Milton Community Concerts
at First Parish
Sing Out Strong: Environmental Voices
Sunday, October 5th at 3:00pm
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On Sunday, October 5 at 3pm Milton Community Concerts presents “Sing Out Strong: Environmental Voices”, a concert exploring the theme of Climate Change. This concert will take place at First Parish of Milton, 535 Canton Avenue, and will be produced in collaboration with White Snake Projects (Cerise Lim Jacobs, Founding Artistic Director). It will feature soprano Hannah Shanefield, baritone Philip Lima, and pianist Timothy Steele.
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The first half of this concert will feature Mr. Lima in a selection of songs highlighting the beauty, power, and wonder of nature. These will include folk songs, sea chanties, and art songs by composers such as Margaret Bonds, Samuel Barber, and Aaron Copland.
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The second portion of the program, sung by Ms. Shanefield, will feature newly-composed songs recently commissioned by White Snake Projects, an activist opera company based in Boston. The texts of these songs have been written by ordinary people in our community, ages 16-77, who were each asked to respond to the question “What does the climate crisis mean for your generation?”. The resulting poems have been set to music by some of today’s most promising young composers.
At 2:00, prior to the concert, a free lecture will be given by Claire Karl B.W. Muller. Claire Karl is coordinator of the statewide climate justice coalition Mass Power Forward, and team member of UU Mass Action.
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Tickets for this concert are “Pay As You Can”. First Parish of Milton is an accessible venue.
Pre-Concert Lecture
Sunday, October 5th at 2:00pm​ - CLIMATE CHANGE LECTURE PRESENTATION
October 5 at 2pm in the Parish Hall at the First Parish of Milton. 535 Canton Avenue
Free lecture presentation by Claire Karl B.W. Müller.
Claire Karl (they/them), the Movement Building Director for UU Mass Action, is a force of nature. They are a 5th generation Germanic settler to Eastern Massachusetts and identify as a white, middle-class, non-binary, small-fat, queer organizer. Their values are curiosity, compassion, truth and people power. They feel called to work with other white middle-class folks on racial, economic and climate justice and joined the team at UU Mass Action in 2020.
They have organized at the local, state and federal level on climate and environmental justice since 2007, winning victories to stop pipelines, transition coal fired power plants to solar and build community. Claire Karl is coordinator of the statewide climate justice coalition Mass Power Forward, which they co-founded in 2015, as well as the UU Mass Action staff lead for Indigenous Solidarity.
Program and Texts
Artist Headshots and Bios
Baritone Philip Lima is a New Bedford, MA native who has sung leading operatic roles in Germany and for regional American opera companies in repertoire ranging from traditional favorites to important works of twentieth century masters, along with comic masterworks of Gilbert and Sullivan. Of particular note have been his featured roles in the world premieres of operas by jazz greats Leslie Burrs, Nathan Davis, and Mary Watkins, and by award-winning composer Larry Bell.
Mr. Lima has appeared as vocal soloist with the Boston Pops and numerous leading ensembles across the United States and in Italy, Korea, and Ukraine in traditional choral masterpieces and important modern concert works, including Lee Hoiby’s setting of the “I Have a Dream” speech of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mr. Lima is featured on the recording of pioneering African-American composer Florence Price’s Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight that won the 2020 American Prize for the Performance of American Music.
Mr. Lima serves as the Assistant Chair of Berklee College of Music’s Voice Department.
www.philiplima.com
Boston-based soprano Hannah Shanefield earns enthusiastic acclaim on operatic, concert, and recital stages alike.
This past spring, Hannah enjoyed being stage director of MassOpera's mainstage production of Händel's Alcina. Additionally, she sang works by Beach, Bernstein, and Odaline de la Martinez in concerts with Horizon Ensemble and Analog by Choice.
In 2024, she co-founded Boston Summer Opera, then stage directed and sang the role of Donna Anna in their inaugural production of Don Giovanni.
Other recent projects and performances include directing West End Lyric's double bill of Antonio Caldara's Il Giuoco del Quadriglio and J.S. Bach's Coffee Cantata, performing with Orchestra Without Borders, debuting the role of Suzel in West End Lyric's L'amico Fritz, and singing the soprano solo in Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem with Arlington Street Church.
A diverse repertory enthusiast, Hannah is passionate about championing new music and the works of underrepresented composers. She has produced, programmed, and performed in several concerts featuring music by underserved artists.
A native of suburban Philadelphia, Hannah holds her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory and Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a minor in Music History from The Hartt School."
Timothy Steele is an active vocal coach, collaborative pianist, and conductor, and is currently in his thirty-fifth year on the opera faculty at New England Conservatory. He has conducted for outreach tours with the Boston Lyric Opera (more than 200 performances for school children) and is a former music director for Opera Providence. He has served as conductor/pianist for more than 225 operatic productions with 33 companies, including Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Wolf Trap Opera, Central City Opera, and Opera Maine. For workshops and rehearsals he assisted with the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera MADAME WHITE SNAKE in productions in Boston and Taiwan.
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He has played for thousands of opera auditions and competitions, assisted as recording producer for two award-winning recordings, and as a vocal coach has worked with both young singers and seasoned professionals. He is currently the producer of Milton Community Concerts and is the music director/organist at historic First Parish Church in Milton, MA. In Boston he has performed with Emmanuel Music (where he played for a decade of weekly Bach cantatas), the Handel and Haydn Society, and the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, among others.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Timothy received his Bachelor of Music from Drake University and a Master of Music from the University of Southern California, where he studied collaborative piano with Gwendolyn Koldofsky.
Lyricist and Composer Headshots and Bios
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Evgeniya “Jane” Kozhevnikova is a composer, pianist, and educator. Her works have been performed at regional, national, and international events. She composes in various styles and genres, from classical to jazz and tango, tastefully blending them. In 2020, she released a jazz-tango album Tango Avenue with her original works and in 2022 an album of her art songs Lift Up Your Hearts. Jane holds two master’s degrees, in Music Composition and Music Performance, from Western Michigan University. She is working on her doctorate degree in Music Composition at the University of Florida.
Oliviana Marie is a composer, conductor, lyricist, librettist, trumpeter and pianist, as well as an accomplished singer, dancer, and actress, currently studying composition at USC’s Thornton School of Music. In 2024, Oliviana became the youngest winner of The ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award (past winners include John Mayer and Cinco Paul) and in 2023, she was the only composer to ever win two awards in the same year for ASMAC’s Composer Competition (The Ray Charles Vocal Arranging Award and The Bill Conti Big Band Arranging Award). She is a four-time Marvin Hamlisch International Music Award nominee in jazz, contemporary pop, classical composition, and winning in 2023 for best R&B song, presented by Clive Davis. Oliviana is the first female composer to be commissioned by the award-winning Camarada Music Ensemble and composed “The Elements,” which premiered in October 2024 at The Mingei Museum, in celebration of Camarada’s 30th Anniversary. Oliviana has written four award-winning musicals! At age 15, Oliviana’s first musical, THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE was mentored by the legendary Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and presented at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Her most recent musical, “CORONA’S CABARET: An Act of Destruction,” where Oliviana portrayed the Coronavirus as a nightclub singer, was the winner of PLAYBILL’S Virtual Theatre Festival. An accomplished conductor, Oliviana assisted Maestro Gustavo Dudamel and director Alberto Arvelo on the LA Phil/Deaf West production of Beethoven’s FIDELIO, as well as the San Diego Symphony’s production of Antonio Estévez’s CANTATA CRIOLLA under the baton of Rafael Payare. Oliviana had the honor of conducting the Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica on her composition “Memento Mori” and has scored a dozen short films including Spin the Bottle (LA Film School), Are We Dead Yet? (AFI) and Sundown (USC). Oliviana is currently a finalist for the American Pops Orchestra’s Inaugural Ruth Wales du Pont Collegiate Composition Competition, and will compete at the beautiful Winterthur Museum in New Castle County, Delaware this March! IG: @oliviana_marie Website: olivianamarie.com
Dión (pronounced: dee-own) Morales was born, raised, and lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and two daughters. He began his orchestral studies as a high school student at Lane Tech College Prep High School in the Chicago Public School system. He received his undergraduate degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music in 2010 and returned to VanderCook for his Masters degree, which was completed in 2021. He has taught elementary and middle school orchestra in Des Plaines District 62 since 2010. The arranging of music by minority composers for school orchestra programs is a project that he has been developing since 2020. Music from this project has been performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra clinic and has won multiple awards.
Alongside his arrangements, Dion is also passionate about writing original works for student ensembles at all levels. As an educator and composer he has used his experience in the classroom to create pieces that students enjoy as well as providing appropriate challenges for the ensembles he is writing for.
Dión is married to Devon Morales. She is the department chair and head orchestra director at Lane Tech, as well as a fellow composer and arranger.
For more information visit https://www.dionmorales.com/
For Sapphire Skye Toth, composing music isn’t just about notes on a page—it’s about weaving tales, sharing laughs, and connecting with incredible people. Hailing from Daly City, California, this Filipina-American artist sees each composition as an exploration of the deep emotions and vibrant stories that shape our world. As a queer woman of color and a globe-trotter, Toth is passionate about writing music that shines a light on the rich diversity of voices often missing from the classical canon.
Toth’s creative process thrives in the warmth of a laid-back jam session, where the best ideas come from a shared moment of inspiration with friends. Her compositions range from cinematic film scores such as Kwakiutl Lynn Dreher’s The Diary of Michael Shiner to intimate chamber pieces, such as her piece Glass Cannon for viola, clarinet and piano. Each piece crafted to inspire, console and celebrate the complexities of the human experience.
With a B.A. in Music Composition from the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and an M.S. in Arts Administration from Boston University, Toth has grounded her craft in both skill and heart. Now based in Boston, you might spot her soaking up the atmosphere at a stand-up comedy club, moving to the beat in a dance class, or finding quiet inspiration among the stacks at the library. Sapphire Skye Toth is a BMI artist and represented by Trudy Chan at Black Tea Music for commissions and sheet music sales. To learn more go to https://www.sapphiretoth.com or email info@blackteamusic.com
Raejéan N. Hill (b. 1994) is a composer and lyric soprano from southern New Jersey and based in Baltimore. She enjoys composing for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, concert choir, concert band, and big band. In 2017, she was commissioned by Symphony No. 1 to write a jazz arrangement of Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre for L’Histoire septet. As a performer, Raejéan has been featured as the second soprano soloist in Bach’s Magnificat for the Morgan State University Choir.
Raejéan earned both her master of arts in music theory and composition and her bachelor of arts in music performance from Morgan State University where she studied composition with Dr. James Lee III. In her spare time, Raejéan enjoys sewing, crocheting, and traveling.
Emecheta Christian is a writer, illustrator, and Computer Scientist from Nigeria. His fiction and poetry have appeared in many online publications and magazines. He also writes songs whenever he is inspired by a tune or some music lyrics. Christian enjoys reading, watching movies, and getting lost in his imaginations. He graduated from the University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science . He hopes to travel the world soon and stream it for everybody to see how beautiful our planet is.
Fatoumata Juwara is from Gambia. She moved to the US in 2022 and she now lives in Boston, Dorchester. She is currently a senior at BINcA.
Beatriz Pugeda is a Boston-based writer, editor, and project coordinator at an independent bookseller. She recently graduated with her BA in English from Boston College, where she received several departmental awards and distinctions for her published fiction and poetry on campus. Originally from Gig Harbor, Washington, Beatriz was raised under the pacific northwest rain by a small community of mighty Filipino immigrants. They are her sunshine. It is because of their undying support from the other side of the country that she can follow her dream of becoming a writer in the big city. Her latest projects include editing for the local literary journal, The Quinobequin Review, and fulfilling neighborhood requests for free, anonymous, typewritten poetry.
JOAN ROSS SORKIN is an opera librettist, musical theatre bookwriter and lyricist, and playwright. She is collaborating with composer Anthony Davis on The Reef, based on the novel by Edith Wharton. Berkshire Opera Festival presented Act I at Merkin Hall (NYC, 2024). The project is also supported by The Mount, Edith Wharton’s historic home in The Berkshires, and Joan was a guest speaker in The Mount’s “Wharton Revisited” 2024 Summer Lecture Series and a guest speaker in their on-line book club in March, 2024. She and Davis were Finalists for the 2018 Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize. Her libretto was presented by The Center for Contemporary Opera’s Prima Parole program and Libretto Slam! Her opera Strange Fruit with composer Chandler Carter was developed at New York City Opera’s VOX, commissioned and premiered by Long Leaf Opera, and presented in concert by The Harlem School of the Arts in association with New York City Opera. Materials are archived at The Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture. Her opera White Witch: A Monodrama for Contralto and Percussion with composer Brian Schober premiered at Symphony Space, followed by a concert at Roulette and a production at Salem State University. Sorkin has three new opera projects, Jubilee with composer Randy Klein, Paradise Bound with Steve Wallace, and Roman Fever with Louis Karchin. She has been a grant adjudicator for Opera America.
Sorkin is the bookwriter and lyricist for the new musical Black Swan Blues, also with composer Klein. Her other musicals include: Bordello, Imagining Monet, In The Theatre, The Real McCoy, and Dandelion (licensed by Dramatic Publishing), together with her award-winning family musicals Isabelle and The Pretty Ugly Spell and Go Green! Her favorite play is (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story (Emerging Artists Theatre, Chicago Humanities Festival, Jefferson Playhouse, and Schoolhouse Theater) with Drama Desk and Black Theatre Alliance nominations for Capathia Jenkins as Hattie. Materials are also archived in The Schomburg Center. Other plays have been produced in NYC and regionally. Her new COVID play, This Is Serious, was nominated as Best Play of The Year by TheaterMakers Studio.
Joan is a member of The Dramatists Guild (Opera Committee), BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, ASCAP, Opera America, and Board of The York Theatre Company. www.joanrosssorkin.com
Beatriz Pugeda is a Boston-based writer, editor, and project coordinator at an independent bookseller. She recently graduated with her BA in English from Boston College, where she received several departmental awards and distinctions for her published fiction and poetry on campus. Originally from Gig Harbor, Washington, Beatriz was raised under the pacific northwest rain by a small community of mighty Filipino immigrants. They are her sunshine. It is because of their undying support from the other side of the country that she can follow her dream of becoming a writer in the big city. Her latest projects include editing for the local literary journal, The Quinobequin Review, and fulfilling neighborhood requests for free, anonymous, typewritten poetry.