Scott Speck, conductor
Ricardo José Rivera, baritone
Saenger Theatre
Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Ukrainian Christmas Carol
Fantasia on Greensleeves
O Holy Night
Dance Noel (Il Est Né le Petit Enfant)
Les Patineurs
Los Peces en el Rio
Villancico Yaucano
Christmas Eve Suite: “Polonaise”
Fledermaus Overture
Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle
Gesù Bambino
Barber of Seville “Largo al Factotum”
Radetzky March
Christmas Sing-Along
It’s a Wonderful Life Suite “Auld Lang Syne”
From our Music Director: A World of Christmas Music
Here’s a peek behind the curtain of a professional symphony: Every year, almost all orchestras perform a holiday concert. And their challenge is to make the program different enough from one season to the next. After all, the number of well-known Christmas carols and songs is quite limited – perhaps a couple dozen. And the wintry-themed works by well-known classical composers number a couple of dozen more. How to introduce variety into a program of such limited repertoire?
Well, it turns out the repertoire isn’t really that limited – you just need to know where to look. This year our holiday concert takes us all around the world. Did you know, for example, that the number one Christmas song in Italy is “Tu scendi dalle stelle” (“You descended from the stars”)? Or that one of the biggest holiday hits in Spanish-speaking lands is “Los peces en el río” (“The fish in the river”)? Or that in Puerto Rico, no Christmas is complete without “Villancico Yaucano” (“Puerto Rican Carol”)? Or that in France, one of the most beloved Christmas tunes is “Il est né le divin enfant” (“He is born, the divine infant”)? We’ll play all of these, plus the original versions of many familiar carols that we may know only in English: O Holy Night (“Cantique de Noël”), Silent Night (“Stille Nacht”), The Infant Jesus (“Gesù Bambino”), and of course “O Tannenbaum.”
Joining us for this delightful survey of international hits is Ricardo José Rivera, the Puerto Rican baritone who was a sensation on his first visit three years ago. His warm, rich voice is the perfect vehicle for these beautiful songs from all over. And besides, he’s quite the polyglot – making our renditions all the more enchanting.
– Scott Speck, Music Director
Our Soloist: Ricardo José Rivera, Baritone
Ricardo José Rivera was a resounding hit when he joined the MSO for its Joy to the World holiday concert in 2021. His full voice and warm presence lifted the annual concert to new heights, and we are thrilled to welcome him back.
Praised for his “rich baritone and confident stage demeanor,” Puerto Rican baritone Ricardo José Rivera is a 2021 alumnus of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. This past season Ricardo performed Nottingham in Roberto Devereux with Washington Concert Opera, Don Carlo in Ernani with Sarasota Opera, Severo in Donizetti’s Poliuto with Teatro Nuovo, and Silvio in Pagliacci with Opera San Antonio.
He recently made his debut as Figaro in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas with Opera San Jose, debuted the role of Miller in Verdi’s Luisa Miller with Sarasota Opera, and returned to Teatro Nuovo for Carolina Uccelli’s Anna di Resburgo. He also made debuts with Pittsburgh Opera as Silvio in Pagliacci, Opera Colorado as Conte di Luna in Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Florida Grand Opera as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic in the role of Sharpless.
In concert, he has performed with the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago in Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn and with the Civic Orchestra at the Chicago Symphony Center, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Dominican Republic Symphony Orchestra, and in several concerts with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. Also, in his native Puerto Rico he has performed with the Opera de Puerto Rico, Teatro de la Ópera, Ópera al Fresco and the Zarzuela and Operetta Foundation.
Ricardo has been the recipient of several grants, including the Richard F. Gold Career Grant presented by the Shoshana Foundation, First Prize and Audience Prize winner in the Houston Saengerbund Voice Competition, and Third Prize winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions – Gulf Region.
His training includes the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program, under the tutelage of Antonio Pappano; Sherrill Milnes’ VOICExperience; the International Lyric Academy of Rome; the American Masters of Opera Academy in Moscow, and the Aspen Music Festival.