San Luis Obispo Master Chorale presents
Requiem Mass by Verdi
SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2025 | 3 PM
Perfoming Arts Center San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo Master Chorale proudly presents Messa da Requiem
by Giuseppe Verdi
The SLO Master Chorale’s final concert of the 40th Anniversary season is a performance of the Verdi Requiem, a work that requires a full, powerful orchestra, excellent singers, exceptional soloists, and a dynamic conductor. Four soloists – soprano, mezz-soprano, tenor, bass – will join the SLO Master Chorale on stage to bring life to the masterpiece’s robust rhythms, majestic melodies, and considerable contrasts, sure to evoke powerful emotions alongside the liturgical text.
Requiem is sponsored by Carol Nelson-Selby and Alison Stuart.
The concert will be held in Harold Miossi Hall at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo on the Cal Poly campus.
Tickets are $10-$60 and are available at www.slomasterchorale.org or by calling the PAC box office at 805-756-4849.
Harold Miossi Hall
Performing Arts Center
1 Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA
93407-0441
Jennifer Freye
Soprano
Jennifer Freye is a dramatic soprano noted for her “vocal power and dramatic presence.” She is absolutely thrilled to be making her debut with the SLO Master Chorale. Her recent season highlight included her role debut as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Opera San Luis Obispo. In addition to performing on the Operatic stage, Jennifer is passionate about vocal pedagogy and teaches at Cal Poly where she is currently on faculty as a lecturer in Vocal Arts.
As a recurring soloist with the Lompoc Pops Orchestra, Lompoc Valley Master Chorale, and Santa Ynez Master Chorale, her performances contribute to the region’s ever-growing distinction. Previous notable roles include Sieglinde in Wagner’s Die Walküre with Verismo Opera and the role of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni for Opera of California in San Francisco. Jennifer’s performing highlights include singing Freia in Wagner’s Das Rheingold with Verismo Opera, Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci under the baton of Curt Pajer with Verismo Opera, and First handmaiden in West Bay Opera’s production of Turandot.
Jennifer is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance. She is a proud mother of three boys and an encourager of potential and purpose in every sphere of life.
Max Potter
Mezzo-soprano
Regarded as a “virtuoso singing actor,” mezzo-soprano Max Potter is an engaging artist known for her expressive vocalism and dynamic stage presence.
Max’s 2024/2025 season kicked off with a concert tour through Arkansas and Texas, presented by The Muses Project and highlighting music by Bizet, Rossini, and Mozart. She celebrated the holiday season with her debut as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah, and appeared as a concert artist in multiple settings with Opera Santa Barbara. In the new year, she returns to Opera Santa Barbara to debut the role of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and returns to The Muses Project in the fall to reprise this iconic trouser role.
Recent season highlights include Max’s role debut as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier with Pacific Northwest Opera, performances as Mercedes Bizet’s Carmen and Ines in Il Trovatore with Opera Santa Barbara. Max also made her symphonic debut as the alto soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Washington National Cathedral, and her mainstage debut with Chautauqua Opera as Jenny Reefer in The Mother of Us All.
As a resident singer for The American Opera Project’s Composers and the Voice Fellowship, she gave world premiere performances of art songs and opera excerpts by established and emerging composers. She also sang the world premiere of “Women Have Loved Before as I Love Now” from Margaret Bonds’ Six Songs on Poems by Millay, and joined I Cantori di Carmel on a tour featuring Max Bruch’s rarely-heard “Gruss an die heilige Nacht.”
Alec Carlson
Tenor
American heldentenor Alec Carlson has been garnering attention and acclaim on the concert and operatic stages for his “powerful voice.” In September of 2023, Alec was the tenor soloist for Mahler’s 8th Symphony with The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Neeme Järvi and sang his first Verdi Requiem with the San Jose Symphonic Chorus. This season includes his debut with Teatro Municipal de Santiago in his role debut as Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer. Recent seasons have included his house and role debut as Max (Der Freischütz) with Opera Wrocławska and a concert of Bel Canto repertoire under the baton of Maestro Dmitry Korchak with the Winter Bashmet Festival in Sochi, Russia.
Alec was the 2019 recipient of the Richard Tucker Fund Award from Santa Fe Opera. Other awards and distinctions held include a grant from the Wagner Society of New York, the Richard and Kerry Stillwell Award from the Opera Index Vocal Competition, the Tenor Viñas Competition, Brava! Opera Theater and James M. Collier Vocal Competition, the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation. Alec recently graduated as an Emerging Artist with Opera for Peace, and is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, Wolf Trap Opera Studio, and the Houston Grand Opera Young Artist Vocal Academy.
Joel Balzun
Bass
Praised as a “mature artist with a voluminous sound,” baritone and composer Joel Balzun is establishing himself as a mature new voice in the future of music. As a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, he sang alongside Stephanie Blythe in a concert of Great American Songbook selections and Dawn Upshaw and Sanford Sylvan in Shostakovich’s brooding Symphony No. 14. His continually-expanding repertoire includes the title roles of Don Giovanni and Gianni Schicchi, Joseph de Rocher (Dead Man Walking), Marcello (La bohème) the Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Prince Yeletskiy and Count Tomskiy (Pikovaya Dama), Albert (Werther), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Dr. Malatesta (Don Pasquale) and Valentin (Faust), among others. He has also been successful in numerous competitions, including prizes from Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Los Angeles District and Western Region), CS Music Vocal Competition, Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition, Houston Saengerbund Vocal Competition and Orpheus National Vocal Competition.
Mr. Balzun studied Music Composition and Vocal Performance at University of Calgary, Biola University, and the Eastman School of Music, where he earned his Master’s degree under the tutelage of Jan Opalach and Benton Hess. He currently serves on the voice faculty of Biola University as he completes the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Arts at University of Southern California.
Beyond the Notes
Beyond the Notes features leading scholars whose presentations highlight the times and culture surrounding the works performed by the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale. The educational events offer an in-depth look at pieces being performed and the background and history behind the music, including the opportunity to meet and learn from a noted expert on the subject, an enhanced understanding of the context of the music, an increased appreciation for the music and live performance, and spreading awareness about the arts.
The San Luis Obispo Master Chorale is hosting two educational presentations given by Dr. Gregory Harwood, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Georgia Southern University, as part of its Beyond the Notes series. Dr. Harwood’s presentations will encourage an enhanced understanding of the context of the music of the Requiem, offering an in-depth look at the piece and the history behind the music.
The presentations coincide with the SLO Master Chorale’s 40th anniversary season and a concert on Sunday, April 27, at 3 pm at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo, featuring a performance of the Verdi Requiem, a work that requires a full, powerful orchestra, excellent singers, exceptional soloists, and a dynamic conductor. More details about the concert and these presentations are available at www.slomasterchorale.org.
Beyond the Notes is sponsored by the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust and Joan G. Sargen.
Dr. Gregory W. Harwood
Dr. Gregory W. Harwood is Professor of Music History and Director of Graduate Studies in the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music at Georgia Southern University. He holds a PhD in musicology from New York University. During his time at NYU, Dr. Harwood did research on Verdi, utilizing resources of the American Institute for Verdi Studies.
This led to an article on Verdi’s reform of the Italian opera orchestra, published in 19th-Century Music (2008).
His book, Giuseppe Verdi: A Guide to Research (1998; 2nd enlarged edition in 2012), has become a standard reference tool in Verdi studies.
Other writings include “160 Years of Verdi Biography,” published in the Verdi Forum, as well as contributions to the Cambridge Verdi Encyclopedia and the Cambridge Companion to Verdi. A recent article entitled “Trends in Verdi Research,” will appear in Cambridge University Press’s forthcoming volume Verdi in Context. Dr. Harwood is currently working on a music history textbook titled Re-Imagining Music History through Musicology.
Dr. Harwood’s interests include cooking, reading fantasy and almost anything about history and culture, Italian genealogical record indexing, bow ties, and working on word puzzles from the New York Times with his three incredible grandchildren.
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Beyond the Notes: “Two for One: An Opera in Church Clothing” presented by Dr. Gregory W. Harwood
Saturday, April 26, 2025, 3:00 pm, Indian Hill Clubhouse at San Luis Bay Estates
https://www.my805tix.com/e/beyond-the-notes-apr25
Verdi’s Dual Conception of His Requiem as a Religious Memorial and as a Widely Circulating Concert Work
Explore some interesting details that have come to light about the Requiem’s initial performance during a church service, followed by its immediate repetition as a concert piece at La Scala. Take a look at why Verdi selected the San Marco Church in Milano for its premiere and the unique performance setup there. Also, learn about the significance the music itself had on Verdi’s negotiation with church officials to follow the standard Roman text and structure, rather than the Ambrosian structure of the mass used in Milanese churches at that time.
Please RSVP to reserve your space. This event is offered by donation only, so please choose an amount that works for you on the checkout page when placing reserving your space.
Admission includes light fare of grazing boards, hors d’oeuvres, and wine.
Indian Hill Clubhouse at San Luis Bay Estates
6375 Firehouse Canyon Road, Avila Beach, CA, 93424
Only a 10-minute drive from downtown San Luis Obispo!
Directions to Indian Hill Clubhouse at San Luis Bay Estates:
Address: 6375 Fire House Canyon Rd, Avila Beach, CA 93424
From the 101 southbound:
- Take exit 196 for San Luis Bay Dr. toward See Cyn/Avila Beach
- Turn right onto San Luis Bay Dr. and continue for 1.4 miles
- Turn right onto Bay Laurel Pl.
- At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit to enter the gated area through the “Guest” lane; stay on Bay Laurel Pl.
- Tell the guard your name and that you are attending the SLO Master Chorale event at the Clubhouse
- After passing through the gate, turn left onto Lupine Canyon Rd.
- Take the next right onto Fire House Canyon Rd., and the venue will be on your right.
- Parking is available in the lots on either side of the Clubhouse.
From the 101 northbound:
- Take exit 195 for Avila Beach Dr.
- Continue on Avila Beach Dr. for 1.3 miles
- Turn right onto San Luis Bay Dr.
- Take the next left onto Bay Laurel Pl.
- At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit to enter the gated area through the “Guest” lane; stay on Bay Laurel Pl.
- Tell the guard your name and that you are attending the SLO Master Chorale event at the Clubhouse
- After passing through the gate, turn left onto Lupine Canyon Rd.
- Take the next right onto Fire House Canyon Rd., and the venue will be on your right.
- Parking is available in the lots on either side of the Clubhouse.
Sunday, April 27, 2025 | 1:15 pm
Beyond the Notes: “Verdi on Tour! (Italy, Germany, England, France)” presented by Dr. Gregory W. Harwood
Sunday, April 27, 2025, 1:15 pm
Pavilion, Performing Arts Center
1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo
Free admission with concert ticket
https://www.facebook.com/events/1379577666398379/
Highlights of the Musical and Cultural Impact of Verdi’s Requiem on the International Stage
Learn about the extent and significance of Verdi’s international tours with the Requiem, his only composition that he regularly conducted himself, his re-composition of the “Libera me” section, and how the work was received and promoted in Italy, Germany, England, and France. Also, take a look at recent research that shows how the Requiem became a special catalyst for various aspects of German nationalism.
Location: Pavilion, Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo