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© ANNE FRANK FONDS, Basel-Anne Frank, Stichting, Amsterdam
Scored for soprano, chorus, and chamber ensemble to Melanie Challenger’s libretto of extracts from The Diary of Anne Frank, Annelies shares the teenager’s remarkable and penetrating observations, written while she hid with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
James Whitbourn
Libretto by Melanie Challenger
PROGRAM
Annelies
The Dessoff Choirs
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Nola Richardson, soprano
Nola Richardson
Making her mark as an “especially impressive” soprano (The New York Times), Australian-American Nola Richardson’s repertory ranges from medieval to contemporary works, including several world premieres. She has been particularly noted for her performances of Bach, Handel and Mozart and has won First Prize in all three major American competitions focused on the music of J.S. Bach. Recent seasons have featured her debuts with the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Colorado, Helena, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Seattle Symphonies as well as with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Angelica, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and with Musica Sacra in her acclaimed Carnegie Hall solo debut.
Past operatic highlights include Nola’s debut at the Kennedy Center with Opera Lafayette (Fraarte in Handel’s Radamisto) which drew praise for her “particularly appealing freshness and directness” (Washington Post), and a “standout” performance (Opera News) as the First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with the Clarion Music Society. She made her debut with the Boston Early Music Festival in the summer of 2023 performing in Desmarest’s Circé and as Oreste Nunzia in Francesca Caccini’s Alcina.
Nola’s discography includes recent recordings with the Cantata Collective (Bach St. John Passion), and Baltimore Choral Arts (Mozart Requiem). She is the first and only soprano to receive the prestigious DMA degree in Early Music Voice from Yale.
Upcoming performances include a return to Carnegie Hall with Oratorio Society of New York in Handel’s Samson; a staged performance of Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula (Oriana) with Ars Lyrica Houston; and an appearance at the Leipzig Bach Festival 2024 with Bach in Bethlehem. Next season will feature BWV 51 with the Seattle Symphony; Theodora with Ars Lyrica Houston; Messiah with Oratorio Society of New York; and Hansel and Gretel with Helena Symphony among others. An avid reader and knitter, Nola resides in New York with her husband Marc and two cats.
