Academy of Sacred Drama: A Change of Heart

• Awet Andemicael, soprano (Mary Magdalene)
• Janna Critz, mezzo-soprano (Martha)
• Nola Richardson, soprano (Divine Love)
• John Taylor Ward, bass-baritone (Profane Love)
• Jeremy Rhizor, violin
• Adam Cockerham, theorbo

This March, the Academy of Sacred Drama presents a powerful Lenten reflection: a musical drama by Giovanni Bononcini, his oratorio La conversione di Maddalena (1701). In this tale of the conversion of Mary Magdalene, the beautiful courtesan walks away from a life of pleasure, influenced by her persistent sister, Martha.

Though the Academy performs without sets or costumes, our performances tell a story through emotive gestures and subtle movement-based staging. The style of singing and instrumental music is unique and poignant. After seeing one of the Academy's performances, an audience member remarked, "Opera has never appealed to me, but I think that oratorio is my thing!"

About Academy of Sacred Drama

The Academy of Sacred Drama seeks to revive one of humanity's great art forms present in rituals, in liturgy, and on stage: the sacred drama. We do research and make editions and translations in order to present moving performances of theatrical musical works for our community. The Academy's work is made possible by our members, volunteers, musicians, and other performing arts professionals.

In past seasons, we presented oratorios to critical acclaim that have not been heard in around 300 years. The Academy was featured in an article in Commonweal Magazine, and our artistic decisions were declared "striking" by the New York Times. Our work was also featured in Early Music America online.

We perform without sets or costumes, and our performances tell a story through emotive gestures and subtle movement-based staging. The style of singing and instrumental music is unique and poignant. After seeing one of the Academy's performances, an audience member remarked, "Opera has never appealed to me, but I think that oratorio is my thing!"

Our area of focus is on the sacred dramas of the Baroque era—which draw upon the legendary stores of the Judeo-Christian tradition and combines them with poetic verse and classical references. Much of the genre has yet to be explored in our time.

About Awet Andemicael, soprano (Mary Magdalene)

Joy is the hallmark of soprano Awet Andemicael's artistry. Acclaimed for her "sparkling solo verses"(Opera News), "vivid musical personality" and "quick, clean, and silvery" coloratura (Boston Globe), "honeyed tone" (San Francisco Classical Voice), "fine comic interplay and […] superb singing" (Washington Times), and "her exceptionally attractive stage presence" (Bay Area Reporter), Awet has been hailed as "a singer to watch" (Boston Herald). Critics describe her performances as "lyric and full of musical energy" (Boston Herald), "enchanting" (Brandenburger Stadtkurier), "exquisite" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), "expressively focused" (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) and "completely winning" (Boston Phoenix).

About Janna Critz, mezzo-soprano (Martha)

Mezzo-soprano Janna Critz is a rising artist in the early music, operatic, and concert arena, and is acclaimed for having "summoned up sonorities that were rich, warm, dark, and comforting" (San Francisco Examiner) and for her "elegance of technique" and "vivid vocalism" (Baltimore Sun). With her specialization in Baroque repertoire, she has been recognized for her versatility of style and subtle nuance. She has already begun to establish her skill in Baroque performance practice. In January of 2014 she founded Bel pianto, a Baroque ensemble that presents Italian, French, and German vocal music from the early 17th- to mid-18th Centuries.

About Nola Richardson, soprano (Divine Love)

https://www.nolarichardson.com/

About John Taylor Ward, bass-baritone (Profane Love)

John Taylor Ward's performances have been praised for their "Stylish abandon" (Alex Ross, The New Yorker) and their "finely calibrated precision and heart-rending expressivity" (Washington Post). He performs regularly with the world’s finest baroque musicians and ensembles, including Christina Pluhar and L'Arpeggiata, Paul O'Dette, Steven Stubbs and the Boston Early Music Festival, William Christie and Les arts florissants, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists. In 2016, he was featured in the U.S. premiere of Claude Vivier's Kopernikus, directed by Peter Sellars at the Ojai Festival, and he began a series of recitals at Joe's Pub with Cantata Profana. In 2017 he made his debuts at the Salzburg, Berlin, and Luzerne Festspieles. Taylor holds a BM from the Eastman School of Music and an MMA from Yale School of Music; he is the founding Associate Artistic Director of the Lakes Area Music Festival, an Associate Artist of Heartbeat Opera, and an avid Sacred Harp singer.

About Jeremy Rhizor, violin

Jeremy Rhizor plays the baroque violin and founded the Academy of Sacred Drama, an organization inspired by Baroque academies that champions the performance and research of sacred drama. Noted for playing "virtuosically but with fluid grace" by The New York Times, Rhizor performs with early music organizations throughout North America such as Aureas Voces in Nova Scotia, Alchymy Viols in Indiana, Ensemble VIII in Texas, Mountainside Baroque in Maryland, the Washington Bach Consort in Washington, DC, and Bach Vespers and the American Classical Orchestra in New York. He was recently a guest concertmaster of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra and Lyra Baroque Orchestra. He is currently exploring the relationship between music and prayer and is learning about user interface design. Rhizor lives in the hamlet of Croton Falls in North Salem, NY.

About Adam Cockerham, theorbo

https://www.adamcockerham.com/