January 21st: Cloud Messenger and Three Psalms
Program
Three Psalms Imogen Holst (1907 – 1984)
Psalm 80: Give Ear, O Shepherd of Israel
Psalm 56: Be merciful unto me, O God
Psalm 91: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
The Cloud Messenger (In an arrangement for chamber orchestra by Joseph Fort) Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934)
Gabriela Estaphanie Solís, mezzo-soprano
The Epiphany Festival Choir and Orchestra
Andrew Jonathan Welch, conductor
Our Performers
Mezzo-soprano Gabriela Estephanie Solís has been hailed for her "rich tone" and “moving expressiveness” (San Francisco Classical Voice). In recent seasons, she performed selections from Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder with the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra, and was the soloist for the US premiere of a chamber orchestra version of Holst’s The Cloud Messenger. Other notable solo performances include Bach’s B Minor Mass (American Bach Soloists Festival and Academy), Handel’s Messiah (Choralis), Copland’s In the Beginning (University of Notre Dame), Beethoven’s Mass in C and Choral Fantasy (Georgetown Chorale), Mozart’s Requiem (Contra Costa Chorale), and Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody (Grace & St.Peter’s, Baltimore). She is also a frequent soloist with the California Bach Society and Chora Nova in the San Francisco Bay Area for works such as Rachmaninoff’s All-night Vigil, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Zelenka’s Missa Divi Xaverii, and various masses and cantatas by J.S Bach.
Gabriela is equally comfortable on stage, and has performed the roles of Medoro in Handel’sOrlando(Boston Early Music Festival Young Artist Training Program), Bradamante in Handel’sAlcina, and Endimione in Cavalli’sLa Calistoat San Francisco State University, under the direction of Christine Brandes.As an ensemble artist, Gabriela has collaborated with groups such as Eya Ensemble,Lorelei Ensemble, Apollo’s Fire, Seraphic Fire, and the American Bach Soloists Choir. She was a finalist in the 2022 Handel Aria Competition and won first place in the 2018 Bethlehem Bach Aria Competition.