Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 16, 2025 | 3:00 PM
THE LUCAS THEATRE FOR THE ARTS
CHRISTOPHER JAMES LEES guest conductor
ELIZABETH CRAFTON french horn
SAVANNAH PHILHARMONIC CHORUS
PAUL THORNOCK chorus master
Guest artists:
AUNDI MARIE MOORE* soprano
GINA PERREGRINO mezzo-soprano
BRIAN GIEBLER* tenor
MICHAEL KELLY* baritone
NANCY GALBRAITH Midnight Stirring
MOZART Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 495
MOZART Requiem, K. 626
Purchase Matinee Concert Tickets
EVENING PERFORMANCE SOLD OUT
*Alumni of the American Traditions Vocal Competition
Emerging American conductor Christopher James Lees brings passionate and nuanced orchestral performances to the stage, a fierce commitment to contemporary music, and a natural charisma to audiences all around the world.
Since 2018, Mr. Lees has served as Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra. In addition to more than 70 annual concert appearances with the CSO, he has annually stepped in to conduct Subscription Classical performances, including two Gala concerts with legendary artists and Grammy Award winners Branford Marsalis and Rhiannon Giddens, respectively.
An active guest conductor, Mr. Lees has conducted or returned for performances with the New York, Los Angeles, and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as the Houston, Detroit, New World, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Fort Worth, North Carolina, Knoxville, Portland, Flint, Toledo, Charleston, and Winston-Salem Symphonies.
Additional engagements have taken him to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestra de Chambre de Paris, Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, and the Music in the Mountains Festival & Festival Internacional de Inverno de Campos do Jordão in Brazil.
Only the second American Gustavo Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mr. Lees made his debut with the orchestra in April 2013 and returned for concerts in February 2015.
With the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis & Atlanta Symphonies, among others, Mr. Lees has served as an assistant conductor for world-renowned maestros including Gustavo Dudamel, Paavo Järvi, Herbert Blomstedt, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Robert Spano, Marin Alsop, Pablo Heras-Casado, Stéphane Denève, Susanna Mälkki, and Nicholas McGegan.
Mr. Lees was additionally named Music Director of the Rock Hill Symphony Orchestra in 2023.
After two summers of study with Robert Spano at the Aspen Music Festival, Mr. Lees was named winner of both the 2011 James Conlon Conducting Prize and the 2012 Aspen Conducting Prizes. In 2013, he returned for a third summer as assistant conductor for the Aspen Music Festival and School.
An active pianist, and equally comfortable in the opera pit, Mr. Lees has served as Music Director or Assistant Conductor for a wide array of operas: Aida (Atlanta Symphony), Peter Grimes & John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby (Aspen Opera Theatre Center), Louis Andriessen’s De Materie, Philip Glass’ the CIVIL warS (Los Angeles Philharmonic), Don Giovanni & Mark Adamo’s Little Women (University of Michigan Opera Theatre), and Nino Rota’s Il Capello di paglia di Firenze (AJ Fletcher Opera Institute).
A recipient of a Career Assistance Grant from the Solti Foundation US, Mr. Lees was also chosen for showcase on the Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation National Conductor Preview, hosted by the League of American Orchestras and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
A dedicated advocate for music of our time, Mr. Lees has premiered more than 150 new works by a diverse range of composers, and collaborated closely with Pulitzer Prize winners John Adams, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Jennifer Higdon, Joseph Schwantner, Steven Stucky, Caroline Shaw, Roger Reynolds, and Julia Wolfe.
An equally passionate advocate for music education, Mr. Lees has brought inspirational energy to student orchestras across the country, leading ensembles from the Colburn School, the Shepherd School at Rice University, and the New England and Oberlin Conservatories.
A native of Washington, D.C., Mr. Lees holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan, and has studied conducting with both Larry Rachleff and Robert Spano, as well as participating in masterclasses with Lorin Maazel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Gustav Meier, and Jorma Panula.
When not performing, Mr. Lees can be found riding roller coasters with his nine-year-old son, reading through the stack of books by his nightstand, or training for his next World Majors marathon.
Elizabeth Crafton, from Savannah Georgia, is an undergraduate student at the Curtis Institute of Music and currently studies with Jennifer Montone and Jeffery Lang. Elizabeth has performed with many orchestras and summer music festivals including the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra.
American soprano Aundi Marie Moore’s 2024-25 Season begins with her revival of the role of Maggie Porter in Tazewell Thompson’s Jubilee at Seattle Opera, a role that won her great accolades in its first run at Arena Stage. She joins the American Pops Orchestra in concert at Lincoln Center in November, lends her beautiful voice to The Children’s Chorus of Washington DC for their Winter Orchestral Concert in December, and sings The Messiah with the National Philharmonic. Spring 2025 brings her appearance with Bangor Symphony for Brahms’ Requiem and she travels to St Louis to play the role of Lucy in Ricky Ian Gordon’s new work with Lynn Nottage, This House, to be premiered at Opera Theater of St Louis in their 2025 season.
Miss Moore was awarded the 2023 Sphinx Organization’s Award for Excellence, an acknowledgement of her artistic achievements, her work ethic, and her spirit of determination. Recent highlights include her debut at Dutch National Opera as Mother Blue, a role she also sang at Toledo Opera. She made a highly lauded appearance as Strawberry Woman in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Porgy and Bess. Past successes include Donna Elvira Don Giovanni at L’Opéra de Monte Carlo, Nedda I Pagliacci at Sarasota Opera, Mimi La Boheme in Italy at the Amalfi Coast Festival, Serena Porgy and Bess at Atlanta Opera and at Virginia Opera, Young African American Soprano in Ricky Ian Gordon’s world premiere of Rappahannock County at Virginia Opera, Soprano 2 in the US premier of Michael Nyman’s Facing Goya at Spoleto Festival, and the role of Odessa Clay in the world premiere of D. J. Sparr’s Approaching Ali commissioned by Washington National Opera.
A member of the Domingo-Cafritz Washington National Opera Young Artist Program, the artist appeared at WNO as Nella Gianni Schicchi, Fiordiligi Cosi fan tutte, Mother Hansel und Gretel, Wanda (c) Sophie’s Choice, Fifth Maid Elektra under the baton of Heinz Fricke, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni under the baton of Placido Domingo. Miss Moore completed her Master of Music at the University of Michigan and her Bachelors of Music at George Mason University. She participated in the Salzburg Music Festival Young Artist Program in 2008 where she covered the roles of Donna Anna Don Giovanni and the title role Rusalka and appeared as featured soloist in their Gala concert conducted by Ivor Bolton.
Concert engagements are highlighted by her performance with the New World Symphony for Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 under the baton of Steven Jarvi as well as the National Symphony Orchestra as their featured guest soloist for their Christmas Pops concert with Marvin Hamlisch conducting. She has often been a featured soloist with Virginia Symphony under the baton of JoAnn Falletta.
The artist has been the recipient of numerous prizes and awards from the National Opera Association, the Bel Canto Vocal Competition, the West Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Florida Grand Voice Competition, and the Leontyne Price Vocal Competition. Aundi was celebrated for being the 2015 winner of The American Prize in Voice, the 2016 Bronze Medallist at the American Traditions Competition in Savannah, Georgia, First Place winner at both Florida Grand Opera Young Patronesses Voice Competition and at Vocal Arts Discovery Series of Washington DC, and she was a finalist at Operalia.
Praised by Opera News as a “standout”, Gina Perregrino earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Manhattan School of Music, before participating for two seasons in Minnesota Opera’s Resident Artist Program. She also trained as an Apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera and was an Encouragement Award Winner from the Laffont Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. This season, Ms. Perregrino joins the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra for Mozart’s Requiem, and makes her role debut as Mélisande in Opera Baltimore’s production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande.
Ms. Perregrino debuted at The Metropolitan Opera as Solo Niña 2 in the new production of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar during the 2024-2025 season. On the concert stage, she appeared with the Santa Fe Symphony for Handel’s Messiah and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. In the spring, she joined Opera Delaware as a mezzo-soprano soloist in multiple roles for the World Premiere of Derrick Wang’s Fearless.
Her engagements during the 2023-2024 season included Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with the Greensboro Symphony and Handel’s Messiah with the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2022-2023, she joined she joined Seattle Opera to cover the leading role of Mariam in the world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns. Ms. Perregrino was a member of Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble under the auspices of her Opera Foundation Scholarship. Her assignments with the DOB included the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Der Missmut in Der Antikrist, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and covering the title role in Carmen.
Notable operatic highlights include creating the role of Edka in the world premiere of Out of Darkness: Two Remain by Jake Heggie with The Atlanta Opera, where she has also covered the title role in Carmen and has been seen as Nica in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, Anna I in Seven Deadly Sins, Jenny in Threepenny Opera and Lupe in Frida; Stéphano in Romeo et Juliette and Clizia in L’arbore di Diana with Minnesota Opera; Paquette in Candide and Pastuchyna in Jenůfa with Santa Fe Opera; the title role in Carmen with Central City Opera; the Blindwoman in the world premiere of Shalimar the Clown with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; and Maddalena in Rigoletto with Querido Arte in Guatemala, in a production that was broadcast on univision TeleOnce throughout Guatemala and parts of Central America.
In concert, Ms. Perregrino has been seen with the Cincinnati May Festival as part of their Dream Project, which included Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Vaughan Williams’ A Tribute to Music; Oregon Symphony for Handel’s Messiah, Phoenix Symphony for Beethoven’s Mass in C, The Dallas Opera as a soloist for their Hart Institute for Women Conductors, and on stage at Lincoln Center where she sang the Brahms’ Songs with Viola.
Praised for his “lovely tone and deep expressivity” by The New York Times, GRAMMY® nominated tenor Brian Giebler radiates “shine and clarity” (Opera News) in every phrase using “his high-placed tenor with great skill” (Opera Magazine). His debut solo album a lad’s love garnered high praise from Gramophone, Opera News, and San Francisco Classical Voice, and earned him his first GRAMMY® Award nomination for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
“The sweetness of Giebler’s impressive high tenor” and his “expressive and elegant phrasing” (Cleveland Classical) have been heard as Apollo in Handel Semele with The English Concert under Harry Bicket; Stravinsky with The Cleveland Orchestra; Orff Carmina Burana with the Colorado, Milwaukee, Austin and Virginia Symphony Orchestras; Handel Messiah with Music of the Baroque (available on recording), internationally with the Seoul Metropolitan Chorus, and with the Charlotte, Rhode Island, and Memphis Symphonies; Aeneas in Purcell Dido and Aeneas with Atlanta Baroque Orchestra; Arnalta in Monteverdi Poppea with Boston Baroque; Evangelist in both Bach Passions with Trinity Wall Street, Voices of Ascension, and True Concord Artists; Handel Theodora with Ars Lyrica Houston; Bach Cantatas with the Grand Rapids Symphony and Handel & Haydn Society; Haydn Creation with Santa Fe and Princeton Pro Musica; and on stage with Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Boston Early Music Festival. Other highlights included a tour of the Ravinia and Caramoor Festivals with Apollo’s Fire, and multiple works with Mark Morris Dance Group including Handel L’Allegro, il Penseroso. www.briangiebler.com
Baritone and librettist Michael Kelly has been praised as “expressive and dynamic” and “vocally splendid,”
having performed with the Santa Fe Opera, Carnegie Hall, New York City Opera, the New World Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and the Cincinnati May Festival.
Captivating audiences with his “exquisitely self-effacing” artistry, Mr. Kelly is a versatile and innovative vocalist who has performed with many of America’s leading orchestras and opera companies, including The Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Mostly Mozart Festival, Opernhaus Zurich, Chicago Opera Theater, Gotham Chamber Opera, Mark Morris Dance Group, Boston Early Music Festival, and Ars Lyrica. His repertoire ranges from baroque to modern, leading him to collaborate with some of today’s most celebrated composers, including Matthew Aucoin, David Del Tredici, Mohammed Fairouz, John Glover, Ricky Ian Gordon, Martin Hennessy, Laura Kaminsky, Libby Larsen, David T. Little, Lowell Liebermann, Ben Moore, John Musto, David Sisco, and David Wolfson.
In recent seasons, he has been heard in Die schöne Müllerin with celebrated guitarist David Leisner, in Hennessy/Kitsakos’ solo cabaret The Pleasing Recollection at 54 Below, in the role of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, baritone soloist in Ein deutsches Requiem, and the title role in the New York premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s last opera Prince of Players.
In the 2023–2024 season, he returned to Carnegie Hall as baritone soloist in the world premiere of Kevin Boesiger’s Songs of Hope, joined The Metropolitan Opera for the workshop performance of Grounded, performed a solo cabaret at Joe’s Pub, covered the role of Hortensius in La fille du régiment with Lyric Opera of Chicago, joined Opera on the Avalon for the world premiere of Laura Kaminsky’s February, appeared at Joe’s Pub in the cabaret Wonderful Town, and made his debut with Kentucky Opera as Hannah Before in their production of As One.
Highlights of past seasons include Bernstein’s Mass with the Mostly Mozart Festival under the baton of Louis Langrée and the world premiere of a new chamber work by David Del Tredici at New York City’s Symphony Space.
Mr. Kelly is also an accomplished librettist; his poetry has been set by composers John Glover and Ben Moore. His newest project, an operatic adaptation of Wendy MacLeod’s play The House of Yes, with composer Kathy Kelly, was commissioned by Wolf Trap Opera and will premiere there in 2025, following a workshop in 2024.
He made his European debut with Opernhaus Zürich in Handel’s Rinaldo with William Christie and his French debut with Opéra du Châtelet. He has performed in opera, chamber, and symphonic works under the batons of such conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Christie, Andreas Delfs, Jane Glover, Benton Hess, Louis Langrée, James Levine, Anne Manson, Nicholas McGegan, Steven Osgood, Leonard Slatkin, and Stephen Stubbs.
Mr. Kelly has also collaborated in recital with celebrated pianists David Fung, Kathleen Kelly, Malcolm Martineau, Shannon McGinnis, Spencer Myer, Jonathan Ware, Howard Watkins, and Brian Zeger.
Kelly is a passionate recital and chamber music interpreter, and was the founder and artistic director of New York’s SongFusion and the Room to Breathe concert series. He can be heard on multiple recordings as well as in the documentary Secret Music, celebrating the life and compositions of David Del Tredici. In 2018, NewMusicShelf released Michael’s curated baritone volume of their Anthology of New Music, a collection of art songs by living composers. Recently, he was featured on the star-studded recording of Ben Moore’s songs Gathering, and his solo album Die schöne Müllerin with David Leisner was released last fall. Both are available to stream on all major platforms.
Mr. Kelly won first prizes in the 2013 Positively Poulenc competition and the 2011 Joy in Singing competition. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School, and was a member of the Opernstudio at Opernhaus Zürich.
