Ring in the Season with Song
A Concert of Seasonal Favorites
presented by artists of Hudson Chamber Opera
to benefit the
Friends of First Presbyterian Church Masonry Presevration Fund
December 4, 2005
April Fisher, Soprano
Mary Deyerle Hack ,mezzo-soprano
Allen Sever, piano
Program
I.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel - 14th century plainsong
II.
Pleasure It Is (from A Ceremony of Carols) - Benjamin Britten
Ballulalow - Peter Warlock
Sweet Was the Song - John Attey
O Thou that Tellest, Rejoice Greatly (from Messiah) - G.F. Handel
Esurientes (from Magnificat) - Antonio Vivaldi
III.
Noel Nouvelet Traditional French - arr. John Rutter
Still Still Still - Traditional Austrian
Lulajze Jezuniu - Traditional Polish
Dormi Dormi - Traditional Italian
Fum Fum Fum! - Traditional Catalonian Carol
O Jul Med din Glede - Traditional Norwegian
Josef Lieber, Josef Mein - Traditional German
****************INTERMISSION************************
IV.
Audience Sing-Along:
Here We Come A-wassailing - Traditional Yorkshire Carol
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Traditional English Carol
Deck the Halls - Traditional Welsh Carol
V.
The Holly and the Ivy - arr. Cecil J. Sharpe
Coventry Carol - arr. Martin Shaw
Rocking Carol - arr. Martin Shaw
Lo, how a Rose E’er Blooming - arr. Dale Adelmann
VI.
Go Tell It On the Mountain - arr. Harry Simeone
Mary Had a Baby - arr. Joan Frey Boytim
Sweet Little Jesus Boy - Robert MacGimsey
Mary’s Little Boy Chile - Jester Hairston
VII.
Carol of the Bells - M. Leontovich
Silver Bells - Jay Livingston
The Christmas Song - Mel Torme & Robert Wells
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane
White Christmas - Irving Berlin
About the Artists
April Joy Fisher has performed in a wide variety of musical venues. She graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in vocal performance and musical theatre and has performed with The Opera Shop under the direction of Joseph LoSchiavo and with the New York Lyric Opera. Her experience also includes off-Broadway musicals and Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. April is a past winner of the prestigious National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. She has sung extensively in recital and as an oratorio soloist in New York and New Jersey with choirs at the Riverdale Church and Trinity Cathedral, among others. Currently, she is the soprano soloist at West End Collegiate Church where she has appeared frequently in concert with the New York Philharmonic Baroque Ensemble. April teaches voice privately and performs as a puppeteer with the Sussex County ARC in “Kids on the Block” shows about disabilities, child abuse and substance abuse for schools in New Jersey. She resides in Stillwater, New Jersey with her husband, David and their two children, Jesse and Olivia.
Mezzo-soprano Mary Deyerle Hack earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina and has sung principal roles with opera companies throughout America. She was a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera auditions, a national finalist in the McAllister Auditions and a winner of the Wagner Society of New York auditions. With noted conductor Gwen Gould, she is co-artistic director of the newly formed Hudson Chamber Opera and her recent appearance as Madame Flora in the company’s inaugural production of The Medium was hailed by critics as mesmerizing. She invites all audience members to bring their friends and families to HCO’s Messiah Sing on Monday, December 19th at 7:30 pm at Christ Church Episcopal, Hudson, NY. Mary resides in Hudson with her husband Tom, their four rescued Boykin Spaniels, Sam, Max, Cocoa Puff and Junior Petunia and their very brave cat, Lily.
Allen Sever received his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and his Master of Sacred Music degree from Union Theological Seminary’s School of Sacred Music. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to the Royal School of Sacred Music in London and his teachers include Clarence Dickinson, Barrett Spach, Thomas Mathews, Ernest White, Claire Coci, Sir William McKie and Sir William Harris. He has appeared in concert with the John Harms Chorus, the Ars Musica Chorale and the choirs of St. James Church and St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. He has presented organ recitals at St. Paul’s Chapel, Temple Emmanuel and West End Collegiate Church (NYC) and at the Huntington Hartford Museum. His discography includes recordings with the Welch Chorale (John Welch, conductor), the Choir of Hebrew Union College (Morris Baras, conductor) and cantorial recordings produced by Barry Serota. He is a member and Associate of the American Guild of Organists and currently serves as organist and choirmaster at West End Collegiate Church and Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in NYC. He is also the accompanist for Hebrew Union College and serves as a member of the organ faculty at the Manhattan School of Music.