Twelfth Night

Described as “an absolute gift to see live” (The Nevada Sagebrush), Twelfth Night is a refreshingly new ensemble of historical performance specialists led by keyboardist David Belkovski and violinist Rachell Ellen Wong, formed with the firm belief that art is best explored as a meeting place of the past, present, and future.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s play of the same name, the ensemble strives to invoke a
spirit of boundless revelry, celebration, and community in their programming. Based
in New York City and founded in 2021, the two directors are regarded as key young
representatives of early music: Rachell is the only baroque artist to receive an Avery
Fisher Career Grant and David is the first recipient in the field of early music to
receive the Levinson Arts Achievement Award. In the 2022-23 season, Twelfth Night
was hosted in concert series across the country, including Arizona Early Music
(Tucson), Chatham Baroque (Pittsburgh), Chamberfest Brown County (Nashville, IN),
Music Before 1800 (NYC), and Apex Concert Series (Reno). This year, they were the
only historical performance ensemble to be featured at Chamber Music America’s
national conference showcase. In addition, David and Rachell make their debut
co-directing New World Symphony in Miami. Further 2023-24 concerts include works
of chamber music with fortepiano in Washington state, recitals for Early Music
Seattle and the Heifetz International Music Institute, and an appearance on the
Chamber Music Society of Logan (Utah) series.

Twelfth Night debuts at Carnegie Hall in May 2024 with their most ambitious project
yet, a night of orchestral and operatic masterworks throughout the Baroque.
David and Rachell met during their time as students in the Historical Performance
division of The Juilliard School. Endless hours rehearsing and performing together
confirmed a special chemistry and shared vision, inspiring them to dream up an
ensemble for the 21st century. Through Twelfth Night, they are eager to position
historical performance as an integral part of all performance.

For more information, please visit their website.

Making her mark as an “especially impressive” soprano (The New York Times) , Australian-American Nola Richardson’s repertoire ranges from medieval to contemporary works, including several world premieres. She has been particularly noted for her performances of Bach, Handel and Mozart and has won First Prize in all three major American competitions focused on the music of J.S. Bach (Bethlehem Bach, 2016; Audrey Rooney Bach, 2018; and Grand Rapids Symphony Linn Maxwell Keller Award, 2019).

In concert, recent seasons have featured her debuts with the Pittsburgh, Seattle, Kansas City, Helena, and Colorado Symphonies in performances of Handel’s Messiah in which she was described as “agile and crystalline-voiced…a stand-out” (Seattle Times). Messiah was also the vehicle for her acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut with Musica Sacra under conductor Kent Tritle. She has performed Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate with Grand Rapids Symphony, a Sondheim review with the Boston Pops, Haydn’s Creation with the Akron Symphony, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Portland Symphony and Musica Angelica and numerous works of Bach with the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and the American Classical Orchestra among others. Her debut in Bach’s Coffee Cantata with Philharmonia Baroque was noted for her “graceful ebullience” (San Francisco Chronicle) and performances in Handel’s La Resurrezione and a program of French Baroque music with the American Bach Soloists drew praise for her “lusciously polished…exemplary impassioned singing” (San Francisco Classical Voice).

Past operatic highlights include Nola’s debut at the Kennedy Center with Opera Lafayette (Fraarte in Handel Radamisto) which drew praise for her “particularly appealing freshness and directness” (Washington Post), and a “standout” performance (Opera News) as the First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with the Clarion Music Society. Most recently she has interpreted the role of Apolo in a rare performance of the Baroque Zarzuela Apolo e Dafne by Sebastián Durón. She made her debut with the Boston Early Music Festival in the summer of 2023 performing in Desmarest’s Circé and as Oreste Nunzia in Francesca Caccini’s Alcina.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Richardson took part in a wide variety of virtual projects including appearances with the Atlanta Symphony in a documentary, “In the Key of Bach” led by Robert Spano, solo concerts with Musica Angelica and the Colorado Bach Ensemble, and programs with the National Cathedral, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Seraphic Fire, and Voices of Ascension. In addition to these video productions, her discography includes recent recordings with the Cantata Collective (Bach St. John Passion), the Baltimore Choral Arts (Mozart Requiem), the Boston Early Music Festival (Desmarest Circé), and the Clarion Choir (Rachamaninoff Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom).

In addition to her work in the concert, opera, and early music realms, Nola is also a devoted chamber musician and has performed, toured, and recorded with Grammy nominated ensembles Seraphic Fire, Clarion, Musica Sacra, and Trinity Wall Street. Recently, she has appeared as the soprano soloist for world premieres of choral works by Garth Neustadter, Frank La Rocca, and Wayne Oquin and taken part in additional premieres by David Lang, Hannah Lash, and David Briggs. She was a soloist in the debut performance of Michael Gandolfi’s Carroll in Numberland alongside soprano Dawn Upshaw at Tanglewood, and the dedicatee of Katherine Balch’s these intervals matter.

Nola is the first and only soprano to receive the prestigious DMA degree in Early Music Voice from Yale. Her upcoming season will include performances of Messiah at St. Thomas Church in NYC and with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; Bach B Minor Mass at Alice Tully Hall with the American Classical Orchestra; a return to Carnegie Hall with Musica Sacra in Handel Solomon; and return appearances with Bach in Bethlehem; the Aspect Chamber Series; Seraphic Fire; Ars Lyrica Houston; and the Cantata Collective.

Australian Xenia Puskarz Thomas made her debut as vocal soloist aged 16 on a national tour with Queensland Youth Orchestras going on to further her studies at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QGCU), graduating with first-class honors and the University Medal for Academic Achievement. Subsequently graduating from New York’s elite Juilliard School of Music in 2022, this talented young mezzo-soprano is currently a member of the Opernstudio of the Bayerische Staatsoper.

On the Munich stage, her roles to have included: Kitchenboy in Rusalka, Sandmännchen in Hansel and Gretel, and Dachshund/Woodpecker in The Cunning Little Vixen, Die Vertraute in Elektra, as well as dual roles of Melanto and Minerva (Il Ritorno / The year of magical thinking) at the Cuvilliés Theatre. Xenia Puskarz Thomas has collaborated with conductors including Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Henrik Nánási, Titus Engel and Chris Moulds. In addition to her operatic roles, Xenia has enjoyed several concert performances around Germany and Italy with the Operastudio, including soloist in Elias (Mendelssohn) with Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Duncan Ward, as well as soloist in Requiem (Mozart) and Missa Solemnis (Mozart) together with players of Bavarian State Orchestra.

This season she performs the roles; Mercédès in Carmen conducted by Daniele Rustioni, Zweite Dame in August Everding’s historic production of The Magic Flute, Blumenmädchen in Pierre Audi’s production of Parsifal, conducted by Constantin Trinks, Flora in La Traviata conducted by Francesco Lanzillotte, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with ATTACCA orchestra at the Prinzregententheater, and Servia in Respighi’s Lucrezia at the Cuvilliés-Theater under Ustina Dubitsky. Xenia Puskarz Thomas will make her debut at Salzburger Festspiele in 2024 as Aglaja in Krzyzstof Warlikowski’s new production of Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Idiot, conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla at Salzburg’s Felsenreitschule.

National competition success in the final year of her studies included the generous Opera Foundation for Young Australians Lady Fairfax New York Scholarship and the Tinkler Encouragement Award at the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition. During her time in Australia, Xenia was a 2019 Melba Opera Trust Scholar supported by the Amelia Joscelyne Scholarship, as well as a 2021 young artist at Opera Queensland. She has performed Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) with Opera Queensland and Dorabella (Così fan tutte) with Brisbane City Opera.

Xenia received her Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School of Music in 2022, under the guidance of professor Edith Wiens, while the recipient of the prestigious full-scholarship Kovner Fellowship. During her time at Juilliard, she performed in the 2022 Alice Tully Hall Vocal Arts Honors Recital with Gracie Francis; Ravel’s Shéhérazade in Pierre Vallet’s Liederabend; Bach’s B Minor Mass conducted by Richard Egarr with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; and the role of Aristeo in Luigi Rossi’s Orfeo directed by Mary Birnbaum and conducted by Avi Stein. Puskarz Thomas’ keen interest in early music involves frequent collaborations with New York-based, early music ensemble Twelfth Night, most recently performing Fillide in their performance of Handel’s Cantata Aminta e Fillide, as part of the Music Before 1800 concert series in New York. She will join the ensemble again in May for their Carnegie Hall debut.