The University of Lynchburg Choral Union’s tenth annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, a favorite Central Virginia holiday tradition, will be held at the former site of Thomas Road Baptist Church, 701 Thomas Road, on Friday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Jong Kim, professor of music and director of choral activities and graduate studies in music, will conduct the performance, which will feature guest soloists, Hyunah Yu soprano; Mary Keller Creswell, mezzo-soprano; John Wesley Wright, tenor; and, Wayne Kompelien, bass/baritone.
Tickets are $15 (general admission) and available at the LC Campus Store, Givens Books, Aylor’s Farm and Garden, and at the door. LC faculty, staff, and student tickets are $10 and are only available at the Campus Store. For more information, call 434.544.8344.
Hyunah Yu is a rising star in the operatic world. The soprano has enjoyed collaborations with many orchestras and ensembles, including the Bournemouth, Seattle, Baltimore, and Milwaukee Symphonies, the Rotterdam and Seoul Philharmonics, the Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Concerto Koln, Salzburg Camerata, Boston Baroque, Sejong Soloists, and Yale Cello. An American citizen, Hyunah Yu received an artist diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and holds a degree in molecular biology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a prizewinner of the Walter Naumburg International Competition, and a recipient of the coveted Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. Her debut CD on EMI, composed of Bach and Mozart arias, was released worldwide in 2007 to great critical acclaim.
Mary Creswell appears throughout the United States performing opera, oratorio, and chamber music. Her operatic roles include Dorabella, Rosina, and Carmen. Her rich mezzo sound has been heard on the concert stage with the Detroit Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, Austin Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, and regularly with orchestras at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Creswell received her early training at the University of Michigan, where she was the recipient of the Elisabeth Schwarzkopf-Walter Legge Scholarship for graduate study. The Metropolitan Opera chose her as a regional finalist, and she has been a guest performer in New York City’s Avery Fisher Hall. Creswell served on the faculty of the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp for twenty seasons. She is now associate professor of music at Iowa State University where she teaches voice and directs opera. Her students have been finalists in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and are heard on Broadway stages and in opera houses throughout the country and Europe.
John Wesley Wright is known for his interpretations of music from baroque to Broadway. He has performed a nationally televised concert for the Belgian Royal Family and toured as a soloist and in professional ensembles throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Wright is gold medalist and $10,000 top prizewinner of the Savannah Music Festival American Traditions Vocal Competition 2000 and has claimed top prizes from the National Federation of Music Clubs, Metropolitan Opera National Council, Bel Canto Regional Artists, Ohio¹s Vocal Resource Network Art Song Competition, and the International Schubert Competition in Vienna, Austria. Wright joined the Salisbury University music faculty in the fall of 2006. Holding degrees from Maryville College and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, John is an active clinician, vocal consultant, and leader of workshops on “Singing in the African American Tradition.” A native of Rome, Georgia, John also served as artist-in-residence at the University of Dayton for eight years and has been a guest artist and teacher at the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Kentucky Governor¹s School, and the Maryland Summer Center for the Arts held at Salisbury University.
Wayne Kompelien received his doctor of musical arts degree in vocal performance from the University of Kansas in 1987. His portrayal of Olin Blitch in the Carlisle Floyd opera, Susannah, received national acclaim as the production earned second place in a national collegiate opera competition. He also placed twice in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in Kansas City. In 1986 Kompelien took a teaching position at Liberty University, where he has founded an opera program. He has been featured in many Opera Roanoke productions. Since 1988, he has directed the LU Chamber Singers, recognized as one of the Virginia’s premier chorale ensembles by earning the opportunity to perform in the 1989 Virginia Music Educators Convention in Richmond. Kompelien has performed faculty recitals including Schumann’s Dichterliebe Brahms, Four Serious Songs, and Schubert’s Winterreise. He is heard often in oratorio performances and remains an active performer in the area and throughout the state. Kompelien has served as president of the Virginia National Association of Teachers of Singing and continues to be an active member.
