Modesto Symphony Orchestra sets sail with choral concert

Modesto Symphony Orchestra is about to set sail with the choral piece “A Sea Symphony.”

The work by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was inspired by the poetry of Walt Whitman and depicts the wonder of the sea. The Modesto Symphony Orchestra will be joined by the Modesto Symphony Chorus and the California State University, Stanislaus, Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers for two shows May 15 and 16 at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The concert also will feature guest soprano Amanda Hall and baritone Philip Cutlip.

Washington D.C.-based Hall will make her Modesto orchestra debut with the show, but is no stranger to the piece, which she calls “gorgeous and just stunning.”

“It’s a Walt Whitman text so it’s beautiful with these beautiful, soaring, elegant lines. It’s really a gorgeous showpiece for the choir,” Hall said. “It’s really a tour de force for the chorus.”

Hall has performed with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Naples, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra and more. She graduated from the opera program at the Yale School of Music and earned a master’s of music degree from the University of Southern California.

Her male soloist counterpart, Cutlip, has performed across North America and Europe. He has appeared with the Glimmerglass Opera, Seattle Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Hawaii Opera Theatre and others. He has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony and more.

The soloists will accompany the local choirs, including the 140-member Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus under the director of Daniel R. Afonso Jr. The group performs throughout the year with the orchestra, including at the annual Holiday Pops and Holiday Candlelight Concert shows.

Afonso has led the Modesto Symphony Orchestra since 2001 and is the director of vocal and choral studies at CSU Stanislaus.

Hall said she is looking forward to performing “A Sea Symphony” and hopes audiences will appreciate the piece’s narrative.

“The whole thing is very narrative. It’s a narrative of sea life. It’s men and women who live through the sea,” she said. “It’s incredibly fulfilling music. There’s depth and a beautiful spirit to the music.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2015 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Modesto Symphony Orchestra sets sail with choral concert."