22 minute read
Masterworks 6: Ode to Joy · June 6, 2022
Beethoven’s most magnificent work closes our Masterworks season — a much-needed celebration following a year marked by turmoil, creativity, and resilience. Coupled with Copland’s rousing Fanfare for the Common Man and Tower’s feminist answer, we close the season together, unified by our love for live music. MASTERWORKS 6 Thomas Wolfe Auditorium Saturday, June 4, 2022, 8:00 p.m.
Advertisement
Fanfare for the Common Man
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
During World War II, many conductors and music presenters commissioned composers to write inspiring works reflecting the spirit of the times. In 1942 Eugene Goossens, conductor of the Cincinnati Orchestra, commissioned several American composers to write fanfares to commemorate various aspects of the nation at war. Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man was scored for brass and percussion; the composer wrote: “[It] honors the man who did no deeds of heroism on the battlefield, but shared the labors, sorrows and hopes of those who strove for victory.” The work premiered in March 1943 and is the only one of the commissioned fanfares that has remained in the repertoire. The music has seen duty for everything from national conventions to TV commercials, although without the funereal opening bass drum and timpani solos.
Not wanting a good tune go to waste, Copland reused the Fanfare theme to great effect as the introduction to the finale of his Symphony No. 3.
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 1
Joan Tower (b. 1938)
Joan Tower has become one of today’s most popular composers – really popular, not just a token contemporary on a concert of old masters. She has composed music for nearly every genre of instrumental music, including orchestra, chamber ensembles of all types, concerti for a flock of different instruments and ballet. Her music is complex but accessible, with exciting rhythmic drive and motivic ideas that are discernible and understandable within the context of her compositional design – you can hear where the music is going. Tower was born in New Rochelle, NY and grew up in South America where her father was a mining engineer. She went off at 18 to attend Bennington College, moving on to Columbia University where she received a doctorate in composition. In 1969 Tower founded the Da Capo Chamber Players, with whom she served as pianist for 15 years and for whom she composed most of her early works.
Her experiences as a performer clearly influenced the course she pursued as a composer. Her early works were influenced by the rhythmically complex serial music she played in the 1960s and were scored exclusively for solo instruments or chamber ensembles. Yet these early pieces manifest the seminal features of her later works, complex rhythms and development of small motivic elements.
Among Tower’s most popular works are her six tongue-in-cheek Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman. She composed the first Fanfare in 1986 on commission from the Houston Symphony. Originally intended as a tribute to Aaron Copland, it turned instead into a feminist answer to Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man – a tribute to the uncommon woman, one who takes risks and is adventurous.
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
As slovenly as Beethoven was in his personal life, he stored and maintained his musical ideas in sketchbooks, continually jotting down ideas that might come in handy later on. Perusing these sketchbooks today, we gain insight into both his creative process and method of working. While Beethoven did not have the quick and ready inspiration of a Schubert or a Mendelssohn, two characteristics contributed to his greatness: he had the tenacity to work and rework his material many times, often over many years; and he knew when he got it right.
Music Sponsors John & Jeanne Condren Charles & Patricia Clogston Sam & Robin Harben
Joan Tower Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 1
Music Sponsors Sarah Van Gunten Timothy Butts & Susan Harrington Butts The McGuire family in honor of Roberta McGuire
INTERMISSION
I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso II. Molto vivace III. Adagio molto e cantabile IV. Finale
Christina Pier, Soprano Mikki Sodergren, Alto Rod Dixon, Tenor Corey McKern, Baritone with the Asheville Symphony Chorus
Music Sponsors Mary & Jack Anderson Michael & Catty Andry Jim & Mary Kirby Ann & Jerry McLellan
CONCERT SPONSOR
Rich & Diane Byers
in Memory of Katherine Armitage & Jack Jones
GUEST ARTISTS SPONSOR
SEASON MEDIA SPONSOR
This performance will be recorded for broadcast on Blue Ridge Public Radio in November 2022.
Ideas for the Ninth Symphony first appeared in Beethoven’s sketchbook in 1817-18, initially as material for a pair of symphonies, one of which was to have a choral finale with a text from Greek mythology. He did not begin sustained work on the symphony until 1822, finally finishing it in February 1824.
During this period, Beethoven was embroiled in turmoil in his personal life. When his brother Johann, who had married a woman against the composer’s advice, became ill, his wife Therese shamelessly carried on with her lover. Beethoven’s on-again-off-again friendship with Anton Schindler, who eventually became his private secretary and first biographer, was currently off. It should be noted, however, that for all Beethoven’s irascibility and mood swings, he was often a shrewd judge of character and he did not trust Schindler, who in the end made off with the composer’s sketchbooks and conversation books, selling some and forging others.
Professionally, Beethoven was both clearly over his head in commitments and also beset by debts. He was putting the finishing touches for publication of the Missa Solemnis while trying to manipulate a secret bidding war for it among three publishers, each of whom were expecting the work. He used a bait-and-switch maneuver involving a Mass in D (that was never written), as an excuse to each publisher for not delivering the Missa Solemnis. He had also undertaken several other commissions, some of which remained incomplete or never started.
One unfulfilled commission spurred the completion of the Ninth Symphony. Always an admirer of the British, Beethoven had sent inquiries to the Philharmonic Society of London and had received a positive reply with the promise of £50 for a new symphony. He would have liked to visit London, perhaps to experience the accolades showered on his former mentor, Franz Joseph Haydn, but the visit never materialized and the commission never fulfilled. It was, nevertheless, an incentive to finish the Symphony. The score was completed in February 1824, and Beethoven, disgusted with the musical taste of the Viennese, was planning to premiere the work in Berlin. But it had been ten years since he had given a public concert of his work in Vienna, and his friends and admirers signed a petition begging him not to disappoint his public any longer. Although he eventually gave in, it took three months of haggling with the Imperial “Pooh-Bahs” and reluctant singers to finally schedule the concert for May 7 at the Kärntnertortheater. Artistically the Symphony was a wild success but – because of the huge forces required and the large copying costs – a financial near-disaster.
Starting from the mysterious descending open intervals of the first movement, the symphony must have amazed its first hearers. Out of them gradually emerges the powerful first theme into classical sonata form. The contrasting second theme, like many of the composer’s melodies, is made up of several distinct motives that he later develops separately. The movement ends in a long dramatic coda with an ominous ostinato in the cellos and basses.
The second movement is a massive scherzo that opens Molto vivace with hammer-blow descending octaves, an oblique reference to the descending
TEXT (adapted from Schiller)
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! Sondern Laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen, Und freudenvollere Freude, schöner Götterfunken Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Wem der große Wurf gelungen, Eines Freundes Freund zu sein; Wer ein holdes Weib errungen, Mische seinen Jubel ein! Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle Weinend sich aus diesem Bund! Freude trinken alle Wesen An den Brüsten der Natur; Alle Guten, alle Bösen Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. O friends, not these sounds! Rather let us strike up more pleasant And more joyful ones. Joy, thou glorious spark of the gods, Daughter of Elysium, We approach fire-drunk, Heavenly One, your shrine. Your magic reunites That which custom strictly parts; All men become brothers, Where your gentle wing alights. Whoever succeeds in the great attempt To be a friend of a friend, Whoever has won a loving woman, Let him add his jubilation! Yes, whoever calls even one soul His own on the earth’s globe! And who never has, let him steal, Weeping, away from this group. All creatures drink joy At nature’s breast; All the good, all the evil Follow in her roses’ trail.
Ideas for the Ninth Symphony first appeared in Beethoven’s sketchbook in 1817-18, initially as material for a pair of symphonies, one of which was to have a choral finale with a text from Greek mythology. He did not begin sustained work on the symphony until 1822, finally finishing it in February 1824. During this period, Beethoven was embroiled in turmoil in his personal life. When his brother Johann, who had married a woman against the composer’s advice, became ill, his wife Therese shamelessly carried on with her lover. Beethoven’s on-again-off-again friendship with Anton Schindler, who eventually became his private secretary and first biographer, was currently off. It should be noted, however, that for all Beethoven’s irascibility and mood swings, he was often a shrewd judge of character and he did not trust Schindler, who in the end made off with the composer’s sketchbooks and conversation books, selling some and forging others. Professionally, Beethoven was both clearly over his head in commitments and also beset by debts. He was putting the finishing touches for publication of the Missa Solemnis while trying to manipulate a secret bidding war for it among three publishers, each of whom were expecting the work. He used a baitand-switch maneuver involving a Mass in D (that was never written), as an excuse to each publisher for not delivering the Missa Solemnis. He had also undertaken several other commissions, some of which remained incomplete or never started. One unfulfilled commission spurred the completion of the Ninth Symphony. Always an admirer of the British, Beethoven had sent inquiries to the Philharmonic Society of London and had received a positive reply with the promise of £50 for a new symphony. He would have liked to visit London, perhaps to experience the accolades showered on his former mentor, Franz Joseph Haydn, but the visit never materialized and the commission never fulfilled. It was, nevertheless, an incentive to finish the Symphony. The score was completed in February 1824, and Beethoven, disgusted with the musical taste of the
intervals in the first movement. This Viennese, was planning to premiere motive is immediately picked up by the the work in Berlin. But it had been ten violins as the first bar of a fugue – an years since he had given a public concert unusual but not unheard of structure for of his work in Vienna, and his friends a scherzo. A driving ostinato rhythmic and admirers signed a petition begging motif underlies the scherzo section, with him not to disappoint his public any the timpani periodically banging out the longer. Although he eventually gave in, signature octaves and motivic rhythm. A it took three months of haggling with playful trio brings respite, but the insistent the Imperial “Pooh-Bahs” and reluctant scherzo returns with a short coda and a singers to finally schedule the concert final hint at the trio. for May 7 at the Kärntnertortheater. Artistically the Symphony was a wild The slow third movement is a free success but – because of the huge forces variation form comprised of the required and the large copying costs – a simultaneous transformation of two financial near-disaster. themes; its gentle intensity is in marked contrast to the powerful, driving music Starting from the mysterious descending that preceded and will follow it. If anyone open intervals of the first movement, the ever doubted that Beethoven was a symphony must have amazed its first Romantic, this movement will dispel hearers. Out of them gradually emerges the doubt, especially with the heartfelt the powerful first theme into classical second theme. sonata form. The contrasting second theme, like many of the composer’s For a long time Beethoven had been melodies, is made up of several distinct unsure about what to do for the Finale. motives that he later develops separately. Material for a purely instrumental one The movement ends in a long dramatic ended up in 1825 as part of the string coda with an ominous ostinato in the quartet Op. 132. Once he fixed on a choral cellos and basses. finale, he had difficulties settling on its two main components: the melody The second movement is a massive
and the text. The sketchbooks reveal that he had a surprisingly difficult time developing what ultimately became such a simple straightforward tune. In its first manifestation it appeared in a song, “Gegenliebe” (WoO 118) from 1794 and, in a closer version to the melody he ultimately settled on, as a main theme of the Choral Fantasia, Op. 80, of 1808. It was not until November 1823, only three months before he finished the symphony, that Beethoven decided to use Friedrich Schiller’s “An die Freude” (Ode to Joy). He had been toying with the idea of setting the Ode since 1793, when he considered it for a song. Again, in 1812, he incorporated part of it into a choral overture, a project he abandoned. Now, he took the opportunity to combine his desire and set the poem into the new choral symphony. The long introduction to the Finale begins with a surprise, a recitative for the cellos and basses that, between recitative passages, recaps in order the first themes from the three preceding movements and anticipates a snatch of the chorale theme. But these recurrences serve as deliberate “false starts.” After the introduction by the full orchestra, Beethoven uses his own words for the repeat of the recitative, now sung by the baritone, to introduce Schiller’s poem. In structure, the body of the Finale is a set of variations, one for each stanza of the poem plus a substantial coda. As poems go it’s a bit over the top, and Schiller himself did not care for it. Beethoven’s music, coupled with judicious rearrangement and strategic deletions in the text, transformed it into a cultural icon. At the climax of the movement, Beethoven abandons the variations for a lengthy dramatic coda in which the soloists and chorus restate the text of the poem and freely develop the musical material. However constrained in form the variations may have been, Beethoven handles the coda as an operatic finale, recalling the heady celebration that concluded his opera Fidelio.
Program Notes by Joseph & Elizabeth Kahn (www.wordprosmusic.com)
Küsse gab sie uns und Reben, Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod; Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Und der Cherub steht vor Gott. Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen Durch des Himmels prächt’gen Plan, Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen. Freude, schöner Götterfunken Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Seid umschlungen, Millionen! Diesen Küß der ganzen Welt! Brüder - über’m Sternenzelt Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen (adapted from Schiller) TEXT
Kisses gave she us, and wine, A friend, faithful unto death; Even the worm was granted pleasure, And the cherub stands before God. Glad, as his suns fly Through the Heavens’ glorious plan, Run, brothers, your course, Joyous, like a hero to victory. Joy, thou glorious spark of the gods, Daughter of Elysium, We approach fire-drunk, Heavenly One, your shrine. Your magic reunites That which custom strictly parts; All men become brothers, Where your gentle wing alights. Be embraced, you millions! This kiss for the whole world! Brothers, beyond the star-canopy Must a loving Father dwell.
American soprano Christina Pier has been hailed by Opera News for her “big, gleaming soprano and impressive coloratura,” and has received great critical and audience acclaim for her work on opera and concert stages. 2019 season highlights include performances of Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen with Opera Carolina and Toledo Opera; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Tallahassee Symphony; Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, and Hailstork’s The World Called with the Oratorio Society of Virginia; and Handel’s Messiah with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. A Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Ms. Pier has taken the operatic stage as Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer with Virginia Opera; the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos with Virginia Opera; Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Santa Fe, Sarasota, Nashville, and Eugene Operas; Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Minnesota Opera; Micaëla in Carmen with Florida Grand Opera, Opera Carolina, Princeton Festival, and Toledo Opera; Marguerite in Faust with Eugene Opera; and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Florida Grand Opera. She also understudied the title role in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, and Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with Lyric Opera Chicago. As a sought-after concert soloist, Ms. Pier has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under the direction of
Mikki Sodergren, Alto
Singing “beautifully and intelligently” (Jay Nordlinger, The New Criterion), Mikki Sodergren’s stylistic flexibility has afforded her an enriching and musically diverse career. Ms. Sodergren has developed new musicals for NYU Tisch, the BMI Lehmen-Engel Songwriting program, Disney Theatricals and the National Theatre of Great Britain, and has toured internationally with several ensembles, including the award-winning English Concert, the Grammy®nominated Clarion Choir, and early music ensemble Meridionalis. Ms. Sodergren often performs with symphonic orchestras on both classical engagements and pops programs. Ensembles include the Asheville, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Charleston, Hilton Head, and Johnstown Symphonies, the Savannah Philharmonic, the Washington Bach Consort, and others. Performing as the Mezzo-soprano soloist for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse and many pops programs, Mikki thrives on stylistic integrity and varied musical programming. Recording extensively, Ms. Sodergren’s work has received three Grammy® nominations, including a 2021 Grammy® award for performing on the recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison. Sodergren will be featured as the Alto Soloist on the forthcoming recording by the Clarion Choir of Rachmaninoff’s Vespers. Recent performances include performing with the award-winning Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra under the direction of Met Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin for performances of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, and Verdi’s Requiem, aired live on PBS and the World Trade Center Memorial, in memory of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, and in celebration of the historic return of the Met after 18 months of closure. She has also been seen in the highlylauded world premiere of Kamala Sankaram’s Looking At You, and can be heard on the original cast album, a Billboard chart topper for Classical charts in 2021. Sodergren made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living, and has performed Aldonza/Dulcinea (Man of La Mancha), opposite TONY and EMMY-nominated actor Ron Raines, as well as Eponine (Les Miserables) opposite Broadway legend, Craig Schulman. Ms. Sodergren currently serves as Executive and Artistic Director of the only international, professional voice organization to dedicate themselves to the preservation, celebration and performance of all styles of classic American song: the American Traditions Vocal Collection. When all styles of American song are celebrated equally, all vocalists have the opportunity to shine. Mikki resides in Savannah with her beloved cat, Djibouti.
Roberto Abbado; Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Indianapolis and Missoula Symphonies; Handel’s Messiah with the Baltimore, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Virginia, and Winston-Salem Symphonies; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”) and Richard Strauss’ Trio from Der Rosenkavalier in a return to the Winston-Salem Symphony; Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the North Carolina Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic; Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang and selections from Beethoven’s Leonore with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem with the Charlotte and Eugene Symphonies; Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor with the Alabama Symphony, The Oratorio Society of Virginia, and Orquesta Sinfónico Nacional de Costa Rica; and many more. Ms. Pier has been recognized by numerous prestigious awards. She was named Gilbert Artist at Florida Grand Opera, and was a finalist for two years for the Richard Tucker Career Grant. She is the recipient of a George London Award, Sullivan Award, two Charles A. Lynam awards, and two Palm Beach Opera Competition Awards. Originally from Flagstaff, AZ, Ms. Pier received her BM and MM in voice at Indiana University, and began her career under the tutelage of legendary soprano Virginia Zeani. She resides with her family in Charlotte, NC, and is on the voice faculty at University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Rodrick Dixon possesses a tenor voice of extraordinary range and versatility that has earned him the respect and attention of leading conductors, orchestras, and opera companies. Notable operatic engagements include Los Angeles Opera in the title role of Zemlinky’s Der Zwerg conducted by James Conlon and as Walther von der Vogelweide in Tannhauser. At Michigan Opera Theater and Todi Music Festival, Dixon appeared as Tonio in La Fille Du Regiment. He also appeared as Lenski in Todi’s production of Eugene Onegin . At Portland Opera, he performed the title role of Les Contes d’Hoffmann; Prince in Opera Columbus premiere of Vanqui ; Sportin’ Life in Virginia Opera’s Porgy & Bess; the Duke in Rigoletto for Cincinnati Opera; and Opera Southwest in the title role of Rossini’s Otello. On the concert stage, Rodrick Dixon is a regular guest of the Cincinnati May Festival, where he has performed Orff’s Carmina Burana, Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass, Mahler’s Das Klagende Lied, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Rachmaninoff’s The Bells, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses in Cincinnati and in New York’s Carnegie Hall. Other notable appearances include Los Angeles Philharmonic in the title role of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and directed by Peter Sellars. He reprised the role in the same production for the Sydney Arts Festival in Australia, directed by Mr. Sellars. His Ravinia Festival credits include The Bells and Mahler’s Das Klagende Lied. For Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center, Dixon appeared as Sportin’ Life in Robert Russell Bennett’s suite of music from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, conducted by Robert Porco. Other debuts include the Atlanta Symphony honoring Martin Luther King Jr. conducted by Robert Spano; the Vail Music Festival as tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony conducted by Marin Alsop and The Longfellow Chorus documentary based on the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Mr. Dixon made his Choral Arts Society of Music debut as the Celebrant in Bernstein’s Mass performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He returned to Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra as tenor soloist in Delius’ A Mass of Life and to the Cincinnati May Festival as featured soloist in a new work by Alvin Singleton. Rodrick Dixon’s musical theater and other theatrical concert credits include the original cast of Ragtime on Broadway/Chicago/Toronto, Show Boat at the Auditorium Theatre, Pops Concerts at Grant Park Music Festival, Chicagoland Pops Orchestra at the Rosemont Theater with Michael Feinstein, The Cincinnati Pops with Erich Kunzel and annual Christmas concerts of Too Hot To Handel at the Detroit Opera House and the Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre.
Corey McKern, Baritone
Award-winning baritone Corey McKern continuously earns critical acclaim and accolades in every appearance he makes. Previous engagements include a role début as Dandini in La Cenerentola with Nashville Opera; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Saratoga; Anthony in Sweeney Todd with Pensacola Opera; King Henry II in Becket with Long Island Masterworks; his Asian début as Marcello in La bohème with Opera Hong Kong, a role he has also performed with Nashville Opera and Opera Grand Rapids; the Count in Le nozze di Figaro with Nashville Opera, Opera Cleveland, Opera Columbus, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Syracuse Opera; Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Pensacola Opera and Syracuse Opera; Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Pilot in The Little Prince at Tulsa Opera; Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Omaha, Arizona Opera, and Tulsa Opera; Valentin in Faust with Opera Carolina; and more. An active concert performer, Mr. McKern recently made his début with the St. Louis Symphony performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Wozzeck; and made his Carnegie Hall début in the Fauré Requiem. Other recent concert engagements include Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder with the Missoula Symphony, and performances with the New Choral Society in Händel’s Messiah, Brahms’s Requiem and Orff’s Carmina Burana. With the Santa Fe Opera he has performed Marcello in La bohème (to which the Santa Fe New Mexican said, “Corey McKern’s resolute, robust-voiced and rambunctious Marcello, a perfect picture of a wannabe Parisian painter, was one of the best I’ve ever heard.”), Masetto in Don Giovanni, Pallante in Agrippina, The Shoes for the Santo Nino, the 1st Shepherd in Daphne and has covered the title role of Wozzeck, Valentin in Faust, and Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore. As house favorite at Opera Birmingham he has performed there Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Escamillo in Carmen, Ping in Turandot, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro, and with Opera Omaha, John Brooke in Little Women, Ping in Turandot, and Slook in The Marriage Contract. Mr. McKern is a former grant recipient from the Sullivan Foundation, as well as the first place winner of Opera Birmingham, Shreveport Opera, and Mobile Opera competitions. He holds a Master of Music degree from Indiana University, and Bachelor of Music Education from Mississippi State University. He is also a graduate of the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program.
