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Classic Series

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Saturday
Dec 21, 2024

7:30PM

Alberta Bair Theater

2801 3rd Ave N

$20-74

Immerse yourself in the season’s joy with musical excellence and holiday cheer. Join us for an enchanting evening featuring favorite local vocalists and our Billings Symphony Orchestra as they perform a festive fusion of beloved holiday standards and classical compositions.

Doors open: 6:30PM
Pre-Concert Cues: 6:40PM

This concert will feature local Billings vocalists.

Guest CONDUCTOR & GUEST artists

KALENA BOVELL | GUEST CONDUCTOR

With her distinctive voice as maestra, speaker, and poet, critics praise Panamanian-American conductor Kalena Bovell as “one of the brightest stars in classical music.” (Channel 3 News, Connecticut). Propelled by a steadfast commitment to musical excellence and community access, Bovell has rapidly ascended to international prominence. In 2023, she made history as the first Black woman to conduct an opera in Canada; in 2024, she earned the Sphinx Medal of Excellence—the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization—and was also named a 2022-2024 Awardee of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship.

Bovell’s 2024-2025 season reflects her increasing global demand, making debuts both at home with Opera Philadelphia conducting the music of historic Black composer Joseph Bologne, and abroad to South Africa where she will lead the Johannesburg Philharmonic and KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra. Other debuts across North America this season include Orchestre classique de Montréal, Billings Symphony, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and the Sarasota Orchestra; Bovell also returns to conduct the Louisville Orchestra and the Victoria Symphony in Canada. Following her engagement with the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA National Festival in July 2024, Bovell will go coast-to-coast in the 2024-2025 season to continue her steadfast commitment to the next generation of musicians. In addition to beginning her conducting residency at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she will join the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for Carnegie Hall’s Link Up initiative, lead the 2025 Florida All-State Symphony Orchestra as clinician, and mentor young musicians at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute.

One of orchestral music’s marquee maestras, Bovell has blazed a formidable trail in just the past few years as a leading amplifier and catalyst of Black artistic excellence. After leading Chineke! Orchestra onstage at the BBC Proms, Bovell earned critical praise as a featured conductor on Chineke!’s 2022 album—Coleridge-Taylor, a celebration of the eponymous African-British composer. In addition, Bovell has twice worked with the Kennedy Center as conductor in their landmark artistic initiative, “Reframing the Narrative”, which celebrates the artistry, leadership, and impact of Black ballet dancers.

Much of Bovell’s artistic philosophy stems from her relatively delayed entry to the classical music world. Though Kalena showed promise as a violinist, a lack of musical resources meant her first private lesson would come at 18. Her experience far behind the typical conservatory-trained musician, Kalena found a new home as a conductor, and worked six jobs to fund the many plane tickets, workshops, and conducting lessons required to excel. In hopes of motivating others like her, she has shared her story with the BBC, the League of American Orchestras, the Sphinx Organization, and the III International Women Conductor's Symposium, among many other radio, webinar, and podcast appearances.

A Los Angeles native, Bovell received a Master of Music and Graduate Professional Diploma in Orchestral Conducting from The Hartt School, where she studied with Edward Cumming. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the College of the Performing Arts at Chapman University, which honored her as a Distinguished Alumni in 2021. Outside conducting, Bovell is a published poet and has increasingly interwoven her poetry with her music career. Her original poem, "Tethered Voices," was performed by the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra and set to music by James Lee III.

Kalena makes her home in Memphis, Tennessee, where she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, weight training, and trying new pizzerias.

Amy S

AMY SCHENDEL | PRODUCER & VOCALIST

Amy Schendel loves being on stage with the Billings Symphony. A versatile performer, she is usually found in the clarinet section, but has been a vocal soloist with the Symphony before. Amy's operatic credits include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, the title role in Floyd's Susannah, Mimì in La bohème, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro and others. Some of her favorite musical theatre roles have been the title role in Evita, Francesca in Bridges of Madison County, and Velma in Chicago. Sometimes she can be found around town singing jazz standards with local jazz musicians. Amy is passionate about music education. After 20 years in the classroom, she now oversees music and art teachers in the Billings Public Schools as the Fine Arts Coordinator. She is grateful for the opportunity to live and work in Billings with its thriving artistic community.  

Darren S

DAREN SMALL | VOCALIST 

Daren Small is a distinguished bass-baritone vocalist in the American Northwest. He made his solo debut in Montana State University’s performance of Mozart’s Requiem, setting him on the trajectory to develop his professional singing career alongside his fiery enthusiasm for teaching. He continues to strongly maintain both passions to this day. Small earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Based in his hometown of Billings, Montana, Dr. Small is currently Assistant Professor of Voice at Montana State University Billings. Additional information about Daren Small can be found at darensmall.com. 

Eric H

ERIC HODGSON | VOCALIST 

Eric Hodgson is excited to be returning to the stage as a featured singer with the Billings Symphony Orchestra. Although he is a physician specializing in women with high-risk pregnancy, he has always been an avid musician and singer and was a music and biology double major in college. Eric sang with the Billings Symphony Chorale for their 2017 and 2018 seasons and performed as a soloist in the role of Morales in the BSO’s semi-staged production of Bizet’s Carmen in 2018. Returning to the east coast in 2019, he sang as a tenor for the Arcadia Chorale, a semi-professional chamber choir based in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 2023, Eric returned to Billings and currently sings with the Billings Symphony Chorale and the High Plains Chamber Singers. In addition to singing, Eric is an enthusiastic violist, has a cute new dog named Cody, and serves as the Chorale representative to the Board of Directors of the Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. 

Ashley M

ASHLEY MILLER | VOCALIST 

A Billings Native, Ashley Miller lives and works in New York City.  She has a B.A. from Rocky Mountain College in Vocal Performance, is a Graduate of Broadway Dance Center's Professional Semester, and trained in Allen Schoer's Master Class at The Actor's Institute in New York for many years. As an advocate for financial literacy, she created and hosts the Madam Trader Podcast. 

Jacoby H

JACOBY HOLTE | VOCALIST 

Jacoby Holte was born and raised in northeast Montana and attended the University of Jamestown where he earned his Music Education degree. Jacoby is currently teaching at Billings Senior and enjoys pushing his students to take musical risks.  

As a performer, Jacoby is often described as dynamic and expressive in his presentation. He has starred in Rodger and Hammerstein’s Carousel as Billy and as Scrooge in Alan Menken’s A Christmas Carol. His latest stage performance was as Escamillo in Nova’s adaptation of Bizet’s opera Carmen 

When he isn’t teaching or performing Jacoby can be found in the woods of Montana or Minnesota camping and fishing with his incredible wife, Sydney.  

Sydney H

SYDNEY HOLTE | VOCALIST 

Sydney Holte was born and raised in East Central Minnesota. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education from the University of Jamestown in North Dakota. She then taught in Minnesota and North Dakota before moving to Montana where she currently teaches K-5 general music for the Billings Public School District. Sydney has guest conducted the Montana Youth Sing festival in Laurel, Montana and is one of the four honor choir directors in Billings. She enjoys singing with High Plains, a chamber ensemble, and auditioning and participating in musicals when time allows. Her favorite genres to sing include classical, musical theatre, and jazz. 

Andy M

ANDY MEYERS | VOCALIST 

Andy Meyers recently debuted at the Met Opera, NYC in Wagner’s *Tannhäuser* and has performed with Staten Island Symphony and Missoula Symphony. As a guest director and actor, he has worked at theaters nationwide, including McCarter, San Antonio Public Theatre, Papermill, Arizona Broadway Theatre, and Bigfork Summer Playhouse. He performed in National Tours of Annie, Bus Stop, and A Christmas Carol, and Off-Broadway’s Dames at Sea and Circle of Friends. He is the Artistic Director for Fort Peck Summer Theatre and Season Director for House of Spirits, NYC/Seattle. Andy holds degrees in Musical Theatre and Nonprofit Administration from University of Montana. 

Erin S

ERIN SMALL | VOCALIST 

Erin Small is a prominent teacher, conductor, and vocalist across the state of Montana.  She is an elementary music teacher for the Billings Public Schools and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from Montana State University.  Erin has performed in productions by Venture Theatre, Billings Studio Theatre, Rimrock Opera, and the Billings Symphony.  She is also honored to sing soprano for the High Plains Chamber Singers ensemble and the Montana Choral Artists ensemble.  Erin is excited to be performing with the Billings Symphony once again and would like to thank everyone who played a part in making this evening possible! 

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