performers
Gordon Getty
American composer Gordon Getty has made a lifetime of contributions to the world of classical music. He was awarded the prestigious European Culture Prize in 2019 recognizing his extraordinary legacy.
With the November 2021 premiere of his operatic film Goodbye, Mr. Chips, composer Gordon Getty adds a fourth opera to his list of compositions, which also includes works for orchestra, chorus, vocal and instrumental soloists, and chamber ensembles. His staged works have been mounted by Leipzig Opera, Welsh National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Bolshoi Ballet, while his orchestral repertoire has been recorded and performed by the likes of the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, Mikhail Pletnev leading the Russian National Orchestra, and Sir Neville Marriner with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Getty’s life in music is the subject of Peter Rosen’s 2016 documentary There Will Be Music. Recent honors include Legacy Honoree and Artist in Residence for the Young People's Chorus of New York City and an inaugural induction into Opera America's Hall of Fame.
Gordon Getty is a Pentatone artist and his music is published by Rork Music. For more information, visit www.gordongetty.com.
Performances
Gordon Getty's celebrated opera reimagined for film, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, receives a special screening at the historic Cameo Cinema in St. Helena. Getty’s fourth opera is based on the popular 1934 book Goodbye, Mr. Chips and other stories by James Hilton. Directed by Brian Staufenbiel, the film features tenor Nathan Granner, soprano Marnie Breckenridge, baritone Lester Lynch, and bass-baritone Kevin Short. The orchestra of stellar Bay Area players is conducted by Nicole Paiement. Members of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, conducted by Francisco J. Núñez, also perform.
Maestro Constantine Orbelian leads Festival Orchestra Napa and a stellar lineup of soloists in Seasons of Hope, an evening of works featuring stories of courage, sacrifice, and hope. Cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper and vocal ensemble Volti perform Lera Auerbach’s Symphony No. 6, Vessels of Light, a piece dedicated to the extraordinary heroism of Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jewish refugees during World War II.