The Sacred Works at Riverside
The Sacred Works at Riverside
Space Coast Oratorio Society performs March 27th in Cocoa Beach
(Cocoa Beach, FL) March 14, 2011 – Riverside Presbyterian Church in Cocoa Beach will present a free concert entitled ‘Sacred Works’ at 3400 North Atlantic Avenue (A1A) at 3:00 PM on Sunday, March 27th. The Space Coast Oratorio Society will sing Beethoven’s rarely performed single oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives, along with the tense and emotionally charged setting of Te Deum by Anton Bruckner. Soloists for ‘Sacred Works’ are some of Brevard’s best, including soprano Sherry Boushell McLean, alto Regina Torres, tenor Frederick Kilgallin and the accomplished young baritone, Stephen Mumbert. A total of 140 musicians will perform, including select players from the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, all under the direction of Aaron Collins. ‘Sacred Works’ is the sixth of seven musical offerings in the 2010-2011 Dr. Vernon Boushell Concert Series. A free ticket is required and can be reserved online at www.RiversidePres.org or by calling 321-525-7825.
Maestro Collins believes the program will honor the genius and devotion of both composers.
“Beethoven was incredibly prolific, but he only wrote this one oratorio, which is seldom heard today,” said Collins. “It’s going to be a thrill to conduct and hear this piece as Beethoven intended it.”
ABOUT THE DR. VERNON BOUSHELL CONCERT SERIES: Named in honor of the late Dr. Vernon Boushell, the concert series continues a musical legacy steeped in the sacred and classical repertoire. The free Sunday concerts are hosted by Riverside Presbyterian Church of Cocoa Beach and incorporate many different forms of praise music. Whether classical, contemporary, traditional, folk, sacred or popular, the music of the Dr. Vernon Boushell Concert Series is of an enduring and uplifting nature, performed with affection for the people of Brevard. Seven concerts are scheduled for the 2010-2011 series. For a complete season schedule, please visit www.RiversidePres.org or call 321-525-7825.
ABOUT RIVERSIDE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Long known for its musical outreach, Riverside Presbyterian Church of Cocoa Beach endeavors to grow its membership through evangelism, worship, hospitality, deeds and service. They encourage each church member’s personal journey of commitment and service by providing a basic foundation for understanding the Bible, theology and Church history. They seek opportunities for growth through education, mentoring, service, fellowship, and mission. More information about Riverside Presbyterian Church may be found on their website at www.RiversidePres.org or by calling 321-783-6085.
ABOUT THE SPACE COAST ORATORIO SOCIETY: The Space Coast Oratorio Society was formed in 2008, following the passing of the late Dr. Vernon Boushell. For many years Dr. Boushell produced, directed and conducted annual oratorios at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Cocoa Beach. He presented many of the finest choral masterworks of Handel, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and others of the highest rank from the sacred and classical repertoire. Many singers and musicians along the Space Coast shared their talents, then and now.
The Space Coast Oratorio Society honors Dr Boushell’s legacy with the continuing presentation of enduring and uplifting music to Brevard residents. All concerts are free of charge and hosted by Riverside Presbyterian Church in Cocoa Beach, under the direction of Maestro Aaron Collins.
ABOUT THE SACRED WORKS SOLOISTS:
SHERRY MACLEAN -- Soprano Sherry Boushell MacLean has been a Brevard County resident for thirty-two years. She is presently on the voice faculty at Brevard Community College and has been teaching privately for over twenty five years. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Stetson University, she continues to be active in public and private schools. She is a soloist in the area primarily known for sacred songs and oratorio work. She has been a featured soloist with the Brevard Community choir locally, as well as internationally on their concert tours. She has appeared as a guest soloist with the Community Band of Brevard, the Central Florida Winds, the Galmont Ballet Company, the Melbourne Municipal Band, the Melbourne Community Orchestra, and the Space Coast Pops singing a wide variety of music. She has been a featured soloist in the Riverside Presbyterian Church Master Series of Famous Oratorios under the direction of both Dr. Vernon Boushell and Maestro Aaron Collins. Her students have been local and state winners in the National Federation of Music Clubs as well as the chapter auditions of NATS. She has recorded a CD called "Songs for the Troubled Heart" featuring various hymns and sacred classical pieces. Mrs. MacLean currently resides in Melbourne with her husband, a wonderful and highly skilled engineer and has two married daughters. She attributes much of her vocal skills and great appreciation of music to her father, the late Dr. Vernon Boushell.
REGINA TORRES -- Described as a “tour de force of vocal virtuosity married to a fabulous stage presence” (Captain Classics – WFCF, St Augustine), mezzo-soprano Regina Torres wields her voice with equal acclaim in opera, oratorio, and musical theatre. Her powerful and beautiful sound has thrilled audiences in her portrayals of such vastly different roles as the gypsy Azucena in Verdi’s Il Trovatore and Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music. Her comic timing has made her a deliciously evil Witch (Hansel and Gretel and Sondheim’s Into the Woods) and a Gilbert & Sullivan favorite in roles such as Katisha (The Mikado), Counsel for the Plaintiff (Trial by Jury), the Duchess of Plaza-Toro (The Gondoliers), and Little Buttercup (HMS Pinafore). A Florida native, Ms. Torres has performed with First Coast Opera, Central Florida Lyric Opera, and as a Guest Artist at Palm Beach Atlantic University. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Florida and a Performance Diploma in Voice from the Indiana University School of Music where she performed on the Mainstage as Ludmilla in The Bartered Bride, Mrs. Gleaton in Susannah, and La Zelatrice in Suor Angelica. She has also appeared as a soloist in performances of Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and made her debut in Orlando’s Bob Carr Auditorium in Handel’s Messiah. Ms. Torres is also prominently featured in the recent CD release, Soul of Christ, showcasing sacred works written by Jacksonville composer, Robert Waddell. Later this spring, she will be making her directing debut with First Coast Opera’s final season production, Opera Noir.
FREDERICK KILGALLIN -- Frederick Kilgallin completed his public schooling in Brevard County, and then began music studies at Florida State University. He switched his focus to foreign languages, earning a B.A. and M.A. at FSU, and then later began work on a Ph. D. in Comparative Literature at Indiana University in Bloomington. While there, he began studying voice again with the late Vera Scammon, and performed in several university productions, both small and large. Mr. Kilgallin moved back to Brevard County with his wife and 3 daughters in 1994, and now teaches public school in Melbourne. He has been a featured soloist in several local performances at the King Center, and in various concert performances elsewhere in Florida as well as in Europe.
STEPHEN MUMBERT -- Up and coming baritone, Stephen Mumbert, is quickly gaining attention on the concert and opera stage throughout the United States and England. Stephen was recently praised for being “Vocally, the most promising singer” and for “possessing an assured and stylish technique” for his interpretation of the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Aldeburgh Festival in the United Kingdom. He has participated in the young-artist programs of Bay View Music Festival (Marcello/La Boheme), Seagle Music Colony (Aaron Greenspan/Morning Star), and Britten-Pears (B Minor Mass/Bach, Don Giovanni/Don Giovanni, Junius/The Rape of Lucretia). Mr. Mumbert’s previous roles include Publio in Mozart’s La Clemeza Di Tito, the Usher in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, the Father in Giannini’s Beauty and the Beast, Eisenstein as well as Falke in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Bottom in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’elisir D’amore, and Tarquinius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. In 2008 Stephen was engaged as a Studio Artist at Fort Worth opera with operatic performances including Slim in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, King Melchior in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, and solo ensemble trio in the professional American premier of Peter Eötvös’ Angles in America. Following his residency in Fort Worth, Stephen was asked to sing the role of Smirnov in William Walton’s The Bear on the Island of Ischia, Italy in Lady Walton’s personal garden La Mortella conducted by Anthony Hose. On the concert stage this year Stephen has been seen performing as the Bass soloist in Donizetti’s Requiem, Adam in Haydn’s Creation, and as the Bass soloist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in the UK under the baton of Masaaki Suzuki. Last year was Mr. Mumbert’s International Solo Recital debut in Malpas, UK where he performed a program of American art songs and Operatic Arias. Most recently, Stephen finished a residency at Opera Naples during their 2009-2010 season performing a number of roles including King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Count di luna (Cover) in Il Trovatore, and Paris as well as Mercutio (Cover) in Romeo et Juliette. Stephen currently studies voice with Mollie Rich.
