Dec 2021
BYU SCHOOL OF MUSIC Journal
Dr. Mark Ammons, Assistant Director BYU School of Music
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t’s Christmas! The most WONDERFUL time of the year! As we celebrate the wondrous Christmas season with family and friends, we hope you find many joyful things to share in this Christ-centered edition of the School of Music Journal. I would like to share with you two pieces I wrote recently. As you read them, please consider the Savior’s birth, life, mission, Atonement, resurrection, and what He means to you and who He is to you. We wish you and yours the very happiest and merriest Christmas!
Mark
Hope Love Joy Hope Love Joy Three small words. Three words, simple yet often illusive. What do they mean to me? Hope springs eternal. Without hope, all is lost. With hope, we can overcome all. But what if hope feels like a distant memory or forgotten dream? Love conquers all. Love is what we all yearn for. The best love involves a two-way relationship. But what if our love for others and self has fallen dormant and others’ love for us seems lost? Joy is why God created us. Joy is the fruit we earn through doing good. Joy is more profound and longer lasting than happiness. But what if we have never felt true joy, or if the joy we once felt seems buried beneath a mountain of sorrow?
Hope is not as distant as we think. For, in a distant and humble stable, Hope was born. The Hope He provides can be ever with us. True Love, too, was born that night. Eternal Love. A Love that shows us how to love others and self, and in turn, be loved. With Hope and Love came Joy. A Joy that overcomes all sorrow. A Joy that can be ours forever as we seek Him then seek to share that Joy. Hope Love Joy Three small words? Perhaps, when counting letters, only. For in these words is the most profound gift ever given – a baby in a stable in Bethlehem. The Baby who would be and is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our Hope, Our Love, Our Joy.
Who is He to Me? He is my Brother He is my Friend He is my Teacher He is my Example He is my Foundation He is my Safe Harbor He is my Peace He is my Joy He is my Lifeline He is my Anchor He is my Shepherd He is my Lord He is my Master He is my Savior He is my Redeemer He is the One who will bring me safely home to My Father. He is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of Our Heavenly Father in the flesh. He is Jesus Christ, the only one who could and did atone for ALL mankind. He is Jesus Christ, the only one who was resurrected first so that ALL mankind will be resurrected. He is Jesus Christ, and He lives! He is Jesus Christ, and He will return in His glory. He is Jesus Christ.
Q/A with
CJ Madsen
“CJ” Madsen is a graduate student studying choral conducting at Brigham Young University.
about his Opera “He Shall Prepare A Way” Q - Why did you begin writing “He Shall Prepare A Way”?
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At the time that I was encouraged to write this opera, I was 24. This is the same age that Joseph Smith was when he published the Book of Mormon. As I watched the experience of Joseph Smith publishing the Book of Mormon, I was inspired by how he pushed through and did it. It was at that moment that I knew that I needed to do this. And I didn’t know exactly how, but I knew that the Lord would prepare a way. When it came time to figure out a name for the opera, I first thought about, “I Nephi”. I also thought about naming it, “Into the Wilderness”, but then I realized, no...what is the message… “He Shall Prepare a Way”. This is the title because it is the central message of the entire opera. And whenever I’ve had setbacks in this opera, all I needed to do is sing this theme, ‘He shall prepare a way…!
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Q - Who do you envision watching the Opera?
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I don’t envision this opera to be viewed just for those who believe that the Book of Mormon is sacred. I feel like we are in an age of globalism where we need to be aware of other faiths, whether we are religious or not. And we need to understand the sacred texts that define those religions. Whether it’s the Quran, sacred texts of Hinduism or the writings of Confucious. I think there is great value in understanding these texts because ignorance breeds persecution and misunderstanding. And I want people who aren’t members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to come see the opera. How else are they going to understand their Latter-day Saint friends unless they know the stories of the Book of Mormon?
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Q -What has this experience taught you? This experience has taught me that people want this; people want to see good art that testifies of Christ. In fact, my largest donation toward the opera production was by a Christian woman not of the Latter-day Saint faith. It made me realize the power of faith-inspiring music.If a composer gets a desire to do that, they should just go for it and I know that the Lord will prepare a way for that to happen. It has been a fun ride and it’s fun seeing these pieces coming together. I couldn’t do it without the singers, we have a cast of forty. I couldn’t do it without my wife who is going to be directing the staging of this. It’s been a total team effort with the help of her and my three children.
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New School of Music Building Renderings
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onstruction of the new School of Music building began June 15, 2020. Located at the south end of the parking lot and east of the BYU law school, the new building will take two years to complete with a planned completion date of Winter Semester 2023. The new building will house the BYU School of Music’s performance and academic space. “We are thrilled with the beginning of construction on this new building that we hope will bless students and the community at large,” said Ed Adams, Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications. “The Church has a long history of supporting music and the arts, and this new building will expand upon the university’s commitment to producing inspiring and uplifting art.” The 170,000-square-foot Music Building will have four levels and feature more mid-sized spaces for practice and recitals, including practice rooms located on the upper floor. The cornerstone of the new building will be a 1000seat concert hall built in the vineyard style where the performance space is centralized with tiers of audience members rising above them.
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San
I am so grateful for this opportunity to sing and to come to BYU because it has allowed me to study in a place that puts Christ at the center. Everything that we do, every good thing that comes to us, comes through Jesus Christ. One of the things I am most grateful for is having the opportunity to express my testimony of the gospel here at BYU. I find that when I make Him the center of those efforts, that it’s no longer a chore, it’s not just something I have to do, it’s something that I want to do. I’ve been so grateful for that, because I know that, especially in music, it can be really easy to lose what you love about it. As I have kept Christ at the center of my desires, motivation and efforts, I have been able to come to love Him even more and to love
learning even more. I’ve always loved to sing as a kid in the choir. The moment I knew that music was what I was meant to do with my life, was in my sophomore year of high school. I’ve been thinking about opera and was wondering if this is what I was really meant to do. I was able to participate in a production of the Lamb of God by Rob Garner in the Tacoma area. I was not only in the choir, but I also auditioned for a solo and I got one, which was crazy because I was 14 and so many people auditioned for it every year. My voice teacher Dr. Youngs, said something to me recently that was very influential. She said “I am preparing you to not just be able to sing well, but to be able to sing on the stage. I am preparing you to be able to reach the back of
nae
Fujii
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Sanae is a Freshman studying Vocal Performance
As I have kept Christ at the center of my desires, motivation and efforts, I have been able to come to love Him even more and to love learning even more.
the auditorium. I’m preparing you to be able to emote so that people in the back can see you. You’re not there yet, which is okay. But that is the end goal.” I love what she said because it reminded me that the things that we do now, aren’t just for the here and now. They’re not meant for just tomorrow, or next week, next month, or to the end of our lives. What we do here on this earth, in our practice rooms, in our classrooms, at home, all of our efforts are meant to help us reach the culmination of our divine destiny, and that is to live with God again. That is to be more profitable servants unto Him. That is to be the standard on a hill that cannot be hidden. I think when a lot of people hear this they are
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like, “You need to stop being so intense all the time”, but I believe this, I believe that the things that we do matter. Every meaningful decision that we make is a choice between right and wrong and every decision we make should be towards that goal of being like Jesus Christ and living with Heavenly Father The thing that Heavenly Father wants for each of us is to be like Him. And with that, comes a lot of responsibility. I think everything that we do, everything that I do is with that long road ahead in mind. Knowing that I’m going to make mistakes. There are so many things that I have to repent of every day. But as I keep doing that, I get one step closer to that end goal.
Merry Christmas!
Angels We Have Heard on High “Christ the Lord, the newborn King”
Where Shepherds Lately Knelt (Craig Courtney) | BYU Men's Chorus feat. Laurence Lowe, French horn “a child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me”
Savior, Re of My Jason Be Alexande + Jared P Rob Gard
“Savior, redee sou
edeemer Soul | ergman + er Woods Pierce | by dner - 4K
"O Holy Night" by Adolphe Adam, arr. Shawn Kirchner; BYU Singers with Dr. Andrew Crane director
emer of my ul”
“It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!”
From the
Silent Night (Peter Anglea) | BYU Concert Choir feat. Jason Bergman, trumpet “Christ the Savior is born”
BYU School of Music
A Call to All Alumni Join our “Let Your Light Shine” Initiative “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16
We want to hear about your accomplishments! It is time to “Let Your Light Shine”, we want you to tell us about the great works you have done and are doing! We’ll take your “candle” and help it shine. Please email us at musicalumni@byu.edu
BYU School of Music Livestream Check out some of our upcoming livestreams!
BYU Philharmonic
de Jong Concert Hall February 16, 2022 @ 7:30 PM
Winter Choirfest
de Jong Concert Hall February 2, 2022 @ 7:30 PM