Masterworks 6 O Fortuna - Carmina Burana

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.

Learn More About Maestro Giunta

Heartland Youth Choir Mary Craven Bartemes, Director

Heartland Youth Choir, founded by Barbara Sletto in 2003, provides a performance-based program for youth, emphasizing musical literacy and character development. Heartland Youth Choir provides a unique opportunity for children of diverse backgrounds with a particular aptitude in vocal music to explore that interest beyond their school setting. Quality literature from all styles and periods form the foundation for this exploration. Dedicated to excellence, Heartland Youth Choir develops musicianship and builds character of youth through the rehearsal and performance of quality choral literature.

Mary Craven Bartemes is a native of Des Moines, IA, where her musical journey began in the Des Moines Children's Chorus. She was nurtured under the esteemed guidance of Barbara Sletto, the visionary founder of HYC. With a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education, specializing in voice and piano, she graduated with distinction from Drake University and has since been a commanding presence in the Greater Des Moines music scene.

With close to a decade of teaching experience spanning both private and public educational settings encompassing grades K-12, Mary has honed her expertise in elementary and early childhood music education. Her passion for enriching young minds through the power of music has been a driving force behind her dedication.

Iowa State Singers James Rodde, Director

The Iowa State Singers is a 72-member mixed choral ensemble comprised of students who come from numerous areas of study at Iowa State. This select ensemble performs the finest literature from Renaissance to contemporary, including newly commissioned works. In addition to performing various local concerts, the Singers tour annually and present an authentic Madrigal Dinner every January. Every spring they perform a masterwork with all ISU choirs, most recently Orff's Carmina Burana, Handel's Messiah, Brahms' German Requiem, and other such works.

The Iowa State Singers have been honored in recent years with invitations to perform at several highly distinguished music conferences, including the 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2019 ACDA conferences in Sioux Falls,  Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Kansas City, and the 2008 and 2011 NCCO National Conferences in Cincinnati and Fort Collins. Thousands of choral conductors from the United States and abroad have responded enthusiastically to the choir's offerings. The members of the Iowa State Singers have been thrilled with these opportunities and gratefully acknowledge their former members, whose commitment to artistry helped to develop one of the very beautiful traditions at Iowa State University.

The Singers have also traveled internationally, singing to critical acclaim in the Baltic States and Scandinavia (2003), China (2006), Korea (2011) where they shared a concert with the world-renowned Incheon City Chorale, Western Europe (2015), and Norway (2019). In 2013 the Singers were honored as the national winners of The American Prize, College/University Chorus Division.

Des Moines Choral Society James Rodde, Director

The Des Moines Choral Society, under the direction of Artistic Director Dr. James Rodde, is made up of auditioned volunteer singers from throughout Central Iowa. With a 39-year tradition in the community, the Des Moines Choral Society is a major force for the promotion of quality choral music in Iowa.

The Des Moines Choral Society seeks to enrich Iowa’s cultural landscape by offering inspiring choral music programs to the public. Our hallmarks will be vocal excellence, diverse and innovative programs that explore both musical and cultural themes, and engaging collaborations with arts and community organizations. The Des Moines Choral Society aspires to be recognized as one of Iowa’s artistic treasures.

Dr. James Rodde, the Louise Moen Endowed Chair in Music and Director of Choral Activities at Iowa State University, became the Artistic Director of the Des Moines Choral Society in January, 2003. Dr. Rodde's choirs have been honored with performances at distinguished events, including four national and four divisional ACDA conventions. An active clinician, Dr. Rodde has conducted several All-State Honor Choirs, most recently in Wisconsin, Texas, South Dakota, Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, and Nebraska.

Amy Owens Soprano

Amy Owens is known for her “high-flying vocals” and “scene-stealing” charisma on operatic and symphonic stages, as well as her innovative, multi-disciplinary pursuits in music and entrepreneurship (Opera News). Her performing career has taken her to some of America’s most beloved venues, including the Kennedy Center, where her Fall 2019 debut as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda earned praise for “a perfect combination of purring, sensuous phrasing and pure-toned innocence” (Washington Classical Review). A well-known favorite soloist for Carmina Burana, she has performed the work with the National Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Mobile Symphony, and MidAmerica Productions for her Carnegie Hall debut in 2017, and others. She is frequently sought after to create roles for world premieres of American Opera, including the title role in Augusta Read Thomas’ Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun with Santa Fe Opera in 2019, where she shared the stage with legendary beatboxer Nicole Paris in the first commission for the groundbreaking initiative “Opera for all Voices.”

Notable roles include Cunegonde in Candide with Utah Symphony, where she was praised for her “dazzling array of vocal abilities” and “remarkable acting talent,” Johanna in Sweeney Todd with Michigan Opera Theater, and Florestine in On Site Opera’s North American premiere of La mére coupable, a notoriously difficult score which Owens was hailed as handling with “keen sensitivity,” “gleaming coloratura,” and “impressive accuracy and thrilling high notes” (Broadway World, Bachtrack, Musical America). Her affinity for new music also makes her a sought-after soprano for developing contemporary works, including the Metropolitan Opera workshop of Eurydice, and multiple workshops with American Opera Projects. She covered the role of Faustina in the world premiere of The Phoenix at Houston Grand Opera in 2019, sang as a last-minute replacement in Opera America’s 2016 New Opera Showcase at Trinity Church NYC, was featured in The Intimacy of Creativity Festival in Hong Kong in 2017, and has premiered art song frequently with the NYFOS Next series.

Amy enjoys developing her interests as a multi-genre vocalist, producer, conductor, accordion player, dancer, yogi, educator, writer, composer, and wellness advocate. She holds a M.M. degree in vocal performance from Rice University and a B.M. in vocal performance from Brigham Young University.

Christopher Pfund Tenor

American tenor Christopher Pfund has performed to critical acclaim with countless major orchestras and oratorio festivals throughout North America including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, New York Oratorio Society and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.  International engagements have included performances in the Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico and Brazil.  Critics have praised his “rounded vocal beauty” and The New York Times called his voice an “attractive tenor [that] helps define a sympathetic character.”

Universally recognized for his irreverent portrayals of the roasting swan in Orff’s Carmina Burana, Pfund has made the role a pillar of his career with over 150 performances on three continents.  His wide repertoire includes not only the standard Baroque masterpieces such as Bach’s Mass in B minor and Handel’s Messiah but also much of the 20th century canon of concert repertoire including Britten’s War Requiem and the Klaus-Narr from Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder.

While best known for his oratorio work with orchestra, Pfund has also enjoyed success on the opera stage, including performances with Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera, Florentine Opera, and Santa Fe Opera to name a few.  An impassioned performer of contemporary music, Pfund has regularly collaborated with composers and artists in cutting-edge New York venues including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Theater for the New City and The Performing Garage. A consummate recitalist, Pfund regularly presents performances of the song cycles of Schubert, Schumann, Britten and Brahms as well as other celebrated composers of the classical song literature.

Mr. Pfund is the Co-Director of the Idaho Bach Festival. Founded in 2011, the Idaho Bach Festival is set in the beautiful architectural and natural landscapes of the University of Idaho and the Palouse.

Craig Irvin Baritone

Baritone Craig Irvin brings a vibrant sound and commitment to character to each role he portrays. Opera News has hailed his “rich, resonant baritone” while the Dallas Morning News has celebrated his “truly commanding baritone”. While in residence with Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, Craig was seen as Zuniga in Carmen, Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sam in A Masked Ball, the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly, the Doctor/Professor in Lulu, and Ashby in La fanciulla del West. Additionally, he covered the roles of Bottom, the title role in The Mikado, the title role in Hercules, and Escamillo in Carmen (a role he sang in the student matinee performance). In the 2009–2010 season, he returned for a second year with Lyric Opera of Chicago, where his assignments included Angelotti in Tosca as well as covering the roles of Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro and Brander in Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust. Additionally, he was seen with the Knoxville Opera as Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia and as a soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra.

Other role highlights include Private Willis in Iolanthe with Nashville Opera and Don Alhambra in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers with Opera North. In the course of his graduate work at the University of Tennessee, he has been seen with the Knoxville Opera  as Pooh-Bah in The Mikado, Der Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, and Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, as well as Reverend Blitch in Susannah and the title role in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd with the Knoxville Opera Studio. A native of Iowa, Mr. Irvin did his undergraduate study at Simpson College in Indianola under the tutelage of Dr. Robert L. Larsen.