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Rob & Friends:A Little Night MusicRobert Istad, artistic directorJames Taulli, stage director

Kellee King, sopranoKatie Martini, sopranoDenean Dyson, mezzo-sopranoEleen Hsu-Wentlandt, mezzo-sopranoNicholas Preston, tenorSammy Salvador tenorMatthew Kellaway, baritoneRicardo Mckillips, Jr., baritone

Christopher Luthi, pianoMatthew Smith, drumsSean Emch, bass

SAMUELI THEATERNovember 8–10, 2018

Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Out of courtesy to the artists and your fellow patrons, please take a moment to turn

off and refrain from using cellular phones, pagers, watch alarms and similar devices. The use of any audio or videorecording device or the taking of photographs (with or without

flash) is strictly prohibited. Thank you.

The Center applauds:

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About the Artists

ROBERT ISTAD JAMES TAULLI

KELLEE KING KATIE MARTINI DENEAN DYSON ELEEN HSU-WENTLANDT

NICHOLAS PRESTON SAMMY SALVADOR MATTHEW KELLAWAY RICARDO MCKILLIPS, JR.

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About the ArtistsRobert Istad, artistic director

Robert Istad is artistic director of Pacific

Chorale and director of choral studies

at California State University, Fullerton. He

regularly conducts and collaborates with Pacific

Chorale, Pacific Symphony, Musica Angelica

Baroque Orchestra, Sony Classical Records,

Yarlung Records, Berkshire Choral International

and Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. He is also

Dean of Chorus America’s national Academy for

Conductors.

Istad has prepared choruses for a number

of America’s finest conductors and orchestras,

including: Gustavo Dudamel and the Los

Angeles Philharmonic, Carl St.Clair and Pacific

Symphony, as well as conductors Esa-Pekka

Salonen, Keith Lockhart, Nicholas McGegan,

Vasilly Sinaisky, Sir Andrew Davis, Bramwell

Tovey, John Williams, Eugene Kohn, Eric

Whitacre, Giancarlo Guerrero, Marin Alsop,

George Fenton and Robert Moody.

Istad is also professor of music and director

of choral studies at California State University,

Fullerton. Recently, he and the University Singers

performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,

Pacific Symphony, Andrea Bocelli, Kathleen

Battle, recorded albums with Yarlung Records

and with composer John Williams and Sony

Classical.

Istad is president of the California Choral

Director’s Association, and is in demand as

an adjudicator, guest conductor, speaker and

clinician throughout the nation.

Jim Taulli, stage director

Jim Taulli is thrilled to be back working with

Rob Istad and the wonderful singers on this

project. Jim is currently a professor of theatre and

dance at California State University, Fullerton.

Before returning to his roots in the classroom,

he held administrative positions as theatre and

dance department chair, associate dean and

dean for the College of the Arts. As a professor

of theatre, he specializes in the areas of directing,

musical theatre and acting. Jim has directed over

200 productions, concerts and special events

for various professional and university theatres

across the country. Some of his professional

staging and directorial credits include: Bernstein:

Mass (Reneé and Henry Segerstrom Concert

Hall); Big River (Performance Riverside); The

Importance of Being Earnest (CSU Fullerton);

Spring Awakening (Chapman University); Les

Misérables (Anseong, South Korea); The Radio

Hour (Reneé and Henry Segerstrom Concert

Hall); 24 Hours, a new musical which was

produced at the Stella Adler Theatre in Los

Angeles and for which Mr. Taulli was nominated

for an NAACP award for his direction. He is the

recipient of two Kennedy Center medallions for

excellence in theatre education.

Kellee King, soprano

Soprano Kellee King has been called “a clear-

voiced, exemplary soloist” by the Orange

County Register. A Southern California native,

she graduated from California State University,

Fullerton with a BA in liberal arts and music

in 2003 and has been performing on local and

national stages ever since. Her highlighted roles

at CSUF included Mrs. Fiorentino in Street Scene,

Yum Yum in The Mikado, and Cunegonde in

Candide. She was also involved in the choral

department at CSUF and toured Spain and

Germany as well as singing in holiday tours

with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. She

has been singing as a chorister and a frequent

soloist with Pacific Chorale since 2004. She

currently holds the position of soprano section

leader with the Chorale. Solo performance

highlights include: Rothko Chapel performed

at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los

Angeles Philharmonic New Group; Mozart’s

Coronation Mass with the Pacific Chorale and

Pacific Symphony at the grand opening of the

Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall;

Fauré’s Requiem with the Pacific Chorale at La

Madeleine in Paris, France; and the West Coast

premiere of the choral version of The Little Match

Girl Passion at Renée and Henry Segerstrom

Concert Hall.

Katie Martini, soprano

Katie Martini is thrilled to be joining Pacific

Chorale this season, as she finishes her

undergraduate studies at the Cal State Fullerton

School of Music. There, she has gotten to study

vocal technique with Patricia Prunty, and has

had many wonderful performance opportunities.

With the CSUF University Singers, under the

direction of Dr. Robert Istad, Katie has had

the privilege of traveling and performing in

New York, Paris, Sweden, Estonia, Finland,

and St. Petersburg, Russia. In the choir’s 2012

tour to New York, she performed as a soloist

on Tarik O’Regan’s The Ecstasies Above at

Carnegie Hall. She is also a featured soloist on

Nostos: The Homecoming of Music, produced by

Yarlung Records, which showcases the choir’s

2017 tour program. In May of 2018, Katie was

honored to sing as the soprano soloist for a

CSUF performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah

featuring alumnus Rod Gilfry, and conducted

by Maestro John Alexander. With the CSUF

opera department, Katie has played the roles of

La Princesse in Maurice Ravel’s L’enfant et les

sortilèges, Alice Ford in Otto Nicolai’s The Merry

Wives of Windsor, and Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così

fan tutte. Some of Katie’s recent achievements

include winning first place in the voice division

of the 2016 CSUF Music Associates Concerto

and Aria Competition, as well as receiving the

music faculty-nominated Theodore Presser

Scholarship Award for 2017. Katie is excited to

be a part of this performance, and looks forward

to making music with Pacific Chorale.

Denean Dyson, mezzo-soprano

A free-spirited mezzo-soprano with a genuine

passion for music, Denean Dyson is a

true artist classically trained yet accomplished

in many genres—and her additional vocal

capabilities in R&B, soul, and jazz allow her to

offer a beautifully skilled and emotionally artistic

sound in every performance. A Vegas-born

chanteuse, Denean earned a BA in music from

CSU Fullerton School of Music and immediately

launched into a career as a professional singer

and performer, entertaining audiences in live

solo and ensemble performances for public,

corporate and private events in the United States

and abroad. She further brings her skill and

devotion to the performing arts in her stage,

musical theater, opera, and cabaret endeavors,

and especially enjoys infusing her knowledge

and professional experience into her curriculum

at Orange County School of the Arts, where she

serves as the Classical Voice Conservatory’s jazz

voice instructor.

Denean’s vocal agility has earned her the

privilege of sharing a stage with many talented

artists such as jazz and blues legend Barbara

Morrison and singer and actress Reba McEntire.

Denean continues to regularly showcase her

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vocal diversity in performances and recordings

as a featured soloist, as seen in her portrayal

of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in Concert

with Pacific Symphony, her solo work on Jake

Heggie’s premiere choral opera, The Radio

Hour (Delos), and most recently soloing in

Pacific Chorale’s commanding, semi-staged

performance of the Bernstein Mass. She is

honored to have also performed in ensembles

for gifted conductors like Gustavo Dudamel,

John Williams, Ludwig Wicki, John Alexander,

Robert Istad, Carl St.Clair, Nicholas McGegan,

and Keith Lockhart, in performances before

large audiences in venues such as Carnegie Hall,

the Hollywood Bowl, Staples Center, Renée and

Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, and many more.

For many of her public and private events,

Denean is often joined by talented professional

musicians in a group known as The Soul

Foundation. SoulFo is based in Long Beach,

CA, the city Denean now lovingly calls home.

Find out more about the band and Denean on

her website, www.DeneanDysonMusic.com or

follow all the shenanigans on Facebook at www.

facebook.com/DDysonMusic.

Eleen Hsu-Wentlandt, mezzo-soprano

Eleen Hsu-Wentlandt, mezzo-soprano, is a

teaching artist of the vocal and dramatic arts.

For her, dedication is easy—it’s apathy that’s

impossible. She is a longtime professional in

choral music and is on the rosters with both Los

Angeles Master Chorale and Pacific Chorale. Yet,

dearest to her heart are American musical theatre

and her sister, the cabaret.

Her artistic palate embraces the spectrum of

genre and mode. Eleen also seeks opportunities

to combine her artistry with charitable causes.

To that end, she produced and starred in the

successful “Twins & Tunes: A Benefit Concert!”

in 2018. Eleen also fully produces refined music

for sacred or formal events.

The spectrum of her project highlights

include—theatre: a fundraiser alongside George

Takei for Allegiance, The Odd Couple (Gwen),

Mulan, 9 to 5 (Roz), Into the Woods (Witch),

The Music Man (Marian), and six new works.

Television: CBS’ MacGyver, plus two national

commercials. Choral: Jake Heggie’s The

Radio Hour (premiere), Bach B Minor Mass

(soloist), Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with L.A.

Philharmonic and The Cleveland Orchestra.

Opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors (mother),

Carmen (Mercedes), The Rake’s Progress. In

pop culture: The Lord of the Rings film score,

Keali’i Reichel, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire.

A cappella: Down 4 the Count vocal jazz quintet

and The Claremont Shades.

One of Eleen’s defining characteristics is her

educator’s heart. She has maintained a music

studio since 2007, teaching voice and violin.

Her students have gone on to perform solos

and leads with LA Opera, National Children’s

Chorus, churches, and school/community

drama programs. Formerly, she was the director

of children’s music ministry at San Marino

Community Church for five years, where she

produced musicals, anthems, and skits. In total,

Eleen has directed/co-directed 10 children’s

musicals. She dreams about creating the next Mr.

Rogers Neighborhood/Peg+Cat/Reading Rainbow.

Eleen claims two hometowns: Cleveland,

OH, and Sacramento, CA. She received degrees

from Pomona College and El Camino College,

and is also a graduate of South Coast Repertory’s

acting intensive program. She will never turn

down chocolate, yoga, dancing, NYC, or Italy.

Love to JW.

Nicholas Preston, tenor

Praised by the Orange County Register as being

“resonant and warm” and by the classical

music site Bachtrack as “a ringing stentorian

tenor,” Hawai’i native Nicholas Preston is in

demand as a soloist in Southern California

and beyond, having performed throughout

California, and touring as a soloist in France,

Italy, and Spain. He has been a member of Pacific

Chorale since 2002 and has frequently appeared

as a soloist with the ensemble. Nicholas has

also performed as a soloist with the Hollywood

Bowl Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Claremont

Chorale, Santa Maria Philharmonic Society,

Cypress Masterworks Chorale, and The Boston

Pops Esplanade Orchestra. He has worked under

the batons of John Alexander, Carl St.Clair, Keith

Lockhart, John Williams, Nicholas McGegan,

Kent Nagano, John Mauceri, Esa-Pekka Salonen,

Grant Gershon and Gustavo Dudamel. Nicholas’

solo appearances include Mendelssohn’s Elijah,

Horatio Parker’s Hora Novissima, Beethoven’s

Missa Solemnis and Symphony No. 9, Bach’s B

Minor Mass and St. Matthew Passion, Mozart’s

Coronation Mass and Requiem, Handel’s

Messiah and Judas Maccabeus, and Benjamin

Britten’s War Requiem. In December of 2014

he appeared as a soloist with Pacific Symphony

in their production of Handel’s Messiah, and

in May of 2015, he performed as the soloist in

Herbert Howells’ Hymnus Paradisi with Pacific

Chorale and Pacific Symphony. More recent

performances include the role of “Messenger”

in Pacific Symphony’s production of Aida,

tenor soloist in Vespers of 1610 by Claudio

Monteverdi with Long Beach Camerata Singers,

and tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with

Long Beach Symphony, both in April 2017.

Nicholas was featured in the world premiere

Philip Glass’ The Passion of Ramakrishna, which

was commissioned for the grand opening of the

Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and

premiered by the Pacific Chorale and Pacific

Symphony under the direction of Carl St.Clair in

2006. In April of this year, he reprised the same

role at his debut in Carnegie Hall. Nicholas is

also involved with Pacific Symphony’s award-

winning education programs, being a presenter

with the Class Act program as well as a featured

soloist in the Youth Concerts. Nicholas received

his B.A. in music from Loyola Marymount

University, and currently resides in Orange

County with his wife, Dr. Kathleen Preston, and

their daughter, Zelda.

Sammy Salvador, tenor

Sammy Salvador, tenor, received his B.A. in

music education from Cal State Fullerton

and is currently enrolled in the teaching

credential program. He is currently student

teaching at Venado Middle School and Irvine

High School, training to become a professional

music educator. He also serves as cantor and

section leader at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic

Church in Irvine. Sammy has been a section

leader at the Idyllwild Summer Arts Camp and

the Pacific Chorale Choir Camp. Sammy sings

with Rob Istad in the University Singers at Cal

State Fullerton and has had the opportunity

to travel all around the world, performing in

concerts in Paris, New York, Sweden, Estonia,

Finland, Russia, and in summer of 2019, Spain.

Sammy has been honored to be a featured

soloist in works such as Tarik O’Regan’s The

Ecstasies Above, George Frideric Handel’s Israel

in Egypt, Herbert Howell’s Requiem, and in

Dale Trumbore’s debut album How To Go On.

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About the ArtistsSammy has performed with the Long Beach

Camerata Singers, Pacific Chorale, and Choral

Arts Initiative.

Matthew Kellaway, baritone

Matthew Kellaway is excited and proud to

be entering his sixth season with Pacific

Chorale. He continues to perform solos with

the Chorale, and has sung with many other

prestigious vocal ensembles including Disney’s

Voices of Liberty, the internationally broadcast

Hour of Power Choir, and the Los Angeles

Master Chorale. Matthew is currently director

of Men’s Chorus at Biola University where he

has also provided individual voice instruction,

taught conducting classes and served as assistant

director for the Biola Conservatory of Music

opera program. As a baritone known for his

versatility of style, Matthew has sung many

operatic and musical theater roles including

Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marquis

de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Betto in

Gianni Schicchi, Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the

Woods, Friedrich Bhaer in Little Women, Captain

Corcoran in HMS Pinafore and Germont in La

Traviata.

Ricardo Mckillips, Jr., bass/baritone

Born in San Diego, “Ricky” moved to Orange

County in 2004 to attend California State

University, Fullerton, where he graduated with

a bachelor of music in vocal performance. He

has performed roles including Bartolo from

Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Pooh-bah and

The Grand Inquisitor of Spain in Gilbert &

Sullivan’s Mikado and Gondoliers. He has sung

with the Pacific Chorale, Long Beach Camerata

Singers and currently serves as the bass section

leader for First Presbyterian Church of Orange.

He has worked under the direction of Robert

Istad, John Alexander, Moses Hogan, John

Mauceri, John Williams, Stephen Mercurio, Eric

Whitacre, and Gustavo Dudamel. He has also

been in performances with pop and musical

icons including Beck, Sean Lennon, Juanes,

Andrea Bocelli, Katharine McPhee, and Stephen

Schwartz. When he is not performing, he works

full-time as QA for software development, works

as a freelance photographer and enjoys quality

time with his wife Sinae and pug, Bowser.

Christopher Luthi, piano

Christopher Luthi received his master’s degree

in music at the University of Southern

California, Thornton School of Music in 1999,

majoring in keyboard collaborative arts. He

also received his bachelor of music degree in

piano performance from the USC Thornton

School of Music. He has been a top prize

winner in competitions at both the national and

international levels. While a student at USC,

Mr. Luthi was awarded a teacher’s assistantship

and received the USC Keyboard Collaborative

Arts departmental award. During the summer of

1999, Mr. Luthi was awarded a full fellowship at

Tanglewood Music Center, where he participated

as one of six vocal pianists.

Mr. Luthi is currently the full-time staff

accompanist and vocal coach at Fullerton

College, where he began his work in February

of 2017. His duties include accompanying the

musical theatre classes and performances, opera

workshop, and the advanced voice classes,

along with private coaching with each of the

advanced voice students. From 2006 to 2013, he

was the full-time staff accompanist at the Bob

Cole Conservatory of Music at California State

University, Long Beach, where he worked as

the music conservatory’s choral accompanist,

vocal coach, and répétiteur for the BCCM Opera

Institute. He has also worked as staff accompanist

for the music departments at both Santa Monica

College and Pasadena City College.

Over the course of more than two decades as

a professional musician, Mr. Luthi has employed

his all-encompassing skills in the musical arts

community. He has worked freelance in the

greater Los Angeles area as music director,

chorus master, rehearsal pianist, and répétiteur

for musical theatre and opera companies. In

2003, Mr. Luthi conducted the fully staged and

orchestral production of Puccini’s Suor Angelica

for Opera Nova.

Matthew Smith, drums

Hailing from San Diego, Matthew Smith’s

music is an explorative collage of rhythm

and harmony that incites emotion, creating a

wild and memorable experience for all who

listen.

After first receiving his bachelor’s degree

from CSU Fullerton, Matthew opted to showcase

his original music through distinct outlets. One

of these projects, themattsmithneujazztrio, has

recorded three full-length records; his other

project, JUICEBOX, has recorded two. Since

pursuing his master’s degree at CalArts, he has

also recorded for the 29th annual CalArts Jazz

CD at Capitol Records.

In the past year, Matthew has expanded

his professional development to work as an

educator, and a scholar of music. Alongside

CalArts colleagues, he was employed as a citizen

artist with Americorps, teaching students

beginning music at Dorsey High School in South

Central, Los Angeles. Following this, he was

invited to participate in a summer program at

the beautiful campus of Ravinia, Illinois, where

he worked with jazz artists Billy Childs and

Rufus Reid.

Currently, he is elbows-deep in a solo

project that will incorporate all-original music,

combined in the powerful DAW known as

“Ableton.” These compositions will be woven

together in his soon-to-be-released EP, Tonel.

Sean Emch, bass

Sean Emch is a band leader, performer and

instructor currently residing in Long Beach

California. He began playing shows on the bass

guitar and contrabass (or upright bass) at the age

of 12 in bars, restaurants, concert halls, churches,

synagogues, burlesque shows, and jazz clubs

across the Los Angeles and Orange County area.

Sean has spent the last twenty years perfecting

the art of backing up singers in a live and studio

setting. He is well versed at playing music across

the spectrum. Sean spent many years listening

and analyzing the most famous and complicated

bass lines from pop, rock, jazz, r&b, gospel, Latin

and reggae.

By the time he began attending the Orange

County High School of the Arts (then located

in Los Alamitos), he was ready to play in the

school’s top jazz and classical ensembles. He

began performing in the Orange County High

School of the Arts Chamber Orchestra under

Chris Russell, which led to joining Pacific

Symphony Youth Orchestra, where he was

fortunate enough to attend masterclasses with

Carl St.Clair and other magnificent musicians

from Pacific Symphony. Sean performed in the

Orange County High School of the Arts Jazz

Combo under the direction of longtime Clayton-

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Hamilton Orchestra member Bijon Watson and

educational powerhouse Chuck Wackerman.

Under their direction, Sean’s jazz combo received

first place in the Reno Jazz Festival’s top combo

division in 2001 ( an academic milestone for any

West Coast jazz ensemble ). In 1999, Sean was

lucky enough to attend rehearsals with the Multi-

High School Jazz band of Compton, where he

learned and performed with Young Jazz Giants

such as Kamasi Washington and Cameron

Graves.

After high school, Sean continued

performing on weekends and began attending

the applied music program at Fullerton College,

where he finally took his first private lessons

from Luther Hughes (jazz hero, Cannonball-

Coltrane Project, Gene Harris Trio) and Bruce

Babad (Cannonball-Coltrane Project).

Sean’s main influences on the bass are Jaco

Pastorius, Ray Brown, Scott Lafaro and Marcus

Miller. He spent years personally transcribing

their baselines and solos. Sean is currently in

residency at Tantalum, The Perch, The Country

Club Restaurant, The Skyloft and The Federal

Bar, where he backs up numerous acts including

Denean Dyson and the Soul Foundation, Adryon

De Leon, Rain Bisou and the Stonecutters, The

Jonnies, Jessica Allen, Anna Dellaria, Marley

Monroe, Funky Blue Quartet, Jessie Payo,

and The Midnight Crooners. Whether he is

performing in a giant concert hall or in a quaint

dive bar, Sean is always ready to take the music

to its fullest potential.

PACIFIC CHORALE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mary A. Lyons, Chairman Emeritus

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Thomas A. Pridonoff, Board Chair

David Bunker, Co-Chair, Marketing

Janice M. Johnson, Secretary

Christopher Lindley, Co-Chair, Marketing

Susan Lindley, Chair, Education

Mary Lyons, Immediate Past Board Chair &

Chair, Development

Michael Vantrease, Chair, Finance

Charles Zhang, Chair, Nominating

DIRECTORS

William Feaster

Mark Hoover

David Janes

Jan Landstrom

Sara McFerrin

Rick McNeil

Marcia O’Hern

Ryan Ratcliff, Artists’ Council Representative

Vina Williams

DISTINGUISHED EMERITUS BOARD

Mary A. Lyons, Chairman Emeritus

Michael J. Carroll

Stanley Cochran

Dr. James Dunning*

Bonnie Brittain Hall

Martin Hubbard

Karen Johnson

Jan Landstrom

Marcus Lussier

Thomas C. Moore*

Marilyn Nielsen*

Thomas H. Nielsen

Anne B. Nutt

George Reiss

Helen Shanbrom*

Elizabeth D. Stahr

*deceased

PACIFIC CHORALE PERSONNEL Robert Istad, Artistic Director & Conductor

John Alexander, Artistic Director Emeritus

ADMINISTRATION

Molly Buzick Pontin, DMA, Managing Director

Ryan McSweeney, Director of Marketing &

Box Office

Cristy Seyler, Director of Finance &

Administration

Brian Sullivan, Director of Artistic Operations

Matthew Kellaway, Operations & Library

Assistant

Rachel Van Skike, Marketing & Development

Assistant

ARTISTIC STAFF

Tarik O’Regan, Composer-in-Residence &

Artistic Advisor

Nate Widelitz, Assistant Conductor

David Clemensen, DMA, Accompanist

Nicholas Preston, Artistic Personnel Manager &

Tenor Section Leader

Kellee King, Soprano Section Leader

Jane Shim, Alto Section Leader

Aram Barsamian, Bass Section Leader

Briana Harley Adams, Teaching Artist

Saunder Choi, Teaching Artist

VOLUNTEER ADMINISTRATION

Tom Henley, Volunteer Librarian

Barbara Kingsbury, Historian

Ryan Ratcliff, Artists’ Council President

MISSION STATEMENT: We inspire our community through artistry and

innovation in choral music performances and

education programs.

Pacific Chorale

3303 Harbor Blvd., Suite E5

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 662-2345

ContactUs@PacificChorale.org

www.PacificChorale.org

Pacific Chorale is a member of Arts Orange

County and Chorus America.