Philharmonie Austin & Ensemble VIII
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem
Jennifer Paulino, soprano
Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto
Kyle Stegall, tenor
Edward Vogel, bass
Ensemble VIII; Donald Meineke, artistic director
Philharmonie Austin; Mark Dupere, conductor
{$30 General | $25 Senior 60+ | $5 Student}
Ensemble VIII comprises some of the nation’s most accomplished and outstanding early musicians. Under the direction of artistic director Donald Meineke, these artists bring to the extremely challenging music of the Baroque and Renaissance superior technical abilities and experience in performing stunning and exacting repertoire.
Ensemble VIII’s ambition is to make the vast canon of Renaissance and Baroque vocal music accessible and fresh to Austin and Central Texas audiences. The ensemble offers a rare opportunity to hear superb specialists in early music perform at the highest degree of technical precision and dramatic intensity.
Philharmonie Austin is Austin's premier period instrument orchestra.
In 2002, Redeemer Presbyterian Church began a ten-year collaboration with First Presbyterian Church in its annual St. Cecilia Music Festival. Each year, the two churches contracted period instrument players for three separate concert programs. In 2010, Redeemer moved its part in the festival to the church’s current East Austin location on Alexander Avenue. At that time, the orchestra not only began to accompany the Redeemer Choir but also began its own orchestral concerts under the direction of conductor Mark Dupere. The name Musica Redemptor Orchestra was first adopted and has recently been changed to Philharmonie Austin, and has since played annual orchestra concerts featuring repertoire of the baroque and classical periods. The development of the orchestra more recently expanded in size for the performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, a work requiring an orchestra of 45 players.
Donald Meineke, Artistic Director
Hailed as a “fresh voice on New York’s musical scene” (The New Yorker), Donald Meineke is an organist, conductor, tenor, and the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Ensemble VIII. He maintains an active career as a recitalist, lecturer, conductor, and singer performing with local, national, and international ensembles.
Meineke serves as the Director of Music and organist for the historic Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal) on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, known fondly as the birthplace of the Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” composed as a collaboration between the priest and organist in 1868. He has served as Cantor of The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City where he led the twice Grammy®-nominated Bach Choir and Players in the internationally renowned Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity series. His Bach Choir’s recording of Samuel Capricornus’ Jubilus Bernhardi, in collaboration with string ensemble ACRONYM, received critical acclaim and was on Colorado Public Radio’s December 2017 “Top 5 Must Have New Recordings” list. His recordings of Capricornus and Bach Vespers have been featured on classical music stations nationally and internationally, including KMFA’s Ancient Voices and WXXI’s With Heart and Voice, and he has appeared as a guest artist on Columbia University-WKCR’s Bachfest.
He was the Co-Founder and Director of the 2014 Early Music Festival: NYC which featured over thirty concerts by dozens of local and national ensembles to critical acclaim. Meineke served as a choirmaster for Maestro Helmuth Rilling for many years, preparing choirs across Europe and South America for performances of the major choral and orchestral works by Bach, Mozart, and others.
Mark Dupere, conductor
Mark Dupere is Associate Professor of Music at Lawrence University, where he is the Director of Orchestral Studies. He currently conducts the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonie Austin, as well as making guest appearances with Regional and National Honor Youth Orchestras. As a cellist, Mark performed throughout Europe with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Haagsche Hofmuzieck, Anima Eterna Brugge and as an apprentice with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in London. Mark was an “Emerging Artist” at the Victoria Bach Festival, performed in the Leipzig Bach Competition, and was recently named a national finalist in the American Prize in Conducting. Mark holds degrees in Cello from the University of Texas at Austin, Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, The Netherlands and a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from Michigan State University.
Jennifer Paulino, soprano
San Francisco Bay Area soprano Jennifer Paulino’s voice has been praised as “graceful yet powerful” and “sensitive and clear” by San Francisco Classical Voice. Her performance in Handel’s Messiah with Seraphic Fire was praised in South Florida Classical Voice: “The sheer beauty and sincerity that soprano Jennifer Paulino brought to I know that my Redeemer liveth would be hard to equal.”
Jennifer specializes in 17th and 18th century repertoire, and appears with period ensembles and orchestras nationally. Recent performances include a concert of cantatas by Conti, Bernier, and J.S. Bach with Grammy nominated Agave baroque ensemble, and Buxtehude’s Jesu Membra Nostri, J.S Bach’s Magnificat, and Johann Kunau’s Magnificat with renowned Belgian ensemble Vox Luminis at the 2022 Berkeley Festival and Exhibition. She regularly appears with Philharmonie Austin and the Redeemer Choir, as well as Cantata Collective (CA), Bach Collegium San Diego, California Bach Society, Santa Cruz Chorale, San Francisco Choral Society, and at the Carmel Bach Festival. Jennifer has also made solo appearances at Festival Mozaic (San Luis Obispo), the Festival of Contemporary Music in San Francisco, and the Tropical Baroque Festival in Miami, FL. Internationally, Jennifer has performed at the Organs of Ballarat Festival in Australia, the International Chamber Music Festival in Olsztyn, Poland, and in Odense, Denmark for David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion.
In addition to baroque and classical period repertoire, Jennifer is also at home performing contemporary works. She is passionate about collaborating with living composers and has premiered works by Stacy Garrop, Lansing McLoskey, Jocelyn Hagen, and Preben Antonsen, among others.
Jennifer studied baroque styles with Julianne Baird, Jill Feldman, and Michael Chance, and holds degrees from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Netherlands and Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ. In 2010, Jennifer won second prize in the Gerhard Herz Young Artists Competition for her interpretation of works by Bach, Mozart, and Handel, and in 2012 she was the Cal-West regional winner and a national finalist for the Artist Awards Competition for the National Association Teachers of Singing
When Jennifer’s not performing, she’s teaching voice, caring for her young son, and composing and arranging with her husband, an indie singer-songwriter. https://jenniferpaulino.com/
Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto
Recognized for her “velvety legato and embracing warmth of sound” (Washington Classical Review) and “lyric-mezzo of uncommon beauty” (The Washington Post,) mezzo soprano Kristen Dubenion-Smith enjoys an active performing career in oratorio and sacred vocal chamber music, specializing in music of the medieval, renaissance and baroque eras.
As a concert soloist, Kristen has earned recognition for her performances of the works of the high baroque, especially Bach and Handel. Her “ lyric-Mezzo of uncommon beauty” (The Washington Post) was praised following her December 2019 performance as Alto Soloist in Bach's Christmas Oratorio with The Washington Bach Consort. Highlights from recent seasons include Handel’s Israel in Egypt with the Washington National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra, Bach’s St. John Passion with The Dryden Ensemble, and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with The Washington Bach Consort. In previous seasons, she has appeared as Alto Soloist in works such as Handel’s Messiah, Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Praetorius' Christmas Vespers and Mozart's Requiem among others, with ensembles including Apollo's Fire, Handel Choir of Baltimore, Opera Lafayette, The New Dominion Chorale, The Folger Consort, and Chatham Baroque. In the summer of 2019, Ms. Dubenion-Smith attended the American Bach Soloists Academy where she was featured in Bach’s Trauerode and Mass in B Minor. She was also a 2020 (transferred to 2022 due to the pandemic) Virginia Best Adams Fellow with the Carmel Bach Festival.
Starting in the fall of 2016, Ms. Dubenion-Smith joined the Choir of Men and Boys/Girls at the Washington National Cathedral as the first woman to be offered a position in this choir. She had previously served as cantor since 2011. In her time with the Cathedral Choir, she has sung for liturgies, commemorations, and events of national importance- most recently, the State Funerals of President George H. W. Bush and Senator John McCain, the internment of Matthew Shepard, the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony and Prayer Service, and the 9/11 services at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
As a professional choral singer, Ms. Dubenion-Smith performs regularly with Cathedra, Chantry, The Washington Bach Consort and the Grammy Nominated, NYC based, Clarion Choir. She also sings on the 2021 Grammy winning recording of The Prison by Ethel Smyth with The Experiential Choir and Orchestra. She can also be heard on commercial recordings with The Folger Consort, Apollo’s Fire, Cathedra, and Via Veritate.
In 2010, Ms. Dubenion-Smith co-founded the award winning, Washington D.C. based Eya: Ensemble for Medieval Music. Eya has been presented at a number of distinguished venues and series including the Academy of Early Music, National Gallery of Art, The Music Center at Strathmore, Washington National Cathedral, Columbus Early Music, and Dumbarton Oaks, in addition to numerous colleges, universities, and concert series across the east coast. The ensemble has been featured on Voice of America Radio, Millennium of Music on NPR, and is the recipient of the 2013 Greater DC Choral Excellence Award for Best Specialty Group: Early Music as well as a 2015 nominee for Most Creative Programming and 2018 nominee for Best New Recording.
To keep busy during the pandemic, Ms. Dubenion-Smith started a weekly series on her YouTube channel entitled Social DistanSING. Despite specializing in early music, she spans many genres of music on her channel, featuring music by Dolly Parton, Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Enya, Henry Purcell, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Benjamin Britten, Extreme, Hildegard von Bingen, Toto, Richard Einhorn, Elise Witt, and Frideric Handel as well as commissioned arrangements of hymns and popular music, specifically for her series, by dear friend and colleague, Carter Sligh.
2022-2023 season highlights are BWV 170 with Chatham Baroque, Venus and Adonis with San Diego Bach Collegium (debut,) the Monteverdi Vespers with both Apollo’s Fire and the Washington National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with The Washington Bach Consort, Handel’s Messiah with Ensemble Altera (debut,) BWV 3 with Bach in Baltimore, and an international tour with The Clarion Choir and The English Concert.
Originally from Michigan, Ms. Dubenion-Smith attended Alma College (Bachelor of Music) before moving to Maryland to complete her studies at The Peabody Conservatory of Music (Master of Music) in Baltimore. https://kristendubenionsmith.com/
Kyle Stegall, tenor
Kyle Stegall’s performances around the world have been met with accolade for his “blemish-free production” (Sydney Morning Herald), “lovely tone and ardent expression” (NY Times), as well as his “lively and empathetic delivery” (San Francisco Classical Voice). An artist who communicates equally well on concert, opera, and recital stages, his performances are characterized by an unfailing attention to style and detail, and a penetrating directness of communication.
Mr. Stegall’s successful solo debuts in Japan, Australia, Vienna, Italy, Singapore, and Canada as well as on major stages across America have been in collaboration with many of the world’s most celebrated artistic directors including Manfred Honeck, Joseph Flummerfelt, William Christie, Stephen Stubbs, and Nicholas McGegan, among others.
Heard frequently as evangelist and tenor soloist in the passions and cantatas of J.S. Bach, Mr. Stegall made his Lincoln Center debut as the evangelist in the St. John Passion under the direction of The Bach Collegium Japan’s artistic director, Masaaki Suzuki. In demand as a symphonic soloist, Mr. Stegall’s seasons often include the oratorios of Handel and Haydn, the great masses of Mozart and Beethoven, and works from the Bel Canto and 20th century concert canon.
Holding a special relationship with the music of Benjamin Britten, Mr. Stegall was twice invited to participate as a fellow at the Aldeburgh Music Festival, in the composer’s hometown of Suffolk, England. There, he performed in recital and studied Britten song and Schubert lieder under the guidance of Ian Bostridge and Malcolm Martineau. Kyle has been heard in recital singing all of the composer’s cycles for tenor, including Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings. https://www.kylestegall.com/
Edward Vogel, bass
With a voice described as “rather appealing” (The New York Times), and praised for his “clarion tone” (Chicago Classical Review) and “commanding and animated” presence (Seen & Heard International), baritone Edward Vogel possesses a diverse repertoire spanning ten centuries. Highlights of the 2023-2024 season include solo appearances with GRAMMY®-winning Apollo’s Fire under the direction of Jeannette Sorrell, solo debuts with the Jacksonville and Tucson Symphonies, and his solo debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in Handel’s Israel in Egypt, for which Musical America praised him as “one of the evening’s highlights.” Other recent solo appearances include Handel’s Messiah and Monteverdi’s Vespers with Apollo’s Fire; and Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Dona Nobis Pacem, Bach’s Mass in B minor, and Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem with GRAMMY®-nominated True Concord under the direction of Eric Holtan. In 2019 Edward made his international solo debut in Bach’s Mass in G Major at Snape Maltings, UK, under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe. Highly in-demand as an ensemble singer, Mr. Vogel has performed with groups including Bach Collegium Japan, and Paul Hillier’s Theatre of Voices in the world premiere of David Lang’s the writings at Carnegie Hall.
An avid recitalist, Edward finds passion in delivering sensitive, intimate performances of both art song and genres that go beyond the traditional classical canon. A two-time Vocal Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, he has honed his craft by coaching with champions of art song including Dawn Upshaw, Roger Vignoles, and the late Sanford Sylvan. His musical interests have led to engaging and acclaimed recitals of repertoire ranging from music of medieval Iberia to British art songs of the twentieth century.
Mr. Vogel holds degrees from the Yale School of Music and the University of Notre Dame.
Ensemble VIII is a world-class vocal ensemble whose mission is to perform vocal music of the Renaissance and Baroque at the highest artistic level with a keen attention to scholarship and historically informed performance practices.
Ensemble VIII comprises some of the nation’s most accomplished and outstanding early musicians. Under the direction of artistic director Donald Meineke, these artists bring to the extremely challenging music of the Baroque and Renaissance superior technical abilities and experience in performing stunning and exacting repertoire.
Ensemble VIII’s ambition is to make the vast canon of Renaissance and Baroque vocal music accessible and fresh to Austin and Central Texas audiences. The ensemble offers a rare opportunity to hear superb specialists in early music perform at the highest degree of technical precision and dramatic intensity.