CONTACT: Susan Harding, Acting Public Information Officer, 301-600-1385
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 6, 2006

Messiah Sing-Along At The Weinberg Center Tuesday, December 19, 2006 ~ 8:00 PM 

Frederick, MD ---  The Frederick Chamber Singers and the Weinberg Center for the Arts are proud to continue a  treasured Frederick tradition since 1994 by presenting for one night only, the Messiah Sing-Along, on December 19, 2006 at 8 PM!  For more information and to purchase tickets to this wonderful seasonal event, please call the Box Office at 301-228-2828 or visit online at www.weinbergcenter.org .

Conductor Judy DuBose leads the Frederick Chamber Singers, orchestra, professional soloists, and all who want to sing along in G.F. Handel’s Christmas masterpiece.  Mrs. DuBose founded the Frederick Children’s Chorus in 1985. The Frederick Chamber Singers was formed in 1995 to serve graduated members of the children’s  chorus. Under her direction both ensembles have received superior ratings at festivals and competitions along the East Coast and performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and, recently, with famed singer Judy Collins. Frederick’s Messiah Sing-A-Long began 12 years ago and has become a tradition for the Frederick Chamber Singers, The Weinberg Center for the Arts, and the Frederick community.

Mrs. DuBose teaches vocal and general music at William H. Farquhar Middle School in the Montgomery County Public School System.  In 1999 she was honored to receive the Maryland Music Educators Outstanding Teacher Award for the Southern Division.  Under her direction, the Farquhar chorus has received many superior ratings, honors, and awards for performances at All County and All State Solo and Ensemble Festivals, as well as at choral competitions in New York City. In 2001 the Farquhar chorus was selected to perform at the National Middle School Conference held in Washington, DC.

Soprano Lisa Menard is currently a senior at Towson University. She will receive a Bachelor of Science in May 2007 in Vocal/General Music Education, as well as a minor in Spanish. She recently returned from a study abroad program in Northern Spain. Ms. Menard (soon to be Mrs. Miller next July!) has most recently performed as a soloist in the Towson University Chorale under the direction of Dr. Karen Kennedy. She also gave a senior recital last May, incorporating music of various styles, eras, and composers. In addition to singing, Ms. Menard maintains a great interest in teaching and conducting. She conducted last spring’s Towson University Chorale in the Moses Hogan spiritual, “Hear My Prayer” under the direction of Patricia Amato, and crosses the age barrier by pre-interning with little ones at Perry Hall Elementary School this fall. She is

excited to join the Frederick Chamber Singers this winter in Handel’s magnificent work Messiah and welcomes everyone to this time-honored traditionMezzo-soprano Ruth Lillian Carver is a native of Denver, Colorado.  She will appear next as Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia with Peabody Chamber Opera.  Opera roles include Mrs. Anderssen in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music with Peabody Opera Theater, Charity (Hildegard von Bingen’s The Rite of the Virtues), Cornelia (Giulio Cesare), the Voice of the Mother (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) with the Vassar Opera Workshop. She has performed scenes from Le nozze di Figaro and this year will cover the role of Marcellina for Peabody Opera Theater.  She performed the Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte) and Frau Van Tassel (John David Earnest’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) at the Shaker Mountain Opera Festival.  Oratorio work includes appearances in Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Peabody Concert Orchestra, Vassar Madrigal Singers, and Vassar Women’s Chorus.  A participant in the New York Opera Studio, she sang scenes from Eugene Onegin as Olga.  She has been invited to sing in masterclasses with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Amy Burton, and Nico Castel.  Voice teachers include Ah Hong and Viviane Thomas.  Miss Carver will graduate from Peabody Conservatory with a Master of Music in 2007, and received her Bachelor of Arts at Vassar College in Victorian Studies.  

Tenor Billy Morton is a senior undergraduate at Towson University pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance. As a performer, he has participated in many events on the Towson campus, including voice recitals, a production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, as well as masterclasses with Mark Markham and Carol McDavit. He also sings at St. Stephens Traditional Episcopal Church in Timonium as a professional chorister. Throughout his college career, he has received accolades and scholarships from the Towson University Music Department, TU Foundation, and the Three Arts Club of Homeland. His compositions have been performed by the North Harford High School Men’s Choir, and by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society for their annual Student Composers’ Workshop in 2004. He currently serves as ensemble manager for the Towson University Chorale, as well as vice president for the Towson student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He has had the privilege of conducting the University Chorale in recent semesters. Currently, he conducts the Towson Women’s Choir, which he founded this year. Billy plans to continue his studies to earn a master’s degree in choral conducting.

Baritone, Yi-Cherng Lin earned his Doctor of Musical Art degree in Voice Performance, with an opera concentration, at University of Maryland, College Park in June 2006. As a native of Taiwan, Mr. Lin has performed Taiwanese folksongs in many concerts in the United States of America. In addition to the Taiwan sound concert series, he has created, directed and performed the first Taiwanese Musical Eternal Hope which was commissioned by Greater Washington Taiwan Culture Center in April 2006 in Rockville, Maryland.

In his opera performances, while in Taiwan, Mr. Lin portrayed the role Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, Betto in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and Alcindoro in La Boheme. Here in Maryland, he has portrayed the role of The Orator in the Maryland Opera Studio’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and the title role Figaro in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Mr. Lin has also performed several recitals and concerts including a special guest performance with members of the Shanghai Opera on the Gala U.S. Concert. In November 2000, he was invited as a bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah, with the Taipei Chamber Chorus in the Taipei National Concert Hall in Taiwan. In 2002, he was accepted to the Aspen Opera Theatre Center. In 2004, Mr. Lin received the Organization of Chinese American Women / Li Foundation Music Fellowship. Currently, he is the conductor of Greater Washington TaiwaneseAmerican Chorus and Li-Ren Chorus in Virginia. 

To purchase tickets, call the Weinberg Center for the Arts at 301-228-2828, 301-228-2838 TTY or stop by the Box Office Tuesday thru Friday 10:00am to 4:00pm, Saturday 10:00am to 2:00pm.  Tickets are available online at www.weinbergcenter.org.

The Weinberg Center for the Arts, a municipal facility of the City of Frederick, is located at 20 West Patrick Street in downtown Frederick, Maryland.  The historic theatre opened in 1926 as the Tivoli, and it and was donated to the City of Frederick in 1978.  Today as one of the region’s premier presenting facilities, the 1,100 seat Weinberg Center offers professional LIVE! Series, including dance, music, theatre, family performances and films, weekday performances for students, and classic movies. Performance space and professional services are available to a variety of community arts groups, civic and business organizations, and other arts promoters.   Programming at the Weinberg Center for the Arts is made possible with support from the City of Frederick, Frederick County Government, Maryland State Arts Council, Frederick Arts Council, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, The Frederick News-Post, State Farm Insurance, The Tivoli Society, other corporate and individual donors.

For more information about upcoming events at the Weinberg Center, please call the Box Office at 301-228-2828 or visit www.weinbergcenter.org.