forJulie
a concert of music honoring the life of
Julie Guion Steele
1953-2017
March 5, 2017
3 p.m.
PL E A SE S I LE N CE DE VI CE S .
R ES T RO OM S A R E LO C AT E D LEF T OF T HE N AR TH EX .
TH E F LOW E R S A D O R NI N G TH E C HA N CE L AR E I N T HA NK S G IVI N G
FO R T HE L IF E O F J UL I E ST E EL E
B Y TI N A & R EI D A CR E E .
WELCOME
G ood afternoon, and welcome to this memorial concert honoring the life of Julie Steelea treasured
friend to all and stranger to none. I have no doubt everyone present today has a unique story of how
their life intersected with Julies at one time or another. One of her many remarkable attributes was her
effortless ability to immediately connect with everyone she encountered. More often than not, you
quickly realized a beautiful and lasting friendship had blossomed as if you had known her your entire
life.
In keeping with Julies final wishes, today hopes to bring together everyone who meant so much to her
and her family. It is my own hope this concert shares the universal language of music which appropriately
reflects Julies devotion to family, nature, and community.
Beyond Julies memorable outer beauty, it was the interior beauty of her heart and compassion for others
which resonated the most. Her strength of character, combined with her unapologetic stance on social
issues, were a constant source of inspiration to everyone she knew. Julie followed her own path, always
looking forward and never back. She lived life with a tremendous constitution fearlessly facing
challenges with unparalleled tenacity and determination releasing discord and surrounding herself with
as much harmony as possible.
Julie possessed a deep appreciation for music of all genres. After attending one of our annual carol
services, she later shared how much she loved the Austrian carol, Still, Still, Still. On the morning of
her memorial service, a beautiful blanket of snow had covered all of Salisbury the night before. A friend
later consoled me with these profound words: The snow was Gods way of quieting the earth so we could
all be in reverence of Julies life.
It is difficult to express the tremendous void her stillness has created. Planning this tribute over the past
few months has provided a meaningful period of reflection in my own life. I am grateful to Bob, Andi,
and Alex for the trust they placed in me and for the many friends who helped in making this day possible.
While we are heartbroken over the loss of Julie, I hope everyone will find comfort in knowing that Julies
shortened earthly life, so important and precious, is in reality only the beginning of her promised share
in the timeless Life of God. Just for this were we made.
Matthew Michael Brown
THE PROGRAM
Selections from Holberg Suite, Op. 40 Edvard Grieg
Praeludium (1843-1907)
Aria
Sarabande
String Orchestra
James Allbritten, conductor
A Prayer of St. Francis (First Performance) Kenneth Frazelle
(born 1955)
Commissioned in thanksgiving for the life of Julie Steele, 2017
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Marilyn Taylor, soprano
Kenneth Frazelle, pianist
Eclogue for Piano and Strings, Op. 10 Gerald Finzi
(1901-1956)
Matthew Manwarren, pianist
String Orchestra
James Allbritten, conductor
_________________________________
INTERVAL
5 minutes
__________________________________
Selections from the musical, The Secret Garden Lucy Simon
Come to My Garden (born 1943)
A Bit of Earth
Lilys Eyes
How Could I Ever Know?
Lurline Baccari, soprano; Logan Webber, tenor
Alden Pridgen, mezzo-soprano; and Eric Powell, baritone
Matthew Michael Brown, pianist
Selections from the Norvell Childrens Theatre
Reid Leonard, director; Virgie Taylor, pianist
Selected Songs
Clef Hangers
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Taylor Euliss, music director
IN C E LEB R AT IO N OF J U L IE S L I FE , TH E ST E EL E FA M I L Y WE L CO M E S
EV E RY O NE TO A R E CE PT IO N FO LL O WI N G T HE CO N CE R T
AT TH E COU NT R Y C L UB OF S A LI SB U R Y
74 7 CL UB D R IVE
FO R EA S E OF RE CO G NI Z IN G JU IL E S FA M IL Y,
THE Y A R E W EA R I N G TE AL RIB B O NS FO R O VA RI A N CA NC E R A W A R EN E S S .
THE FA M I LY L OOK S F OR WA R D TO JO YFU L L Y SH A RI N G YOU R M E MO R IE S .
THE ARTISTS
Conductor JAMES ALLBRITTEN is Piedmont Operas General
Director and Artistic Director in Winston-Salem, NC. Originally
from Louisville, KY, he began his operatic career with Kentucky
Opera. While a student in Louisville, he was invited to participate
as one of the youngest artists in the San Antonio Arts Festival, where
he was apprenticed to Boris Goldovsky. His conducting studies
began at Indiana University under Jan Harrington, Robert Porco,
and Thomas Dunn. While there he also worked with Glyndebourne
Festival Opera conductor Bryan Balkwill, and Metropolitan Opera
stage directors, Fritz Busch and James Lucas. He came to North
Carolina in 1993 to join the faculty of the North Carolina School of
the Arts where his duties included Artistic Director of the A.J.
Fletcher Opera Institute. There he conducted many performances
including Bellinis Beatrice di Tenda, Mozarts Don Giovanni, and
Donizettis Belisario. Composer Kirke Mechem was so pleased with Allbrittens reading of his Tartuffe, that
he asked him to lead the first act of his new opera Pride and Prejudice in a workshop premiere. As the Principal
Conductor for Piedmont Opera, his repertoire includes Verdis Aida and Un ballo in maschera, Rossinis La
Cenerentola, Wards The Crucible and the opera house premiere of The Light in the Piazza. He has also led
performances for Opera Theater of the Rockies, Opera Carolina, and the Winston-Salem Symphony.
Allbritten spent four seasons as Music Director for the North Carolina School of the Artss illuminations
festival on the Outer Banks, and led the schools Festival Orchestra at Cte Vermeille and for the Flneries
Musicales dEte de Reims in France. Recent projects include the Southeastern premiere of Ned Rorems Our
Town, which was co-commissioned by the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute. Mr. Allbritten will be the tenor soloist
in Salisbury Symphony Orchestras upcoming performance of REQUIEM by Giuseppe Verdi.
KENNETH FRAZELLE is a composer whose music, according
to The San Francisco Examiner, "came straight fromand went
straight tothe heart, an organ too seldom addressed by
contemporary composers." Frazelles distinctive voice blends
structural and tonal sophistication with a lyrical clarity; he has
been influenced not only by his study with the great modernist
Roger Sessions, but also by the folk songs and landscape of his
native North Carolina. Frazelles music has been commissioned
and performed by numerous prominent artists, including Yo-
Yo Ma, Jeffrey Kahane, Dawn Upshaw, Anthony Dean Griffey,
Emmanuel Ax, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center,
Ransom Wilson, Paula Robison, John Adams, the Saint Paul
Chamber Orchestra, Jan DeGaetani and Gilbert Kalish. He has
received commissions from Music@Menlo, the Ravinia Festival
and the Spoleto Festival. Frazelle first received international
acclaim with his score for Still/Here, a multimedia dance theater work for the Bill T.Jones/Arnie Zane Dance
Co. Frazelle has received awards and fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the
American Academy in Rome, and Columbia University, and he was the winner of the 2001 Barlow Prize, the
international competition administered through Brigham Young University. He has held residencies with the
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Rosa Symphony and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Frazelle was a pupil of Roger Sessions at The Juilliard School and attended high school at the North Carolina
School of the Arts, where he studied with Robert Ward. His music is published by Subito Music Corporation.
www.kennethfrazelle.com
In 1992 soprano Marilyn Taylor, having recently returned from
singing engagements in New York and Germany, found herself
teaching at the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA) as a one-
year replacement for a former classmate. During her second year
at NCSA, she formed a professional, collegial, and long-lasting
relationship with composer Kenneth Frazelle. Upon her first
hearing of I went back, a piece he wrote for her in honor of poet
A.R. Ammons' birthday, sounds, images of Kentucky hills and
North Carolina waters moved her to tears. Of his writings she later
said, My voice sat down in this music. It kicked its shoes off and
felt cold bare earth and said, This is home.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, soprano MARILYN TAYLOR
received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University
of Louisville, studying with former German-based baritone Donn
Everette. She began doctoral studies at Indiana University in
Bloomington where she worked primarily with Classical Singer Magazines 2010 Teacher of the Year Virginia
Zeani. At this famed School of Music she also worked with bassos Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and Giorgio Tozzi,
and coach Gary Arvin. She also completed her research document there, Songs in the Wilderness: the Music
and Heritage of Charles Gildersleeve Vardell, which unearthed new information about the life and output of
the North Carolina composer who contributed significantly to the regions musical culture.
Beginning her professional career as Artist-in-Residence with Kentucky Opera, she received accolades for
leading roles there and other regional opera companies. Her concert repertoire has ranged from the baroque
to the avant-garde in the U.S. and abroad with various orchestras and choral societies. She performed for the
opening of the Riverpark Center in Owensboro, Kentucky, sharing billing with John Denver and Florence
Henderson. The New York Times praised her performances of Mahler and Monteverdi with conductor Dennis
Russell Davies, and in Germany she was lauded as a figure commanding respect and attention. A proponent
of contemporary music, she has collaborated with composers William Bolcom, Robert Ward, Warren Benson,
John Harbison, George Rochberg, and noted UNCSA composers Kenneth Frazelle and Larry Dillon. Her solo
CD Return: Art Songs from Carolina, featuring works by Kenneth Frazelle, Robert Ward and Charles Vardell
received critical acclaim. She has recorded with Koch, Albany, G. Schirmer and South Carolina ED-TV,
portraying the role of Alida in Robert Wards Roman Fever, available on DVD.
Soprano Taylor was the recipient of an award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional
Auditions, a generous career grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and in 1990 a George London
Grant awarded to singers demonstrating a full range of singing, acting, and musical talent.
Dr. Taylor joined the Artist-Faculty of the (University of) North Carolina School of the Arts in 1992 at the
recommendation of Piedmont Operas founder, Norman Johnson, where she continues to serve as Chair of
the Voice Department in the School of Music. In 2016 she was honored by the University of Louisville as a
Distinguished Alumna for the School of Music was engaged by the Opera Theater of St. Louis as Visiting Artist
for a Residency with the Monsanto Young Artist Program, as replacement for Denyce Graves enjoyed a two
week residency at the Eastman School of Music, teaching students of Anthony Dean Griffey.
She has served as Master Teacher for the NATS residency program and in in 2009 was bestowed the University
of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. Several of her students have been
winners at the District, Regional, and National Metropolitan Opera auditions as well as local and national
competitions. She is proud to see her students performing on mainstages or as apprentices with the Chicago
Lyric Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand, Spoleto Festival, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater St.
Louis, Zurich Opera, Teatro dellOpera di Roma, and more. She is the teacher of record for noted international
tenors Anthony Dean Griffey and Ren Barbera, recently starring in the One-Tenor Concert with the
Greensboro Symphony.
Originally from El Paso, Texas, pianist MATTHEW
MANWARREN has established a notable career as performer
and artist teacher over years. Currently he is Professor of
Piano at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, a position he
has held since 2006. Since 1998, Manwarren has served on the
faculty at the Adamant Music School during the summers, a
prestigious program for advanced-level pianists from all over
the world.
Recent performances include recitals at the Steinway Piano
Gallery of Charlotte, Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, the
Sundays at the Loft series in New York (Behre Piano
Associates), the Ivories on the Border series in El Paso,
Belmont Camerata series in Nashville, two recitals the
Cathedral Arts Series in Burlington, VT, and recitals at Angelo
State University (TX), Texas Tech University, Carson-Newman College (TN), Tulane University (LA),
Meredith College (NC), and Mars Hill College (NC). A collaborative artist as well, Manwarren performs art
song recitals regularly with tenor Jeffrey Price, and chamber music concerts with members of the Charlotte
Symphony Orchestra, as well as duo piano concerts with faculty colleague Janice Bradner. His CD, entitled
"Youthful Passion and Fantasy, was released in 2015 on the Americus Label and features Schumann's Fantasy
in C Major, Op. 17 and Brahms' monumental Piano Sonata No. 3 in f minor, Op. 5. Manwarren has
commissioned and recorded the piano works by Winthrop faculty member Leonard Mark Lewis, including
Lewis' three Etudes for Piano and Tango.
Matthew Manwarren was awarded a Fulbright Teaching Grant through the Council for the International
Exchange of Scholars, where he had the opportunity of serving as Fulbright artist-in-residence at the
University of Cape Town, South Africa. He frequently serves as adjudicator at local, state, and national
competitions, including the Josef Hofmann Piano Competition, the Daniel Piano Competition, and the
Clavierfest Competition. Most recently, he served as an adjudicator at the Sixth Performer's Festival and
Chamber Music Competition sponsored by the Singapore Music Teachers Association held at the Yong Siew
Toh Conservatory of Music.
LURLINE BACCARI, a native of Newburyport, Massachusetts, is a
recent graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
where she received her Bachelor of Music in the voice studio of Dr.
Marilyn Taylor. While attending UNCSA, Lurline participated in
several opera ensembles including Niccolais The Merry Wives of
Windsor, Puccinis La Rondine and Offenbachs Les Contes
dHoffman. Mrs. Baccari most recently performed as Adele in the A.J.
Fletcher Opera Institutes production of Die Fledermaus and as Anna
Gomez in their production of Menottis The Consul. While studying
at UNCSA, Lurline also participated in Piedmont Operas productions
of Madame Butterfly, The Flying Dutchman, The Magic Flute and
Rigoletto. She is currently a soloist/section leader at First United
Methodist Church of Salisbury as well as a private music instructor.
LOGAN WEBBER, a native of Colorado Springs, Mr. Webber has
performed with The Colorado College Vocal Arts Symposium,
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Opera Theater of the Rockies, A.J.
Fletcher Opera Institute, Piedmont Opera in North Carolina, Ash
Lawn Opera, Chautauqua Opera, the Rural Artists Project in Alaska,
and the American Institute of Musical Studies program in Graz,
Austria. Mr. Webber has performed in productions with the Maryland
Opera Studio including Die Fledermaus, Love/Hate, Cos fan tutte, and
premiered the role of Justice Scalia in a new works reading of the
opera Scalia/Ginsberg. He made his main stage dbut at The Princeton
Festival as Rector Horace Adams in Peter Grimes and recently
performed the role of Spoletta in Piedmont Opera's Tosca. Mr.
Webber received his training from the University of the North
Carolina School of the Arts where he was awarded a William R. Kenan Jr. Excellence Award and studied with
Dr. Marilyn Taylor. Mr. Webber received his Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of
Maryland at College Park in the studio of Delores Ziegler. He is a soloist/section leader at First United
Methodist Church of Salisbury and continues his studies with James Allbritten.
ERIC POWELL is a junior at the University of North Carolina School of
the Arts, where he studies with Dr. Marilyn Taylor. He appeared in the
2016 Princeton Festivals production of Brittens Peter Grimes and as a
soloist in a series of Bach cantatas. He was portrayed the role of Mr.
Lindquist in Piedmont Operas A Little Night Music. Eric has performed
such repertoire as Orff's Carmina Burana, Beethovens 9th Symphony,
Bach's Magnificat. He is a soloist/section leader at First United Methodist
Church of Salisbury, where he has been soloist in recent performances of
Haydns Lord Nelson Mass and Durufl Requiem. Upcoming performances
include the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institutes production of Ariadne auf
Naxos, Opera Scenes and Piedmont Operas LItaliana in Algeri.
ALDEN PRIDGEN, a native of Goldsboro, is a recent graduate of
the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She
continues her studies with James Allbritten. Most recently, Alden
sang in the Ensemble with Piedmont Operas Tosca. Other
Piedmont Opera productions include Madame Butterfly and The
Flying Dutchman. She has also held roles in several A.J. Fletcher
Opera Institute productions including The Consul (Vera
Boronel) and The Tales of Hoffman (Voice of Antonias Mother)
and has appeared in the Ensemble for The Merry Wives of
Windsor, La Rondine and Die Fledermaus. Throughout college,
she nurtured her love for secular music touring North Carolina
as a member of the North Carolina Baptist Singers. She is a
soloist/section leader in the Chancel Choir of Salisburys First
United Methodist Church, where she has been a soloist in recent performances of Haydns Lord Nelson Mass,
Handels Queen Caroline Te Deum and Durufl Requiem. She plans to pursue a dual Masters degree in Music
and Speech Language Pathology.
THE NORVELL CHILDRENS THEATRE, established in 2010, opened with a production of Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The Norvell Theatre, a branch of Piedmont Players Theatre, has established
a new era of youth theatre in Salisbury. The Norvell is home to Piedmont Players Youth Programs, which
includes 5 youth productions per season, seasonal educational workshops, and summer theatre camps.
Students are involved in every aspect of productions, from ushering to backstage. Even the orchestra is
comprised of student musicians! Upcoming productions include Sister Act, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,
Tom Jones, Bring It On: The Musical, and Tom, Dick and Harry.
THE UNC CLEF HANGERS is the oldest and premier a cappella group at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Known for their high energy and tight vocal harmony, the Clef Hangers have released 18
professionally produced albums and won numerous Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards. Performing
for audiences around the country and the world, the Clefs cover classical, country, popular, hip hop, and
contemporary songs.
STRING ORCHESTRA
James Allbritten, Conductor
Violin I Violin II
Corine Brouwer Susan Gallimore
Charles Shafer Josh Weesner
Luci White
Viola Cello
Matthew Troy Elizabeth Cook
Bennett Astrove Moriah Lee
Bass
Stuart McLemore
Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
W ith heartfelt gratitude for the life of Julie Steele, community friends wished to remember her in a
meaningful way with a gift to Hurley Park. This beautiful landscape in the City of Salisbury was
significant to Julie, as it embraced her love of nature and provided her a sanctuary of joy and peace.
On February 8, 2017, the Hurley Park Advisory Board unanimously approved the creation of JULIES WAY,
a path Julie often walked with her husband Bob and friends. The treasured memories shared with her in this
beautiful oasis inspired a legacy gift for path maintenance from Bob Steele and gifts from the following
individuals to create JULIES WAY as a tribute to her life and the many friendships she shared.
Dottie and Tom Abramowski John Messinger
Tina and Reid Acree Deborah and Dyke Messinger
Susan and Jake Alexander Trevor Messinger
Gwin and Matt Barr Boo and Owen Norvell
Lynn and Robert Bertram Mary Willis and Tommy Page
Rochelle and Tom Bost Mary Katherine Edwards Parr
Matthew Michael Brown Julie and Ott Pinkston
Karen and Rudy Busby Mary and Carl Repsher
Boots Carter Jane and John Riley
Debbie and Summie Carter Cindy and Joey Rusher
Christy and Wink Cline Sharon and Dave Skowronek
Kristen and Steve Colwell Janis and Ronnie Smith
Nancy and Frank Eason Hannah Thompson
Anita Edwards Laura and Bill Thompson
Frances and Larry Edwards Paula and Bill Troxler
Monica and Buster Farrington Lane Wallace
Wendy and John Fowler Mona Lisa and Lee Wallace
Nancy and Steve Fuller Vickie and Victor Wallace
Patti and Bob Glasgow Gwen and Bill Webb
Shari and Bill Graham Jan and Danny Williams
Anne Claire Thompson and Jordan Hauser Whitney and Brannon Williams
Hen and John Henderlite Beth and Paul Woodson
Jay Henderlite
Alex and Gary Kenny
Lynn Leonard
Cherry Lockert Appreciation is expressed to
Patty and Bill Mason Alex Kenny, Julie Pinkston, and Laura Thompson
Rick McCombs for facilitating this endeavor.
Cam Campbell McLendon
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S T A N B A C K D EP A R TM EN T O F S A C R ED M U S I C
FI R S T U N I T ED M E TH O D I S T C H U R C H
S A L I S BU R Y , N O R TH C A R O L I N A
