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Masterworks Chorale to perform Mozart’s Mass in C Minor

By Staff | Apr 12, 2013

Shepherd University’s Masterworks Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Erik Reid Jones, director of choral activities at Shepherd, will present Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with full orchestra and soloists on Sunday, April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Frank Center Theater.

The Masterworks Chorale’s performance will use the new Robert Levin completion of Mozart’s work which is pieced together by fragments from other works, sketches of Mozart, and even some original music. Singing the solos will be Shepherd faculty tenor Joseph Regan, mezzo-soprano Melanie Regan and soprano Brooke Evers, and Shepherd alumnus bass-baritone Jeffrey Martin.

Dr. Jones is founder and artistic director of the Master Singers of Virginia. He received his bachelor of music degree summa cum laude in vocal music education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, master of music degree in choral conducting at the University of Cincinnati, and his doctoral degree in choral conducting at the University of Maryland at College Park. Jones has taught at Shenandoah Conservatory, Harford Community College, and the University of Maryland. He is a published author and an avid choral composer, with more than 20 works to his credit, most of which have been performed by the Master Singers.

Brooke Evers studied as a Fulbright Scholar in Austria, performing in Vienna, Berlin, and Milan before returning to Washington, D.C. She has performed as a soloist at the Kennedy Center, the Embassy of Austria, the National Cathedral, the National Shrine, the Strathmore Mansion, the Schlesinger Center, and the Chautauqua Institution in New York. A winner of the Vocal Arts Discovery Series Competition and the Baltimore Music Club Recital Competition, Evers has also been a finalist in numerous competitions including the American Bach Competition, Liederkranz Competition, and a semi-finalist in the Louisville Bach Society Competition and New York Oratorio Society Competition. Evers was awarded second prize in the Russel C. Wonderlic Competition and the David Gundlach Lied Prize in the Lotte Lehmann Foundation Art Song Competition. She has appeared as a soloist with and a member of the Washington Bach Consort, and has performed with the Opera Lafayette in productions of “Armide,” “Acis and Galatea,” and “Le Roi et le Fermier.” Her solo performances have included “Elijah,” “The Brahms,” “Mozart and Faure Requiems,” Handel’s “Messiah and Creation,” and the Bach’s “St. John Passion” and “B Minor Mass.” Evers has participated in the Ravinia Festival of Chicago, the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden-bei-Wien, and masterclasses of Elly Ameling, Renee Fleming, Wolfgang Holzmair, and Helmut Deutsch. Under special invitation, Evers toured Germany as a member of Helmut Rilling’s Festival Ensemble Stuttgart. She received recognition for her jazz singing by the city of Baltimore as a semi-finalist in the Billie Holiday Competition, and performed the role of Maria in “The Sound of Music” with the Vienna Choral Society. Evers is currently pursuing her doctorate in musical arts at the University of Maryland, where she received her master of music. She received her bachelor’s in voice and German from Indiana University.

Melanie Regan studied at the Peabody Institute Johns Hopkins University where she earned both her bachelor of music and master of music in voice. After completing her master’s degree, Regan took the position of applied voice instructor at St. James School; her position encompasses not only applied instruction but also leading choir sectionals, coaching musicals, and assisting in the planning of choir tours. In 2007, Regan founded the Saint James Boys Ensemble, a group that specializes in close harmony a cappella works with selections ranging from 18th century polyphony to modern pop.

Joseph Regan is a successful singer and voice teacher based in the Mid-Atlantic region who has performed all over the Eastern Seaboard. He can be seen on the opera stage where he has performed the roles of Fenton from Verdi’s “Falstaff,” Tamino from Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” and Jenik from Smetana’s “Bartered Bride.” An accomplished performer of musical theater, he has performed Henrik in Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music,” Nicely-Nicely Johnson from Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls” and in a number of cabaret and recital programs. In addition to his work in opera and musical theatre, he is known for his work in the field of oratorio. He has sung Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Bach. In addition to his work as a soloist, Regan is an ensemble singer and sings regularly with the Washington National Cathedral and the Countertop Ensemble. He received his bachelor and master of music degrees from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and is currently pursuing his doctorate of musical arts at the University of Maryland.

Jeffrey Martin, a graduate of Shepherd with a bachelor of music education degree, is pursuing a masters at Peabody Conservatory and has performed with many symphonies and opera companies in the eastern U.S. His voice teachers have included Steven Rainbolt, Joseph Regan, Tony Boutte, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, and James Harp. Martin is the director of music at Taylorsville United Methodist Church, and plays the euphonium, trumpet, and guitar at concert level. Fluent in Spanish and German, Martin has also been a professional actor. He recently concluded a run as Leporello in the Peabody Opera production of “Don Giovanni” at the Baltimore Lyric, and appeared as bass soloist in Bach’s “Cantata No. 146” on the Bach Concert Series. He has sung several roles in productions of “Postcard From Morocco” with the Peabody Chamber Opera and Baltimore Theater Project. Martin has appeared as bass soloist in the Mozart Requiem with Shepherd and the Hagerstown Choral Arts Society, and was the bass soloist in the Howells Requiem with the Master Singers Of Virginia and Shepherd. Martin sang the role of Sulpice in “La Fille Du Regiment” with the Maryland Concert Opera in March.

The Masterworks Chorale, a vocal ensemble with more than 130 singers, comprised of Shepherd vocal students and members from the surrounding community, presents two full-length productions of great masterpieces from the choral literature every year, as well as appearances at Shepherd’s Annual Holiday Gala Concert.

General admission for the Masterworks Chorale is $22 if purchased one week in advance, and $27 at the door.For more information or to purchase tickets, call 304-876-5765 or visit www.sufom.org.