NATCHITOCHES – The Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and the Cane River Singers will perform parts two and three of Handel’s “Messiah” on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. A livestream will be available at www.nsu.la/CAPA-LIVE.
Douglas Bakenhus is the orchestra’s music director. Andrej Kurti is assistant conductor. Dr. Shane Thomas conducts the Cane River Singers. Bakenhus will give a preconcert talk at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $16.50 each and can be purchased online at https://nnssla.org/. There is an added charge for buying tickets online. For more information, email NSUsymphony@gmail.com.
Featured soloists will be sopranos Malaina Aultman and Dr. Terrie Sanders, mezzo soprano Kat Wilkinson, tenors Juan Campos, Dr. Shane Thomas and Phillip Voorhees and baritone Dr. Robert Cardwell.
Handel was one of the pillars of artistic life in Baroque London. His operas, court music, religious anthems, organ music and oratorios have all become staples of the performing repertoire. “Messiah” remains one of the enduring masterpieces of his career. Composed over a period of a few weeks (Handel often reused material from other works, which made the compositional process quicker), the oratorio is based on key moments of Jesus’s life: the nativity, passion, resurrection and ascension.
Bakenhus said “Messiah” is the most performed classical piece in history. He said it has been performed every year since 1742 and today it is performed throughout the U.S. around Christmas. Last December there were over 200 U,S. orchestras and choruses that performed “Messiah.”
“Even though today it is performed around Christmas, it was intended for Easter and premiered April 13 during Holy Week,” said Bakenhus.
The performance will be part two, the passion, and part three, the resurrection and redemption.
Aultman holds her Bachelor of Music from Louisiana Christian University and a Master of Music degrees and Northwestern State. She has performed as Adele in “Die Fledermaus,” Fiordiligi in “Cosi fan tutte,” Asteria in Gluck’s “La Corona” with the Orchestra Instabile Arezzo in Tuscany and has been a featured soloist with the AAMS Emerging Young Artist program at the Kennedy Center.
Campos is a senior vocal performance major from Dallas. He is a member of the Northwestern State choirs, including the Chamber Choir, Cane River Singers, Orpheus and Northwestern Choral Artists. He has performed as a soloist for the Lake Charles Messiah Society. Recently he played the role of The Witch in the NSU Opera Ensemble’s production of “Hansel and Gretel” and was a member of the 2022 SWACDA Mixed Honor Choir and the 2022 TMEA Mixed Choir. Campos has performed with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Rapides Symphony and Prisma Vocal Ensemble.
Cardwell has performed with opera houses and music organizations throughout the United States, Italy, and Austria, including the Sarasota Opera, Amarillo Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Amalfi Coast Music Festival and the AIMS Symphony Orchestra. Some of his favorite performances include leading baritone roles in “Don Giovanni,” “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” “I Pagliacci,” “La Traviata” and “Pirates of Penzance.” His research interests include the use of repertoire by composers from underrepresented communities to promote a more diverse and inclusive experience in the voice studio and the stage. Cardwell is the director of opera at Northwestern.
Sanders is a professor of music and head of the Department of Music at NSU. She has been on the faculty at NSU since 1992. Sanders teaches voice and vocal pedagogy. She holds degrees from Emmanuel College (A.A.), Lee University (B.A.), Northwestern State (M.M.) and the University of Southern Mississippi (Ed.D). She also holds a certification with the McClosky Institute of Voice and is a master teacher for that organization. Sanders is an active performer and lecturer. She has been a member of the Summer Seminar Faculty for the McClosky Institute of Voice since 2005. She has presented at state, regional and international Conferences, including the International Congress of Voice Teachers in Australia in 2012 and in Sweden in 2017.
Thomas is the director of choral activities and assistant professor of music at Northwestern, where he conducts the Chamber Choir, Cane River Singers and the Northwestern Choral Artists. He teaches courses in vocal music education, choral methods, choral literature and administrates the choral activities within the department. Thomas serves as the founder and artistic director of the Louisiana Vocal Arts Ensemble. He also serves as the Louisiana ACDA president-elect and on the National Board for the National Collegiate Choral Organization.
Voorhees is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Sacred Music from Northwestern where he participates in the Chamber Choir, Northwestern Choral Artists and Opera Theatre. He discovered his musical passions in school and church choirs in his hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi. Voorhees has portrayed roles such as Frederick from “Pirates of Penzance” and St. Brioche from “The Merry Widow.” His experience goes beyond classical music, as he is also a songwriter, guitarist and banjoist, blending American folk music traditions with modern sensibilities. He has won awards from the National Association for Teachers of Singing and is the secretary of NATS student chapter at NSU.
Wilkinson is a multi-genre vocalist known for her collaborative musicianship. She has performed works with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, the Rapides Symphony Orchestra, the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and Northwestern Opera Theater. This is her second season as a guest artist with the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony.