TMSO Special “Beethoven's 9th”（12/26）
Venue: Suntory Hall Venue Info Seat
Alan GILBERT, Conductor
Christina NILSSON, Soprano
Rinat SHAHAM, Mezzo-Soprano
Michael WEINIUS, Tenor
Morris ROBINSON, Bass
New National Theatre Chorus, Chorus
Alan GILBERT (Principal Guest Conductor)
Alan Gilbert is Principal Guest Conductor of TMSO, Principal Conductor of NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Music Director of Royal Swedish Opera, Conductor Laureate of Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at Juilliard School. He was also Music Director of New York Philharmonic between 2009 and 2017. Gilbert makes regular guest appearances with orchestras including Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Orchestre de Paris, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra. He has appeared at Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Semperoper, and Oper Zürich, among others.
Christina NILSSON (Soprano)
The young Swedish soprano Christina Nilsson begins this season with the role of Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. On New Year’s Eve, Christina makes her role- and house debut at Bayerische Staatsoper as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. The spring will include another role debut; Tosca in Stockholm, which will be followed by performances of Aida at Deutsche Oper in Berlin.
The previous season Christina appeared in two roles at the Royal Swedish Opera, Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro and Aida. In the summer of 2021 Christina was a guest at the Tiroler Festspiele in Austria where she sang the role of Elsa von Brabant in Lohengrin.
Christina Nilsson was born in Ystad in Southern Sweden and received her master’s degree after graduating from the University College of Opera in Stockholm in 2017. In the season of 2017/18 Christina got her breakthrough with her role debut as Aida at The Royal Swedish Opera. Christina was awarded the Third prize as well as the Birgit Nilsson Prize in the 2019 Operalia competition. In 2017 Christina Nilsson was awarded the First prize in the Renata Tebaldi International Voice Competition, and she received the First prize as well as the Audience's prize of the Wilhelm Stenhammar International Competition in 2016.
The previous season Christina appeared in two roles at the Royal Swedish Opera, Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro and Aida. In the summer of 2021 Christina was a guest at the Tiroler Festspiele in Austria where she sang the role of Elsa von Brabant in Lohengrin.
Christina Nilsson was born in Ystad in Southern Sweden and received her master’s degree after graduating from the University College of Opera in Stockholm in 2017. In the season of 2017/18 Christina got her breakthrough with her role debut as Aida at The Royal Swedish Opera. Christina was awarded the Third prize as well as the Birgit Nilsson Prize in the 2019 Operalia competition. In 2017 Christina Nilsson was awarded the First prize in the Renata Tebaldi International Voice Competition, and she received the First prize as well as the Audience's prize of the Wilhelm Stenhammar International Competition in 2016.
Rinat SHAHAM (Mezzo-Soprano)
As much at home on the opera stage as she is in concert hall, Rinat Shaham has portrayed Carmen in over 45 productions worldwide including Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Munich and New York and has collaborated with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Christoph Eschenbach, Christian Thielemann and Alan Gilbert.
Her concert work has seen her perform the role of Judith in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle including in Vienna and Barcelona and this autumn sees her stage debut in this role with the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, a role that she will also record with Karina Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. She has also sung Bernstein in Hamburg and Vienna, Purcell in Helsinki, and is a regular collaborator at the Teatro del Liceu, Barcelona. She returns to Barcelona in 2023 in Marina Abramovic’s The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas.
Her concert work has seen her perform the role of Judith in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle including in Vienna and Barcelona and this autumn sees her stage debut in this role with the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, a role that she will also record with Karina Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. She has also sung Bernstein in Hamburg and Vienna, Purcell in Helsinki, and is a regular collaborator at the Teatro del Liceu, Barcelona. She returns to Barcelona in 2023 in Marina Abramovic’s The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas.
Michael WEINIUS (Tenor)
Swedish tenor Michael Weinius, winner of Seattle Opera’s International Wagner Competition in 2008, has rapidly established himself as one of the leading heldentenors of our time.
He made his professional debut in 1993 as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and thereafter sang a large number of baritone roles, before making the transition to tenor in 2004, with Laca in Jenufa beeing the first tenor role.
Since then he has performed at many leading opera houses in Europe. Among engagements to be mentioned are Parsifal for Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Finnish National Opera and the Royal Swedish Opera, Siegmund for Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Nationaltheater Mannheim and Royal Swedish Opera, Hans Schwalb in Mathis der Maler conducted by Christoph Eschenbach at Opera de Bastille in Paris, Lohengrin at Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Stockholm, as well as highlights from Lohengrin in Baden-Baden with Christian Thielemann, Tristan at the Royal opera in Stockholm, Staatstheater Kassel and ROH Covent Garden, Siegfried in both Siegfried and Götterdämmerung in Geneva, Düsseldorf and Leipzig.
He has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, Marek Janowski, Axel Kober, Kent Nagano, Donald Runnicles, Esa Pekka Salonen and Christian Thielemann.
Michael Weinius also appears regularly on the concert stage, perfoming works such as Gurrelieder by Schönberg, Beethovens 9th symphony, Mahler´s Das Lied von der Erde and The Dream of Gerontius by Elgar.
In 2013 Michael Weinius received from H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf the honorable title of Court Singer.
He made his professional debut in 1993 as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and thereafter sang a large number of baritone roles, before making the transition to tenor in 2004, with Laca in Jenufa beeing the first tenor role.
Since then he has performed at many leading opera houses in Europe. Among engagements to be mentioned are Parsifal for Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Finnish National Opera and the Royal Swedish Opera, Siegmund for Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Nationaltheater Mannheim and Royal Swedish Opera, Hans Schwalb in Mathis der Maler conducted by Christoph Eschenbach at Opera de Bastille in Paris, Lohengrin at Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Stockholm, as well as highlights from Lohengrin in Baden-Baden with Christian Thielemann, Tristan at the Royal opera in Stockholm, Staatstheater Kassel and ROH Covent Garden, Siegfried in both Siegfried and Götterdämmerung in Geneva, Düsseldorf and Leipzig.
He has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, Marek Janowski, Axel Kober, Kent Nagano, Donald Runnicles, Esa Pekka Salonen and Christian Thielemann.
Michael Weinius also appears regularly on the concert stage, perfoming works such as Gurrelieder by Schönberg, Beethovens 9th symphony, Mahler´s Das Lied von der Erde and The Dream of Gerontius by Elgar.
In 2013 Michael Weinius received from H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf the honorable title of Court Singer.
Morris ROBINSON (Bass)
Bass Morris Robinson has performed with many of the world’s leading opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Also a prolific concert singer, Mr. Robinson has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, and at the BBC Proms and the Ravinia, Mostly Mozart, Tanglewood, Cincinnati May, Verbier, and Aspen festivals. He also appeared in Carnegie Hall as part of Jessye Norman’s HONOR! Festival. In recital he has been presented by Spivey Hall in Atlanta, the Savannah Music Festival, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Mr. Robinson’s first album, Going Home, was released by Decca. He is also a featured artist on the LA Philharmonic’s recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 which won the 2022 GRAMMY Awards for Best Choral Performance. An Atlanta native, Mr. Robinson is a graduate of The Citadel and is an alumnus of the Metropolitan Lindemann Young Artists Program. He is currently Artistic Advisor to the Cincinnati Opera.
New National Theatre Chorus (Chorus)
New National Theatre, Tokyo, opened in October 1997 as the only national theatre for the modern performing arts of Opera, Ballet, Contemporary Dance and Play. Meanwhile, New National Theatre Chorus started its career and has played a central role in many Opera performances all through the seasons. Their ensemble ability and rich voices have achieved acclaim from co-starred singers, conductors, directors, stage staffs as well as domestic and foreign media.
