Christmas Oratorio
by Camille Saint-Saens
including various Christmas motets
by Michael Praetorius
This NCC performance will feature professional soloists and be accompanied by a string quintet, organ, and piano.
Guest Soloists
Kari Burgess, soprano, is an emerging young professional artist from the Pacific NW. She has made recent debuts with The Muse’s Project in Arkansas singing Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, with Opera Bend as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, with Opera Theater of Oregon singing The Water in The Little Prince, and with Cascadia Concert Opera singing Sandra in the world premiere of The Tango of the White Gardenia. Other recent performances include Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with the Astoria Music Festival as well as Mimì in La bohème, Micaëla in Carmen and Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus Opera Bend. She was a recent member of the solo ensemble in Monteverdi’s Orfeo with OrpheusPDX and the featured soprano soloist with the Water Music Festival at the Washington Coast. She was also recently featured with Portland Symphonic Choir as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem.
Bereniece Jones-Centeno is thrilled to be singing with the North Coast Chorale. As a performing artist and an arts administrator, she has enjoyed the growth of the musical arts in Astoria and the surrounding community, working with regional artists and sharing music with audiences across Oregon and Washington.
She has also appeared as a solo artist with many other ensembles including Cascadia Chamber Opera, Eugene Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, the Goodman Theater, Opera Grand Rapids, Lake George Opera, the Grand Rapids Symphony, and Graz Opera to name a few.
Tenor Scot Crandal’s singing has been described by critics as “powerful and passionate”. His past and upcoming soloist engagements include The Physician in “The Fall of the House of Usher” for Orpheus PDX Opera, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor for Portland Opera, Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte for Ping & Woof Opera, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for Bravo Chorale, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for Willamette Concert Opera, Handel’s Messiah for Bravo Chorale, several Cantatas for the Bach Cantata Choir, Mozart’s Requiem for Choral Arts Ensemble, Elijah for Bravo Choral, and Macheath in Beggar’s Opera for Opera Theater Oregon.
The Oregonain said, “…the terrific Scot Crandal…as Mac, Crandal carries the show… He sings fearlessly, with a tenor voice that carries depth and power.”
Deac Guidi first sang in the choruses of the Intermountain Opera Association’s Tosca, Don Pasquale, and Faust then went on to do secondary roles in Madame Butterfly and The Barber of Seville. Since that time, he has gone on to perform roles with opera companies throughout the northwest including Portland Opera, Eugene Opera, Tacoma Opera, Astoria Music Festival and Portland Summerfest.
His repertoire stretches from baroque to 20th century compositions including over 50 roles. Most recently he was seen with Portland Opera as the Sacristan in their recent production of Tosca and as Caronte in L’Orfeo with OrpheusPDX. Recent performances include Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Cascadia Concert Opera summer festival, and Rocco in Fidelio with Puget Sound Concert Opera.
Alyse Jamieson is a mezzo-soprano known for her expressive and stylistic interpretations of dramatic roles and concert repertoire. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras and ensembles around the US and Europe specializing in early and chamber music. Recent operatic roles include Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri, Bradamante in Alcina, Carmen in La Tragedie de Carmen, Dido in Dido and Æneas, Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte, Alisa in Lucia di Lamermoor, Miss Todd in Old Maid & The Thief, The Hunter in John Blow’s Venus & Adonis, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and Orfeo in Orfeo et Euridice.
Past ensemble credits include singing with The Oregon Bach Festival, The Musicking Festival, Vox Resonat, UOCC, and several cantor positions at churches throughout the US and Europe–notably the Basilica of Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, Eugene Central Lutheran Church, and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in South Bend Indiana.
Alyse holds degrees from The University of Oregon and The University of Notre Dame, where she studied early and sacred music extensively while working with the Notre Dame Children’s Choir. Alyse is a DMA student at the UO, teaching voice and the undergraduate lyric diction sequence, while also maintaining a private studio at Willamette University as well.