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Choirs
El Paso Chorale
120 Adult Volunteer Singers
El Paso Chamber Choir
24 Adult Professional Paid Singers
Rehearsals Mondays 7pm-9:30 begin October 15th
Conductor, Prentice Loftin
Verdi Requiem
Soloists
Danielle Talamantes (Soprano)
“It’s not often that a fortunate operagoer witnesses the birth of a star!,” critics hailed for Danielle Talamantes’ recent role début as Violetta in La traviata. This season, Talamantes sings Mimì in La bohéme with Fairfax Symphony and returns to The Metropolitan Opera for their production of Carmen. In addition, she will appear as a soloist in multiple classical masterworks including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with DCINY and the United States Naval Academy; Verdi’s Requiem with Fairfax Symphony, El Paso Choral Society, and the National Philharmonic; Fauré’s Requiem and Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with Eugene Concert Choir; Händel’s Messiah with La Jolla Symphony; Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Choralis; and in the National Philharmonic’s Bernstein Choral Celebration concert.
Catherine Martin (Alto)
Recent career highlights for Catherine Martin include her return to Lyric Opera of Chicago as Waltraute in Die Walküre, her Minnesota Opera debut as Sister Helen in Dead Man Walking, joining the National Chorale for the world premiere of Angela Rice’s Thy Will Be Done at Lincoln Center, Wellgunde in Das Rheingold with National Taichung Theatre in Taiwan, debuts with Opera Colorado in her signature role of Amneris in Aïda, and Florida Grand Opera in her role debut as Adalgisa in Norma, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and role debuts of Meg in Falstaff and Leonora in La favorita. Her 2018-2019 season also includes Tamara in Enemies, A Love Story with Kentucky Opera, Eva Crowley in An American Dream in a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago, Maddalena in Rigoletto with New Orleans Opera, and Herodias in Salome with Dayton Opera.
David Portillo (Tenor)
American tenor David Portillo’s exciting 2018-2019 season includes a return to the Metropolitan Opera for a role debut as the Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, a return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Arbace in Idomeneo with Sir Andrew Davis, an opera he will perform for his debut with the Teatro Real in Madrid, but as Idamante, and finally Oper Frankfurt and the Glyndebourne Festival as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. On two separate occasions in the season, Mr. Portillo will return to his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, for a role debut as Alfredo in La traviata with Opera San Antonio, as well as a solo orchestral program of Italian repertoire with the San Antonio Symphony and Sebastian Lang-Lessing. Orchestral engagements include Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with Gustavo Dudamel, an appearance with Grant Gershon and the Los Angeles Master Chorale for Mozart’s Requiem, and Carmina Burana with DePaul University as part of the opening celebrations of the Holtschneider Performance Center.
Stephen Morscheck (Bass)
Bass-baritone Stephen Morscheck is widely respected for the dignity he brings in both concert and operatic performances. This season’s engagements include numerous classical masterworks including Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Messiah with Camerata Chicago, Verdi’s Requiem with Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and El Paso Choral Society, St. Matthew Passion with Shreveport Symphony, and Mahler’s Symphony no. 8 with South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. Notable engagements from earlier in his illustrious concert career include several appearances with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris in repeat performances of both St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion; with the Music of the Baroque in Chicago he has performed Mozart’s Requiem, Simon in Judas Maccabeus, King Arthur, and the title role in Hercules; Händel’s Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Bach Society, and Duke Chapel Choir; DvoÅ™ák’s Stabat Mater with the Berkshire Choral Festival; and Mozart’s Coronation Mass at the Spoleto Festival.
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