Columbus Symphony and Chorus Rings In The Holiday Season With Messiah

Conducted by CSO chorus master Ronald J. Jenkins, the Columbus Symphony ushers in the holidays with the Columbus Symphony Chorus and several celebrated soloists in Messiah, one of the most popular works in Western choral literature and one of Handel's most famous works. Soloists include Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano; Jay Carter, countertenor; C. Andrew Blosser, tenor; AnDrew Foster-Williams, bass-baritone; and Jacob Stuckert, boy soprano. WOSU's Christopher Purdy will hold a free, pre-concert lecture about the piece for ticket holders at 7pm on the fourth floor of the Ohio Theatre's Galbreath Pavilion.

The Columbus Symphony presents Handel's Messiah at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) on Saturday, November 20, at 8pm, and Sunday, November 21, at 3pm. Tickets are $20.50-$66.50 for adults and $11.50-$34.50 for children, and can be purchased at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 228-8600 or (800) 745-3000. The Ohio Theatre Ticket Office will also be open two hours prior to each performance. Students between the ages of 13-19 may purchase $5 High Five tickets while available. The 2010-11 Classical Series is made possible through the generous support of series sponsor Battelle.

About Ronald J. Jenkins
Ronald J. Jenkins has been director of the Columbus Symphony Chorus and Chamber Chorus since 1982. In this position, he is responsible for one of the largest volunteer organizations in the Columbus Symphony family, as he prepares the members of the Chorus for multiple appearances with the Symphony each season.

Jenkins is currently minister of music and liturgy at First Community Church, as well as the producer of the church's concert series. Jenkins' choir at First Community Church has performed at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, and has toured Europe twice. He previously served as assistant choral director at Washington University (St. Louis) and as visiting choral director at Denison and Ohio Wesleyan universities. His church positions have included positions in suburban St. Louis as organist/choirmaster and minister of music.

A native of St. Louis, Jenkins holds degrees from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and Florida State University. He has also done postgraduate study at Washington University, and has studied conducting at the Tanglewood Institute.

About Soprano Heidi Grant Murphy
A shimmering soprano with an enchanting stage presence, Heidi Grant Murphy is one of the outstanding vocal talents of her generation. A native of Bellingham, Washington, she began vocal studies while attending Western Washington and Indiana Universities. Her graduate studies were interrupted when she was named a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions and engaged by maestro James Levine to participate in the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Murphy has appeared with many of the world's finest opera companies and symphony orchestras, notably the Metropolitan Opera, Salzburg Festival, Frankfurt Opera, Netherlands Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Opera National de Paris, and Santa Fe Opera. She has been engaged as soloist with the Vienna, New York, and Los Angeles philharmonics; Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Minnesota orchestras; and Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Atlanta, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Houston, Montreal, National, and Dallas symphonies.

The 2009-10 season marked the 20th anniversary of Murphy's Metropolitan Opera debut in the 1989 production of Die Frau Ohne Schatten, which has since led to numerous roles in that prestigious opera house, notably Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte,
Sister Constance in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Servilia in Clemenza di Tito, and Nanetta in Falstaff.

About Countertenor Jay Carter
American countertenor Jay Carter is quickly gaining recognition as one of the nation's finest, lauded for his luminous tone and stylish interpretations especially in the music of Bach, Handel, and Purcell. Equally at home in the modern recital repertoire, he has also gained acclaim and recognition for programs of modern classics typically outside the standard countertenor repertory by composers such as Quilter, Brahms, Britten, and Hahn. In recent seasons, Carter has appeared with noted conductors Helmuth Rilling, Simon Carrington, Sir Philip Ledger CBE, and Owen Burdick.

About Tenor C. Andrew Blosser
C. Andrew Blosser, a native of Belle Center, Ohio, has performed roles in opera and musical theatre, presented master classes, and performed recitals throughout the US, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Switzerland. He received a Bachelor of Music in vocal music education from the Conservatory of Music at Capital University and a Master of Music in voice performance and a Doctor of Musical Arts from The Ohio State University. Blosser is currently teaching voice at The Ohio State University and at Capital University where he conducts the Capital Chordsmen, formerly the Capital University Men's Glee Club. He is the tenor soloist and section leader at First Community Church in Columbus, where he sings in the Chamber Singers and Chancel Choir, and is seen on the weekly television broadcast "First Edition."

About Bass-Baritone AnDrew Foster-Williams
Acclaimed for his authoritative, sonorous, and regal voice, AnDrew Foster-Williams is seen as an exciting, emerging talent in the classical music world. Combining intelligent music-making with an instinctual, dramatic sense, Foster-Williams brings vocal agility and richness of tone to concert halls and opera houses alike. Upcoming plans include Bach's Lutheran mass with the Cleveland Orchestra; Haydn Die Jahreszeiten with the London Symphony Orchestra (also to be recorded for LSO Live); Messiah with the New York Philharmonic; Stravinsky's Pulcinella with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo; the Villains in Offenbach's Les Contes D'Hoffman in Moscow; and Haydn's Creation in performances throughout France.

About Boy Soprano Jacob Stuckert
Jacob Stuckert is a 12-year-old 7th grader at Brookpark Middle School in Grove City. He sings with the Columbus Children's Choir, and plays the piano, French horn, and cello. Jacob is very active in his church, St. John's Lutheran, and also enjoys acting in community theatre.

About George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Handel, a German-British Baroque composer, is famous for his operas, oratorios, and concertos. Born in Germany, he received critical musical training in Italy before settling in London and becoming a naturalized British subject. Composed in London during the summer of 1741, and premiered in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742, Messiah is the only Handel oratorio premiered outside of England. Handel led his final Messiah performance on April 6, 1759, only eight days before his death and completely blind. After his death, the tradition of annual Messiah performances continued, and spread to the European continent and the US. It has never been revived, for it has never gone out of fashion during its 267 years of existence.

CALENDAR LISTING
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra presents HANDEL'S MESSIAH
Saturday, November 20, 8 pm
Sunday, November 21, 3 pm
Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.)
Conducted by CSO chorus master Ronald J. Jenkins, the Columbus Symphony ushers in the holidays with the Columbus Symphony Chorus and several celebrated soloists in Messiah, one of the most popular works in Western choral literature and one of Handel's most famous works. Soloists include Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano; Jay Carter, countertenor; C. Andrew Blosser, tenor; AnDrew Foster-Williams, bass-baritone; and Jacob Stuckert, boy soprano. WOSU's Christopher Purdy will hold a free, pre-concert lecture about the piece for ticket holders at 7pm on the fourth floor of the Ohio Theatre's Galbreath Pavilion. Tickets are $20.50-$66.50 for adults and $11.50-$34.50 for children and can be purchased at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 228-8600 or (800) 745-3000.

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