NJSO: Third Annual William and Judith Scheide Concert—Exploring Mendelssohn and the Gutenberg Bible

Mark Laycock conducting the NJSO

NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS THIRD ANNUAL WILLIAM AND JUDITH SCHEIDE CONCERT: ‘EXPLORING MENDELSSOHN AND THE GUTENBERG BIBLE’ PROGRAM FEATURES FESTGESANG, ‘LOBGESANG’ SYMPHONY NO. 2 AND A IDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM OVERTURE THU., JULY 21 IN PRINCETON NEWARK, NJ (JULY 7, 2011)—The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents the Third Annual William and Judith Scheide Concert—Exploring Mendelssohn and the Gutenberg Bible—at the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton on Thursday, July 21, at 8 p.m. The all-Mendelssohn program features the composer’s Festgesang (“Festive Hymn”) and Symphony No. 2, “Lobgesang” (“Hymn of Praise”), both written in 1840 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the movable-type printing press. Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture opens the program with a lighthearted imagination of Shakespeare’s comedy—one of the countless literary works that owes its popularity to the printing capabilities made possible by Gutenberg’s invention.
In an extension of the NJSO and Opera New Jersey’s multiyear partnership, the Opera New Jersey Chorus joins the NJSO on stage for Festgesang and “Lobgesang.” Sopranos Maria D’Amato and Sarah Asmar and tenor Joshua Kohl perform; Mark Laycock conducts.
William and Judith Scheide, Princeton-area philanthropists and devoted patrons of the arts, present the one-night-only concert event. William Scheide owns a rare Gutenberg Bible, inspiring the program’s unique theme.
TICKETS
All tickets for the performance are $20 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).
THE ARTISTS
Conductor Mark Laycock’s orchestral and opera appearances include engagements in London, Paris, Vienna, Moscow, Kiev, Montréal, Mexico City, Seoul, Taipei and Lisbon, among others. He appears regularly with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra and Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, in addition to leading concerts with other orchestras throughout Europe. He has appeared on numerous occasions in the United States with the Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Opera New Jersey.
Laycock began conducting at the age of 16, advancing his studies at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music, and he studied as a violist with the Curtis String Quartet in Philadelphia. He was a Conducting Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and a winner of the Leopold Stokowski Memorial Conducting Competition; he made his conducting debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at 21. Further distinctions include becoming the first non-Russian ever invited to appear at the Moscow Autumn Festival, leading the inaugural concert at the new Cairo Opera House and conducting the sold-out first concert of classical music ever made open to the public in Amman, Jordan, chronicled in an Emmy Award-winning documentary produced by NJN public television. His Mexico City debut resulted in immediate invitation to return to teach a weeklong master class to
Mexico’s regional conductors.
Laycock is a published composer and has conducted more than 1,900 works. When he was Music Director of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, he transformed that ensemble from a small chamber orchestra into a full and critically acclaimed professional symphony orchestra that garnered Citations of Excellence for two consecutive years from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for “exhibiting the highest standards of artistic excellence.” Laycock was Music Director of Orchestra London Canada and was Associate Conductor of the NJSO from 2000–03. He and his family live in Berlin.
Soprano Maria D’Amato returns to the Sarasota Opera in 2012 as Desdemona in Otello, following her success in 2011’s La bohème as Mimi and 2010’s The Magic Flute as Pamina.
She has appeared as Mimi in La bohème with Dicapo Opera, as Nannetta in Falstaff and Poppea and Drusilla in The Coronation of Poppea with Opera North and as Despina in Così fan tutte and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program. Her concert engagements have included performances of Mozart’s Requiem with Seattle Symphony, Carmina Burana with the North Arkansas Symphony as well as Bach’s Mass in B Minor and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor in Cincinnati. In previous seasons as a Studio Artist with Sarasota Opera, she sang Thibault in the 2009 production of Don Carlos and Berta in the 2008 production of The Barber of Seville.
She is a winner of the Helen Jepson Dellera Award from Sarasota Opera’s Bradenton Opera Guild and grants from the Guilin Gary and Lycia Albanese-Puccini Foundations. She has appeared in concert at Alice Tully Hall and Rose Hall in New York.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has praised Sarah Asmar’s “crystalline soprano,” while The Daily Record says, “she is headed for the leading opera houses.” This season, she appeared with Sarasota Opera in Don Giovanni  garnering critical praise, and covered roles in La bohème and I Lombardi. In addition, she appeared as soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the New Haven Symphony for a second year. She returns to both ensembles next season.
She has appeared with Ohio Light Opera in Die Fledermaus, White Horse Inn, the world premiere of A Friend of Napoleon, H.M.S. Pinafore, Pride and Prejudice, The Pirates of Penzance, The Student Prince and The Firefly. She has appeared with Connecticut Concert Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Skylark Opera and Opera North, among others; she has been a member of Sarasota Opera’s Studio Artist Program. She has appeared with the Cathedral of St. Joseph’s Schola Cantorum, Farmington Valley Chorale and Orchestra and Opera Providence’s Opera in the Park. She won Connecticut Concert Opera’s inaugural “American Opera Idol.” She has appeared with the Boston Orpheus Ensemble, Boston University Symphony Orchestra and Newburyport Choral Society; she appeared in Opera Boston’s production of Alceste.
She was a New England Regional Finalist in the 2008 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In 2006, she garnered First Prize and the Roger Wertenberger Audience Choice Award in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Vocal Competition. The Boston Herald has called Joshua Kohl a “tenor to watch.” This season, he appeared in La Traviata with Tulsa Opera, Don Giovanni with Sarasota Opera and West Side Story Suite in concert with the Lexington Philharmonic.
Upcoming seasons include engagements with Nashville Opera, among others.
He has performed with the Dallas Opera in Madama Butterfly, Sarasota Opera in The Magic Flute, Lake George Opera in Carmen, Commonwealth Opera in Così fan tutte and Utah Opera in Macbeth. While serving as a Resident Artist with Minnesota Opera, he appeared in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath. He has been Artist-inResidence with Opera Theatre of St. Louis and has performed with the Pittsburgh, Utah, Virginia, Yale, Boston Lyric and Ohio Light Operas; Opera North and Atlanta Lyric Theatre, among others.
He has performed with composer Richard Wargo in “From the Bards of Ireland” and has appeared with the New Haven Symphony, Yale Camerata, Yale Symphony Orchestra and Connecticut Master Chorale. He appears as the title character in Albany Records’ recently released album “The Birdseller.” He was a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2007.
THE NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is comprised of some of the country’s finest musicians. The Orchestra is proud to have Jacques Lacombe as its Music Director and Neeme Järvi as its Conductor Laureate. Artistic excellence, innovative programming and community engagement are hallmarks of its mission. To best serve the people of New Jersey, the orchestra brings its programs to seven outstanding venues throughout the state. Education and community engagement programs enrich the listening experience for children and adults alike. Select performances of the NJSO are broadcast regionally and throughout North America. United is the official airline of the NJSO.
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra continues its major fundraising initiative—the NJSO Comprehensive Campaign. To date, more than $29 million towards a three-year $32 million goal has been raised in support of the Orchestra. For information about contributing to this historic campaign, contact Thomas Daubert, Director of Development, at 973.624.3713, ext. 269.
For more information about the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, visit www.njsymphony.org or e-mail
information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra’s website.
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s programs are made possible in part by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.