FULL PROGRAM:
J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass
FEATURED SOLOISTS:
Katherine Vetter Cain, Soprano*
Claire Galloway, Soprano II/Alto**
Matthew Loyal-Smith, Tenor
William Marshall, Bass***
John Babcock, First Trumpet****
Adam Tillett, First Horn*****
* The soprano soloist for this concert is endowed in memory of Anne Hortense Pruitt Dimmock †. ** The soprano II/Alto for this concert is endowed in honor of Dr. Martha Connolly. *** The bass for this concert is endowed in memory of Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. †. **** The First Trumpet in this concert is endowed in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin L. Harris. ***** The First Horn in this concert is endowed in the memory of Martin Krenzke, Given by Patricia A. Krenzke.
Learn more about our Permanent Endowment Fund HERE
Join T. Herbert Dimmock, four superb vocal soloists, and the Bach in Baltimore Choir and Orchestra in the performance of Bach’s magnum opus, the B Minor Mass. This work represents Bach’s lifelong and tireless artistry as a composer and musician of the highest caliber. It is a grand synthesis of his every musical innovation and contribution. Bach began the B Minor Mass early in his career and didn’t finish it until the end of his life when he had already gone blind. As a result, Bach never got a chance to hear a complete performance of his masterpiece that weaves together conventions common to both Lutheran and Catholic masses. Don’t miss your chance to experience Bach’s crown jewel for yourself!
Kate Vetter Cain, soprano
Soprano Kate Vetter Cain’s “sweetness of timbre and vocal power” (The Washington Post) has allowed her to collaborate with some of our region’s most renowned ensembles. She is pleased to return for her third season as a soloist with Bach in Baltimore. She has sung a soloist and ensemble member for many seasons with the Washington Bach Consort, and has especially enjoyed both soprano solo parts in the Mass in B-minor and many cantata solos with the late and much beloved J. Reilly Lewis. Kate has also been a soloist for Leonard Slatkin with the National Chamber Players in Mahler’s 4th Symphony, for Kenneth Slowik in BWV 51 “Jauchzet Gott,” and also with the Cathedral Choral Society, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with conductor Marin Alsop, Folger Consort, Chantry, Cathedra, Washington Concert Opera with conductor Antony Walker, Orchestra of St. Luke’s with conductor Will Crutchfield, Washington Ballet, DC’s In Series, Ash-Lawn Highland Festival, Caramoor Festival Opera, Tanglewood Music Center, and Off-Broadway with The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. Kate earned a B.A. in History from Yale University, as well as a Master in Voice from Manhattan School of Music and a DMA from the University of Maryland, and served for ten years as music teacher at a bilingual DC public charter school. Kate currently maintains a private voice studio in Washington, DC.
Claire Galloway, alto
British-American soprano Claire Galloway’s theatricality covers the gamut of “palpable pain” and “splendid, funny moments” (B.I.T.R.). She has performed such roles as Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Contessa in Nozze di Figaro, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. She has also premiered roles in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park and Frances Pollock’s award-winning opera Stinney, seen in the 2019 Prototype Festival. In 2018 Ms. Galloway was a semifinalist in the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition and a finalist in the Saltworks Opera Competition and will join Saltworks Opera to sing Blanche in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites this Summer. She will portray Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito) with Lidal North, Oslo and reprise her role as Blanche (Dialogues) under the direction of Fabrizio Melano in the Savannah Voice Festival.
In past seasons, Ms. Galloway has performed with Baltimore Concert Opera, the Savannah Voice Festival, Bel Cantanti Opera, and Stillpointe Theatre.
This season she will present a recital based on the life of Rosa Ponselle at the elegant George Peabody Library. Ms. Galloway is a curator of the related Ponselle exhibit at the Peabody Institute, where she currently teaches.
Ms. Galloway’s innovative recital programming has resulted in the best-attended concert event at the Baltimore War Memorial Arts Initiative in past seasons.
A frequent soloist with Concert Artists of Baltimore, Ms. Galloway has also performed concert and oratorio works with Bach in Baltimore, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the Peabody Concert Orchestra.
William Marshall, baritone
Known for his full and lyric baritone, William Marshall is passionate about the study and vocal performance of Renaissance and Baroque repertoires. In addition to acting as a specialist in the field of early music, he also performs traditional operatic and art song repertoire. His recent career highlights include the Bach Vocal Competition for American Singers as part of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem Bach Festival, Early Music America’s Young Performers Festival with The Baltimore Bach Ensemble, and the American Bach Soloists Academy in San Francisco. William has portrayed opera roles such as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Papageno in The Magic Flute. On the concert stage, he has been a featured soloist for Bach’s B Minor Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Orff’s Carmina Burana among others. William Marshall holds a Master of Music degree in Historical Performance from the Peabody Conservatory and Bachelors degree in Music Education from Rowan University. www.williammarshallbaritone.com
Matthew Loyal Smith, tenor
Matthew Loyal Smith has been a frequent soloist with ensembles in the United States and Canada including the National Philharmonic, Choral Arts Society of Washington, Washington Chorus, City Choir of Washington, Washington Bach Consort, Artek, Choralis, the Cathedral Choral Society, the Washington Concert Opera, Choral Artists of Sarasota, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, and the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia.
His wide concert repertoire includes all of Bach’s major works and many of his cantatas. Other highlights are his performances of Handel’s Messiah, many works of Haydn and Mozart, recitals of art songs from Britten and Finzi, Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, Monteverdi’s Vespers 1610, Debussy’s L’enfant prodigue, and numerous premieres of new compositions.
His operetta and operatic roles have included Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, the Mayor in Albert Herring, The Prologue in The Turn of the Screw, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore (cover), Mozart in Mozart and Salieri, Torquemada in L’heure Espagnol, Frederic in Pirates of Penzance, and Baron Zsupàn in Countess Maritza.
Mr. Smith studied vocal performance with Beverley Rinaldi and Christine Anderson while earning a B.M. in Voice from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a M.M. in Opera from Temple University. He received the Carmel Bach Festival’s Adams Fellowship for performance and study of the music of Bach. He has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and currently serves as a member of The US Army Chorus.
Music Director T. Herbert Dimmock shares insights into the crown jewel in Bach’s oeuvre – the heavenly B Minor Mass – in this three-part series on the work. This programming was made possible in part by the Howard County Arts Council through a grant from Howard County.