Oregon Bach Festival, Eugene (July 2018)
I just finished my time singing in Eugene with the Oregon Bach Festival for the first time. There were two wonderful performances in the Hult Center with talented soloists and demanding conductors.
The Passion of Yeshua, Richard Danielpour. Conducted by JoAnn Falletta. Silva Concert Hall, Eugene, OR, 8 July, 2018.
The first week we put together the premiere of Richard Danielpour's The Passion of Yeshua with conductor JoAnn Falletta and soloists J'Nae Bridges, Kenny Overton, Sarah Shafer, Matthew Worth, Tim Fallon, and fellow chorister Edmund Milly. Mr. Danielpour's concept was to place Jesus' death squarely in context of His Jewishness and the recognition that He lived and died with the rituals associated with Judaism. Thus, the choir's text was mostly set in Hebrew and the Last Supper was celebrated in the context of the Passover Seder. Here is the review that appeared in the Eugene papers about our performance. Particularly of note was how the chorus I was a part of was lauded for our sensitivity and diction as prepared by the inimitable Kathy Romey.
L to R: David Mann, Christopher Gilliam, Rebecca Blackwell, Blake Beckemeyer (me)
The second week featured a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah, conducted by John Nelson. Mae. Nelson was intimately familiar with the work and brought an operatic and dramatic bent to Elijah's life story. Overshadowing the performance was touching personal issues that made the performance more special for all those involved. During the last fugal chorus "Lord our Creator..." there were not only wet eyes in the audience, but my friends, me, and John Nelson were also counted among them.