Colorado Symphony presents "Messiah By Candlelight"

Nov. 17, 2011 - PRLog -- Messiah by Candlelight – the Colorado Symphony's breathtaking production of Handel's Messiah – will return to the intimate setting of Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church this holiday season for three inspirational performances on Tuesday, December 13, Wednesday, December 14 and a sold out performance on Sunday, December 18. Presented for the first time in 2010, the Colorado Symphony's Messiah by Candlelight is one of the most memorable and poignant performances of the holiday season. For 2011, the Colorado Symphony, led by resident conductor Scott O’Neil, is joined by the Colorado Symphony Chorus and celebrated guest soloists including soprano Suzanne Ramo, mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala, tenor Steven Sanders and baritone Robert Gardner. Concertgoers will cherish the opportunity to experience this inspirational choral favorite in a traditional setting that highlights its brilliantly moving lyrical work and rich vocal arrangements. Messiah by Candlelight will undoubtedly bring audiences to their feet once again in 2011! Tickets are on sale now and start at $25. Please note: The December 18 performance is sold out.

A traditional December event around the world, Handel’s Messiah is synonymous with Christmas music. The most famous oratorio ever written, Messiah was composed in 1741 in less than three weeks. It became Handel’s most beloved masterwork. Written as a meditation on the idea of a Messiah, rather than a narrative drama about the life of Christ, Handel's Messiah represents, for many, a deeply loved annual tradition to share with friends and family. From the thrills of the "Hallelujah Chorus" to the dazzling "But who may abide the day of His coming" and the exquisiteness of the soprano aria "I know that my Redeemer liveth," Messiah is replete with joyful sincerity.

Tickets: General Admission tickets are $25, $51 and $87, and are on sale now at
www.coloradosymphony.org, the Colorado Symphony Box Office: (303) 623-7876 or (877) 292-7979 or in-person in the lobby of Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Hours are Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Location: All performances are at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church,1980 Dahlia Street,Denver.

Night-of-Show Purchase: Patrons are strongly encouraged to purchase in advance, as seats are limited. Any remaining tickets will be available for sale at the church door before the performance. Doors to the church will open 90 minutes prior to performance.

About Suzanne Ramo, soprano
Lauded by the San Francisco Chronicle for an ease with coloratura that one hears "blazing forth brightly" as well as her "lyrical phrasing sweetly rendered," soprano Suzanne Ramo brings her crystalline soprano to Orff’s Carmina Burana with Ballet Austin, returns to the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra for the title role of Donizetti’s Rita, and sings Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen with Texas A&M International University in the 2011/12 season. Recent performances for the soprano include Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Berkshire Opera; Musetta in La bohème with Utah Opera; Violetta in La traviata, Micaela in Carmen, and further performances of Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Amarillo Opera; Madame Mao in Adams’ Nixon in China with the Colorado Music Festival; Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with City Opera of the Quad Cities; and Naiad in Ariadne auf Naxos with Tulsa Opera. A prolific interpreter of oratorio repertoire, Ramo has joined the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra under the baton of Nicholas McGegan for Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberge, Modesto Symphony for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Stanford University as guest soloist for Mozart’s Mass in C minor, as well as the Strata Trio for Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen at Concerts at the Point in Massachusetts.

About Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano
As the title character in the American premiere of Dove's The Adventures of Pinocchio at the Minnesota Opera, Adriana Zabala was recently praised by The Wall Street Journal as showing "tremendous stamina and boy-like flair." The New York Times hailed her as "a vivid, fearless presence," and the L.A. Times as "extraordinary" for her portrayal of the Barbarian Girl in the American premiere of Philip Glass' Waiting for the Barbarians with the Austin Lyric Opera. Zabala enjoys a unique career that includes opera, song repertoire, new works, concert, oratorio, and cabaret. She also served for five years as artistic director of the Southeastern Festival of Song. Zabala is a member of the voice faculty at the University of Minnesota, where, in addition to her studio, she teaches graduate vocal literature and administrates a program of collaboration between the Minnesota Opera and the University of Minnesota. Recent engagements include the role of Dorabella with Opera Saratoga, Annina in Der Rosenkavalier with The Minnesota Orchestra, recitalist with the Salzburg International Chamber Music Concerts, soloist with The Jerusalem Symphony, the role of Isabella Linton in Wuthering Heights with Minnesota Opera, and appearances in Messiah with both The Jacksonville Symphony and The Phoenix Symphony. Within the last few seasons Zabala has been seen on the stages of Seattle Opera, The Minnesota Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, the Wildwood Festival, The Syracuse Opera, the Arizona Opera, the Lyric Opera of San Antonio, Opera Carolina, the Lake George Opera, and Opera Pacific.

About Steven Sanders, tenor
Hailed by Opera News as "dynamic" and The New York Times as "impressive," tenor Steven Sanders  has performed with many prestigious opera companies including New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Boston, Chautauqua Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Amarillo Opera, and the Opera Institute at Boston University. In the 2011/12 season, Sanders returns to Tulsa Opera as Father Grenville in Dead Man Walking and to the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra as Fenton in Falstaff, as well as singing the tenor solos in Handel’s Messiah for the Pennsylvania Ballet. An accomplished concert artist, he has also been heard as a soloist in Orff's Carmina Burana with the Dallas Wind Symphony, Beethoven Mass in C Major with Boston’s Masterworks Chorale, and in the Mozart Requiem with Ballet Austin and the Norwalk Symphony in Connecticut. Sanders made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2008 as the tenor soloist in Mozart's Vesperae Solennes de Confessore.

About Robert Gardner, baritone
American baritone Robert Gardner has appeared with numerous opera houses and symphony orchestras in the U.S., Europe, and Asia including New York City Opera, Washington National Opera, Bavarian National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Colorado, Central City Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Palm Beach Opera, Edmonton Opera, the Munich Philharmonic, and the major symphonies in Pittsburgh, Seattle, Dallas, Denver, San Diego, Santa Rosa, New Haven and Kansas City, the Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Daejeon Symphony in South Korea. Originally fromDenver, he has been described as “a superb young artist” by WGBH Radio.Gardner is the 2007 winner of the Lili Boulanger Memorial Award. A 2001 Pro Musicis International Award winner, he is also the winner of the 1999 William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Award, the 2000 Gerda Lissner Award, and the 2000 Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition.


Artists:                              
Colorado Symphony
Scott O’Neil, resident conductor
Colorado Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe, director
Suzanne Ramo, soprano
Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano
Steven Sanders, tenor
Robert Gardner, baritone

Performances:                  
Tuesday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 18 at 5:30 p.m. **SOLD OUT**

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The state’s only full-time professional orchestra, the Colorado Symphony embraces a tradition of musical excellence by presenting a diverse array of symphonic performances throughout the year. The Colorado Symphony performs in Boettcher Concert Hall and throughout the Front Range, presenting outstanding education and outreach programs, as well as Masterworks, Pops, Holiday, Family, and the exciting new Inside the Score and Symphony on the Rocks series that have attracted a historic level of first-time concertgoers. By presenting music that is both timeless and inspiring, the Colorado Symphony is attracting more diverse and younger audiences than ever before. The increasing popularity of Colorado Symphony concerts not only re-affirms the artistic excellence of the orchestra, but also reflects the Symphony’s relevance to its Colorado community and deep-rooted enthusiasm for symphonic music felt by so many individuals across the region.