Symphonic Wind Ensemble

R. Anderson Collinsworth, conductor

CSU Fullerton Symphonic Winds

Gregory X. Whitmore, conductor

The Blue Marble

Saturday May 4, 2024

Joan and Sanford I. Weill Hall

7:30 pm

Symphonic Wind Ensemble and CSU Fullerton Symphonic Winds Digital Program

CSU FULLERTON SYMPHONIC WINDS

Fanfares From Libuše                                                            Bedřich Smetana

Arranged by Vaclav Nelhýbel                                                                                                                                                                                        

Mysterium                                                                               Jennifer Higdon

Against The Rain                                                                    Rosanne Etezady 

           Daniel Castellanos, Graduate Student Conductor

Rising Light                                                                             Kevin Charoensri       

           Kevin Charoensri, Guest Composer

Slava!                                                                                      Leonard Bernstein     

                                                                                                Transcribed by Clare Grundman

SYMPHONIC WIND ENSEMBLE

Rocky Point Holiday                                 Ron Nelson

Hymn to a Blue Hour                                John Mackey

Goodnight Moon                                       Eric Whitacre
                                                                  Arranged by Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant

Esther Renee Rayo, soprano
 

Symphony No. VI, The Blue Marble         Julie Giroux

Lyric Soprano ESTHER RENEE RAYO is most known for her passion for Classical Spanish Repertoire, however, her performance experience spans across many genres, including those of Opera, Baroque, Oratorio, Sacred Music and Art Song. Merit based awards and scholarships awarded to Ms. Rayo include honors from the Jarvis Conservatory, Redwood Empire Chapter NATS Vocal Competition, San Francisco Bay Area Chapters NATS Vocal Competition, East Bay Opera League Vocal Competition, DePaul University Kleinman Vocal Competition, San Miguel Institute of Bel Canto Summer Program and Musica nelle Marche Opera Program in Italy. Her education includes a Bachelor of Arts with emphasis in Vocal Performance from Sonoma State University (2012) where she studied under David Burnakus and Ruth Ann Swenson, along with a Master of Music with emphasis in Vocal Performance from DePaul University in Chicago, IL (2017) where she debuted the title roles of Anna Murrant in Kurt Weill's Street Scene, and Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica, to critical acclaim. Ms. Rayo made her European debut in 2017, at Teatro della Fortuna in Fano, province of Pesaro and Urbino, region of Marche, Italy. There, she performed the first act and title role of Puccini’s Tosca, and the third act of Puccini’s La Bohème as Mimi. Ms. Rayo has been celebrated for her collaboration with LaMusArt, a non-profit organization that serves underprivileged Latino youth in East Los Angeles, and her Herbst Theater debut in San Francisco, CA, where she represented Lieder Alive! in InterMusic's SF Music Day (2022). Recent highlights include collaboration with Sonoma Bach and their masterful ensemble Circa1600, as well as with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist in Haydn's Schöpfungsmesse. Ms. Rayo is currently preparing for a Spanish recital of works by Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados and more, in Maybeck's Masterpiece, First Church of Christ Scientist in Berkely, CA with the great Peter Grünberg.