Meet the Soloists for Voices of Light
The Spring concert Voices of Light features four acclaimed soloists. The biographies of these soloists are so impressive that members of the SVC are anticipatory of a stunning performance for the audience. The classic 1928 black- and- white movie The Passion of Joan of Arc will be playing in front of of the audience as the soloists, Chorale, and musicians perform behind them, creating a truly multimedia event.
Soprano soloist Emily Martin has regularly received acclaim for her “enchanting iridescence” (The Sarasota Herald Tribune) and has been called “dramatically energetic and skillful” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). A Connecticut native, Martin received her training at Boston University, the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and the University of Colorado at Boulder. She participated in the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program for Singers, the Chautauqua Opera Young Artist Program, the Virginia Opera Emerging Artist Program, and as a Phyllis Curtin Seminarian at the Tanglewood Music Center. Martin débuted at Carnegie Hall in Handel’s Messiah with the New England Symphonic Ensemble.
Alto soloist Dianna Grabowski, described as “glamorous” and “glowing-toned” by the Dallas Morning News, is a versatile performer experienced in a wide range of classical singing. She is a founding member of Armonia Celeste, an ensemble specializing in the expressive vocal music of the Italian renaissance and sings frequently with professional choruses including the Apollo Master Chorale, Vox Humana, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, as well as with Grammy-nominated ensemble, Seraphic Fire. Grabowski was featured in a PBS documentary presented by Early Music Television.
Heralded for his “powerfully expressive voice” (Washington Post, May 2009), tenor soloist Stephen Ng is an opera, oratorio, recital, and new music performer, performing in many operatic roles throughout the world. Other engagements include performing with Festival Internacional Cervantino (Guanajuato, Mexico), Theatre of Voices, Schönberg Ensemble (Amsterdam), Tanglewood Music Festival, Berklee College of Music, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Ng received his D.M. at Indiana University and his M.M. at the New England Conservatory. He has been on the voice faculty at Stetson University in Florida and presently is a faculty member at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
Bass soloist Brian Mextorf recently appeared as John Styx in Virginia Opera’s Orpheus in the Underworld and garnered praise for his “standout” performance (DC Metro Theater Arts). He was named a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, North Carolina District, and placed second in the Southeast Region. Mextorf, a Williamsport native, is a graduate of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Virginia Opera young artist programs. He is an alumnus of The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Westminster Choir College, and The CoOPERAtive Program. This season he will appear in the New York City Opera production of La Traviata as Germont, in the Williamsport Symphony’s broadway concert, and in several choral concerts at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.
Audiences may hear these professional soloists in the SVC Spring Concert to be held on March 11 at 7:30 PM, and March 12 at 2:00 PM at the Campus Theatre in Lewisburg. The Campus Theatre has limited seating. Be sure to get your tickets now. You can purchase them online www.svcmusic.org, by phone at the SVC office 570-547-0455 or at the door. Parental Guidance Suggested.
