The Mid-Atlantic Symphony’s “Holiday Joy” concert is the first concert of MSO’s three offerings in December. This annual favorite of audiences on the Delmarva Peninsula features Soprano Claire Galloway and Baritone Rob McGinness in a dazzling cornucopia of Christmas and Holiday music that spans genres and generations!
“We are delighted to present this special Holiday three-concert series, the first of which features two incredibly talented soloists who will add a unique and captivating dimension to our performance,” said Jeffrey Parker, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony. “Audiences can expect an evening filled with the sounds and songs of the season as we celebrate the holidays with a rich tapestry of holiday favorites.”
Renowned soprano Claire Galloway and acclaimed baritone Rob McGinness will join the MSO orchestra — under the baton of Grammy-award winning Music Director and Conductor, Michael Repper — to delight audiences with performances of beloved songs from many eras, composers, and traditions in the “Holiday Joy” concert.
From the opening of the program with Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival”, to its closing with Bill Holcombe’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, there is something for everyone as the program showcases selections such as Anderson’s “Bugler’s Holiday” & his perennial “Sleigh Ride”, Robert Wendel’s “Hanukah Overture”, Adolph Adam’s “O Holy Night”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, and dances from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”.
Soprano Claire Galloway and Baritone Rob McGinness will perform as soloists and in duets in Christmas and Holiday standards such as Irving Berlin’s beloved “White Christmas” (Galloway), Gustav Holst’s “In the Bleak Midwinter ” (McGinness), and the traditional “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” (duet).
Information on the MSO’s “Holiday Brass” and the New Year’s Eve concert will be available in the coming weeks.
…SOLOISTS BIOS AND DETAILS FOR THE “HOLIDAY JOY” CONCERT FOLLOW…
SOLOISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
Claire Galloway
Scottish-American soprano Claire Galloway is the current Artist in Residence in Music at Bard College where she teaches voice and coaches the opera workshop production. This season she is a featured artist with Baltimore Musicales, Bach in Baltimore, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, and Opera Henriette. Her Grieg and Nordic Fairytales virtual recital will be presented by Wilmington Concert Opera.
Ms. Galloway is known for her innovative recital programming with a special interest in French and Nordic repertoire. Her operatic roles include works by Mozart, Poulenc, Massenet, and Bernstein that she has performed in venues including Lidal North in Oslo, Saltworks Opera, Baltimore Concert Opera, Savannah Opera, Bel Cantanti Opera, and Stillpointe Theatre. She has premiered roles in works by Arnold Saltzman, Steven Crino, Jonathan Dove, and Frances Pollock. She has commissioned new works for voice and chamber ensembles.
Ms. Galloway currently is based in Baltimore, Maryland where she is a professor of diction and repertoire courses at the Peabody Conservatory.
Rob McGinness
Rob McGinness, a recent graduate of Arizona Opera’s Marion Roose Pullin Opera Studio, holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. His current season includes solo appearances with Washington National Opera, IN Series, and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. His operatic credits include the title roles in Eugene Onegin and Don Giovanni and Marcello and Schaunard in La Bohème. He has performed leading roles in operas such as Tsar’s Bride, Sadko, Iolanta, Lucia, Le nozze di Figaro, and Die Fledermaus.
Mr. McGinness has premiered roles in Frances Pollock’s award-winning opera Stinney, The Ghost Train by Paul Crabtree, and the lead role in Shining Brow, Daron Hagen’s opera about Frank Lloyd Wright. His own compositions include vocal, theatrical, and orchestral pieces.
Mr. McGinness has been a featured soloist at important music venues such as the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. An award-winning performer, he placed first in the Sylvia Greene Vocal Competition, second in the Piccola Opera Competition, and received the Patricia A. Edwards Award in the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition.
“HOLIDAY JOY”CONCERT INFORMATION
WHEN and WHERE
This concert will be performed at three venues on three days on the Delmarva Peninsula.
Thursday, November 30, 2023 – 7:00 PM – Avalon Theater, Easton, MD
Saturday, December 2, 7:00 PM – Cape Henlopen High School, Lewes, DE
Sunday, December 3, 3:00 PM – Performing Arts Center, Ocean City, MD
TICKETS
Individual tickets for this concert are $55 per person at each venue and are available at midatlanticsymphony.org. The site also has information on group purchases and free tickets for students 18 years and under.
PODCASTS
Previews for each program in the season and for special MSO events are available on the MSO Web site at midatlanticsymphony.org/podcast. Podcasts are posted on the site 7 to 10 days before a concert or event.
MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about the 2023-2024 season, or to order tickets, please visit www.midatlanticsymphony.org. Tickets may be ordered by telephone at 888-846-8600.
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THE MID-ATLANTIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra is the only professional symphony orchestra serving southern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore with a full season of programs. The MSO is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council; the Talbot County Arts Council; the Worcester County Arts Council; the Sussex County, DE Council; and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.
A complete schedule of the 2023-2024 season’s Masterworks and Ensembles programs, venues, times, and other information is available at www.midatlanticsymphony.org.