ENVISION
Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 5 PM
Westover Baptist Church
1125 Patrick Henry Dr., Arlington, VA 22205
Westover Baptist Church
1125 Patrick Henry Dr., Arlington, VA 22205
Join us in envisioning a world where compassion, unity, and love prevail, inspiring us all to make a meaningful impact in our communities. This concert features selections by J.S. Bach alongside This Love Between Us by Reena Esmail, highlighting the profound importance of expressing love for our neighbors. Sitar and tabla soloists represent the Indian classical tradition, joining the Chorale and a professional chamber orchestra. By intertwining Eastern and Western musical traditions, we celebrate the universal language of love that bridges cultural divides. Together, these pieces offer a hopeful vision of a future fueled by our shared passion for life, love, and humanity.
MEET OUR SOLOISTS
VASHAWN SAVOY MCILWAIN, BARITONE
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V. SAVOY MCILWAIN, American baritone, is a versatile singing actor with international credits. He is currently performing as Joe in Staatsoperette Dresden's production of Show Boat (2024-2025) and recently appeared as Amonasro in FKP Scorpio's tour of Aida.
McIlwain has performed leading roles with major opera companies throughout the US and Europe. Recent engagements include Haly in Tulsa Opera’s 75th Anniversary production of L’Italiana in Algeri, Spencer Coyle in Owen Wingrave, and Officer Jones in Sunder. His concert repertoire includes Handel's Messiah, Rossini's Stabat Mater, and Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music. |
Equally comfortable in musical theater, McIlwain has performed roles such as Sweeney Todd and Joe in Show Boat. He is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and holds degrees from the University of Northern Iowa (BM) and the University of Maryland (MM, DMA). As the creator of 'The Savoy Series Emerging Artist Project', McIlwain is an advocate for social justice, human rights, and diversity.
www.vsavoymcilwain.com
www.vsavoymcilwain.com
SNEHESH NAG, SITAR
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Snehesh Nag is a sitar player, composer, and educator who performs Hindustani classical music and Indian-inspired cross-genre music. He has performed extensively in India, the US, and Canada garnering wide acclaim, and is the recipient of multiple accolades such as the National Scholarship, Government of India and the Acharya Allauddin Khan Memorial Award.
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As a sitarist, he has trained with his father Pandit Sugato Nag and legend of sarod Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, and plays a unique blend of two gharanas (school of music), namely the Senia Shahjahanpore and Enayatkhani gharana. As a composer and improvisor, he collaborates with a variety of musicians where he enjoys discovering and improvising based on the common musical language shared between them. Known for his versatility, Snehesh’s collaborations range from playing with Indian classical tabla legends such as Pandit Anindo Chatterjee to The Princeton Symphony, Grammy winning and nominated musicians such as singer-songwriter Cathy Fink, Hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon, and violinist William Harvey. Snehesh holds a master's degree in music technology and is a music producer on his upcoming album Nag Mahal. He was an artist-in-residence at Strathmore, class of 2024.
As an educator, Snehesh has been teaching privately for many years and frequently conducts workshops. He has worked with Baltimore Symphony’s OrchKids program and conducted workshops at places such as Strathmore and Silkroad’s Global Musicians Workshop, where he has expanded upon both Indian classical repertoire, as well as tools to
converse with other musical traditions.
As an educator, Snehesh has been teaching privately for many years and frequently conducts workshops. He has worked with Baltimore Symphony’s OrchKids program and conducted workshops at places such as Strathmore and Silkroad’s Global Musicians Workshop, where he has expanded upon both Indian classical repertoire, as well as tools to
converse with other musical traditions.
HAMID HABIB ZADA, TABLA
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Hamid Habib Zada was born in 1997 in Herat, Afghanistan. He plays the tabla, a percussion instrument originating from India similar to bongos. It is a principal element of Hindustani classical music and also an essential part of Bhakti devotional traditions in Hinduism and Sikhism during bhajan and kirtan singing.
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Hamid began playing tabla when he was nine years old, learning from his brother who is a professional musician in Herat. He studied at the Agha Khan Music School in Herat and received additional training in the tabla at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul in 2018-2019. Along with his performances, Hamid taught music with his brother for over six years in Herat. He played at two music festivals in Turkmenistan in 2018.
Hamid arrived in the United States in August, 2021 and quickly became very active in the Afghan music community. He performed at Lincoln Center in New York City as part of the Summer for the City festival in 2022.
Hamid arrived in the United States in August, 2021 and quickly became very active in the Afghan music community. He performed at Lincoln Center in New York City as part of the Summer for the City festival in 2022.
PAST PERFORMANCES
COLLABORATION WITH THE ALEXANDRIA SYMPHONY
Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center
4915 E Campus Dr, Alexandria, VA 22311
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN - Egmont Overture
JOCELYN HAGEN - World Premiere (commissioned by the Arlington Chorale)
CARL ORFF - Carmina Burana
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center
4915 E Campus Dr, Alexandria, VA 22311
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN - Egmont Overture
JOCELYN HAGEN - World Premiere (commissioned by the Arlington Chorale)
CARL ORFF - Carmina Burana
ENCHANT
Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 5 PM
Westover Baptist Church
1125 Patrick Henry Dr., Arlington, VA 22205
Westover Baptist Church
1125 Patrick Henry Dr., Arlington, VA 22205
Join us for an enchanting concert that will warm your heart and spark your holiday spirit! Immerse yourself in the joy and wonder of the season as the Arlington Chorale brings beloved holiday classics to life. From festive carols to spirited sing-alongs, this concert is a celebration of love, togetherness, and the enchantment of the holiday season. Let the music transport you to a world of winter wonder with snow-covered landscapes and the joyous laughter of children. Bring the whole family to enjoy the music, and stay afterwards to meet the performers and enjoy some Christmas cookies.
You can view the program from this performance here.
You can view the program from this performance here.
ENTHRALL
Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 5 PM
Westover Baptist Church
1125 Patrick Henry Dr., Arlington, VA 22205
Westover Baptist Church
1125 Patrick Henry Dr., Arlington, VA 22205
An evening of moving poetry and music awaits you! Featuring the second performance of We Are the Lucky Ones by Jocelyn Hagen, this new commission by the Chorale is set to poems by Julia Singer and Freya Manfred, exploring the roles of fortune and desire in our lives. Alongside Hagen's masterpiece, the chorale will perform Gustav Holst's The Cloud Messenger, a lush, evocative work set to an ancient Sanskrit poem about married love that transports listeners to mystical realms with its storytelling and lush harmonies. You'll also hear a new poem by Bahir Nasiri, a poet laureate of Afghanistan, that offers his perspective on the themes explored in the concert. Come and experience the power of music to communicate deep emotions, connect us to the ethereal, and reveal the enchantment in the world around us.
You can view the program from this performance here.
You can view the program from this performance here.
MEET OUR SOLOIST
MELISSA KORNACKI, MEZZO-SOPRANO
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American Mezzo-Soprano Melissa Kornacki (Cregger), is an internationally recognized artist who has appeared throughout the USA, Middle East and Europe. She grew up in Frederick, Maryland and later furthered her education at Mason Gross School of the Arts - Rutgers University where she studied under tenor, Frederick Urrey and later, Metropolitan Opera star, Faith Esham. She graduated with a Bachelors in Music Education, but her passion was always for the stage.
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She debuted as the Alto soloist for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 2001 at the Grand Auditorium in Ocean Grove, NJ and since then has branched out into not only soloist appearances, but chorus and acting as well. Some career highlights include an international debut in 2007 as Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti and Anita in West Side Story in Dubai, UAE in which her performances were hailed by Gulf News as "Brilliant!"; Chorus appearances with Washington National Opera, Washington Concert Opera and Lyric Opera of Baltimore; a certificate in Voice Over from Edge Studios in Kensington, Maryland; portraying the infamous Julia Child in Lee Hoiby's Bon Appétit with Opera Delaware; and finally getting her Valkyrie wings playing Waltraute in Götterdämmerung with Union Avenue Opera.
Excelling at oratorio she has won a number of accolades on the concert stage including First Prize in the Lyra New York International Vocal Competition (Oratorio Division) 2016, debuting at Carnegie Hall in the 2017 Lyndon Woodside Competition for the Oratorio Society of New York winning the Leopoldo Damrosch award, and most recently, Second Place in the Professional Oratorio Division for the American Prize 2019.
Upcoming performances include a debut with the Gettysburg Choral Society for their upcoming 2025 spring concerts.
Excelling at oratorio she has won a number of accolades on the concert stage including First Prize in the Lyra New York International Vocal Competition (Oratorio Division) 2016, debuting at Carnegie Hall in the 2017 Lyndon Woodside Competition for the Oratorio Society of New York winning the Leopoldo Damrosch award, and most recently, Second Place in the Professional Oratorio Division for the American Prize 2019.
Upcoming performances include a debut with the Gettysburg Choral Society for their upcoming 2025 spring concerts.
