Midtown Concerts presents Theotokos | Marenzio: Salve Regina
Free
- Elisse Albian, soprano
- Raha Mirzadegan, soprano
- Elisa Sutherland, alto
- John Taylor Ward, bass
- Doug Balliett, viol & director
- Elliot Figg, organ
Luca Marenzio (1553–1599) is best known today for his madrigals, which rival Gesualdo for word-painting, chromaticism, and depth of emotion. With about 500 secular madrigals in his catalog, it is fascinating to discover Marenzio's sacred music, which employs his full expressive palette in a spiritual setting. Centered around his masterpiece Salve Regina, Theotokos presents a selection of rarely heard sacred music from this late Renaissance master.
About Theotokos
Theotokos is the living embodiment of a baroque church ensemble. In residence at St. Mary's Church on Grand Street on the lower east side of NYC, every week a new cantata is composed and performed by the group, based on and tightly linked with the liturgical readings assigned to that date. In addition, theologically relevant baroque and pre-baroque music is regularly performed, ranging from Palestrina to Telemann, early American church music, and beyond. Theotokos also runs a Gregorian Chant club, open to all, which regularly meets to chant mass and the divine office. In 2021 Theotokos began a fruitful collaboration with the Juilliard School Historical Performance program. Other guest performers have included Davóne Tines, Jean Rondeau, Myriam Rignol, Thomas Dunford, and William Christie.
https://www.dougballiett.nyc/theotokosAbout Elisse Albian, soprano
Hailed by South Florida Classical Review as a “opulent soprano" possessing “rich tones, expressive phrasing," and a "soaring top range,” Elisse Albian finds delight in presenting oratorios, opera, choral compositions, and all that resonates in between. An ardent advocate for the collaborative essence of musical creation, Elisse places immense value on versatility and the inherent instrumental qualities of the human voice.
A crowning achievement in Elisse's journey was securing first place at the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition hosted by the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall. Their artistic collaborations extend to prestigious groups like the GRAMMY®-nominated Seraphic Fire, Voices of Ascension, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Musica Sacra, and The Benedict XVI Choir. The 2022-2023 season showcased Elisse as the soprano soloist in performances of Bach's St. John Passion, BWV 245 alongside Voices of Ascension, Bach's Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, and Handel's Messiah with Seraphic Fire. Additionally, Elisse was a soloists for Mozart's Coronation Mass, K. 317, and Vesperes Solennes di Confessore, K. 339, with Kollective366. Their season also included Telemann's Cantatas from the Harmonischer Gottesdienst in collaboration with Theotokos ensemble, presented through Gotham Early Music Scene's Midtown Concert series.
In the upcoming season, Elisse eagerly anticipates performing as the Queen of Sheba in Handel's Solomon alongside Princeton Pro Musica, singing as the first soprano soloist for Handel's Dixit Dominus with Musica Sacra, and joining Opera Lafayette for Moreau and Handel’s Esther. Later this season, Elisse will also perform Benjamin Britten’s thrilling song cycle, Les Illuminations.
Elisse completed a Bachelor’s of Music at the University of California, Los Angeles and recently graduated with a Master of Music in Voice at Mannes (The New School). They reside in Brooklyn, New York.
https://www.elissealbian.com/aboutAbout Raha Mirzadegan, soprano
About Elisa Sutherland, alto
About John Taylor Ward, bass
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.
https://www.johntaylorward.com/About Doug Balliett, viol & director
About Elliot Figg, organ
St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church – The Actors' Chapel
239 W 49th StNew York, NY 10019
United States