Requiem

Composed and Conducted by

Dr. David A. Zabriskie

Clara Hertado

Soprano

Erin O’Connell

Alto

Rex Kocherhans

Baritone

Ricklen Nobis

Piano

John Gallager

Saxophone

The Chancel Choir of the

First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City

David A. Zabriskie (Composer, Conductor) was born in Bountiful, Utah, thirty minutes from where his Swedish ancestors first settled. He began composing at the age of 12 and, subsequently, earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Brigham Young University and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Music Composition from Northwestern University He is a three time recipient of the prestigious Barlow Endowment, and was honored with the Silver Medal at the 29th Annual Film and Television Festival of New York for best original music.

His compositions are eclectic and vast--from musical theater to video games, oratorios to commercial ad jingles and public awareness films. His extensive body of work includes: Before the War and Israel--oratorios for soloists, choir and orchestra; Starret Lake--commissioned by the Cleveland Octet of the Cleveland Orchestra, aired on National Public Radio; Chatter with the Angels--for saxophone quartet; Savior of the World, His Birth and Resurrection--a musical for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with more than 300 performances over four years; and Light of the World--a musical spectacular for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games.

Of his work, the Chicago Sun Times has written: "…strong and fresh, with an abundance of content..." The Plain Dealer says, “Zabriskie knows what he wants to say and has the technical know-how to express it.  He is a composer well worth watching." His video/pinball games and "serenading slot" machine compositions have earned him the title, "musical pinball wizard," by Screen Magazine.

Clara Hurtado Lee (Soprano soloist) is a highly acclaimed soprano who mesmerizes audiences with her warm and brilliant voice and enchanting performances.  Reichel Recommends described her as . . ."vocally stunning. [Her] singing was fluid, lyrical and emotionally charged. . .nothing less than poetic.” She crosses many genres and feels equally at home on the stage and in the recording studio as shown by her collaborations with  Leo Z, Jenny Oaks Baker, Nathan Pacheco, Emmet Cahill, Nicole Pinnell, and GENTRI. Clara performs with several prestigious organizations locally and abroad including: Utah Opera & Utah Symphony, The Orchestra at Temple Square, Salt Lake Choral Artists, Mask Fest (International New Music Festival, Republic of San Marino), The World Symposium on Choral Music (Barcelona), and La Musica Lirica (Italy).

Erin O’Connell (Alto soloist) grew up in a musical family and has had the great pleasure of being a member and soloist with numerous choirs and small ensembles. Erin enjoys singing in a variety of genres, with a special love of jazz ballads, folk and blues, and choral music. She is a life-long Unitarian Universalist and, along with her dear friends in the Chancel Choir, enjoyed many memorable and gratifying singing experiences .Highlights of of those include: singing at Carnegie Hall and the Salt Lake Tabernacle, singing with the madrigal group, with The Bleeding Heart Liberals, at pop-up salons and cabarets and protests at City Hall. Thrilled to performing this requiem again, Erin shares her profound gratitude to David Zabriskie for his expressive music, Kathleen Cahill for her exquisite lyrics of “Empty Shirts and Jackets”,, and David Owens for teaching her about the craft, hard work, and the joy of making music.

Rex Kocherhans (Baritone Soloist) has been a featured soloist with many leading arts organizations including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Salt Lake Choral Artists, Utah Baroque Ensemble, and BYU Singers. Recent solo credits include Bach's Passion of St John, Rutter's Mass of the Children, Handel's Messiah, and Rob Gardner's production of Lamb of God. Recent musical theater credits include Javert in Les Miserables, Emile de Becque in South Pacific,and Officer Murdock in Titanic. He regularly performs in Edinburgh, Scotland with American Performing Arts International at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.