PRAYER FOR PEACE
A concert of contemporary sacred vocal works with organ
composed by Eli Tamar, Serge Khrichenko, Emmanuel Dubois, and James MacMillan.
Dedicated to the remembrance of those who tragically lost their lives 20 years ago
in the terrorist attacks on September 11.
With the support of the Maryland State Arts Council, Lyrica Classic introduces Maryland-based artists and new organ and vocal sacred music to a live and virtual audience. The project will feature works by four contemporary composers: American-Belgian composer Emmanuel Dubois, Israeli-American composer Eli Tamar, Russian-American composer Serge Khrichenko, and Scottish composer James MacMillan.
The concert's program "Prayer for Peace" will include works written on Catholic and Orthodox prayer texts by composers Eli Tamar and Emmanuel Dubois performed by sopranos Olga Orlovskaya and Yulia Petrachuk, mezzo-soprano Katelyn Jackman, pianist Tatiana Loisha, and organist Nicholas Will; Serge Khrichenko's "Cantata 9/11" dedicated to the lives tragically lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, performed by the Maryland-based quartet Lost On Mars; and James MacMillan's "O Radiant Dawn" performed by the ALDERSGATE choir.
We are welcome an in-person audience wearing masks. No vaccine certificates or Covid-tests are required.
To attend the event, please purchase your ticket online.
Limited tickets will be available at the door.
CONCERT PROGRAM
PART I
- "O RADIANT DAWN" by James MacMillan, performed by the Wesley choir of ALDERSGATE Church
- "AVE MARIA" by Emmanuel Dubois, performed by soprano Yulia Petrachuk and organist Nick Will
- "AVE MARIA" by Eli Tamar, performed by mezzo-soprano Katelyn Jackman and organist Nick Will
- "I PAKI TI REKU" (И пакы ти реку), trio by Eli Tamar, performed by sopranos Simone Brown and Yulia Petrachuk, and mezzo-soprano Katelyn Jackman - World Premiere
- "LORD's PRAYER" (Отче наш), trio by Eli Tamar, performed by sopranos Simone Brown and Olga Orlovskaya, mezzo-soprano Katelyn Jackman, and organist Nick Will
- "CANTICUM FRATRIS SOLIS", duet-cantata by Eli Tamar, performed by soprano Olga Orlovskaya, mezzo-soprano Katelyn Jackman, and organist Nick Will
- "PRAYER FOR PEACE"(Молитва о мире) by Eli Tamar, performed by soprano Yulia Petrachuk and organist Nick Will
PART II
- "SAINT FRANCIS PRAYER" by Eli Tamar, performed by mezzo-soprano Katelyn Jackman and organist Nick Will
- "AKATHIST TO THE HOLY VIRGIN" (Акафист Пресвятой Богородице) by Eli Tamar, performed by soprano Olga Orlovskaya
- "CANTATA FOR 9/11" by Serge Khrichenko, performed by quartet Lost on Mars (piano, guitar, organ, soprano) - World Premiere
COMPOSERS
Emmanuel Dubois
The biography of composer Emmanuel Dubois is a fantastic example of the American Dream. He grew up in Brussels in a large family with five brothers and sisters. He dreamed of music and had perfect pitch, but his parents were categorically against a musical career. As a result, Emmanuel received his master’s degree in organic chemistry from the University of Brussels, moved to the United States, and began his scientific career. Emmanuel then earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina and took up a prominent banking position. Not until the age of 46 did Dubois decide to follow his artistic dream. So, he entered the University of Michigan, where he studied composition. Within 25 years, he created about 60 works performed at the world’s leading venues. In 2019, his oratorio “Requiem for the Fallen” was US-premiered by Lyrica Classic at Carnegie Hall in NYC. In 2020, the oratorio was selected by the US Embassy in Moscow for its “Mission to Russia” annual program and Russian-premiered by Lyrica Classic in December 2020 in memory of the fallen in WWII.
Eli Tamar
Eli Tamar’s multicultural background has contributed to his ability to explore and synthesize elements of different styles, overcoming spiritual barriers between various musical, literary, and religious traditions. His compositions were featured in such venues as St. Paul’s Knightsbridge Church in London, American Church in Paris, Rachmaninov Hall at Moscow Conservatory, Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, San Marcello al Corso Church in Rome, “De Boni Arte” Foundation series of sacred music and “Great Names in Art” – Charitable Foundation in Russia, Diaghilev Festival in Perm, and Prism concerts in New York. Many of his compositions have been premiered by the renowned Russian countertenor, soloist of the Metropolitan Opera, Andrey Nemzer. In 2021 Eli Tamar served on the jury of the First International Competition of Christian Music Composers, held in Moscow.
Serge Khrichenko
A winner of the International Music Competition EUTERPE in Italy, 2015, Serge Khrichenko is one of the most accomplished and innovative guitarists performing today. A graduate of the prestigious Rimsky Korsakov Music College in St. Petersburg, Russia, Mr. Khrichenko started his career as a guitarist and then worked as a professional composer and performer with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic for more than 10 years. After he immigrated to the US, Serge continued his classical, jazz, and modern music experiments. In 2004, Mr. Khrichenko won the most prestigious guitar competition in America, “Guitar Mageddon” (Washington, D.C. area). In May 2012, he was awarded the Grand Prize for the Best Performance at Russia’s International Guitar World Festival. His compositions “Tango Mephisto” and “Raising Buddha” were finalists in the instrumental category of the UK International Songwriting Contest, 2007, and his composition “Dangerous Journey” was listed many times in the “Top 10 on Earth” in the jazz-fusion category.
James MacMillan
MacMillan first became internationally recognized after the extraordinary success of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie at the BBC Proms in 1990. His prolific output has since been performed and broadcast around the world. His major works include percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, which has received close to 500 performances, a cello concerto for Mstislav Rostropovich, and five symphonies. Recent major works include his Percussion Concerto No.2 for Colin Currie, co-commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra, Edinburgh International Festival, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and, and his Symphony No.5, written for The Sixteen, which was premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival.
Nicholas Will
Nicholas Will is Director of Liturgical Music, Organist & Lecturer at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. From 2018 to 2020, he held a similar position at the Pontifical North American College, Rome, and from 2013 to 2018, he was an Assistant Professor of Music and Coordinator of the Sacred Music Program at Franciscan University of Steubenville. A graduate of Duquesne University and the Peabody Conservatory of Music with additional study at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, Rome, Nicholas is a past winner of the André Marchal Award for Excellence in Organ Performance (Duquesne), the Dorothy DeCourt Prize in Organ (Peabody), the Young Organists’ Audition sponsored by the Pittsburgh Concert Society, and the Duquesne University Concerto Competition. He has performed as an organist, accompanist, and conductor throughout the eastern United States and in Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Croatia. Nicholas is also the Founder and President of the Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music, a non-profit organization dedicated to training present and future generations of church musicians.
Olga Orlovskaya
Russian-born soprano Olga Orlovskaya inherited her talent from her great-grandfather, the famous Russian bass, Fedor Shalyapin. She graduated with honors from the Russian Academy of Music and received her Master of Arts in voice specialty.Her career highlights include singing the role of Katerina in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Shostakovich with Novosibirsk State Opera Theater, for which she won a Golden Mask nomination. This role became a signature role for Olga, and she performed it with great success with many other opera companies.Ms. Orlovskaya made her debut in the US in 2006 with “Helicon Opera” as Adele in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss on the stages of 50 theaters in the continental US. After she immigrated to the States, Olga performed many title roles for soprano in operas such as Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, Tosca, Aida, Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, Carmen, and Turandot.
In the 2010-2011 season, Olga was a season opener for a concert series for the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. In 2010, Ms. Orlovskaya became a soloist for Washington Balalaika Society – the biggest and most respected Russian folk instruments orchestra in the United States.
Simone Brown
Simone Brown is a Maryland native with both a BM and MM from Xavier University of Louisiana and Peabody Conservatory. After recently relocating to Arlington VA, Simone was last seen at the Kennedy Center with Opera Nova’s Black History Concert, in Keegan Theater’s Womxn of Fire Festival and in The Snowy Day at Adventure Theater MTC. Simone has performed at Toby’s Dinner Theater as an ensemble member and understudy for Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, Heather Chandler in HCC’s The Heathers, and the Kensington Arts Theater production of Sweeney Todd as Johanna.
SIMONE BROWN
Soprano
Simone Brown
Simone Brown is a Maryland native with both a B.M. and M.M. from Xavier University of Louisiana and Peabody Conservatory. After recently relocating to Arlington VA, Simone was last seen at the Kennedy Center with Opera Nova’s Black History Concert, in Keegan Theater’s Womxn of Fire Festival, and in The Snowy Day at Adventure Theater MTC. Simone has performed at Toby’s Dinner Theater as an ensemble member and as an understudy for Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, Heather Chandler in HCC’s The Heathers, and in the Kensington Arts Theater production of Sweeney Todd as Johanna.
Tatiana Loisha
Tatiana Loisha studied at the Belarusian State Academy of Music, Minsk, Belarus, where she graduated with a B.A. in piano performance and received a degree in collaborative piano. Tatiana is a winner of the Shostakovitch competition (St. Petersburg, Russia, 2001), the International Competition for Young Pianists (Brest, France, 2002), and a winner of contests for singers’ and pianists’ duets in Vilnius, Lithuania, 2006; St. Petersburg, Russia, 2006; and Kazan, Russia, 2007. In 2016-2019, Tatiana worked as a staff accompanist at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Baldwin Wallace University, and as a rehearsal and performance pianist with the Cleveland Opera Theater. She also worked as a pianist at the Oberlin program in Italy (Arezzo, Italy) in the summer of 2018. Since first moving to the D.C. area in 2014, Tatiana worked as a piano accompanist with the Potomac Vocal Institute and has actively performed in the D.C. metropolitan area accompanying singers and instrumentalists. Tatiana has collaborated with well-known vocalists such as Yuri Gorodetski, Oksana Volkova, and Ilya Silchukov, to name a few. The collaboration embraced preparing for and performing at international competitions including the Queen Elisabeth Competition, Operalia, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, and the Montreal International Musical Competition.
Katelyn Jackman
Called “winningly wily” and “dauntless” by Boston Classical Review, American mezzo-soprano Kate Jackman is a multifaceted musician and actress who excels in various musical expressions. On stage, Kate has performed roles including Bradamante in Fargo-Moorhead Opera’s 2018 production of Alcina, Giovanna in Charlottesville Opera’s 2017 production of Rigoletto, the title role in Carmen with Maryland Concert Opera, The Beggar Woman in Baltimore Concert Opera’s Sweeney Todd, Bloody Mary in Annapolis Opera’s 2016 production of South Pacific, and many others. As a D.C. Vocal Arts competition winner, Kate made her Kennedy Center recital debut in 2012. She has since performed at Carnegie Hall in Marilyn Horne’s The Song Continues series, Seiji Ozawa Hall as a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Fall Island Vocal Arts seminar.In concert, Ms. Jackman has performed solos from Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Christen, atzet diesen Tag, over internationally televised programming with The Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, D.C. Other concert credits include Narrator in Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat with the Lunar ensemble and alto soloist in both Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Maryland Choral Society.
Lost On Mars
Quartet Lost On Mars was established in 2021 by its composer and guitarist Serge Khrichenko and soprano Yulia Petrachuk. At this moment, the quartet joined pianist Tatiana Loisha and organist Nick Will.
The ensemble performs original compositions by Serge Khrichenko in NeoClassical style.
LOST ON MARS
Quartete
Lost On Mars
The ensemble “Lost On Mars” was established in 2021 by composer and guitarist Serge Khrichenko and soprano Yulia Petrachuk. At present, it formed as a quartet that also includes pianist Tatiana Loisha and organist Nick Will. The ensemble performs original compositions by Serge Khrichenko in NeoClassical style.
Yulia Petrachuk
Ms. Petrachuk studied at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and is a graduate of Bern Opera Studio in Bern, Switzerland. Her debut as a professional opera singer was with the State Theater Bern, Switzerland, in 2010. After that, she performed with many other recognized opera companies and concert venues, such as Theater Biel (Switzerland), Ash Lawn Opera Festival (US), Opera Ischia (Italy), Dicapo Opera Theater in New York (US), Great Moscow Hall (Russia), Vocal Productions NYC (US), Nova and Opera Camerata in Washington, D.C (US), Smetana Hall in Prague (Czech Republic), Carnegie Hall in New York (US), Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna (Austria), and many others.
Yulia specializes in contemporary opera and other forms of vocal music of the 20th & 21st centuries and has performed many World and US premieres. Yulia has robust experience in international performing arts projects, execution, and collaborations in the US and EU. Out of her passion and drive to sustain and give lesser-known and unknown music a voice, Yulia Petrachuk founded Lyrica Classic Entertainment as a sounding beacon to deliver superior-level presentation of music.
Through her teaching studio, Ms. Petrachuk instills the love for classical music to new generations.
Wesley Choir
The music program at Aldersgate UMC
has been a cornerstone of the church for many years. At one time or another, it
has been home to men’s, women’s, children’s and gospel choirs, the members
of which have come from both the church and the wider community. Aldersgate has
always valued excellent music as reflected by their worship services and their
tradition of hosting other musical events, such as this Prayer for Peace concert. To that end, in 2001, the congregation raised the money to have its Casavant organ installed which continues to be appreciated and celebrated by the congregation and guests alike.
The performance today, features a select
group from within the Wesley Choir, the mixed voice ensemble that performs
weekly during the 11:00 worship service at Aldersgate as well as at special events throughout the year. Under its current director, Emma Baker, the Wesley Choir looks forward to hosting and participating in more concerts such as this.