NVC Presents: Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass

Napa, Calif—In a dynamic performance of strings and voice, the NVC Chorale presents Joseph Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis, universally known as Lord Nelson Mass, Sunday April 17th, 3:00 pm at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center. Filled with guest performances from Eloquence String Quartet and celebrated Bay Area soloists Amy Foote and Samuel Faustine, this opening concert of Music Napa Valley’s performance season is set to delight.

Opening the concert, locally based Eloquence String Quartet will perform the Caribbean-inspired Danzas de Panama, based on Panamian folk themes collected by Elisabeth Waldo and composed by 20th century composer William Grant Still. The quartet’s members include Symphony Napa Valley Associate Concertmaster and Marin Symphony violin principal Peggy Brady (violin), Pacific Union College Professor of Music/Conductor Rachelle Berthelsen-Davis (violin), Symphony Napa Valley member Beth Heid (viola) and Lamplighters Theater player Gwyneth Davis (cello). Founding member Peggy Brady has assembled one of the most diverse and beautiful repertoire collections of any Bay Area string quartet. Musicians Doug Knoll (timpani), Kurt Nystrom (trumpet) and Jeff Patterson (bass) and Mark Osten (piano) join the quartet and Chorale for the concert’s centerpiece, Lord Nelson Mass.

Haydn’s masterwork will prove an exciting triumph for returning vocalists Samuel Faustine and Amy Foote, who share the stage with Dr. Eve-Anne Wilkes’ skillful College Chorale. Faustine and Foote first stunned Napa audiences last year in Leonard Bernstein’s concert version of Candide; the San Francisco-based guest artists will return for Lord Nelson Mass as members of the concert’s solo quartet, joined by mezzo-soprano Bonnie Brooks and baritone Ted von Pohle.

Foote, a coloratura soprano and contemporary vocalist, will perform the soprano solo for Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis. Her operatic voice has been deemed "most impressive…[with] accuracy, musicality, and diction…" by the San Francisco Classical Voice. Undaunted by the vocal and theatrical demands of contemporary classical chamber music, Foote has worked with over 25 composers and has performed with various music groups and festivals, including the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Friction Quartet, Elevate Ensemble, and Switchboard Music Festival

Faustine, a presence in both the Bay Area’s Musical Theater and Opera communities, will perform tenor solo. A vocalist with cross-genre versatility, San Francisco Classical Voice describes his voice as, “very sweet, somewhere between a Broadway tenor and an operatic lyric tenor.” Faustine is also an active member of the Bay Area’s sacred music and choral community, frequently performing around the region, most notably with Gaude, Volti SF, and Grace Cathedral where he sings counter-tenor in addition to tenor.

Tickets for Lord Nelson Mass are $15 - $20. For tickets and information call (707) 256-7500 or visit musicnapavalley.org.

FEATURED ARTISTS
Napa Valley College Chorale (http://musicnapavalley.org/
Eloquence String Quartet (http://eloquencestringquartet.com/)
Amy Foote (http://www.amymichellefoote.com/)
Sam Faustine (http://www.samuelfaustine.com/)

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS
Lord Nelson Mass
Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center

2277 Napa Vallejo Hwy Napa, CA. 94558
BOX OFFICE: (707) 256-7500

www.musicnapavalley.org

ABOUT MUSIC NAPA VALLEY
Music Napa Valley is dedicated to providing audiences professional quality music performances, bringing in students, professionals and regionally acclaimed guest artists to the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center stage. Each fall and spring, Music Napa Valley presents a variety of performances at Napa Valley College’s Performing Arts Center. To learn more about the current Music Season, participate, and to learn more about degrees in the performing arts, visit musicnapavalley.org.

ABOUT THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AT NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE:
A prominent landmark along the Napa-Vallejo Highway, Napa Valley College’s Performing Arts Center is a distinguished entrance marker to the iconic Napa Valley. Open to the public since 2010, the NVC Performing Arts Center’s three stages host a unique meritage of student and professional performances each year. Sited at the north edge of the NVC campus to take advantage of the beautiful views of the Napa Valley range, it is the recipient of numerous architectural design awards, including The American Institute of Architects Minnesota Honor Award (2011). To learn more, visit www.napavalleytheater.org and www.musicnapavalley.org.