Tristan and Isolde - Richard Wagner (Isolde Project), Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre, Poland, August 31, 2019. The Claude Heater Foundation recently reunited the singers in the title roles – Roy Cornelius Smith (Tristan), Juyeon Song (Isolde,) Tamara Gallo (Brangäne), Brian Davis ( Kurwenal ), John Paul Huckle ( King Mark ), Alexander Kaimbacher ( Melot, Shephard, young Sailor ) and video artist Naomie Kremer with Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra – as they presented Tristan und Isolde concert performance to an even greater success, at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Poland on August 31, 2019. The production triumphed under the baton of internationally recognized European Maestro Robert Reimer who has conducted with Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Royal Danish Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, and others. Under his leadership, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra played Wagner’s music for the first time magnificently, receiving an overwhelming, standing ovation from the audience. This receding was recorded and will be released by PARMA Recordings, distributed through Naxos, which is also being submitted as consideration for the 2021 GRAMMY Awards. From Pizzicato - Remy Franck's Journal about Classical music. https://www.pizzicato.lu/bemerkenswerte-tristan-einspielung/?fbclid=IwAR2V4NpIBGkuDskLw1HUk6PNZcgzvnlQSq_QIQvtX763Uu8oT0n4hhdvf9w " When an American independent label launches a recording of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, one might raise the eyebrows as a sign of scepticism. An opera that hardly any opera house can cast satisfactorily, with an orchestra that has hardly any Wagner experience, a petite Korean woman as Isolde and an American Tristan who sang the role for the first time in 2018? But it doesn’t take long, once the recording is started, for scepticism to turn into amazement, all the more so as this is a live recording. The integrity and gripping power of this Tristan cannot be denied. Of course, this recording, which was made in the Penderecki Centre in Luslawice, does not reach the level of the absolute reference recordings of the opera, but it is undoubtedly one of the very good recordings (in my opinion, the top of the list is headed by Karajan-Vickers-Dernesch, Böhm-Windgassen-Nilsson, Furtwängler-Suthaus-Flagstad and Karajan-Vinay-Mödl). The conductor Robert Reimer can undoubtedly take a larger share of this great success. Thanks to his suggestive conducting, the music is powerfully engaging during three and a half hours. With a good dynamic control, many nuances in the colours and an excellent balance, the conductor achieves a lot, but also shows how much he can influence the orchestra, how strong the power of his charisma is on the musicians. The Janacek Philharmonic responds with a very committed, colourful, well-balanced and attentively intense music-making throughout the opera. This is already a good basis for an atmospherically dense, deeply breathed and gripping performance. The American tenor Roy Cornelius Smith is a very sovereign Tristan, who sings vocally so confidently and effortlessly that he can fully concentrate on the interpretation of the role. He loves passionately and dies feverishly, with secure and extraordinarily brilliant top notes and a lot of emotion. Juyeon Song’s Isolde is no less good: her voice may be a little tight and lack the usual timbre qualities for the role, but she is a highly dramatic singer who is completely absorbed in her role and sings a strong, passionate Isolde. You really wonder where this petite singer gets the strength to sing the demanding role with such great vocal power and expressivity. Tamaro Gallo is a great, dramatically impressing Brangäne, John Paul Huckle a good Marke, Brian Davis a reliable Kurwenal. The supporting roles are no less well cast, the choirs are impeccable, and so, as already mentioned, we are dealing here with a quite outstanding recording, also in terms of sound."

You Tube - Prelude from Tristan und Isolde Poland 2019 Tristan and Isolde - Richard Wagner (Isolde Project), Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre, Poland, August 31, 2019. The Claude Heater Foundation recently reunited the singers in the title roles – Roy Cornelius Smith (Tristan), Juyeon Song (Isolde,) Tamara Gallo (Brangäne), Brian Davis ( Kurwenal ), John Paul Huckle ( King Mark ), Alexander Kaimbacher ( Melot, Shephard, young Sailor ) and video artist Naomie Kremer with Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra – as they presented Tristan und Isolde concert performance to an even greater success, at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Poland on August 31, 2019. The production triumphed under the baton of internationally recognized European Maestro Robert Reimer who has conducted with Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Royal Danish Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, and others. Under his leadership, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra played Wagner’s music for the first time magnificently, receiving an overwhelming, standing ovation from the audience. This receding was recorded and will be released by PARMA Recordings, distributed through Naxos, which is also being submitted as consideration for the 2021 GRAMMY Awards. From Pizzicato - Remy Franck's Journal about Classical music. https://www.pizzicato.lu/bemerkenswerte-tristan-einspielung/?fbclid=IwAR2V4NpIBGkuDskLw1HUk6PNZcgzvnlQSq_QIQvtX763Uu8oT0n4hhdvf9w " When an American independent label launches a recording of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, one might raise the eyebrows as a sign of scepticism. An opera that hardly any opera house can cast satisfactorily, with an orchestra that has hardly any Wagner experience, a petite Korean woman as Isolde and an American Tristan who sang the role for the first time in 2018? But it doesn’t take long, once the recording is started, for scepticism to turn into amazement, all the more so as this is a live recording. The integrity and gripping power of this Tristan cannot be denied. Of course, this recording, which was made in the Penderecki Centre in Luslawice, does not reach the level of the absolute reference recordings of the opera, but it is undoubtedly one of the very good recordings (in my opinion, the top of the list is headed by Karajan-Vickers-Dernesch, Böhm-Windgassen-Nilsson, Furtwängler-Suthaus-Flagstad and Karajan-Vinay-Mödl). The conductor Robert Reimer can undoubtedly take a larger share of this great success. Thanks to his suggestive conducting, the music is powerfully engaging during three and a half hours. With a good dynamic control, many nuances in the colours and an excellent balance, the conductor achieves a lot, but also shows how much he can influence the orchestra, how strong the power of his charisma is on the musicians. The Janacek Philharmonic responds with a very committed, colourful, well-balanced and attentively intense music-making throughout the opera. This is already a good basis for an atmospherically dense, deeply breathed and gripping performance. The American tenor Roy Cornelius Smith is a very sovereign Tristan, who sings vocally so confidently and effortlessly that he can fully concentrate on the interpretation of the role. He loves passionately and dies feverishly, with secure and extraordinarily brilliant top notes and a lot of emotion. Juyeon Song’s Isolde is no less good: her voice may be a little tight and lack the usual timbre qualities for the role, but she is a highly dramatic singer who is completely absorbed in her role and sings a strong, passionate Isolde. You really wonder where this petite singer gets the strength to sing the demanding role with such great vocal power and expressivity. Tamaro Gallo is a great, dramatically impressing Brangäne, John Paul Huckle a good Marke, Brian Davis a reliable Kurwenal. The supporting roles are no less well cast, the choirs are impeccable, and so, as already mentioned, we are dealing here with a quite outstanding recording, also in terms of sound."

You Tube - Prelude from Tristan und Isolde Poland 2019 Tristan and Isolde - Richard Wagner (Isolde Project), Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre, Poland, August 31, 2019. The Claude Heater Foundation recently reunited the singers in the title roles – Roy Cornelius Smith (Tristan), Juyeon Song (Isolde,) Tamara Gallo (Brangäne), Brian Davis ( Kurwenal ), John Paul Huckle ( King Mark ), Alexander Kaimbacher ( Melot, Shephard, young Sailor ) and video artist Naomie Kremer with Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra – as they presented Tristan und Isolde concert performance to an even greater success, at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Poland on August 31, 2019. The production triumphed under the baton of internationally recognized European Maestro Robert Reimer who has conducted with Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Royal Danish Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, and others. Under his leadership, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra played Wagner’s music for the first time magnificently, receiving an overwhelming, standing ovation from the audience. This receding was recorded and will be released by PARMA Recordings, distributed through Naxos, which is also being submitted as consideration for the 2021 GRAMMY Awards. From Pizzicato - Remy Franck's Journal about Classical music. https://www.pizzicato.lu/bemerkenswerte-tristan-einspielung/?fbclid=IwAR2V4NpIBGkuDskLw1HUk6PNZcgzvnlQSq_QIQvtX763Uu8oT0n4hhdvf9w " When an American independent label launches a recording of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, one might raise the eyebrows as a sign of scepticism. An opera that hardly any opera house can cast satisfactorily, with an orchestra that has hardly any Wagner experience, a petite Korean woman as Isolde and an American Tristan who sang the role for the first time in 2018? But it doesn’t take long, once the recording is started, for scepticism to turn into amazement, all the more so as this is a live recording. The integrity and gripping power of this Tristan cannot be denied. Of course, this recording, which was made in the Penderecki Centre in Luslawice, does not reach the level of the absolute reference recordings of the opera, but it is undoubtedly one of the very good recordings (in my opinion, the top of the list is headed by Karajan-Vickers-Dernesch, Böhm-Windgassen-Nilsson, Furtwängler-Suthaus-Flagstad and Karajan-Vinay-Mödl). The conductor Robert Reimer can undoubtedly take a larger share of this great success. Thanks to his suggestive conducting, the music is powerfully engaging during three and a half hours. With a good dynamic control, many nuances in the colours and an excellent balance, the conductor achieves a lot, but also shows how much he can influence the orchestra, how strong the power of his charisma is on the musicians. The Janacek Philharmonic responds with a very committed, colourful, well-balanced and attentively intense music-making throughout the opera. This is already a good basis for an atmospherically dense, deeply breathed and gripping performance. The American tenor Roy Cornelius Smith is a very sovereign Tristan, who sings vocally so confidently and effortlessly that he can fully concentrate on the interpretation of the role. He loves passionately and dies feverishly, with secure and extraordinarily brilliant top notes and a lot of emotion. Juyeon Song’s Isolde is no less good: her voice may be a little tight and lack the usual timbre qualities for the role, but she is a highly dramatic singer who is completely absorbed in her role and sings a strong, passionate Isolde. You really wonder where this petite singer gets the strength to sing the demanding role with such great vocal power and expressivity. Tamaro Gallo is a great, dramatically impressing Brangäne, John Paul Huckle a good Marke, Brian Davis a reliable Kurwenal. The supporting roles are no less well cast, the choirs are impeccable, and so, as already mentioned, we are dealing here with a quite outstanding recording, also in terms of sound."

You Tube - Prelude from Tristan und Isolde Poland 2019 Tristan and Isolde - Richard Wagner (Isolde Project), Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre, Poland, August 31, 2019. The Claude Heater Foundation recently reunited the singers in the title roles – Roy Cornelius Smith (Tristan), Juyeon Song (Isolde,) Tamara Gallo (Brangäne), Brian Davis ( Kurwenal ), John Paul Huckle ( King Mark ), Alexander Kaimbacher ( Melot, Shephard, young Sailor ) and video artist Naomie Kremer with Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra – as they presented Tristan und Isolde concert performance to an even greater success, at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Poland on August 31, 2019. The production triumphed under the baton of internationally recognized European Maestro Robert Reimer who has conducted with Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Royal Danish Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, and others. Under his leadership, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra played Wagner’s music for the first time magnificently, receiving an overwhelming, standing ovation from the audience. This receding was recorded and will be released by PARMA Recordings, distributed through Naxos, which is also being submitted as consideration for the 2021 GRAMMY Awards. From Pizzicato - Remy Franck's Journal about Classical music. https://www.pizzicato.lu/bemerkenswerte-tristan-einspielung/?fbclid=IwAR2V4NpIBGkuDskLw1HUk6PNZcgzvnlQSq_QIQvtX763Uu8oT0n4hhdvf9w " When an American independent label launches a recording of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, one might raise the eyebrows as a sign of scepticism. An opera that hardly any opera house can cast satisfactorily, with an orchestra that has hardly any Wagner experience, a petite Korean woman as Isolde and an American Tristan who sang the role for the first time in 2018? But it doesn’t take long, once the recording is started, for scepticism to turn into amazement, all the more so as this is a live recording. The integrity and gripping power of this Tristan cannot be denied. Of course, this recording, which was made in the Penderecki Centre in Luslawice, does not reach the level of the absolute reference recordings of the opera, but it is undoubtedly one of the very good recordings (in my opinion, the top of the list is headed by Karajan-Vickers-Dernesch, Böhm-Windgassen-Nilsson, Furtwängler-Suthaus-Flagstad and Karajan-Vinay-Mödl). The conductor Robert Reimer can undoubtedly take a larger share of this great success. Thanks to his suggestive conducting, the music is powerfully engaging during three and a half hours. With a good dynamic control, many nuances in the colours and an excellent balance, the conductor achieves a lot, but also shows how much he can influence the orchestra, how strong the power of his charisma is on the musicians. The Janacek Philharmonic responds with a very committed, colourful, well-balanced and attentively intense music-making throughout the opera. This is already a good basis for an atmospherically dense, deeply breathed and gripping performance. The American tenor Roy Cornelius Smith is a very sovereign Tristan, who sings vocally so confidently and effortlessly that he can fully concentrate on the interpretation of the role. He loves passionately and dies feverishly, with secure and extraordinarily brilliant top notes and a lot of emotion. Juyeon Song’s Isolde is no less good: her voice may be a little tight and lack the usual timbre qualities for the role, but she is a highly dramatic singer who is completely absorbed in her role and sings a strong, passionate Isolde. You really wonder where this petite singer gets the strength to sing the demanding role with such great vocal power and expressivity. Tamaro Gallo is a great, dramatically impressing Brangäne, John Paul Huckle a good Marke, Brian Davis a reliable Kurwenal. The supporting roles are no less well cast, the choirs are impeccable, and so, as already mentioned, we are dealing here with a quite outstanding recording, also in terms of sound.".

The Claude Heater Foundation presented a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s transformative opera Nabucco, on Sunday, October 20, 2019, at 3:00 PM, at the Congregation Sherith Israel, San Francisco. The lead opera artists for the concert are baritone Kenny Stavert (Nabucco), soprano Juyeon Song (Abigaille), bass-baritone Philip Skinner (Zaccaria), mezzo-soprano Tamara Gallo (Fenena), and tenor Alex Boyer (Ismaele). Conducted the singers and a full orchestra by Jonathan Khuner. " Nabucco in the Temple Conquers Babylonians and Opera Fans " by Janos Gereben from San Francisco Classical Voice https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/claude-heater-foundation/nabucco-in-the-temple-conquers-babylonians-and-opera-fans

Claude Heater Foundation presented Tristan und Isolde Concert Version on August 26, 2018, for the first time as Company's inaugural event. With only 1 Orchestra rehearsal, all soloists debuting the role on the stage for the first time including Conductor. www.claudeheaterfoundation.org REVIEWS Tristan und Isolde, August 26, 2018, at San Francisco Performing Art Herbst Theatre, San Francisco Conductor - Jonathan Khuner Tristan - Roy Cornelius Smith Isolde  - Juyeon Song Brangäne - Tamara Gallo Kurwenal - Geoffry Di Giorgio Melot, Young Sailor  -Alex Boyer King mark Philip Skinner  Chorus Rick Bogart Ching Chang Michael Mendelssohn Khris Sanchez Peter Tedeschi, Michael Grammer Richard Mix, J.T. Williams (with Philip Skinner and Alex Boyer) Orchestra VIOLIN 1  Natasha Makhijani (concertmistress) Vivian Warkentin Dan Flanagan Julie Kim Brian Lee Michael Grossman Jory Fankuchen Gabrielle Wunsch Ilana Thomas Matthew Vincent  VIOLIN 2  Hrabba Atladdottir Rochelle Nguyen Candy Sanderson Cybele D’ambrosio Josie Fath Baker Peeples Katie Button Valerie Tisdel  VIOLA  Tiantian Lan Betsy London Meg Titchener Ilana Matfis Stephanie Ng  VIOLONCELLO  Eric Sung Leighton Fong Beth Vandervennet Michael Graham Miriam Perkoff  BASSPat McCarthy Michel Taddei Alden Cohen  FLUTE Tod Brody Jenny Hunt Amy Likar  PICCOLO Amy Likar  OBOE Robin May Denis Harper  ENGLISH HORN Laura Reynolds  CLARINET Bill Kalinkos Art Austin  BASS CLARIENT Peter Josheff  PERSONNEL MANAGER  BASSOON  Jarratt Rossini Marko Bajzer Shawn Jones  FRENCH HORN Meredith Brown Alicia Telford Katie Dennis Alex Camphouse  TRUMPET            Bill Harvey Lenny Ott John Freeman  TROMBONE       Bruce Chrisp Tom Hornig Kurt Patzner  TUBA                   Scott Choate  TIMPANI             Kevin Neuhoff  PERCUSSION    Tim Dent  HARP                  Meredith Clark  “Done with vigor, sensitivity and vocal stamina. With conductor Jonathan Khuner leading a vivid rendition, and soprano Juyeon Song and tenor Roy Cornelius Smith blazing forth in the title roles, this was an entirely unexpected delight. There was no denying the integrity and power of this Tristan.” – Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/out-of-nowhere-an-excellent-tristan-pops-up-in-san-francisco  “A wonderful event. The Claude Heater Foundation has made a promising, daring, welcome entrance.” – Janos Gereben, San Francisco Classical Voice https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/claude-heater-foundation/operatic-startup-delights-with-a-splendid-tristan Best of the year 2018 in Classical Music “One of the great musical surprises of the year was a concert performance of Wagner’s masterpiece of forbidden love, given Aug. 26 in Herbst Theatre. This is a piece that can challenge even established opera companies, and to hear it done this well by representatives of the Claude Heater Foundation – with soprano Juyeon Song and tenor Roy Cornelius Smith in the title roles led by conductor Jonathan Khuner – defied reasonable expectations.” – Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/year-in-review-salonen-appointment-tops-a-cornucopia-of-classical-delights

Conductor Jonathan Khuner discusses "Va, pensiero" also known as the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves", from the opera Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi. This will be sung in a special Hebrew translation for the Nabucco concert version of complete opera with full orchestra and chorus, presented by Claude Heater Foundation, on Sunday, October 20, 2019, 3pm at Congregation Sherith Israel, San Francisco. Tickets: https://nabucco-sf.eventbrite.com

Gordon Gladstone, Executive Director of Congregation Sherith Israel, discusses the history of the building and its dedication to being part of its community in San Francisco. CSI hosts a performance of Verdi’s Nabucco - a concert version of the complete opera with full orchestra and chorus, presented by Claude Heater Foundation, Sunday, October 20, 2019, 3pm. Tickets: https://nabucco-sf.eventbrite.com

Verdi’s Nabucco concert version of complete opera with full orchestra and chorus, presented by Claude Heater Foundation, Sunday, October 20, 2019, 3pm at Congregation Sherith Israel, San Francisco. Tickets: https://nabucco-sf.eventbrite.com