Best of Broadway

Maestro Hall is the newly appointed Music Director of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra in British Columbia, Canada. He is also Music Director of the Kennett Symphony in Pennsylvania, a post he has held since 2014. Notable achievements with the Kennett Symphony include consecutive sold out performances, the orchestra’s first free concert, and the first ever commission to celebrate their 75th anniversary. Devoted to forging strong connections between the orchestra and audiences, Hall has created a progressive new concert format designed to enhance and animate the concert experience using non traditional elements, such as narration, visuals, and food and drinks, making the concert experience relaxed and welcoming, perfect for first time concert goers.

Highly acclaimed for his intensity and spontaneity, Hall has appeared with many of today’s leading ensembles, including the Houston Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Pacific Symphony, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Symphoria, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the Windsor Symphony, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Great Falls Symphony, the Bozeman Symphony,  the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Groundswell New Music Ensemble, and the Havant Symphony in the UK, as well as a return to the Tucson Symphony, with whom he has a special relationship and has been a frequent guest conductor in multiple concert series over the past nine seasons. Hall also  works regularly with the Space Coast Symphony in Florida, where he is the newly appointed Principal Guest Conductor.

Formerly Music Director of the Southwest Florida Symphony from 2007 to 2012, Hall’s drive for artistic excellence, innovative thematic programming, and collaborations with celebrated guest artists resulted in unprecedented artistic growth, audience praise, and enthusiastic reviews. Some of the Southwest Florida Symphony’s highlights during Maestro Hall’s tenure include two world premieres commissioned and performed for the orchestra’s 50th anniversary season and pioneering the Orchestra’s first “Discovery” concert– a multimedia educational concert experience designed as an entry point to bring new audiences to symphonic music. Hall also planned, developed and executed the groundbreaking “Glow in the Dark” concert experience. Targeting younger audiences, the program offered real-time program notes accessible on their mobile devices during the performance. This program received national attention in Symphony magazine.

Before being appointed Music Director of the Southwest Florida Symphony, Michael Hall held the position of Associate Conductor with the Pacific Symphony in California, where he developed innovative Family Concerts based on his own original scripts. Hall’s success in California led to his initial three year position being extended to an unprecedented six year tenure. During Michael’s appointment as Resident Conductor with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, he worked with the orchestra in every concert series, most notably in their acclaimed New Music Festival. Upon completion of his tenure, Hall was awarded the “Keys to the City” by Mayor Glen Murray for his outstanding contributions to the arts.

A passionate advocate for music education, both in the concert hall and in the classroom, Maestro Hall has conducted many noteworthy college and youth orchestras including the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University. Hall has also acted as Visiting Guest Artist, Conductor in Residence at Ithaca College’s School of Music, as well as Ball State University’s School of Music in Indiana.

Hall holds a Master’s degree in conducting from the University of Michigan, having studied with renowned conducting pedagogue Gustav Meier, and a DipRAM from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he worked with Sir Colin Davis. While studying in England, Hall also held the position of Assistant conductor of the Havant Symphony Orchestra in the UK.

Recognized for his talent among his peers, Maestro Hall was a finalist in the International Conducting Competition in Besançon France and was awarded Third Prize in the Cadaques Orchestra International Conducting Competition in Spain.

Claire Tendl is a poised and charismatic soloist and ensemble performer with an extensive background in performing. She is currently a sophomore at The University of Florida receiving a degree in Vocal Performance.  Claire also works at The Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville where she regularly performs in masses and solo works. Her most recent performances have included tours with the UF Opera Theater Program throughout Tampa and Orlando. These tours included performing opera scenes from operas such as Carmen as Frasquita, Die Zauberflöte as Pamina, The Mikado as Yum-Yum, and Le Nozze di Figaro as Susanna. She has also recently performed in the Duruflé Requiem and Benjamin Britten’s “Rejoice in the lamb” with The Holy Trinity Church.   She was recently praised for her performance of The Merry Widow with Orlando Light Opera as Hanna Glawari.   Upcoming performances include Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, as the understudy for Rosina this coming Spring 2018 with the UF Opera Theater Program.  Claire is ecstatic to join the Orlando Light Opera Company this summer in the Production of The Merry Widow. She could not be more grateful for this opportunity.

Sean Christopher Stork, lyric baritone, has been singing across the state of Florida since graduating from Florida State University in 2007, including regular engagements with Florida Opera Theatre as well as First Coast Opera in St. Augustine, The Florida Lyric Opera in Tampa, and the Villages Philharmonic and Orlando Philharmonic Orchestras. He has made his unique mark on such roles as Guglielmo Cosí fan tutte, Count Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro, Escamillo Carmen, Procolo Le convenienze ed inconvenienze tetrali, Fiorello Il barbiere di Siviglia, Captain Corchoran HMS Pinafore, and musical theater roles such as Hucklebee The Fantasticks, Rapunzel’s Prince Into the Woods, and Harold Hill The Music Man.

Sean has also been a featured Master Work soloist for such works as Theodore Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ, Franz Schubert’s Mass in G, W.A. Mozart’s Regina Coeli and Requiem in Dm as well as George Friderick Handel’s The Messiah, Giaccomo Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and Ralph Vaughan William’s Five Mystical Songs and Dona Nobis Pacem, and most recently Charles V. Stanford's Songs of the Fleet as a special guest of The University of Florida Symphony Orchestra and combined choirs. A strong supporter of modern music, he has collaborated with local composers in recordings of new works such as The Sculptor, War and Peace, La Nina Carolina, and Starboy. He is also an active composer and arranger, having commissioned works for the Basilica Choir of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, and is principal arranger for The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, and numerous choruses and ensembles.

Beth Green is currently the choral and handbell director at First United Methodist Church in Melbourne.   She recently accepted the role of Artistic Director with the Indialantic Chamber Singers.   She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the studio of Dr. Elizabeth Graham at the University of Florida with her degree in choral music education. Mrs. Green taught elementary school music for over a decade. She was awarded Teacher of the Year and earned the prestigious Music Demonstration School designation twice during her time as Music Specialist at Audubon Elementary.   She has taught school, church, and community choirs of all ages.

Mrs. Green also enjoys conducting and prepared choral groups to perform the Mozart Requiem, Vivaldi Gloria, Handel’s Dixit Dominus, and Bach’s Jesu, Meine Freude with the Dr. Vernon Boushell concert series, singing solos in several of these works. As a founding member of the Gulf Coast Girl Choir in Tampa, Beth credits most of her vocal training to excellent choral conductors. She regularly sings with Brevard Community Chorus, Indialantic Chamber Singers, Riverside Singers, and many Space Coast Symphony Choruses. Beth is married with a 2-year-old son.

Shawn Jesseman is very happy to be performing once again with the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra.  He was last seen as a featured vocalist with the symphony in 2013 as part of the "Broadway from Stage to Screen" concert series.  Jesseman is a singer, actor, songwriter and producer.  He has been classified as both a loud lyric tenor and a lyrical baritone.  Jesseman was classically trained for seventeen years and has appeared in many musical theatre productions throughout the years.  Memorable roles include John Adams in 1776 and Billy Bigelow in Carousel.    Noted for his three and a half octave range,  Shawn Jesseman exists in two worlds:  the world of musical theatre and the world of alternative rock.  His 2nd original album, titled Orion, was released in July, 2017.