Thursday Musical Artists:
Teresa Tierney, soprano
Nicole Warner, mezzo-soprano
Laura Handler, cello
Gail Olszewski, harpsichord
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736)
Stabat Mater
Stabat mater
O quam tristis
Quis est homo
Fac ut ardeat cor meum
Sancta mater
Inflammatus et accensus
Quando corpus morietur
Mary Laymon, soprano
Nina Olsen, clarinet
Sonja Thompson, piano
Ned Rorem (b. 1923)
Ariel
Words
Poppies in July
The Hanging Man
Poppies in October
Lady Lazarus
About the Artists:
Teresa Tierney is an accomplished singer, pianist, teacher, and composer. She received her B.A from the College of St. Catherine, her M.M. in vocal performance, composition and music theory from the University of Colorado at Boulder and then received full scholarship to the Aspen Music Festival. One highlight of the 2009 season was soloing with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in their sold-out season closing concerts of Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Other recent solo performances include Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and Handel’s oratorios Judas Maccabeus and Messiah, and Bach’s Cantata No. 51. In addition to solo work, Teresa sang with the Dale Warland Singers through their final season and has also been a member of The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists and the SPCO Anniversary Chorale. Further vocal study has taken her twice to Milan, Italy where she studied extensively with Rita Patanè. She is currently the soprano soloist on staff at Unity Church Unitarian in Saint Paul. After several years of teaching in the collegiate and high school setting, Ms. Tierney now maintains a private studio at her home in Saint Paul.
Mezzo-soprano Nicole Warner has always been equally at home in a multitude of genres, from music-theater to works-in-progress to opera. Recently, she sang the Fairy #2 solo in Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Hans Graf. In 2008 she joined Nautilus Music-Theater for the Composer-Librettist Studio and sang her first Messiah (Handel). From 2003 to 2008 Ms. Warner resided in Germany, where she made her German Oratorio debut singing the alto solo in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in 2004 and sang with orchestras such as the “Kammer Sinfonie Bremen” and the “Neue Philharmonie Westfalen.” In 2006 pianist Amy Wegge and Ms. Warner joined forces and developed the song program “Songs and Praise of Thanksgiving” specifically for a Hauskonzert for the American Consulate in Leipzig and they repeated the same performance in the Großer Lindensaal in Markkleeberg (Leipzig) in 2007. Ms. Warner received a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music (New York, NY) in 2003 and a Bachelor of Music degree from Augsburg College (Minneapolis, MN) in 2001.
Laura Handler has performed chamber and orchestral music throughout the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Europe. While in Costa Rica she was Professor of Cello at the University of Costa Rica. She has also been heard on NPR’s St. Paul Sunday with the Lyra Baroque Orchestra. She is principal cellist with Lyra Baroque Orchestra and also performs with Les Favorites Baroque Ensemble (Eau Claire, WI), Haydn by the Lake (Chicago), The WolfGang, and Nautilus Music Theater.
Gail Olszewski has been heard in solo and chamber recitals as a player of harpsichord, piano, fortepiano, organ, and synthesizer in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America and Australia. In the Twin Cities she has a varied free-lance career as a collaborative pianist and harpsichordist, concertizing with members of the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Philomusica. She has played harpsichord and organ continuo for such groups as the Phipps Oratorio Society, Minnesota Sinfonia and Minnetonka Chorale, and has appeared as a synthesizer player with the Plymouth Music Series, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Buffalo Gal Productions. Gail is often sought out as a vocal coach, and has performed with many local singers. She has served as music director, rehearsal and show pianist for Ordway Productions, Nautilus Music Theater, Illusion Theater, Minnesota Opera, Northstar Opera, and Opera Twin Cities. She is a founding member of The WolfGang, dedicated to authentic instrument performance, which released its first CD in Fall 2007. Gail has given lecture/recitals on women musicians and on the history of keyboard instruments to many schools and professional organizations. Performance highlights include soloist in the piano concerto of Clara Schumann with the Minneapolis Philharmonic in 2002, harpsichord soloist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in 2003, solo modern piano and fortepiano recitals in Canberra, Australia in 2004, fortepiano recitals in 2005 and 2007 on the Frederick Collection’s concert series in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, featured soloist on piano and celesta in Georgy Ligeti’s “Chamber Concerto” in 2006 with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and solo and ensemble fortepiano recitals for 2006 and 2007 meetings of the Midwest and Southeast Historical Keyboard Societies. Gail holds the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in Accompanying and Coaching at the University of Minnesota where she studied with Margo Garrett and Karl Paulnack. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Music History/Harpsichord Performance from the University of New Hampshire and the degree Master of Music in Piano Performance from Boston University. Gail has a private studio and is adjunct faculty at the University of Wisconsin/River Falls and a faculty member of the MacPhail Center for Music where she teaches piano, harpsichord, and chamber music.
Mary Laymon, a native of the Twin Cities, has appeared on a stage locally and nationally in a wide variety of roles, both operatic and theatrical. She has performed many orchestral concerts and enjoys the recital stage as well. Known for her vocal presence and stage craft, Laymon has sung Cio-cio-san in Madame Butterfly, Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro and Nedda in Pagliacci as well as Bloody Mary in South Pacific, Cunegonde in Candide and Aldonza in Man of La Mancha to name just a few. She began her vocal and piano studies with her mother, Edna, and then went on to attend Moorhead State University where she was exposed to a wide range of performing experiences. After graduation, she sang with the San Francisco Opera in the regular chorus, along side the likes of Mirella Freni, Monserat Caballe, and Placido Domingo. Laymon recieved her Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of Minnesota. She has sung leading roles with the Minnesota Opera, National Opera, F/M Opera and Opera 101. Currently she teaches private voice lessons at MacPhail Center for Music and at her home studio in Golden Valley, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and Welsh Corgi. Laymon is also Director of Children's Choirs at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.
Clarinetist Nina Olsen has been a member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra since 1990, and performs regularly with Thursday Musical. Active as a freelance performer, she has performed with the Minnesota Sinfonia, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and Plymouth Music Series (Vocalessence). She is a founding member of The Second Winds, a woodwind quartet comprised of musicians from the Opera Orchestra. Currently on the faculties of Carleton College and the MacPhail Center for Music, Dr. Olsen has also served on the faculties of St. Cloud State University and St. Olaf College. Dr. Olsen is a frequent performer on faculty recitals at Carleton and MacPhail, and was invited to perform at the 2001 Northern Plains Clarinet Symposium. Dr. Olsen holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and the University of Denver. Her principal teachers include Burt Hara, John Anderson, Fred Ormand and Ramon Kireilis and Bil Jackson.
Pianist Sonja Thompson is active as a performer, educator and coach. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she has appeared locally and nationally in a wide variety of performance settings as soloist and chamber musician. In addition to performing, Ms. Thompson is Assistant Professor of Music at Augsburg College and Assistant Music Director at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.