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| Alexander the Great statue in Germany |
(The army transfers Alexander from paradise to the
palace)
(Paean
of Alexander the Great)
Army:
Of the Macedonians, great hero
Of everyone, supreme bravery
With the Grecian torch, you brought
Glory in Asia
And in front of the Olympian god
Discarded and silent
She gave you her pure white breasts
Welcoming you as a liberator
In the heart of the paradise
In the secret altar of memory
You lit the flame that will always stay lit
Of brotherhood and peace
And the tragic humanity calls
From the Parthenon to the entire world
We stand thunderstruck, Alexander the Great
Immortal in dreams and in soul
Elspeth Davis, mezzo (High Priestess Queen Olympias)Mezzo-soprano Elspeth Davis was born in the town of Seneca, South Carolina. She graduated with a Masters of Music degree in the studio of Stanley Cornett at the Peabody Institute, where she was a Peabody Merit Scholarship recipient. At Peabody, Ms. Davis has performed the role of Mme. de la Haltiere in Massenet's Cendrillon, of which Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun wrote " [she is] a deliciously wicked stepmother…her singing was as colorful as her acting." With the Baltimore Theatre Project she performed the role of the Second Nurse in Henry Mollicone's Hotel Eden. She also starred in Peabody Opera's premiere production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music as Desiree Armfeldt. In March of 2007, she returned to the school as a guest artist in the role of Nicklausse/La Muse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann.
Mary Mackenzie, soprano (Roxana – Cleopatra)Equally comfortable with classical and contemporary repertoire, soprano Mary Elizabeth Mackenzie has captured the attention of audiences in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Wisconsin. She has won praise for her clear and flexible voice, as well as her extraordinary musicianship and fearless interpretation of contemporary music.Mary attended the Cleveland Institute of Music where she appeared as Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief), and Beth (Little Women). She was the first singer in 14 years to win the school's concerto competition, which resulted in a performance of Mozart's Exultate Jubilate with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra. In 2005, Mary moved to New York City to pursue a Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music. While in New York, she appeared as Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia), and concert appearances included Mahler's Symphony No. 4 and Faure's Requiem. She also appeared as The Youth in Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra in Chicago, and as soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra.Recent awards include second place in Manhattan School of Music's Eisenberg-Fried Vocal Concerto Competition with Britten's Les Illuminations and co-winner of Wisconsin Public Radio's Neale-Silva Young Artists' Competition.A passionate performer of contemporary music, Ms. Mackenzie has worked closely with composers Richard Danielpour and 
John Harbison. In 2007, she was invited by John Harbison to perform at his Token Creek Music Festival, and performed Three Sacred Songs by James Primosch, and premiered selections from Harbison's new anthology of pop songs, Songs after Hours. She was also the featured performer in a special concert at Manhattan School of Music, Compositional Mentors, Students, and Performers: Exploring the Legacy of Music, which showcased Richard Danielpour's Sonnets to Orpheus, Book I, as well as two new song cycles written by his students for Ms. Mackenzie. Mary also enjoys collaborating with young, up-and-coming composers, and has premiered works by Christopher Cerrone (Averno, Drei Rilke Lieder), Michael DiGiacinto (Songs on Living), Nathan Hetherington (Insensibility), John Frantzen (Four Frost Songs), and Wang Jie (Nannan, Swamp's Shore, The Animal Carnival). She recently appeared in A Day of South African Music performing the U.S. premiere of works by Robert Fokkens and Hendrik Hofmeyr, and also made her Carnegie Hall debut in New Music, New Ireland, New York: A Showcase of Contemporary Irish Composers.In 2008, Mary will appear with the Red Light New Music Ensemble, performing Luciano Berio's O King, and the U.S. premiere of Tiziano Manca's Deux epigrammes amoureuse et une intimation. She will also appear at The Kimmel Center, in Philadelphia, PA, performing a program of songs by James Primosch. This summer, Mary will attend the Ravinia Steans Institute for Young Artists in Chicago, Il.
Eric Keller, bass-baritone (King Philip - Ptolemy - High Priest)
Grant Gilman, conductor
