SPREAD NEW MUSIC TO THE WORLD 2022
PRAYER FOR PEACE
With the support of the US Embassy in Austria,
Lyrica Classic introduces new organ and vocal sacred music program "Prayer for Peace" to the live and virtual Austrian audiences in its annual international music program SPREAD NEW MUSIC TO THE WORLD.
Dedicated to the remembrance of those who tragically lost their lives
due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lyrica Classic is dedicated to bringing new and previously unknown music to the stage for the advancement of the classical music art form and the enrichment of culture through classical music creations. Its program "Spread New Music to The World" was designed to help other countries discover new or unknown American music through collaborative productions with top-caliber artists from the US and other countries.
Driven by the mission to unite nations through music, the "Spread New Music to the World" program will provide a unique opportunity for the Austrian audiences to experience new American sacred music in the American-Austrian music production "PRAYER FOR PEACE" at the Congress Graz Stefaniensaal on Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 19:00 CET.
With the support of the US Embassy in Austria and in collaboration with the Austrian Artistic Agency Künstleragentur Hollaender-Calix, Lyrica Classic will bring sacred organ and vocal music of two American composers Eli Tamar and Emmanuel Dubois, to the Austrian audiences. The works are written on Catholic and Orthodox prayer texts and performed by renowned American and Austrian artists:
- Organist Nicholas Will - Founder and President of The Saint Gregory Institute of Sacred Music and Director of Liturgical Music & Lecturer at Mount St. Mary's Seminary based in Emmitsburg, MD.
- Soprano Yulia Petrachuk - Soloist of Theater Biel (Switzerland), Opera Ischia (Italy), Dicapo Opera Theater (NYC), Great Moscow Hall (Russia), Nova and Opera Camerata of Washington DC, Smetana Hall (Prague), Carnegie Hall (NYC), Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna (Austria), and founder of Lyrica Classic Entertainment.
- Soprano Elisabeta Marin - Romanian-born singer known to the Viennese audience from numerous roles at the Vienna State Opera.
- Mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck - Soloist of Wiener Konzerthaus, Musikverein Vienna, Mozarteum Salzburg, Bing Theater Los Angeles, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Philharmonie im Gasteig Munich, Frauenkirche Dresden, the Teatro San Carlo, and many high-level international festivals.
To attend the live event at the Congress Graz Stefaniensaal, please purchase your ticket below:
If you cannot attend our live concert, you can watch it online on April 17.
Please subscribe to our YouTube channel below to not miss out on the broadcast:
CONCERT PROGRAM
PART I
- "ORGAN SONATA" and "AVE MARIA" by Emmanuel Dubois, performed by soprano Elisabeta Marin and organist Nicholas Will
- "AVE MARIA" by Eli Tamar, performed by mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck and organist Nicholas Will
- “O, GLADSOME LIGHT” by Eli Tamar, performed by soprano Yulia Petrachuk and organist Nicholas Will
- TRIO "I PAKI TI REKU" by Eli Tamar, performed by sopranos Yulia Petrachuk and Elisabeta Marin, and mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck
- TRIO "LORD'S PRAYER" by Eli Tamar, performed by sopranos Yulia Petrachuk and Elisabeta Marin, mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck, and organist Nicholas Will
PART II
- "PRAYER FOR PEACE" by Eli Tamar, performed by soprano Yulia Petrachuk and organist Nicholas Will
- "SALUTATIO VIRTUTUM" by Eli Tamar, performed by soprano Elisabeta Marin and organist Nicholas Will
- "SAINT FRANCIS PRAYER" by Eli Tamar, performed by mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck and organist Nicholas Will
- "AKATHIST TO THE HOLY VIRGIN" by Eli Tamar, performed by soprano Yulia Petrachuk
- CANTATA "CANTICUM FRATRIS SOLIS" by Eli Tamar, performed by soprano Elisabeta Marin, mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck, and organist Nicholas Will
Stefaniensaal is one of the most magnificent and beautiful concert halls in the world. With its stunning acoustics, it is located in the heart of the Congress Graz building and was built between 1905 and 1908 according to the plans of Leopold Theyer. The hall has a rich stuccoed ceiling and features portraits of fourteen famous composers in grisaille style painted by Julius Schmid. This concert hall, which has a capacity of 1,100 people, is the venue for concerts of recreation – Großes Orchester Graz. It has also been the setting for several styriarte musical recordings with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who especially liked the high acoustic quality of the Stefaniensaal.
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. In 2021, Dubois’ piano concerto “Imagine New York” was world-premiered in Moscow by famous pianist and soloist of Mariinsky Theater, Mikhail Benediktov and orchestra Voce Anima conducted by Michael Kotelnikov.
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 have been 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.
In December 2021, Lyrica Classic world-premiered Eli’s “Requiem” at Moscow Sobornaya Palata by renowned Moscow Synodal Choir and the famous mezzo-soprano, soloist of the Novaya Opera Theater and the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest, Polina Shamaeva.
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.
Elisabeta Marin
The Romanian-born soprano is known to the Viennese audience from numerous roles at the Vienna State Opera. Prior to 2012, Elisabeta Marin performed as Musetta in Puccini’s “La Bohème” under Louis Langrée, the 2nd flower girl in Richard Wagner’s “Parsifal”, Helmwige from Wagner’s “Die Walküre” under Franz Welser-Möst, along with many other roles. She also sang as the celebrated Micaela in Bizet’s “Carmen,” the enchanting Tatjana in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” and the charismatic Nedda in Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” on European stages. Elisabeta Marin can also be heard in concerts as a sought-after soprano. She completed her training with a master’s degree in solo singing at the renowned Vienna Conservatory, a private university. Numerous awards demonstrated her professionally successful path.
In 2016, Elisabeta Marin impressed as a strong, independent Tosca in the crypt deep below St. Peter’s Church in Vienna. With a powerful yet sensitive voice, she fulfills this demanding role with vitality and luminous expression.
In 2017, Elisabeta made her debut as Elisabetta in G. Verdi's opera "Don Carlo" at the Romanian National Opera Cluj Napoca, Romania.
Yulia Petrachuk
American soprano Yulia 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 and 21st centuries. She has performed many World and US premieres. Recently, Yulia performed the Elektra's role in Strauss' opera "Elektra" with Thueringen philharmonic orchestra and conductor Ernest Hoetzl. "The audience gave endless applause and shouts of bravo in response to this overwhelming performance by Yulia Petrachuk..." - Horst Groener, Thüringer Allgemeine.
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. Yulia has robust experience in international performing arts projects, execution, and collaborations in the US and EU.
In addition, through her teaching studio, Ms. Petrachuk instills the love for classical music to new generations.
Hermine Haselböck
The Austrian mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck studied at the music academies in Vienna and Detmold. She worked with conductors such as Bertrand de Billy, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Vladimir Fedosejev, Adam Fischer, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Gustav Kuhn, Fabio Luisi, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Kirill Petrenko, Christian Thielemann, Franz Welser-Möst, and Jaap van Zweden.
Her international work as a song and concert singer has taken her to Carnegie Hall NY, Wiener Konzerthaus, Musikverein Vienna, Mozarteum Salzburg, Bing Theater Los Angeles, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Philharmonie im Gasteig Munich, Frauenkirche Dresden, and the Teatro San Carlo, as well as many high-level international festivals.
Her opera roles include Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte, Concertgebouw Amsterdam), 2nd lady (Magic Flute, Theater an der Wien and Grand Theater de la Ville Luxemburg), Ramiro (La Finta Giardiniera, Tokyo National Opera), Hansel and later Mother (Hansel and Gretel, Volksoper Vienna, Oper Graz), Mercedes (Carmen, Styriarte, Volksoper Vienna), Ernesto (Il Mondo della Luna, Brucknerhaus Linz), 3rd maid (Elektra, Baden-Baden Festival), Magdalene (Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Flosshilde (Das Rheingold, Die Götterdämmerung in Hong Kong), Brangäne (Tristan and Isolde, Tiroler Festspiele Erl, Beijing), Azucena (Il Trovatore), Fricka (Das Rheingold und Die Walküre, Tiroler Festspiele, Shanghai Symphony Hall), and daughter (Baruch's Schweigen, Nomination for the Austrian music theater award).
Her CD "Songs by Zemlinsky" was awarded the Pasticcio Prize from Radio Ö1 in 2004, the Alexander-Zemlinsky Förderpreis in 2005, and the CD "Mahler: Lieder" received the Supersonic Award from the Journal Pizzicato in 2014.
Hermine Haselböck has been teaching as a visiting professor for solo singing at the University of Art in Graz since 2017 and at the JJF Conservatory in Graz since 2020.
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTISTS
In this interview, mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck and soprano Elisabeta Marin talk about their experience of singing contemporary sacred music and participating in our project "Prayer for Peace" in Graz, Austria.
WATCH THE CONCERT ONLINE
This project is funded in part by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.