Overture Magazine - 2015-2016 Season May-June 2016 | Page 27

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Steve J . Sherman Andrew Schaff
Nicholas McGegan
Celebrating his 30 th season with the San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra , Nicholas McGegan is music director of the Philharmonia , principal guest conductor of the Pasadena Symphony and , since 2014 , Artist in Association with Australia ’ s Adelaide Symphony .
Mr . McGegan has been principal guest conductor of the Scottish Opera and principal conductor of Sweden ’ s 18 th century Drottningholm Theater . As a guest conductor , he has been a pioneer in bringing historically informed performances to symphony audiences all over the world .
His discography of more than 100 releases includes the world premiere recording of Handel ’ s Susanna , which attracted a Gramophone award .
Born in England , Mr . McGegan was educated at Cambridge and Oxford universities . His awards include an honorary professorship at Georg- August University , Göttingen , the Hallé Handel Prize , an order of merit of the state of Lower Saxony , a Medal of Honour of the City of Göttingen and the declaration of Nicholas McGegan Day by the Mayor of San Francisco , honoring two decades of work with the Philharmonia Baroque . Mr . McGegan was made an OBE in the Queen ’ s Birthday Honours List 2010 .
Nicholas McGegan last appeared with the BSO in February 2015 , conducting conducting a program of J . S . Bach , C . P . E Bach and J . C Bach .
Yulia Van Doren
Russian-American soprano Yulia Van Doren has performed with the Toronto , Nashville , Baltimore , Milwaukee , Albany , Columbus , Indianapolis and San Francisco symphonies , Los Angeles Master Chorale , Radio Kamer Filharmonie , Music of the Baroque ,
Denis Jouglet
Boston Baroque , and Washington D . C .’ s Folger Consort .
The only singer awarded a top prize in all four U . S . Bach vocal competitions , Ms . Van Doren has appeared as a soloist in almost all of the North American early music festivals and orchestras . Her recordings include two Grammy-nominated opera recordings with the Boston Early Music Festival , and the world-premiere recording of Shostakovich ’ s Orango , recorded with the L . A . Philharmonic and released by Deutsche Grammophon .
Born in Moscow and raised in the United States , Ms . Van Doren is an Astral Artist , a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow , and a Beebe Grant recipient .
Yulia Van Doren last appeared with the BSO in December 2012 , performing Handel ’ s Messiah , Edward Polochick , conductor .
Christopher Ainslie
Christopher Ainslie first considered singing as a profession after performing the alto solos in Bach ’ s Matthäus Passion with the St George ’ s Singers in his native Cape Town . Since then , Bach ’ s music has taken him around the world , with performances including the Weihnachts Oratorium with Vladimir Jurowski in Moscow , alto cantatas with Les Passions de l ’ Ame in Switzerland and Belgium , Matthäus Passion at the London Handel Festival , Magnificat at the Wigmore Hall , the Mass in B Minor in New York City and cantatas with the Internationale Bachakadamie Stuttgart .
In 2007 , Mr . Ainslie won the Michael Oliver Prize at the London Handel Festival , and the next year was the first countertenor to win the Richard Tauber competition at Wigmore Hall . In 2011 , he won the Gianni Bergamo countertenor competition in Switzerland . Mr . Ainslie studied singing with Mark Tucker and graduated from the Royal College of Music .
Christopher Ainslie is making his BSO debut .
Paul Foster-Williams Ann Marsden
Thomas Cooley
Minnesota-born tenor Thomas Cooley has appeared with some of the world ’ s most prestigious conductors in repertoire that includes Beethoven ’ s Missa Solemnis , Berlioz ’ Requiem , Nuits d ’ été and L ’ enfance du Christ , Haydn ’ s Seasons , Stravinsky ’ s Les Noces , Mendelssohn ’ s Lobgesang , Elgar ’ s Dream of Gerontius , Bernstein ’ s Candide and many others .
Recent appearances include Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony with the Copenhagen and Bremen philharmonics , and Milwaukee Symphony ; Britten ’ s War Requiem with the Grand Philharmonic Choir , Atlanta , Oregon , and Indianapolis symphonies ; the roles of Bob Boles in Britten ’ s Peter Grimes with the St . Louis Symphony at Carnegie Hall and Peter Quint in Britten ’ s Turn of the Screw with the St . Paul Chamber Orchestra ; the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis ’ Creation / Creator oratorio with Atlanta Symphony ; and a new production of Handel ’ s Acis and Galatea with the Mark Morris Dance Group .
Thomas Cooley last appeared with the BSO in January 2015 , performing Beethoven ' s Symphony No . 9 , Nicholas McGegan , conductor .
Dashon Burton
Bass-Baritone Dashon Burton ’ s recent performances include Bach ’ s B Minor Mass at the Bethlehem Bach Festival , Messiah with I Solisti , and the bass arias in the St . Matthew Passion at the Spoleto USA Festival . Last summer , he appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra to open the Blossom Music Festival in Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony conducted by Franz Welser-Möst .
An avid performer of new music , Mr . Burton has premiered works of Christopher Cerrone , Caroline Shaw , William Brittelle , and Judd Greenstein . He is a founding member of the touring chamber ensemble Roomful of Teeth . Devoted to performing new compositions , the group received a
May – June 2016 | Overture 25