Rossini: Petite messe solennelle
Program
| Petite messe solennelle | Gioachino Rossini |
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Carley DeFranco, soprano Julia Cavallaro, mezzo-soprano Jonas Budris, tenor Junhan Choi, bass |
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Guest Artists
Soprano Carley DeFranco brings emotional clarity and vocal nuance to repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to 21st-century opera. Recent performances include the titular role in Theodora (Bach Charlotte), Anna/Dido in the east-coast premiere of Dido’s Ghost (Emmanuel Music), Venus in The Loves of Mars and Venus (Henry Purcell Society of Boston) and Hanna in Die Jahreszeiten (Chorus Pro Musica). A former Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Fellow with Emmanuel Music, Carley has sung over 100 Bach cantatas in their weekly series and has been a soloist and chorister in most of their recent productions. Her concert engagements include solo and choral appointments with symphonies, choruses, and chamber music groups throughout the United States, including Oregon Bach Festival, Handel and Haydn Society and Ensemble Altera. She is a frequent guest with Silentwoods Collective, Sarasa Ensemble and Musicians of the Old Post Road. Carley is the founder of DeFranco Music LLC, which partners with local schools to offer music lessons, and a Voice Instructor in Harvard University’s Holden Voice Program. www.carleydefranco.com
Julia Soojin Cavallaro, mezzo-soprano, is an accomplished soloist, choral artist, and composer specializing in early music, oratorio, and contemporary repertoire. Critics have praised her “warm mezzo, perfect diction, and easy phrasing” (New York Classical Review) and “round, chocolaty tone” (Boston Classical Review). She sings with professional ensembles in New England and beyond, including the Bach Project, Boston Baroque, Emmanuel Music, Ensemble Altera, Handel and Haydn Society, Seven Times Salt, Skylark Vocal Ensemble, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, and Upper Valley Baroque. Upcoming solo appearances include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Harvard Choruses and Bach’s Magnificat with the Jameson Singers. Julia holds degrees from Harvard College (AB in Music), Boston University (MusM in Voice), and Tufts University (MA in Composition). Her music has been premiered at Tufts and in Vancouver, BC as part of Art Song Lab. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, Dan, and orange tabby, Ginger. www.juliacavallaro.com
Tenor Jonas Budris is a versatile soloist and ensemble musician, praised for his "dynamic and sweet-sounding tenor voice" (Boston Classical Review). He is featured in the critically acclaimed recordings of Cut Circle, Blue Heron, Skylark Vocal Ensemble, and Boston Baroque. In concert, Mr. Budris appears frequently as a soloist and chorister with Emmanuel Music and the Handel and Haydn Society. An avid interpreter of J.S. Bach's vocal works, he was an Adams Vocal Fellow with the Carmel Bach Festival, and has sung as Evangelist with Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers, and the UMass Amherst Bach Festival.
On the opera stage, Mr. Budris has sung principal roles with Pegasus Early Music, Opera Boston, OperaHub, and Guerilla Opera, originating roles in Giver of Light (Adam Roberts), The Fall of the House of Usher (Felix Jarrar), and Chrononhotonthologos (Andy Vores).
Originally from Martha’s Vineyard, Mr. Budris holds a degree in Environmental Science & Engineering from Harvard University.
Baritone Junhan Choi is an active concert soloist and opera singer based in Boston. His recent concert highlights include Fauré's Requiem at Carnegie Hall with the New England Symphonic Ensemble, Bach's St. John Passion with Cantata Singers, and solo appearances with Boston Cecilia. Additionally, he is a frequent guest soloist with the Naples Philharmonic, performing works such as Duruflé's Requiem and Handel's Messiah.
An alumnus of the Boston Lyric Opera Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist, Choi maintains a decade-long collaboration with the company, appearing in over 15 productions as well as various company concerts. On the operatic stage, he performs actively in roles such as Belcore in L'elisir d'amore with Union Avenue Opera and the Bar Harbor Music Festival, Schaunard in La Bohème with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, and Pantheus in Les Troyens with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras.
Choi is a recipient of numerous awards, including three special prizes at the Tenor Viñas International Contest in Barcelona, and holds degrees from the New England Conservatory.