Featured Soloists

Keith Kibler, Elijah
Deborah Savoy, Soprano
Anne Agresta Dugan, Soprano
Susan Hermance Fedak, Alto
Derek Stannard, Tenor

Bios

Keith Kibler, Elijah

Bass-baritone Keith Kibler has sung opera and the concert repertoire internationally. He has appeared with the orchestras of New Hampshire, Vermont, Portland, Springfield, Worcester, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Boston, both in Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood. Summer festival appearances include Saratoga, Monadnock, Wolf Trap, Finger Lakes, Norfolk, Aldeburgh, and the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall.

His doctorate was earned at Yale University and the Eastman School of Music, and he has won a Beebe Fellowship and the Kneisel Prize. Mr. Kibler teaches voice at Williams College and also in his private studio.  His students have been accepted at Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, Hartt School of Music, Juilliard School, Aspen Music School, Tanglewood, and the Ryan Opera Center of the Chicago Lyric Opera.

In May 2004, The New Opera, the company he co-founded, featuring rising young singers and conductors, produced its first event, a concert performance of Act II of Le Nozze di Figaro. Subsequent seasons have included concert performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Act I and Act II Finale), Act I of Così fan tutte,  Act III of Puccini’s La Bohème, highlights from Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, and Handel’s Giulio Cesare.

Deborah Savoy, soprano

A lifelong resident of the Capital District, soprano Deborah Savoy has performed as soloist with numerous choral groups and at many churches and synagogues including Albany Pro Musica, the New York Catholic Chorale, the Octavo Singers, the Mohawk Valley Chorus and Westminster Presbyterian Church. Notable solo performances include the Requiems of Brahms, Mozart, Rutter, Verdi and Weber, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Bach’s Cantata #51, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, and Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock.

In her ten year affiliation with the New York Catholic Chorale she sang as soprano soloist in liturgical Masses by Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert as well as the US premiere of Leopold Hoffman’s virtuosic tour de force – the cantata Altra nocte. She has also appeared with the New York City Ballet Chorus and the Saratoga-Potsdam Chorus (Aaron Copland, Robert Shaw, Eugene Ormandy and Sara Caldwell, conductors).

Opera performances include the Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust, the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Magic Flute as well as concert performances of opera scenes and arias. She has also appeared with the Lake George Opera Chorus.

Vocal teachers have included Robert Frank, Helen Merritt and Karen Ranung. She has coached with John Duke, Edwin McArthur, Phyllis Curtain, Dennis Helmrich, Arlene Shrut, Michael Clement and Karen Ranung.

With degrees in music and education, Mrs. Savoy teaches privately and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the Monday Musical Club. She also teaches at Schenectady County Community College where her students have been accepted at SUNY Fredonia, Nazareth College, The College of St. Rose, Manhattan School of Music, The Crane School of Music, New England Conservatory and The Juilliard School.

In 2011, she sang the role of Miriam in the premiere of the chancel opera The Agon of Saint Joseph, by Thomas F. Savoy. Currently, she assists her husband at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, NY as assistant director, soloist, cantor and chorister.

Anne Agresta Dugan, soprano

Soprano Anne Agresta Dugan is delighted to be singing again with BHOS. Previous concerts with them include; Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, Bach’s Magnificat and B Minor Mass, Rutter’s Mass of the Children, Puccini Credo and Charpentier Te Deum. Anne is active in Oratorio, Recital and on Stage and other select credits include; Handel’s Messiah, the Vivaldi- Gloria , Poulenc -Gloria, Orff-Carmina Burana, Marie-La Fille Du Regiment, Papagena- Die Zauberflöte, Elvira-L’Italiana in Algeri, Kathleen -The Poor Solider, Cunidgonde-Candide.

Anne has coached with Dalton Baldwin, Nancy Stokes-Milnes and locally with Michael Clement. She is the winner of the 2005 Advanced Division of the Joel Dolven Vocal Awards and has trained with American Singers’ Opera Project in New York. Anne is also a graduate of the Crane School of Music and holds an M.A. in Theatre from SUNYA. She has been a church cantor and soloist for over 20 years and is a member of National Association of Teachers of Singing, MENC and NYSSMA . In January of this year Anne made her Carnegie Hall debut with Aoede Consort singing the vocal music of Vladimir Pleshakov.

Anne maintains a successful private voice studio and keeps a busy performing schedule as well. Upcoming performances include June productions of Mozart’s The Impresario (Mademoiselle Silberklang) and Bastien and Bastienne (Bastienne) with Capitol Opera Albany, and soprano solos with Ne’imah Jewish Community Chorus in a choral festival in Albany.  Currently Anne lives in Malta, NY with her husband and their three beautiful children.

www.anneagrestadugan.com

Susan Hermance Fedak, mezzo-soprano

Susan Hermance Fedak, mezzo-soprano, grew up in Schenectady, New York, and graduated from Hope College with a degree in vocal performance. Now a resident of Albany, New York, she is in demand as a performer, teacher, and conductor in the northeast. Comfortable as a conductor of vocal ensembles, Susan was appointed Associate Director of the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society in June of 2010. She also serves as Associate Minister of Music and Arts at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Albany, where she directs the church’s vocal and handbell choirs. She is the Director of the Saratoga Children’s Chorus, has conducted the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society Repertory Ensemble, and served as Director of the Concert Choir at RPI in Troy. She maintains a private vocal studio.

As a soloist, Susan has sung with the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society on numerous occasions, at Tanglewood with the Berkshire Lyric Theatre, as well as for the Battenkill Chorale, the Bennington County Choral Society, the College of St. Rose, Skidmore College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Saratoga Chamber Singers, Glens Falls Symphony, Mohawk Valley Oratorio Society, Octavo Singers, Capitol Hill Choral Society, the Men and Boys’ Choir of All Saints’ Episcopal Cathedral, the New York Catholic Chorale, and the Mohawk Valley Chorus. She has appeared as soloist at national conferences of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, and under the direction of English conductor David Hill during a recent AGO convention. She has also sung with the Lake George Opera Company, Saratoga-Potsdam Choral Institute, and under the direction of John Rutter in Cambridge, England.

Derek Stannard, tenor

Derek Stannard is a graduate of the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam where he studied voice with Dr. Kirk Dougherty. Mr. Stannard was an active member of Concert Choir, Men’s Ensemble, Crane Chorus, Opera Ensemble and the Early Music Ensemble.

He had the privilege of premiering The Sailor-Boy and the Falcon starring Metropolitan Opera mezzo soprano Stephanie Blythe, and sang many other roles while at Crane including Pluto in Orpheus in the Underworld by Offenbach. Mr. Stannard was the tenor soloist in the Adirondack Voices presentation of the Verdi Requiem in May of 2011. In addition, he is an active member of Albany Pro Musica (Major works include: Mozart Requiem, Berlioz Requiem, Verdi Requiem, Fauré Requiem, Duruflé Requiem, and Poulenc Gloria.) Aoede Consort (Carnegie Hall Premier, choral works of Vladimir Pleshakov, January 22, 2012) and Voices of Cooperstown (Charpentier Mass de Minuit pour Noel, Handel’s Messiah), and has sung with the Lake George Opera (Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri), Battenkill Chorale and Adirondack Voices.

Mr. Stannard is currently serving as the organist and choirmaster at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bennington, Vermont, and whenever possible is a guest chorister at First Presbyterian Church, Glens Falls, The Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Albany, and Brick Presbyterian Church, NYC.

In addition he maintains a small, private voice studio, specializing in the male voice. As an active church musician, he continues to create sacred performance opportunities including the acclaimed annual “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” and “A Celebration of Handel’s Messiah” as well as community-wide hymn sings. Mr. Stannard is excited to be a part of the ever-growing chora

It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of our beloved founder Dr. Glenn Soellner. He had spent his last weeks at the Baptist Retirement Center in Glenville; his daughter Elaine informed me today that he passed on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

You can read the obituary here.

Please note that there will be a service of memory and celebration of his life on Saturday, January 14 at 12:00 at the Emmanuel Friedens Church at 218 Nott Terrace in Schenectady.

We are all indebted to Glenn for his vision in forming and nurturing Burnt Hills Oratorio Society: personally, he was one of the first directors in this area to hire me as a soloist, thus setting me on a course to be an eventual successor. His solid musicianship and delightful sense of humor set the tone for who we are today, and intend to remain for many years to come.

I invite you to attend the service on the 14th, which is the first Saturday after our first Elijah rehearsal. Both his son and I will be singing selections from Elijah.

Rand Reeves

Her obituary can be read here.

Helen Filene Ladd Hall

at the Arthur Zankel Music Center

Skidmore College

Saratoga Springs, NY

Directions

I know you have heard the accolades many times over regarding the most inspiring program presented on 11-20-11. As a singer with BHOS, I can appreciate all the behind the scenes work that went into this concert, and I did miss not singing this time, especially John Rutter’s Mass of the Children.

But to be able to listen to such a wonderful blend of so many talented musicians was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

In my years of attending concerts, this was one of the very best performances.

Thank you,

Barbara H.

Kathleen F.