Modesto Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Brings Verdi’s Epic Requiem to Modesto

MODESTO, CA – The Modesto Symphony Orchestra (MSO) presents Verdi’s Requiem on May 9 & 10, 2025 led by Music Director Nicholas Hersh. The concerts will feature the MSO Chorus, directed by Daniel R. Afonso Jr., and will also feature guest soloists: soprano Alexandra Loutsion, mezzo-soprano Alice Chung, tenor Ben Gulley, and bass DeAndre Simmons.

“Verdi’s Requiem achieves the impossible by being supernaturally massive and intimately human at once,” says Music Director Nicholas Hersh. “By its very nature, a requiem mass deals with subject matter that is considered incomprehensible—perfect for a musical treatment, of course. But thanks to Verdi’s vast experience in opera, he can so effectively combine the orchestra with the human voice to express the complex emotions associated with facing death, whether it’s the terrifying orchestral strikes in the infamous Dies Irae or the sorrowful grief of the Lachrymosa. Everyone should experience the awe and beauty of this piece performed live, and we’re so thrilled to perform it for Modesto.”

 

The weekend also includes the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO) in their Season Finale Concert on May 10, 2025. The MSYO comprises two orchestras with students from grades 5 through 12 and is led by a deeply engaged leadership team. Their Season Finale Concert will feature works by Copland, Schubert, Florence Price, and John Williams. This concert will also feature the MSYO’s annual Concerto Competition winner, Adrian Rodriguez-Mandujano, performing Carl Maria von Weber’s Concertino for Clarinet in E-flat major. Learn more about the MSYO at ModestoSymphony.org/about-msyo.

 

 

Nicholas Hersh, conductor

MSO Chorus, Daniel R. Afonso Jr., chorus director

Alexandra Loutsion, soprano

DeAndre Simmons, bass

 

 

Guiseppe Verdi: Requiem Mass (In Memory of Alessandro Manzoni)

 

Gallo Center for the Arts, Mary Stuart Rogers Theater

1000 I Street, Modesto

 

Pricing: Tickets start at $23

 

Student Tickets available: $15 student tickets available at the Gallo Center Ticket Office. Students can purchase two $15 tickets with their student ID.

Group Prices available: Groups of 10+ receive a 15% discount on tickets. Call (209) 338-5064 for more information.

 

Ticketing Information:
Tickets are available online through ModestoSymphony.org or through the Gallo Center for the Arts Ticket Office at (209) 338-2100.

 

Gallo Center Ticket Office Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am-6:00pm / Saturday 12:00pm-6:00pm

 

Elisha Wells, MSYO music director & symphony orchestra conductor

Donald Grishaw, MSYO concert orchestra conductor

Adrian Rodriguez-Mandujano, clarinet & MSYO Concerto Competition Winner

 

Featuring the works of Copland, Schubert, Florence Price, and selections from John Williams’ Star Wars. MSYO Concerto Competition Winner, Adrian Rodriguez-Mandujano performing Carl Maria von Weber’s Concertino for Clarinet in E-flat major.

 

Gallo Center for the Arts, Mary Stuart Rogers Theater

1000 I Street, Modesto

 

Adult ticket pricing starts at $17

Youth ticket pricing starts at $8

 

Ticketing Information:
Tickets are available online through ModestoSymphony.org or through the Gallo Center for the Arts Ticket Office at (209) 338-2100.

 

Gallo Center Ticket Office Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am-6:00pm / Saturday 12:00pm-6:00pm

 

NICHOLAS HERSH, conductor

American conductor Nicholas Hersh is Music Director of the Modesto Symphony, having been appointed in August 2023 with immediate effect.

 

In the 2023-24 season, Hersh returns to the National, Houston, Baltimore, Colorado, and New Jersey Symphonies, while making debuts with the Springfield Symphony and Wintergreen Festival. Recent include engagements with the Detroit, Grand Rapids, New World, North Carolina, Phoenix, Portland (ME), Richmond, Tucson, Utah, and Winston-Salem symphony orchestras, Louisiana and Rochester Philharmonics, and the Florida and Sarasota Orchestras.

 

Over a remarkable tenure as Associate Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Hersh created the BSO Pulse series, through which he brought together indie bands and orchestral musicians in unique collaborations; he led the BSO in several subscription weeks, and concerts in and around Baltimore; and he directed the BSO’s educational and family programming, including the celebrated Academy for adult amateur musicians. Hersh also maintains a close relationship with the National Symphony Orchestra, leading concerts throughout Washington, D.C. He stepped in to replace an indisposed Yan Pascal Tortelier, on subscription, to great acclaim.

 

Hersh is frequently in demand as an arranger and orchestrator, with commissions from orchestras around the globe for adaptations of everything from classical solo and chamber music to popular songs. His orchestration of Beethoven’s Cello Sonata Op. 69 was premiered by the Philharmonie Zuidnederland in January 2022, while his symphonic arrangement of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody continues to see worldwide success as a viral YouTube hit. He also serves as arranger and editor for the James P. Johnson Orchestra Edition.

 

An avid educator, Hersh has embraced the Young Persons Concert format as a crucial method for orchestras to serve their communities. From 2016-2020, he served as Artistic Director of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras, and he continues to be a frequent collaborator and guest faculty at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.

 

Hersh grew up in Evanston, Illinois and started his musical training as a cellist. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Stanford University and a Master’s Degree in Conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Hersh is also a two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award. Nicholas lives in Philadelphia with his wife Caitlin and their two cats, and in his free time enjoys baking (and eating) sourdough bread.

 

 

 

DANIEL R. AFONSO JR., chorus director

Daniel R. Afonso Jr. has served as conductor of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus since its foundation in 2001 and has prepared several choral works with the ensemble. He is also Coordinator of Vocal and Choral Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. Afonso received a B.M.E. degree from the Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI -Rio), a M.M. degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a D.M.A. degree in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. Dr. Afonso is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has studied conducting with Carlos Alberto Figueiredo, Cees Rotteveel, Eph Ehly, and William Hatcher.

 

Dr. Afonso has performed with choral groups in Brazil, U.S., and Europe, and has previously taught music at the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música, Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNI-Rio), and Doane College, Nebraska. In 1988, he won the first prize and the best performance of Villa-Lobos work award at the Concurso Villa-Lobos de Canto Coral, a national choral competition sponsored by the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Afonso is strongly committed to the performance of new music and has commissioned and premiered many new choral works in the last few years, including several of his own works as well as works by young composition students.  He had his New York debut in 2012, conducting Mozart’s Requiem with members of the MSO Chorus and students from CSU Stanislaus at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

 

He is also a composer, arranger, and editor of choral music and has choral works published by earthsongs, Colla Voce, and Alliance Music Publications. He served as composer-in-residence with the San Francisco Choral Artists during their 2014-2015 season and has also written works for the Los Angeles Children’s Choir, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, and other ensembles in the US and abroad. He has written innumerous arrangements for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, including a new version of The Star-Spangled Banner for chorus and orchestra, recently premiered at the opening concert for the 2015-16 concert season. Dr. Afonso is widely recognized for his research and performance of Brazilian choral music and continues to frequently present workshops and lectures about the Latin American choral repertoire.

 

Formed in 2001, the Modesto Symphony Chorus is a regional ensemble of singers of all ages and experience who share a commitment to performing concerts of the highest artistic quality and enhancing the appreciation and enjoyment of choral music among members and audiences alike. Under the skillful and inspiring direction of Dr. Daniel R. Afonso Jr., the MSO Chorus rehearses weekly and performs throughout the season with the Modesto Symphony Orchestra and also for additional community events.

 

Founded in 1976, the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra (MSYO) serves young musicians and their families from more than 40 public and private schools in the Central Valley. Led by a deeply engaged leadership team, the youth orchestra attracts a diverse group of outstanding musicians. Members are presented with the opportunity to share their gift of music in an inspiring and challenging orchestral setting alongside their peers from all social, economic, cultural, and geographical backgrounds. As a program within the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association (MSO), members also have the invaluable experience of interacting with MSO professional musicians, conductors, and visiting guest artists through workshops, side-by-side performances, and clinics. 

 

The MSYO serves students of varying skill levels and is made up of two full-orchestra (strings, winds, and percussion) groups: Concert Orchestra for grades 5-9 and Symphony Orchestra for grades 9-12. The MSYO Concert Orchestra has toured San Francisco, Sacramento, and the Central Valley. Each spring the Concert Orchestra tours through local elementary schools, providing free performances and advocating for the importance of music education. The MSYO Symphony Orchestra has also performed throughout the United States and abroad, including performances in England, France, Japan, Eastern Europe, Canada, and China. The Symphony Orchestra has previously partnered with the Napa Valley Youth Symphony to perform in the 2012 Mahler Festival in Vienna and for the 2014 New York Phil Young Composers workshop, where they performed at Carnegie Hall and in Central Park.

 

ELISHA WELLS, MSYO Music Director
Elisha K. Wells is the Director of Band, Brass, and Orchestra at Fresno City College, and currently serves as the Conductor of the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Before serving at FCC, Elisha was the Horn Instructor and Lecturer at Sacramento State, Stanislaus State, Delta College, College of Sequoias (Visalia & Hanford), Conductor of the Visalia Opera Company, and was Horn Faculty at Cazadero Music Camp (2015-2019). Ms. Wells regularly serves as Acting Principal with the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra, freelances with other regional orchestras in California such as Stockton Symphony, and sits Principal Horn in Sequoia Symphony, and Wind Symphony of Clovis. Elisha performed as a Horn soloist and dancer in the Tony Award-winning Broadway show, “Blast!” from 2002-2003. She has also performed throughout California and Nevada, Walt Disney World in Florida, Australia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the West Coast as a horn soloist.

 

Ms. Wells served as the Music Director & Conductor for the Visalia Opera Company from 2012 to 2015, and has been asked to serve as the Guest Conductor for FMCMEA (Fresno-Madera Cty), TKMEA (Tulare/Kings Cty), Sonoma County CMEA (Bay Section CMEA), KCMEA (Kern Cty), Visalia All-District, Fresno All-District, and SCMEA (Stanislaus Cty), for both Junior High and High School Honor Bands and Orchestras. Elisha is currently the President of CMEA Central Section (Merced/ Mariposa to Kern County) and past President of Friends of the Arts at FCC. Elisha regularly adjudicates All-State & Regional Honor Band auditions. She is also a member of the Local 12 Musicians Union, NAfME, CBDNA, the International Horn Society, and is a noted Artist and Endorser of Robinson’s Remedies-Lip Renew.

 

Elisha studied at Chapman University in Orange, CA, and the University of Houston in Houston, TX briefly. However, her formal studies include a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts with an emphasis in Horn Performance from California State University, Fresno (2009).

 

Ms. Wells feels fortunate to have studied with world-class hornists such as Brian Drake (LA Phil), Nancy Goodearl (Houston Symphony), Dr. Tom Hiebert (Fresno State), David Krehbiel (San Francisco Symphony), and reveres Dr. Larry Sutherland, Dr. Gary Gilroy, Dr. Leanna Primiani, and Professor John Kosher as conducting inspirations and former instructors.

 

ADRIAN RODRIGUEZ-MANDUJANO, clarinet & MSYO Concerto Competition Winner

Adrian spent most of his younger years living in a low-income Bay area neighborhood without a Music Education Program. After moving to Modesto halfway through elementary school, he was introduced to his first Clarinet in an elementary band setting. Since then, he has expanded to be a natural leader, instrumentalist, conductor, and musician. While never having a private teacher, Adrian has evolved his performance level to receive principal seatings in multiple Honor Ensembles–including the Stanislaus County Honor Bands, San Jose State Honor Wind Ensemble the MSYO–and even broadening his musical scope through participating in the Stanislaus County Conducting Symposium (2 years), participating in a Drum Corp International setting with the Blue Devils B, being featured at the CASMEC Youth Composer Symposium for an original String Quartet Work. Inspired by the educational ideals of his area’s music programs, Adrian hopes to become a future Music Educator and plans to study Instrumental Music Education at the University of the Pacific after graduating with the Gregori HS Class of 2025.