Messiah
December 13 @ 7:30pm
Dr. Gabrielle Dietrich conductor
Erie Philharmonic Chorus
Musicians from the Erie Philharmonic
Claire Hudkins soprano
Zachary Delcamp countertenor
James Judd tenor
Michael Aiello baritone
Adult tickets - $20 | Student tickets - $10
Meet the Soloists
SOPRANO – DR. CLAIRE HUDKINS
Dr. Claire Hudkins, soprano, earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where she also earned her Master’s Degree in Voice. Pursuing her passion for training young singers, Dr. Hudkins teaches at the Wyoming Fine Arts Center in Wyoming, OH, where she also serves as the Program Coordinator. Dr. Hudkins received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA.Dr. Hudkins has traveled to Italy and Germany for extensive training in singing and language study. Dr. Hudkins specializes in German repertoire, and while at CCM she was awarded the Mercer scholarship from the Voice Department to study German language in Dresden, Germany. While at CCM and the University of the Pacific, Dr. Hudkins appeared in many productions including Verdi’s Falstaff, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Sondheim’s Sweeny Todd among many others. She currently entertains the greater Cincinnati area at a variety of events and as a church soloist. Originally from Salem, Oregon, she currently resides in Covington, Kentucky.
COUNTERTENOR – ZACHARY DELCAMP
Countertenor Zachary Delcamp received his Bachelor’s in Music from SUNY Fredonia where he studied with Daniel Ihasz for four years. He is currently earning his Master’s in Music Performance from Montclair State University studying voice with Jeffrey Gall and serving as the Graduate Assistant to the Choral department. Performances at Montclair State include The Photographer in Erotic Madness, Giulio Cesare in the scenes production Delirio Amoroso and the treble soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms under the baton of Dr. Heather J. Buchanan. He will perform the title role in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges for Montclair State’s mainstage production this coming January.
TENOR – JAMES JUDD
James Judd A native of New York, Mr. Judd is an active interpreter of both operatic and concert repertoire. He has performed a variety of works as a tenor soloist, including Orff’s, Carmina Burana, Honegger’s Le Roi David, Händel’s Messiah, and Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers. James has sung with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, and The AIMS Festival Orchestra.
Some of Mr. Judd’s operatic roles include Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, the title role in La Clemenza di Tito, Alfredo in Die Fledermaus, Asgar in the United States premier of Arshin mal alan, and most recently Claude in the world premiere of The Fall of Stag Lee. James has participated as a Young Artist at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, Opera Saratoga, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, the Crittenden Opera Workshop in Bethesda, Maryland, and the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado, where he won their prestigious concerto competition. James also sings with many professional choruses, including the Chicago Symphony, under the direction of Maestro Riccardo Muti. James holds a Master of Arts in Vocal Performance at The University of Iowa,
as well as Bachelors of Music in both Education and Vocal Performance from SUNY Fredonia.
BASS – MICHAEL AIELLO
American baritone, Michael Aiello is a promising new fixture of opera. This past summer, he was an opera fellow at the Aspen Opera Center where he sang the role of Jules in William Bolcom’s A Wedding, and was given the opportunity to study with Dr. Stephen King. Other recent performances include the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Marcello in Puccini’s La Boheme with Point Loma Opera Theater in San Diego, CA. Michael has also enjoyed success in performances of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutti as Guglielmo with the Toronto Opera Summer Workshop.Michael attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for his graduate studies where he performed in Igor Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress as Nick Shadow, Mark Adamo’s Little Women as Friedrich Bhaer and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro. In tandem with his operatic roles, Michael has also achieved success on the concert stage. He has appeared as the baritone soloist for Handel’s Messiah and Faure’s Requiem, both with the choir and orchestra of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Denver, Colorado. At his home in Salt Lake City, UT, Michael performs regularly with Cathedral of the Madeleine Choir School where he most recently was the baritone soloist for Vespro della Beata Vergine by Monteverdi under the direction of Dr. Craig Jessop.Mr. Aiello graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he completed his Masters of Music degree in Vocal Performance. Michael also holds his Bachelor of Music degree cum laude in Music Education from the University of New York Fredonia. Michael was the second place winner of the Palm Springs Rossini Competition and also a finalist in their general competition in 2016. He currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with his partner and their beautiful baby pit-bull.