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C02-2 The Creation

  • April 30, 2022

    7.30pm - 9.40pm (including interval)

  • Fitters' Workshop

    Printers Way, Kingston ACT 2604

  • In Association with

  • With Support From

Presented in partnership with the Australian Haydn Ensemble and in collaboration with Sydney Chamber Choir

“Let there be light!” – The thunderous joy of Haydn’s greatest oratorio opens the Festival. Cast with the finest voices from Australia and New Zealand, this Creation is in the hands of our best period specialists: The Australian Haydn Ensemble, celebrating its tenth anniversary.  Haydn’s Creation is a tribute to humanity’s creative vision as well as the wonders of nature.  Two performances, directed by the Festival’s own maestro.

Supported by Brian and Dianne Anderson

 

Program 

Joseph Haydn, The Creation (Die Schöpfung)

 

Artists

Alex Oomens, soprano

Andrew Goodwin, tenor

James Ioelu, baritone

The Australian Haydn Ensemble directed by Skye McIntosh

Sydney Chamber Choir

directed by Roland Peelman AM

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Artist Roland Peelman AM - Director

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“His encyclopaedic understanding of performing and visual arts and his theatrical instinct place him in constant demand as a musician of flair and imagination.” – Anthony Jeffrey, Many Faces of Inspiration. At the helm of the Festival since 2015 is Artistic Director Roland Peelman, an acclaimed musician of great versatility who has established a reputation as one of Australia’s most innovative musical directors. Born in Belgium, Roland Peelman has been active in Australia over 30 years as a conductor, pianist, artistic director and mentor to composers, singers and musicians alike. For his commitment to the creative arts in Australia, he has received numerous accolades, including the NSW Award for “the most outstanding contribution to Australian Music by an individual’ in 2005. In 2006 he was named ‘musician of the year’ by the Sydney Morning Herald and he has since featured regularly as one of the most influential people in the Australian arts scene. Over a period of 25 years, he transformed The Song Company into one of Australia’s most outstanding and innovative ensembles. In addition, he instigated and directed an impressive list of new work, orchestral, vocal, and operatic. Roland worked with Opera Australia for seven years (1984-91) before becoming The Song Company’s Artistic Director (1990-2015). During this time, he was also the Music Director of Sydney Metropolitan Opera (1989-94) and the Hunter Orchestra in Newcastle (1990-97).

Artist Australian Haydn Ensemble

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Under the direction of Artistic Director Skye McIntosh, the Australian Haydn Ensemble  are one of Australia’s leading historically informed orchestras and chamber music groups. The ensemble brings together world-class musicians who excel in both modern and period instrument performance and who are committed to both historical research and performance.  The ensemble's name pays tribute to the great Joseph Haydn, known as 'Papa Haydn', who was a central figure of the late 18th century. The Australian Haydn Ensemble plays on period instruments, meaning instruments that are from the time the music was composed by Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart. Or it can also mean an instrument that is made by a master instrument maker of more modern times, based on older instruments (perhaps now unplayable) as well as scholarship and research.  Formed in 2012, the group burst onto the Australian music scene with passion, ideas and energy and in 2022 they reached the significant milestone of their ten year anniversary. They bring that same unflagging spirit to everything they undertake as they step forward into their second decade in 2023.

Artist Alexandra Oomens

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Alexandra Oomens is a Harewood Artist with English National Opera, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music opera program, and an alumna of the Georg Solti Accademia.

In 2021 Alexandra made her debut at the London Coliseum as Josephine in HMS Pinafore. Other operatic roles include Daphne/Aurora, Gli Amor di Apollo e di Dafne, Pinchgut Opera, Barbarina, Le Nozze di Figaro, Opera North, Zerlina Don Giovanni, Clonter Opera. During her time at RAO, she sang Vixen Cunning Little Vixen, the title role in Semele, La Princess/La Chauve-Souris L’Enfant et les sortileges, Laurette Le Docteur Miracle, Tina Flight, Cupidon Orphée Aux Enfers, and Damigella L’Incoronazione di Poppea.

Alexandra’s concert repertoire includes performances of Bach’s Jauchzet Gott in Allen Landen and Coffee Cantata BWV 211 at the Canberra International Music Festival, as well as Exsultate Jubilate (Mozart), and B Minor Mass (Bach), Die Donner Ode (Telemann), Easter Oratorio (Bach).

Artist Andrew Goodwin

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Andrew Goodwin has appeared with opera companies and orchestras in Europe, Asia and Australia including the Bolshoi Opera, Gran Theatre Liceu Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid, La Scala Milan, Opera Australia, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney Chamber Opera, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, New Zealand, Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, Moscow and Melbourne Chamber Orchestras, and in recital with pianist Daniel de Borah at Wigmore Hall, the Oxford Lieder, Port Fairy and Canberra International Music Festivals. In 2022, Andrew returned to the Canberra International Music Festival and Australian Haydn Ensemble in Haydn’s The Creation, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for Mozart’s Requiem, and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra for Messiah. Still to come this year, Andrew will perform Messiah with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Mozart’s Requiem with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, feature at the Tyalgum, Albury Chamber Music and Sanguine Estate festivals, and tour with the new vocal ensemble, AVÉ. Recent engagements include Lysander, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Adelaide Festival); Jacquino, Fidelio (West Australian Symphony Orchestra); Nadir, The Pearlfishers (State Opera South Australia); Diary of one who disappeared and Rape of Lucretia (Sydney Chamber Opera); Artaxerxes title role (Pinchgut Opera); Mozart Requiem (MSO); Brett Dean’s The Last Days of Socrates (SSO); Messiah (NZSO, QSO and MSO); and performances at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Townsville.

Artist James Ioelu

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New Zealand bass-baritone James Ioelu was a member of the ensemble of artists collaborating for the English National Opera/Dutch National Opera/Metropolitan Opera co-production of Porgy & Bess; he appears in the production in London and Amsterdam. He returns to London for the ENO/Unicorn Theatre production in the title role (c) Dido and Aeneas.

Recent roles include his New Zealand appearance at Hamilton Festival in the principal role of King Potatau, the first Maori King, in the premiere of Janet Jennings’ new opera, Flowing Waters. The artist spent the summer at Garsington Opera as a member of the Alvarez Young Artists' Programme, and in the role of Second Armed Man Die Zauberflöte and Pistola (c) Falstaff and went on for the ailing principal with exceptional results.

Past engagements include the roles of Abimelech/The Old Hebrew in Grimeborn Opera’s production of Samson et Dalila, Colline in Iford Arts production of La Boheme, Innkeeper/Sergeant/Captain Manon Lescaut with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Giordano Bellincampi, and the role of Jonas Fogg/Judge Turpin (cover) Sweeny Todd for New Zealand Opera. He sang with the NZ Barok Orchestra as King Thoas Oreste and added the role of Montano Otello with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra alongside fellow New Zealander Simon O’Neill in the title role. The artist also appeared as Marchese d’Obigny/Barone Douphol (c) La Traviata (NZ Opera) conducted by Wyn Davies.

 James Ioelu completed his training at London’s National Opera Studio (2015/16); earlier, Mr Ioelu spent two seasons at Manhattan School of Music in New York where he sang Trinity Moses Aufstieg Und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, Mephistopheles Faust and Louis XVI The Ghosts of Versailles, winning a great deal of positive attention.

Back in New Zealand in 2014, the artist appeared in with the Auckland Opera Studio as Raimondo Lucia di Lammermoor for which he won outstanding reviews. He joined San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program and sang the title role in Don Pasquale with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra winning great accolades from the notorious San Francisco classical press.

Past highlights include the role of Bruno in the world premiere of Michael Williams’ original work The Juniper Passion, conducted by Marco Attura and directed by the librettist John G Davies, which premiered at Teatro Romano in Monte Casino before touring to other Italian cities for performances in the Sapienza Theatre at the University of Rome and at the Museum Theatre in Nemi.

Mr Ioelu’s other successes include the roles of Rodolfo La Sonnambula, Publio La Clemenza di Tito and Cesare Giulio Cesare as well as the role of Mother Seven Deadly Sins, all performed with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. Concert appearances include Bass Solo/Adam (cover) in Haydn’s The Creation under the baton of Nicholas McGegan conducting the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and the Bass Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Auckland Choral Society. 

James Ioelu is originally from New Zealand where he completed a BA in Music and Psychology at the University of Auckland: his competition successes include winning the New Zealand Aria Competition, the New Zealand Young Performer of the Year award as well as placing second in both the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Competition and the Sydney Eisteddford Aria Competition. 

Artist Sydney Chamber Choir

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Sydney Chamber Choir is passionate about choral music and its unique ability to celebrate and reflect upon the stories of our past, present and future.

The Choir reaches back to explore the masterpieces of the Baroque, Renaissance and beyond, while also championing the music of our own time and place, regularly commissioning works by established and emerging Australian composers. In 2021, the Choir premiered new works by Brenda Gifford, Paul Stanhope and Joe Twist.

Formed in 1975, the Choir has been led by Nicholas Routley, Paul Stanhope and the late Richard Gill AO. Current Artistic Director, Sam Allchurch, took up his appointment in 2019. The Choir has also been fortunate to work with guest conductors such as Carl Crossin, Roland Peelman, Liz Scott and Brett Weymark.

The Choir collaborates with leading Australian instrumentalists, ensembles and singers, including the Australian Haydn Ensemble, Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra, Andrew Goodwin, Slava Grigoryan, Synergy Percussion, Sydney Symphony Fellows, Joseph Tawadros and The Muffat Collective. More unconventional partnerships have included concerts with The Idea of North, the Hilltop Hoods and the Sydney Mardi Gras Community Choir.

Sydney Chamber Choir appeared at the Sydney Festival in 2021 and has toured widely in eastern Australia. The Choir has also sung in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the UK, and in 2009 was a prizewinner in the Tolosa International Choral Competition in Spain.

The Choir’s performances are broadcast across the country on ABC Classic, and CD recordings are available on the ABC Classics and Tall Poppies labels.