2425 messiah – Apollo's Fire

CHARLES WESLEY EVANS

“An elegant, mellifluous and expressive baritone” (The New York Times), CHARLES WESLEY EVANS has been lauded by The Miami Herald as “the peak of the night’s solo work” and by The Washington Post as “a warm, strong baritone.” Charles began singing professionally as a chorister at The American Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey, where he toured nationally and internationally, performing with notable conductors and orchestras around the globe. He enjoys a varied career performing works from the Baroque to gospel and musical theatre. Recent concert work includes performances with The Cleveland Orchestra, Austin Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Sinfonia de Camera, and Sonare Baroque Ensemble of Düsseldorf, among others. He has served on the faculties of the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, and Lawrence University, and holds a Bachelor’s in music from Brewton-Parker College in Mt. Vernon, Georgia, with further study at Boston Conservatory and Westminster Choir College.

SONYA HEADLAM

Born of Jamaican parentage, soprano SONYA HEADLAM has been praised as “an entrancing soloist… with elan, flawless intonation, a velvety middle voice, and on-the-mark coloratura” (South Florida Classical Review). Engagements in 2022 include her Philadelphia Orchestra debut in Handel’s Messiah; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Handel’s Messiah with the North Carolina Symphony; Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Grand Rapids Symphony; a much praised debut with the New World Symphony (Miami) in Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate; and her Severance Hall debut with Apollo’s Fire, with critics calling her “the highlight of the concert… she sang flawlessly and with seeming abandon” (ClevelandClassical.com).

Sonya’s previous solo performances include Carnegie Hall, Trinity Wall Street, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and venues in South America, Europe, and Asia, as well as a Caribbean tour with members of the Cuban Philharmonic. On the opera stage, her favorite roles have included Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with Light Opera of New Jersey. Sonya holds a Doctorate in Vocal Performance from Rutgers University, where she has also held a visiting scholar appointment.

GUADALUPE PAZ

Tijuana-born Mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Paz was a member of a children’s choir committed to the revival of sacred repertoire at the early age of 6. Since then, music and singing have marked her life. In 2009 she graduated from the Conservatorio Arrigo Pedrollo in Vicenza, Italy. She is a frequent guest artist at the National Opera Company of Bellas Artes in Mexico City.

On the concert stage, Ms. Paz has performed gala concerts alongside tenor Javier Camarena at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Oviedo at the Auditorio Príncipe Felipe de Asturias, and with the Bellas Artes Orchestra at Bellas Artes Theater in Mexico City.

The mezzo’s concert repertoire includes Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Bach’s Magnificat and Johannes Passion, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Requiem and Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Choral Fantasy, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solennelle. F Minor Mass by Bruckner, and The Glagolitic Mass by Leoš Janaček. Ms. Paz’ repertoire also includes performances of Gustav Mahler’s 2nd and 3rd Symphonies performed at Palacio de Bellas Artes with the National Symphony Orchestra, Cary Ratliff’s Ode to Common Things with La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, Mario Lavista’s Tres Canciones para Orquesta y Mezzosoprano, Manuel De Falla’s Siete Canciones Populares, Romeo and Juliette by Hector Berlioz, and Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins at Harris Hall during the Aspen Music Festival in 2013.

Guadalupe Paz has collaborated with Roberto Kalb, Alberto Zedda, Jan LathamKoenig, Eduardo Diaz-Muñoz, Yves Abel, Ivan López-Reynoso, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Srba Dnic, Marcelo Ayub and Nikza Bareza, among others. During her career Ms. Paz has been a recipient of diverse accolades including 1st place in the 2015 inaugural competition of the Rossini Award organized by the Palm Springs Opera Guild of the Desert, and 3rd place in the open vocal category of the same competition in 2016. She won 1st place at the Musical Merit Foundation of Greater San Diego in 2013 and 2014, was a finalist in the “Toti dal Monte” competition, and won 2nd place at the Mexican Singing Competition “Carlo Morelli”.

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JACOB PERRY

JACOB PERRY, tenor, is lauded for his stylish interpretations of early music. As a soloist, he lends his graceful sense of phrasing and luminous tone to engagements with the American Classical Orchestra, Apollo’s Fire, Bach Collegium San Diego, Philharmonia Baroque, Portland Baroque, Tafelmusik, Tempesta di Mare, and Washington Bach Consort. In 2024, he was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award as a soloist on Apollo’s Fire’s recording of Handel’s Israel in Egypt. Deeply immersed in vocal chamber music, Jacob performs with ensembles including Les Canards Chantants, Blue Heron, and TENET. Career highlights include his recent solo debut with the New York Philharmonic singing Handel’s Israel in Egypt, headlining the inaugural festival of Western Early Music at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music with Les Canards Chantants, and English Orpheus—a tour-de-force exploration of love songs and poems from the Elizabethan, Restoration, and early 18th-century periods he performed with Tempesta di Mare.

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ERICA SCHULLER

ERICA SCHULLER, soprano, brings vocal artistry, theatricality, and panache to baroque opera and concert performances across North America. She is a frequent soloist with Haymarket Opera in Chicago, the Boston Early Music Festival, Ars Lyrica in Houston, and New Trinity Baroque Orchestra, as well as Apollo’s Fire. Much admired for her comic acting, she won high kudos for two productions of Telemann’s Pimpinone with Haymarket Opera, where she played the lead female character, Vespetta. Her performance was described as “show stealing” by CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW.

Erica was featured in Apollo’s Fire’s national touring production of Monteverdi’s Orfeo in 2018, singing the roles of La Musica and Euridice. She recently made her debut with Chicago’s Third Coast Baroque Ensemble in Handel’s Lucrezia. Upcoming engagements include the role of Poppea with Haymarket Opera in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea.

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EDWARD VOGEL

With a voice described as “velvet-toned” (BBC Music Magazine), and praised for his “appealing, midweight baritone” (The New York Times), “forthright agility and bold declamation” (Musical America), baritone EDWARD VOGEL is recognized as a sensitive, versatile performer. Recent highlights include solo appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Apollo’s Fire, the Tucson Symphony, and ensemble work with Theatre of Voices, the Bach Collegium Japan, and the Yale Schola Cantorum, with whom he has participated as a soloist in recordings on the Hyperion label. In 2024, he received a GRAMMY® nomination for his work as a soloist on Apollo’s Fire’s recording of Handel’s Israel in Egypt. An avid recitalist, Mr. Vogel’s specialties include British art song of the twentieth century, music from Medieval and Renaissance Iberia, and works by Gustav Mahler; his intimate interpretations of art song have been heard onstage at celebrated venues including the Tanglewood Festival and Wigmore Hall.

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“The U.S.A.’s hottest baroque band.” –CLASSICAL MUSIC MAGAZINE (UK)