BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 1

Recognized for her “beautifully bright and clean tone,” American soprano Katelyn Lee is making her mark in Chicago and across the United States. Katelyn has performed a variety of opera and musical theater roles. Most recently, she performed the title role of Gretel in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Hansel and Gretel. Katelyn has sung in multiple productions with Lyric Opera as well as Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Haymarket Opera Company, Chicago Opera Theater, Cedar Rapids Opera, Springfield Regional Opera and others. Additionally, Katelyn is an accomplished singer of a wide variety of concert repertoire. She has performed with the Indianapolis, Elgin and Chicago Symphony Orchestras as well as Music of the Baroque, Chicago a cappella and others. Katelyn maintains a private voice studio as well as teaching engagements with the Music of the Baroque Strong Voices program and Music Institute of Chicago. She is married to Grant Park Chorus tenor Joe Shadday.

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Ponder enjoys a busy career as a soloist and ensemble singer in Chicago, performing in genres from opera and oratorio to contemporary and a cappella. Hailed as “Deeply expressive” (Chicago Sun Times) and a “first-class soloist” (Chicago Classical Review), some of Sarah’s recent favorite performances include a special concert of love songs with Bella Voce Camerata, starring as Julia Child in Lee Hoiby’s one-woman opera Bon Appétit! and a rousing trio rendition of “Row, Row Your Boat” with Yo-Yo Ma at Children’s Memorial Hospital, part of her work with the Citizen Musician Initiative. Through her work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sarah has “beguilingly” (Chicago Tribune) performed several solo concerts with famed Maestro Riccardo Muti at the piano. A passionate educator, Sarah holds a teaching position at Loyola University and maintains a large private studio. She also recently finished recording a 4th season of works from Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project partnered with the CSO, assisting young mothers to create original lullabies.

American tenor Hoss Brock has made numerous solo appearances with the Grant Park Music Festival. He appears regularly as a guest artist with chamber ensembles, including the Chicago Chamber Musicians and the Newberry Consort. He has performed with the Peninsula Music Festival, Music of the Baroque and the Grand Rapids Symphony. A member of the Lyric Opera chorus, Hoss made his Lyric Opera solo debut as Ike Skidmore in Oklahoma! and sang the role of Spanish Ambassador in the world premiere of Lopez’s Bel Canto, broadcast on PBS Great Performances. He also performs frequently as a soloist with Grace Lutheran Church: Bach Cantata Vespers.

Bass Dan Richardson, known for his “clean, clear, declarative” tone, recently covered the role of Jim Crowley in An American Dream with Lyric Unlimited (Lyric Opera of Chicago). In addition to Lyric Opera, he has sung with Florentine Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Sarasota Opera, among others. As a concert soloist Dan has performed with the Bach institute at Valparaiso University, Southern Illinois University, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Virginia Consort, the Milwaukee Ballet, Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Grant Park Chorus. Mr. Richardson lives in Mount Prospect with his wife, Diana, and their two sons. He enjoys working as a realtor and endlessly worrying about his vegetable garden.

ANNA CLYNE (b. 1980)

SOUND AND FURY (2019)

Scored for: pairs of woodwinds, horns, trumpets, percussion and strings Performance time: 15 minutes

First Grant Park Orchestra performance

London-born composer Anna Clyne has garnered a reputation for introducing modern sounds into the choral landscape. Clyne is no stranger to Chicago, having served as composer-in-residence to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Riccardo Muti. She is a “composer of uncommon gifts and unusual methods,” according to a New York Times profile. Called “fearless” by National Public Radio, Clyne includes a variety of mediums, including dance, visuals, collaborations with filmmakers and musicians. The inclusion of her symphonic work Sound and Fury on this concert alongside the Beethoven Symphony No. 1 is a natural fit, considering she composed a trilogy of her own works inspired by the music of Beethoven. In 2020 she premiered all three to mark Beethoven’s 250th anniversary: Stride for string orchestra, based on Beethoven’s Sonata Pathétique, Breathing Statues for solo cello and Shorthand for string quintet. Of Sound and Fury, the composer stated “My intention with Sound and Fury is to take the listener on a journey that is both invigorating—with ferocious string gestures that are flung around the orchestra—and reflective—with haunting melodies that emerge and recede.”

Clyne further draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s famous Macbeth soliloquy, as well as themes from Haydn’s 60th Symphony, Il distrato. Using a rich complement of strings, winds, percussion and electronic resources, the piece marries the traditional colors of the orchestra with the contemporary. Just as the title implies, the work opens with an explosion of activity. The strings mark the mood with a sense of urgency as the sections of the orchestra fill in the depth of the excitement. Intermittently, lyrical melodies emerge over the repeated themes of the percussion, bringing the energetic piece to its close.

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