Warriors: A Breast Cancer Awareness Concert

Thursday, July 6, 2023 | 7:00 pm

First United Methodist Church of Reno

WARRIORS: A BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CONCERT

Olga Perez Flora, mezzo-soprano

Jennifer Tibben, soprano

James Flora, tenor

Eileen Brownell, cello

Aren Long, organ

Nadia BOULANGER Cantique (1909) (1887-1979) Chanson (1913)

Maurice DURUFLÉ “Pie Jesu” from Requiem (1902-1986) (1947/1961)

Jake HEGGIE Paper Wings (1997/2000) (b. 1961) Bedtime Story

Frederica von STADE Paper Wings (b. 1945) Mitten Smitten A Route to the Sky

Jean-Paul PERROTTE Sun Rises on a New Day (b. 1964) (2023, premiere) A Call to Friendship

Music for Breast MRI

Letters of Love and Encouragement

Stephen SCHWARTZ “For Good” from Wicked (b. 1948) (2003)

William BOLCOM “Amor” from Cabaret Songs (b. 1938) (1978)

PROGRAM NOTES

SUN RISES ON A NEW DAY (tbd)

MEET THE ARTISTS

OLGA PEREZ FLORA

Cuban-American mezzo-soprano

Olga Perez Flora is passionate about creating and bringing new life to roles in Hispanic and Latin American opera. Lauded by Opera News for her “smoky tones” and “firm, pleasant voice and lively poise,” she has been recognized for notable work in Spanish/English operas including Hector Armienta’s Zorro and Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida. She is also known for her sultry Carmen, which she has performed numerous times, including her debut with Amarillo Opera. Dr. Flora was featured in Michael Ching’s Completing the Picture (November 2020 release), recorded and filmed remotely during the pandemic, for Opera Company Middlebury.

Opera roles include performances with Opera Company Middlebury/A Streetcar Named Desire (Eunice), Opera Columbus/Madama Butterfly (Suzuki), Erie Chamber Orchestra/ Die Zauberflöte (Third Lady), Arizona Opera/La Cenerentola (Tisbe), Opera in the Heights/Don Giovanni (Zerlina), Opera Company Middlebury/Eugene Onegin (Olga), Northeast Symphony/La Traviata (Flora), Amhurst Orchestra/Carmen (Carmen), New Jersey Opera Theater/ Gianni Schicci (Zita), Lyric Opera

Theater/Ariadne auf Naxos (Der Komponist) Opera Festival di Roma/ Le Nozze di Figaro (Marcellina) and more.

Internationally known as a recitalist, Dr. Flora has performed several recitals with companies across the United States, Cuba, and in Italy. She has most recently created a Cuban Song Recital named Canciones de mi Isla: Songs from my Island, featuring Cuban composers, poets and collaborators that has been enthusiastically received by audiences. Last Spring, Dr. Flora travelled to Havana, Cuba to perform in two concerts with Cuban composers José María Vitier and Leo Brouwer in her first visit to her families’ homeland.

Dr. Flora holds the Doctorate in Musical Arts from The Ohio State University, the Master in Music in opera theater from Arizona State University and the Bachelor in Music in vocal performance from Northern Arizona University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of New Mexico, Artistic Co-Director at the Idyllwild Summer Arts Festival Choral Intensive, and the Artistic Director of the Gobbi Villa summer young artist program in Rome, Italy. Her professional affiliations include being an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).

JENNIFER TIBBEN

Jennifer Tibben has been the Artistic Director of Bella Voce since September 1997. She is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN, with a BA in Music and Biology; and the University of Nevada, Reno, with a MM in Vocal Performance. She serves as the director of choirs at Damonte Ranch High School, Washoe County’s Performing Arts Center. She also maintains a private voice studio and conducts the Reno Philharmonic Chorus and the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church adult choir. Jennifer is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), where she serves as the Western Division Women’s Choir Repertoire and Standards chair. She is a recipient of a Sierra Arts Foundation Artist Grant for her work as conductor of Bella Voce. Jennifer lives in Reno and has two children, daughter Grace, and son, Noah. Grace sings with Bella Voce! Jennie also has four stepsons, Daniel, Isaac, Jonathan, and Nathan.

JAMES FLORA

American tenor James

Flora, hailed for his “resonant, impeccably-trained voice and fearlessness to his singing”, has received acclaim in repertoire ranging from Verdi and Wagner to works by Carlisle Floyd and Daron Hagen where he sang Louis Sullivan from Hagen’s Shining Brow at Frank Lloyd Wright’s 20th century masterpiece: Fallingwater. James has sung with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus under Maestro Donald Palumbo in their most recent productions of Die Meistersinger von Nürenberg and Fidelio. He made his Pittsburgh Opera debut as Fenton in Falstaff, and has since returned for seven productions, including Carmen, Turandot, Lucia di Lammermoor, and most recently as 2nd Jew alongside the Salome of Patricia Racette. James has performed leading roles in opera companies across the United States, including Alfredo (La Traviata), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Don José (Carmen), appearing with companies including Washington Concert Opera, Arizona Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Company Middlebury, Opera Columbus and others. Equally at home on the symphonic stage, he has sung with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Reno Philharmonic, Erie Chamber Orchestra, and Buffalo Philharmonic,

and recently debuted with the La Voz Humana: Lenguajes Múltiples festival in Cuba with Maestro Leo Brouwer and guitar virtuoso Joaquin Clerch. James’ recent performances include a debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca with Opera Company Middlebury, where has previously been seen as Nicias (Thaïs) and Mitch (A Streetcar Named Desire). Upcoming performances include Florestan (Fidelio) with Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra in 2022.

James was a Young American Artist with Glimmerglass Opera, a Resident Artist with Pittsburgh Opera, and a Marion Roose Pullin Studio Artist with Arizona Opera where he made his operatic debut as Malcolm in Verdi’s Macbeth. In 2010, James was a Richard Tucker finalist. He holds voice degrees from The Ohio State University (B.M. in Vocal Performance, Summa cum laude) and Florida State University (M.M. in Vocal Performance).

EILEEN BROWNELL

Eileen Brownell is a cellist, educator, and administrator from Reno, Nevada. She currently performs regularly as a member of the Reno Philharmonic and Reno Chamber Orchestras. Her dedication to classical music performance has allowed her the opportunity to perform on stages across the country in large ensembles and various chamber music ensembles since the early 2000s.

Dr. Brownell took over as Artistic and Executive director of the Tahoe Chamber Music Society in 2013 and served for a decade, bringing high profile chamber musicians from across the country to Lake Tahoe to collaborate with local musicians in northern Nevada. During Dr. Brownell’s tenure, The Tahoe Chamber Music Society began providing many opportunities for the youth in northern Nevada to participate in master classes, workshops, and boot camps designed to enrich the students’ music performance abilities.

In 2019, Dr. Brownell co-founded reNEW Ensemble, Reno’s first and only nonprofit organization dedicated to the commissioning and performance of new music. Despite the pandemic, reNEW has commissioned and premiered 13 works for small chamber ensemble, 48 works for solo or duo, and 28 works by new composers. Their live performances have taken place in arboretums, libraries, art galleries, and local pubs, creating a casual and enjoyable concert experience for all participants.

Dr. Brownell is strongly devoted to interdisciplinary collaboration. She paired with Tony Berendsen and Tahoe Star Tours in 2009 to participate on a series of guided astronomy tours in and around the Lake Tahoe area. These events featured informational lectures about the constellations and various astronomers of note as well as musical offerings that included pieces that complimented the subject matter and new commissions that were written to illustrate Berendsen’s poetry. These collaborations were written up in the New York Times as a notable event to attend when visiting Tahoe and resulted in a studio recording of the works commissioned by Tahoe Star Tours.

Eileen relishes the opportunity to teach in many different settings. She maintains a private studio where she works individually with students of all ages and ability levels. She co-directed the Black Glove Cello Festival in St. George Utah every summer for 10 years, where she greatly enjoyed connecting with cellists from 9 different states in individual instruction, chamber ensemble coaching and performance, and large cello choirs. She has taught applied cello, humanities, public speaking, music appreciation, chamber music, and education psychology at various institutions including the University of Michigan, Bowling Green State University, Western Nevada College, the Flint and Ann Arbor Schools for Performing Arts, and the Steiner Schools of Ann Arbor.

EVENT SPONSORS

Western Surgical Group

Linda Smith

Our performances are possible because of the support of our sponsors. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring reNEW Music and its events, please visit our website renewmusicreno.org for more information.