Yesterday was September 11th, a day that is seared into the collective memory of Americans everywhere as a day of tragedy when a series of coordinated al-Qaeda terrorist attacks were made against the United States.
You might remember that September 11th was also the birthday of Carl Crosier, my late husband, and in 2002, a year after the attacks, he said he wanted to change his birthday because everyone was singing Requiems! It so happened that it was the same year that his passport had to be renewed, and the US government issued him a passport with the wrong birthdate, September 17th I think it was (!), but of course, it had to be sent back for correction.
September 11th is also the birthday of singer and choral conductor Naomi Castro, and she and Carl always shared a special bond. She grew up at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu (I played for her parents’ wedding!) and in fact, it was upon his recommendation that she be hired as the choral director of St. Andrew’s Priory School years ago.
Well, Naomi is home in Hawaii, on summer break from her master’s degree studies at the University of Oregon in Eugene, and she’s been immediately snapped up to sing in this weekend’s Early Music Hawaii concert, “The Rise of Italian Opera and Oratorio,” at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, Saturday night at 7:30 pm.
Naomi will be singing the part of Poppea in three scenes from “L’Incoronazione de Poppea” by Monteverdi, including the famous love duet, “Pur ti miro” which she will be singing with Sarah Lambert Connolly. Here’s a video of this beautiful music sung by Elin Manahan Thomas and Robin Blaze:
Last night was Naomi’s birthday, and she had to spend it with the rest of the singers at the Early Music Hawaii rehearsal. But as she said, “There isn’t anywhere else that I’d rather spend my birthday!”
Naomi brought her boyfriend home, Dylan Bunten, who has a gorgeous bass voice and who will be singing the part of the Raging Bull in Cristofaro Caresana’s “La Caccia del Toro.” The first time I heard his voice in rehearsal, my reaction was “WOW!!!”
So, even if Naomi had to spend her birthday in rehearsal, she got to spend it with Dylan (!) and the rest of us!
Naomi and Dylan will be interviewed on Hawaii Public Radio’s program, “Classical Pacific” with Louise Lanzilotti, Friday, 9/13/19 at 3:30 pm.
The concert will feature Monteverdi’s “Lamento d’Arianna (1619),” three scenes from “L’Incoronazione di Poppea,” Domenico Mazzocchi’s “Dialogo di Lazaro,” a blockbuster recitative and aria, “Nel agone — Su la tela” by Alessandro Stradella sung by (but who else!) Georgine Stark, and Cristofaro Caresana’s Christmas Theater, “La Caccia del Toro.” There will also be two instrumental numbers.
Singers include Taylor Ishida, Andrea Maciel, Georgine Stark, Naomi Castro, Sarah Lambert Connolly, Kawaiola Murray, Karol Nowicki, Benjamin Leonid, Dylan Bunten, Keane Ishii and singer-conductor, Scott Fikse.
Instrumentalists include Darel Stark and Maile Reeves (violin), Nancy Welliver (recorder), James Gochenouer (cello), Megan Bledsoe Ward (harp) and yours truly on harpsichord and organ.
Tickets are available at the door or may be purchased online at www.earlymusichawaii.org.
