dona nobis pacem

Dona nobis pacem.

Grant us peace.

Flute

Andrea LeBlanc*

Yvonne Hansbrough

ORCHESTRA PRO MUSICA

OBOE/OBOE DA CACCIA

David Dickey*

Gaia Saetermoe-Howard

Joel Evans

BASSOON

Ben Matus*

Joseph Jones

TRUMPET

Brandon Bergeron*

Mario Correa

Paul Murphy

HORN

Elisabeth Axtell

ORGAN

Alfred Fedak

TIMPANI

Robert Schulz

VIOLIN 1

Alana Ruocco†

Sarah Jane Kenner

Susannah Foster

Kako Miura

VIOLIN 2

Renee Hemsing*

Laura Lutzke

Hillary Cumming

Amelia Sie

VIOLA

Kyle Miller*

Emily Dahl

CELLO

Guy Fishman*

Andre O’Neill

BASS

Lizzie Burns*

† Concertmaster

* Principal

ALBANY PRO MUSICA CONCERT CHORUS

SOPRANO

Rachel Balbi

Martha J. Bond

Tonya Burandt Hansen*

Brianne Conner

Marie Cox

Valerie Donovan

Meg Gallien

Paige Griggs

Lauren Jurczynski

Nicole Lash

Heather Lessard

Mialisa Lindholm Herron

Hannah Long

Samantha Lyle†

Katie McNally

Rebecca Monaghan

Xinyi Nam

Diane B. Petersen

Emily Peterson

Stephanie Saint Germain

Sandra Schujman

Teresa Maria Solé

John Burger

Dan Czernecki

Harold DeMarse

ALTO

Hana Askren

Heather Baird

Emily Ball

Maria Bedo-Calhoun

Marie Bosman

Abigail Cowan*

Clara Eizayaga

Kathryn Farris

Shay Gauthier

Shou-Ping Liu

Darcy Meadows

Sarah Ploof

Devon Rooney

Meredith Russell Grosshandler

Gabrielle San Roman

Dharma Sanchez-Flores

Donna Schulte

Emily Sturman

Valene Synakowski

Irina Tikhonenko

Julie Weston

Lisa Wloch

TENOR

Gussie Bargeron

Mitch Cohen

Eamon Daley

John Favreau

Dan Foster^

Billy Golden

Jonathan Hansen*

Brendan Hoffman

Xavier Ortiz-Reyes

Joel Pattison

Greg Pratt

John Spinelli

Lincoln Walton

John Xia

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Elizabeth Eschen Cacciola

Kelly and Paul Fahey

Guy Fishman

Dan Foster

Christine Gevert

Gary Gold

Kathy Harris

Emily Hunt

BASS

Philip Allen

Ross Brennan

David Castonguay

Matthew Clemens

William Crankshaw

Colin Helie

Jared Hunt

Tom Johnson

Daniel Lane†

Christopher Price

John Rodier

David Rugger

Eugene Sit

Rex Smith

Ryan Snyder†

Daniel Washington*

Michael Wolff

* Section Leader

^ Teaching Artist

† Intern

Paul Lamar

Matthew Rogowicz

Jac Solghan

Courtyard by Marriott Albany

Troy/Waterfront

Primeau Fahey Studios

TownePlace Suites

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

University at Albany

WMHT Educational Telecommunications

PROGRAM NOTES

NUNS FRET NOT AT THEIR CONVENT’S NARROW ROOM

Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room; And hermits are contented with their cells; And students with their pensive citadels; Maids at the wheel, the weaver at his loom, Sit blithe and happy; bees that soar for bloom,

High as the highest Peak of Furness-fells,

Will murmur by the hour in foxglove bells: In truth the prison, into which we doom

Ourselves, no prison is: and hence for me, In sundry moods, ’twas pastime to be bound

Within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground; Pleased if some Souls (for such there needs must be)

Who have felt the weight of too much liberty,

Should find brief solace there, as I have found.

—

William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

The sonnet: a fixed poetic form, of either the Italian or English variety. If you are going to write a sonnet, you must follow specific rules about meter, line length, rhyme, and meaning. Though Wordsworth may be slightly romanticizing the notion of artistic constraint, he does get at the very notion of how—counterintuitively, paradoxically—the sonnet’s prison forces the poet to go deep, not out, to consider limited choices as creative opportunities. And the poem itself brilliantly proves the philosophical point!

This Italian sonnet might also say something about Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). He never wandered far afield, geographically speaking, leaving his native Germany but once; he provided music at the behest of his patrons, both religious and secular; he fulfilled his domestic responsibilities to two wives and 20 children; and he died in Leipzig, his home for 27 years. In a way, then, his life was lived in a narrow room.

And he also lived within the numerous prisons of musical forms in which he had been reared, cantatas, partitas, concertos, preludes, and fugues among them. But it was precisely the tension between constraint and imagination—

tilling the “scanty plot of ground”—that enabled him to plumb the depths of each form and thus elevate it.

In his marvelous Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven, scholar and conductor John Eliot Gardiner devotes a chapter to what he calls “the Class of ’85,” that is, 1685. In it he touches on the careers of five European composers born right around Bach’s birth year: Handel, Domenico Scarlatti, Rameau, Johann Mattheson, and Telemann. Those five were composers of opera, the musical form seizing the secular interest of audiences after Monteverdi’s foundational Orfeo in 1607, followed by Schutz, Purcell, and Charpentier. It was music drama, the perfect blend of sustained story and song.

Musicologist Friedrich Blume suggests that early in his life Bach may have been briefly exposed in Hamburg to opera and gleaned from those works the tools he could use in his religious vocal pieces: “Bach reveals himself in his cantatas as a dramatist of high rank.”

Ah, these cantatas, which are, broadly speaking, fixed forms. Bach produced more than 300 of them for Sunday services at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, musical complements to the pastor’s sermon and the day’s biblical theme. Every week a new one, which meant having a cadre of copyists to prepare the scores for singers and instrumentalists. His contemporary Johann Matthias Gesner describes what the scene was like on those Sunday mornings, as the performers attempted to pull off a piece that they had probably rehearsed but one time:

“If you could see Bach…singing with one voice and playing his own parts, but watching over everything and bringing back to the rhythm and the beat, out of thirty or even forty musicians, the one with a nod, another by tapping with his foot, the third with a warning finger, giving the right note to one from the top of his voice, to another from the bottom, and to a third from the middle of it—all alone, in the midst of the greatest din…”

So why, then, did Bach write a Catholic mass, in Latin? He had before, including the well-known Magnificat from 1723. But about this afternoon’s work, Gardiner speculates (an important verb in laying out Bach’s life story!) that, somewhat worn down by the job and the politics of musical life in Leipzig after 10 years, the nearly 50-year-old Bach might have wanted to “step aside from the specific and parochial context of his church cantatas… and to uncover fresh compositional challenges…(and) to concentrate on universal themes and in a language weathered by time.”

Another reason for plunging into such an undertaking in 1733 had to do with Bach’s interest in moving to Dresden, where excellent musicians thrived at the court of Friedrich August II. Bach set about composing the first two

movements — Kyrie and Gloria — of the B-minor Mass as a kind of audition piece, with the hope that he might obtain a post in Dresden and thus escape the exhausting work in Leipzig. He also dedicated at least an octet of cantatas to Friedrich and his family; but, in the end, though he received an appointment, the pay was insufficient to warrant a relocation. He stayed in Leipzig.

Gardiner suggests that it was yet another external event that prompted the completion in 1749 of the “B-minor Mass,” namely the end of the Second Silesian War. To celebrate the return to peace in Leipzig and express gratitude to God, would not a complete treatment of the Ordinary of the Mass be in order? And wouldn’t the two movements from 1733 be the proper starting point?

Ever the scholar and transcriber of the works of composers of previous generations from whom he learned his craft—Palestrina, Pergolesi, and Bassani, for example—and always the pilferer from his own earlier compositions, Bach completed the remaining movements. But he never heard a performance of the whole piece, dying before a hoped-for premiere in Dresden in 1750.

To return to the “scanty plot of ground” that a fixed form implies: Bach was presented with the prescribed five-movement structure of the Ordinary of the Mass, but what he did musically is an act of wondrous creativity. Solos, duets, choruses, polyphony, major and minor modes, metrical variety, dynamic shading! Using a variety of forces, both instrumental and vocal, he narrates the drama of the Christian journey (especially in the “Credo,” which covers Jesus’s life and death) with an emotional wallop. For some listeners the impact is theological (the entire work is “a dance before God,” according to Wilfried Mellers); for others, it is, perhaps, spiritual, simply touching on the mystery of being alive; for all, it is astonishingly artistic.

Near the end of his book, Gardiner recalls discussions people in 1977 had about which items best representing the human experience should be aboard the spacecraft Voyager. Carl Sagan averred that “if we are to convey something of what humans are about then music has to be a part of it.”

Concurring, Lewis Thomas, physician and writer, said, “I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.” After a pause, he added, “But that would be boasting.”

Amen.

— Program notes by Paul Lamar

BIOGRAPHIES

José Daniel Flores-Caraballo Opalka Family Artistic Director

José Daniel Flores-Caraballo is a widely acclaimed conductor and musical director recognized for his artistry and integrity in stylistic performance of choral literature, his methodical and uncompromising approach to music learning, and his gifts as a patient and inspiring teacher. Dr. Flores-Caraballo brings that unique combination—along with an ambitious and energizing vision—to Albany Pro Musica (APM) as the Opalka Family Artistic Director, a role he has held since 2014.

As a trained organist as well as a celebrated orchestral and choral conductor, Dr. Flores-Caraballo places strong emphasis on technical precision as the fundamental seed from which musical artistry can grow. Dr. FloresCaraballo joined Albany Pro Musica with the goal of building upon the group’s impressive and cherished legacy and elevating APM to be among the best choirs in the nation. Through Dr. Flores-Caraballo’s leadership, APM is pushing the boundaries of choral performance in the area, embracing challenging musical programming, innovative national and international partnerships, and a renewed commitment to civic and educational initiatives. Dr. Flores-Caraballo also serves as Conductor-In-Residence at the University at Albany (SUNY) and Chorus Director for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus. He has prepared his choirs for prominent orchestral conductors, including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bramwell Tovey, Stéphane Denève, and Kensho Watanabe of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Andrews Sill of the New York City Ballet, David Alan Miller of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and Anthony Princiotti of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Flores-Caraballo came to the Capital Region from Vero Beach, Florida, where he was a musical force for more than a decade. There, he founded and directed three auditioned, community choral groups that transformed the musical landscape in the Treasure Coast: the Atlantic Symphonic Chorus, the Atlantic Schola Cantorum, and the Atlantic Children’s Chorale. A native of Puerto Rico, Dr. Flores-Caraballo served as Dean of Academic Affairs at the Conservatory of Music in San Juan and has led prize-winning schooland church-based choral programs in Puerto Rico and across the mainland United States. He holds a Doctorate in Sacred Music with an emphasis on Choral and Instrumental Conducting from the Graduate Theological Foundation, a Master’s in Choral Conducting and Organ from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelor’s in Music Education and Instrumental Conducting from the Conservatory of Music in San Juan.

BIOGRAPHIES

Noah Palmer Assistant Music Director and Accompanist

Conductor Noah Palmer is one of the Capital Region’s most in-demand collaborators. Noah was most recently appointed Artistic Director of Saratoga Voices and the Music at Trinity Lenox concert series; he also serves as Assistant Director and Accompanist for Albany Pro Musica and the Assistant Conductor of Concerts in the Village, in Kinderhook, NY. In 2018, Noah made his orchestral conducting debuts with both Concerts in the Village and Albany Pro Musica, following his opera debut with the Midwest Institute of Opera in 2015.

As a choral conductor Noah has led, among other groups, Albany Pro Musica, the Battenkill Chorale, the Northern Berkshire Chorale, the Sage Singers, and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus. In 2016, Noah was the Chorus Master at the prestigious Merola Opera Program with the San Francisco Opera.

In addition to conducting, Noah is an accomplished vocal coach and pianist. He has worked with several regional opera companies, including Sarasota Opera and Opera North. In 2021, Noah was the principal coach and rehearsal pianist for Tom Cipullo’s “Glory Denied” at the Berkshire Opera Festival and was subsequently invited back in 2022 for their production of Jake Heggie’s “Three Decembers.” Noah has performed with some of the Capital Region’s finest singers, including Andrew Boisvert, Vedrana Kalas, Sylvia Stoner, Irina Petrik, and the late Kevin Kees. In 2022, he accompanied violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn in a vibrant program of Russian and Polish music at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

As an educator, Noah was the Choral Director at Skidmore College in Spring 2021, where he led the college’s two choral ensembles through a series of innovative virtual performances during the COVID-19 pandemic. In collaboration with soprano Sylvia Stoner, Noah also directs the Skidmore College Opera Workshop.

Noah studied conducting with John Yaffe and Steve Osgood and attended conducting masterclasses with Markand Thakar, Christopher Zimmerman, Mark Gibson, and David Effron. Noah studied piano with the renowned Spanish pianist José Ramón Mendez at NYU (BA), and Bulgarian pianist Pavlina Dokovska at the Mannes School of Music (MM). Noah has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Europe, and China.

BIOGRAPHIES

Clara Rottsolk Soprano

A brilliant and accomplished concert artist, “resplendent” soprano Clara Rottsolk has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including American Bach Soloists, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Baltimore Symphony, Pacific MusicWorks, the American Classical Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Bach Collegium San Diego, Virginia Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Wall Street, and Seattle Baroque Orchestra, under the direction of conductors including Grete Pedersen, Nicholas McGeegan, Jeffrey Thomas, Dinis Sousa, Stephen Stubbs, David Danzmayr, Joshua Rifkin, Bruno Weil, John Sinclair, ChiaHsuan Lin, Gabriel Crouch, Timothy Nelson, and Andrew Megill.

With “sophisticated mastery of the nuances of the libretto: with perfect diction and expressive delivery” (Cleveland Classical), she performs chamber and recital repertoire with Les Délices, ARTEK, TENET, Folger Consort, Piffaro, Byron Schenkman & Friends, Colorado Bach Ensemble, and as soloist at festivals including Carmel Bach, Berkeley Early Music, Montréal Baroque, Spoleto USA, Winter Park Bach, St. Louis Bach, Indianapolis Early Music, Whidbey Island Music, and Boston Early Music Fringe.

Her solo recordings can be found on Chandos, Analekta, MSR Classics, and independent labels. Currently she is based in Philadelphia and teaches voice at Swarthmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges.

Katherine Skovira Mezzo-Soprano

BIOGRAPHIES

Katherine Skovira is a nationally recognized contemporary music specialist, educator, researcher, and mezzo-soprano from Philadelphia. Of her work, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “The diabolical enthusiasm of Katherine Skovira... left me nearly begging for mercy...the artistic equivalent of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft.”

Katherine serves as Co-Artistic Director of SoundLAB contemporary ensemble in Philadelphia and Faculty Fellow in Music at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. She has performed with Maestro Lorin Maazel, Sir Simon Rattle, and Barbara Hannigan, and has collaborated with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Curtis Institute, Lucerne Festival, JACK Quartet, Institute on Disabilities at Temple, American Philosophical Society, American Composers Forum, University of Pennsylvania, and Alarm Will Sound. Katherine holds degrees in voice, pedagogy and political science from Cornell University, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Minnesota School of Music.

Katherine is librettist for the new opera, the other side of silence, which is workshopping with Opera Saratoga this November 8, 2024 at EMPAC as part of the International Symposium on Assistive Technology for Music and Art (ISATMA). Katherine received the 2021 Discovery Grant for Female Composers and additional grants from Opera America’s New Works Forum, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and New Music USA. She has presented at conferences with Opera America, the Voice Foundation and National Association of Teachers of Singing. Since 2017, Katherine has worked with innovators in the nonspeaking community in collaborative performances and research/educational initiatives, and has performed over 30 world premieres of new vocal works.

BIOGRAPHIES

Tenor

Dann Coakwell, tenor, has performed as a soloist across Europe, Japan, and throughout the Americas, under renowned conductors such as Helmuth Rilling, Masaaki Suzuki, Monica Huggett, William Christie, María Guinand, Nicholas McGegan, Matthew Halls, Craig Hella Johnson, Julian Wachner, and the late John Scott. He can be heard as a soloist on the Grammy-winning album The Sacred Spirit of Russia (Harmonia Mundi 2014), Grammynominated The Singing Guitar (Delos 2020), Hope of Loving (Delos 2019) and Considering Matthew Shepard (Harmonia Mundi 2016). He also appeared in the role of Jibreel on the critically praised world premiere of composer Mohammed Fairouz’s Zabur (Naxos 2016), with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir and Orchestra.

Coakwell has performed Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls, as well as other prominent New York venues such as Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue and Trinity Church Wall Street. He has appeared as a soloist with acclaimed organizations such as Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart in Germany, Bach Collegium Japan, Orquesta Sinfónica de Venezuela, Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Canada, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in San Francisco, Oregon Bach Festival, Portland Baroque Orchestra and Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Dallas Bach Society, Conspirare, and the symphony/philharmonic orchestras of Orlando, Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, Quad Cities, and Kansas City.

Specializing in the Evangelist and tenor roles of J.S. Bach, Coakwell has performed numerous productions of all of Bach’s major oratorios — St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Christmas Oratorio, and Mass in B-Minor — as well as many of Bach’s cantatas. An enthusiast of Benjamin Britten, Coakwell has appeared in multiple productions of Britten’s Canticles, Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, and St. Nicolas. Among the most prominent solo and titular roles of other frequently performed composers include: Handel’s Samson, Judas Maccabaeus, Israel in Egypt, Alexander’s Feast, and Messiah; Haydn’s Creation; Mozart Requiem and Mass in c (Levin and Süssmayr completions); Mendelssohn’s Elijah; and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

Dr. Coakwell serves on the voice faculty at Ithaca College, he has appeared around the U.S. and internationally as a guest teaching artist. He holds an Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance from Yale University, a DMA and MM from Texas Tech University, and a BM from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dann Coakwell

BIOGRAPHIES

With a voice praised for its “dark-hued splendor” (San Francisco Gate), baritone David Rugger specializes oratorio, early music, and ensemble singing. Recent highlights include appearances with the Washington Bach Consort, Zenith Ensemble, Bach Collegium San Diego, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Bach Society of St. Louis, Alchymy Viols, and several Bach cantata series. David has also performed as an ensemble musician with Vocal Arts Ensemble (Cincinnati), Seraphic Fire, and Conspirare. David is an alum of the American Bach Soloists Academy and was a Virginia Best Adams Fellow at the Carmel Bach Festival.

A scholar as well as a performer, David earned his PhD in Musicology from Indiana University, where he also studied voice and was active in the Historical Performance Institute. In his scholarship, David explores the relationship between vocal sound, the body, and identity from the nineteenth century through to the present day, especially in England and America. He is currently writing a guide to singing Bach’s vocal music for the non-specialist. David has taught at University of Indianapolis, Butler University, and Indiana University. When he is not singing, teaching, and researching, David lives with his spouse, two dogs, one cat, chickens, and an ever-expanding garden in Wallingford, VT.

Sing with Albany Pro Musica!

Auditions to sing with Albany Pro Musica in the 2024-2025 season will be held in on MAY 28, JUNE 4, and JUNE 12 at the University at Albany. To learn more and schedule an audition, visit albanypromusica.org/about/auditions.

David Rugger Baritone

Congratulations, Maestro!

Albany Pro Musica’s 2023-2024 season marks José Daniel Flores-Caraballo’s tenth year with APM. Some of his esteemed colleagues and collaborators shared their warm wishes and congratulations to the Maestro on this milestone!

Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary – how did the time go by so quickly!

I remember when you were introduced to the community at Albany’s City Hall. It’s been a great pleasure to work with you over these last 10 years and to host you in our hall. Cheers!

— Jon Elbaum, Executive Director; Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

Congratulations to my good friend and colleague, José Daniel, on his brilliant 10-year tenure leading Albany Pro Musica. It has been a great pleasure for me and the Albany Symphony to collaborate with José Daniel and Pro Musica on many beautiful programs. Thank you, José Daniel, for being such an inspirational leader in our community, and such a kind, generous, big-hearted colleague.

— David Alan Miller, Music Director; Albany Symphony Orchestra

Maestro José Daniel Flores-Caraballo has made an incredible impact on Albany Pro Musica, and the Capital Region community, in his decade leading the ensemble. My family and I have enjoyed countless performances during our time in Albany and we have been consistently delighted by Maestro Flores-Caraballo’s musicianship and ambitious programming. Thanks to Maestro Flores-Caraballo’s vision and artistry, Albany Pro Musica is a gem of the Capital Region and beyond. I am so grateful for his continued partnership with the University and Albany and I am proud to call him a colleague and a friend. ¡Felicidades, Maestro!

— Havidán Rodríguez, President; University at Albany

Cheers to a decade filled with wonderful partnerships, accomplishments, and fabulous music. You’ve been a joy to speak with, work with and bounce ideas off since you arrived. 10 years is only the beginning. Congratulations!

— Rob Brown, Music Director and Afternoon Host; WMHT-FM

A hearty “bravo Maestro” on 10 years with Albany Pro Musica! Cheers to a sterling tenure and looking forward to collaborations to come!

— Mary Birnbaum, General and Artistic Director, and the Board and Staff; Opera Saratoga

Congratulations on ten incredible years with Albany Pro Musica! SPAC has enjoyed so many wonderful and varied artistic collaborations with you during that time. From Mozart’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Ninth to Harry Potter, you approach every performance with meticulous detail and the highest artistic merit. We are truly fortunate to have you both as a collaborator and a member of the arts in this community. Cheers to ten more years and many more performances together.

— Elizabeth Sobel, President and CEO, and Chris Shiley, Vice President of Artistic Planning; Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

of residence Musica, and working with is a joy to work his deep commitment commissioning much forward Carnegie Hall on 10 years and lucky lucky still your piece we are collaborations

Maestro Caraballo has, for the past decade, been a gift to the Arts in the Capital District. As conductor of the premier choral organization in the New York capital, he has continually polished the jewel that is Albany Pro Musica. Additionally, he has come to be known as a sincere, empathetic, knowledgeable and caring individual. Albany is proud to call him one of their own.

Congratulations on all you’ve done over the past ten years to make singing and APM stronger in our community!

— Philip Morris, CEO; Proctors Collaborative

Congratulations on your 10thanniversary milestone with Albany Pro Musica! They are so lucky to have you, and we are so lucky to know you and Dharma. We have extremely fond memories of wonderful performance of my choral piece “Look To The Sky” with APM, and are really looking forward to future collaborations with you and APM!

Robert & Victoria Paterson, Directors & Co-Founders; Mostly Modern Festival and American Modern Ensemble

I had the honor of being composer-inresidence with Albany Pro and the absolute pleasure of with José during that period. He work with, and I especially love commitment to performing and commissioning new music. Looking very forward to working with him again at Hall this spring. Congratulations years with APM, José! With thanks and very best wishes.

— Ola Gjeilo, Composer in Residence

— Steve Murray, Honorary Composer in Residence

I send my heartiest good wishes and congratulations to maestro Flores-Caraballo on the occasion of his 10th anniversary with Albany Pro Musica. I’ve known José Daniel for over 30 years and the new heights he has taken APM over the last decade come as no surprise. Here’s to another decade of inspired music-making!

— Bradley Ellingboe, Composer in Residence

How quickly ten years have passed. I have watched in admiration as José Daniel has established a bonafide holiday musical tradition with the Many Moods of Christmas that the Capital Region eagerly anticipates. His wonderful concept for the 2020 Celtic Dreams video, which Musicians of Ma’alwyck was delighted to be a part of, enjoyed an international stage, and defied the COVID-imposed concert hiatus. Through his dedicated work José Daniel has repeatedly found a new voice and a new presence for Albany Pro Musica that shines the spotlight on choral music for the Capital Region and beyond. Happy tenth anniversary!!

— Ann Marie Barker Schwartz, Director; Musicians of Ma’alwyck

Pro Musica in Paradise

Saturday, May 18, 2024 I 5:00 – 8:30 PM

Colonie Country Club I 13 Country Club Ln, Voorheesville, NY 12186

Albany Pro Musica’s signature spring fundraiser, the Pro Musica in Paradise Gala, will transport you to an oasis of glamor and warmth with an atmosphere bursting with vibrant colors and exotic delights. Indulge in cuisine from the Caribbean and Hawaii and enjoy tantalizing cocktails that will whisk you away to sun-kissed shores while supporting the music you love!

This year, we’re celebrating Maestro José Daniel Flores-Caraballo’s 10th anniversary season with Albany Pro Musica! We’ll also be awarding the Dr. Karen R. Hitchcock Award for Championing the Choral Arts to past APM board president and nonprofit leader, Raona Roy, who called Hawaii her home for many years. We are thrilled to honor both of these visionary leaders with an homage to their beautiful island homes!

The 2024 Pro Musica in Paradise Gala is co-chaired by Karen Opalka and Alan Goldberg.

Honorary Committee and General Admission tickets are now available! Visit albanypromusica.org/gala to learn more!

The Pro Musica in Paradise is made possible with generous support from our sponsors:

MVP Health Care

Community Bank

Stewart’s Shops

The Howard & Bush Foundation

The Arts Center of the Capital Region

Albany Pro Musica’s professional recording of StarSong is now available to stream and purchase online!

Albany Pro Musica has released a professional recording of StarSong, a multimovement work by composer-inresidence Bradley Ellingboe. This work bridges historical periods, languages, and faith traditions and examines the idea that we are all, in the words of Carl Sagan, “made of star stuff” — composed of atoms that are unfathomably old and formed at the moment of creation. The album was recorded at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in March 2023 and features tenor Dann Coakwell and the American Modern Ensemble.

StarSong can be heard on major music streaming platforms

CDs are available at today’s concert! Stop by the lobby to purchase your copy.

TROY SAVINGS BANK MUSIC HALL

The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall opened in 1875, and its inaugural concert was performed to a full house and glowing reviews. In 1890 the Hall installed an Odell concert organ, the only unrestored 19th-century concert hall organ in existence in the United States, which helped it become the acoustical wonder it is today. Throughout its history, the Hall has been a hub of community activity, attracting premier musical groups—among them the Albany Symphony Orchestra, Albany Pro Musica, and Troy Chromatic Concerts, whose association with the Music Hall spans more than a century—and serving as the site for more than 300 recordings. Today, the Hall is one of only a handful of 19th-century concert halls in continuous operation in the United States and is a National Historic Landmark building.

Albany Pro Musica (APM) is the preeminent choral ensemble in New York’s vibrant Capital Region and is renowned for its distinctive artistic style and mastery of a wide range of musical genres. Critically acclaimed for its performances of intimate a cappella pieces and large-scale choral works alike, APM is led by Opalka Family Artistic Director Dr. José Daniel Flores-Caraballo and is Chorus-in-Residence at the historic Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Now celebrating his 10th season with Albany Pro Musica, Maestro Flores-Caraballo has elevated the ensemble through ambitious programming, prestigious national and international collaborations, a renewed commitment to civic and educational engagement, and a bold vision for the future.

Locally and Internationally Celebrated

Albany Pro Musica’s reputation as a world-class chorus attracts large, diverse audiences who encourage newer, bolder projects to satisfy their growing desire for exposure to a rich choral repertoire. It’s also a draw for distinguished guest conductors, soloists, and composers, including composers-in-residence Bradley Ellingboe (2020-2023 seasons) and Ola Gjeilo (2017-2020 seasons), who partner with APM for concerts, premieres, and commissioned works. In addition to long-standing hometown collaborations with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Musicians of Ma’alwyck, the Capital District Youth Chorale, and others, APM has developed exciting new relationships with numerous internationally renowned musicians and ensembles, including Canadian Brass, ACRONYM, the American String Quartet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, New York City Ballet, Vienna Boys Choir, the Escher String Quartet, and the Alturas Duo.

Voices Capturing the Human Spirit at the Intersection of Creativity and Excellence

Albany Pro Musica is now in its fifth decade as a driving musical force in the Capital Region, the Northeast, and beyond. At the heart of Albany Pro Musica is the vital realization that choral music at its best is not merely entertainment but rather a transformational and emotional experience for performers and audiences alike. This perspective is reflected in Opalka Family Artistic Director Dr. Flores-Caraballo’s vision for APM, which balances exceptional technical competency, exquisite artistry, and purposeful programming that is relevant and meaningful in today’s society.

Under the leadership of Dr. Flores-Caraballo, APM is continuing to push the boundaries of choral performance in the area, embracing challenging musical programming and innovative new partnerships that elevate the

ensemble to new heights. Dr. Flores-Caraballo has laid out a bold plan for APM’s future that includes the premieres of commissioned works; concerts across the Northeast; new civic events and partnerships; and the Pro Musica International Choral Festival, which was launched in July 2023 in partnership with the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.

Our Season

Albany Pro Musica’s Concert Chorus is composed of 70 auditioned volunteer singers from several counties and states. For large choral and orchestral masterworks, the group expands to more than 100 singers as the Albany Pro Musica Masterworks Chorus, and is often joined by the instrumentalists of Orchestra Pro Musica. Albany Pro Musica offers four series concerts each season, including “Artist Series” concerts which bring world-renowned artists and ensembles to share the stage with APM; “Masterworks Series” performances of oratorios and other large-scale choral works with orchestra; and an annual Christmas program, which has become a beloved holiday tradition in the region. Each season is deliberately curated to include classical masterpieces from the choral canon, new compositions from modern and contemporary composers, and popular selections from the worlds of Broadway, traditional and folk music, and more.

Our Commitment to Education

Music education is one of APM’s pillars, and the organization’s educational programs have made a mark on the lives of more than 4,000 young students in the Capital Region and beyond. APM’s annual High School Choral Festival brings together gifted musicians from high schools across the region for an intensive day of rehearsal and performance with Maestro Flores-Caraballo and guest clinicians, on campus at the University at Albany. The festival culminates with a fun-filled concert in which all the students join the voices of Albany Pro Musica’s Concert Chorus on stage for a festival chorus performance.

APM partnered with the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts at Queen’s University in Ontario and the University at Albany to offer the inaugural Pro Musica International Choral Festival in July 2023. The festival represented APM’s largest educational offering to-date and allowed students from across the United States and Canada to study and perform with the Festival’s guest clinician and composer Dr. Rollo Dilworth, as well as other distinguished faculty and world-class musicians. Generous funding from Bader Philanthropies, Inc. provided full fellowships to all participating students, allowing the Pro Musica International Choral Festival to waive the tuition and room & board fees for every attending student.

Our History

Albany Pro Musica was founded in 1981 by University at Albany Distinguished Professor Dr. David Griggs-Janower, who created a community chorus capable of performing at a professional level. He remained the group’s Artistic Director until his death in August 2013. After an extensive national search, Dr. José Daniel Flores-Caraballo succeeded Griggs-Janower as Artistic and Executive Director in August 2014. Dr. Flores-Caraballo came to Albany Pro Musica with an ambitious vision to build upon the group’s impressive and cherished legacy and elevate APM to be among the best choirs in the nation.

APM has made numerous recordings, including most recently the first professional recording of Bradley Ellingboe’s Star Song. APM was one of only 16 choruses selected for inclusion on the 2005 National Public Radio (NPR) CD Christmas Around the Country. In 2004 APM collaborated with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and composer Michael Torke to record the opera Strawberry Fields for mass distribution. The group has toured nationally and internationally, including to France in honor of the 60th anniversary of D-Day at Omaha Beach, and to the Czech Republic, Spain, and Ireland.

Albany Pro Musica has commissioned numerous works from American composers and performed local and regional premieres of masterpieces such as Bristow’s Oratorio of Daniel and Handel’s Oratorio of Esther. Under the composer-in-residence program launched by Dr. Flores-Caraballo, APM has expanded the group’s library of commissioned works, sponsoring new compositions by celebrated local, national, and international composers including Steven Murray, Donald McCullough, Ola Gjeilo, and Bradley Ellingboe. APM is frequently invited to sing at high-profile events such as gubernatorial inaugurations, civic celebrations, and on stage with visiting artists, including Judy Collins, Kenny Rogers, Andrea Bocelli, and The King’s Singers. APM continues to introduce local audiences to challenging and bold choral repertoire, including Frank Martin’s a cappella Mass for Double Choir, the New York State premiere of Requiem by Raymond Torres, entire concerts devoted to musical theater, innovative programs including art forms such as visual arts and dance, and a powerful multimedia presentation of Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace.

MISSION

To perform a broad spectrum of quality choral music at the highest levels of artistic excellence that inspires and transforms our audiences, and to provide exceptional educational experiences that advance the choral art among new generations of singers.

VISION

Albany Pro Musica will be a leader in the choral arts in New York’s Capital Region, the Northeast and beyond ― bridging cultures, ethnicities, and generations.

CORE VALUES

Perform with excellence

Inspire new generations of singers

Engage expanded and broadly diverse audiences

Operate with integrity

Respect each other and our community

Albany Pro Musica’s mission inspires all that we do. It is at the heart of every rehearsal and concert experience, each selection of musical compositions performed, and every collaboration and partnership. It also provides a foundation for us to build upon as we strive to serve as a leader in choral excellence and choral music appreciation in New York State’s Capital Region, the Northeast, and beyond.

Our vision of excellence and leadership, bridging cultures, ethnicities, and generations, depends on our core values, which we cultivate purposefully:

• Albany Pro Musica aspires to excellence in performance and repertoire, with a demanding rehearsal schedule for singers and a rigorous, uncompromising approach to choral technique that Opalka Family Artistic Director Dr. José Daniel Flores-Caraballo has continued and expanded upon from his predecessor, founding director David Griggs-Janower.

• The ensemble is dedicated to inspiring new generations of singers through numerous educational programs and our continuous recruitment of talented new singers.

• APM is committed to engaging expanded and broadly diverse audiences through innovative programming, challenging repertoire, an emphasis on inclusivity, and a wide range of musical selections.

• Finally, we actively partner with civic, cultural, and educational organizations and institutions to leverage the talents, passions, and resources of our collaborators and amplify our joined voices for greater impact. APM’s partnerships with the University at Albany (SUNY), where rehearsals and master classes typically take place, and with the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, where the ensemble sits as Chorus-in-Residence, represent two of our most essential relationships.

ALBANY PRO MUSICA STAFF

OPALKA FAMILY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

José Daniel Flores-Caraballo

ARTISTIC STAFF

Noah Palmer, Assistant Director and Accompanist

SooYeon Justesen, Manager of Educational Programs

Tonya Burandt Hansen, Abigail Cowan, Jonathan Hansen, Daniel Washington, Section Leaders

Steve Murray, Honorary Composer in Residence

Dan Foster, Teaching Artist

Elizabeth Eschen Cacciola, Teaching Artist

ADMINISTRATION

Emily Sturman, Deputy Executive Director

Jared Shortmeier, Director of Operations

Liz Vinciquerra, Development Manager

Rebecca Monaghan, Audition Coordinator

Dharma Sanchez-Flores, Member Connections Liaison

Emily Hunt, Intern

Katharine Harris, Music Librarian

Ann-Marie Barker Schwartz, Orchestra Contractor

Michele Susko, Roya Consulting, LLC, Development Counsel

Primeau-Fahey Studios, Marketing and Public Relations

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Box Office, Marketing, and Financial Management

ALBANY PRO MUSICA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rex W. Smith, President

Jeanette Altarriba, Vice President

Tom McGuire, Treasurer

Jonathan E. Hansen, Secretary

DIRECTORS

M. Tracey Brooks

Mitch Cohen

Al De Salvo

James M. Gaughan

Robert T. Hennes

Ellen Jabbur

Gwen Krause

Steven E. Lobel (emeritus)

Douglas Petersen

Raona Roy (emerita)

Wayne Senitta

Marion Terenzio

Margery Whiteman (honorary)

Michael Whiteman

Russ Wilks

Michael Wolff

Edelgard Wulfert

ALBANY PRO MUSICA COUNCIL OF ADVISORS

George R. Hearst III and Chet Opalka, Co-Chairs

Alan Goldberg

E. Stewart Jones, Jr.

Kimberly Sanger Jones

Richard Miller

Paul Milton

John Nigro

Karen Opalka

Ellen Sax

Marcia White

Albany Pro Musica has a legacy in the Capital Region and beyond, as a choral group whose music truly captures the human spirit. Our Lux Aeterna Society allows donors to keep the “eternal light” of your own legacy alive through Albany Pro Musica, by including APM in your estate plans.

The Lux Aeterna Society recognizes individuals and their families who have remembered APM in their estate plans through a planned gift. A planned gift to Albany Pro Musica can offer tax advantages, and allows you to designate a contribution – large or small – that will support the music you love, for years to come.

To learn more about how to include Albany Pro Musica in your estate plans, please visit our website or contact us for a confidential consultation.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO

THANK YOU TO OUR 2022–2023 SEASON DONORS!

Listing reflects gifts made between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

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GOLD CIRCLE

($10,000 - $19,999)

Howard and Bush Foundation

New York State Council on the Arts

SILVER CIRCLE

($5,000 - $9,999)

IBM Corporation

BRONZE CIRCLE

($2,500-$4,999)

Amidon & Petersen Financials LLC

Massry Charitable Foundation

The University at Albany Foundation

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS (up to $2,500)

Amazon Smile architecture+ Capital Bank

Community Care Physicians

Hannaford Supermarkets

Pursuit Foundation

Stewart’s Shops

United Way of the Greater Capital Region, Inc.

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Albany Pro Musica is grateful for the support of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

John J. Nigro and

WAYS TO SUPPORT ALBANY PRO MUSICA

Did you know that ticket sales make up only a portion of the funds needed to present the high-quality performances and dynamic educational programs that you love? Like most performing arts organizations, Albany Pro Musica relies on the generosity of our donors to deliver our season. Please consider making a contribution today to ensure that Albany Pro Musica can keep singing, this season and for years to come.

To make a gift to Albany Pro Musica, please scan with your smartphone or visit our website to donate safely online: albanypromusica.org/donate.

RECURRING DONATIONS

Recurring donations are a important resource that form a revenue stream we know we can count on, which allows us to plan our programs with confidence. Contact us to set up a monthly or quarterly donation.

MATCHING GIFTS

Many employers offer matching gift programs and will match charitable contributions made by their employees. Some companies also match gifts by retirees and/or spouses. If your company has a matching gift program, please consider designating Albany Pro Musica as the beneficiary of your match. With matching gifts, you can double the impact of your gift! Examples of companies offering a corporate match include Bank of America, General Electric, IBM, Key Bank, MetLife, and many more.

GIFTS OF STOCK

Gifts of stock can offer tax advantages while allowing you to support Albany Pro Musica. Please contact us to learn more.

PLANNED GIVING

Planning for the future is vital, not only for individuals but for organizations as well. Turn your passion for music into a lasting legacy with a gift to the APM’s Lux Aeterna Society. If you’ve already made plans to recognize APM in your estate plans, or to learn more about supporting APM with a planned gift, please contact us.

Emily Sturman

Deputy Executive Director

518.687.1947 or emily@albanypromusica.org

Thank you for your support.

WE HOPE YOU’LL JOIN US FOR OUR 2024-2025 SEASON

CARMINA BURANA with The Philadelphia Orchestra

AUGUST 10, 2024

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

MUST THE WINTER COME SO SOON?

Music from Scandinavia

Bradley Ellingboe, Guest Conductor

OCTOBER 20, 2024

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

THE MANY MOODS OF CHRISTMAS

DECEMBER 15, 2024

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD

MARCH 2025

PRO MUSICA ON BROADWAY

A Gala and Concert SPRING 2025