9/18/2024, Voice Faculty and Artist Affiliates with Emory Collaborative Pianists

MUSIC 2024 2025

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Cover Design: Lisa Baron | Cover Photo: Mark Teague

MUSIC Emory Voice Faculty & Artist Affiliates Bethany Mamola, soprano Maria Clark, soprano Simone Evans, mezzo-soprano Jonathan Pilkington, tenor Andre Chiang, baritone Featuring Caroline Owen, piano Patricia Dinkins-Matthews, piano Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 8:00 p.m.

Performing Arts Studio Department of Music 1804 N. Decatur Rd. Atlanta, GA 30322

2024 2025

Program Les attraits

Pauline Viardot (1821–1910) Jerry Bock (1928–2010)

She loves me from She Loves Me Andre Chiang Caroline Owen, piano Deh Vieni Non Tardar from Le Nozze di Figaro

W. A. Mozart (1756–1791) Bethany Mamola

Voi che sapete from Le Nozze di Figaro

Mozart Simone Evans

Una Furtiva from L’Elisir d’Amore

Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) Jonathan Pilkington

El Desidichado

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 –1921) Bethany Mamola and Simone McGaw Evans

Senza Mamma from Suor Angelica Sure on this Shining Night

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) Charles Ingram (b. 1951) Maria Clark

Scenes from Act II Mozart from Le Nozze di Figaro Andre Chiang, Maria Clark, Bethany Mamola, Simone Evans Patricia Dinkins-Matthews, piano

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Performer Biographies Soprano Bethany Grace Mamola has charmed audiences with her stage presence and warm vocal timbre. The Cleveland Plain Dealer praised her with “...the most beautiful singing, whose Carolina was as disarming in characterization as it was expressive in vocal shading.” Arts Atlanta wrote that Bethany “was that rare talent who commands not only the virtuosity of a seasoned operatic vocalist but also the stage presence and acting prowess necessary to truly embody the character she presents”, and that “Mamola was a captivating presence not only for her extraordinary dynamic range but also the graceful ease with which she commanded it.” The Cleveland Classical said she was “a delight to hear and see. Her casual, yet precise stage demeanor and astute vocal talent made for a wonderfully clear vocal interpretation that rang throughout the hall.” Bethany has been a featured soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra Festival in Colorado, the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, the Sausalito Song Society, The McKinney Philharmonic, The River Cities Symphony Orchestra, The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival and was the featured soprano soloist with the UTRGV Symphony Chorus in their 2019 performances of The Messiah. She made her professional debut with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra in their Easy To Love—A Celebration of Love Songs from Broadway Gala and returned to their stage this last spring in their Broadway a la Cart performance. In September 2021 Dr. Mamola made her directorial debut as creative director of “Try Me” at the Winspear Opera House in conjunction with ATT Performing Arts “Elevator Project” performed at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas. Bethany’s upcoming performances include an appearance with John’s Creek Symphony Orchestra in December 2024, and the Highland’s Cashiers Chamber Festival, this summer. She holds a DMA in voice from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music. Bethany is an enthusiastic educator in voice and opera performance and the Director of Vocal Studies at Emory University.

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With a voice judges described as “dazzling” and “richly expressive,” soprano Maria Clark performed on the stage of Carnegie Hall as First Prize Winner of the 2008 Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition. “One seldom finds a voice capable of such beauty across a variety of idioms,” said Cosmo Buono, executive director. “A voice this much at home in opera, lieder, and spirituals is very rare. She is truly, both artistically and vocally, a triumph.” Clark’s career has grown since 2005 when she landed a position with the Atlanta Opera and appeared with the ensemble of Atlanta Opera in its 2005 production of Carmen; participated in Atlanta Opera and Opera Comique’s 2008 collaborative production of Porgy & Bess; and toured in France, Spain, and Luxembourg performing as the Strawberry Woman.

Clark’s impressive rendition of the role earned her the cover of Bess in the Atlanta Opera’s main stage production of Porgy & Bess in 2011. In 2012, Clark was honored to make her debut with FOSBO-Fundación Orquesta Sinfónica de Bogotá Colombia, and she also performed with the Ludwig and Dekalb symphonies. In 2015, she appeared with the North Carolina Opera as Odessa Clay in Approaching Ali. In 2022, Clark performed the role of Miriam from Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses with the New England Repertory Orchestra. She also premiered the soprano solo role in Robert Hooker’s, Without Regard to Sex, Race, or Color. Also in spring 2022, Clark collaborated with composer and pianist Maria Thompson Corley, to release a CD of contemporary African American spirituals, titled Soul Sanctuary. Additionally, in summer of 2022, Clark performed on the 96Hour Opera Project produced by Atlanta Opera. In the opera, Gone with That Wind by Marcus Norris and Adamma Ibo, Clark gave a winning performance for her role as Vera. Maria again, for the second season in a row, was part of the winning team for Atlanta Opera’s 96-hour project in the summer of 2023, for her operatic role portrayal of “The Mother of Orphans”, Mrs. Cassie Steele Logan, in Dave Ragland and Selda Sahin’s, Steele Roots.

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Simone McGaw Evans, mezzo-soprano, has specialized in mostly “trouser” operatic roles and solo recitals, with the most recent performances including Mercedes in Carmen with Peach State Opera, “France Between the Wars (1918– 1938),” and a lecture-recital on the songs of George Gershwin. In spring 2022, she was a soloist with Emory University Symphony Orchestra in the performance of Mozart’s Requiem, and performed excerpts from Vivaldi’s Requiem with the choir at Georgia State - Clarkston campus.

Evans has been teaching voice at Emory as an Artist Affiliate since 2019, and has played a vital role in bringing vocal studies to the jazz program at Emory. She is also the Program Coordinator for Emory’s Department of Music. She was the Executive Director (2017–2020) of Peach State Opera, a touring opera company based in Georgia, where she spearheaded strategic planning, programmatic expansion, and lucrative fundraising.

She was a Voice Instructor at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College – Clarkston Campus (2016–2022) and is also a freelance grant writer.

Originally from Jamaica, Evans completed her Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance at Georgia State University School of Music. She holds a Master of Music and DMA from the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music (CCM) in Voice Performance with concentrations in Pedagogy and Arts Management.

Jonathan Pilkington is an Atlanta based tenor and voice teacher. In recent years as an oratorio soloist, he has performed solos in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Verdi’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus, among others. As a tenor soloist, he sang in the New York premiere of Mendelssohn’s Humboldt Cantata, as well as a performance of Elliott Carter’s The Defense of Corinth with the National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall. Pilkington was a guest soloist at the 2014 Bassi Brugnatelli International Conducting and Singing Symposium in Robbiate, Italy. Recent recital appearances have included performances 7

at regional colleges, universities, and churches, as well as in Dallas, TX, Kansas City, MO, and northern California, featuring a variety of American, English, French, German, and Italian song repertoire. As a professional chorister, Pilkington has performed many major choral works with the New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Taylor Festival Choir, and others. Pilkington has lectured on vocal pedagogy topics at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and for several regional choirs. He holds degrees from Shorter College (BM), Westminster Choir College (MM), and University of Georgia (DMA). As a dedicated voice teacher, he has participated in the highly selective NATS Intern Program, competed further training at the LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework™ at Baldwin Wallace University, as well as One Body/ One Voice at Penn State University. Pilkington currently teaches at Emory University, United Music Studios, and at his private studios in Atlanta and LaGrange, GA. He is a staff singer at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.

As a multi-passionate entrepreneur, he also works as a Travel Advisor. For more information, please visit www.jonathanpilkington.net or www. pilkingtontravels.com.

Baritone André Chiang has been described as “vocally commanding” (Oregonian), “handsome of voice” (Opera News), and lauded with “let’s hear more from this singer” (Washington Post). Chiang’s recent engagements include Ping (Turandot) with OperaDelaware, Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi) with Opera Mississippi, Marcello (La bohème) and Artist Martinez/Ecce Homo (Behold the Man - world premiere) with Opera Las Vegas, and Escamillo (Carmen) with Opera Western Reserve. Previous highlights include Young Galileo/Salviati (Galileo Galilei), for which he was commercially recorded, and Ford (Falstaff) with Portland Opera; Anthony Hope (Sweeney Todd) with Virginia Opera; Lancelot in the Young Artist Matinee of Camelot at the Glimmerglass Festival; Dandini (La cenerentola) with Dayton Opera; and Escamillo (Carmen), with Mobile Opera. Chiang has also been seen with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Philadelphia, the Atlanta Opera, New Orleans Opera, and other opera companies Competition honors include Regional Finalist for the MONC Auditions, Winner of the 59th NFMC 2017 Biennial Young Artist Award, and Winner of the 45th NATS 8

Artist Awards Competition. Chiang’s Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall debut came as the Baritone soloist in the World Premiere of Martin Palmeri’s Gran Misa. Chiang has also been seen in concert with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, Rapides Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony, Missouri Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, and Canterbury Voices in recent seasons. Chiang is a proponent of new art song, and his debut art song album, Choice Pages: Songs by Sterrs-Howard, Thompson, Malhotra, and Tran, released in August 2024. As an educator, Chiang was a 2018 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Intern, designated a 2019 “National Center for Voice and Speech trained Vocologist”, and part of the first cohort of Pan American Vocology Association – Recognized Vocologists (PAVA-RV) in 2022. His research has been seen nationally and internationally for the National Opera Association (NOA), NATS, PAVA, and the College Music Society (CMS).

Chiang is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Emory University, an Instructor of Voice at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, and runs a private online and in-person studio teaching acoustic and amplified styles. He is also a frequent contributor to Classical Singer magazine. www. andrechiangbaritone.com

Patricia Dinkins-Matthews joined the faculty of Emory in 1998, where she is an associate professor of teaching in piano, vocal coaching, piano skills, and collaborative piano. She has been a member of the piano faculties at the University of Florida, Baylor University, the American Institute of Music Studies (Graz, Austria), and McLennan College. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dinkins-Matthews has a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Tennessee and both a master of music degree in piano performance and a doctor of musical arts degree in piano pedagogy and performance from the University of Colorado. Dinkins-Matthews is an active solo and chamber music recitalist and has performed both in the United States and Europe, including recitals in England, France, Austria, Belgium, and Germany. Among others, Dinkins-Matthews has been the pianist for the Florida Arts Trio and the American Chamber Winds, and she has appeared as soloist with the Colorado Symphony, the University of Tennessee Orchestra, and the Florida Symphony Orchestra.

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Dinkins-Matthews is the pianist for the Aevia Trio and the associate pianist for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus. She is an approved adjudicator for the National Federation of Music Clubs and the Music Teachers National Association.

A native of Atlanta, GA, pianist Caroline Owen frequently performs as a soloist and collaborator. She has played in venues across the U.S. and in Europe, including the DiMenna Center for Classical Music (New York) and the Wiener Saal and Solitär at the Mozarteum (Salzburg). Owen was the winner of the 2019 Florida MTNA Young Artist Competition, a semifinalist in the 14th International Mozart Competition Salzburg, and a semifinalist in the 2016 International Keyboard Odyssiad. She also won the 2018 Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta Competition, from which she received a scholarship to study at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Dominique Merlet and Christopher Hinterhuber. Owen has performed as soloist with the Furman University Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Orlando Contemporary Chamber Orchestra in both 2021 and 2023. She has also given performances at the American Liszt Society Conference and the Russian Consulate of Prague.

Her 2024 schedule includes solo and collaborative performances across the U.S. Owen has participated and performed at festivals including PianoFest in the Hamptons, PianoTexas, Atlantic Music Festival, and the Prague Piano Festival, and she has worked with distinguished artists and teachers such as Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Richard Goode, Ursula Oppens, and Pascal Rogé, among others. With a background in dance, Owen has a deep interest in interdisciplinary projects. She particularly enjoys combining her passions for music and dance in her ongoing collaborations with composer Badie Khaleghian. The duo’s most recent work, Electric Sky Blue (2022), has been performed in festivals across the U.S. and abroad, including the Seoul International Computer Music Festival, SEAMUS (Society of Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States), Atemporánea Festival (Argentina), Ammerman Center for Arts & Technology Biennial Symposium, and TurnUp Multimedia Festival. Since Fall 2022, Owen has also been performing on tour as a member of the Astralis Chamber Ensemble, a dynamic ensemble that aims to support the development of the arts through new compositions and to reach communities of 10

all backgrounds through music. Owen earned her Doctorate of Music degree in piano performance from Florida State University, where she studied with David Kalhous and was also an instructor of Group Piano.

Her other primary teachers have included Liza Stepanova, Derek Parsons, and Jody Smith Parrish. In addition to her work as an Artist Affiliate at Emory University, Owen is also on faculty at the University of Georgia and serves as the Co-Director of the Decatur Fine Arts Academy.

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We hope you enjoy sampling an assortment of work from our student ensembles, community youth ensembles, artists in residence, professional faculty, up-and-coming prodigies, and virtuosos from around the world. music.emory.edu