Sunday, November 1st 2015 | 3:00 p.m.

with the St. Croix Valley Symphony Orchestra & Trinity Lutheran Choir

Irelands Finest Tenor

ProgramThis is My Song... .......................................................... arr. John Helgen

Nearer My God to Thee... .......................................................Traditional

Shine Like the Sun... .............................................................Karen Black

A Prayer for Our Time. .................................................. ..Joseph Martin

Finlandia ................................................ Jean Sibelius/arr. John Helgen

Irish Suite .......................................................................Leroy Anderson

Clarinet Candy ..............................................................Leroy Anderson

The Stars and Stripes Forever .................................... John Philip Sousa

Symphony No. 103 ..................................................Franz Joseph Haydn Mvt. II

Bring Him Home .......................Claude-Michel Schönberg/arr. J. Tate

Danny Boy ..............................................................................Traditional

Granada ..................................................... Agustin Lara/orch. E. Stern

I’ll Be Seeing You ............................... Sammy Fain/arr. Gavin Murphy

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling .........................Traditional/arr. Murphy/Kearns

Kitty of Coleraine ......................Edward Lysaght/arr. Murphy/Kearns

“La donna é mobile” ...................Giuseppe Verdi/arr. Murphy/Kearns

Love Thee Dearest............................Celtic Thunder/arr. Noel Kelehan

Nearer My God to Thee ..................... Traditional/arr. Murphy/Kearns

O Sole Mio ............................................... Eduardo di Capua/arr. J. Tate

Shenandoah ....................................Traditional/arr. Murphy & Kearns

Time to Say Goodbye .........................Sartori & Quarantotto/arr. ?????

Ireland’s Finest TenorAnthony Kearns is a classically trained tenor with the incredible ability to flawlessly sing what audiences love to hear. He is the consummate performer with universal appeal. Anthony establishes immediate rapport with his audiences, dazzling them with a rebirth of music they have loved for years: Broadway’s beautiful hits, the remarkable Mario Lanza songbook, Viennese romances, Italian classics, and the lovely lilt of Ireland. His astonishing talent lights up a stage; he enthralls crowds with the power and magnificence of his voice; and his all-encompassing repertoire. Bravos ring out all evening long at Anthony Kearns’ concerts and his audiences pull him back for encore after encore.

The Early YearsMusic has always been a part of his life, since he made his debut into the world on August 17, 1971 in Kiltealy, County Wexford. From a very early age, Kearns began mastering Irish music’s traditional instruments, and at the age of 10, he specialized in the beautiful, trilling Sean Nós (Old style, unaccompanied) singing of his homeland, competing in and winning various All-Ireland singing competitions.

Ireland’s Search for a Tenor CompetitionThe turning point in Kearns’ career was in 1993. While working in sales in Dun Laoghaire, Kearns heard of a contest: “Ireland’s Search for a Tenor” in conjunction with The Bank of Ireland’s release of a new 10-pound note, commonly called a tenner. He sang “Danny Boy” over the telephone, hitchhiked to Dublin for the finals, and won the competition singing “The Impossible Dream” and “Danny Boy” as an encore. Kearns was the only untrained singer competing.

The Irish Tenors: An Overnight SensationAfter winning the talent competition, Kearns studied for three years with Ireland’s renowned voice teacher, Veronica Dunne, at the Leinster School of Music. He was attending The College of Music in Wales, when he received the call from The Irish Tenors. Thrust upon the world scene at the first 1999 U.S. PBS broadcast of the 1998 taping of “The Irish Tenors in Dublin”, Anthony Kearns and his two colleagues achieved instant stardom. As they began performing on the world’s most prestigious stages, The Irish Tenors became a world-wide sensation as Ireland’s most famous touring musicians, second only to the rock band, U2. Kearns, the group’s only remaining original member, has sung with the trio for over a decade, with 10 audio CDs to their credit, always listed on Billboard’s Top Ten upon release.

Ireland’s Finest TenorIn 2006, Kearns was invited to record and perform with the most celebrated artists in Ireland at the Dublin National Concert Hall’s Silver Jubilee where the finest entertainers in Ireland shared the stage. At that event, he was billed as “Ireland’s Finest Tenor.” In 2010, The Irish Music Association named him “Best Irish Tenor in the US, UK, and the European Union.”

When not touring with The Irish Tenors, Anthony also has a busy solo career, touring several times each year in both Ireland and the United States, and is often invited to perform

Kristin Tjorenehojis the Director of Bands and Orchestra at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where she conducts the UWRF Symphony Band, St. Croix Valley Community Band and the St. Croix Valley Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Tjornehoj founded the Three Rivers Concert Band, a group of adult musicians from Minnesota and Wisconsin, who collaborate and participate in international outreach tours. She co-founded the Composers Conference at UWRF that brings chamber music composers together for a 3-day workshop with concerts and seminars. Dr. Tjornehoj has taught courses in wind conducting, history, music appreciation, world music and literature.

An active guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator, Dr. Tjornehoj has served in these capacities throughout the United States and Canada, and in China, The Czech Republic, England, France, Iceland, Scotland and Spain. She has led performance tours throughout the United States and abroad. In April, Dr. Tjornehoj served as the guest conductor for the Prague Castle Spanish Hall Concert with Hradní stráže a Policie ČR (Václav Blahunek, director).

Recent experiences include bi-annual World Music and Music Appreciation study tours in Scotland, England and France, plus the Three Rivers Concert tour of Spain (2014) with plans for Hungary, Austria and The Czech Republic slated for 2016. Dr. Tjornehoj has served on the Shell Lake Arts Center faculty for over 15 years where she is the program leader and director of the Band and Ensemble Camps.

Dr. Tjornehoj is also active in church music as a saxophone player, pianist and choir director.

at prestigious events. In September, Anthony was invited to sing during the visit of Pope Francis to the United States. Anthony presented a remarkable program at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library to celebrate the late-President’s Irish roots in 2013. Anthony sang during several Presidential Inauguration Events in 2014; and later in that year sang at the United States Capital where President Obama and Ireland’s Prime Minister Kenny were in the audience. Dedicated to the greater good, Anthony makes time to sing for many good causes and charities annually throughout Ireland and America, including Autism Awareness, music education, Wells of Life, and United States Veterans’ causes.

Anthony is also increasingly in demand on international opera stages and his ever-increasing list of opera credits includes: Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio – Ireland), the lead in Faust (in both the United States and Ireland), Carmen (Don José – Ireland), Lucia di Lammermore (Edgardo – United States), Die Fledermaus (Alfred – United States), Romeo & Juliet: Then and Now (Romeo –Naples [Florida] Opera), Gianni Schicci (Rinuccio – Ireland), and Falstaff (Fenton – Italy).

In the autumn of 2013, Anthony released a solo CD, which focused upon the wide repertoire presented during his solo concert tours. This CD is a brilliant compilation of that repertoire, interpreted by the man acclaimed as Ireland’s Finest Tenor.

St. Croix Valley Symphony OrchestraViolin INatalia Moiseeva, St. Paul, Minn.Max Vitullo, Hudson, Wisc.Josh Paavola, Jackson Searle, Hudson, Wisc.Amy Cornish, Eden Prairie, Minn.Caitlin Barrett, Roseville, Minn.Jackson Searle, Hudson, Wisc.Lois Wolfe-Steiner, River Falls, Wisc.Sheila Scheele, Prescott, Wisc.

Violin IITravis Lockwood, Hastings, Minn.Alissa Bethke, Yejin Ahn, Seoul, KoreaAnnette Lokkesmoe, Lakeville, Minn.Kasey Hedrington, Stevens Point, Wisc.Lisa Roloff, Hudson, Wisc.Han-seul Lee, Seoul, KoreaHelen Spasojevich, River Falls, Wisc.Shannon Parkhurst, Brooklyn Park, Minn.

ViolaRonald Larson, Stillwater, Minn.Summer Waits, Cottage Grove, Minn.

CelloPolly McCormack, Hopkins, Minn.*Jim Wainwright, Hudson, Wisc.

BassScott Halberg, Hudson, Wisc.*Jenica Georgeson, Minnetonka, Minn.

PiccoloPiper Beck, Woodbury, Minn.

FluteLaurie Wyland, Hudson, Wisc.Mary McElderry, Red Wing, Minn.

OboeTina James, Bloomington, Minn.

BassoonJill Halberg, Hudson, Wisc.

ClarinetSarah Sielbeck, Red Wing, Minn.Lynn Johnson, Oakdale, Minn.

HornNathan Sielbeck, New Braunfels, TexasSpike Maiden Mueller, Luck, Wisc.Matt Krych, Champlin, Minn.Dennis McGinn, Afton, Minn.

TrumpetChristopher Tank, Hudson, Wisc.Taylor Graham, Minneapolis, Minn.

TromboneMarsha Pearson, River Falls, Wisc.Carl Meincke, Hudson, Wisc.

TubaNick Peters, Pepin, Wisc.

PercussionNick Fox, River Falls, Wisc. Dakota Walters, Bruce, Wisc.Keith Richardson, Spooner, Wisc.

HarpMin Kim, Woodbury, Minn.

PianoPhil Kadidlo, Stillwater, Minn.

Carol Carver

is the founding Artistic Director of the Valley Chamber Chorale and Director of Worship Ministries at Trinity Lutheran Church both located in Stillwater, MN. In addition, she serves as a free-lance acquisitions editor in choral music for Augsburg Fortress Publishers.Her education includes studies at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, the Frankfurt University of Music and the Performing Arts, Frankfurt, Germany, the University of Minnesota and extensive classes at Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey.Her passions include creating innovate choral concerts and progressive traditional worship.

Trinity Lutheran Choir

Thank You Sponsors!

Program Design: Maria Olson | olsonmm@hotmail.com

Upcoming SCVSO EventsAnnual Holiday ExtravaganzaSunday, Dec. 13 | 4:00 p.m. Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Afton, MN

Holiday Extravaganza at the Phippsfeaturing From the Heart Quartet, Jen Burleigh-Bentz & Tim SwansonSaturday, Dec. 19 | 7:30 p.m.Phipps Center for the Arts *Limited seating - order tickets now! (715-386-2305)

SCVSO with “Skip” James, harpsichord and Natalia Moiseeva, violinSunday, March 6 | 3:00 p.m. William Abbott Concert Hall, Kleinpell Fine Arts BuildingUW-River Falls CampusTickets available at the door: Adults $5, Seniors $3, Students $2

SCVSO Goes Bluegrass with Tim May, guitarSunday, May 1 | 3:00 p.m.Hastings Arts CenterTickets available at the door $15