Robert Schumann: Frauenliebe und-leben, Op. 42
Gabriel Fauré: Dans les Ruines d’une Abbaye, En Sourdine, Après un Rêve, Fleur jetée
Betty Jackson King (arr.): Ride up in the Chariot
Hall Johnson (arr.): His Name So Sweet
Robert L. Morris (arr.): Gospel Blues from Lyric Suite
Jacqueline Hairston (arr.): Plenty Good Room
H.F. Mells: I Got Religion
Margaret Bonds (arr.): He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand
Hope Briggs, a native of New Jersey, drew a rave review from Opera News for her San Francisco Opera debut as the Duchess of Parma in Busoni’s Doktor Faust “… Hope Briggs was stellar, delivering one of the evening’s highlights with her lusciously intoned, lovelorn aria.”
As a critically acclaimed Verdi soprano, Ms. Briggs is known for the depth and beauty of her voluptuous voice. Ms. Briggs is hailed as “an artist of vocal sensitivity, theatrical wisdom, and integrity.” Her commanding stage presence and moving interpretations have brought her to great success singing title role in Aida with Nevada Opera, Sacramento Opera and Cedar Rapids Opera and Leonora in Il Trovatore with El Paso Opera, Opera Roanoke and Festival Opera of Walnut Creek as well as Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera with Festival Opera of Walnut Creek.
Additional career highlights also include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and The First Lady in Die Zauberflöte at Frankfurt Opera, the Duchess of Parma in Busoni’s Doktor Faust at Staatstheater Stuttgart, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly at Opera Louisiane, the role of Paula in the world premiere of Hector Armienta’s River of Women and Serena in Porgy and Bess at Tulsa and New Orleans Opera. Additional career highlights are Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Micaëla in Carmen and the title role of Suor Angelica.
On the concert stage, Ms. Briggs has performed: Verdi’s Requiem, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Vivaldi’sGloria, Villa-Lobo’s Bachianas Brasileiras, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Hanna in scenes from The Merry Widow with Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Barber’s Knoxville Summer of 1915 with the Symphony Parnassus, Redwood Symphony, Marin Theater Company, and Hailstork’s: I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes with the San Antonio Symphony. As a featured soloist, Ms. Briggs’ numerous performances include: The Opening Night Gala Concert with Oakland East Bay Symphony, The Symphony Parnassus at Herbst Theater, The Wondrous Sounds of Christmas at the San Francisco Symphony, Hope Briggs and Friends: A Musical Valentine at San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, and the World Premiere of Marion J. Caffey’s Three Mo’ Divas at the Lyceum Theater.
Sought after as a recitalist, she has performed for Oberlin Conservatory, African-Americans for Los Angeles Opera, Madewood Music Festival, Afrosolo Music Festival at the Yerba Buena Performing Arts Center, Concerts at the Abbey in Seattle and Caio Melissa in Spoleto, Italy. By special invitation, Ms. Briggs performed for Jessye Norman at Alliance FrançaiseTrophée des Arts Gala and for Rev. Billy Graham at the Billy Graham Crusade.
She is a Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions National Finalist, Metropolitan Opera International Vocal Competition Award Winner, and recipient of an Encouragement Award from the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation. Hope Briggs is also an ABC KGO-TV 2012 African American Salutes Honoree, Marion Anderson Historical Society Scholar and a 2013 Heritage Keeper Award Recipient from Friends of Negro Spirituals.
Bill Quist was educated at the esteemed Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan for five years on a Van Cliburn Scholarship. His education continued with chance meetings and coaching with Ned Rorem, Calvin Simmons, Michigan Opera’s founder David DiChiera and Paris’ own Noel Lee (American composer and pianist). The great composers have always guided Bill’s musicality and education.
Quist has performed with the San Francisco Symphony in Davies Hall, the Concord Pavilion and the Design Center as an extra pianist and celesta player, and rehearsal pianist and singer with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. His choral experience includes being a charter member of the San Francisco Choral Artists (Reference Recording’s Star of Wonder) and singing with Berkeley’s Sacred and Profane Choir and Singers Marin’s a capella group, Just Voices.
He is published with RCA, BMG-Sony, Hal Leonard of Chicago and Windham Hill with his clear take on Erik Satie. He also enjoys performing benefits both public and private and playing for free for the sheer life giving force of music for such organizations as Mimi Farina’s Bread and Roses (for 20 years). The effect of the great classics in music always gives life’s seminal moments special meaning.
Bill is a lifetime, versatile free-lance musician playing, singing, performing, and recording music of the last 500 years. Beyond solo playing, Bill loves playing chamber music, collaborating with singers, singing in chamber choirs, and enjoying the rare art of sharing a keyboard in duet playing.
