Tenor Brian Thorsett will sing the role of Evangelist in our performances of Bach's St. Matthew Passion on October 7-9. CBS audiences will remember his portrayal of Acis in Purcell’s Acis and Galatea (October 2010) and his stunning performances of Monteverdi madrigals (March 2010). We are delighted to welcome him back for Bach’s great masterpiece. Jesus will be sung by baritone Sepp Hammer. Sepp was one of the soloists in our Schütz Symphoniae Sacrae program in April 2013, and in February of this year, he was an impressive God in Carrissimi's Jonas. Read more about these two talented soloists in their biographies.
Brian Thorsett, tenor (Evangelist).
Tenor Brian Thorsett, his voice “clear, ringing, and luminous,” excels in opera, oratorio, and recital across the world and has been seen and heard in over 100 roles. Upcoming opera highlights include the title characters in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito and in the premiere of Josheff’s The Dream Mechanic. Future concert highlights include Evangelist and soloist in both Bach Passions, Handel’s Messiah and Alexander’s Feast, Pilate in Pärt’s Passio, Britten’s War Requiem, as well as the Requiems of Mozart and Verdi. An avid recitalist, Brian is closely associated with expanding the vocal-chamber genre. Premieres and commissions of over 100 works include those of Ian Venables, David Conte, Shinji Eshima, Scott Gendel, Michael Scherperel, Peter Josheff, Gordon Getty, Michel Bosc, Noah Luna, Brian Holmes, Eric Davis, Robert Conrad, Eric Choate, and Nicholas Carlozzi. Brian has also been heard in recordings, commercials, and movies, and as the voice for SoundIron’s library Voice of Rapture: Tenor. He is a graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Glimmerglass Opera’s Young Artists Program, the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, and Music Academy of the West. Brian is currently Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera at Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts.
Sepp Hammer, baritone (Jesus).
Sepp Hammer’s voice has been described as showing “warm baritone gravity” (The Boston Globe). Recently with the California Bach Society, he has appeared as soloist in Charpentier’s Le reniement de Saint Pierre, Zelenka’s Missa Votiva, and Bach’s cantata Aus der Tiefe. Other concert engagements include Rutter’s Mass of the Children with Solano Symphony, Zelenka’s Gloria with Chora Nova, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with Contra Costa Chorale, and, with various ensembles, Charpentier Messe des Morts, Schütz Symphoniae Sacrae, Bach Magnificat, Bach B Minor Mass, Haydn Lord Nelson Mass, Schubert Mass in G Major, Brahms Requiem, Fauré Requiem, and Duruflé Requiem. Starting in the 2016-2017 season, Sepp will be joining the Philharmonia Baroque Chorale. In recent seasons on the opera stage, Sepp has appeared as Pistol in Verdi’s Falstaff with Cinnabar Theater, the Speaker in The Magic Flute with Pocket Opera, Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale with North Bay Opera, and in the role of Wagner in Gounod’s Faust with Opera San Jose. His opera roles also include Escamillo in Carmen, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, the title role in Don Giovanni, John Proctor in The Crucible and Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro.
Purchase your tickets soon to get discounted advance pricing for our monumental opening concert of this 2016-2017 season.