Holiday Concert "A Child's Christmas in Wales"
Experience the holiday season anew each year as we
present this cherished tale with fresh sounds, guest artists, and chamber music.
Whether this story is a family tradition or a new discovery for you, Dylan Thomas’ prose consistently unveils new delights and emotions. We look forward to welcoming you this year!
Musical Prelude
Gregorian Chant ……………………………................. Hildegard Von Bingen (1098 - 1197)
Jesu rex admirabilis ………………………… Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525?-1594)
(12/23) Comfort Ye My People …………………………………. G.F. Handel (1685 - 1759)
Sarabonde from Partita in D. Minor arr for solos cello BWV 1004 ...............J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Welsh Carol…………………………… trad.
The Program
Duetto buffo di due Gatti......................Giacchino Rossini (1792 - 1868)
Arioso in G Major, from Cantata BWV 156 ............ J.S Bach
Ding dong! Merrily on high (16th-century French melody) …………… arr. Cristie Cary Miller
Now, O now I Needs Must Part …………………………………. John Dowland (1562-1622)
PDQ Bach: Gigue-o-lo, from Suite No. 1 for Cello All by it's Lonesome
El Cant Dels Ocells …………………………………………………. Pablo Casals (1876 - 1973)
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing …………………………………..adapt. William H. Cummings
Snow Peace Calms Us ………………………………………………….. Jody Redhage Ferber
Good King Wenceslas …………………………………....tune: Tempus Adest Floridum, 1582
Cherry Ripe …………………………………………………. C.E Horn (1786-1849)
Drake’s Drum, Op. 91, No 1 …………………………...Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Carol of the drum ……………………………………………………………….(1892 - 1980)
Silent Night ……………………………………………...….Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863)
Experience the holiday season anew each year as we
present this cherished tale with fresh sounds, guest artists, and chamber music.
Whether this story is a family tradition or a new discovery for you, Dylan Thomas’ prose consistently unveils new delights and emotions. We look forward to welcoming you this year!
Musical Prelude
Gregorian Chant ……………………………................. Hildegard Von Bingen (1098 - 1197)
Jesu rex admirabilis ………………………… Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525?-1594)
(12/23) Comfort Ye My People …………………………………. G.F. Handel (1685 - 1759)
Sarabonde from Partita in D. Minor arr for solos cello BWV 1004 ...............J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Welsh Carol…………………………… trad.
The Program
Duetto buffo di due Gatti......................Giacchino Rossini (1792 - 1868)
Arioso in G Major, from Cantata BWV 156 ............ J.S Bach
Ding dong! Merrily on high (16th-century French melody) …………… arr. Cristie Cary Miller
Now, O now I Needs Must Part …………………………………. John Dowland (1562-1622)
PDQ Bach: Gigue-o-lo, from Suite No. 1 for Cello All by it's Lonesome
El Cant Dels Ocells …………………………………………………. Pablo Casals (1876 - 1973)
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing …………………………………..adapt. William H. Cummings
Snow Peace Calms Us ………………………………………………….. Jody Redhage Ferber
Good King Wenceslas …………………………………....tune: Tempus Adest Floridum, 1582
Cherry Ripe …………………………………………………. C.E Horn (1786-1849)
Drake’s Drum, Op. 91, No 1 …………………………...Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Carol of the drum ……………………………………………………………….(1892 - 1980)
Silent Night ……………………………………………...….Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863)
Artist Bios
Joan Lunoe is very pleased to be joining this amazing ensemble once again for this Dylan Thomas classic. Other work at LaMaMa E.T.C.; HERE Arts Center; New Dramatists; River Arts Repertory (Woodstock, NY); GI60 One Minute Play Festival (@Brooklyn College & Viaduct Theatre/Halifax, UK); Alice in The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady (Theatre at St. Clement’s); ensemble member in The Lehman Trilogy (National Theatre of Great Britain at the Park Avenue Armory). 24 years as an audio book narrator for The New York Public Library.
Joan Lunoe is very pleased to be joining this amazing ensemble once again for this Dylan Thomas classic. Other work at LaMaMa E.T.C.; HERE Arts Center; New Dramatists; River Arts Repertory (Woodstock, NY); GI60 One Minute Play Festival (@Brooklyn College & Viaduct Theatre/Halifax, UK); Alice in The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady (Theatre at St. Clement’s); ensemble member in The Lehman Trilogy (National Theatre of Great Britain at the Park Avenue Armory). 24 years as an audio book narrator for The New York Public Library.
Marc Molomot
Possessed of a rare high-tenor voice and a winning stage persona that comfortably embraces both comedic and dramatic roles, Marc Molomot enjoys an international career in opera and on the concert stage and was named 2020 “Artist of the Year” by Voix des Arts. Originally known for appearances with the world’s leading early music ensembles, and conductors including William Christie, John Eliot Gardiner, Nicholas McGegan, and Andrew Parrott, Mr. Molomot is now praised as “an excellent actor-singer” in repertoire of all eras. In the 2024-25 season Molomot will bring his “fine, style-appropriate voice” (WQXR) to the title role of Rameau’s Pygmalion with Kentucky Opera, a role he last performed with On Site Opera; and Davus in Keiser’s Octavia with the Boston Early Music Festival. His frequent ventures beyond the Baroque repertoire most recently include his acclaimed performance in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakenings, in which Molomot created the role of Leonard Lev. Other recent highlights include Bardolfo in Falstaff with Opera San José, his role debut as “Mime” in Wagner’s Das Rheingold in Germany, Busoni’s Turandot in the role of “Truffaldino” with Bard Music Festival, “John Adams” in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of us All at Hudson Hall (a New York Times Best Classical Music Performance of 2017), Berg’s Wozzeck with the Houston Symphony in the role of “Der Hauptmann” (the live recording of this performance was the winner of a GRAMMY Award and an ECHO Klassik Award, both for Best Opera Recording), 1st Jew in Salome at Bard Music Festival and Tulsa Opera, Francis O’Rourke in Martin Rokeach’s oratorio Bodies on the Line, which he sang with the Oakland Symphony; and Le Cochon in the world premiere of Jean-Marc Singier’s acclaimed Chat perché, which he performed at Paris’ Amphithéâtre Bastille and on a multi-city tour of France. His world premiere performance as the protagonist in Evan Ziporyn’s opera A House in Bali was considered “rapturously sung” (Wall Street Journal) and “powerful” (San Francisco Chronicle). His comedic talents have been showcased with performances as Adolphe de Valladolid in Offenbach’s Les brigands, at Opéra Toulon and Paris’s Opéra Comique, led by François-Xavier Roth, and he was featured as Le Fils in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias under the direction of Ludovic Morlot at Opéra de Lyon and in Paris at Opéra Comique. Molomot recently gave recitals of Schubert’s Winterreise and Die Schöne Müllerin at Untermeyer Gardens and Saint Andrew Music Society.
Alex Ruvinstein was born in a small Russian town above the Arctic Circle. He began his music studies at the age of five after family moved to Ukraine. Alex received his Bachelor’s degree from the Uman State College of Music and obtained his Master’s at the Gnesin Academy in Moscow. After receiving his Doctorate, Alex worked as a Professor of Piano and an accompanist for cellists and singers. He is a winner of the International Piano Competitions in Ragusa and Salerno, Italy.
After immigrating to the United States Alex made his American debut at the Union County Art
Center in New Jersey. Since then, he has been performing in various concert halls in New York, Kansas, Delaware, Connecticut, and other states. His solo and chamber music performances include recitals at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, The Greater Princeton Steinway Society, New York Library Concert Series, the United Nations Concert Hall, and the National Opera Center in New York City, among others. He was a member of the Membling Ensemble, directed by Metropolitan Opera violist Vincent Lionti. Alex works at SUNY New Paltz, Kaufman Music Center in New York City, and Temple Sinai in Stamford, CT. Alex lives with his family in Riverdale, New York.
Gary Lindemann (12/22) Sacred Heart University Theater
Gary is thrilled to be part of this production as he begins an exciting new chapter as the Executive Director of Edmond Town Hall. A proud Broadway veteran, Gary performed over 3,000 shows in The Phantom of the Opera, including the role of "Raoul." Other notable credits include Anything Goes on Broadway and National Tour, Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane (Hallmark Channel), and The Deuce (HBO). He has toured internationally with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and brought magic to audiences with Disney, performing in Finding Nemo at Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Fantasy. Gary extends heartfelt gratitude to the SHU Community Theatre team and looks forward to serving the Newtown community.
Krista River
Mezzo-soprano Krista River has appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Cape Cod Symphony, the Santa Fe Symphony, Handel & Haydn Society, the Florida Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony, Odyssey Opera, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, and Boston Baroque. Winner of the 2004 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and a 2007 Sullivan Foundation grant recipient, her opera roles include Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Sesto in La clemenza di Tito, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Anna in Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins, Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring, and the title role in Handel’s Xerxes.
Other notable performances include the International Water and Life Festival in Qinghai, China, and recitals at Jordan Hall in Boston and the Asociación Nacional de Conciertos in Panama City, Panama. For Ms. River’s New York Recital debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the New York Times praised her "shimmering voice…with the virtuosity of a violinist and the expressivity of an actress.” She resides in Boston and is a regular soloist with Emmanuel Music’s renowned Bach Cantata Series.
Jing Li
Hailed as “an outstanding instrumentalist and musician” with “exceptional musicality, integrity, and polish,” cellist Jing Li has performed around the world as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She has collaborated with such distinguished artists as Miriam Fried, Donald Weilerstein, Lawrence Wolfe, and the Borromeo String Quartet, as well as participating in internationally renowned festivals including the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts, and the Piatigorsky Seminar for Cellists. Currently based in Boston and New York City, she can be heard performing with A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), and Odyssey Opera in Boston, as well as with the New York Philharmonic and on various Broadway shows. As a dedicated teacher, she works with young musicians at Horace Mann School and Caedmon School, as well as recently being appointed Resident Cellist and Co-Artistic Director with 240 Strings, an organization providing free musical education to students unable to afford instruction.