The Hinesburg Artist Series will present its 27th annual concert on Sunday, March 16, at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at St. Jude Catholic Church in Hinesburg. The South County Chorus and Hinesburg Artist Series Orchestra under the direction of Rufus Patrick will perform the inspiring Faure Requiem and selections from Part II and III of Handel’s Messiah.
“We performed the Faure Requiem in 2013, and the response was incredibly positive,” said Rufus Patrick, HAS Music Director and founder of the organization. “We are very excited to share the joy of this spectacular music with the community again this year.”
The South County Chorus and Hinesburg Artist Series Orchestra will also present Sky-Born Music from Sing Evermore! by Gwyneth Walker, and Lord Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace by Mary McDonald.
As a special treat, the Hinesburg Artist Series welcomes guest artist baritone David Rugger for his first performance with HAS; and Amy Frostman, who has been a featured vocalist in several HAS concerts.
“We are so grateful to our community for supporting our performances, especially Lantman’s Market, which is once again a major sponsor of the Hinesburg Artist Series,” said Patrick.
Tickets for the concert are $25 (free for children under 12) and available at the door or on the HAS website, hinesburgartistseries.org.
Meet the guest artists:
David Rugger – With a voice praised for its “dark-hued splendor” (San Francisco Gate), baritone David Rugger specializes in oratorio, early music, and ensemble singing. Recent highlights include collaborations with Upper Valley Baroque, the Taconic Quartet, Bourbon Baroque, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Bach Society of Dayton, Washington Bach Consort, Bach Collegium San Diego, Alchymy Viols, Bach Akademie Charlotte, Mountainside Baroque, and several Bach cantata series. David has also performed as an ensemble musician with Vocal Arts Ensemble (Cincinnati), Zenith Ensemble, Seraphic Fire, and Conspirare. Rugger is an alum of the American Bach Soloists Academy and was a Virginia Best Adams Fellow at the Carmel Bach Festival.
A scholar as well as a performer, Rugger earned his PhD in musicology from Indiana University, where he also studied voice and was active in the Historical Performance Institute. Rugger currently lives in southern Vermont in an old farmhouse nestled on the western face of the Green Mountains with his spouse, dogs, cat, and chickens. He loves doing things inefficiently by hand, like woodworking and baking sourdough. During the week, Rugger works in the library at his local high school, valiantly trying to get students to read an actual, physical book.
Amy Frostman – Amy Frostman grew up in Moretown, Vermont, where she attended Harwood Union High School. While there, she performed in numerous school musicals and choral festivals. In 1999, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She moved back to Vermont and began her career teaching general music at Orchard Elementary School in South Burlington, where she can still be found sharing her love of music with children. She has sung with numerous local groups, including Counterpoint, Simple Gifts, Oriana, the VSO Chorus, South County Chorus, and In Accord. Amy has appeared as a featured soloist with the Hinesburg Artist Series, the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra, and the VSO Pops. For over a decade, Amy has enjoyed singing the alto arias in the Rutland Area Chorus’ annual “Messiah.” She occasionally cantors at St. John Vianney Catholic Church. She resides in South Burlington with her husband Dan, and their children, Sam and Max.
Brooke Carleton – Brooke studied flute and saxophone at Skidmore College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Technology, which culminated in the designing of a computer program for the music department to help students with ear training. After college, she took a hiatus from music and spent time as a National Park ranger and bicycle tour guide.
After her third child was born, she returned to music to enhance her life as a full-time mom, and quickly rediscovered her love of ensemble playing. She has performed with the Hinesburg Community Band, the Burlington Civic Symphony, the Green Mountain Mahler Festival Orchestra, The Montpelier Chamber Orchestra, Vermont Symphonic Winds, the Opera Company of Middlebury, The Hinesburg Artist Series Orchestra, and her flute quartet, PipeDreams. She is trained in teaching flute through the Suzuki method and has a small studio at her home in Huntington, VT.
When not playing flute, Brooke spends her time skiing, running, hiking and biking in the Vermont woods with her husband, two daughters (when they visit from college), her son and their dog, Pico.