The Soul Rejoices, The Spirit Sings

The Soul Rejoices The Spirit Sings
October 20, 2019. 4:00pm

Music of joy and thanksgiving from a variety of sacred traditions. From the sweeping architecture of a Bach motet to the powerful expression of early American shape note hymns and spirituals, this concert will lift your spirits and feed your soul.

Bach : Jesu, meine Freude
Purcell: O sing unto the Lord. Z44
Durante: Magnificat
Salamone Rossi: Keter Yitenu Lach
Abraham Casseres: Hishki, Hiski
Hogan: Good news, the chariot’s comin’
Billings: Universal Praise

With

Rita Lilly, soprano
Justin Montigne, countertenor
Daniel Hutchings, tenor
Nikolas Nackley, baritone
and the Jubilate Orchestra

Program run time: 1 hour 15 minutes (no intermission)

Soloists

Rita Lilly

Rita Lilly is familiar to audiences in oratorio and recital, but most notably for her performances of baroque and early music. She has been lauded by The New York Times for “possessing a voice of strength, clarity, and virtuosity” and by the S.F. Classical Voice for “having a pure, silvery voice with plenty of color.” Ms. Lilly is a native New Yorker who has appeared as a featured soloist with the American Boychoir, American Classical Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Artek, Bachworks, Bach Aria Group, Clarion Music Society, Concert Royal, Rebel, Folger Consort, Sacabuche, Trinity Church NY Concerts, and the New York Consort of Viols, among others. As the soprano soloist of the Waverly Consort, she toured throughout the U.S. and abroad, including performances at N.Y.’s Alice Tully Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cloisters. Ms. Lilly has been featured on live broadcasts on New York’s WNYC, WNCN, National Public Radio, and Radio-Canada.

Justin Montigne

Justin Montigne is an expressive countertenor who specializes in early music, and has also premiered numerous contemporary works with orchestra and in recital. Dr. Montigne sang with the Grammy Award winning men’s ensemble, Chanticleer, performing in venues from Carnegie Hall to Vienna’s Musikverein and appearing on several Chanticleer recordings. He has sung alto and tenor solos in oratorios of Handel, Bach, Purcell, Mozart, and Haydn, as well as contemporary choral works. He is a founding member of the professional men’s ensemble, Clerestory, and has been instrumental in curating nearly forty different concert programs over thirteen seasons, as well as appearing on and co-producing Clerestory’s two commercially-available recordings. As one of the Bay Area’s preeminent vocal pedagogues, Dr. Montigne is the Director of Voice Studies for the Grammy Award winning San Francisco Girls Chorus, the founding co-director of the Bay Area Vocal Academy, and teaches vocal courses at Sonoma State University.


Daniel Hutchings

Tenor Daniel Hutchings appears frequently with ensembles such as the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, the Denver Early Music Consort, the Boulder Bach Festival, and Seicento Baroque Ensemble. recently, Daniel and his wife, composer and pianist Rachael Hutchings, premiered two of her works on Colorado Public radio. Mr. Hutchings began his solo career when he was a member of the San Francisco Bach Choir where he met his wife Rachael. He soon became a fixture of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He has appeared with American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque, and Magnificat, and has performed as a soloist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, and Mass in B Minor; Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610; and various works by Vivaldi, Charpentier, and others. The San Francisco Classical Voice has said, “Tenor Dan Hutchings…performed with great sensitivity. Hutchings’ high clarion tenor is perfect for Bach’s music.” The Denver Post has said, “Hutchings commanded rapt attention in his beautifully phrased performance… With extraordinary breath control and fine-tuned interpretation, he delivered this piece…with aplomb.”


Baritone Nikolas Nackley is in demand for his work on both the concert and operatic stage. He has been heralded by the San Francisco Chronicle as “sonorous and heroic” and praised by the Boston Globe for his ability to “continually impress with his beautiful voice and acting.” Recently featured in the title role of West Edge Opera’s critically acclaimed Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Mr. Nackley  returned to WEO this past summer to sing the role of Captain Bouchardon in the West Coast premiere Matt Mark’s opera Mata Hari. Recent credits include the role of Joe Pitt in the West Coast premiere of Peter Eötvös’s opera Angels in America with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Adonis in John Blow’s Venus and Adonis with Marin Baroque; Bach’s St. John Passion with the SF Bach Choir, Santa Clara Chorale, and Bay Choral Guild; Figaro in Paisiello’s Barber of Seville with WEO’s Opera Medium Rare; Haydn’s The Seasons with Marin Oratorio; and the West Coast premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s “The Tempest Songbook” with Cal Performances. Mr. Nackley is currently on the faculty at the School of Music at SF State University and at UC Berkeley, where he is the director of vocal studies.