From the Orcas Choral Society
On Sunday, April 21st, Roger Sherman will conduct the Choral Society’s premiere performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem with orchestra at Orcas Center. The following weekend the chorus will be Orcas Island’s musical ambassadors while presenting the same program at Seattle’s Saint Mark’s Cathedral.
The soloists for these two special performances are established professionals with extensive experience in opera and oratorio roles. We are proud to announce that Orcas Island’s own Sharon Abreu will be the soprano soloist. Before coming to Orcas, Sharon was based in New York where she sang lead roles in several Mozart operas, including The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cosi fan tutte.
Mezzo-soprano Kathryn Weld (who will sing the alto solos) is on the voice faculty of Western Washington University and has been featured on recordings with dozens of choirs from Germany, New York and throughout the northwest, including Opus 7, Seattle Pro Musica, Seattle Chamber Singers, Cathedral Music at St. James, and Seattle Choral Company.
Seattle resident Neil Jordon was trained as a choral scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge University and was a soloist at the Queen’s 70th Birthday Celebration concert. Featured as a tenor soloist last December at the community “Lessons and Carols” service at Grace Episcopal Church on Lopez Island, Neil is also Microsoft’s chief strategist for Healthcare Provider initiatives.
Baritone Charles Robert Stephens sings a diverse repertoire including operas, oratorios, musical theatre and early music. After 20 years based in New York City with additional performances in Taipei, Mexico, South America, France and Russia, Charles currently makes his career in the Pacific Northwest, where he has become a well-known soloist.
With only one performance on Orcas, this event is certain to sell out quickly. For ticket information, call Orcas Center (360) 376-2281 or visit www.orcascenter.org. For information about the chorus, visit www.orcaschoralsociety.org.
