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2004 Rehearsal - see any familiar faces?
Handel's Messiah
Sunday, November 30, 7:30 p.m.
University Theater, University of Montana
Free Admission Concert
With free will donations accepted at the door to benefit
Habitat for Humanity of Missoula
Handel's Messiah is a holiday tradition around the world. This is our 13th annual production of this great music. All this is possible because of the nicest musicians around - the conductor, soloists, and orchestra donate their talents AND the chorus raises money in pledges to sing.
Joyous musical Hallelujahs will echo through the Missoula community on Sunday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theater on the campus of the University of Montana as the Habitat for Humanity Messiah concert begins the holiday season. Bringing together professional soloists, a 30 piece orchestra, and a choir of about 100, the concert involves the community as performers, audience, and benefactors. The concert is about an hour in length.
The concert is free, absolutely no charge, but freewill donations will be accepted at the door. Why? Because this concert is more than a musical performance of Handel’s Messiah, as wonderful as that is. The hallelujahs are also for the work of Habitat for Humanity Missoula to provide affordable home ownership for eligible families.
Singers needed. The professional musicians volunteer their talents, and the community choir collects pledges in order to participate in the event – a minimum of $75 for adults and $40 for students. Singers collecting most pledges receive prize packages donated by area businesses.
Featuring: It is a Griz Theme! Our Conductor and Soloists all have connections to the University of Montana. Their biographies are posted further down this webpage.
Conductor Amy Brown Logan (BM 2000)
Jennifer Jones, soprano (attended UM 1998-2001)
Angela Wilkes Andersen, mezzo soprano (BM 2004)
Steven Aadland, tenor (BM 2000)
Howard Kingston, bass (BM 2001, MFA 2004)
The orchestra members come from the Missoula Symphony Orchestra, the String Orchestra of the Rockies, the University of Montana Symphony, and area high school orchestras.
More for the Singers of the Chorus
The Rehearsals and the Tapes:There will be two voluntary "no frills" rehearsals for singers - November 16th and 23rd, 1:30 - 3:30 pm in the Parish Hall of Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, 130 S. 6th Street E., Missoula. The only full rehearsal will be on the day of the performance - November 30th from 2:30 - 3:30 pm at the University Theatre on the UM campus.
A limited number of rehearsal tapes will be available for check-out at the rehearsals. These tapes are professionally made. There are separate tapes for each choral part.
The Score: This is a production of the Christmas portion of Handel's Messiah. Many schools and churches have scores and we encourage you to find your own copy. The differences between scores are small. But, if you have a choice, look for the Watkins-Shaw (Novello) score. Scores are on sale at Morgenroth Music, 1105 W. Sussex Avenue. If you still need help getting a score, call the Habitat office at 549-8210.
The Pledge Sheets and Incentives: We are asking you to help us meet our goal of $150 per singer. Many pledge events - walkathons, bikeathons, etc. set the required minimum much higher than $75 ($40 for students). We want the "Hallelujah Chorus" to be easy to join. We want hundreds of singers of all ages to sing. Still, we hope you won't stop at the minimum but will push on for the cause of decent affordable housing in Missoula. Your extra efforts will convince the soloists, orchestra, volunteers and our sponsors that this event will make a real difference in Missoula and is worth supporting in the years to come.
AIM HIGH! To help us show our gratitude, many local businesses have donated great incentive prizes. Prize packages will be awarded to the top five students fundraisers and the top ten general fundraisers. The packages will range from a retail value of $25 to over $400 for the Grand Prize Packages.
Turn in your pledges early, if possible, to the Habitat office, P.O. Box 7181, Missoula 59807; at the rehearsals on the 16th or 23rd; or at the rehearsal on the day of the performance. If you want to compete for prizes, your pledges must be collected and turned in by Friday, December 5th. Prize winners will be determined and notified after that date. But, regardless of when you turn in your pledges, if you are singing, we would like to hear from you by Sunday, November 16th, at the rehearsal so we can put you in the program, plan our stage setup, refreshments, etc. It is very important that you CALL THE HABITAT OFFICE AT 549-8210.
Biographies of the Conductor and Soloists
Conductor - Amy Brown Logan (BM 2000) A 2000 graduate of the University of Montana, Amy Logan balances a busy career in performance and education. Ms. Logan holds degrees in Music Education and Clarinet Performance. After returning to her home town of Billings she quickly got involved in the music community. Ms. Logan can often be found performing with the Billings Symphony, as a clarinetist or vocalist, in the High Plains Chamber Singers, or singing leading roles in productions by the Rimrock Opera, including her most recent portrayal of Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro in September of 2008. Ms. Logan is also the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Rimrock Opera Chorus for Kids. Since ROCK’s inception in 2004, it has grown to three choirs which rehearse and perform throughout the school year, and an annual summer camp. Having taught at the elementary and middle school levels, Ms. Logan is now in her third year as the full-time choral director at Skyview High School in Billings. She also maintains a private music studio, coaching musicians on voice, clarinet, piano and saxophone. Amongst her many activities, Ms. Logan most enjoys spending time with her husband Eric and their two children, Jacob-age 7, and Alyssa-age 5.
Jennifer Jones, soprano (attended UM 1998-2001) Jennifer Jones is a Billings native and has enjoyed performing in musical theater and opera, singing with various vocal ensembles, and appearing as a recitalist and community soloist across Montana and in California. In Missoula, she currently sings with Dolce Canto, an a cappella ensemble, and has performed with Montana Lyric Opera’s Opera on Draft and the Missoula City Band. She portrayed Lola in Intermountain Opera's Cavalleria Rusticana, the First Lay Sister in Opera Nova's Suor Angelica in Los Angeles, and Sylvanne in Rimrock Opera's The Merry Widow. She was featured with the Billings Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist for Rheinberger's The Star of Bethlehem and also in Billings, was a soloist for Handel's Messiah. While attending the University of Montana, Ms. Jones was a soloist in Bach's Magnificat and appeared as Rapunzel in Into the Woods. Her other credits include Billings and Missoula Symphony Chorales; University Choir, Chamber Chorale, Jubes Jazz Ensemble and Opera Theater at the University of Montana; choruses in several operas and musicals; State and Divisional winner of the national MTNA vocal competition; and winner of the Montana NATS vocal competition. Ms. Jones graduated from Rocky Mountain College with a major in sociology and a minor in vocal performance and received a Master's degree in Couples and Family Counseling from Montana State University-Bozeman. She studied voice with the late Donald Pihlaja and Dr. Steven Hart of Rocky Mountain College, Anne Basinski of the University of Montana, Dr. Jon Harney of Montana State University-Bozeman, and Dennis Rupp of Los Angeles. She is a mental health therapist at Big Sky High School and is thrilled to be joining old and new friends for this important event!
Angela Wilkes Andersen, mezzo-soprano(BM 2004) Angela Joy Wilkes Andersen, is a 27 year old Billings native who currently resides in Missoula, MT. She obtained her undergraduate degree in vocal performance from the University of Montana in 2004, where she was a student of Anne Basinski. Upon completion, she travelled across the pond to The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England and received a Masters in Vocal Performance and Opera Studies in 2006. In 2007 she had the honor of representing Montana as a regional finalist in Seattle for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Performed roles include Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, 3rd Lady in The Magic Flute, La Principessa in Suor Angelica, Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte, and looks forward to playing the Mother in Montana Lyric Opera’s production of Amahl and the Night Visitors in December 2008. She currently holds a private voice studio, studies with Kimberly James, sings with the local auditioned choral ensemble Dolce Canto, and loves being a part of the artistic community in Missoula.
Steven Aadland, tenor (B.M. 2000) Originally from Absarokee, MT, Steven earned his bachelor’s degree in voice performance from the University of Montana. He studied with Dr. Stephen Kalm, and enjoyed numerous partial roles with the UM Opera Theatre, including Mandryka in Arabella, Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites and the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, among others. Steven finished his undergraduate work in Vienna, Austria, while performing throughout Europe with the UM Chamber Chorale. The following year, he appeared as Eisenstein in UM’s production of Die Fledermaus.
As his voice shifted from baritone to tenor, Steven relocated to Boulder, Colorado, where he studied with Curt Peterson and earned his master’s degree in voice from the University of Colorado. He performed several roles there, including the Prologue in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, the 1st Commissioner in Dialogues of the Carmelites and Felipe (cover) in the premiere of Sara McKinnon, a work by Mark Medoff and Randall Shinn. Steven makes frequent appearances as a guest soloist for Opera Plus in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and for the Montana Lyric Opera Company in Missoula. In addition, he has been a soloist in performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Glacier Symphony in Kalispell and Bigfork, and for the Habitat for Humanity concert in Missoula.
Bass: Howard Kingston (BM 2001, MFA 2004) After misspending his youth as a singer in a rock band in his native England, Howard Kingston settled down in the USA, went to college and got his B.M. in Composition and Music Technology at UM where he also earned an M.F.A. in Media Arts. A vocal student of renowned baritone Dr. Stephen Kalm, he has sung many times with the university’s Opera Workshop, The University Choir & Chamber Chorale, the Jubes Jazz Ensemble, and the Missoula Symphony Chorale.
He has played: Judge Turpin in the university’s 2001 production of Sweeney Todd – a role he reprised with the Helena Symphony in 2005; the Sun-God Natosi in the world premiere of Poia in 2005; Prison Warden Frank in the University/MCT co-production of Die Fledermaus; Dr. Bartolo in a concert version of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro; and Boris Godunov in a scene from Mussorgsky’s famous opera with The Missoula Symphony.
As a composer, Howard was commissioned in the spring of 2004 to score director Michael Murphy’s multi-media production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya which played in the Masquer Theater in Missoula to critical acclaim. He also writes and produces music for local commercials and video productions.
Among his acting credits, Howard has played Gaston in Steve Martin’s award-winning play Picasso at the Lapin Agile; the sick, genius father in Proof; and Scrooge in Greg Johnson’s acclaimed production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to great critical reviews. He has appeared in numerous local TV advertisements as well as appearing in independent video and film productions. Howard Kingston was voted Best Local Actor in The Missoula Independent’s annual public polls in both 2005 and 2006.
Habitat for Humanity of Missoula
Habitat for Humanity of Missoula is a nonprofit organization that provides "a hand up" to low-income residents seeking decent, affordable housing. As one of more than 1,700 affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International in all 50 states and nearly 100 countries, the Missoula affiliate has been builing homes with hardworking local families since its founding in 1991. Habitat's approach is to form a partnership with the families and get family members involved in the construction of their own homes through a donation of at least 500 "sweat equity" hours. Community volunteers help keep down costs by donating building materials and labor. The house payments that Habitat families make are recycled to build more houses locally. The strategy works: HfH of Missoula is completing construction of its 34th, 35th, and 36th homes. While Habitat is a Christian organization that, in Missoula, enjoys a covenant relationship with nearly 30 churches of various denominations, religious beliefs are never used as a criteria for acceptance either as a partner family or a volunteer. The pledges that you, as singers, contribute enable Habitat to continue building homes in partnership with God's people. To learn more, call the Habitat office at 549-8210.
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