Elijah

The Lancaster Chorale will present Felix Mendelssohn’s stirring masterpiece, “Elijah” at Gardner Theatre on the campus of Lancaster Country Day School. A 30-piece professional orchestra and soloists will join nearly 100 singers to present the oratorio under the direction of Dr. Bruce Gerlach.

Baritone Jeffrey Martin will sing the title role of Elijah, joined by his wife, soprano Abigail Martin, mezzo soprano Gwendolyn Bowers, tenor Brenten MeGee, and Isaac Warner, a 13-year-old boy soprano from the Mennonite Children’s Choir of Lancaster. Concerts are set for Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, May 18 at 3 p.m. No tickets are required, but concertgoers may contribute to a free-will offering

Mendelssohn’s oratorio tells the story of the powerful Old Testament prophet Elijah in a series of dramatic episodes that feature some of the composer’s finest music. An oratorio is similar to an opera, but without the theatrical staging. Since its 1846 premiere this oratorio has been enthusiastically performed by more amateur choirs than any other oratorio except Handel’s famous “Messiah.”

Conductor Gerlach discovered his love for choral singing and conducting at Penn Manor High School. He later earned a doctorate in choral conducting from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. He is a professor emeritus from College of the Ozarks, near Branson, MO. He and his wife Margie returned to his native Lancaster after he retired.

Jeffrey and Abigail Martin both earned master’s degrees in vocal performance from The Peabody Conservatory in Maryland before continuing their graduate work at the University of Minnesota. Jeffrey Martin, director of vocal studies at Lancaster Bible College, holds a doctorate in vocal performance and has sung leading roles in many operas in the U.S. and Europe. The Baltimore Sun newspaper has praised him for his “solid tone and exemplary diction.” Abigail Martin teaches voice at LBC and has also performed internationally. She is currently a student of retired Metropolitan Opera star Gwyenne Geyer. The couple has two young children.

Gwendolyn Bowers graduated from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, before completing a two-year apprenticeship with the Houston Grand Opera and the University of Houston. She has sung the mezzo soprano role in “Elijah” with the Rochester Symphony. Bowers has also performed the title role of Carmen from Bizet’s opera in Geneva, Lisbon and Paris.

Brenten McGee graduated from Lancaster Bible College with degrees in voice and Bible and holds a master’s degree in voice and conducting from West Chester University. He is the performing arts associate at Friends Home in Kennett in Chester County and the tenor section leader for the Brandywine Valley Chorale. He also serves as the music and choir director at Millersville Community United Methodist Church.

Isaac Warner is an eighth grade student at Lancaster Country Day School and the son of Carrie and Philip Warner. He was a featured soloist in the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms.”