Hinsdale Chorale: Sing-Along "Messiah" and Holiday Concert - Nov. 30

The Hinsdale Chorale, under the direction of new Music Director Bruce Hall, will perform its annual Holiday Concert featuring Handel’s Messiah (with several sing-along choruses), as well as Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata and other holiday fare. The concert will be held on Sunday, November 30, 2014, at 4:00 p.m., at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 139 E. First Street, Hinsdale, IL.

This concert marks the Chorale’s 15th anniversary and the 13th year the group has launched the holiday season for the western suburbs with a performance of selections from Handel’s Messiah. This baroque favorite will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra and harpsichord featuring professional musicians from throughout the Chicagoland area. In addition, the Chorale welcomes several vocal soloists who are making their debut performances with the group.

Peruvian soprano Gisella Milla is currently a student in Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University. Gisella recently won first place in the 2014 Chicago NATS College Classical Competition in the second year graduate division and performed the USA national anthem along with the Peruvian national anthem for the Consulate General of Peru in Chicago as part of their Independence Day celebration.

Gisella started her voice training in 2008 in Peru while finishing her major in communications, and since then she has been devoted to following her passion for opera performance. She gained on-stage experience performing as a soloist and among others in the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Perú and with the Peruvian National choir in several Peruvian opera seasons and throughout her Roosevelt studies. In the past, she has been part of Manpower “Pasion por el Talento” (passion for the talent) Peruvian workshop for prominent young singers.

Julianne Grace Olson, a soprano from Mt. Baker, Washington, has made opera appearances worldwide. Her stages range from the United Nations in NYC to the Banquets of Ambassadors of Kosovo and Albania, to a solo tour in China including a performance for the previous Prime Minister, a duet tour in South Korea, and The Mezzo International Television Competition in Hungary. In 2015, Miss Olson will also appear as a guest soloist with the Abu Dhabi National Orchestra. In NYC, Julianne recently performed the role of Cho-Cho Son in Madame Butterfly and Mimi in La Boheme. At Lincoln Center, she understudied the role of Musetta in La Boheme for the Puccini Gala.

Both last year and this year, Julianne received the Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council. This winter, she is excited to join the roster with Lyric Opera of Chicago in the world premiere of The Property! Julianne is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory, New Jersey City University, and Indiana University (BM, MM, and Performance Diploma). She is a Lead Teaching Artist with Chicago Opera Theater and a private instructor at Lake County Music Center and Midwest Young Artists.

Errin Duane Brooks is an up-and-coming American tenor from Detroit. Most recently he appeared with Opera Theater Pittsburgh as Scaramuccio and covering Bacchus in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. Errin has performed with other companies in the United States such as South Shore Opera, Toledo Opera and Michigan Opera Theater. Past tenor roles also include covering Harlequin and Donkeyman in Victor Ullman’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Carl Orff’s Die Kluge and Messenger in William Grant Still’s Troubled Island, a Chicago premiere.

While spending his summer with Opera Theater Pittsburgh in July 2014, Errin recently placed first in the national finals of The Vocal Arts Competition for Emerging Voices. He also won The Dr. Marjorie Conrad Art Song Competition at the graduate level. Errin is currently a Young Artist at Chicago Opera Theater. He received his Master of Music degree from Bowling Green State University and his Bachelor of Music degree from Madonna University in Livonia, MI, just outside his hometown.

A native of Vernon Hills and Antioch, Illinois, baritone Nathaniel Olson actively performs throughout the United States. This season’s engagements include Jacob Grimm in The Brothers Grimm for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Opera in the Neighborhoods,” Bass Soloist for the Chicago Bach Ensemble, Adam in Haydn’s Creation for the Wheaton College Artist Series with John Nelson, Handel’s Messiah in Hinsdale and Antioch, a Solo Recital at Carnegie Hall with Kevin Murphy as part of the Evenings of Song III Carnegie Series, Tomasz in the World Premiere of The Property for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and a recital for the Ravinia Festival Women’s Board Riverboat Cruise on the Rhine River.

Nathaniel made his television debut earlier this year on a WTVP PBS Television Special titled The American Songbook with Nathaniel Olson and Kevin Murphy. Previous performance highlights include a Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Recital, the Brahms Requiem and St. John Passion with the Columbus, Indiana Philharmonic, and as a soloist in Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Nathaniel made his Carnegie Hall debut in Marilyn Horne’s The Song Continues in 2013, and is an alumnus of the Ravinia Festival Steans Music Institute, Indiana University and Wheaton College.

Kathy Christian continues to delight audiences as the Chorale’s accompanist. Joining shortly after the choir’s inception in 1999, Kathy serves on the music faculty of North Central College, is organist and pianist at First Congregational Church of Western Springs, and also accompanies vocal and instrumental soloists throughout the Chicago area. Kathy received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from DePauw University and a Master of Arts in Music from the University, College of Wales in Aberystwyth through a Rotary International Graduate Fellowship. She holds the designation of Nationally Certified Teacher of Music from the Music Teachers National Association and has been a contributing editor to Keyboard Companion magazine. She currently serves as a board member for the West Suburban Chapter of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association.

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About the Hinsdale Chorale

The mission of the Hinsdale Chorale is to enrich the musical culture of Hinsdale, Illinois and its surrounding neighborhoods by promoting the appreciation of choral singing in our community. The group is a non-profit and educational organization comprised of dedicated professional and amateur singers led by a professional director. We perform formally twice each year, at holiday time and in the spring. We also make several special community appearances throughout the year, including the Hinsdale Christmas Walk and the annual Memorial Day services at Memorial Hall. For more information, visit www.hinsdalechorale.org.

This program is partially sponsored by a grant from the
Illinois Arts Council Agency.