The Best of Chicago a cappella: A 20th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, October 12, 2013, 8:00 pm Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts 915 East 60th St., Chicago
Friday, October 18, 2013, 8:00 pm Wentz Concert Hall 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Sunday, October 13, 2013, 4:00 pm Pilgrim Congregational Church 460 Lake St., Oak Park
Saturday, October 19, 2013, 8:00 pm Nichols Concert Hall 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston
Chicago a cappella
Kathryn Kamp, Soprano Cari Plachy, Soprano Elizabeth Grizzell, Mezzo-soprano Susan Schober, Mezzo-soprano Garrett Johannsen, Tenor Trevor Mitchell, Tenor Matt Greenberg, Bass Joe Labozetta, Bass Benjamin Rivera, Bass
Music Director: Jonathan Miller, Founder and Artistic Director
Chicago a cappella is supported by the Klaff Family Foundation; the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s International Connections Fund; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Villages of Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest; and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Season Sponsors: The Homestead Hotel and Merit School of Music. Media Sponsors: 98.7 WFMT, The Chicago Maroon, and The Naperville Sun.
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A B O U T C H I C AG O A C APPE LL A An ensemble of professional singers founded in 1993 by Jonathan Miller, Chicago a cappella presents an annual Chicago-area subscription series, creates studio recordings as well as live and broadcast-media musical content, and gives performances on tour and in special engagements. Long recognized for vocal virtuosity and innovative programming, the ensemble enjoys a reputation as a leader in the choral field.
From its inception, Chicago a cappella has been a champion of living composers. Since 1993 the group has presented more than 100 works in their world, national, or local premiere. Chicago a cappella has commissioned new music from leading contemporary composers, including Joseph Jennings, Chen Yi, Stacy Garrop, Rollo Dilworth, Tania Le贸n, and Ezequiel Vi帽ao.
With more than 325 concerts to its credit, Chicago a cappella has produced more than 200 performances on its Chicago-based series. On tour, the group has appeared in 13 American states and in Mexico. The ensemble has been heard frequently on WFMT radio and through broadcasts distributed by American Public Media, including the highlyregarded Performance Today. The ensemble has produced eight CD recordings of music ranging from Renaissance masses to contemporary works.
As part of its work to give back to the community, Chicago a cappella has recently expanded its educational community engagement. Current programs include an annual Youth Choral Festival, where small ensembles spend a day working directly with our singers and directors, and a High School Internship Program, a unique multifaceted immersion in the world of both performance and arts administration.
2936 N. Southport Ave., 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60657 Phone: (773) 281-7820 | Fax: (773) 435-6453 www.chicagoacappella.org | info@chicagoacappella.org Founder and Artistic Director..................................................................................................Jonathan Miller Executive Director.............................................................................................................. Matthew Greenberg Box Office & Concert Manager........................................................................................................ Deb Hoban Marketing & Operations Coordinator................................................................................Shaina Farwell Education Outreach Coordinator.............................................................................................Susan Schober Interns..................................................................................................... Alexandra Kunath, Gretchen Waltz Board of Directors Claudia Divis William K. Flowers Helen C. Gagel Joyce Grenis (President) Howard Hush
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Murray Kopelow (Vice-President) Robert B. Linn David Perlman (Secretary) Stephen Shaw (Treasurer) Maria T. Suarez
Committee Members William Thomas Huyck Yvonne Owens Lisa Scott John Sterling
C H I C AG O A C APPE LL A C D S Available in the lobby: $16 each (includes sales tax)
Days of Awe and Rejoicing: Radiant Gems of Jewish Music
Christmas a cappella A celebration of the holiday season with Christmas songs from around the world
Shall I Compare Thee? Contemporary settings of Shakespeare’s timeless words
Eclectric New works, familiar favorites, pop & jazz. “An overflowing cornucopia of choral delights” (ChicagoTribune)
Holidays a cappella Live Live performances of Christmas spirituals, Chanukah songs and holiday music from around the world
Go Down, Moses A stunning collection of spirituals
Mathurin Forestier: Masses World-premiere recording of breathtaking Renaissance church music
Palestrina: Music for the Christmas Season Brilliant Renaissance polyphony by the Italian master Palestrina Best of Chicago a cappella
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PROGR A M The Best of Chicago a cappella: A 20th Anniversary Celebration It Was a Lover and his Lass.....................................................................................John Rutter (b. 1945) Kung Liljekonvalje..................................................................................... David Wikander (1884-1955) Thy Lips (from Kisses of Myrrh)......................................................................Jonathan Miller (b. 1962) Missa “Baises moy”: Credo....................................................................Mathurin Forestier (fl. c. 1500) Been Down into the Sea...................................................... spiritual, arr. Wayland Rogers (b. 1941) Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis (from Trois Chansons)..................... Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) The Windhover.......................................................................................................Paul Crabtree (b. 1960) world premiere, commissioned by Chicago a cappella Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk.......................................... Rufus Wainwright, arr. Patrick Sinozich INTERMISSION from Siete Haiku:...............................................................................Jorge Córdoba Valencia (b. 1953) Un murciélago Sobre arrozal Voy a caballo Salve Regina..................................................................................Johannes Ockeghem (c. 1410-1497) Lo Yisa Goy....................................................................Hebrew folk song, arr. Stacy Garrop (b. 1969) Mama Who Bore Me.....................Music: Duncan Sheik, Lyrics: Steven Slater; arr. Rose Grizzell This Train..................................................................................................... Spiritual, arr. Gwyneth Walker Marge (from Five Romantic Miniatures from “The Simpsons”™)............................... Paul Crabtree Something’s Gotta Give............................................................. Johnny Mercer, arr. Patrick Sinozich Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the ushers. Unauthorized photography or sound recording of any kind are strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Chicago a cappella Youth Programs Chicago a cappella’s Educational Outreach programs aim to serve singers and students of all ages and levels of experience, promoting and improving the lifelong performance, understanding, and appreciation of a cappella vocal music.
Current programs include: • The Youth Choral Festival, a day of workshops, singing, and performing for area high school ensembles. The students work with Chicago a cappella’s artists, and the festival culminates in a concert featuring all the groups and Chicago a cappella. The third annual Youth Choral Festival will be held on March 1, 2014, at the Logan Center for the Arts on the University of Chicago campus.. • High School Internship Program, a unique and innovative program giving talented high school students access to professional musicians, directors and arts administrators in a broad range of settings. In 2013-14 eight talented and motivated students are serving as Chicago a cappella High School Interns, gaining skills gaining skills to further their musical ambitions, including how to rehearse collaboratively, how to sing at a high level in a small a cappella ensemble, and how such activities are supported behind the scene by a nonprofit organization.
How you can be involved: • Help us identify corporate and business partners to support these projects. • Spread the word to schools and community organizations who may be interested in working with us. • Use the envelope in this program to make your own gift today! Your contribution will not only support our education programming. It will also nourish innovative new concerts and world-class CD recordings, and help establish an ever-stronger financial base for our future. For more information about our education programs, contact Susan Schober at sschober@chicagoacappella.org. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Matt Greenberg at mgreenberg@chicagoacappella.org or 773-281-7820.
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F R O M T H E A R T I S T I C D I R E C TO R One of the greatest pleasures from the summer of 2013 has been reading the remarkable book called The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life by Thomas Moore (best known for his earlier book, Care of the Soul). It was an experience of savoring something precious. While reading Re-Enchantment, I felt a real kinship with that book and author—and I had an experience sort of like a homecoming, one that included the making of a physically distant yet emotionally close new friend, someone who understood me down to my bones. I felt that Moore gently gave me encouragement to be more fully person I have wanted to be for my whole life, to let some of my more hesitant parts out to breathe instead of feeling like I have to keep them under lock and key. When you don’t quite feel like you are fully in step with the world you inhabit, as I have felt sometimes, and when some of your deepest preoccupations are ridiculed by the culture at large, it is a welcome soultonic to be told that it’s okay to love myths and fairy tales (as I do), that it’s simply human and natural to want to get swept up in great stories and legends, and that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be connected—every day, if possible—to things that bring awe and wonder into everyday existence (as I most definitely do). It takes something unusual to change our behavior, and I feel fortunate to have read something that allowed me a new level of trust in my own intuition, instincts, and sense of what is right. I feel that I am doing better work, listening more carefully, even eating more slowly, since starting that book. Moore has recently released a new book called A Religion of One’s Own, and I am eager to read it. He has suggested elsewhere that we can
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become “everyday mystics,” in a way that Ken Wilber has also advocated. Furthermore, as much as I love and participate in many traditional religious rituals, we need not be part of an organized religious community in order to have a life filled with the presence of awe, wonder, and spiritual fulfillment. ******** Of course, we can turn to music to pull us into that state of wonder, and, as you can imagine, I frequently do. In reading Re-Enchantment, I was reminded of the main reason that I founded Chicago a cappella in the first place, twenty years ago. For most of my life, I have been enchanted—literally, charmed (from the Latin word carmen, or song, as Moore points out)—by the beauty and power of ensemble singing, ever since I joined a training unit of the Chicago Children’s Choir in 1971, and even before that from singing impromptu a cappella harmony with my family in the car. Singing in groups has taken me to places of sheer joy that no other activity has replicated for me. It was not enough to let those feelings sit inside me alone. I knew in 1993, as I know now, that there is a unique power in combining remarkable singers with remarkable repertoire. I knew then, as I have known for twenty years, that I had to find a way to share that feeling and power with others. I had known first-hand the beauty and almost indescribable joy of working with singers who are in complete control of their instruments and want to use them in an ensemble to create something more beautiful than any of us could do as soloists. How could I not want to share that? I hope that the singers whom you encounter tonight, singing the repertoire we offer to you tonight, will truly enchant you. I hope that you will be transported to dozens of different places, each song taking you somewhere new in your imagination—or, if it’s a song you’ve heard before, that you experience it in a new way. Whether you are hearing English or Latin, Spanish or French, Swedish or Hebrew, I want you to know that it’s okay to just let yourself sink into each song. I invite you to actively do just that. I want you to trust us to take you on a journey designed exactly to enchant you, to pull you up out of your chair and into a new, brief world of sound and poetry and sense and myth and ritual and meaning and feeling, and that, when it all happens over the course of less than two hours, you will emerge cleansed in a sense—that you will have shaken off all the unfinished business of your day, forgotten the little regrets and bothers that rattled you before you got here, and climbed to a higher place from which you can both see heaven and be grateful for our broken earth. We have unusually strong individual singers, and they’re here to transcend their individual talents and create something else. May we therefore behold in wonder as the “extra performer” – the ensemble itself – comes to life and sings with all of the singers on the stage. (My friend John Nygro, when he was directing me in the Harwood Early Music Ensemble’s vocal quintet, identified this for me. He said “You know, I hear six people singing…. I hear the five of you, and then I hear the ensemble. How wonderful.”) It is a special thing indeed, at once a source and a product of enchantment. Watch and listen for it, and you will find it. It is not that different from the presence of the Holy, for it is what every group of people quietly hopes will emerge as they gather together. ******** It takes a tremendous effort to put together what you will experience tonight. The 8
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singers have worked hard to create a sound, a feeling, and a camaraderie that is unique to Chicago a cappella, and which has taken shape in this particular performance over our many rehearsals. They deserve our thanks not only for the work they have done with me to prepare this particular program, but also for the care they bring to their voices every day, the attention they pay to their technique and musicality, the other things they give up so that they can sing ensemble music at such a high level, and their intense and sincere desire to have this be a group of true excellence. None of this is easy, and I am so grateful for everything that they bring to the performance. I want to extend a particular thanks to Matt Greenberg, one of those eight singers who had faith in my wacky idea 20 years ago, and whose tireless work as our Executive Director truly makes the engine of our small staff keep going. Matt and our Board of Directors are the champions of Chicago a cappella who make all of this work behind the scenes. I want to thank Music Director Emeritus Patrick Sinozich for his five years of service, along with all of our Guest Music Directors from last season for their leadership and collegiality, including John Trotter, who will return to music-direct our Gala in May. I am also pleased to be working with Anne Heider and Rollo Dilworth, this season’s Guest Music Directors, and I know that you will enjoy their musical contributions later in the season. I want to thank every single person who has ever bought a ticket to hear Chicago a cappella sing. I also want to thank every one of you who has ever supported us with your financial generosity, your volunteer time, your connections and expertise, and your heart. Everything that you have done matters. We are so grateful to you for the wonderful human community that we have built and that now begins its third decade. ******** May the music that we bring to life tonight be a source of enchantment for us all. May our souls delight in beauty, our ears delight in sound, our hearts delight in poetry, and our eyes delight in the joy that we create together. Thank you for being here to share what I, and all of us at Chicago a cappella, have wanted to share for twenty years. There is nothing more sweet than that. —Jonathan Miller Founder and Artistic Director
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NOTES ON THE MUSIC John Rutter: It Was a Lover and His Lass This fun piece is scored in five parts (SATBB) and is an unusually breezy piece in the mostly serious Rutter catalogue. It was written in 1975 and became the seed for a larger cycle, Birthday Madrigals,that Rutter wrote in honor of jazz pianist George Shearing’s 75th birthday. The poem is from Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It, Act V, Scene 3. It was a lover and his lass, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, That o’er the green corn-field did pass In spring time, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. Between the acres of the rye, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, These pretty country folks would lie, In spring time… This carol they began that hour, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, How that a life was but a flower In spring time… And therefore take the present time, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino; For love is crowned with the prime In spring time… ‘cos the sun shines. For the record: John Rutter’s “It Was a Lover and His Lass” appears on our CD Shall I Compare Thee?. David Wikander: Kung Liljekonvalje This song takes place in a miniature world conjured by a poet’s imagination. Gustav Fröding’s finely-wrought poem creates a single beautiful scene, so complete that it feels like it was cut in whole cloth from a Swedish cousin to JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. (In fact, Fröding and Tolkien both used medieval images and style in their works deliberately, so the kinship is an overt one.) The soaring, plaintive melody and exquisite counterpoint are by David Wikander, a Swedish church musician of the early twentieth century. The piece has carved out such a firm place in Swedish hearts that it is virtually considered to be folk music—a high honor indeed for “composed” music. Kung Liljekonvalje av dungen, Kung Liljekonvalje är vit som snö, nu sörjer unga kungen prinsessan Liljekonvaljemö. 10
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King Lily-of-the-Valley from the grove, King Lily-of-the-Valley is white as snow; now the young king mourns over Princess Lily-of-the-Valley-Maid.
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Kung Liljekonvalje han sänker sitt sorgsna huvud så tungt och vekt, och silverhjälmen blänker i sommarskymningen blekt. Kring bårens spindelvävar från rökelsekaren med blomsterstoft en virak sakta svävar, all skogen är full av doft. Från björkens gungande krona, från vindens vaggande gröna hus små sorgevisor tona, all skogen är uppfylld av sus. Det susar ett bud genom dälden om kungssorg bland viskande blad, i skogens vida välden från Liljekonvaljernas huvudstad. —Gustaf Fröding
King Lily-of-the-Valley, he lowers his sad head so heavy and weak; and the silver helmet shines in the pale summer twilight. Around the bier, a spider weaves from the “incense place” with floral scent an incense [that] slowly flows; the entire forest is full of fragrance. From the birch’s rocking crown, from the wind’s waving green house small songs of sorrow sound; the entire forest is filled up with whistling. A message is whispered through the valley about a king’s sorrow among whispering leaves, in the wide kingdoms of the forest, from the capital of the Lilies-of-the-Valley. —trans. Jonathan Miller and Sharon R. Peterson
Jonathan Miller: Thy lips (from “Kisses of Myrrh”) We have only once ventured to do a program with a quintet of singers. It took place just days after the events of 9/11, back in 2001, and it was called Let Him Kiss Me: The Intimate A Cappella. The first part of the program title comes from the first movement of Jonathan Miller’s cycle of five songs set to the love poetry of the Song of Songs; the lyrics are juicy, potent, and imaginative. Miller writes: “I composed this cycle for the five voices I knew I had for this show: Kathleen O’Brien Dietz and Amy Conn as sopranos, Amy Pickering as mezzo, Trevor Mitchell on tenor and myself as the lone bass. Writing for Trevor’s solo voice, which I’ve also done more recently, is a total pleasure. We’ve done many programs of spirituals together, and Trevor has such exquisite technical control and a deeply expressive heart; so why not give him a luscious lyric in a gospel-blues style with a little playfulness in it?” Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy mouth is comely; Thy temples are like a pomegranate Split open behind thy veil. —Song of Songs 4:3
For the record: Works by Jonathan Miller appear on the CDs Days of Awe and Rejoicing, Eclectric, and Holidays a cappella Live. Mathurin Forestier: Credo (from Missa Baises moy) From its very first concert in 1993, Chicago a cappella has championed the works of this obscure Renaissance composer. Mathurin Forestier flourished about four hundred years ago. Artistic Director Jonathan Miller has been friends with Dr. Thomas MacCracken, the scholar most responsible for getting Forestier’s glorious music into the public Best of Chicago a cappella
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SUPPORT Hyde Park Bank is proud to support
Chicago a cappella. Congratulations on 20 years of making exceptional music in Chicago!
Main Bank: 1525 E. 53rd St. | Chicago, IL 60615 Campus Branch: 1311 E. 57th St. | Chicago, IL 60637 773-752-4600 | www.hydeparkbank.net Hyde Park Bank is a branch of Beverly Bank & Trust Company, N.A. Š2013 Hyde Park Bank
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eye; MacCracken is the co-editor of the Forestier complete edition. In 1998, Chicago a cappella released a well-received recording of two complete Forestier masses, from which comes this delightfully crafted Credo. The musical scaffolding of the piece is a canonic treatment of a simple French love song (“Kiss me, my sweet friend�), with lyrics that trace the flirty conversation between young lovers. The quaint song actually lends itself quite nicely to an overlapping canonical treatment, which is something that the great Josquin des Prez had done; our recording begins with the Josquin version. Forestier, who seems to have been deeply influenced by Josquin, paid a bit of homage to his musical idol by treating the same tune in a similar fashion here, this time with the sacred Latin text. Forestier weaves florid, long-breathed soprano and bass lines around the tune, which is presented in somewhat slower notes to give a stately harmonic rhythm. Credo in unum Deum. Patrem omnipotentem, Factorem coeli et terrae Visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum, non factum, Consubstantialem Patri: Per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostrum salutem, descendit de coelis.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, Of all things seen and unseen. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, Only-begotten Son of God. And eternally born of the Father. God from God, light from light, True God from true God. Begotten, not made, one in being with the Father; through whom all things were made. who for the sake of us humans, and for our salvation, came down from heaven.
Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto Ex Maria Virgine. Et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam, pro nobis: sub Pontio Pilato passus et sepultus est.
And by the Holy Spirit was born Of the Virgin Mary and was made man. He was crucified for us; under Pontius Pilate he suffered, [died] and was buried.
Et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas. Et ascendit in coelum. Et interim venturus est cum Gloria judicare vivos et mortuos: Cujus regni non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum, et vivificantem: Qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et unam sanctam catholicam, Et Apostolicam Ecclesiam.
And he rose on the third day According to the Scriptures. And he ascended into heaven. And he will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; and of his reign there will be no end. and of the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is at once worshipped and glorified: He has spoken through the Prophets. and [I believe] in one holy, catholic, and Apostolic Church. Best of Chicago a cappella
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Confiteor unam baptisma I confess one baptism In remissionem peccatorum. In forgiveness of sins. Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum. And I await the resurrection of the dead, Et vitam venture saeculi. Amen. and the life of the world to come. Amen.
—trad. Catholic liturgy
For the record: This and other works by Forestier appear on our CD Mathurin Forestier: Missa Baises moy and Missa L’Homme armé. Arr. Wayland Rogers: Been Down Into the Sea Another first in our ensemble’s history came in 1996, when Chicago a cappella did its first program of spirituals, called Ain’t That Good News. The very first selection on that program was this superb arrangement by Wayland Rogers. Born and reared in Kentucky, Wayland Rogers has spent a lifetime as a singer, voice teacher, composer and conductor, with many distinguished credits including a Grammy nomination. His gifts for lyrical writing and harmony are in strong evidence here, in his setting of a spiritual that is not widely arranged or performed. An unusual key change explodes into the bright key of A major; the music deftly returns to the home key of F major for the close. In the final chorus, Rogers includes a neat stretching effect at the end: the women and the baritone soloist slow down the tune, while the men’s chorus continues its fast, syncopated accompaniment, like the incessant rumbling of the sea. O, I been to the sea and I done been tried. Yes, I been to the sea and I been baptized. Oh, I been to the sea and I done been tried. Yes, I done been tried in Jesus’ name. O won’t those mourners rise and tell The glories of Emmanuel. O, I’m born of God, I know I am, I’m purchased by the dyin’ Lamb. -trad. Spiritual
For the record: Wayland Rogers’ “What Sweeter Music” appears on our CD Christmas A Cappella. Maurice Ravel: Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis (from Trois chansons) Early in his career, Maurice Ravel attempted to write some choral music, which he entered into the competition for the Prix de Rome. The result was not a success, leading to some speculation that this setback kept him from writing more choral music later on. The cycle of Trois Chansons was much more successful and remains the only a cappella choral music that he ever published.
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Ravel wrote the three songs between December 1914 and February 1915, while he was waiting to be enlisted in the army. They were published in 1916 but only received their first performance a year later. Ravel wrote the poems himself. His contemporary, the poet Tristan Klingsor, once wrote: He [Ravel] has given himself the purest of his heart with the Trois chansons. I do not only speak of the music, of the lovely arrangement of voice, nor of the melody which is truly close to popular song; I speak of the texts themselves. Ravel loved childish enchantment. . . . This mathematician of the orchestra retained [in these songs] the ingenuity of a great child. Folklore is resuscitated in the poetry of Ravel, with its familiarity, its strangeness, its singular reconciliations. How could one speak dryly about it? The middle song, “Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis,” is the most somber of the cycle. It is a reflection on war for which Ravel was himself preparing. The solo soprano line has qualities that may be more familiar from Ravel’s repertoire for solo voice and piano, with a combination of simplicity and powerful expression rarely matched by other composers. The part-writing here is virtuosic, creating specific effects in the backup choir—here treated almost like a woodwind ensemble—to highlight the poetry. Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis, (Mon ami z-il est à la guerre) Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis Ont passé par ici.
Three beautiful birds of paradise, (My beloved is gone to war) three beautiful birds of paradise passed by here.
Le premier était plus bleu que ciel, (Mon ami z-il est à la guerre) Le second était couleur de neige, Le troisième rouge vermeil.
The first was bluer than the sky, (My beloved is gone to war) The second was the color of snow, The third was red vermilion.
“Beaux oiselets du Paradis, (Mon ami z-il est à la guerre) Beaux oiselets du Paradis, Qu’apportez par ici?” “J’apporte un regard couleur d’azur. (Ton ami z-il est à la guerre)” “Et moi, sur beau front, couleur de neige Un baiser dois mettre, encore plus pur”
“Beautiful little birds of paradise, (My beloved is gone to war) beautiful little birds of paradise, what are you bringing here?” “I bring an azure-colored glance. (Your beloved is gone to war)” “And I, on your beautiful snowcolored forehead, must place a kiss, even more pure.”
“Oiseau vermeil du Paradis, (Mon ami z’il est à la guerre) Oiseau vermeil du Paradis, Que portez-vous ainsi?”
“Vermilion bird of paradise, (My beloved is gone to war)” vermilion bird from paradise, what are you bringing there?”
“Un joli cœur tout cramoisi ... (Ton ami z-il est à la guerre)” “Ah! je sens mon cœur qui froidit ... Emportez-le aussi”.
“A pretty heart, completely crimson (Your beloved is gone to war)”… “Ah, I feel my heart freezing… take it away as well.”
— Maurice Ravel
—trans. CPDL
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Paul Crabtree: The Windhover (world premiere; commissioned by Chicago a cappella) Many of Chicago a cappella’s finest moments have come in music composed or arranged by Paul Crabtree, the English-born composer who has been living in the Bay Area for roughly thirty years. Crabtree is a true eclecticist, combining elements of pop music and high art in a lifelong quest to make serious music relevant and accessible. He is on a mission to keep classical moving in interesting ways and showing up in unusual places, liberating it from its usual physical abodes and categories. From his chamber opera The Ghost Train (performed in abandoned railroad stations) to his Five Romantic Miniatures from “The Simpsons”™ (one of which is on tonight’s second half ), Crabtree’s works push the boundaries of genre, while remaining firmly grounded in superb technique. His command of harmony and counterpoint is exquisite, and some of his most powerful writing is also his simplest, including the recent cycles Tenebrae Responsories on Songs of Bob Dylan and The Valley of Delight. When approached by Chicago a cappella for a commission to celebrate the ensemble’s 20th anniversary, Crabtree quickly settled on the poem “The Windhover” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Crabtree provided the following notes to help us get inside his head: The poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins is here: To Christ our Lord I caught this morning morning’s minion, kingdom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing, As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding Stirred for a bird, – the achieve of, the mastery of the thing! Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier! No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear, Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion. —Gerard Manley Hopkins
Gerard Manley Hopkins was four months away from ordination and had given up everything, his home, his belongings and his family, to follow what he felt was his calling, when he went out with the company of Scholastics from the little chapel where they gathered to celebrate mass. Outside on the rocks he saw the kestrels, which he understood as a metaphor for himself. He had adopted the nickname “The Crow of Maenefa” for himself, a reference to the collar and black ankle-length gown he wore, modeled after those worn by the Oxford dons. Obviously this is a transcendent moment in his life, when he sees himself now as a kestrel (and not as a crow), mastering the wind, bursting with the fire of purpose 16
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and rightness. Soon he would be administering the eucharist, representing Christ on earth. This renews his understanding of the greatness contained in the ordinary, God-in-Man in daily existence, a principle that he begins to see everywhere (“No wonder of it”). The blades of a plow are buffed to a shine when a farmer trudges along doing his work, the dying embers of a fire reveal themselves to be brilliantly alive when they fall from the grate. He is obviously very much in love with his God (“my dear, my Chevalier”), and I am not sure what he thinks the “fire that breaks from thee then” is. Probably the hidden Godness inside the man, like the upcoming reference to the inside dangerous beauty of the grey coals. As the composer told Jonathan Miller, “And it seems a good metaphor for the thrillingly successful flight of Chicago a cappella.” The music is a combination of many things that Crabtree has used elsewhere: a feeling of plainchant at the opening, to provide a sense of timelessness; many changing tempi and meters to reflect exactly what is happening in the text, including dramatic shifts where appropriate; a daring harmonic language that sounds self-evident and inevitable in a good way, except that nobody else can do it like Crabtree; and alternations between men’s and women’s voices in layers and in an almost call-and-response pattern. As a complement to the Hopkins poem, Crabtree has included the text and music from a German folksong, which drops into “The Windhover” at delightfully unexpected places: Es flog ein klein’ Waldvögelein Der Liebsten vor die Tür, Klopft an mit seinem Schnäbelein Gar still mit aller Zier. “Ich bin so weit geflogen In Kummer und Sorgen groß, Doch still und ganz verborgen Der Liebsten in den Schoß.” —trad. 1690
A little forest bird flew to his love’s house and knocked very politely at the door with his little beak. “I have flown so far in great sorrow and distress, sustained by thoughts of my beloved.” —trans. Paul Crabtree
It has been a musical challenge and a joy to prepare this stunning piece. We are greatly pleased to have the honor to present The Windhover in its world-premiere performances and to have the composer present for the first weekend. Rufus Wainwright, arr. Patrick Sinozich: Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk Rufus Wainwright, an iconic, eclectic singer/songwriter with a justifiably huge following, recorded this song on his 2001 album Poses. The song is a paean to excesses, including those “which for several reasons we won’t mention.” The production of the original song includes over-the-top instrumentation that evokes Lennon/McCartney’s “A Day in the Life.” Our version, arranged by Music Director Emeritus Patrick Sinozich, keeps the playfulness of the original while putting the song firmly in the Chicago a cappella canon of custom arrangements. We first sang this song on one of our many concerts about food, Tastes of Paradise, in October 2010. Best of Chicago a cappella
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INTERMISSION Suggestions for intermission • Upgrade to a flexible subscription and save money! Upgrades start at just $33. Visit the box office table in the lobby for details and an order form. • Fill out your audience survey and return it to an usher or to the lobby for a special treat!
A Tribute to Susan Schober This this 20th Anniversary Concert marks the final performances of our beloved colleague Susan Schober, a founding ensemble member of Chicago a cappella. Susan has decided to depart our stage in order to spend more time with her young family, after a remarkable run of 193 series performances with Chicago a cappella. When the ensemble performed its first concert, Susan was only 19 years old, making her the youngest member the group has ever had. When she took the lead on “They Are Falling All Around Me” at that very first concert, it was clear that she brought extraordinary gifts to the ensemble. Her velvety vocals, superb musicianship, and irresistible stage presence have made her an audience favorite ever since. She made indelible impressions with solos in “Chicago Bound Blues,” “Una matica de ruda,” Fever,” “Prayer of the Venerable Bede,” and “Wade in the Water,” among many others. Although we will dearly miss her presence on our stages, Susan will continue to serve behind the scenes as our Education Outreach Coordinator. In her first two years in that role, she has already created a unique and innovative High School Internship Program and an exciting Youth Choral Festival. We look forward to her future successes in bringing choral singing to the next generation. From the entire ensemble, Board of Directors, and staff – past and present – thank you, Susan, for 20 years of your wonderful talent.
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Jorge Córdoba Valencia: Three movements from Siete Haiku (Seven Haiku) Jorge Córdoba Valencia is an internationally-renowned composer and conductor, based in Mexico City. He served Chicago a cappella as Guest Music Director for last season’s Navidad en México program, which featured the world-premiered commission of his work Las Bienaventuranzas (The Beatitudes). He was with us for the unforgettable free community performance of Navidad at St. Agnes of Bohemia in Little Village, an event 18
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that he narrated in Spanish. We first became aware of his music thanks to the Gregg Smith Singers’ recording of his Siete Haiku cycle, which we presented on our Voces Latinas program in April 2008, to conclude our fifteenth season. We reprise three of these charming works here, which we will perform without a break. IV. Un murciélago que vuela entre la noche es ruido oscuro
A bat that flies in the night is dark sound
II. Sobre el arrozal caen flores del cerezo cielo estrellado
Over a rice field the cherry tree flowers fall starry sky
I. Voy a caballo mi sombra va temblando allá en el fondo
I travel on a horse, my shadow travels trembling there in the end
—José Vicente Anaya
—trans. Jon Washburn
Johannes Ockeghem: Salve, Regina While Chicago a cappella has become known for eclectic programs that feature music from chant to funk on a single concert, from time to time we have also taken a deep dive into a particular kind of repertoire. In spring of 2000, we journeyed to the medieval sound-world for a program called Heavenly Harmonies, which recounted in song and readings the ancient notion of “the music of the spheres.” One of the extended works featured on that program was this stunning motet by Johannes Ockeghem, who was one of the most important composers of the early Renaissance. Ockeghem was a renowned bass singer as well as a composer and conductor. A man of great refinement, he was active in court and cathedral circles in Paris and Tours and had diplomatic and financial responsibilities at times; he even brokered a royal marriage. Perhaps the best indicator of Ockeghem’s stature is the large number of compositions that lamented his death in 1497; the most famous of these is the heart-wrenching Nymphes des bois by Josquin des Prez. The Salve, Regina prayer is one of the four great Marian antiphons sung at various points during the year of the Catholic Latin liturgy. The poem is now attributed to the 11thcentury scholar Hermannus Contractus (Hermann of Reichenau); the current form of the plainchant melody was written down in the 12th century at the abbey of Cluny in France. Ockeghem does something unusual here in drawing on the plainchant material: he puts it in the bass line! More typical practice of the time would be to use chant in the tenor voice, in long-held notes. Another sign of Ockeghem’s skill is that he moves the chant melody (altered slightly) along at pretty much the same pace as the other voices, with which he weaves an extraordinary web of counterpoint. Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae: Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules, filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.
Hail queen, mother of mercy: Our life, sweetness, and hope, hail. To you we cry, exiles, the children of Eve. For you we sigh, groaning and weeping in this vale of tears. Best of Chicago a cappella
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Eia ergo, Advocata, nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte, Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
Therefore look! our Advocate, turn your merciful eyes toward us. And Jesus, blessed fruit of your womb, after this exile, reveal to us.
O clemens: O pia: O dulcis Virgo semper Maria.
O merciful, O holy, O sweet Mary, ever Virgin.
Stacy Garrop: Lo Yisa Goy In our fifteenth season, we commissioned Chicago composer Stacy Garrop to write two pieces, and she chose Jewish texts for both of them: Hava Nagila and Lo Yisa Goy. Both works have become ensemble and audience favorites since their premieres, and we have recorded both. Her superb command of musical material is evident throughout this piece, which includes several variants of the folk melody and a masterful sequence of moments of tension and release. The text, from the prophet Micah, calls for peace so sorely needed in our world, and the ending is one of the most perfectly created conclusions to any work in the a cappella repertory. Lo yisa goy el goy cherev, Lo yilm’du od milchama.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation Neither shall they learn war any more.
And they shall beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning-hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and fig tree, And none shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. —Micah 4:3-4
For the record: Stacy Garrop’s “Lo Yisa Goy” appears on our CD Christmas A Cappella, and her “Hava Nagila” appears on Days of Awe and Rejoicing. Steven Slater/ Duncan Sheik, arr. Rose Grizzell: Mama Who Bore Me We first performed this song in spring 2012 as part of All About the Women, a stirring production that was conceived and programmed by our own Betsy Grizzell and starred Chicago actress Barbara Robertson. At that time, Betsy noted as follows: The song opens the 2007 Broadway show Spring Awakening, an adaptation of the 1892 German play of the same title, dealing with teenagers who are discovering their sexuality. In 2007, Spring Awakening received eleven Tony Award nominations, winning eight. In the opening number, local girls lament their lack of knowledge on the facts of life. Spring Awakening deals with erotic dreams, self-stimulation, physical intimacy, incest, suicide, teenage pregnancy, and abortion. My daughter, Rose, insisted upon arranging Mama Who Bore Me and its Reprise. 20
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Charlotte Wakefield, who played the character of Wendla in the original London case and sang this song, was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 2010. The song pulses with the energy of teenagers wanting to know the facts of life and with the frustration of parents who won’t tell them anything. Gwyneth Walker: This Train After her training as a composer and teaching at Oberlin Conservatory, Gwyneth Walker retired from academia and has been a full-time composer for more than thirty years. With a strong theatrical sense, she has been writing solo vocal, choral, and instrumental works that bring texts to life in unusual and striking ways. She employs unexpected and effective elements to create maximum emotional effect. This Train was composed for the 1998 All-OMEA (Oklahoma Music Educators’ Association) high-school chorus. Walker takes on with vigor the challenge of setting this spiritual in a way that brings images in the text to life. In addition to playing with the “ssssss” sound at the end of the word “this,” she uses words like “stop,” “joker,” and “weary” as springboards for word-painting. The composer has also added a few new verses, noting: Additional lyrics have been added for contemporary relevance (“This train will stop at the ghetto...and at the factory door”). And new musical sections (“If you reach up, reach up to the sky...”) have been inserted to broaden the formal structure. Unusual musical devices used here include borrowings from traditional spirituals and the flashier-sounding settings by arrangers like Dawson and Hogan. For the record: Gwyneth Walker’s “The Christ-child’s Lullaby” appears on our CD Christmas A Cappella. Paul Crabtree: “Marge” from Five Romantic Miniatures from “The Simpsons”™ The “Simpsons” cycle by Paul Crabtree, which we performed on As Rose Petals Open in 2003, is at once deadly serious and hilarious. Crabtree’s lush, over-the-top sense of romantic harmony works perfectly to magnify the effect of tiny drops of emotion that are present in these mostly arid words. The cycle sets actual words uttered by various characters during the course of a number of episodes. This lyric is, of course, uttered by Homer. Johnny Mercer, arr. Patrick Sinozich: Something’s Gotta Give Patrick Sinozich’s playfulness comes through in this chart, initially created for one of our spring Gala events. John William Trotter also led the ensemble in a performance of this song just a few months ago on The A Cappella American Songbook. Listen for the fun vocal percussion, enjoy the lyric (which is sort of a combination of Newtonian physics and matters of the heart), and get swept up in the mood.
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T H A N K YO U Chris Baer Tom Bracy, Brian O’Malley, Merit School of Music Paul Crabtree Enid Frandzel Rose Grizzell Ken Hannah, North Central College Bill Hoban Joan Hutchinson and Joycelin Fowler, Pilgrim Congregational Church Ty Jordan, Chicago Maroon James Kallembach, University of Chicago Mike McGarry, Hyde Park Bank Lynn Minich, WFMT Jim Parks
Sharon R. Peterson Fiona Queen and Jared Scott, Music Institute of Chicago Bill Michel and Greg Redenius, Logan Center for the Arts Trevor Mitchell Benjamin Rivera Barbara Shubert and James Kallembach, University of Chicago Norbert Shimkus Patrick Sinozich Carolyn Stoner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Christyl Uhan, The Homestead Hotel
Thanks also to The Saints, Volunteers for the Performing Arts, for providing our house staff. For information visit www.saintschicago.org or call 773-529-5510.
Very special thanks to outgoing board member Michelle Eppley for seven years of dedicated service!
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C H I C AG O A C A P P E L L A A R T I S T R O S T E R 2 013 -14 Jonathan Miller....................................................................................................................Artistic Director Anne Heider.................................................................................... Music Director, Holidays a cappella Rollo Dilworth................................................................................. Music Director, The Birth of Gospel Megan Bell.......................................................................................................................soprano (Holidays) Micah Dingler...................................................................................................................... tenor (Holidays) Matt Greenberg.............................................................................................. bass (Best of CAC; Gospel) Elizabeth Grizzell.....................................................................................................mezzo (entire season) Garrett Johannsen....................................................................................................tenor (entire season) Kathryn Kamp.................................................................................. soprano (Best of CAC; Migrations) Alexia Kruger...................................................................................................soprano (Holidays; Gospel) Joe Labozetta.........................................................................bass (Best of CAC; Holidays; Migrations) Trevor Mitchell........................................................................tenor (Best of CAC; Migrations; Gospel) Cari Plachy.......................................................................................... soprano (Best of CAC; Migrations) Emily Price................................................................................... mezzo (Holidays; Migrations; Gospel) Margaret Quinnette......................................................................................soprano (Holidays; Gospel) Benjamin Rivera...........................................................................................................bass (entire season) Michael Roemer.............................................................................bass (Holidays; Migrations; Gospel) Susan Schober............................................................................................................. mezzo (Best of CAC)
“Merit School of Music is one of my favorite places on Earth. I’ve seen its work through visiting there, but also through many of their graduates. What it does is to not let talent escape, because it has the broadest net. At its most lofty level, to its most basic response to the needs of a community, it is such an incredible organization.” —Yo-Yo Ma MErIt NAtIoNAL AdvISorY BoArd MEMBEr
visit www.meritmusic.org to find out how you can make a difference in the lives of Merit students.
Joy Faith Knapp Music Center 38 South Peoria Street Chicago, IL 60607
www.meritmusic.org Best of Chicago a cappella
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BIOGR APHIES Jonathan Miller, Founder and Artistic Director Since founding Chicago a cappella in 1993, Jonathan Miller has guided the ensemble through more than 130 concerts, eight commercial CD releases, and thirty choral-music demo CDs. His international accolades include the 2008 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America. His skills at presenting a wide spectrum of music are a combined product of his singer’s ear, scholar’s training, and composer’s temperament. He was fortunate to be exposed at an early age to a wide range of music by a remarkable group of mentors, including Christopher Moore, Lena McLin, Max Janowski, Joseph Brewer, Howard Mayer Brown, Richard Proulx, John Nygro, and Anne Heider. He was a founding member of His Majestie’s Clerkes (now Bella Voce) and for ten years was bass soloist with the Harwood Early Music Ensemble. Eager to learn research tools for repertoire, Jonathan pursued musicology, earning his doctorate at UNC-Chapel Hill while remaining an active performer. Since returning to the Chicago area, Jonathan has expanded his role as a conductor and composer. He has led the volunteer choir at Unity Temple and Heritage Chorale in Oak Park and has served several other choirs as clinician and coach. He has written more than seventy choral works in a variety of genres and languages; his music has been sung at venues including St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and the Pentagon. He conducted his piece The Lincoln Memorial at the Lincoln Memorial on the 200th anniversary weekend of Lincoln’s birth. Since 1998, Jonathan has taken a growing leadership role in Chicago-area Jewish music, leading the high-holiday choir and occasional Kabbalat Shabbat services 24
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at Congregation Rodfei Zedek in Hyde Park; he now serves there as high-holiday cantor. He is principal guest conductor of Kol Zimrah, the Jewish Community Chorus of Metro Chicago, and holds as a great honor his role as publisher of the late Max Janowski’s catalogue. Jonathan enjoys the blessings of family and neighbors in the woods of Downers Grove. Matt Greenberg, bass Matt Greenberg has appeared frequently on Chicago’s concert and theater stages, singing everything from Bach to Broadway. His solo appearances include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Mozart’s Requiem, and an evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Matt is a longtime member of the Grant Park Chorus and sang for over 20 years with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he made over a dozen solo or small ensemble appearances. A founding member of Chicago a cappella, he has also performed with Music of the Baroque, William Ferris Chorale, and the Harwood Early Music Ensemble. Matt’s work in musical theater includes the Jeff-award winning Sylvia’s Real Good Advice, Hot Mikado, and appearances at Light Opera Works and Wisdom Bridge. He has also appeared with the pop quintet Table For Five. Combining his performing with a career in arts administration, Matt is Chicago a cappella’s Executive Director. Elizabeth Grizzell, mezzo Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Grizzell has performed with groups both in Chicago and abroad. She has appeared as soloist with the Tunbridge Wells Opera, the Marlow Choral Society, and the Wooburn Singers of England. As a member
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of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, she has recorded the role of Apprentice with the late Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. Betsy is also a member of the Grant Park Chorus, and records regularly as a soloist for GIA Publications. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a vocal emphasis from DePaul University.This will be Betsy’s 13th season with Chicago a cappella. She has previously programmed the ensemble’s 2012 All About the Women concert and 2009 The Birds and the Bees concert. Of special note is her Betsy’s MusiKids program, a musical education experience designed for children ages 16 months to 9 years old. Her studio in Naperville introduces more than 100 children each year to the fun and beauty of music. Find her on Facebook at “Betsy’s MusiKids”, or at www.grizzell.com. Garrett Johannsen, tenor Garrett Johannsen is proud to be singing with Chicago a cappella! He grew up in Schiller Park, IL and graduated from The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Over the years, he has sung for the Lyric Opera Chorus, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Chorus, William Ferris Chorale, and Bella Voce. Operatic roles include; Spalanzani / Les contes d’Hoffmann, Rev. Parris (Cover) / The Crucible, The Realtor / The Yellow Wallpaper, Nanki-Poo / The Mikado, The Lover / Amelia Goes to the Ball and Lucano / The Coronation of Poppea. He has appeared as soloist with the International Chamber Artists / Mozart’s Requiem, the Elmhurst Choral Union & Waukegan Symphony / Handel’s Messiah. Garrett has recently ventured into the wonderful art of cabaret performance with three shows last year alone. He has also been invited back to sing for his favorite sports
team, The Chicago White Sox, four times. Follow Garrett at garrettjohannsen.com. Kathryn Kamp, soprano Kathryn (an Iowa native) has appeared as soloist at the Ravinia Festival, Orchestra Hall at Chicago Symphony Center, Grant Park Music Festival, the Peninsula Music Festival, and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, among others. Favorite works include Mozart Requiem; Haydn Creation and Dixit Dominus; Handel (Messiah); Poulenc (Gloria) and Brahms (Requiem); Mozart’s Despina (Cosi fan tutte); many Gilbert and Sullivan ingénues (Patience, Rose Maybud, Yum-Yum and Mabel); and anything by Steven Sondheim (especially Anne Egerman and Mrs. Segstrom of A Little Night Music). She has also directed over 15 opera and operetta productions. Free time is spent on two feet (running), two wheels (biking), in the dirt (gardening), and hanging out with her husband Erich. She enjoys the unique vocal demands and wonderful colleagues of Chicago a cappella. Joe Labozetta, bass Hailing from Northern California, Joe Labozetta moved to Chicago in 2003 to further his musical studies at DePaul University’s School of Music. After finishing a degree in Sound Recording Technology, he quickly immersed himself into a fulltime career as a professional musician. Joe currently holds the position of Director of Music at St. Josaphat Church, where he is kept busy with choirs, pipe organs, handbells and composing hymnody. His local choral activities have included Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Chorus, Bella Voce, and the William Ferris Best of Chicago a cappella
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Chorale. Joe is also an award-winning baritone soloist, notably at the International Choral Kathaumixw in Powell River, B.C., Canada. Additionally, as an accomplished keyboardist, guitarist and bassist, Joe performs in venues other than churches and concert halls. In fact, Labozetta sightings have been reported in dive bars, hotel lounges and almost-but-not-yet foreclosed recording studios. Trevor Mitchell, tenor Best known for his work in oratorio and early music, Trevor Mitchell sings a wide range of classical music. Recently a critic wrote, ‘Simply the most uniquely beautiful and easily produced tenor instrument most people will ever hear.’ The past season, audiences heard Mr. Mitchell in Bach’s B-Minor Mass and Cantata # 214, Haydn’s Die Jahreszeiten, Bach’s St. Matthew and St. John Passion, Telemann’s Cantata # 161, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and recitals. Scheduled works this season include Bach’s Magnificat, Actus Tragicus, Ein feste Burg, Christmas Oratorio and B-Minor Mass, Telemann’s Cantata # 161, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, a recording of some Mozart’s Coronation Mass masses as well as recitals. This fall Mr. Mitchell will tour 5 cities in Italy as tenor soloist with a concluding performance at the Vatican City. Known for his superb musicianship and interpretive skills, Mr. Mitchell, though concentrated in early music, is equally at ease in other musical periods. A native of Chicago, Mr. Mitchell’s singing engagements, both as a soloist and an ensemble member, have taken him virtually all over the U.S. as well as Italy, England, Austria, Ukraine and other places in Europe. Mr. Mitchell is a regular soloist at St. John Cantius in Chicago, a member of the professional 9-voice singing ensemble, 26
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Chicago a cappella and divides his time between it and solo engagements. Cari Plachy, soprano Soprano Cari Plachy is enjoying splitting her time between choral and opera singing. She has been seen throughout the Midwest with Opera for the Young, DuPage Opera Theater, Light Opera Works and Bowen Park Opera. Favorite roles include Mabel (Pirates of Penzance), Yum-Yum (The Mikado), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), and Rosina (The Barber of Seville). Her choral work includes singing with the Chicago Symphony Chorus. In 2008, she had an opportunity to step out from the chorus and sing a solo in Bruckner’s Psalm 150. The Chicago Sun-Times recognized it as being a “sparkling, and aggressively sung solo.” Cari received her Bachelor’s degree in music education from DePaul University. Since then, she has been working with the education department of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, bringing music to children all over Chicago. In addition to her work in Chicago, Cari was fortunate to bring her love of music to deaf children at Child’s Voice School in Wood Dale. Currently, her days are mostly spent playing mommy to her two little girls! Benjamin Rivera, bass Benjamin Rivera is chorus director of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and artistic director of Cantate, a Chicagobased chamber choir performing music from all genres and periods. He is also Cantor (Music Director) at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston. He has prepared and conducted choruses at all levels in repertoire from gospel, pop, and folk to sacred polyphony, choral/orchestral
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masterworks, and contemporary pieces. In his seventeenth season as a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, including ten seasons as bass section leader, Benjamin also sings professionally with the Grant Park Chorus and many other ensembles. He is a frequent soloist, most often in sacred and concert works. He has sung across the U.S., and can be heard on numerous recordings. He has been on the faculty of several universities, directing choirs and teaching voice, diction, music theory, and history. In addition, he has adjudicated many competitions (solo and ensemble), and he recently presented at the Iowa Choral Directors Association summer conference. Especially adept with languages, Benjamin frequently coaches German and Spanish, among several others. He holds degrees in voice and music theory from North Park University and Roosevelt University, respectively, and is writing his dissertation for the doctorate in choral conducting from Northwestern University.
at every level, from preschool classes to graduate-level teacher training. In addition to singing with the ensemble, Susan works as Chicago a cappella’s Education Outreach Coordinator and she thoroughly enjoys engaging, educating and entertaining the next generation of music makers and patrons. After much thought and soulsearching, Susan has decided that Chicago a cappella’s 20th Anniversary Concerts will be her last performances as a professional vocalist. She is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, Jason and young twins, Katie and Andrew, but will be forever grateful to Jonathan Miller and Matt Greenberg for their support, both professional and personal, since she met them at her first professional gig 21 years ago.
Susan Schober, mezzo Susan Schober is proud to be a founding member of Chicago a cappella. A native Chicagoan, she developed her love of ensemble singing as a member of Chicago Children’s Choir. She has been singing professionally for over two decades, performing a wide variety of solo and choral music in Chicago, the Bay Area and Europe. Susan received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where she studied voice and education, and a master’s degree in Music Education from Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. She is an accomplished music educator and has taught students
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SAVE MONEY ON FUTURE CONCERTS
Upgrade your single ticket to a flexible subscription, and receive: • Three additional tickets you can use in any combination at this season’s remaining performances • Advance online program notes • Invitations to Behind the Scenes events
Upgrades start at just $33 (just deduct your ticket price from the full subscription price). Visit the ticket table in the lobby for an order form! HOLIDAYS A CAPPELLA
Our ever-surprising mix of holiday music, both familiar and new, is our most popular event each season Chicago Sunday, Dec. 1, 4:00 pm Fourth Presbyterian Church
Chicago Saturday, Dec. 7, 8:00 pm St. Clement Church
Wheaton Friday, Dec. 6, 8:00 pm St. Michael Catholic Church
Oak Park Sunday, Dec. 8, 4:00 pm Pilgrim Congregational Church
Evanston Saturday, Dec. 14, 8:00 pm Nichols Concert Hall
MELODIC MIGRATIONS: GLOBAL JEWISH MUSIC
This new program shines a spotlight on emotionally powerful and beautiful Jewish a cappella music from around the world, including South Africa, Canada, Europe and elsewhere. Evanston Saturday, Feb. 15, 8:00 pm Nichols Concert Hall
Naperville Saturday, Feb. 22, 8:00 pm Congregation Beth Shalom
Chicago Sunday, Feb. 16, 4:00 pm K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Congregation
River Forest Sunday, Feb. 23, 4:00 pm West Suburban Temple Har Zion
THE BIRTH OF GOSPEL
Chicago a cappella will take you on a journey from the pre-gospel Classical works sung in many African-American churches to hymns, spirituals, and finally the full flowering of gospel music itself, which began right here in Chicago. Oak Park Naperville Friday, April 11, 8:00 pm Sunday, April 13, 4:00 pm Pilgrim Congregational Church Wentz Concert Hall Evanston Saturday, April 12, 8:00 pm Nichols Concert Hall
Chicago Saturday, April 19, 8:00 pm Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
SAVE THE DATE Chicago a cappella presents Swing! An a cappella evening featuring music of Basie & Ellington Thursday, May 15, 2014, Salvage One 28
Chicago a cappella
DONORS We offer our deep gratitude to our contributors who made gifts and pledges to Chicago a cappella between July 1, 2012 and September 17, 2013. We regret that we are unable to list the many thoughtful contributors who made gifts under $50. If this list contains an error, please accept our apologies and kindly let us know so that we may correct it.
INSTITUTIONAL CONTRIBUTORS FOUNDATION SUPPORTERS Paul M. Angell Family Foundation Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s International Connections Fund Klaff Family Foundation The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation The Pauls Foundation Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS Illinois Arts Council Agency City of Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Oak Park Area Arts Council MEDIA SPONSORS 98.7 WFMT Chicago Jewish News Chicago Maroon JUF News Naperville Sun
CORPORATE SUPPORT, MATCHING GIFTS, AND OTHER SUPPORT AV Chicago Bank of America First Bank and Trust Evanston Homestead Hotel House Red Vinoteca Hyde Park Bank JP Morgan Chase Foundation North Shore Community Bank
INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS UNDERWRITER ($10,000 or more) Special gift in memory of Florine M. Tippet, by her Daughter, Joyce Tippett Grenis Hyslop Shannon Foundation ARCHANGEL ($2,500 or more) Joyce Grenis and Michael Koen Ann Hicks and Lawrence Hamilton Howard and Jane Hush Margaret and Gary Kachadurian/Five K. Family Fund at The Chicago Community Trust Murray Kopelow and Cathy Bachman ANGEL ($1,000 or more) Marguerite Bloch Alex and Rosemary Cudzewicz Claudia and Timothy Divis Michelle and Brian Eppley Bill and Jeanetta Flowers Frank G. and Gertrude Dunlop Fund
Helen Gagel Jay and Jackie Lauderdale Leslie Lauderdale Bob and Fleury Linn Dietra and Tony Millard Mary Miller Alice and David Osberg David and Carole Perlman Steve and Priscilla Shaw Bette Sikes and Joan Pederson Maria Suarez BENEFACTOR ($500 or more) Gary Belkin & Ed Tuder Bonnie Benson Ann and Roger Cole Jim and Ellen Dalton Marina Gilman Matt Greenberg and Chris Baer Don and Joanna Gwinn Hank and Becky Hartman Terri Hemmert Ann Hewitt Tom and Margaret Huyck Douglas and Christine Kelner Ronna Lerner in recognition of educational outreach programs
Edward Levin and Margot Anderson in Honor of Dan and Cari Levin Gaye Matravers John and Bozena McLees Nora Bergman Fund G. Scott Miller and Ron Mijewski Ken Novak Richard and Cindy Pardo Dale and Donna Prest Doris Roskin Carolyn Sacksteder John and Eileen Sterling Frank Villella Joanne Whitmore SPONSOR ($250 or more) Irwin and Cheryl Brown Laura and Gary Cooper Friends and Members of First Unitarian Society John Anthony Gable Norm and Judy Greenberg Sanford Greenberg and Betsy Perdue Robert Harris Anne Heider and Steve Warner Nancy and Arthur Hirsch Best of Chicago a cappella
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Jim and Lois Hobart Karen Hunt Charles Katzenmeyer in Honor of Matt Greenberg Marina and Andrey Kuznetsov Sandi and Mike Miller L. Denise Moritz Vreni Naess Drs. Donald and Mary Ellen Newsom Ann F. Raney Alan Richmond Susan & Jason Schober Jennifer and Warren Schultz Lisa Scott Ann Stevens Gordon and Evelyn Straw Kris Swanson Geri Sztuk Barbara Volin Gary and Beth Wainer Duain Wolfe Shawn Ying and Jason Cohen PATRONS ($100 or more) Anonymous Gloria and Manuel Abundis Gary and Susan Agrest Diane Altkorn Eula Lewis Anderson and Nathaniel Anderson Tom Andrews Wendy Anker and Edward Reed Peter Barrett Dian and David Barth Susan Beal Vivian Beckford Martrice Caldwell Harvey and Arlene Coustan Thomas and Sally Coyle Ruth Crippen Theodore and Ann Doege Ron & Judy Eshleman Cantor Miriam Eskenasy Terry Yale Feiertag Norma Felbinger Howard and Judy Gilbert Claire and Tom Goulding Judith Grubner and Craig Jobson Margo Lynn Hablutzel Marsha K. Hahn and Patrick Moriarty Dick Hewitt
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Jean and Lester Hunt Joe Jania Michael and Kathleen Johnston John and Martha Jurecko Susan Kamp Tom and Linda Kamp Rae Kendrick John and Karen Kruger Ivan and Jasna Lappin Helen Lauderdale Lindy Lauderdale Jay Lytle Jennifer Marling Cheryl and Tom McRoberts Glenn Meade Betsy Meisenheimer and Wes Westerfield David Miller and Mary Ellen McNish Robert and Lois Moeller Cathy and Paul Newport James and Kimberly Norman Larry and Judy Pitts John and Gail Polles Jane Ann Prest Ken and Kristine Rupert Benjamin H. and Marianne Schapiro Jim and Jenny Sherman Laura Smith Les & Bev Smulevitz Julius and Alice Solomon Jeni and David Spinney in honor of Bob Linn Peggy Sullivan Eileen Sutter Dave and Carolyn Utech Philip Vidal John Vorrasi Clark and Joan Wagner in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Roger Cole Brad and Lori Wainer Tracy and Tony Weisman Lance and Stephanie Wilkening Virginia Witucke Robert Wolff Dimis J. Wyman Joel and Frances Zemans FRIEND ($50 or more) Anonymous Carole Baumgart Alan and Jan Bergman Paris Braxton
Frank Brockway Carole Brown Jennifer Burrus Suzanne Carroll Ioanna and Robert Chaney Duane and Yolanda Clark Lynn & Jim Denton Jim and Carol Fancher Richard Foster John and Anne Frame Jim Ginsburg and Patrice Michaels Paul and Cassie Hadfield Irene Hansen Roberta S. Heiman Kathleen Higgins Merle Hodel Ann Hoenig Charles Hoffman and Tamara Schiller Valerie Humowiecki Joan Hutchinson and Norm Clearfield Linda Kaplan Colleen Labozetta Stephen and Lisbeth Lerner Carol LoVerde Kathy and Jack Mattox Karen Maurer Scott and Kelly McCleary Daniel Melamed Ron and Ginnie Miller Belverd and Marian Needles Sonia Ness and Peter Jenkins Allyn Rawling Monroe and Elaine Roth Jewel T. Sims Dennis and Patricia Smith Jerry Smith and Dottie Fugiel Tom and Linda Spring Marilyn Steenwyk Gene and Mindy Stein in honor of Joyce Grenis Terrill L Stumpf Juan and Olga Suarez Mary Sullivan Jim and Kathy Swager Nancy Ellen Tauchman Willard Thomen William Wallace John and Sally Weber Robert and Barbara Wichmann Cheryl Wolli
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SUSTAINING DONORS By joining our Sustaining Donor program, the following individuals support the work of Chicago a cappella while reducing our fundraising costs and saving resources. Sustaining donors choose the level and frequency of their automatic payment, and receive the benefits of annual tax deductions without the hassle of writing checks. For more information, see the envelope in this program, visit our website, or call (773) 281-7820. A huge thank you to our Sustaining Donors: Susan Beal Frank Brockway Norma Felbinger Patrice Michaels and Jim Ginsburg Sanford Greenberg & Betsy Perdue Don and Joanna Gwinn
Ann Hewitt Jean & Lester Hunt Doug & Christine Kelner Rae Kendrick Vreni Naess Donald & Mary Ellen Newsom Ken Novak Alice & David Osberg
Carolyn Sacksteder Warren & Jennifer Schultz Tom & Linda Spring Ann Stevens David & Carolyn Utech Frank Villella Shirlene Ward & Kevin Kipp
I N - K I N D C O N T R I B U T I O N S ( S I N C E JA N UA R Y 1, 2 013 ) AV Chicago Adler Planetarium Arlington International Racecourse Bella Voce Broadway in Chicago Carissima Salon Chicago Architecture Foundation Chicago Botanic Garden Chicago Chamber Choir Chicago Dramatists Chicago History Museum Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago Symphony Orchestra City Lit Theater Company Comedysportz Theater Court Theater The Dance Center of Columbia College Dave’s Specialty Foods DePaul Merle Reskin Theatre Drury Lane Theatre East Bank Club Eclipse Theatre Company Edgewater Athletic Club Emerald City Theatre Ensemble Español Dance Company Facets/Facets Children’s Programs The Field Museum Fox Valley Repertory
French Pastry School Gene Siskel Film Center Gethsemane Garden Center Goodman Theatre Grand Victoria Casino Grant Park Music Festival Harris Theater for Music and Dance Terri Hemmert Homestead Hotel House Red Vinoteca Howl at the Moon Margaret & Gary Kachadurian Kingston Mines Lifeline Theatre Lulu’s Dim Sum and Then Some Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire Medieval Times Metropolis Performing Arts Center Michael Kors J&L Catering Jonathan Miller The Morton Arboretum Music Box Theatre Music of the Baroque Next Theater Nielsen-Massey Vanillas North Central College Northeastern IL Univ. Northlight Theater Old Town School of Folk Music
Orchestre Metropolitain Orion Ensemble Porter Airlines PRP Wine International Redhead Piano Bar Remy Bumppo Theatre Company Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Shedd Aquarium Norbert Shimkus Designs Shiraleah Southwest Airlines Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark Steppenwolf Theatre Co. Maria Suarez Swedish American Museum Swedish Bakery Taco Diablo TimeLine Theatre Company University of Chicago Presents Valerie Lorimer Contemporary Arts Victory Gardens Theater WFMT Radio William Ferris Chorale The Wine Goddess Winestyles in downtown Evanston Cheryl Wollin Writers Theater WXRT Radio Zanies Comedy Nite Club
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