Saturday, April 27, 7:30 PM
Fort Hill Performing Arts Center
Freedom Song: When Gospel Came to the Empire
FREEDOM SONG: WHEN GOSPEL CAME TO THE EMPIRE
The Story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers
Words by Justin Butcher
Music by Harvey Brough
First U.S. Performance
Melissa Wimbish, Soprano
Alexis Peart, Mezzo-soprano
Zabriel Rivers, Tenor
Fredrick Redd, Baritone
Jay Stetzer, Narrator
John Viavattine, Woodwinds
Richard Delaney, Piano
David Arenius, Bass
David Cohen, Drums
The Rochester Oratorio Society Resonanz Ensemble
Eric Townell, Artistic Director
Harvey Brough FREEDOM SONG: WHEN GOSPEL CAME TO THE EMPIRE (2013)
The Story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers
Commissioned in 2013 by Vox Holloway to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in the U.S.
Woke up this morning
Great Getting up Morning
Oh, I’m a going to sing
He’s the Lily of the Valley
Steal Away I
Woke up this morning
The Gospel Train is coming
We shall walk through the Valley in peace
The Gospel Train is coming
Roll, Jordan, Roll
Deep River
Steal Away II
Swing Low, sweet Chariot
Go Down, Moses
A Man of Sorrows
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Listen to the angels shouting
The Dream and Hope of the Slave
John Brown – Final
Freedom Song
I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
Freedom
Composer’s Note
The point of the piece is to bring a diverse group of people together to pay tribute to the Black pioneers who introduced the works to spirituals and to sing this wonderful music by telling their story. It requires a mix of races and colours in order to tell the story with integrity, and I can tell you from the 6 or 7 performances that we’ve done of the piece that it’s a powerful and unifying experience.
Stories belong to everybody and can be told from many different perspectives. This story is clearly about Black experiences, some of them extremely difficult. It is also about how they were treated in the US and here in Britain, by White audiences and the White establishment. The reception they had here was by no means perfect, they were probably patronised and certainly regarded as something of a novelty act; but nonetheless, the Fisks were treated with respect and were acclaimed for their singing and the powerful message that they convey of triumph over terrible adversity.
That’s something that we can all learn from…a performance where Black singers and culture are truly celebrated, by a mixed group of performers.
Of course we are at a pivotal moment in history. Of course it is good and extremely necessary that there is more representation of people who have been marginalised – women composers, Black composers, the music that is now referred (somewhat inadequately) as ‘world music’. The spirituals that the Fisks were the first to present to any kind of audience, are folk music, albeit created in appalling circumstances. But they were keen to bring them to the attention of the world and the world responded to them…we need to collaborate artistically (and in every way) so we can all learn from each other, not make divisions and say one type of music is only for one segment of our society.
First for me were the songs. I knew many spirituals from my chorister days. They were beautiful melodies but difficult to imagine performing. How could a predominantly white British choir sing with integrity in an African–American idiom – blues, gospel, spirituals – the music of oppression and slavery? Should the arrangements be simple or complicated? How should the words be written or pronounced? When exploring the idea of a piece based on spirituals, I came across references to the Fisk Jubilee Singers. This was intriguing – did a troupe of former slaves really come to Britain and sing to Queen Victoria? Then gospel expert, Viv Broughton of the Premises studios in Hackney, handed me one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given – an old red bound book, simply called The Story of the Jubilee Singers and their Songs. I was transported – this was an amazing story. Then I turned to the end and marvelled anew – there were 130 spirituals, laid out rather like Hymns, some very well known – Deep River, Swing Low – but some less well known – Lily of the Valley, Listen to the Angels. What struck me immediately was that there is no trace of anger or revenge in them. These songs, created under terrible hardship and cruelty, are all about getting to a better place.
I started work by simply transcribing some songs. Another miraculous surprise to me was that, 20 years after the story we tell, a later (male) quartet of Fisk Singers was recorded, so it’s possible to actually hear something of the original Jubilee Singers’ sound. Bright Mansions Above and Great Getting Up Morning are almost exactly as they sang them. As the piece progresses and the choir becomes more involved in telling the story, the arrangements become more sophisticated and more epic in scale, but they all spring from the original spirituals.
As Freedom Song began to take shape, there were many occasions on which the spirituals seemed to foretell some part of the Jubilee Singers’ story. Henry Pullman sent a first-class Pullman carriage for the singers – a lovely story which is told in the middle of The Gospel Train. I needed another verse and found this:
Oh the fare is cheap and all can go, the rich and poor are there, No second class on board the train, no difference in the fare.
And something similar happened with Deep River. After reading an account of the Fisks being thrown out of a hotel in Newark, due to their colour, this verse presented itself:
Oh when I get to heaven I’ll walk about, There’s no one there to throw me out.
I want to cross over into camp ground.
I asked myself when writing Freedom Song, why should Justin and I, two white people, tell this story? There are many reasons, firstly sheer inspiration – the story enthralled me. Just as the pupils at the Hackney Ragged School were inspired to form a (white) gospel choir after the Jubilee Singers sang to them, we felt compelled to respond to the story and the songs.
More importantly, since chancing upon the story, I have found that very few people in this country know about it – not even singers from the gospel choirs I have spoken to. It was in this country that the Jubilee singers were treated with great respect, by the high (Queen Victoria, the Earl of Shaftesbury and Gladstone) and the low (they sang at soup kitchens, hospitals and local churches). Sometimes an outside eye can see a story clearly, and it’s a story that has much to teach us all.
We sing Freedom Song tonight to honour those who brought the music to this country and to the rest of the world.
Harvey Brough
Meet the Artists
Harvey Brough is one of the UK’s most accomplished and diverse musicians. He is unique in his ability to work with the finest professional musicians as well as complete beginners, including adults and children – often side by side. Many of his compositions bring these forces together with remarkable results. He had been promoting Community Music for many years before it became a popular movement.
Harvey sang as a chorister at Coventry Cathedral before studying at the Royal Academy of Music and Clare College, Cambridge. Since then he has worked as a freelance performer, arranger, conductor, producer and composer, first achieving international success in the 1980s with Harvey and the Wallbangers – the ensemble recording five albums, one with Simon Rattle.
His compositions have been performed at the Barbican, the Royal Opera House, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Cadogan Hall, Union Chapel, Kings Place, Turner Sims, Usher Hall (Edinburgh), and many other venues in the UK. His film, TV and theatre credits include: Co-Producer and Arranger with Jocelyn Pook on the scores for Merchant of Venice and Eyes Wide Shut; Composer for a BBC2 ten-part series, In a Land of Plenty; Musical Director and Composer for Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Her Naked Skin, written for the Olivier Stage, National Theatre, London. Other compositions include: Requiem in Blue (1999), which won the Andrew Milne prize (Arts Council UK); Valete in Pace for three choirs and orchestra (2004), a piece commissioned by the cities of Caen and Portsmouth for the 60th anniversary of D-Day; A Fairy Dream (2009), an operatic fragment based on 5 movements from Purcell’s Fairy Queen for two choirs of children, soloists, choir and baroque orchestra, first performed at the Barbican, London; Beached, an opera written with librettist Lee Hall, which was commissioned and premiered in 2011 by Opera North.
For the last twelve years, Harvey has been a composer in residence and patron of VOX HOLLOWAY (VH). They have presented a regular series of innovative concerts, occasionally including staples of the choral repertoire, but mostly creating new, eclectic programmes.
In September 2012 Harvey was appointed as Turner Sims Professor of Music at the University of Southampton, where he established a new university community choir (the University of Southampton Voices), and taught and performed with students in concerts and workshops at the University. He has worked closely with Sir Ray Davies on new choral arrangements of songs by Ray and the Kinks. He is also in demand as a freelance choral and orchestral arranger, working with the UK’s finest musicians – for instance Britten Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra and many others.
He also works as a conductor – recently working with the London Symphony Orchestra’s three community choirs and as a singer – with London Voices and other groups.
Conductor Eric Townell is widely recognized for imaginative, innovative programming and excellence in traditional repertoire for chorus, orchestra, and opera.
A versatile and dynamic musician, Eric became the third Music Director in the 78-year history of the Rochester Oratorio Society in 2006. He has led the ROS in subscription concerts, regional outreach performances, live radio broadcasts, televised concerts, commissions of new work, collaborative concerts with the region’s leading arts organizations and with the University of Rochester Humanities Center, award-winning tours to Beijing and Shanghai for the 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival and to Eastern European capitals. He has prepared the ROS for numerous appearances with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, including several broadcast nationally, and for the New York State Ballet. His choral and orchestral performances with the Oratorio Society have been heard nationally via WXXI’s “Performance Rochester” series.
Eric has appeared to critical acclaim as guest conductor of the Silesian State Opera Orchestra in the Czech Republic and with the Milwaukee, Lincoln, Madison and Symphoria (Syracuse) symphony orchestras, among numerous others. He has conducted holiday, special event and regional outreach concerts as a frequent guest conductor for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, including their 2012 Messiah, selected for national broadcast, and the 2013 Ninetieth Anniversary Concert of the RPO, sponsored by the City of Rochester. He substituted at short notice to conduct the Hellas Soloists Orchestra of Patras, Greece, for their Italian tour. Twice winner of the International Opera Conducting Course/Competition, he made his European debut conducting Eugene Onegin at the Silesian State Opera Company of the Czech Republic. He conducted an acclaimed production of Rigoletto with L’Opera Piccola of Chicago in 2002. He has led performances for the national touring company of Amahl and the Night Visitors and concerts of opera scenes and arias with the Beethoven Chamber Orchestra of the Czech Republic. With the Empire State Lyric Theatre in Rochester, Eric led Rossini’s La Cambiale di Matrimonio in March of 2012. As Artistic Director for Rochester Lyric Opera (2013-2017), he led fully professional productions of Donizetti’s rarely performed gem Rita, Haydn’s Lo Speziale and numerous concert and outreach performances. He developed innovative programming for its Chamber Opera Festival and for staged, professional performances for community outreach at the Strong Museum of Play (Giannini: Beauty and the Beast) and at Rochester’s Family Court (Gilbert & Sullivan: Trial by Jury).
Eric Townell’s festival appearances include the Ost-West Musikfest (Austria) and Festival dà Bach á Bartók (Italy) and the 2012 Finger Lakes Choral Festival. Following a successful guest appearance leading the Berlioz Requiem in 2018, Eric was appointed Artistic Director for the Finger Lakes Choral Festival in 2019, a position he retains.
In support of his artistic endeavors and his ensembles, Eric has developed strong organizational and non-profit expertise, resulting in markedly increased grant support, endowment funding and individual campaign growth. As a grant writer, he has won unprecedented, statewide support for the Rochester Oratorio Society and greatly enhanced contributions from private foundations. Eric previously served asVice Chair of the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester. As a board member of the William Warfield Scholarship Fund, Eric initiated the William Warfield Vocal Competition for African American High School Students, to be held annually beginning in October 2019. An experienced and effective communicator on music and arts topics, Eric has offered pre-concert chats, creative consultation and program annotation for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic and several other ensembles and chamber music series. He is a frequent commentator on arts topics on WXXI radio and producer and host of “In the Spotlight,” an arts magazine program distributed via cable access television stations throughout New York. His orchestral and choral conducting were the subject of the 1994 Wisconsin Public Radio broadcast “Music from Wisconsin: A Wisconsin Conductor.” Eric Townell appears by arrangement with Harwood Management Group.
Boston-based mezzo-soprano Alexis Peart has been praised for her “plush yet robust voice” and “incredible clarity” in roles ranging from baroque operas to world premiere performances. She is a 2023 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition New England Region finalist, Boston District Winner, and a 2023/2024 Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist with Boston Lyric Opera. This season, she debuts with Boston Lyric Opera as Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Big Stone (Eurydice), and covers Dorothée (L’Amant Anonyme). Peart also makes her Princeton Festival debut as Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte) and is a featured soloist with the Rochester Oratorio Society, Assabet Valley Chorale, Jubilate Chorale, Seaglass Theater Company, and Castle of our Skins. She spent the summer as a Young Artist with Chautauqua Opera, covering the title role in La Tragédie de Carmen.
During the 2022/2023 season, Alexis performs as the Voice of Israel in R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses with the Rochester Oratorio Society, the Mezzo soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Boston University Philharmonic Orchestra. She has appeared frequently with the Boston University Opera Institute, this season as Jo in Mark Adamo’s Little Women, Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina, and Mrs. Somes in Ned Rorem’s Our Town, and in the 2021/2022 season as Brittomara in Jake Heggie’s If I Were You and Taller Daughter in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up. Alexis is a two-time alumna of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio (2020/2021) and 2022 winner of the Boston University Carnegie Hall Competition.
Especially apt with new music, Alexis debuted the role of Ada Lovelace in the world premiere workshop of Elena Ruehr’s The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage with Guerilla Opera and presented the first live performance of Love in the Time Of, a world premiere song cycle commissioned by Boston Opera Collaborative. She can be heard on the Grammy-nominated recording of Anthony Davis’ X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X produced by Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera, and on several art song recordings released by PARMA Recordings, LLC.
Operatic highlights include the title role in Handel’s Giulio Cesare (Chicago Summer Opera), Der Trommler in Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Bessie in Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny-Songspiel (Eastman Opera Theater), Léonore in Andre Campra’s Le Carnaval de Venise and Cupid in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis (Eastman Collegium Musicum), in addition to serving as the alto soloist in Bach Canata’s 102, 48, and 79, and Handel’s Messiah, and the alto soloist cover in Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium with Eastman Philharmonia.
Alexis holds a B.M. in Voice Performance and Music Education from the prestigious Eastman School of Music and an M.M. in Voice Performance and M.S. in Arts Administration from Boston University.
Fredrick Redd, a seasoned singer, actor, and industry professional whose talents have illuminated stages across the US and beyond has garnered acclaim from prestigious publications like London’s Opera Now, Opera News, and the illustrious New York Times.
With a repertoire boasting over 300 shows in the vibrant landscape of New York City, Fredrick has graced Carnegie Hall’s iconic main stage on eight triumphant occasions captivating audiences since his debut there as the baritone soloist in Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” His magnetic presence extends to the Metropolitan Opera Guild, where he enraptured listeners with excerpts from the timeless “Rigoletto” and his debut in the Emmy-nominated production of “Porgy & Bess” at the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center where he recently returned as a featured artist in the world premiere of “Stonewall.” In the heart of Fredrick’s operatic repertoire (20 lead roles), he shines in the masterpieces of Verdi and Puccini, portraying iconic roles like Amonasro in “Aida” and Scarpia in “Tosca” with committed depth and emotion. Recent debuts include Hark in the opera “Nat Turner” with the NJ Symphony and his portrayal of Wotan in Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” and a celebrated artist at the 45th William Warfield Scholarship Fund Benefit Concert.
In his Off-Broadway theatre performances, Fredrick embodies compelling characters like the formidable “Emperor Jones” and the enigmatic Dom Frollo in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” His versatility as an artist includes appearances in national television commercials for the US Open in addition to his performances on stage and screen.
Fredrick’s influence extends beyond the stage, enriching the next generation of artists, through vocal master classes, and serving as a board member for five esteemed arts organizations. He maintains memberships in AGMA, Actor’s Equity (AEA), and eligibility for SAG/AFTRA. Balancing a thriving artistic and business career with a passion for athletics, Fredrick’s engineering, and MBA background position him as a sought-after consultant. As a 2-time Ironman and 4-time marathon finisher, he embodies resilience and determination in all aspects of his life.
Zabriel Rivers, a distinguished countertenor, singer, and cultural preservationist from the Gullah Geechee community, is set to make his mark at NYC’s Carnegie Hall on May 27, 2024, at 7 PM. This second solo performance marks a pinnacle in his illustrious career, showcasing his talent and dedication to his craft.
As a District Advocate for the Atlanta Grammy Chapter, Zabriel seamlessly intertwines music and advocacy, embodying a commitment to both his art and his community. With degrees from the New England Conservatory and Alabama State University, Zabriel brings a unique blend of formal training and cultural insight to his performances.
His one-man show, “A Gullah Evening with Zabriel,” is an exploration of Gullah Geechee culture, blending opera, classical music, and captivating storytelling. Through his performance, Zabriel will take listeners on a mesmerizing journey, delving into the rich heritage and traditions of the Gullah people. It’s a unique and immersive experience that celebrates the beauty and resilience of the Gullah Geechee community.
With a deep respect for the past and passion for preserving this unique heritage, his mission is to share rich traditions and stories that have shaped the Gullah community.
Jay Stetzer is a musician, dancer, mime, and professional storyteller. Born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1947, Jay received degrees from the Eastman School of Music and pursued studies at Alfred University, Bucket Dance Theater (now Garth Fagan Dance), the Martha Graham Studio in New York City, and the Mime Workshop in Rochester, New York.
A popular storyteller throughout the Eastern US since 1978, Jay has given countless performances at fairs, festivals, schools, churches, colleges, and conferences, and has appeared frequently on radio and television. He has been a performing member of Young Audiences since 1983 and was elected as a finalist for their “Artist of the Year” award in 1988. Today, he is affiliated with Teaching Arts of Rochester.
In 1985 Jay began a delightful collaboration with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, designing family concerts as well as performing in educational concerts through a variety of storytelling roles with orchestral accompaniment. He has appeared regularly with the RPO and other orchestras throughout New York State.
Jay received the prestigious “Artist of the Year” award from the Arts and Cultural Council of Rochester for the year 2008.
You can hear Jay’s voice in his five award-winning CDs: “Fables in Four Minutes,” “World Full of Stories,” “Parking in Manhattan,” “Five O’clock at the Zoo,” and “The Fantabulous Cumulo-Nimbuli Pump.” His CDs are available as downloads at Amazon, iTunes, and through his website: www.JayStetzer.com.
From 1986-2016, Rochester radio listeners have enjoyed Jay’s popular program, “Tales in Two Minutes” on WXXI-FM and WJZR- North Coast Radio. Listeners can now tune-in to his stories through his daily podcast: “Tales in Two Minutes-Jay Stetzer” wherever they access their podcasts.
Jay makes his home with his wife, Maura, in Rochester, NY. He is no stranger to children, being an active father of five and grandfather of four. He was also a permanent artist-in-resident at the esteemed Harley School, where he inaugurated a unique program of performing arts for children in the elementary grades. He held this position from 1971 to 2019. In 2010, Jay returned to the hallowed halls of Eastman School as an adjunct professor, where he enjoyed teaching young talented musicians in the classroom until his retirement in 2022.
Soprano and bandleader Melissa Wimbish is a genre-defying artist known for her ability to move between opera, art song, Renaissance polyphony, and pop music with alarming ease. She has premiered works for the stage written especially for her, most notably in the title role of Josephine by Tom Cipullo when “… the afternoon belonged to Melissa Wimbish … Beautifully prepared, vocally stunning, and theatrically riveting, [she] effortlessly held the audience in her hand throughout this one-woman show.” (Washington Post)
Ms. Wimbish made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2016 as grand-prize winner of the NATS Artist Award National Competition. Career highlights include the 50th anniversary of Bernstein’s MASS at The Kennedy Center, Alice in the US-premiere of HARRIET by Hilda Paredes at Yellow Barn Music Festival, Mysteries of the Macabre with the Baltimore Symphony, and the role of Nimue in the Helen Hayes Award-winning production of Camelot at Shakespeare Theatre D.C.
The young soprano has built a career spanning classical, contemporary, and popular styles. Her self-filmed and self-directed pandemic recital is a showcase of her flexibility and adaptability in all mediums. Ms. Wimbish has premiered dozens of contemporary operatic roles such as Stella-Rondo (Why I Live at the P.O.), Josephine Baker (Josephine), the History Teacher (Paul’s Case), Nancy Tuckerman (Camelot Requiem), and Christine (Lost Childhood). She sang the role of Pamina in the film, Black Flute, set to a new libretto with an all-Black creative team and cast. With Sandbox Percussion Ensemble, she debuted Jessica Meyer’s 20 Minutes of Action, a chamber work inspired by Chanel Miller’s Victim Impact Statement and memoir, Know My Name.
In the 2023-24 season, Ms. Wimbish will debut the roles of Anna in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins and Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw. On the concert stage, she will debut as soprano soloist in Bach’s B Minor Mass with Bach in Baltimore, Handel’s Messiah with the Baltimore Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, and the premiere of Robert Manno’s Portrait of Millay for soprano and orchestra at the 2024 Windham Chamber Music Festival.
Proudly based in Baltimore, Ms. Wimbish is lead singer and songwriter for the critically-acclaimed pop duo, Outcalls. The band released their third studio album, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 in 2022 and mounted a woman-led production of their interdisciplinary stage show, Release the Gowns: A theatrical album at Baltimore’s Voxel Theater. Outcalls was invited to perform at the 45th birthday celebration for Governor Wes Moore at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theater and were artists-in-residence at Camden Yards at Oriole’s Park in 2023. Learn more at melissawimbish.com and outcallsband.com.
Resonanz Ensemble
Jennifer Horn, Manager
Karen Bernhardt Kuntz, Rehearsal Accompanist
Soprano:
Luanne Crosby
Karen Crummins
Lisa de Blieck
Karen Dey
Lilith Hart
Cora Jackson
Jane Keller
Barbara Lakeberg
Jude Schewe
Maura Slon
Vicky Wadsworth
Alto:
Angela Bartlow
Donna Budgeon
Jenifer Cheney
Sue Geier
Kathy Green
Jenny Horn
Carole Huther
Lois Johnson
Lisa Lancaster
Larisa Melder
Sandy Moncrief
Nancy Schreiber
Susan Woodhouse
Tenor:
Richard Gudgel
Richard Johnson
Chuck Meyer
Jeff Moran
Bass:
Alan Bartlow
Chris Haller
Harry Hellwig
Frederick Jefferson
Stan Jones
Robert Slon
The Rochester Oratorio Society
The Rochester Oratorio Society (est. 1945) annually presents 2-6 performances of stimulating and gratifying music for chorus and orchestra. Guest conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, Uri Segal, and Christopher Seaman have led its concerts. At present, the ROS seeks to illuminate provocative intersections between music and society by programming music to commemorate events such as the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s birth, and the NY Women’s Suffrage Centennial. We also support youth, under-resourced persons, emerging artists, and local organizations through our many outreach activities. Multimedia performances interweaving visual art, spoken word, and dance are a hallmark of our seasons. The Rochester Oratorio Society melds high artistry with intense community engagement. It has premiered works locally such as Berlioz’s Requiem and Britten’s War Requiem and is best known for its performances of Handel’s Messiah. The ROS has toured in Italy, the UK, Eastern Europe, and China, where they were the keynote ensemble at the 9th International Cultural Festival preceding the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Our music formed a feature episode of WXXI’s televised “Voices” series. We have maintained a lengthy relationship with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and we collaborate with the region’s finest vocalists, instrumentalists, ensembles and artists. ROS supports composers locally and abroad by commissioning and premiering new music. It brings music well outside the concert hall, traveling to colleges, libraries, schools, and even street corners. Our education initiatives complement our support for early-career vocalists through the nationally acclaimed Rochester International Vocal Competition, presented annually by ROS since 2007.
ROS BOARD OF DIRECTORS – OFFICERS
Jeff Moran, President
Ben Wilmott, Vice President
Daniel McInerney, Secretary
Kara Dwyer, Treasurer
BOARD MEMBERS
Phillip Burke
Luanne Crosby
Kara Dwyer
Peter Gaess
Jenny Horn
Nicole Prahler
Katherine Clark Walter
Ben Willmott
STAFF
Eric Townell, Artistic Director
Sarah Engel, Office Coordinator
Jo Ann Lampman, Registrar
Kathleen Green, Financial Operations Manager
COMMITTEE CHAIRS/KEY VOLUNTEERS
Choral Scholars and Choral Fellows | Maryellen Giese
Development Committee | Jenny Horn
Education and Community Outreach | Molly Sanchez
Event and Fundraising Committee | Sue Geier
Executive Committee | Jeff Moran
Governance Committee | Carole Huther
Marketing and Public Relations Committee | Sarah Stage
Membership Committee | Katherine Clark Walter
Production Management Committee | Donna Budgeon/Patrick Walter
Play YOUR part in the Rochester Oratorio Society
The Rochester Oratorio Society invites you to join us in helping to ensure our continuing legacy of providing audiences with high quality live choral music through support of the ROS Endowment at the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
The ROS Endowment provides significant income each year to support current operating costs. Cash donations to the Endowment in any amount are always welcome, or donate directly to the ROS Endowment via the Rochester Area Community Foundation web site at www.racf.org.
Planned gifts to The Rochester Oratorio Society are a wonderful way to strengthen our organization today, while providing you, our donor, with options that fit your wealth management plans. A planned or deferred gift, along with the accompanying benefits to you, is arranged during your lifetime, but the gift to the Rochester Oratorio Society is deferred to a future date. The most common planned gift is a bequest, which allows you to make a significant contribution that may not be possible during your lifetime, and protects your family, loved ones, and the organization you care about.
The Rochester Oratorio Society Notable Guild recognizes those loyal and generous music lovers who have chosen to include the Rochester Oratorio Society in their bequests or other long-range charitable giving plans. By including ROS in your will and becoming a member of the Notable Guild, you are giving the joy and inspiration of great choral ensemble music to Rochester’s future generations.
To inform the Rochester Oratorio Society of your gift, or for additional information, please request our endowment brochure, call us at (585) 473-2234, or learn more at: https://rossings.org/support-ros/planned-giving/
Thank you to our Sponsors
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathleen Hochul and the New York State Legislature and administered by Genesee Valley Council on the Arts.
