Masterworks 6 Beethoven's Ninth

Joseph Giunta Conductor

One of America’s most distinguished, versatile and dynamic conductors, Joseph Giunta is a musician of international acclaim. He is recognized as an important American conductor for his innovative programming and for his compelling interpretations of traditional and new music. His musical depth combined with his boundless energy and contagious enthusiasm makes him one of the most respected and successful orchestra leaders in the United States.

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Janice Chandler-Eteme Soprano

American soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme’s astonishing range of concert literature includes Strauss' Four Last Songs (Reading, Baltimore, Syracuse, Harrisburg and Utah Symphonies; Florida Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic; Grand Teton and Texas Music Festivals); Philip Glass' Passion of Ramakrishna (Pacific Symphony); Mahler's Second Symphony (San Diego, Baltimore, Nashville, Cincinnati, Colorado and Pacific Symphonies; Rome's Santa Cecilia Orchestra); Haydn's Die Schöpfung (Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati Symphonies); Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang Symphony (San Diego Symphony), Lokumbe's Dear Mrs. Parks (Detroit Symphony) and Can You Hear God Crying? (Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia); the Brahms Requiem (San Diego, Baltimore, Colorado Symphonies); Mahler's Eighth Symphony (Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, American and Montreal Symphonies); Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Cleveland Orchestra, New Jersey and Houston Symphonies), Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Festival Miami, Baltimore Symphony), Tippett’s A Child of Our Time (Dallas and Santa Rosa Symphonies) and Britten’s War Requiem (Lincoln and Santa Rosa Symphonies and Evansville Philharmonic). She remains among the most in-demand sopranos for Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, in staged performances of the complete work at the Opera de Lyon and Dallas Opera, the Bennett concert version under Jeffrey Tyzik with the Milwaukee, Seattle, Detroit and Vancouver Symphonies, Florida Orchestra and at the Vail Music Festival, and in Andrew Litton’s version with the composer conducting the Colorado Symphony. Other forays into operatic literature have included a first-ever Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the National Philharmonic.

Ms. Chandler-Eteme first came to international prominence as a favorite of Robert Shaw and has in the years since collaborated with many renowned and respected conductors, among them Marin Alsop, James Conlon, Andreas Delfs, Christoph von Dohnányi, Charles Dutoit, Claus Peter Flor, Hans Graf, Jeffrey Kahane, Carlos Kalmar, Raymond Leppard, Jahja Ling, Andrew Litton, Keith Lockhart, David Lockington, Stuart Malina, Peter Oundjian, Christof Perick, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Stefan Sanderling, Vladimir Spivakov, Yuri Temirkanov, Edo de Waart and Hugh Wolff. She has been guest soloist with the Los Angeles and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras; Boston, NHK (Japan), Phoenix and Kansas City Symphonies; Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Rochester Philharmonics; and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Festival invitations include Bard, Grant Park, Aspen, Prague Autumn and Blossom. Ms. Chandler-Eteme's recordings include an inspirational solo disc (Devotions), and the Dvořák Te Deum with Zdeněk Mácal and the New Jersey Symphony. She holds degrees from Oakwood College and Indiana University and has studied with Virginia Zeani, Margaret Harshaw, Ginger Beazley and Todd Duncan.

This is Ms. Chandler-Eteme’s second appearance with the Des Moines Symphony. She last appeared on April 27 & 28, 2019 singing with Simon Estes in selections from Porgy & Bess.

Mary Creswell Mezzo-Soprano

Mezzo-soprano Mary Creswell has appeared throughout the United States in opera, oratorio, and chamber music. Her varied performing schedule included the operatic roles of Dorabella, Rosina, and Carmen. Her rich mezzo has been heard on the concert stage with the Detroit Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Manchester Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, Austin Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, Chattanooga Symphony, Modesto Symphony and regularly with orchestras at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. The orchestrated songs of Mahler, Verdi's Requiem, and Jeremiah Symphony by Bernstein are gems in her repertoire. She was a frequent guest soloist with the American Chamber Players and performed with them in prestigious concert series spanning the country.

Lauded for her extremely versatile voice, Ms. Creswell effortlessly makes the transition from opera house and orchestra hall to chamber music and song recital. She has been described as having an inner pliability on stage, which transcends all boundaries. Her programs flow from Brahms and Ravel to folk songs and humor without missing a beat. She has also been a champion of new music and featured on several recordings under the Albany Label.

Ms. Creswell received her early training at the University of Michigan where she was the recipient of the Elisabeth Schwarzkopf-Walter Legge Scholarship for graduate study. Her teachers at Michigan were Beverley Rinaldi and Eugene Bossart. The Metropolitan Opera chose her as a regional finalist, and she has been a guest performer in New York City's Avery Fisher Hall. Iowa performances include the roles of Jade Boucher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Rychtářka in Janáćek’s Jenůfa, with the Des Moines Metro Opera and mezzo soloist with the Des Moines Symphony in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

An enthusiastic teacher of singing, Ms. Creswell served on the faculty of the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp for twenty seasons. She is now Associate Professor of Music at Iowa State University where she teaches voice, vocal pedagogy, and serves as the voice division chair. Her students have been finalists in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and are heard on Broadway stages and in opera houses throughout the country and in Europe.

This is Ms. Creswell’s third appearance with the Des Moines Symphony. She most recently appeared on September 24 & 25, 2016 in Beethoven’s Ninth.

Charles Reid Tenor

American tenor Charles Reid is an active international opera, concert and recital performer and Artist In Residence and Associate Professor of Voice at Michigan’s Andrews University. He has been welcomed on many of the world’s opera stages, including the Metropolitan Opera (nine seasons), San Francisco Opera, Theater an der Wien, Frankfurt Opera, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Theater Hagen (first-ever Don Jose in Bizet’s Carmen), as well as the festivals of Bayreuth, Salzburg, Spoleto USA, Glimmerglass and Central City. Operas-in-concert include Wagner’s Das Rheingold with Jaap von Zweden and the Hong Kong Philharmonic (acclaimed recording released on Naxos) and Der Rosenkavalier with Philippe Jordan and the Opéra National de Paris.

With nearly forty works in his active concert repertoire, Mr. Reid’s recent engagements include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Hong Kong Philharmonic led by Jaap van Zweden, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde in chamber arrangement with Matthias Goerne at the Schubertíada a Vilabertran (Spain) under conductor Josep Pons, and with conductor Jo Ann Falletta and mezzo-soprano Susan Platts at the Virginia Arts Festival (Naxos recording); and in full-orchestra version with Leon Botstein conducting The Orchestra Now at New York’s Bard College. He also sang his first Britten War Requiem, with Maestra Jane Glover at the Berkshire International Festival.

Mr. Reid’s recent seasons have included Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic/Andrew Constantine, Verdi’s Requiem with the Virginia Symphony/JoAnn Falletta, Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio) with the Kalamazoo Symphony/Raymond Harvey, Handel’s Messiah with Columbia Pro Cantare/Frances Dawson, and a recital of American Art Song at the Howard Performing Arts Center. Past seasons have brought concerts with the with Orchestre National de Lyon, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lisbon's Gulbenkian Orchestra, Washington, D.C.'s National Symphony, Lincoln Center’s “Mostly Mozart” Festival Orchestra, the Nashville, Allentown, Madison and Harrisburg Symphonies, Rochester and Buffalo Philharmonics and the U.S. Naval Academy.

In addition to the newest Naxos released, Mr. Reid is also represented on a range of recordings on the Deutsche Grammaphon, Opus Arte, OEHMS Classics and other labels. Prestigious awards include the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, Loren L. Zachary Foundation, Marjorie Lawrence International Vocal Competition. He is Producer and Host of “This Opera Life” Podcast, and is dedicated to his growing family. 

This is Mr. Reid’s first appearance with the Des Moines Symphony.

Mark S. Doss Bass-Baritone

Bass-baritone Mark Steven Doss’s 2021/22 season is marked by his return to the La Monnaie de Mund for the world premiere of Kris Defoort’s The Time of Our Singing in the role of William Daley. He also will be seen in Teatro La Fenice as Balstrode Peter Grimes, and in the Opera Philadelphia as Creon in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, as well as concerts of Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony with Minnesota Orchestra and Opera Highlights concerts with Dallas Opera.

Mr. Doss’s recent engagements include Alfio Cavalleria Rusticana at the Royal Opera House, Nicholas Lens’ Shall Shock at The Philharmonie de Paris, Daland Der Fliegende Holländer at Dallas Opera, Rigoletto and Scarpia Tosca with Welsh National Opera, Crown Porgy and Bess in Dutch National Opera, Cadmus Henze's The Bassarids in concert with the Spanish RTE Orchestra and Kent Nagano.

Mr. Doss’s illustrious career has taken the bass baritone to the most prestigious houses worldwide which include Milan’s La Scala where he appeared as Escamillo Carmen and Amonasro, Staatsoper Berlin with Jochanaan in Strauss' Salome, Mephistopheles in Gounod’s Faust at the Santa Fe Opera, Oper Frankfurt, and Opera de Oviedo; Premysl in Janáček's Šárka with La Fenice in Venice, Jochanaan in Salome with Florence's Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Arena di Verona as Escamillo in Carmen, Balstrode in Peter Grimes with the Teatro Regio di Torino, Jochanaan, the title role in Der fliegende Holländer, Balstrode in Peter Grimes at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Der fliegende Holländer at the Dorset Opera Festival, Amonasro Aida for Teatro Regio Torino, leading baritone role in Nicholas Lens’ Shell Shock for La Monnaie Brussels. At the Opera di Roma he was Escamillo Carmen, Cadmus in Henze's The Bassarids. At the Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Hyogo, Japan he took on Germont in La traviata.

A Grammy Award Winner for his participation in Handel’s Semele (Best Opera Recording), he also is a recipient of the National Institute for Music Theatre’s George London Opera Prize and Planet Africa’s Entertainment Award.

Iowa State Singers James Rodde, Director

The Iowa State Singers is Iowa State University’s most select choral ensemble. An undergraduate choir drawn from a campus of over 30,000 students, it is comprised of freshmen through seniors, approximately one half of them music majors. The group annually presents a five-concert season, which has included full-scale Madrigal Dinners and choral-orchestral masterworks. Recent performances include Carmina Burana, Messiah, Ein deutsches Requiem, and similar works. Concert tours have taken the Singers to Australia, Western Europe, Russia, China, Korea, the Baltics and most recently, Norway. Commissioning new compositions has been an integral part of the group’s tradition, having premiered compositions by Jake Runestad, Stacey Gibbs, René Clausen, Levente Gyöngyösi, and others. The choir has been honored to perform at regional and national conferences of the ACDA in 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2025, and at the National Collegiate Choral Organization’s conferences in 2008 and 2011. In 2013 the Singers were named the national winners of The American Prize, College/University Chorus Division. This academic year includes local concerts with VOCES8, the Luther Nordic Choir, and the Des Moines Choral Society. It has performances in the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, New York City. The year will conclude performing the Mozart Requiem with ISU choir alumni.

Des Moines Choral Society James Rodde, Director

In 1979, Marion A. Hall assembled a 250-member chorus to perform with the Des Moines Symphony at its inaugural concert in the new Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. Growing out of that ad hoc chorus, the Des Moines Choral Society, an auditioned choir of volunteer singers from throughout Central Iowa, has become a vital part of the Des Moines arts community. Under the artistic direction of Dr. James Rodde, the Society continues its 45-year tradition of musical excellence, repertoire development, educational outreach and collaborative community involvement. Each season the Choral Society performs Christmas with the Choral Society, a Celebration in Song: a collegiate invitational, and a spring Masterworks concert at St. Ambrose Cathedral in downtown Des Moines. In addition to a commitment to excellence, the Choral Society is also dedicated to making a permanent contribution to choral literature through the commissioning of new choral works from diverse composers such as Eric Whitacre, Ily Maniano, Elaine Hagenberg, and Marques Garrett. In 2021 the choir premiered Illuminare, Elaine Hagenberg’s first extended work, consisting of five movements for SATB chorus and chamber orchestra, and in 2023 performed it at Carnegie Hall.

Dr. James Rodde

Dr. James Rodde is the Moen-Hamilton Professor and Director of Choral Activities at Iowa State University, where he has overseen an active program of up to 400 undergraduate choristers. He conducts the Iowa State Singers, the Iowa Statesmen, and teaches courses in choral conducting and literature.

Choirs under his direction have toured internationally to critical acclaim and been honored with performances at 13 national and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, and two national conferences of the National Collegiate Choral Organization. 

Under his leadership the Iowa State Singers were named the 2013 national winners of The American Prize, College/University Division. As a conducting mentor, one of his students won the 2005 ACDA National Undergraduate Conducting Competition in Los Angeles.

An active clinician, Dr. Rodde has led numerous festival ensembles, including divisional ACDA honor choirs and more than a dozen All-State choirs. Upon his arrival at Iowa State in 2000, he instituted the ISU Honor Choir, a highly select ensemble of high school students chosen annually through live auditions across the state.

Dr. Rodde also serves as Artistic Director of the Des Moines Choral Society, a post he has held since 2003. For over a decade he served ACDA as the North Central Repertoire and Standards Chair for Male Choirs, and he continues to edit and arrange choral music, with a number of published works.

A native of Minneapolis, Dr. Rodde received the bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Augsburg University and completed the M.A. and D.M.A. degrees in Choral Conducting at the University of Iowa. From 1985 to 2000 he served at the University of North Dakota, where he was honored with the Fine Arts Faculty Award for Teaching. His alma mater, Augsburg University, recently honored him with the Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his significant achievement in vocation and outstanding contribution to the community.