Cape Ann Symphony offers holiday concerts

Guest artist Soprano Kristen Watson

The following was submitted by Cape Ann Symphony:

The Cape Ann Symphony, under the musical direction of Conductor Yoichi Udagawa, kicks off the Holiday Season with Sparkling Holiday POPS in Beverly and Gloucester. Performances are on Friday, November 25 at 8 pm in the new Beverly High School Auditorium, 100 Sohier Road, Beverly, MA; and on Saturday, November 26 at 8 pm & Sunday, November 27 at 2 pm at the Fuller Auditorium located at Blackburn Circle, Route 128, Gloucester, MA. The orchestra’s annual holiday concert celebration features soprano Kristen Watson in her Cape Ann Symphony debut. Ms. Watson's credits include appearances with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops.

The Sparkling Holiday POPS Concert program includes selections by the orchestra from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker, Bizet’s Carillon and Farandole, Waldteufel’s Skater’s Waltz, Anderson’s Christmas Festival and Holcomb’s Festive Sounds of Hannukah. Guest Artist soprano Kristen Watson accompanied by the orchestra will sing Winter Wonderland, Handel’s Rejoice Greatly, Torme’s Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire and Martin/Blane’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The concert will end with the traditional Cape Ann Symphony holiday audience sing-along.

For their 60th season Cape Ann Symphony has added a performance of the orchestra’s wildly successful holiday concert on Friday, November 25 at 8 pm at the new Beverly High School auditorium. This is the first time in the orchestra's 60 year history that they have performed off Cape Ann. Beverly High School Auditorium and Fuller Auditorium are handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $35.00 for Adults; $30.00 for Seniors Citizens; $20.00 for Young Adults and Free for Children Age 12 and under. For tickets and information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org.

Soprano Kristen Watson has made solo appearances with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Mark Morris Dance Group, Boston Baroque, and the Handel & Haydn Society at such venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and Boston’s Symphony Hall. Ms. Watson has been recognized by the Concert Artists Guild, Oratorio Society of New York, Joy in Singing, American Bach Society, and Louisville Bach Society competitions and was granted the Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Fellowship with Emmanuel Music. She has performed with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Evansville Philharmonic, Topeka Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony, Cape Cod Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, Napa Valley Youth Symphony, Musicians of the Old Post Road, Pittsburgh Camerata, Arizona Early Music Society and the Walden Chamber Players. Ms. Watson has appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, Aston Magna Festival, and the Cactus Pear Music Festival

Opera audiences have heard Ms. Watson as the Voice of the Fountain in Osvaldo Golijov’s acclaimed opera Ainadamar directed by Peter Sellars with Opera Boston. She has performed in productions with Boston Lyric Opera, Opera New England, Boston University Opera Institute, Opera Providence, and the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh in such roles as Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress, Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Polly Peachum in The Beggar’s Opera, and Monica in The Medium. A versatile crossover artist, Ms. Watson has made several solo appearances with the Boston Pops under Keith Lockhart, performed as a featured soprano alongside Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis, and shared the stage with veteran actress Shirley Jones in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. An enthusiastic supporter of modern and contemporary music, Ms. Watson has also premiered works of new composers, such as the members of Wordsong and Altavoz. Originally from Topeka, Kansas, Ms. Watson holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and Boston University.

Founded in Gloucester in 1951, the Cape Ann Symphony is a professional orchestra of over 70 players from throughout the New England area. They perform a subscription season of four concerts per year plus several Pops and youth concerts. The Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Mr. Udagawa is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory where he teaches conducting. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Mr. Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony.

Mr. Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Outreach programs to area schools.

Yoichi Udagawa, the son of a nuclear physicist father and singer/artist mother, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. His family immigrated to the United States soon thereafter. He began playing the violin at age four and made his conducting debut at age fifteen. After receiving a music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he continued advanced studies in conducting with Gunther Schuller, Seiji Ozawa, Morihiro Okabe, and Henry Charles Smith. A fan of many different styles of music, Mr. Udagawa also enjoys performing gospel music in addition to his conducting activities. He is also an accomplished violinist and an avid fan of exercise and yoga.

Cape Ann Symphony’s Sparkling Holiday POPS is Friday, November 25 at 8 pm in the new Beverly High School Auditorium, 100 Sohier Road, Beverly, MA and Saturday, November 26 at 8 p.m. & Sunday, November 27 at 2 p.m. at the Fuller Auditorium located at Blackburn Circle, Route 128, Gloucester, MA. Beverly High School Auditorium and Fuller Auditorium are handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $35.00 for Adults; $30.00 for Seniors Citizens; $20.00 for Young Adults and Free for Children Age 12 and under. For tickets & information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org.

Conductor Yoichi Udagawa