✓ 7:00 PM, Wednesday, October 23, 2024
✓ St. Thomas Episcopal Church
100 Miami Ave, Terrace Park, OH 45174
✓ Featuring soloists Christian Pursell, bass-baritone, Dwight Parry, oboe
and the Bach Ensemble Orchestra
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Repertoire
VIVALDI ,Concerto for Oboe in A Minor, RV 461
LEONARDA, Sonata, Op. 16 No. 12
MENDELSSOHN, Die Mainacht
SCHUMANN, C. Der Mond Kommt Still Gegangen
SCHUMANN, R. Meine Rose
HOWELLS, By the waters of Babylon
BACH, Ich habe genug, BWV 82
Christian Pursell is a dynamic, impassioned actor with unmatched stage presence, an enthralling, powerful voice, and a mastery of musical genres from baroque to musical theater, including bel canto and romantic opera.
His 2024-2025 season begins with his Metropolitan Opera house debut as Sciarrone in Tosca in September, alongside covering Hermann/Schlemil in Tales of Hoffmann. In October, Mr. Pursell joins the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas featuring members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In November, he returns to Seattle Symphony to perform Fauré Requiem, performs the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with San Jose Symphonic Choir, then visits Portland Baroque Orchestra as a soloist in Handel Messiah. In May 2025, Mr. Pursell debuts the role of Tom in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s opera This House, at Opera Theatre St. Louis.
A graduate of the prestigious Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera, Mr. Pursell’s many role credits with the company included Lieutenant Ratcliffe in Billy Budd, and Walter Raleigh in Roberto Devereux. He also sang a critically acclaimed performance of Dandini in La Cenerentola with Merola Opera Program.
Mr. Pursell is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and received his Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He raises his young son in the Fingerlakes region of New York.
Dwight Parry is the principal oboist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and newly appointed Assistant Professor of Oboe at Bowling Green State University. He is also Adjunct Professor of Oboe and Chamber Music at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He is a versatile and passionate soloist, an avid chamber musician and an active advocate for new music, performing and teaching around the world. Mr. Parry’s background in jazz has led him to pursue a career that spans from concert halls to the streets ofNew Orleans, where he has sat in and improvised with Dixie bands.
Mr. Parry was formerly principal oboist of the San Diego Symphony and a Fellow with the New World Symphony. He has appeared as guest principal oboist with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony, Deutsche Symphonie of Berlin and Korean Broadcasting Symphony.
Originally from coastal Southern California, he found his passion for music early on through piano, voice, and saxophone. In high school, Mr. Parry took up the oboe and decided to make a life in music. He went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music with John Mack and at the University of Southern California with Allan Vogel and David Weiss, a gentleman who also taught him to surf!
During the summer, he is on faculty at the Pacific Music Festival, the Interlochen Academy for the Arts and the Stellenbosch International Music Festival in South Africa.
Mr. Parry is a Lorée artist.