The Lynchburg College Choral Union and Chamber Orchestra will perform Judas Maccabaeus, an oratorio by George F. Handel celebrating the feats of one of the most courageous heroes in Jewish history. The concert will be held Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Snidow Chapel. Dr. Jong Kim, professor of music and director of choral activities/graduate studies in music, will conduct.
The oratorio was composed to honor William, Duke of Cumberland, who led the British forces to victory over Charles Edward Stuart the Pretender at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The work premiered a year later at London's Covent Garden Theatre. The oratorio quickly gained popularity, ranking second only to Messiah. The work is divided into three parts that describe the Jews dejection and jubilation as their fortunes change.
Guest soloists for the performance will include tenor Christopher Swanson, Judas Maccabaeus; bass Philip Bouknight, Simon, brother of Judas; soprano Michele Orr, Israeli woman; mezzo-soprano Tara Bouknight, Israeli man. Members of the Choral Union with solo roles are Nora Moore, soprano; Estelle Elder, alto; and Matt Vickers, tenor.
Rabbi Yosef Zylberberg of the Agudath Sholom congregation will give a blessing before the concert.
Christopher Swanson has appeared as soloist in two other Choral Union concerts. A Michigan native, he is an assistant professor of music at Longwood University, where he also directs the Opera Workshop, and serves as a voice instructor for choral conducting students in Lynchburg College's Master of Music program. He has performed leading roles in such operas as The Turn of the Screw, The Rake's Progress, Die Zauberflöte, Così Fan Tutte, Robert Ward's The Crucible, and numerous operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan. Dr. Swanson has been a soloist for several Bach cantatas, Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's The Creation, Handel's Saul and Messiah, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Verdi's Requiem. He is featured on the 2000 Newport Classics release of Gilbert and Sullivan's Princess Idaas well as the first complete recording of John Eccles's opera Semele. As a recitalist, he specializes in the Baroque vocal literature, German Lieder, and the Art Songs of Benjamin Britten and has given programs across North America, as well as in Canada and Italy. Dr. Swanson holds degrees in music from Michigan State University and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a doctorate in music from Florida State University.
Philip Bouknight has sung numerous operatic roles throughout the United States and Italy including The Magic Flute, The Tender Land, The Barber of Seville, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and The Tales of Hoffman. He has appeared with Augusta Opera, Brevard Music Center, Cartersville Opera, Newberry Opera, and Opera Carolina. His oratorio performances include the world premiere of Job by Aaron Garber and the United States premiere of The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Crossby Amaral Vieira, in addition to works by Bach, Brahms, Dubois, Handel and Haydn. He has appeared on international television broadcasts of the Mozart Mass in C Major and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. He currently serves as associate pastor of Trinity Ecumenical Parish in Moneta, Va. He earned a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of South Carolina, a master's of music from Rice University, and a master's in divinity from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.
Michele Orr, a native of New York City, studied under Theodor Uppman and Beverley Peck Johnson at the Manhattan School of Music. She has appeared with the Richmond and Petersburg symphonies, as well as with the VCU Guitar Ensemble as a featured soloist. Recent performances include Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, the Benefit Concert for Catholic Charities, and the Bachianas Brasileiras Aria No. 5in the International Villa Lobos Festival. She has performed in Mozart's The Magic Flute and The Impresario, and Emory Waters' contemporary opera, The Edge of Glory. Ms. Orr is a featured soloist and member of the Adult Choir at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, where she will present a solo recital later this month with Dr. Patrick Carlin.
Tara Bouknight's operatic performances include Carmen, Hansel and Gretel, The Marriage of Figaro, The Crucible, The Barber of Seville, Gianni Schicchi, and Rigoletto. She has sung with numerous opera companies including Indianapolis Opera, Knoxville Opera, Newberry Opera, Opera North, and Opera in the Ozarks. She sang the title role of Mary in the world premiere of Mary, the Mother of Jesus by Aaron Garber and the role of narrator in the premier of Garber's Job. Other oratorio performances include the works of Handel, Mozart, Faure, Bach, Durufle, Vivaldi, and Haydn. She earned her master's of music education from Indiana University and her master's in performance from the University of Tennessee. She maintains a private voice studio in Wirtz, Va.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and are available at LC Bookstore, Givens Books, Aylor's Farm and Garden, Boonsboro GNP Pharmacy, and The Emporium (Altavista). For additional information, call 434/544-8344.