2024-25 SEASON
SATURDAY MARCH 29, 2025
8:00PM
Platinum Season Sponsor
Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons
Concert Sponsors:
Dennis and Marcía O’Hern
HANDEL’S ISRAEL IN EGYPT
Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church Newport Beach
Pacific Chorale
Robert Istad, artistic director & conductor
Bach Collegium San Diego
Ruben Valenzuela, artistic director & organist
ISRAEL IN EGYPT , HWV 54 (1739)
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1865-1759)
OVERTURE
PART I: The Plagues of Egypt and the Parting of the Red Sea
1. Recitative
Jason Francisco, TENOR
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph; and he set over Israel taskmasters to afflict them with burthens, and they made them serve with rigour.
(Exodus 1:8, 11, 13)
5. Air
I-Chin Betty Feinblatt, MEZZO--SOPRANO
Their land brought forth frogs, yea, even in their king’s chambers.
(Psalm 105:30)
He gave their cattle over to the pestilence; blotches and blains broke forth on man and beast.
2. Solo and Chorus
I-Chin Betty Feinblatt, MEZZO--SOPRANO
And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and their cry came up unto God. They oppressed them with burthens, and made them serve with rigour; and their cry came up unto God.
(Exodus 2:23; Exodus 1:13)
6. Chorus
(Exodus 11:9–10)
He spake the word, and there came all manner of flies and lice in all quarters. He spake; and the locusts came without number, and devoured the fruits of the ground.
(Psalm 105:31, 34, 35)
3. Recitative
Nicholas Preston, TENOR
Then sent He Moses, His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen; these shewed His signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. He turned their waters into blood.
(Psalm 105:26, 27, 29)
7. Chorus
He gave them hailstones for rain; fire mingled with the hail ran along upon the ground.
(Psalm 105:32; Exodus 9:23, 24)
4. Chorus
They loathed to drink of the river. He turned their waters into blood.
(Exodus 7:18, 19; Psalm 105:29)
8. Chorus
He sent a thick darkness over the land, even darkness which might be felt.
(Exodus 10:21)
9. Chorus
He smote all the first-born of Egypt, the chief of all their strength.
(Psalm 105:36, 37)
10. Chorus
But as for His people, He led them forth like sheep: He brought them out with silver and gold; there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
(Psalm 78:52; Psalm 105:37)
11. Chorus
Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them fell upon them.
12. Chorus
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up. He led them through the deep as through a wilderness. (Psalm 106:9)
But the waters overwhelmed their enemies, there was not one of them left.
(Psalm 106:11)
13. Chorus
And Israel saw that great work that the Lord did upon the Egyptians; and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.
(Exodus 14:31)
PART II: The Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1–8, 14–21)
14. Introitus (Chorus)
Moses and the children of Israel sung this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying: I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.
15. Duet
Chelsea Chaves and Katy Compton, SOPRANOS
The Lord is my strength and my song; He is become my salvation.
16. Chorus
He is my god, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
17. Duet
Jared Daniel Jones and Matthew Kellaway, BARITONES
The Lord is a man of war: Lord is His name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea; his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
18. Chorus
The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
19. Chorus
Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power; Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness of Thine excellency Thou hast overthrown them that rose up against Thee. Thou sentest forth Thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.
20. Chorus
And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
21. Chorus
The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on them: all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away: by the greatness of Thy arm they shall be as still as a stone; till Thy people pass over, O Lord, which Thou hast purchased.
22. Air
Stephanie Shepson, MEZZO-SOPRANO
Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established.
23. Chorus
The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.
24. Recitative
Nate Brown, TENOR
For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
25. Double Chorus
The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.
26. Recitative
Saunder Choi, TENOR
And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them: —
27. Solo and Chorus
Chelsea Chaves, SOPRANO
Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
By JOHN KOEGEL Professor of Musicology, California State University, Fullerton
George Frideric Handel’s famous English-language oratorio Israel in Egypt is one of the great Baroque choral masterpieces. Composed in October 1738, it was premiered in April 1739 as part of the composer’s new oratorio season at the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket in London. The work tells the Exodus story of the enslavement of the Israelites during their Egyptian captivity and their release from bondage under the leadership of the prophet Moses.
The libretto was likely compiled by Charles Jennens, mostly from the Old Testament books of Exodus and Psalms. Jennens was also responsible for the libretto for Handel’s Messiah, taken from both the New and Old Testaments. Israel in Egypt is unusual in that it is one of few oratorios that has no cast of individually named characters, although the chorus represents the nations of Israel and Egypt. As with other sacred oratorios, this work was not intended to be staged and no costumes or scenery were used.
Because of its then-novel nature as primarily a choral oratorio without an emphasis on solo vocal arias, the first version of Israel in Egypt was not a success at its premiere in 1739. A contemporary writer commented on this original
version thus: “it did not take, it is too solemn for common ears.” The composer quickly revised it to suit English concert-goers expectations, by adding a few arias and other material and by omitting some choruses. One reason for Handel’s ultimate success with his oratorios was that his audiences were familiar with the biblical stories set in several of his works, particularly with Messiah and Israel in Egypt. With the latter work, contemporary audiences particularly identified themselves with the Old Testament Israelites and their enemies the ancient Egyptians. They saw England as a Protestant island nation against its continental European Catholic enemy—viewing themselves as God’s chosen people.
Israel in Egypt would undergo later revisions by the composer
himself and by others over the course of its history. For example, composer and conductor Felix Mendelssohn promoted the work, as he did with J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, but from an early 19thcentury editorial and musical perspective. With the HändelGesellschaft (Handel Society) musical edition beginning in the mid-19th-century, and its successor, the even more accurate later 20th-century scholarly musical edition of all of Handel’s complete works, the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe (Halle Handel Edition), the musical score to Israel in Egypt has been stripped of inappropriate later additions to arrive at a more accurate edition for use by choruses and orchestras everywhere. It is indeed a centerpiece of the choralorchestral repertory today.
Handel’s oratorios generally fell out of fashion for a time after his death in 1759, even though he was viewed as England’s national composer. (He had become a naturalized British citizen by an act of Parliament in 1727.) However, grand music festivals featuring his choral music and other works began to be celebrated by the end of the 18th century in London and elsewhere. The Handel Commemoration of 1784, held in London’s Westminster Abbey, involved 525 performers, and it was repeated there in three following years and again in 1791, each time with more performers. Handel celebrations were later held in the Abbey in 1834 and 1838. Israel in Egypt was well represented in the numerous Handel festivals held in England (and also later in Germany), although the composer might not have recognized the mammoth 19thcentury performing practice style then prevalent. In the very earliest days of recording music, the Handel Festival of 1888 at London’s Crystal Palace even featured the wax cylinder recording made there during the festival by Thomas Edison of an excerpt from Israel in Egypt. (The cylinder survives today and can be found on YouTube.)
Before Handel began to premiere his sacred, English-
language oratorios regularly beginning in 1739 in London, he had made his public reputation primarily as an opera composer. Between 1711 and 1739 he composed 37 Italian operas, all for performance in London, and many in the opera seria (serious opera) form, which emphasized the importance of the solo aria over the other components of the form (instrumental music, vocal duets and ensembles, and vocal recitative). Most of these operas were first performed at the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket, with some being premiered at Covent Garden Theatre. For many years Handel seemed to exercise a near monopoly on the composition and performance of Italian opera in London, from which he earned a substantial profit and became a rich man.
However, by the mid-1730s, a competing opera company, the Opera of the Nobility, was established at Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre as a rival company by members of the English nobility and elite class. The aristocratic directors of this new opera company engaged Italian composer Nicola Porpora and the very famous castrato singer Farinelli for their new company. With the two opera companies competing vigorously in producing Italian opera for an English-speaking audience, it became increasingly difficult
for Handel, who was very active in producing his own works, to pay expenses and earn a profit, especially since the star Italian opera singers demanded huge salaries. This was one of the reasons for his switch to composing sacred, non-staged oratorios for the season of 1739. To further entice audiences to patronize his oratorios, Handel, a virtuoso organist, would often perform his own organ concerto movements with orchestra between the acts of his oratorios, improvising during his performances.
Handel’s Israel in Egypt presents a compendium of many of the compositional techniques of his time, from the high contrapuntal art of independent choral voice against voice, including fuguelike writing; to block chordal writing (one chord per word or syllable); elaborate melismatic vocal writing of numerous notes per syllable of text; and the use of vocal duets and recitative and aria. However, unlike in his other oratorios, especially Messiah, in this work the composer avoids the regular alternation of lengthy recitative and aria that was the highlight of Italian Baroque opera. The score to Israel in Egypt includes a highly original orchestration, and his instrumental parts musically evoke elements of the drama of the Exodus story. The substantial
use of trombones, rare in London for this genre at the time, is especially notable. However, Israel in Egypt is essentially a choral oratorio.
Mirroring the Exodus narrative, Handel musically depicts pestilence and plague with frogs, flies and lice, locusts, hailstones, and fire. A leaping repeated instrumental motif suggests jumping frogs; violins buzzing in very quick 32nd notes depict flies and lice; whirling 32ndnote violin figurations represent locusts; and hailstones and fire are painted musically through insistently repeated 8th- and 16note patterns.
Handel uses expressive dissonance and changes in tonal center to color and reflect the text at important moments. For example, quickly changing harmonic centers in the short, 37-measure chorus “He sent a thick darkness over the land” (Exodus, 10:21) move through implied key signatures with six flats to five sharps—a far harmonic distance—suggesting the mystery of the darkness that God called forth on the land.
Very important among its other principal musical attributes, Handel’s choral masterpiece Israel in Egypt demonstrates his wonderful ability to represent most sensitively the meaning
IF YOU ENJOYED
of the biblical words he sets through musical means. According to the late American musicologist Howard Smither, the leading expert on the oratorio, “Handel seems always to have been acutely aware of the expressive possibilities of the words in his choruses, and his text settings abound in striking effects of word-painting and symbolism. In no other oratorio, however, did he employ as much outright pictorialism as in Israel in Egypt.”
JOIN US FOR OUR 2024-25 SEASON FINALE!
AT THE RENÉE AND HENRY SEGERSTROM CONCERT HALL, COSTA MESA
MOZART’S REQUIEM
SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2025 AT 8:00PM
ROBERT ISTAD, CONDUCTOR | PACIFIC CHORALE | PACIFIC SYMPHONY
Witness the timeless beauty of Mozart’s
Requiem, elevated to new heights with a captivating world premiere commission by Pacific Symphony’s composer-in-residence, Viet Cuong, in honor of Carl St.Clair’s 35th season.
is a proud Resident Company of Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Nänie, Op. 82
JOHANNES BRAHMS
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VIET CUONG Into the Light
JAKE RUNESTAD
Requiem, K.626
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Poulenc & Hagen
OCTOBER 25, 2025
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DECEMBER 21 & 22, 2025
A Serenade to Music
Conducted by Artistic Director
Emeritus John Alexander
MAY 23, 2026
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DECEMBER 6 & 10, 2025
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MARCH 21, 2026
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ROBERT ISTAD
PHILLIP N. AND MARY A. LYONS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CHAIR
ROBERT ISTAD, a Grammy Award-winning conductor who “fashions fluent and sumptuous readings” (Voice of OC) with his “phenomenal” artistry (Los Angeles Times), was appointed Pacific Chorale’s Artistic Director in 2017. Under his leadership, the chorus continues to expand its reputation for excellence for delivering fresh, thought-provoking interpretations of beloved masterworks, rarely performed gems and newly commissioned pieces. In July 2023, he led Pacific Chorale’s first international tour in seven years, conducting performances at leading venues in Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. His
artistic impact can be heard on two recent recordings featuring Pacific Chorale, including the 2022 Grammy Award-winning “Mahler’s Eighth Symphony” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel on Deutsche Grammophon (2021), for which he prepared the chorus. It won Best Choral Performance and also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album, Classical. Additionally, Istad conducted the Pacific Chorale’s recording “All Things Common: The Music of Tarik O’Regan” released on Yarlung Records (2020). He regularly conducts and collaborates with Pacific Symphony, Berkshire Choral International, and Yarlung Records. His extensive credits also include recording for Sony Classical and guest conducting Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Bach Collegium San Diego, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, Bath Philharmonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Tesserae Baroque, and Freies Landesorchester Bayern. Istad has prepared choruses for such renowned conductors as Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Williams, John Mauceri, Keith Lockhart, Nicholas McGegan, Vasilly Sinaisky, Sir Andrew Davis, Bramwell Tovey, Carl St.Clair, Eugene Kohn, Giancarlo Guerrero, Marin Alsop, George Fenton, and Robert Moody. An esteemed educator, Istad is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at California State University, Fullerton, where he was recognized as CSUF’s 2016 Outstanding Professor of the Year. He conducts the University Singers and manages a large graduate conducting program, in addition to teaching courses on conducting and performance practice. Istad, who is on the Executive Board of Directors of Chorus America and serves as Dean of Chorus America’s Conducting Academy, is in demand as guest conductor, lecturer, and clinician.
PACIFIC CHORALE
The Grammy Award-winning PACIFIC CHORALE, an Orange County “treasure” with a “fresh viewpoint” that “can sing anything you put in front of it with polish, poise and tonal splendor” (Orange County Register), has “risen to national prominence” (Los Angeles Times) since its inception in 1968. Hailed for delivering “thrilling entertainment” (Voice of OC), the resident choir at Segerstrom Center for the Arts is noted for its artistic innovation and commitment to expanding the choral repertoire. It has given world, U.S., and West Coast premieres of more than 40 works, including numerous commissions, by such lauded composers as John Adams, Jake Heggie, James Hopkins, David Lang, Morten Lauridsen, Tarik O’Regan, Karen Thomas, Frank Ticheli, András Gábor Virágh, and Eric Whitacre. In addition to presenting its own concert series each season, Pacific Chorale, led by Artistic Director Robert Istad, enjoys a long-standing partnership with Pacific Symphony, with which the choir made its highly anticipated Carnegie
Hall debut in 2018. The chorus also regularly appears with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with which it won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for its contribution to the live recording of “Mahler: Symphony No. 8, ‘Symphony of A Thousand,’” conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, featuring Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, National Children’s Chorus and Pacific Chorale. The choir has performed with such leading orchestras as the Boston Symphony, National Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and Musica Angelica, among others. In addition to receiving national accolades, Pacific Chorale has garnered tremendous international acclaim. In July 2023, the chorus completed its first international tour in seven years with appearances in Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom in collaboration with Bath Philharmonia, Free State Orchestra of Bavaria, and Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra. Previous tours have taken the choir to 19 countries in Europe, South America, and Asia, including engagements with the London Symphony, Munich Symphony, L’Orchestre Lamoureux and L’Orchestre de St-Louis-en-l’Île of Paris, National Orchestra of Belgium, China National Symphony, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Estonian National Symphony, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Argentina, among others. Deeply committed to making choral music accessible to everyone, the organization has a discography of 14 self-produced recordings and an extensive collection of free digital offerings. Among other artistic highlights, Pacific Chorale’s “The Wayfaring Project,” an original concert film conceived and conducted by Istad and produced during the pandemic, was streamed to audiences around the globe on pbssocal.org, kcet.org and the PBS app. Pacific Chorale also places significant emphasis on choral music education, providing after-school vocal programs for elementary school students, a choral summer camp for high school students, and an annual community-wide singing event at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. pacificchorale.org
PACIFIC CHORALE
Robert Istad, phillip n. and mary a. lyons artistic director chair
John Alexander, artistic director emeritus
Kibsaim Escárcega, assistant conductor ron rudderow legacy chair
SOPRANO
Rebecca Hasquet, section leader
Alexandria Burdick
Chelsea Chaves 10
Katy Compton
Maria Cristina Navarro 25
Joslyn Sarshad 10
TENOR
Nicholas Preston, section leader roger w johnson memorial chair
Nate Brown
Saunder Choi
Jason Francisco
Alan Garcia
Sammy Salvador, ron gray legacy chair
ALTO
Jane Hyun-Jung Shim, section leader
Emily Border
Denean R. Dyson
I-Chin Betty Feinblatt
Laurel Sanders 10
Stephanie Shepson
BASS
Ryan Thomas Antal, section leader ron gray legacy chair
Michael Fagerstedt
Jared Daniel Jones
Matthew Kellaway
Jason Pano
Raphael Poon
Artist Bios
BACH COLLEGIUM
SAN DIEGO
RUBEN VALENZUELA, artistic director chair
VIOLIN 1
Janet Strauss, concertmaster
Anna Washburn
Amy Wang
Heesun Choi
VIOLIN 2
Aaron Westman
Ashley Salinas
Adriana Zoppo
VIOLA
Andrew Waid
Andrew Justice
CELLO
Alex Greenbaum
Alexa Haynes-Pilon
BASS
Shanon Zusman
HARPSICHORD/ ORGAN CONTINUO
Ruben Valenzuela
FLUTE
Stephen Schultz
Christopher Matthews
OBOE
Stephen Hammer
Lot Demeyer
BASSOON
Leah Kohn
Jonathan Stehney
TRUMPETS
Melissa Rodgers
Marty Fenton Frear
TROMBONES
Brad Close
Spencer Schaffer
Noah Gladstone
TIMPANI
Damion Frigillana
BACH COLLEGIUM SAN DIEGO (BCSD) was founded in 2003 by Artistic Director Ruben Valenzuela to bring dynamic historically informed performances to the greater San Diego area. Over the last twenty seasons the ensemble has garnered international and national recognition through its exemplary talent and creative programming. The ensemble engages many of the country’s finest vocalists and instrumentalists, making it one of the premier early music ensembles in the United States. Recently, the ensemble has gained national attention through its El Mesías: Messiah for a New World project which yielded an original complete Spanish libretto of Handel’s iconic oratorio, which included a performance at Centro Cultural, Tijuana.
RUBEN VALENZUELA is the Founder and Artistic Director of Bach Collegium San Diego (BCSD). As a conductor, keyboardist, and musicologist, he has led BCSD in notable performances of music of the Renaissance, early and high Baroque, early Classical period, as well as music of the twentieth century. Valenzuela’s performances have been described as ‘dramatic’ and ‘vibrant’ and ‘able to unlock the true power of Baroque music’ (SanDiegoStory.com). Under Valenzuela’s leadership, BCSD has achieved international acclaim through virtuosic performances of iconic repertoire, in addition to lesser-known works.
With BCSD he has toured to the Festival Internacional del Órgano Barroco in Mexico City and Zamora, Michoacán, and to the Festival Internacional de Música
Renacentista y Barroca Misiones de Chiquito in Bolivia. In addition to his work with BCSD, Valenzuela is regularly called upon as a guest director and keyboardist. Notable guest engagements include Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity, New York City, Marsh Chapel Choir and Collegium at Boston University, Bach at Emmanuel Church, Boston, Juilliard415 at Lincoln Center, New York City, and the Washington Bach Consort. Upcoming invitations include Westminster Choir College with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Seraphic Fire, Handel+Haydn Society, and BachFest, Leipzig.
As a musicologist Valenzuela has undertaken research at the Centro Nacional de Investigación, Documentación e Información Musical, Carlos Chavez (CENEDIM, Mexico City), and at the Archivo del Cabildo of Mexico City Cathedral. In 2016, he presented a paper titled: Mexican Religious Iconography (Angels musicians and the Basso Continuo in Mexico City Cathedral) for the inaugural Historical Performance Institute of the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. Valenzuela’s musical interests are wide ranging to include the life and music of Anglo-Canadian composer Healey Willan, which led to the creation of the year-long Willan West 2018 festival. Additionally, Valenzuela maintains a lifelong interest in Jamaican popular music of the late ‘50s and 1960s, and in particular Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, and early Reggae.
Valenzuela holds a PhD in Musicology from Claremont Graduate University and is also the Director of Music & Organist of All Souls’ Episcopal Church, San Diego.
17th ANNUAL CHORAL FESTIVAL
Robert Istad CONDUCTOR
Jung-A Lee ORGAN
Pacific Chorale’s Festival Chorus
FESTIVAL CHOIR PARTICIPANTS
AUGUST 15–17, 2025 FREE COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa CONCERT SPONSORS: Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons PLATINUM
AUGUST 17, 2025 AT 5PM
Selections from Bernsteinʼs Mass Adolphus Hailstork IWillLiftUpMineEyes
WeShallWalkThroughtheValley (arr. Undine Smith Moore)
This festival joins hundreds of community members with the voices of the GRAMMY ® Award-winning Pacific Chorale! Experience one of the country’s foremost music venues at no cost. Festival choir participation registration opens May 1st, and free concert tickets are available starting July 1, 2025.
A LASTING LEGACY: RON RUDDEROW’S GIFT TO PACIFIC CHORALE
Pacific Chorale is honored to announce the
RON RUDDEROW LEGACY FUND
A generous estate gift from the late Ron Rudderow—a cherished bass singer in our chorus for 20 years and a dedicated supporter of our mission. His remarkable contribution, one of the largest in our history, will strengthen our artistic and educational programs for years to come.
THIS TRANSFORMATIVE GIFT WILL:
• Endow the Assistant Conductor Chair, ensuring sustained artistic leadership.
• Fund the creation of a major new choral-orchestral work, premiering in October 2025.
• Support this season’s recordings and expand leadership roles, helping us share choral music with an even broader audience.
Ron’s legacy reminds us of the profound impact that philanthropy has on the arts. We are deeply grateful for his generosity, which will continue to inspire audiences and musicians alike.
Scan to read the full press release
Natalie Oswald: How does supporting the Endowment align with your values?
Jim McBride: We support the groups in Orange County that have given us the most, and for us that has been Pacific Chorale. Supporting the Endowment ensures longevity and allows us former members of the choir to give back in a meaningful way. Rather than make one lump-sum contribution, Karen and I have chosen to give to the Endowment Fund in increments over a period of five years.
A CHORUS ACROSS GENERATIONS:
THE MCBRIDES’ COMMITMENT TO PACIFIC CHORALE’S ENDOWMENT
By Natalie Oswald, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
For Jim and Karen McBride, choral music has always been a passion. Jim first sat in on Pacific Chorale rehearsals in the early ’70s and soon found himself on the roster in the bass section. By the late ’70s Karen had also joined the Chorale. Together they built a lifetime of memories — including touring with their daughter Jennifer (also a Chorale member) to Germany, Austria, Hungary, China, and Eastern Europe where they cemented several lifetime friendships with people they met on tour. Now, Jim and Karen are dedicated to ensuring the future of Pacific Chorale for the next generation by supporting its Endowment Fund.
Natalie: Do you still contribute annually to the Chorale, in addition to your Endowment gift?
Jim: Absolutely. We’ve given annually for years and began supporting the Endowment once we were financially able. If you give a dollar to the annual fund, your generosity lasts a year. If you give it to the Endowment, it lasts forever.
Natalie: What would you say to those considering a gift to the Endowment?
Jim: Giving to the Endowment is more than a donation — it’s an investment in the future of Pacific Chorale. If the music you hear tonight reaches into your soul, making an Endowment gift in addition to your annual gift is a powerful and lasting commitment to the continued growth and preservation of the choral art form in Orange County.
JOIN US IN SECURING PACIFIC CHORALE’S FUTURE
To learn more about making an Endowment gift, contact Natalie Oswald at (714) 662-2345 x227 or noswald@pacificchorale.org.
PACIFIC CHORALE DONORS
Pacific Chorale gratefully acknowledges the following donors for their generous contributions since January 2024. These contributions enable Pacific Chorale to continue serving the community with performances of the highest artistic quality, and providing exceptional educational programs designed to continue the tradition of choral artistry in Orange County.
GIFTS OF DISTINCTION
We gratefully acknowledge the following donors, whose total gifts are in excess of $1 million, for their exceptional generosity and commitment to the success of the nationally recognized Pacific Chorale.
William J. Gillespie* Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons Lenora Meister
$100,000 AND ABOVE
Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons
Lenora Meister and Salt-Away Products, Inc.
Ron Rudderow*
Vina Williams* and Tom Slattery
$25,000 TO $99,999
Karl and Marilyn Forsstrom
Hans and Valerie Imhof
John and Lori Loftus
Trish O’Donnell
Charles and Ling Zhang
$10,000 TO $24,999
Janice Johnson
Jan Landstrom
James and Karen McBride
Haydee Mollura
Kenneth and Carla Neeld
Dennis and Marcía O’Hern
Thomas and Bonnie Pridonoff
Loraine Reed
$5,000 TO $9,999
Mike Andrews
Brian D. Bates, CPA
Mary Ester Blakley
John and Marcia Cashion
Kathryn Gibson
Mark and Donna Hoover
Mei Yen Huang Chang
Chris and Susan Lindley
Kit Newman and Jerry Moulton
Pat and Craig Newton
Deborah Pasarow
Stéphane Quinn
$2,500 TO $4,999
Tom and Anne Henley
Richard McNeil
David and Darrellyn Melilli
Richard Messenger
Dr. Irvin and Mr. Michael Navarrete-Carroll
Kirsten and Craig Springer
Fram and Julie Virjee
Jun Yao and Barbara Wang
$1,000 TO $2,499
Brien Amspoker and Ellen Breitman
Chris and Susan Anderson
David L. Bates
Kenneth and Margaret Blair
Dennis and Stephanie Blanchard
Michael and Valerie Cantwell
Terry and Phyllis Clark
Michael and Cheryl Del Campo
Rhett M. Del Campo and Elena Madrigal Hall
Peter Foley
Margaret Gates
Song Guo
Maria Hall-Brown
Diana Hensley
Lynne and Mike Istad
Drew and Katherine Jacobs
Mike and Susan Jacobs
Eileen Jeanette
Norm and Sandy Johnson
Barbara Kingsbury
Jonathan Krauss
John Lundsten
Nancy Lyons
Dr. Goran S. Matijasevic
John and Elaine McClintic
Dr. John Mooney and Dr. Angela Tripoli
Mark J. Nielsen
Dr. Andrei Novac and Dr. Bonita Jaros
Gus and Leslie Ordonez
Joan S. Petty
Judith Posnikoff
George H. Reiss
Casey and Naomi Reitz
P. A. Sefton
Carol Smith
Carl and Susan St.Clair
Diane Stovall
Dr. Deborah Then and Prof. George Foster
Peter and Martha Wetzel
Amanda and Andrew Whiting
Karen Zfaty
$100 TO $999
Jay Aber
Dennis Aigner and Camille Bertolet
Mark Aldrich and Doug Deimeke
Tom Anderson
Deborah and Jim Babcock
Steve and Jennifer Baker
Raymond and Lois Helm Beeman
Carl and Regina Blankenhorn
Andrew and Michelle Brouwer
John and Kay Brown
Julie Bussell
Art and Donna Carter
Joe and Barbara Chamberlain
Steven and Sandra Chiang
Joseph and Julie Chien
Denise B. Chilcote
Mikki Cichocki
Ronald Clark
C. Leonard Coduti
Paige Cotcamp
Lee Daigle
Matt and Chris Darling
Charles and Darlette Dexter
John Paul Drayer
Lucy Dunn
Denean R. Dyson
Robert and Elaine Elliott
Judi Elterman
Howard and Janet Emery
Dr. Robert and Christine Emmons
David and Jacline Evered
Harvey and Sharon Fair
Rosemary P. Fennell
DeAnn Forbes
John Forsyte and Michele Moe-Forsyte
Carla Fuchs
Alan Garcia
Larry Gates
Carol Gentry
Nancy Gerhard
Rhona Gewelber
James and Sharon Givens
Randall Goldberg
William and Alison Gregg
Edward Gutierrez
Peter Hahn
William D. and Bonnie Brittain Hall
Michael and Janet Hards
John R. Hargreaves Sr.
Carol and William Hatton
Catherine Henley-Erickson
Ed and Mary Louise Hlavac
Daniel and Elizabeth Hoffmann
Wendy Isbell
Robert Istad and David Navarro
Dr. Mark Chapin Johnson
Kellee King
Craig and Deborah Kistler
James and Lidia Klingler
Nels and Andrea Klyver
Drs. John and Patricia Lamb
Dr. Jung-A Lee
Canyon and Susan Lew
Yi Lin
Patricia Liu
Jim and Claudia Looney
Suzi Lyons
Amira Mansour
Dale and Sally Marquis
Deb Matsumoto
James and Becky McGaugh
Dr. John and Deborah Middlebrooks
Herbert and Joyce Miller
Richard Moore
Ann and Steve Morris
Douglas and Kimberly Nason
Alexander Nelson
Wayne Norman
Charles Oh and Hye Lee
Dorothy A. Peralta
Sandy Possehl
Dorcas Preston
Dr. Kathleen and Nicholas Preston
Frank and Dana Ramos
Karyn Rashoff
Ryan Ratcliff
Jerome and Mary Reinhart
Thomas Ringland
Kathryn Ryan
Kumiko Sakai
Matthew Samia
Dr. and Mrs. James G. Schulze
William Shelly
Howard Shen
Stan Sholik and Linda Wells Sholik
Wendy Sobeski
Grayson Stamps
Dr. Robert M. Stroup
Peter and Mary Tennyson
Matthew and Sarah Thompson
Frank and Shari Ticheli
Joseph and Kathryn Tillotson
Gary and Marjie Toops
Daniel R. Tremblay and Linda L. Kirchner
Tom Unvert
Beth Varney
Ernest and Diane Velarde
Matthew and Terri Wedell
Celeste Wells
Dr. Stanley White
Gregory Woll and Kathryn Cobb-Woll
Susie Xie
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Zevnik
Greg Zwetow
GOVERNMENT, CORPORATE & FOUNDATION SUPPORT
$25,000 AND ABOVE
The Capital Group
Salt-Away Products, Inc
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
$10,000 TO $24,999
Irvine Barclay Theatre
National Endowment for the Arts
Pacific Life Foundation
$5,000 TO $9,999
Farmers & Merchants Bank
Lon V. Smith Foundation
Newport Beach
Cultural Arts Commission
The Renee Jeffrey O’Hern Foundation
$1,000 TO $4,999
American Feel Young Chorus
Cal State Fullerton College of the Arts
City of Costa Mesa
Colburn Foundation
$100 TO $999
Marathon Petroleum Company
Robert & Doreen Marshall Fund for Dramatic Arts and Classical Music
ENDOWMENT FUND
Contributions to Pacific Chorale’s Endowment Fund are invested in perpetuity. The interest generated from the Endowment helps to provide the Chorale with long-term financial stability. The Chorale is delighted to acknowledge its generous Endowment Fund donors. We are deeply grateful to them for their belief and investment in the organization’s future.
COMMITMENTS OF $1,000,000+
William J. Gillespie*
Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons, Artistic Director Chair
COMMITMENTS OF $100,000 & UP
Ron Gray*
James and Karen McBride
Ron Rudderow*
Vina and Barry Williams*
COMMITMENTS OF $50,000 & UP
Mike Andrews
Janice Johnson in memory of Roger W. Johnson
John* and Jan Landstrom
John* and Elizabeth Stahr
COMMITMENTS OF $25,000 & UP
Marilyn and Tom Nielsen
George H. Reiss
COMMITMENTS OF $10,000 & UP
Wells Fargo Bank
Greg and MarJane* Christofferson
Dr. Edward and Mrs. Helen Shanbrom* in memory of David Lee Shanbrom
COMMITMENTS OF $5,000 & UP
Anne B. Nutt
COMMITMENTS OF $1,000 & UP
Anonymous
Michael Carroll
Dr. James* and Yuko Kawai Dunning
Margaret Gates
Michael and Eleanor Gordon
Dennis V. Menke
Richard Messenger
Richard McNeil
Jeanette Moon
Donna Morse
Carl and Susan St.Clair in celebration of Cole Carsan St.Clair
LEGACY SOCIETY
The Legacy Society recognizes and honors those who have included Pacific Chorale as part of their estate planning. Pacific Chorale gratefully acknowledges the following benefactors for their visionary support, ensuring the preservation of quality choral music and education.
Anonymous
Mark E. Aldrich
John Alexander
Robert D. Breton
Percy Brotherton*
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Campbell
Phyllis and Terry Clark
Warren Coy
Denean R. Dyson
Jacline R. Evered
Roger and Geri Gibb*
Gary Good and Jacqueline Charnley
Ron Gray*
George W. Haas*
George Hatchard*
William and Carol Hatton
Tom and Anne Henley
Mark and Donna Hoover
Dennis L. Houser
Michael and Susan Jacobs
Bonita Jaros and Andrei Novac
Janice Johnson
Barbara Kingsbury
Craig and Deborah Kistler
John* and Jan Landstrom
Randi W. Larsen
Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons
Karen M. and James S. McBride
Richard Messenger
Jeanette Moon
Thomas C. Moore Trust*
Ann and Steve Morris
Betsy* and Jerry Moulton
Carla and Kenneth Neeld
Patricia Newton
Trish O’Donnell
Elizabeth Pearson
Sandy and Val Policky
Thomas A. and Bonnie J. Pridonoff
Loraine Reed
George H. I. Reiss
Ron Rudderow*
Peggy Schmid
Jane Shepherd
Kirsten and Craig Springer
Susan Van Wig
Martha and Peter Wetzel
Vina Williams*
* deceased
If you have already remembered Pacific Chorale in your estate plan, or are interested in doing so, please contact us at (714) 662-2345. All inquiries will be strictly confidential.
IN-KIND GIFTS
Pacific Chorale wishes to thank the following business and individuals for their generous in-kind donations of goods and services over the last year.
Catalina Flyer
Coast Pharmacy
Shari Cole
DAOU Winery
Hi-Time Wine Cellars
Hope Family Wines
Barbara Kingsbury
Jan Landstrom
Randi Larsen
Carla and Kenneth Neeld
Pat Newton
Pacific Symphony
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Julie Virjee
Very special care has been given to the preparation of donor listings. This list is current as of March 1, 2025. We deeply regret any errors and omissions, and appreciate your phone call to Pacific Chorale at (714) 662-2345 or email to ContactUs@PacificChorale.org with needed corrections.
Thank you for your support of Pacific Chorale.
LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP
PACIFIC CHORALE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Craig Springer Board chair
Executive Committee
Rhett M. Del Campo president & ceo
Amanda Whiting Vice chair
Susan Lindley secretary
Brian D. Bates, CPA treasurer
Mary A. Lyons
Thomas A. Pridonoff immediate past chair
Jennifer M. Baker
David Bunker
Maria Hall-Brown
Christopher Lindley
Rick McNeil
Samuel Nordrum
Marcía O’Hern
Stephane Quinn
Ryan Ratcliff
artists’ council representatiVe
Michael Vantrease
Julie Virjee
Li Hong Wang
Distinguished Emeritus Directors
Mary A. Lyons, chair emeritus
Michael J. Carroll
Stanley Cochran
Bonnie Brittain Hall
Janice M. Johnson
Karen Johnson
Jan Landstrom
Marcus Lussier
Thomas H. Nielsen
Anne B. Nutt
George Reiss
Elizabeth D. Stahr
PACIFIC CHORALE PERSONNEL
Rhett M. Del Campo president & ceo
Robert Istad artistic director & conductor
John Alexander artistic director emeritus
Administration
Alex Nelson
Vice president, artistic production & operations
Ryan McSweeney director of patron serVices
Natalie Hunter director of marKeting
Natalie Oswald associate director of deVelopment
Rose Taylor education program manager
Amy Henderson finance & administration manager
Molly Buzick Pontin, DMA grants manager
Josiah Sanchez house manager
Artistic Staff
Kibsaim Escárcega assistant conductor
David Clemensen, DMA collaBoratiVe pianist
Rebecca Hasquet soprano section leader
Jane Hyun-Jung Shim alto section leader
Nicholas Preston tenor section leader
Ryan Thomas Antal
Bass section leader
Ryan Koo
teaching artist
Grace Park
teaching artist
Robert Brader
teaching artist
Tomas Kaco
academy accompanist
Volunteer Administration
Barbara Kingsbury historian
Ryan Ratcliff artists’ council president Consultants & Support
www.Pacifi cChorale.org
MISSION STATEMENT
We inspire our community through artistry and innovation in choral music performances and education programs.
PACIFIC CHORALE
3303 Harbor Blvd., Suite E5 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (714) 662-2345
ContactUs@PacificChorale.org
Pacific Chorale is a member of Arts Orange County and Chorus America.
