ABOUT THE CHOIR
KANTOREI ("singers") formed in 1997 under Richard Larson’s leadership and has expanded into an auditioned, 52-voice ensemble. Its members come from schools with strong choral music programs, such as Augustana, Brigham Young, Concordia, Luther, St. Olaf, University of Denver, Wartburg and University of Northern Colorado. Kantorei established itself as one of the nation’s premier choral ensembles after performing as an auditioned choir for the 2003 national American Choral Director’s Association conference at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the Vatican in June 2007. More recently, Kantorei has been featured in several regional and national conferences, including the 2008 National Performing Arts Convention and 2010 Southwestern Regional ACDA convention, both held in Denver. In March 2011, Kantorei returned to the national ACDA conference, with performances at Roosevelt University and Symphony Hall in Chicago. Kantorei completed its second European tour in 2012, traveling to Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Larson retired from Kantorei in May 2013. Joel M. Rinsema became Artistic Director of the group in the summer of 2014, following a nationwide conductor search.
MEET OUR GROUP
SOPRANO
ALTO
TENOR
BASS
Mary Christ Theresa Derr Juliane Dowell Kim Dunninger Beryl Fanslow Wendi Sue Grover Heather Gunnerson Stacie Hanson Sara Michael Alicia Rigsby Brenda Rolling Pearl Rutherford Annie Sullins
Emily Alexander Jan Ankele Lindsey Aquilina Lizabeth Barnett Lyn Berry-Helmlinger Sarah Harrison Shannon Lemmon-Elrod Melissa Menter Erin Meyerhoff Jennifer Moore Michelle Tombre Andrea Ware
Kai Berry-Helmlinger Landon Covington Keith Ferguson Kevin Gunnerson Keith Harrison Jason Hindman Steve Howie Justin Kerr Brad Larson Alex Menter Jonathan Von Stroh Ryan Wright
Michael Bizzaro Michael Boender Garth Criswell Andrew Halladay Stephen Hooper Brad Jackson Karl Johnson John Ludwig Larry Meerdink John Schaak Matt Weissenbuehler
DON'T MISS THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY! Join us for a fun, intimate evening on Broadway! Members of the choir will sing their favorite Broadway solos, duets, and small ensemble tunes at this event hosted by Kantorei members Jason Hindman and Landon Covington. Delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. Tickets for the evening are extremely limited, so grab your spot today!
SALON: NIGHT ON BROADWAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015, 7:00 P.M. Hindman/Covington Residence 9722 E. 32nd Ave., Denver Suggested Donation: $75 Tickets available at www.kantorei.org.
FINAL CONCERT OF THE SEASON THE EARTH ADORNED
SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015, 7:30 P.M. Bethany Lutheran Church 4500 E Hampden Ave, Cherry Hills Village SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015, 3:00 P.M. Montview Blvd. Presbyterian Church 1980 Dahlia St, Denver
FOLLOW KANTOREI ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE! Facebook.com/kantorei | Twitter.com/kantoreidenver | Youtube.com/kantorei
KANTOREI BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kevin Gunnerson, President John Ludwig, Vice President Susan Lewkow, Treasurer Sara Michael, Secretary Michael Bizzaro Julianne Dowell
Jason Hindman Brad Jackson Katherine Mulready -------------------Lyn Berry-Helmlinger, Executive Director lyn@kantorei.org
*Kantorei is a 501(c)(3) organization and any donations to the group are deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.
PROGRAM Please hold your applause until the end of the performance.
Sequentia de sancto Maximino Annie Sullins, soprano
Selections from Missa Pange lingua i.
Kyrie ii . Gloria
Miserere Mei Deus
Heather Gunnerson, soprano; Sara Michael, soprano; Emily Alexander, alto; Matt Weissenbuehler, bass
Jerusalem
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Josquin des Prez (1455-1521)
PROGRAM NOTES
ABOUT THE STAFF
SEQUENTIA DE SANCTO MAXIMINO - Hildegard von Bingen would be a stunning force of nature in
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
any age, but particularly so in medieval Europe, when so few women were even remembered by name. Born into the nobility, her parents dedicated her to the church, and at the age of 14 she was essentially walled up in a stone cell within the Benedictine monastery at Disibodenberg. There, Hildegard and her preceptress, Jutta von Spanheim (another daughter of the nobility), communicated with the outside world only through one small window, and spent the rest of their time in religious study. The learning and piety of these two women drew other novices to them, and the cell grew into a convent. From the age of five, Hildegard had been prone to blinding, ecstatic visions, and her mystical writings, prophecies, poetry, and ethereal music have had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. The “Sibyl of the Rhine,” as she was called, has never been formally canonized, but her feast day is celebrated in Germany. Although her music resembles plainchant, it is much more individual and unpredictable, with expanded ranges, wide intervallic leaps, and unusually decorative melodic patterns.
SELECTIONS FROM MISSA PANGE LINGUA: KYRIE AND GLORIA - Considered the Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652)
last mass of Renaissance Franco-Flemish composer Josquin de Prez, “Missa Pange lingua” is based on the Eucharistic hymn “Pange Lingua gloriosi” by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274). Nearly all of the melodic material is drawn from the source hymn, rendering a fine example of a paraphrase mass. Josquin uses imitation frequently, as well as vocal pairing. Several passages feature two voices singing, which provides a rich contrast to the fuller sections in the mass. This mass brings together several contrapuntal trends from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, resulting in a new kind of style that would become the predominant compositional manner of Franco-Flemish composers in the first half of the 16th century.
MISERERE MEI DEUS - Composer Gregorio Allegri envisioned the setting of this Miserere to be the final Michael McGlynn (b. 1964)
Juliane Dowell, soprano; Annie Sullins, soprano; Emily Alexander, alto; Pearl Rutherford, soprano
act within the first lesson of the Tenebrae service. (Tenebrae, meaning “shadows” or “darkness,” is a Christian religious service, celebrated during the last three days of Holy Week. Consisting of music, readings and psalms to describe the agony of Christ’s last days on earth, the service features candles that are extinguished after each spoken section, until the sanctuary sits in total darkness.) Written for two choirs – five voices in one, four in the other – this Renaissance polyphony employs one choir to sing a simple version of the chant, while the other sings an ornamented “commentary” on it.
JERUSALEM - Intended for high voices, Jerusalem contains a melody originating in Ireland. This piece from “The Kilmore
Christus Resurgens Kevin Gunnerson, percussion
Village Wedding
Kai Berry-Helmlinger, tenor; Andrew Halladay, bass; Sara Michael, soprano; Larry Meerdink, bass; Lindsey Aquilina, alto; Jason Hindman, tenor; Andrea Ware, alto; Alex Menter, tenor; Erin Meyerhoff, alto; Jonathan Von Stroh, tenor
Sainte-Chapelle Requiem Canticorum Frank Perko, organ; Ted Belledin, saxophone
arr. Michael McGlynn
John Tavener (1944-2013)
Carols” uses a form of singing called heterophony, a musical texture characterized by the simultaneous variation of a single melodic line. According to Irish composer Michael McGlynn’s website, Jerusalem is probably the best-known piece performed by the group Anúna (which he founded in 1987), consisting of “waves of sound punctuated by female soloists.” McGlynn’s compositional language combines elements of medieval and traditional music with jazz-tinged chordal clusters and a distinctive melodic sensibility. His choral music has been recorded and performed by vocal ensembles including the BBC Singers, The Dale Warland Singers, Cantus, Conspirare, Chanticleer, and both the Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Chorale.
CHRISTUS RESURGENS - Also by McGlynn, this dramatic arrangement of a 12th century Irish chant is
one of a very small number of early Irish works that has survived. The drum lends a primal feel, supporting the text that depicts Christ’s victory over death.
VILLAGE WEDDING - English composer John Tavener showed his musical talents at a young age, becoming Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
James Whitbourn
(b. 1963) i . Introit
ii .
Pie Jesu iii . Alleluia iv . De profundis v . Lux aeterna
proficient at both piano and organ. He soon began to devote himself to composition, attending the Royal Academy of Music, where he won many major prizes and awards. Since that time, Tavener has been commissioned by most of the major organizations in England and the U.S., and was knighted in 2000...[He] notes, "’Village Wedding’ is a series of musical and verbal images, describing a village wedding in Greece. My insertion of Isaiah's Dance (the moment in the Orthodox marriage ceremony when the couple is solemnly led three times around the Holy Table by the Celebrant), and the whole tone of (Angelos) Sikelianos' poetry, however, show that everything in the natural and visible world, when rightly perceived, is an expression of a supernatural and invisible order of reality." “Village Wedding” was written in 1992 for the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, where it was premiered by the Hilliard Ensemble. Chanticleer gave the U.S. premiere in 1995 and recorded it for the Grammy-winning “Colors of Love.” - Andrew Morgan
SAINTE-CHAPELLE - Eric Whitacre wrote this piece about the royal medieval Gothic chapel in Paris for The Tallis
Scholars’ 40th anniversary in 2013. Whitacre realized the structure for the piece while visiting La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, where he spotted the words “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus…” on the outside of the cathedral, “spiraling up to heaven” as he described it. He asked long-time friend and collaborator, poet Tony Silvestri, to craft a story around this image. The lyrics speak of a young girl who hears the angels in the stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle singing softly to her, “Sanctus, sanctus.” In an interview about the world premiere of this song, Whitacre said he envisioned that as the angels were singing, light streamed through the stained glass and refracted. He likened this to the sound of the Renaissance being refracted through his present-day sensibilities as a composer, as he strived to create a sound that was modern yet ancient.
This season is JOEL M. RINSEMA’s first year as Artistic Director of Kantorei. Dedicated to expanding the artistic reach and transformative power of quality choral arts, he won the coveted Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America in 2013. For the past 14 years, he served as the Assistant Conductor of the Grammy-winning Phoenix Chorale, working with internationally renowned conductor Charles Bruffy. Joel assisted in all aspects of artistic planning and leadership, and during his tenure, Phoenix Chorale recordings earned a total of two Grammy awards and eight Grammy nominations. The group’s recording “Northern Lights: Music of Ola Gjeilo” was named iTunes Classical Vocal Album of the year in 2012. Joel holds a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Arizona State University, and a B.A. in vocal and choral performance from Whitworth College in Washington. He commutes to Denver weekly from Phoenix, where he lives with his wife, Dana, and children, Rachel and Derek, and continues in his role as President & CEO of the Phoenix Chorale.
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR SARAH HARRISON is in her ninth year of teaching choir and AP
Music Theory at Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village. Under her direction, choirs have appeared at several regional and state conventions. Prior to CCHS, Sarah opened and spent five years at Silver Creek Middle/Senior High School in Longmont, Colo. In addition to teaching, Sarah sings with various ensembles throughout the community, including Kantorei, and is an orchestra and jazz string bassist. She was Kantorei’s Interim Director for the 2013-2014 season. She also recently served as Colorado’s ACDA High School Mixed Repertoire and Standard Chair. Sarah earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree, with instrumental and vocal certification, from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and her Master of Music in conducting and music education from Colorado State University.
Requiem Canticorum -
O sacrum convivium Quatre i.
Kim André Arnesen (b. 1980)
Motets Maurice Duruflé
Ubi caritas ii . Tota pulchra es iii . Tu es Petrus iv . Tantum ergo
(1902-1986)
Please consider turning in your program at the end of the concert to be re-used and recycled.
The title of this five-movement work means ‘‘a Requiem of song’’ or ‘‘a Requiem of canticles,’’ indicating that it is a commemorative piece which sets texts associated with the Requiem mass, rather than being a full Requiem. It is scored for choir, soprano saxophone and organ, and can be performed as a concert piece or as a free-standing anthem within the context of a commemorative event or liturgy.
ACCOMPANIST
O sacrum convivium
ALICIA RIGSBY came to Colorado in 1997 after completing her
- This setting by young Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen features lush, dense chords and soaring melodies. This piece was commissioned by Denmark’s Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir in 2014. Kantorei’s performance of this piece is the U.S. premiere. Arnesen is Kantorei’s composer-in-residence for the upcoming 2015-2016 season. According to Arnesen’s website, he composes “with the aim to write music that sings passionately of our lives, giving strength, comfort and hope. Music that connects with the heart, and helps the heart find its voice.”
Quatre Motets
- Maurice Duruflé’s lovely “Quatre Motets” showcase his love of Gregorian chant. “Ubi caritas,” which probably dates to 10th-century France, is the closing antiphon for Maundy Thursday. The Mass for Maundy Thursday commemorates both the first communion and Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet. “Tota pulchra es” sets the first three of the five antiphon texts for the Vespers of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Tu es Petrus” is the Alleluia psalm for the Mass of Saints Peter and Paul, taking its text from Jesus’s response to Simon Peter after his declaration of faith, whereupon Jesus declares, “Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” From their first meeting, Jesus addressed Simon as “Peter” – which stuck, obviously – and here Jesus is punning on “Petrus” as both Peter’s name and as the Latin form of the Greek word for rock. “ Tantum ergo” consists of the final two verses of Aquinas’s “Pange Lingua,” and as a separate hymn it is prescribed for the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, in which the Sacred Host has first been displayed upon the altar and is then used to make the Sign of the Cross over the congregation as a blessing.
Master of Music degree in piano performance and music theory at Indiana University, Bloomington. Alicia was one of the original members of Kantorei, both as a singer and accompanist. She has performed with the Estes Trio, the Aspen Music Festival and the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Alicia has been teaching music at the Children’s Music Academy, based in Littleton, for 15 years. She is passionate about music as an art form, a teaching tool and an expressionistic medium, and enjoys having all of the musical opportunities in her life.
PROGRAM Please hold your applause until the end of the performance.
Sequentia de sancto Maximino Annie Sullins, soprano
Selections from Missa Pange lingua i.
Kyrie ii . Gloria
Miserere Mei Deus
Heather Gunnerson, soprano; Sara Michael, soprano; Emily Alexander, alto; Matt Weissenbuehler, bass
Jerusalem
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Josquin des Prez (1455-1521)
PROGRAM NOTES
ABOUT THE STAFF
SEQUENTIA DE SANCTO MAXIMINO - Hildegard von Bingen would be a stunning force of nature in
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
any age, but particularly so in medieval Europe, when so few women were even remembered by name. Born into the nobility, her parents dedicated her to the church, and at the age of 14 she was essentially walled up in a stone cell within the Benedictine monastery at Disibodenberg. There, Hildegard and her preceptress, Jutta von Spanheim (another daughter of the nobility), communicated with the outside world only through one small window, and spent the rest of their time in religious study. The learning and piety of these two women drew other novices to them, and the cell grew into a convent. From the age of five, Hildegard had been prone to blinding, ecstatic visions, and her mystical writings, prophecies, poetry, and ethereal music have had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. The “Sibyl of the Rhine,” as she was called, has never been formally canonized, but her feast day is celebrated in Germany. Although her music resembles plainchant, it is much more individual and unpredictable, with expanded ranges, wide intervallic leaps, and unusually decorative melodic patterns.
SELECTIONS FROM MISSA PANGE LINGUA: KYRIE AND GLORIA - Considered the Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652)
last mass of Renaissance Franco-Flemish composer Josquin de Prez, “Missa Pange lingua” is based on the Eucharistic hymn “Pange Lingua gloriosi” by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274). Nearly all of the melodic material is drawn from the source hymn, rendering a fine example of a paraphrase mass. Josquin uses imitation frequently, as well as vocal pairing. Several passages feature two voices singing, which provides a rich contrast to the fuller sections in the mass. This mass brings together several contrapuntal trends from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, resulting in a new kind of style that would become the predominant compositional manner of Franco-Flemish composers in the first half of the 16th century.
MISERERE MEI DEUS - Composer Gregorio Allegri envisioned the setting of this Miserere to be the final Michael McGlynn (b. 1964)
Juliane Dowell, soprano; Annie Sullins, soprano; Emily Alexander, alto; Pearl Rutherford, soprano
act within the first lesson of the Tenebrae service. (Tenebrae, meaning “shadows” or “darkness,” is a Christian religious service, celebrated during the last three days of Holy Week. Consisting of music, readings and psalms to describe the agony of Christ’s last days on earth, the service features candles that are extinguished after each spoken section, until the sanctuary sits in total darkness.) Written for two choirs – five voices in one, four in the other – this Renaissance polyphony employs one choir to sing a simple version of the chant, while the other sings an ornamented “commentary” on it.
JERUSALEM - Intended for high voices, Jerusalem contains a melody originating in Ireland. This piece from “The Kilmore
Christus Resurgens Kevin Gunnerson, percussion
Village Wedding
Kai Berry-Helmlinger, tenor; Andrew Halladay, bass; Sara Michael, soprano; Larry Meerdink, bass; Lindsey Aquilina, alto; Jason Hindman, tenor; Andrea Ware, alto; Alex Menter, tenor; Erin Meyerhoff, alto; Jonathan Von Stroh, tenor
Sainte-Chapelle Requiem Canticorum Frank Perko, organ; Ted Belledin, saxophone
arr. Michael McGlynn
John Tavener (1944-2013)
Carols” uses a form of singing called heterophony, a musical texture characterized by the simultaneous variation of a single melodic line. According to Irish composer Michael McGlynn’s website, Jerusalem is probably the best-known piece performed by the group Anúna (which he founded in 1987), consisting of “waves of sound punctuated by female soloists.” McGlynn’s compositional language combines elements of medieval and traditional music with jazz-tinged chordal clusters and a distinctive melodic sensibility. His choral music has been recorded and performed by vocal ensembles including the BBC Singers, The Dale Warland Singers, Cantus, Conspirare, Chanticleer, and both the Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Chorale.
CHRISTUS RESURGENS - Also by McGlynn, this dramatic arrangement of a 12th century Irish chant is
one of a very small number of early Irish works that has survived. The drum lends a primal feel, supporting the text that depicts Christ’s victory over death.
VILLAGE WEDDING - English composer John Tavener showed his musical talents at a young age, becoming Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
James Whitbourn
(b. 1963) i . Introit
ii .
Pie Jesu iii . Alleluia iv . De profundis v . Lux aeterna
proficient at both piano and organ. He soon began to devote himself to composition, attending the Royal Academy of Music, where he won many major prizes and awards. Since that time, Tavener has been commissioned by most of the major organizations in England and the U.S., and was knighted in 2000...[He] notes, "’Village Wedding’ is a series of musical and verbal images, describing a village wedding in Greece. My insertion of Isaiah's Dance (the moment in the Orthodox marriage ceremony when the couple is solemnly led three times around the Holy Table by the Celebrant), and the whole tone of (Angelos) Sikelianos' poetry, however, show that everything in the natural and visible world, when rightly perceived, is an expression of a supernatural and invisible order of reality." “Village Wedding” was written in 1992 for the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, where it was premiered by the Hilliard Ensemble. Chanticleer gave the U.S. premiere in 1995 and recorded it for the Grammy-winning “Colors of Love.” - Andrew Morgan
SAINTE-CHAPELLE - Eric Whitacre wrote this piece about the royal medieval Gothic chapel in Paris for The Tallis
Scholars’ 40th anniversary in 2013. Whitacre realized the structure for the piece while visiting La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, where he spotted the words “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus…” on the outside of the cathedral, “spiraling up to heaven” as he described it. He asked long-time friend and collaborator, poet Tony Silvestri, to craft a story around this image. The lyrics speak of a young girl who hears the angels in the stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle singing softly to her, “Sanctus, sanctus.” In an interview about the world premiere of this song, Whitacre said he envisioned that as the angels were singing, light streamed through the stained glass and refracted. He likened this to the sound of the Renaissance being refracted through his present-day sensibilities as a composer, as he strived to create a sound that was modern yet ancient.
This season is JOEL M. RINSEMA’s first year as Artistic Director of Kantorei. Dedicated to expanding the artistic reach and transformative power of quality choral arts, he won the coveted Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America in 2013. For the past 14 years, he served as the Assistant Conductor of the Grammy-winning Phoenix Chorale, working with internationally renowned conductor Charles Bruffy. Joel assisted in all aspects of artistic planning and leadership, and during his tenure, Phoenix Chorale recordings earned a total of two Grammy awards and eight Grammy nominations. The group’s recording “Northern Lights: Music of Ola Gjeilo” was named iTunes Classical Vocal Album of the year in 2012. Joel holds a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Arizona State University, and a B.A. in vocal and choral performance from Whitworth College in Washington. He commutes to Denver weekly from Phoenix, where he lives with his wife, Dana, and children, Rachel and Derek, and continues in his role as President & CEO of the Phoenix Chorale.
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR SARAH HARRISON is in her ninth year of teaching choir and AP
Music Theory at Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village. Under her direction, choirs have appeared at several regional and state conventions. Prior to CCHS, Sarah opened and spent five years at Silver Creek Middle/Senior High School in Longmont, Colo. In addition to teaching, Sarah sings with various ensembles throughout the community, including Kantorei, and is an orchestra and jazz string bassist. She was Kantorei’s Interim Director for the 2013-2014 season. She also recently served as Colorado’s ACDA High School Mixed Repertoire and Standard Chair. Sarah earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree, with instrumental and vocal certification, from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and her Master of Music in conducting and music education from Colorado State University.
Requiem Canticorum -
O sacrum convivium Quatre i.
Kim André Arnesen (b. 1980)
Motets Maurice Duruflé
Ubi caritas ii . Tota pulchra es iii . Tu es Petrus iv . Tantum ergo
(1902-1986)
Please consider turning in your program at the end of the concert to be re-used and recycled.
The title of this five-movement work means ‘‘a Requiem of song’’ or ‘‘a Requiem of canticles,’’ indicating that it is a commemorative piece which sets texts associated with the Requiem mass, rather than being a full Requiem. It is scored for choir, soprano saxophone and organ, and can be performed as a concert piece or as a free-standing anthem within the context of a commemorative event or liturgy.
ACCOMPANIST
O sacrum convivium
ALICIA RIGSBY came to Colorado in 1997 after completing her
- This setting by young Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen features lush, dense chords and soaring melodies. This piece was commissioned by Denmark’s Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir in 2014. Kantorei’s performance of this piece is the U.S. premiere. Arnesen is Kantorei’s composer-in-residence for the upcoming 2015-2016 season. According to Arnesen’s website, he composes “with the aim to write music that sings passionately of our lives, giving strength, comfort and hope. Music that connects with the heart, and helps the heart find its voice.”
Quatre Motets
- Maurice Duruflé’s lovely “Quatre Motets” showcase his love of Gregorian chant. “Ubi caritas,” which probably dates to 10th-century France, is the closing antiphon for Maundy Thursday. The Mass for Maundy Thursday commemorates both the first communion and Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet. “Tota pulchra es” sets the first three of the five antiphon texts for the Vespers of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Tu es Petrus” is the Alleluia psalm for the Mass of Saints Peter and Paul, taking its text from Jesus’s response to Simon Peter after his declaration of faith, whereupon Jesus declares, “Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” From their first meeting, Jesus addressed Simon as “Peter” – which stuck, obviously – and here Jesus is punning on “Petrus” as both Peter’s name and as the Latin form of the Greek word for rock. “ Tantum ergo” consists of the final two verses of Aquinas’s “Pange Lingua,” and as a separate hymn it is prescribed for the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, in which the Sacred Host has first been displayed upon the altar and is then used to make the Sign of the Cross over the congregation as a blessing.
Master of Music degree in piano performance and music theory at Indiana University, Bloomington. Alicia was one of the original members of Kantorei, both as a singer and accompanist. She has performed with the Estes Trio, the Aspen Music Festival and the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Alicia has been teaching music at the Children’s Music Academy, based in Littleton, for 15 years. She is passionate about music as an art form, a teaching tool and an expressionistic medium, and enjoys having all of the musical opportunities in her life.
PROGRAM Please hold your applause until the end of the performance.
Sequentia de sancto Maximino Annie Sullins, soprano
Selections from Missa Pange lingua i.
Kyrie ii . Gloria
Miserere Mei Deus
Heather Gunnerson, soprano; Sara Michael, soprano; Emily Alexander, alto; Matt Weissenbuehler, bass
Jerusalem
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Josquin des Prez (1455-1521)
PROGRAM NOTES
ABOUT THE STAFF
SEQUENTIA DE SANCTO MAXIMINO - Hildegard von Bingen would be a stunning force of nature in
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
any age, but particularly so in medieval Europe, when so few women were even remembered by name. Born into the nobility, her parents dedicated her to the church, and at the age of 14 she was essentially walled up in a stone cell within the Benedictine monastery at Disibodenberg. There, Hildegard and her preceptress, Jutta von Spanheim (another daughter of the nobility), communicated with the outside world only through one small window, and spent the rest of their time in religious study. The learning and piety of these two women drew other novices to them, and the cell grew into a convent. From the age of five, Hildegard had been prone to blinding, ecstatic visions, and her mystical writings, prophecies, poetry, and ethereal music have had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. The “Sibyl of the Rhine,” as she was called, has never been formally canonized, but her feast day is celebrated in Germany. Although her music resembles plainchant, it is much more individual and unpredictable, with expanded ranges, wide intervallic leaps, and unusually decorative melodic patterns.
SELECTIONS FROM MISSA PANGE LINGUA: KYRIE AND GLORIA - Considered the Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652)
last mass of Renaissance Franco-Flemish composer Josquin de Prez, “Missa Pange lingua” is based on the Eucharistic hymn “Pange Lingua gloriosi” by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274). Nearly all of the melodic material is drawn from the source hymn, rendering a fine example of a paraphrase mass. Josquin uses imitation frequently, as well as vocal pairing. Several passages feature two voices singing, which provides a rich contrast to the fuller sections in the mass. This mass brings together several contrapuntal trends from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, resulting in a new kind of style that would become the predominant compositional manner of Franco-Flemish composers in the first half of the 16th century.
MISERERE MEI DEUS - Composer Gregorio Allegri envisioned the setting of this Miserere to be the final Michael McGlynn (b. 1964)
Juliane Dowell, soprano; Annie Sullins, soprano; Emily Alexander, alto; Pearl Rutherford, soprano
act within the first lesson of the Tenebrae service. (Tenebrae, meaning “shadows” or “darkness,” is a Christian religious service, celebrated during the last three days of Holy Week. Consisting of music, readings and psalms to describe the agony of Christ’s last days on earth, the service features candles that are extinguished after each spoken section, until the sanctuary sits in total darkness.) Written for two choirs – five voices in one, four in the other – this Renaissance polyphony employs one choir to sing a simple version of the chant, while the other sings an ornamented “commentary” on it.
JERUSALEM - Intended for high voices, Jerusalem contains a melody originating in Ireland. This piece from “The Kilmore
Christus Resurgens Kevin Gunnerson, percussion
Village Wedding
Kai Berry-Helmlinger, tenor; Andrew Halladay, bass; Sara Michael, soprano; Larry Meerdink, bass; Lindsey Aquilina, alto; Jason Hindman, tenor; Andrea Ware, alto; Alex Menter, tenor; Erin Meyerhoff, alto; Jonathan Von Stroh, tenor
Sainte-Chapelle Requiem Canticorum Frank Perko, organ; Ted Belledin, saxophone
arr. Michael McGlynn
John Tavener (1944-2013)
Carols” uses a form of singing called heterophony, a musical texture characterized by the simultaneous variation of a single melodic line. According to Irish composer Michael McGlynn’s website, Jerusalem is probably the best-known piece performed by the group Anúna (which he founded in 1987), consisting of “waves of sound punctuated by female soloists.” McGlynn’s compositional language combines elements of medieval and traditional music with jazz-tinged chordal clusters and a distinctive melodic sensibility. His choral music has been recorded and performed by vocal ensembles including the BBC Singers, The Dale Warland Singers, Cantus, Conspirare, Chanticleer, and both the Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Chorale.
CHRISTUS RESURGENS - Also by McGlynn, this dramatic arrangement of a 12th century Irish chant is
one of a very small number of early Irish works that has survived. The drum lends a primal feel, supporting the text that depicts Christ’s victory over death.
VILLAGE WEDDING - English composer John Tavener showed his musical talents at a young age, becoming Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
James Whitbourn
(b. 1963) i . Introit
ii .
Pie Jesu iii . Alleluia iv . De profundis v . Lux aeterna
proficient at both piano and organ. He soon began to devote himself to composition, attending the Royal Academy of Music, where he won many major prizes and awards. Since that time, Tavener has been commissioned by most of the major organizations in England and the U.S., and was knighted in 2000...[He] notes, "’Village Wedding’ is a series of musical and verbal images, describing a village wedding in Greece. My insertion of Isaiah's Dance (the moment in the Orthodox marriage ceremony when the couple is solemnly led three times around the Holy Table by the Celebrant), and the whole tone of (Angelos) Sikelianos' poetry, however, show that everything in the natural and visible world, when rightly perceived, is an expression of a supernatural and invisible order of reality." “Village Wedding” was written in 1992 for the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, where it was premiered by the Hilliard Ensemble. Chanticleer gave the U.S. premiere in 1995 and recorded it for the Grammy-winning “Colors of Love.” - Andrew Morgan
SAINTE-CHAPELLE - Eric Whitacre wrote this piece about the royal medieval Gothic chapel in Paris for The Tallis
Scholars’ 40th anniversary in 2013. Whitacre realized the structure for the piece while visiting La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, where he spotted the words “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus…” on the outside of the cathedral, “spiraling up to heaven” as he described it. He asked long-time friend and collaborator, poet Tony Silvestri, to craft a story around this image. The lyrics speak of a young girl who hears the angels in the stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle singing softly to her, “Sanctus, sanctus.” In an interview about the world premiere of this song, Whitacre said he envisioned that as the angels were singing, light streamed through the stained glass and refracted. He likened this to the sound of the Renaissance being refracted through his present-day sensibilities as a composer, as he strived to create a sound that was modern yet ancient.
This season is JOEL M. RINSEMA’s first year as Artistic Director of Kantorei. Dedicated to expanding the artistic reach and transformative power of quality choral arts, he won the coveted Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America in 2013. For the past 14 years, he served as the Assistant Conductor of the Grammy-winning Phoenix Chorale, working with internationally renowned conductor Charles Bruffy. Joel assisted in all aspects of artistic planning and leadership, and during his tenure, Phoenix Chorale recordings earned a total of two Grammy awards and eight Grammy nominations. The group’s recording “Northern Lights: Music of Ola Gjeilo” was named iTunes Classical Vocal Album of the year in 2012. Joel holds a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Arizona State University, and a B.A. in vocal and choral performance from Whitworth College in Washington. He commutes to Denver weekly from Phoenix, where he lives with his wife, Dana, and children, Rachel and Derek, and continues in his role as President & CEO of the Phoenix Chorale.
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR SARAH HARRISON is in her ninth year of teaching choir and AP
Music Theory at Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village. Under her direction, choirs have appeared at several regional and state conventions. Prior to CCHS, Sarah opened and spent five years at Silver Creek Middle/Senior High School in Longmont, Colo. In addition to teaching, Sarah sings with various ensembles throughout the community, including Kantorei, and is an orchestra and jazz string bassist. She was Kantorei’s Interim Director for the 2013-2014 season. She also recently served as Colorado’s ACDA High School Mixed Repertoire and Standard Chair. Sarah earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree, with instrumental and vocal certification, from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and her Master of Music in conducting and music education from Colorado State University.
Requiem Canticorum -
O sacrum convivium Quatre i.
Kim André Arnesen (b. 1980)
Motets Maurice Duruflé
Ubi caritas ii . Tota pulchra es iii . Tu es Petrus iv . Tantum ergo
(1902-1986)
Please consider turning in your program at the end of the concert to be re-used and recycled.
The title of this five-movement work means ‘‘a Requiem of song’’ or ‘‘a Requiem of canticles,’’ indicating that it is a commemorative piece which sets texts associated with the Requiem mass, rather than being a full Requiem. It is scored for choir, soprano saxophone and organ, and can be performed as a concert piece or as a free-standing anthem within the context of a commemorative event or liturgy.
ACCOMPANIST
O sacrum convivium
ALICIA RIGSBY came to Colorado in 1997 after completing her
- This setting by young Norwegian composer Kim André Arnesen features lush, dense chords and soaring melodies. This piece was commissioned by Denmark’s Mogens Dahl Chamber Choir in 2014. Kantorei’s performance of this piece is the U.S. premiere. Arnesen is Kantorei’s composer-in-residence for the upcoming 2015-2016 season. According to Arnesen’s website, he composes “with the aim to write music that sings passionately of our lives, giving strength, comfort and hope. Music that connects with the heart, and helps the heart find its voice.”
Quatre Motets
- Maurice Duruflé’s lovely “Quatre Motets” showcase his love of Gregorian chant. “Ubi caritas,” which probably dates to 10th-century France, is the closing antiphon for Maundy Thursday. The Mass for Maundy Thursday commemorates both the first communion and Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet. “Tota pulchra es” sets the first three of the five antiphon texts for the Vespers of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Tu es Petrus” is the Alleluia psalm for the Mass of Saints Peter and Paul, taking its text from Jesus’s response to Simon Peter after his declaration of faith, whereupon Jesus declares, “Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” From their first meeting, Jesus addressed Simon as “Peter” – which stuck, obviously – and here Jesus is punning on “Petrus” as both Peter’s name and as the Latin form of the Greek word for rock. “ Tantum ergo” consists of the final two verses of Aquinas’s “Pange Lingua,” and as a separate hymn it is prescribed for the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, in which the Sacred Host has first been displayed upon the altar and is then used to make the Sign of the Cross over the congregation as a blessing.
Master of Music degree in piano performance and music theory at Indiana University, Bloomington. Alicia was one of the original members of Kantorei, both as a singer and accompanist. She has performed with the Estes Trio, the Aspen Music Festival and the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Alicia has been teaching music at the Children’s Music Academy, based in Littleton, for 15 years. She is passionate about music as an art form, a teaching tool and an expressionistic medium, and enjoys having all of the musical opportunities in her life.
ABOUT THE CHOIR
KANTOREI ("singers") formed in 1997 under Richard Larson’s leadership and has expanded into an auditioned, 52-voice ensemble. Its members come from schools with strong choral music programs, such as Augustana, Brigham Young, Concordia, Luther, St. Olaf, University of Denver, Wartburg and University of Northern Colorado. Kantorei established itself as one of the nation’s premier choral ensembles after performing as an auditioned choir for the 2003 national American Choral Director’s Association conference at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the Vatican in June 2007. More recently, Kantorei has been featured in several regional and national conferences, including the 2008 National Performing Arts Convention and 2010 Southwestern Regional ACDA convention, both held in Denver. In March 2011, Kantorei returned to the national ACDA conference, with performances at Roosevelt University and Symphony Hall in Chicago. Kantorei completed its second European tour in 2012, traveling to Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Larson retired from Kantorei in May 2013. Joel M. Rinsema became Artistic Director of the group in the summer of 2014, following a nationwide conductor search.
MEET OUR GROUP
SOPRANO
ALTO
TENOR
BASS
Mary Christ Theresa Derr Juliane Dowell Kim Dunninger Beryl Fanslow Wendi Sue Grover Heather Gunnerson Stacie Hanson Sara Michael Alicia Rigsby Brenda Rolling Pearl Rutherford Annie Sullins
Emily Alexander Jan Ankele Lindsey Aquilina Lizabeth Barnett Lyn Berry-Helmlinger Sarah Harrison Shannon Lemmon-Elrod Melissa Menter Erin Meyerhoff Jennifer Moore Michelle Tombre Andrea Ware
Kai Berry-Helmlinger Landon Covington Keith Ferguson Kevin Gunnerson Keith Harrison Jason Hindman Steve Howie Justin Kerr Brad Larson Alex Menter Jonathan Von Stroh Ryan Wright
Michael Bizzaro Michael Boender Garth Criswell Andrew Halladay Stephen Hooper Brad Jackson Karl Johnson John Ludwig Larry Meerdink John Schaak Matt Weissenbuehler
DON'T MISS THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY! Join us for a fun, intimate evening on Broadway! Members of the choir will sing their favorite Broadway solos, duets, and small ensemble tunes at this event hosted by Kantorei members Jason Hindman and Landon Covington. Delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. Tickets for the evening are extremely limited, so grab your spot today!
SALON: NIGHT ON BROADWAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015, 7:00 P.M. Hindman/Covington Residence 9722 E. 32nd Ave., Denver Suggested Donation: $75 Tickets available at www.kantorei.org.
FINAL CONCERT OF THE SEASON THE EARTH ADORNED
SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015, 7:30 P.M. Bethany Lutheran Church 4500 E Hampden Ave, Cherry Hills Village SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015, 3:00 P.M. Montview Blvd. Presbyterian Church 1980 Dahlia St, Denver
FOLLOW KANTOREI ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE! Facebook.com/kantorei | Twitter.com/kantoreidenver | Youtube.com/kantorei
KANTOREI BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kevin Gunnerson, President John Ludwig, Vice President Susan Lewkow, Treasurer Sara Michael, Secretary Michael Bizzaro Julianne Dowell
Jason Hindman Brad Jackson Katherine Mulready -------------------Lyn Berry-Helmlinger, Executive Director lyn@kantorei.org
*Kantorei is a 501(c)(3) organization and any donations to the group are deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.
ABOUT THE CHOIR
KANTOREI ("singers") formed in 1997 under Richard Larson’s leadership and has expanded into an auditioned, 52-voice ensemble. Its members come from schools with strong choral music programs, such as Augustana, Brigham Young, Concordia, Luther, St. Olaf, University of Denver, Wartburg and University of Northern Colorado. Kantorei established itself as one of the nation’s premier choral ensembles after performing as an auditioned choir for the 2003 national American Choral Director’s Association conference at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the Vatican in June 2007. More recently, Kantorei has been featured in several regional and national conferences, including the 2008 National Performing Arts Convention and 2010 Southwestern Regional ACDA convention, both held in Denver. In March 2011, Kantorei returned to the national ACDA conference, with performances at Roosevelt University and Symphony Hall in Chicago. Kantorei completed its second European tour in 2012, traveling to Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Larson retired from Kantorei in May 2013. Joel M. Rinsema became Artistic Director of the group in the summer of 2014, following a nationwide conductor search.
MEET OUR GROUP
SOPRANO
ALTO
TENOR
BASS
Mary Christ Theresa Derr Juliane Dowell Kim Dunninger Beryl Fanslow Wendi Sue Grover Heather Gunnerson Stacie Hanson Sara Michael Alicia Rigsby Brenda Rolling Pearl Rutherford Annie Sullins
Emily Alexander Jan Ankele Lindsey Aquilina Lizabeth Barnett Lyn Berry-Helmlinger Sarah Harrison Shannon Lemmon-Elrod Melissa Menter Erin Meyerhoff Jennifer Moore Michelle Tombre Andrea Ware
Kai Berry-Helmlinger Landon Covington Keith Ferguson Kevin Gunnerson Keith Harrison Jason Hindman Steve Howie Justin Kerr Brad Larson Alex Menter Jonathan Von Stroh Ryan Wright
Michael Bizzaro Michael Boender Garth Criswell Andrew Halladay Stephen Hooper Brad Jackson Karl Johnson John Ludwig Larry Meerdink John Schaak Matt Weissenbuehler
DON'T MISS THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY! Join us for a fun, intimate evening on Broadway! Members of the choir will sing their favorite Broadway solos, duets, and small ensemble tunes at this event hosted by Kantorei members Jason Hindman and Landon Covington. Delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. Tickets for the evening are extremely limited, so grab your spot today!
SALON: NIGHT ON BROADWAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015, 7:00 P.M. Hindman/Covington Residence 9722 E. 32nd Ave., Denver Suggested Donation: $75 Tickets available at www.kantorei.org.
FINAL CONCERT OF THE SEASON THE EARTH ADORNED
SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015, 7:30 P.M. Bethany Lutheran Church 4500 E Hampden Ave, Cherry Hills Village SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2015, 3:00 P.M. Montview Blvd. Presbyterian Church 1980 Dahlia St, Denver
FOLLOW KANTOREI ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE! Facebook.com/kantorei | Twitter.com/kantoreidenver | Youtube.com/kantorei
KANTOREI BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kevin Gunnerson, President John Ludwig, Vice President Susan Lewkow, Treasurer Sara Michael, Secretary Michael Bizzaro Julianne Dowell
Jason Hindman Brad Jackson Katherine Mulready -------------------Lyn Berry-Helmlinger, Executive Director lyn@kantorei.org
*Kantorei is a 501(c)(3) organization and any donations to the group are deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.