As we were driving home after last night’s rehearsal with the Early Music Hawaii Choir, Carl Crosier made this comment about soprano, Naomi Castro: She has just blossomed! (and he was not referring to all the leis that they were wearing in the picture to the left!)

Naomi is singing the part of the Filia (Daughter) in the oratorio called “Historia di Jephte” by Giacomo Carissimi, and is doing a super job! Her voice is strong and crystal clear as a bell. Carl told John Lenti, the theorbo player, that he had conducted the music at Naomi’s parents’ wedding, and saw to the musical development of two generations of families at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu.

From the program notes: Giacomo Carissimi was the lion of mid-17th century Roman composers, famous throughout Europe in his own day and relatively well known today. Although only his dramatic oratorios are now regularly performed and recorded, he was equally celebrated as a teacher of opera and counted among his famous international students Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Jephte has long been the favorite of modern audiences. It is the tragic story of the Israelite leader who swears an oath that, if the Lord makes him victorious against the Ammonites, he will sacrifice the first person that meets him on his return. It is of course his only daughter. The agonized dialogue between the two and her subsequent lament, echoed by the chorus, are truly poignant and a perfect example of the evolution of recitative into arioso passages, paralleled by the opera, and contrasting with the rapid secco recitative of later opera.

Here’s a description of the Early Music Hawaii Choir and Orchestra which will debut this Friday night:

This evening’s concert marks the debut of the Early Music Hawaii Choir and Orchestra under the artistic direction of Carl Crosier. These ensembles are made up of Honolulu’s finest early music performers, most of whom will be recognized as veterans in the performance of this repertoire. We are especially happy to have celebrated theorboist John Lenti joining us on this occasion. Also a very special thank you to Georgine Stark for sharing Handel’s brilliant Gloria in this concert. Other programs featuring these ensembles are in the planning and will be announced in early 2014. 

Tickets for the September 27th concert at St. Theresa’s Co-Cathedral may be obtained by going to the Early Music Hawaii website. It will be a night of spectacular music-making!