Commended by the Boston Globe for her “crystalline tone and graceful musicality,” soprano Sonja DuToit Tengblad is a versatile performer with credits spanning the Renaissance era through the most current composers of our time. Recent highlights include Vivaldi’s Juditha triumphans devicta Holofernis bolbarie (Abra and Ozias), Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (La Fortuna and Giunone; Grammy-nominated recording with Linn Records) and Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (First Lady) with Boston Baroque, and her Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center debuts, both with the New York City Chamber Orchestra. She was awarded 2nd place in the 2014 American Prize competition’s art song and oratorio division. A champion of new music, Ms. Tengblad curated Dickinson After 2000 (with Seattle Opera regular Eric Neuville and Austin Chamber Music director Michelle Schumann), a program featuring all 21st century settings of Emily Dickinson’s poetry that was named the #3 Best Arts Event in Austin, TX 2015 and was nominated for four Austin Critic’s Table Awards. She has premiered many roles and works including the Boston premiere of Kati Agócs’ Vessel for three solo voices and chamber ensemble, and Agócs’ world premiere of The Debrecen Passion (written for the Lorelei Ensemble) for which she was a featured soloist, both performed and recorded with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and in 2015 premiered Shirish Korde’s Questions for the Moon with members of the Silk Road Ensemble. A highlight for Ms. Tengblad was appearing in a concert celebrating the 80th birthday of composer Dominic Argento (in attendance) for which the Minnesota Star Tribune reported her to have given “the most affective performance of the evening.” Ms. Tengblad performs with the Grammy-winning ensemble Conspirare out of Austin, Texas; the Yale Choral Artists, and Boston’s Blue Heron, Handel and Haydn Society, and Boston Baroque. Upcoming highlights include the Lorelei Ensemble’s appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall and Carnegie Hall, and solo engagements such as Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Boston Philharmonic, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Landmarks Orchestra, and Bastien und Bastienne with A Far Cry.
Tai Oney • Countertenor
Hailed by Opera News for the “richness and pliability of his [voice],” American countertenor Tai Oney has been a prize winner in several competitions, including claiming a prestigious Sullivan Foundation Award and a US-Postgraduate Fulbright Award. A Finalist in the Cesti Singing Competition, Semi-Finalist in the Palm Beach Opera Competition, and a second place Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Tai made his professional opera debut with Opera Boston in collaboration with Boston Baroque performing the role of Athamas in Handel’s Semele. Among his many solo appearances, Tai has performed in Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Paukenmesse, Bach’s St. John’s Passion, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Honegger’s King David. Tai has also been seen as Teseo in Handel’s Arianna in Creta with the London Handel Festival; Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Opéra de Baugé; DALISO in Handel’s secular cantata Il Duello Amoroso with the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music; Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus with Finnish National Opera; and, recently, sang the role of Adolfo in Faramondo with Brisbane Baroque, Australia. Tai has been a member of the Central City Opera and a guest artist for the Palm Beach Opera young artist program. He holds degrees from Stetson University, Boston University, the New England Conservatory of Music (GDip), and the Royal College of Music International Opera School (ArtDip).
Ron Williams • Baritone
Recognized nationwide for his artistry in the field of opera and oratorio, Ron Williams continues to gather acclaim for his work onstage and in the concert hall. He has sung leading roles with several opera companies nationally, including San Francisco Spring Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera San Jose, where he created the role of Edward in the world premiere of Alva Henderson’s The Last Leaf. Locally, Williams debuted with Boston Lyric Opera in Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars, receiving critical acclaim from The New York Times. He portrayed Nick Shadow in the much-heralded production of The Rake’s Progresswith Boston’s Opera Laboratory Company at the MIT. The Boston Globe praised his performance of Figaro in Opera New England’s The Barber of Seville. Ron made his debut with Greater Worcester opera as Escamillo in Carmen and has since performed Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. Mr. Williams was a regional finalist in the San Francisco Opera National Auditions. Ron remains passionately interested in arts education for young audiences and has performed at the National Children’s Arts Festival at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Mr. Williams maintains a busy concert schedule having performed with Cantata Singers, Symphony Pro Musica, as well as the Dartmouth College Symphony (N.H.) where he sang Beethoven’s Fidelio. He performed the one-man opera of Domenico Cimarosa, Il Maestro di Cappella with Boston Civic Symphony. He made his debut with Boston Cecilia in Britten’s Cantata Misericordium and later performed Christus in J.S. Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion, all under the direction of the late Donald Teeters. Ron made his European debut with the Düsseldorf Chamber Orchestra in Germany. His stage debut was in Saint Gallen, Switzerland and has performed on the European stage in several countries. An artist committed to bringing to the stage the works of twentieth-century American composers, Ron performed the works of Hale Smith and Ned Rorem. Ron has been involved with the premiere of several works locally including Elmer Gantry, a new American opera by Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein.
Jonathan Hess • Marimba
Jonathan Hess has been praised for his “power and finesse” by the Boston Classical Review and his “exacting milieus” by the Boston Globe. He is the timpanist for the Handel and Haydn Society and has performed with Philharmonia Baroque and Boston Baroque Orchestras, A Far Cry, Blue Heron, Aston Magna, and the Connecticut Early Music Festival. Jonathan is a founding member of the Boston Percussion Group (BPeG) and regularly performs and records with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera. He played drum set for the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus’ historic trip through the Middle East and will accompany them again to South Africa this summer. Jonathan teaches percussion at the College of the Holy Cross and is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the Boston Conservatory.
Robert Schulz • Marimba
Percussionist Robert Schulz is widely regarded as one of the finest all-around percussionists working today, with an expertise extending across a broad range of musical styles, ensembles and instruments. He is the principal percussionist for the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and Dinosaur Annex New Music Ensemble. He has been with BMOP since its inception in 1996, overseeing the various percussive details for over 60 commercially available recordings. He is the timpanist for several ensembles, including Boston Baroque, Cantata Singers, Back Bay Chorale and Odyssey Opera. He has worked with the Boston Symphony, Pops and Ballet Orchestras and has been a guest soloist with the Boston Chamber Music Society, First Monday Series at NEC, and Boston Celebrity Series. Solo appearances with BMOP, BLO and others have included works by Tan Dun (Water Concerto), Lukas Foss (Percussion Concerto), Eric Moe (Drumset Concerto) and Philip Glass (Timpani Concerto).
Catherine Weinfield • Oboe
Described as an “arresting” (Boston Globe) and “strikingly beautiful” (Miami Herald) musician, Catherine Weinfield served as Second Oboe and English Horn with the Florida Grand Opera in Miami, Florida from 2012-2016. From 2009-2013, Ms. Weinfield held the position of both Assistant Principal oboe and principal English hornist with the Honolulu (now Hawaii) Symphony and the Hawaii Opera Theater. Ms. Weinfield has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra; the Metropolitan Opera; the San Diego and Charleston Symphonies; the Naples Philharmonic; the new-music ensembles Alarm Will Sound and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project; the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra; the Orchestra at Indian Hill; the Canton, Akron, and Princeton Symphonies; the Philadelphia-based Symphony in C, as well as the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, an orchestra made up of North, Central, and South American musicians. Ms. Weinfield is also Associate Principal oboist of the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a position she has held since 2010. In addition, she has also been Principal Oboe of the Lake George, Opera in the Ozarks, Breckenridge, Spoleto Festival USA, Aspen, Sitka, Alaska, Kent/Blossom, and the Britten-Pears Aldeburgh World Orchestra Music Festivals. This summer she will also be appearing at the Chelsea and Opera North Music Fesitvals. Her principal teachers include Elaine Douvas at Mannes College of Music in New York City, John Mack and Frank Rosenwein at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Ray Still at Northwestern University.
Emily Rome • Viola
Violist Emily Rome is currently a freelance player and teacher in the Boston area. Emily performs with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Odyssey Opera, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Boston Lyric Opera, Orchestra of Indian Hill, and Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra among others. She enjoys playing chamber music at every opportunity, including concerts with Lavazza Chamber Ensemble and the Thoreau Way Ensemble. In addition, Emily also has a very active teaching career. She especially enjoys working with children and teaches a number of private students through her program Brioso Strings. She also serves as a chamber coach for students at Harvard University and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. In the summers, Emily performs and coaches at Greenwood Music Camp and Berkshire Summer Music Festival. In the past she has served as a coach at and Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, the Youth Festival Orchestra Summer Program at the New England Conservatory, and has led orchestra sectionals, lessons and chamber music coaching for the NEC Preparatory Division. Emily studied with Atar Arad at Indiana University, Kim Kashkashian at New England Conservatory and Martha Katz at Rice University.
Leo Eguchi • Cello
Boston-based cellist, Leo Eguchi, has been described as “copiously skilled and confident” (New York Times) with performances that were “ravishing” (New Bedford Standard-Times) and “played with passion and vitality” (Boston Music Intelligencer). A native of Michigan, Leo has performed extensively across North America, Europe and Asia. He enjoys an active and multi-faceted performance schedule – Leo can be heard in myriad chamber music settings, including the Willamette Valley Chamber Music Festival (an innovative new summer festival in Oregon Wine Country, which pairs wine and chamber music) and Sheffield Chamber Players; in larger ensembles as principal cellist of the New Bedford Symphony, a member of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the New Hampshire Music Festival and the Portland Symphony; and in frequent appearances with the Boston Pops and Boston Ballet. Recent performing highlights include Grammy nominated recording releases from Parma recordings on Navona Records, concerto appearances, an artist residency and solo performances in Kabul, Afghanistan, and opportunities to share the non-classical stage with the likes of Pete Townshend, Melissa Etheridge, Demi Lovato, Brian Wilson, Kelly Clarkson, C-3P0, Peter Gabriel, Billy Idol, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Jonas, Josh Groban, and Audra McDonald, among others. Degrees include BM (Cello Performance) and BS (Physics) cum laude from the University of Michigan, and MM (cello performance) from Boston University, where he received the String Department Award for Excellence.
Eric Banks • Composer
Eric Banks earned his BA in Composition (1990) at Yale University, and his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Music Theory and Choral Studies at the University of Washington. In 1997, Banks was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Stockholm; there Eric performed with several groups, including the Swedish Radio Choir and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir. In 1992, while still in graduate school, Banks founded the professional-caliber chamber chorus, The Esoterics. Now in its twenty-third season, Seattle’s most innovative chorus has drawn local, national, and international praise for performing rarely-heard compositions of contemporary music for unaccompanied voices, for infusing elements of the literary, theatrical, and visual arts into the typical concert experience, and for performing settings of poetry, philosophy, and spiritual writings from around the world. In his music, Eric is drawn to ideas that are more ‘esoteric’ in origin, and chooses to express and elucidate concepts that have been undiscovered, under-represented, or are not easily decipherable by a wider audience. As a composer, Banks has harnessed his passions for poetry, foreign language, classical civilization, comparative religion, social justice, and the history of science – to create choral works that reach far beyond the scope of the established a cappella canon. His recent works have explored the sacred texts and singing traditions of other cultures, climate change statistics, the mapping of trees, flowers, clouds, and stars, the murder of a journalist, the suicide of a friend, and verses by pre-gay and pre-lesbian poets. As a composer and choral scholar, Eric has been awarded several grants including those from the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation (2005), 4Culture (since 1999), Seattle City Artists (2007, 2010), and the San Francisco Arts Commission (2011) and several ASCAP Plus Awards. Together with The Esoterics, Eric Banks has received grants the National Endowment for the Arts, to compose, produce, and record two concert-length works – Twelve Qur’anic visions (2005-2007), and The seven creations (2007-2010). As Fulbright Fellow, Eric was a visiting scholar at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Swedish National Radio in Stockholm (1997-1998). In 2010, Eric was granted the prestigious Dale Warland Singers Commission Award from Chorus America and the American Composers Forum to compose a concert-length choral cycle, This delicate universe, for Conspirare in Austin. In 2011, Eric was awarded Conductor of the year from the Washington State chapter of the American Choral Directors Association: for his ground-breaking work with The Esoterics over the last two decades. In 2015, he completed The opposite of falling, his first work for wind symphony for the Rainbow City Band. Eric has been commissioned by the Atlanta Young Singers, the Boston Children’s Chorus and Conspirare, among many others. His upcoming commissions include works for Cantori New York, Volti, and the Yale Alumni Chorus.
Patricia Van Ness • Composer
Composer, violinist, and poet Patricia Van Ness (1951) draws upon elements of medieval and Renaissance music to create a signature voice that has been hailed internationally by musicians, audiences, and critics. She has been called a modern-day Hildegard von Bingen (Gary Higginson, Music Web UK), with her ability to compose music "ecstatic and ethereal," (Gaby Beinhorn, Suedwestrundfunk, Germany), "both ancient and new" (Susan Larson, The Boston Globe). As in medieval aesthetics, her music and poetry explore the relationship between beauty and the Divine.
Patricia Van Ness is Staff Composer (1996-) for First Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts (Peter Sykes, Music Director). She is currently composing new music for each of the 150 Psalms using texts from the Psalter of the Book of Common Prayer, the Hebrew Text, and the Liber Usualis.
Her music has been recorded and performed by numerous ensembles including The King’s Singers (The Best of the King’s Singers), whose Christopher Gabbitas says , "The beauty of Patricia's music is in the atmosphere it creates; wherever we perform it around the world it is universally well-received—and as with all good music it breaks down the barriers of language and culture, communicating on a higher level;" and Chanticleer’s Sound in Spirit CD. Chanticleer says about this music, "Cor meum est templum sacrum is one of our favorite songs to sing and to program. It has created a transcendent moment on many of our sacred programs."
More information about scores, commissions, countries of performances, and other CDs (including Coro Allegro's) may be found at www.PatriciaVanNess.com.
