UCF Symphony Orchestra

The Hebrides, op.26 (Fingal’s Cave)                                                                                                     Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

German composer Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) found himself inspired by the landscapes, ruins, and natural beauty of the country of Scotland, and decided to write a piece reflecting such beauty. The young 20 year old composer returned from a trip to Scotland in 1829, and throughout the years of 1830-1833 wrote The Hebrides (overture). In 1834, the second publication was issued by Breitkopf & Härtel under the title Fingalshöhle (Fingal’s Cave).

Mendelssohn was on a tour of England, and found himself in Scotland, where he was working on his Symphony No. 3 “Scottish”. After witnessing the beauty of The Hebrides, he wrote the opening bars of the overture, and sent them to his sister Fanny stating “In order to make you understand how extraordinarily The Hebrides affected me, I send you the following, which came into my head there”. The next day, Mendelssohn ventured to Fingal’s Cave (named after the third-century Gaelic tale character, Fingal) and was in awe at the beauty of the basalt-rock formation. Despite Mendelssohn being seasick on this trip to the cave, he was still able to appreciate the beauty that is Fingal’s Cave.

The Hebrides is considered an early example of a tone poem, a work that doesn’t necessarily tell a direct storyline, but evokes and illustrates certain ideas such as a painting, landscape, a building, etc. The overture’s opening motif is what he sent to his sister, and is outlined throughout the composition. This beginning motif starts with lower pitched instruments such as bassoon, viola, and cello, and is soon after followed up by the second theme of the tune in the bassoons and cellos. The second theme has a sort of soaring melody in a major key. After some playful banter with these two themes, the piece then introduces a new triumphant theme in the cello and bassoons while the violins play trickling sixteenth note patterns. This melody is then handed off to the violins, and soon after the piece comes to an exciting new melody at a more upbeat tempo. This upbeat tempo and melody is short-lived, as the first theme makes a re-appearance but with overlapping horn calls in the winds. The next section introduces a staccato or shorter and detached version of the same melody we heard earlier, almost sounding like a battle between the strings and winds. Evolving into a chaotic mash up of running string scales and winds playing soaring melodies, this section represents a storm with crashing waves near Fingal’s Cave. Upon returning to the previous relaxing melody, a clarinet duet is present, representing the clearing of the storm. The animato section brings back the triumphant melody we heard earlier, only now with strings playing vigorous sixteenth notes over the wind’s dramatic chords. The overture ends with a surprising twist, giving listeners the idea that the end will be a big loud chord, however this is not the case as a clarinet solo and flute solo carry us to the end with the last thing we hear a soft pizzicato from the strings.

Program note by Calogero Fanara

Elijah, Op. 70                                                                                                                                                                                   Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) was a prominent composer, pianist, and conductor of his time. At an early age, he was known as a musical prodigy. He would go on to become one of the most celebrated performers of some of the most difficult repertoire available. Much of this difficult

repertoire is the various works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Mendelssohn is often credited as being the catalyst for Bach’s revival in the musical world. Bringing his fugues, chorales, and sonatas back to life and back to the popular ear. Mendelssohn lived a short yet full life. He sadly died in 1847 after a series of strokes led to a rapidly declining health.

Following a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion, Mendelssohn was inspired to write his own oratorio (an oratorio is a work featuring both orchestra and vocal choir). This piece, Elijah, would be inspired by and largely built upon the works of 1 Kings 17:19 and 2 Kings 2:1, though other inspiring and relevant texts and scripture were to be used as well. The final version of the texts can be attributed to Julius Schubring, who had earlier worked with Mendelssohn on his other oratorio St. Paul. The work is split into two halves, containing twenty and twenty-two movements respectively. The form and style of these movements vary greatly. With varying instrumentations, soloists, meters, and styles.

The initial reception of the work was very positive; audiences left with feelings of joy, pleasure, and righteousness. Later in the mid-20th century, there was a more mixed reaction to the music. Notable music critic H.T Parker had the following to say in a mid 1920’s review: “Elijah is hopelessly, awfully, irremediably mid-Victorian.” Today, the work is popular among historic ensembles and is beloved around the world.

Elijah was written at the end of Mendelssohn’s life; it is a prime example of music written by a mind taken from us in its prime. There is no telling what beautiful works would have been added to the repertoire and what more he had left to give the world before his passing.

During today’s performance, only select movements will be performed.

Program note by Giles Askim

Baritone Richard Crawley is an artist of striking versatility, recognized for a stage presence as nuanced as it is commanding. A specialist in the Verdi baritone fach, he continues to captivate audiences nationwide with passionate musicality and authoritative dramatic power. Originally from Central New York, he holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Binghamton University, and the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

His distinguished career includes performances on many of the world’s leading opera and musical theater stages, with engagements at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. International appearances include the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland, State Opera of South Australia in Adelaide, the Lismore Festival in Ireland, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Staatstheater Stuttgart, and the Greek National Opera.

A sought-after orchestral soloist, Crawley has collaborated with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Oratorio Society, Hong Kong Symphony, Orquestra Nacional de Costa Rica, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Handel Choir of Baltimore, and the Syracuse Symphony. He has appeared at major venues such as Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

Recent critical successes underscore his dramatic range, including his portrayal of Solomon Schechter in Arnold Saltzman’s Geniza: Hidden Fragments at Adas Israel in Washington, D.C., and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof for UCF Celebrates the Arts in the Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando.

The 2026 season features several high-profile engagements, including the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth with Opera Tampa, Father Palmer in Silent Night with Opera Orlando, and baritone soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

Beyond the stage, Crawley is an esteemed educator and practitioner-scholar. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Voice and Faculty Music Director for Theatre UCF at the University of Central Florida.

Acclaimed soprano and chamber musician Samantha Barnes Daniel performs actively throughout the Central Florida area. She completed training at the University of Central Florida and Northwestern University, as well as several young artist programs at companies such as Chautauqua Opera and Arizona Opera. She is a two-time National semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was a Sarah Tucker Grant Nominee

in the Richard Tucker Foundation Competition. Ms. Barnes Daniel performs regularly with Opera Orlando, the Solaria Singers of Orlando Sings, the Basilica Choir at Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine, the Villages Philharmonic and Space Coast Symphony. She has also sung with The Voices of Liberty, The Orlando Philharmonic, Opera Tampa, Chautauqua Opera, Arizona Opera, and The Illinois Philharmonic, among others. Recent stage credits include First Lady in The Magic Flute, the Mother in Hansel & Gretel, and Catherine of Aragon in Opera Orlando and Helena's award winning Orlando Fringe show, 6 of VIII, for which she also wrote the book. Recent concert credits include the soprano soloist in the Rutter Requiem, Brahms Requiem, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Schoenberg's 2nd String Quartet, Mahler’s 2nd & 3rd Symphonies, Barber’s, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and the Mozart Requiem. She regularly records for Hal Leonard Choral Publications and was a featured studio musician for the 2023 relaunch of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. She is a founding member of the professional women’s ensemble, Helena, and is an adjunct professor on the voice faculty at the University of Central Florida and Harrison School for the Arts in Lakeland.

Kelly A. Miller is an Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Education at the University of Central Florida where she conducts the SoAl (Soprano/Alto) Chorus, SoAl Ensemble, TeBa (Tenor/Bass) Chorus, and the UCF Community Choir. While at UCF, she has taught introduction to music education, secondary choral methods I and II, music learning theory and assessment, beginning conducting, choral conducting, music and students with exceptionalities, vocal techniques, and graduate classes in music education, while coordinating and supervising student teachers through their junior and senior clinical internships. Prior to her appointment at UCF, Miller taught at Western Illinois University as Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education, where she conducted the Concert Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensemble. She conducted the Women’s Glee Club at Michigan State University for three years and taught choral music at the high school level for thirteen years in Michigan, Florida, and Nebraska. While in Orlando, Dr. Miller founded the choral/vocal program at Timber Creek High School, served as District 8 Chair for the Florida Vocal Association, and received her National Board Certification in secondary choral music. Before directing choirs, Miller was a concert band director for grades five through twelve, instructing marching and jazz bands, music theory, and elementary general music in Nebraska.

In addition to her choral directing and teaching, she has maintained a private voice studio and is in demand to lead choral workshops on the choral/instrumental director as voice teacher, assessment, choosing choral repertoire and running effective rehearsals,

leadership, creating artistry, student and teacher resiliency, student ownership, communication, and team building. Dr. Miller frequently serves as a clinician and festival adjudicator. She has been invited to conduct regional and state honor choirs and present conference and clinic sessions in Portugal, Ireland, Nevada, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Hawaii, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Florida, and Michigan. Dr. Miller has performed at state, divisional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and at the Nebraska Music Educators Association Convention. The Florida American Choral Director Association awarded her the Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Service Award for Dedicated Service, Leadership, and Consistent Examples of Excellence in Choral Music in Florida, the highest award given to a choral director in the state of Florida, and the Florida Music Educator Association named her the 2022 Collegiate Music Educator of the Year. She is a Past-President of the Florida American Choral Directors Association, and she is a currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Music Director and a member of the professional women’s ensemble, mirabai.

Miller holds the D.M.A. degree in choral conducting from Michigan State University, the M.M. degree in music education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the B.A. degree in music education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Sarah Purser, mezzo-soprano, is an Orlando-based performer and arts educator. She serves as Education Director for Opera Orlando, where she leads programs that connect students and community members to opera. She also directs the Opera Orlando Youth Company and manages the Studio Artist and Apprentice Artist programs.

As a soloist, Sarah has performed with The Florida Orchestra, Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, and Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, with repertoire including Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. She is a frequent performer with Solaria Singers, appearing in major choral works such as Considering Matthew Shepard, Path of Miracles, and Monteverdi’s Vespers.

On the operatic stage, her credits with Opera Orlando include Le nozze di Figaro (Marcelina), La Cenerentola (Tisbe), Hansel and Gretel (Hansel and the Witch), and multiple world premieres including 6/VIII: The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Jane Seymour), Lizbeth, and Frida.

Sarah is the founder of The Helena Collective, an all-women vocal ensemble dedicated to telling stories centered on the female experience through innovative performance. She maintains a private voice studio in Orlando.

Originally from Warner Robins, Georgia, Dr. Jeremy Hunt received his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He went on to receive both his Master’s and his Doctorate in Vocal Performance from the prestigious Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. During his time at IU, Jeremy studied with world-renowned singers and teachers Virginia Zeani, Giorgio Tozzi, and Andreas Poulimenos. He also held the position of Associate Instructor of voice for four years, and saw several of his students embark on successful performing careers.

Dr. Hunt has been a featured soloist with The Riverside Symphonia in Lambertville, NJ, The Orlando Chorale, the Orlando Philharmonic and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, and is a frequent recitalist in the US and abroad. As part of UCF Celebrates the Arts, he performed the role of the Celebrant in Bernstein’s Mass and Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center, in Orlando. He recently made his Carnegie Hall debut as the tenor soloist for Mozart’s Requiem.

As Professor of Voice at UCF, Dr. Hunt has had students accepted into top graduate music programs including, Indiana University, New England Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Illinois, Penn State and UNCG.

Dr. Hunt has a strong interest in the Italian language and repertoire and has twice participated in the Ezio Pinza Council for American singers of Opera in Oderzo, Italy. He also attended the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci in Siena, Italy for an intensive study of the language.

In addition to his musical interests, Jeremy is a Certified Yoga Teacher and incorporates his knowledge and practice of yoga into the voice studio. He has presented at National and International conferences on the subject of Yoga for Singers and has created a fully online Yoga for Performers course at UCF, PEM 2122.

Dr. Hunt is also a developer with Apple and has 10 educational Apps related to singing, repertoire and diction on the App store, which have sold in 75 different countries throughout the world. Visit Jeremy Hunt Apps for more information.

Dr. Hunt is a NATS member, currently serving as Webmaster for SERNATS. For 15 years, he served as secretary/treasurer/registrar of the Central Florida chapter. He was accepted and participated in the NATS Intern program in 2010.

Education

• D.M. in Voice Performance from Indiana University (2005)
• M.M. in Voice Performance from Indiana University (2001)
• B.M. in Voice Performance from Mercer University (1997)

Mr. Calogero Fanara is in his 7th year of being a high school orchestra teacher. He currently is the Director of Orchestras at William R. Boone High School located in Orlando, FL.

Fanara acquired his Associates in Arts with honors at the Florida State College at Jacksonville where he studied saxophone under Mr. John Thomas and conducting under Dr. Paul Weikle for two years. He continued his education at the University of North Florida School of Music where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education with honors. He studied Classical Saxophone under Dr. Michael Bovenzi and wind band conducting under Dr. Gordon Brock. He served as Dr. Brock's last conducting assistant and sat as Principal Saxophone of the Wind Symphony at UNF both years he attended. Fanara was one of the winners of the UNF Concerto Competition in 2018 and was featured as a performer at the 2017 University of Florida Saxophone Summit. Currently, Fanara is in his final year of his Master of Music in Arts with a Concentration in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Central Florida, studying under Robert D. Hasty.

Fanara began his teaching career in 2019 in Hillsborough County Tampa, FL. In 2021, Fanara was appointed Director of Orchestras at William R. Boone High School in Orlando, Florida. The program has almost doubled in size, from his first year with 72 students and three orchestra classes, to now upwards of 140 students and with four orchestra classes. His orchestra performances have earned “Straight Superior” ratings at the Florida Orchestra Association (FOA) Music Performance Assessments every year he has been at Boone. In 2024, for the first time in school history, he brought three orchestras to MPA all of which earned a “Straight Superior” rating.

In March of 2025, the Boone Chamber Orchestra was accepted and performed for the first time in the American Strings Teacher Association’s (ASTA) National Orchestra Festival in Atlanta, GA earning an overall “Outstanding” rating. His chamber orchestra was also invited to perform as the inaugural premiere orchestra at the 2025 Florida ASTA Fall Conference.

Fanara is an active clinician, judge, and conductor in the state of Florida where he has also been given the honor to present a session on how he has incorporated band culture and rehearsal strategies in the orchestral classroom at the 2026 Florida Music Educator Association (FMEA) State Conference. In 2026 he was also selected as a Semi-Finalist for the CMA Foundation Music Teachers of Excellence Award.

Fanara currently resides in Winter Garden, FL with his fiancé.

Dr. Jeffery Redding, is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the 2019 GRAMMY Music Educator Award recipient. He has led choirs in performances at national, regional, and state conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), earning top awards at prestigious festivals including Heritage Festivals of Gold (California, Chicago, New York), the Festival of Spirituals (Washington D.C.), and the International Music Festival (Verona, Italy), where his West Orange High School chorus received the Gold Award for best choir and he was honored as top director.

A sought-after guest conductor, clinician, and public speaker, Dr. Redding has conducted national and divisional ACDA Honor Choirs, as well as All-State and Honor choirs in numerous states. His international engagements include adjudicating at the International Choral Festival (Verona, Italy), conducting at the TAISM Festival of Choirs (Muscat, Oman), serving as Artistic Director for the Limerick Sings International Choral Festival (Limerick, Ireland), conducting in London, England, at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and at the Vatican in Rome. Recent collaborative conducting engagements include "Lift Every Voice and Sing" at the 2024 Pro Bowl, the 2025 Pro Bowl, and the 2025 Super Bowl.

Prior to UCF, Dr. Redding served as Director of Choral Activities at West Orange High School and West Virginia University. He has been featured as guest conductor at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Orchestra Hall. He also delivered a TEDx Talk. Dr. Redding is one of the conductors for Walt Disney World’s Candlelight Processional at Epcot and the conductor of Harmonious Live! found on Disney Plus.

Recognized for his contributions to the profession, Dr. Redding received the R. Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Service Award from the Florida Chapter of ACDA. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Winter Garden Community Choir and the Founder & Artistic Director of the Orlando Choral Society. He also serves as the Director of Worship Arts for Tuskawilla United Methodist Church and sings with the professional male vocal ensemble, "Brethren."

The Jeffery Redding Passion and Purpose Choral Series (Colla Voce Music, Inc.) and a choral series with Walton Music and Hinshaw Music feature new works by various composers. Dr. Redding holds a Ph.D. in Choral Conducting/Music Education and a Master of Music Education from Florida State University, and a B.S. in Music Education from Florida A&M University. He is a member of ACDA, NAfME, FVA, NATS, and Chorus America, and has served in numerous leadership roles within these organizations, including currently as the Government & Relations Advocacy Chair for Florida ACDA.

Robert G. Hasty is the Music Director of the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra and the Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Central Florida School of Performing Arts. He is also Artistic Director of the International Schools Choral Music Society. For 22 years, Hasty conducted the Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia at the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University where he also served as the Associate Director of Orchestras.

Hasty began his career teaching music in the public schools in Southern California; this included tenure in administration as the District Music Coordinator of the Capistrano Unified School District where he supervised the K-12 music education program and its staff of 39 teachers. He also served an elected term as Vice President in charge of String Education for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association.

A noted researcher in music cognition, Hasty has been an author for two publications delivered at the 7th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition in Sydney, Australia. His research on conducting was published through ProQuest in 2005: “Critical Listening While Conducting”. The European Society for Cognitive Sciences of Music invited him to speak at their conference in Portugal on these studies, and he was subsequently featured as a speaker on this research at the 2026 national conference of the College Orchestra Directors Association.

As a conductor, Hasty has appeared with the All-American College Orchestra at Walt Disney World, Beijing Youth Orchestra, Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, Festival Internacional Sesc de Música Orquestra Sinfônica Acadêmica, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Highland Park Strings, Irvine Youth Symphony, La Primavera Orchestra, Merit Symphony Orchestra, Metropolis Youth Symphony, National High School Music Institute Orchestra, Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, NU Opera Theater, NU Contemporary Music Ensemble, Piedmont Chamber Orchestra, and the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra. His performances have been broadcast on WFMT radio in Chicago and on the Big Ten Network. Hasty’s international engagements include sold-out performances at the National Concert Hall of Taipei, Taiwan, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, China, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center Concert Hall and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall in Shanghai, China, Theatro Guarany in Pelotas, Brazil, the Sound of the Phoenix Grand Theater in Qingdao, China, the Busan Cultural Center Main Theater in Busan, South Korea, and the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre Grand Theatre in Suzhou, China. He is sought-after as an honor orchestra conductor, conducting honor groups across the United States. He is a member of the conducting and music education faculties at the UCF School of the Performing Arts.

Hasty has also spent his career as a freelance violinist and violist, having been a student of Alice Schoenfeld at the USC Thornton School of Music. These days, you will find him fiddling in several clubs and venues with various bands, including as fiddler and vocalist for singer-songwriter Christina Trulio (ASCAP). Noted as an "avid cyclist" by the Chicago Tribune, he trains for official century rides every year. Bob is especially proud to have been appointed as the newest member of the Dancing Bohemian Ukulele Team.