HEAVEN IS HERE: MENDELSSOHN & BRITTEN

Saturday, March 9, 2024, 7:30pm
Sunday, March 10, 2024, 3:00pm

All Saints Parish
1773 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02445

Tickets are $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors, $10 for children 10 & under.

COVID Policy: You do not need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test result to enter All Saints Parish. To ensure the safety of everyone, the members of Brookline Symphony Orchestra are fully vaccinated and we strongly recommend our audience members to wear a mask. Please stay home if you are sick or have COVID-19 symptoms; you have been directed to self-isolate or quarantine; or you are awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. Note: These policies are subject to change as the COVID-19 pandemic and community transmission rates evolve.



The first in a two-part collaboration, the Metropolitan Chorale and the Brookline Symphony Orchestra perform Psalm 42 by Felix Mendelssohn and The Company of Heaven by Benjamin Britten.


Drawing inspiration from many texts, Britten’s The Company of Heaven combines instrumental and choral music with spoken word to bring stories of the angels to life. Paired with Psalm 42, which Mendelssohn himself called his “best sacred piece,” this concert is sure to be a celestial treat!

Performer Bios:

Alan McLellan has been entertaining with his voice for many years, ever since discovering the joy of singing as a boy chorister in Vancouver, Canada.  He has continued to sing in choirs throughout his life, and now his voice is also heard on WCRB, as he shares classical music with audiences in Boston and around the world. Alan currently sings with the Cantata Singers in Boston.  Through a career in public broadcasting that has spanned more than 40 years, Alan has served as Music Producer at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Ottawa and Edmonton, and at GBH in Boston. Alan received his Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta, Canada.


Sarah Yanovitch-Vitale is a frequent soprano soloist and ensemble musician in and around the Boston area. With Handel + Haydn Society she has sung the role of Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and solos in Purcell's Fairy Queen, Bach's B Minor Mass, and Handel's Israel in Egypt and Messiah. Ms. Yanovitch has been a soloist with Bach Collegium San Diego, Yale Choral Artists, The Thirteen, Seraphic Fire, TENET Vocal Artists, and Ensemble Altera. Other recent solo credits include Mozart’s Mass in C minor and Coronation Mass, Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Messiah, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Magnificat and B Minor Mass, and Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Ms. Yanovitch is a graduate of the Yale School of Music and holds a master’s degree in Early Music Voice through the Institute of Sacred Music. During her time at Yale, Sarah worked closely with esteemed conductors Masaaki Suzuki, David Hill, and Simon Carrington, touring as a soloist throughout the United States, Italy, France, The Baltics, India, and the UK. She lives in the Providence, RI area with her husband and two young children.


Noted for his "flexible and expressive voice" tenor Michael Merullo is a Boston-based performer rooted in the local opera, musical theatre and choral communities. Michael is thrilled to rejoin the Metropolitan Chorale as their Artist in Residence for the 2023-24 season and is honored to perform solos in their November and March concerts. He looks forward to singing alongside them once again for the Boston Pops in their Holiday Tour. Michael returns to the stage with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in their winter opera: Bellini’s Norma. Next, he’ll sing as a soloist with the Andover Choral Society in their February concert “A Celebration of Bach.” Additional engagements include a concert version of Charles Gounod’s La Reine de Saba (The Queen of Sheba) with Odyssey Opera, tenor recitative from BWV 140, Bach’s cantata titled “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” and performing in the world premiere of the Ouroboros Trilogy of operas. Michael enjoys working with many local companies including Boston Lyric Opera, Concord Players and the Cantata Singers among others. Previous role highlights include Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, A Little Night Music; Arbace, Idomendo and Basilio, Le nozze di Figaro. Michael was awarded second place at the 2014 Piccola Opera Vocal Competition. He also received the Chancellor’s Talent Award at his alma mater all four years of his studies. Alongside his freelance performance, Michael’s joy for storytelling is also shared through his professional real estate services.