Program and Artists
The Rhythm Speaks
Original choreography by Adrian Ruiz
Set to the song “Asturias,” composed by Isaac Albéniz (1892) and performed by guitarist John Williams
Performed by Adrian Ruiz
Al and Pat Houston Scholar
Adrian Ruiz (B.F.A. '23, dance) began dancing at the age of 10 at the Northern California Dance Conservatory, where he trained in ballet and modern dance, and found his love for hip-hop, jazz, and contemporary styles. He is currently pursuing his B.F.A. in dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, which was his top-choice school and the one to which he immediately felt a genuine connection. At Boston Conservatory, Adrian was named an Al and Pat Houston Endowed Scholar. During the naming celebration, he was invited to speak on a panel as a representative of the Dance Division. Adrian also represented the Conservatory’s dance program at a welcome event for incoming students, where he spoke alongside Executive Director Cathy Young and the Dean of Dance Tommy Neblett. Adrian is thankful for how Boston Conservatory has challenged him to grow as a dancer. During his time here, Adrian has realized how much he loves the school and the art form, and is deeply appreciative of the unique opportunities that the Dance Division has afforded him. The Conservatory’s training and coursework has guided him to become a well-rounded artist and better express his passion for performance and choreography. Adrian is honored to represent the Dance Division by performing in the 2021 virtual Spring Soirée, and looks forward to continuing his growth as an artist over the next two years.
Partita No. 3 in E Major for Solo Violin, BWV 1006 (1720)
Movement I – Preludio
Movement VII – Gigue
Composed by J.S. Bach
Performed by Gioia Gedicks
Davi-Ellen and Bruce Chabner Scholar
Violinist Gioia Gedicks (B.M. '21, violin) began her studies as a Suzuki student at the Hartt Community Division, studying with Cynthia Knotts and Teri Einfeldt, and is currently pursuing a B.M. at Boston Conservatory at Berklee under the tutelage of Katie Lansdale. Gioia has received several awards and recognitions: she was the winner of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s 2019–2020 Concerto Competition (Boston, MA), Cayuga Chamber Orchestra’s Lee Strebel Memorial Competition (Ithaca, NY), and Springfield Symphony Orchestra’s Rhodes Competition (Springfield, MA), and she was named alternate to the national finals of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Competition. Gioia has performed across the United States and in Germany, Spain, and Canada. She was a soloist with Boston Conservatory’s Hemenway Strings and Conductors’ Orchestra, and was concertmistress for the Boston Conservatory Orchestra and the Berklee Performance Orchestra. Gioia has also performed and coached as an artist in residence for the music festival pianoSonoma, and as an emerging artist with the chamber festival Music from Salem. Additionally, she is a featured soloist on a Cannes International Film Festival Official Selection, as well as featured on several albums released by singer-songwriter Charles Paul. Gioia is the recipient of the John Jorgensen Memorial Award, the Hartt Community Division Director’s Award, and the Abraham M. Huang Memorial Senior Award. She plays a J.B. Vuillaume violin from 1867, on loan from the estate of Wanda N. Rider.
"Par le rang et par l'opulence...Salut à la France" from La Fille Du Régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment, 1839)
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti and set to a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard
Performed by Francesca Mehrotra
Robert C. Volante Opera Scholar
Accompanied by pianist Eoin Clark
Alfred E. Lee Memorial Scholar
Indian-American soprano Francesca Mehrotra (M.M. ’21, opera performance) has been hailed as “a talented and warm actor and singer” with “clear, deft and nimble tone.” She recently made her professional debut as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel with Fort Worth Opera and performed the role of Zelda in The Ghosts of Gatsby with Opera Birmingham at the Opera America New Works Forum. Francesca spent the summers of 2017, 2018, and 2019 as an Emerging Artist at Seagle Music Colony, where she performed the roles of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt), and Zelda in The Ghosts of Gatsby. Additional roles include Norina in Don Pasquale, Nannetta in Falstaff, Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica, and Lucinda in Dark Sisters. Francesca has also appeared as a soloist in the Festival of American Song with Jake Heggie (2018) and John Corigliano (2016). This season, Francesca will be performing the role of Mukhtar Mai in a virtual production of Kamala Sankaram’s Thumbprint at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she is pursuing an M.M. in opera performance. Francesca graduated summa cum laude from Texas Christian University with a B.A. in music and a B.S. in strategic communication.
Nocturne, Op. 33 (1959)
Composed by Samuel Barber
Performed by Eoin Clark
Alfred E. Lee Memorial Scholar
Eoin Clark (M.M. ’21, collaborative piano) is a pianist who has made appearances with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra and the Shoals Symphony Orchestra. He is currently one of three pianists for the Promenade Opera Project’s 2020 season, which includes a series of online recitals with the theme Voices of Change and a modern-day virtual production of Beethoven’s Fidelio. He is an active vocal coach and is the studio pianist for Sara Goldstein Gall. He has also cultivated his love of the French language and culture through his studies at the Stendhal Université de Grenoble in France. He has appeared on the nationally syndicated radio program From the Top and has twice been invited to appear on the local television series Pianists at Work with Amanda Penick of the University of Alabama. He has spent summers at the Tanglewood Music Festival and has attended summer programs at Florida State University, Huntingdon College, and the University of Alabama. Eoin earned his B.M. in piano performance from Boston University and is currently pursuing his M.M. in collaborative piano at Boston Conservatory at Berklee under the tutelage of Jessica Shinn.
"Meadowlark" from The Baker's Wife (1993)
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Performed by Aaron Patterson
Florence D. Berger Scholar
Aaron Patterson (B.F.A. ’21, musical theater) is a senior at Boston Conservatory at Berklee completing his B.F.A. Some of his proudest recent accomplishments have been playing the roles of Emcee in Cabaret (Boston Conservatory, 2019), Junior in Choir Boy (SpeakEasy Stage Company, 2019) and Jim Conley in Parade (Moonbox Productions, 2019), for which he won the Elliot Norton Award for Best Musical Performance by an Actor. He gives glory to God for being able to share his gifts, always with the hope that someone left the theater inspired, healed, or just smiling. While live performance is still largely unavailable because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Aaron reflects on the stories he most enjoyed telling—stories of everyday people being each others’ superheroes. Aaron’s dad would always say, “You can’t lead the people if you don’t serve the people.” It is truly a relief to go into service, and live theater or not, Aaron plans to do just that. He expresses his deepest gratitude to his family—without their support and guidance, he wouldn’t know left from his right—and gives special thanks to Jaimar Brown, who has been by his side in the murkiest of waters that is the COVID-19 pandemic, amidst the ever-present terrorism against Black bodies in America.