Maestro Kent Tritle et al delivered an inspiring, splendid, diverse, and exciting musical program. Blend, articulation, intonation, and phrasing were superb, and conducting was precise and expressive.
Today the audience was treated to a series of works spanning from the Renaissance to modern musical theater. An affable Ming Gao eloquently introduced each piece, describing its characteristics, features, and biographical context. He also drew amusing attention to things like the foot-long clothespins used to keep music safely on music stands, a necessary prop for breezy outdoor venues.
Ponti raised his baton, and the concert began with Rossini’s Overture to his comic opera L’ltaliana in Algeri (1813), a welcome melodramatic departure to the years of austere opera serie by other composers.
Vocalist Naama Gherber, accompanied by Ben Paterson on piano, Neal Miner on Bass, and Evan Sherman on drums, entertained the audience at Birdland Jazz Club on January 10 with her smooth as honey, exquisite voice.