With chamber orchestra and guest soloists Anne O'Byrne, soprano, Stephen Bryant, bass-baritone, and Tony A. Burdette, tenor

Central United Methodist Church
www.centralumc.org

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Carmina Burana was first performed in 1937 by the Frankfurt Opera, after which Carl Orff stated to his publisher Schott, "Everything I have written to date, and which you have, unfortunately, printed, can be destroyed. With 'Carmina Burana', my collected works begin." The twenty-five movement piece conveys themes of human nature from Medieval poetry that today's audiences will still find relevant: the intense highs and lows of love and power, vices of lust, gambling, drinking, and the joyous return of Springtime.

The most famous movement, "O Fortuna," has infused both humor and dark, mysterious tone to the soundtracks of movies such as "Speed" and television shows "Glee," "Dancing with the Stars," "The Office," and many more. "O Fortuna" begins and ends Orff's work with explosive dynamics and short, rhythmic words about the ancient Wheel of Fortune and the fates which dictate our lives: "I reign," "I have reigned," "I have no reign," and "I shall reign again."

A Note from Music Director Lenora Thom: 

Carmina Burana is, quite simply, a blast to sing and conduct! It’s extremely dramatic, with huge changes in mood and tone. The music is at times ominous, joyous, raucous or exquisitely beautiful. It is rhythmically fascinating and powerful to experience, especially in such a wonderful acoustic space as Central United Methodist Church. Watching the four percussionists work their magic is worth the price of admission!

MEET THE GUEST SOLOISTS:

Anne O'Byrne soprano

Born in Dublin, Ireland, soprano Anne O’Byrne studied at the College of Music there, and at University College Dublin, before joining the Irish Radio Chamber Choir. She subsequently studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where she performed her first lead operatic role as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. Anne’s performances have taken her all over the world. She has worked with many of the leading opera companies in the UK and Ireland, but some of her most enjoyable performing experiences have taken place elsewhere. She undertook a demanding tour, up and down the East Coast of the United States, with London City Opera, singing Pamina in The Magic Flute in 36 cities from Alabama to New York in the space of just six weeks! Other opera companies for which she has worked include the Glyndebourne Festival and Glyndebourne Touring Opera, European Chamber Opera, English Touring Opera, Opera Northern Ireland, Opera Europa, Opera Theatre Company Dublin, Castleward Opera of Northern Ireland, Scottish Opera and England’s Traveling Opera, for which she sung the role of Frasquita in a popular CD recording of Carmen. She has also recorded for Irish radio and television, and BBC Radio.      Anne has had many successes performing early music, including Amorin Orfeo, and the role of Orianain the Dublin Opera Theatre Company’s production of Handel’s Amadigi, which toured Ireland, Portugal and England, and later New York, Paris, Prague and Melbourne (while Anne was pregnant with daughter Fionnuala). After the birth, she sang the role of Paminaagain, this time in the Milan Festival, where little Fionnuala attracted much excited comment.       Other operatic roles Anne has performed include Mimiin La Bohème, Gildain Rigoletto, Donna Elviraand Zerlinain Don Giovanni, Micaelain Carmen, Adinain L’Elisir d’amore, Gretelin Hansel and Gretel, Karolkain Jenufa, Bertain Barber of Seville, and the title role of Betly by Donizetti.       Anne’s concert repertoire ranges across a wide spectrum, from early works such as Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 to classical masterpieces like Mozart’s C Minor Mass, to modern gems such as John Tavener’s To a child dancing in the wind. She enjoys singing contemporary music, and has created roles in new operas for the Wexford and Covent Garden International Festivals. And she revels in some of the more unusual and exotic requirements of her profession, such as being invited to sing mass in Monte Carlo Cathedral, donning a cowl and habit to perform Maxwell Davies’ Missa super l’homme armé, or stepping in for a sick colleague to sing Beethoven’s Choral Symphony or the Brahms Requiem, sometimes at only a few hours’ notice. (Where possible she prefers advance warning)!      In 2002 Anne moved to the United States with her husband David Fisk, the executive director of the Richmond Symphony, their daughter Fionnuala, now 10 and their son Oliver, 7. She has sung several times with the Richmond Symphony, appeared with Virginia Opera and as a guest soloist at the Richmond Forum, as well as giving regular recitals and concerts on the East Coast. She continues to perform in Ireland, most recently singing the lead role of Leila in Bizet’s The Pearlfishers in the Anna Livia International Opera Festival,Dublin. This is Anne’s third time performing with Ashville Choral Society and she is delighted to be back here.

 

Stephen Bryant  bass~baritone

Bass-baritone Stephen Bryant’s distinguished career in concert andopera has taken him around the world, with acclaimed performances in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.        Mr. Bryant has sung with the New York City Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, the Indianapolis Opera, and other companies of renown. In performance with major orchestras from the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra, to the Israel Philharmonic and Japan Philharmonic, Bryant has delighted audiences with a repertoire spanning from Mozart and Verdi to Virgil Thomson and Stewart Wallace.“Bryant stormed the heavens with his large and commanding instrument,” said New York Newsday of his performance in Handel’s Messiah.       His numerous appearances in Handel’s Messiah include collaborations with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Musica Sacra at Carnegie Hall. The bass-baritone’s frequent performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah include appearances with the New York Philharmonic under Maestro Kurt Masur, and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Wolfgang Sawallisch.      Mr. Bryant’s repertoire extends from Bach and Handel to today’s most prominent composers including Tan Dun. In standard repertoire, the bass-baritone has performed Colline in La Bohème (Indianapolis Opera), Leporello in Don Giovanni (Mobile Opera), Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte (Berkshire Opera), Escamillo in Carmen (Opera North), Figaro in Le Nozzedi Figaro (Madison Opera), the Bonze in Madama Butterfly (San Francisco Opera), and Capulet in Roméo et Juliette (Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Chautauqua Opera ). He will be performing the role this fall with Toledo Opera as well. Additionally, Bryant has performed roles in a number of contemporary operas including Robert Gonzales in Stewart Wallace’s Harvey Milk (San Francisco Opera and New York City Opera), George Milton in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men (Arizona Opera), Indiana Elliot’s brother in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of Us All (Santa Fe Opera), and covered Claggart in Britten’s Billy Budd (San Francisco Opera).      A premiere interpreter of the works of Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun, Bryant created the role of Dante in the world premiere of the opera Marco Polo. He reprised the role at London’s Barbicon Center for a performance broadcast by the BBC. Numerous other performances include appearances at the Munich Biennale, the Holland Festival in Amsterdam, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, New York City Opera, the Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo, Settembre Musica in Torino, Italy, and at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in Scotland. The Times of London referred to the “ . . . unearthly overtone singing, brilliantly accomplished by Stephen Bryant.” Stephen holds a Bachelor’s from Oberlin and a Master’s from the University of Michigan. On the voice faculty at William Paterson University, he lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife Caryl, and their two sons, David and Andrew.

         

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