On October 16, 2011, sopranos Nacole Palmer and Molly Quinn will by joined by pianist Bénédicte Jourdois in the world debut of Songs of Ishmael, a song cycle written for the two singers by acclaimed New York composer / conductor, James Blachly. The concert-length work, commissioned by the Unitarian Church of All Souls in Manhattan, features selected texts from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The October performance will kick off an international tour of the concert presented by The Sheep Island Ensemble, a New York–based contemporary ensemble founded and led by Blachly.
In March 2011, Nacole joined Miami-based Seraphic Fire and Firebird Chamber Orchestra for an acclaimed performance of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, conducted by Artistic Director Patrick Dupré Quigley. In the Miami Herald review, critic Lawrence Budmen writes, “Nacole Palmer scaled the dramatic heights of Zerfliesse mein Herz (Melt, my heart), her low tones honeyed and deeply affecting.” Nacole is slated to perform with Seraphic Fire again in the spring of 2012.
Nacole is the soprano soloist for the Theresienmesse, Schöpfungsmesse, and Harmoniemesse, conducted by Jane Glover in the recent release of the Complete Haydn Masses. The box set, released by NAXOS and available on Amazon.com, celebrates the tricentennial of Joseph Haydn’s death. The masses were recorded with the Rebel Baroque Orchestra and the Trinity Choir.
The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans was grooving and singing for the third summer in a row this past July. Children ages 6-16 came to the All Souls Church and Community Center Music Camp, a camp founded by Nacole and fellow singer Molly Quinn in the summer of 2009. The idea for the music camp was born in March of 2009, when Nacole and Molly traveled to New Orleans to volunteer with the rebuilding effort that is still ongoing six years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the culturally and musically rich city. While Nacole missed the camp this year on account of work that took her out of the country, Molly and the crew were going strong, and the kids had a great week learning, making music, and meeting friends at the All Souls Music Camp. Click here to watch a beautiful video about the inaugural summer of the music camp.