10/2/22 Pacific Choral Concert

Pacific Choral Concert

Sunday I October 2, 2022 I 2:30 pm

Spanos Concert Hall

University Chorus and Pacific Singers

Yejee Choi, conductor

Monica Adams, collaborative pianist, University Chorus

Patricia Grimm, collaborative pianist, Pacific Singers

Hye-Jun Lee, guest collaborative pianist

James Scott, student conductor

Molly Bolewski, student conductor

Exceeding Glad Shall He Be (1727)

Erev shel shoshanim (1986)

Desh (2006)

I’ll Be on My Way (2011)

James Scott, student conductor

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) Yosef Hadar (1926–2006)

arr. Jack Klevanow

Molly Bolewski, student conductor

Traditional Indian Raga arr. Ethan Sperry (b. 1971)

I. II. III. V. VI. VIII. IX. X.

PROGRAM I OCTOBER 2, 2022 I 2:30 PM University Chorus

Liebeslieder Polkas (1981)

To His Coy Mistress

Ryan Vang, baritone

Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970) P.D.Q. Bach/Peter Schickele (1807–1742?/b. 1935)

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

It Was a Lover and His Lass

The Constant Lover Interlude

Farewell Ungrateful Traitor

Who is Sylvia?

Kailey Diggs, soprano; Mia Janosik, alto; Riley Brearton, tenor; Davis Mahoney, bass

Patricia Grimm, Hye-Jun Lee, piano

Jorge Altamirano-Nunez, professional page turner

Pacific Singers

Zion’s Walls (1954)

Ukuthula (2011)

Aaron Copland (1900–1990)

arr. Glenn Koponen

African Prayer for Peace arr. André van der Merwe

Elaine Hanley, alto

Combined Choirs

PROGRAM NOTES

George Frideric Handel: Exceeding Glad Shall He Be

George Frideric Handel was born in Hamburg, Germany, but spent much of his life as a British citizen. While in Britain he composed many of the most enduring operas, oratorios, and anthems of the Baroque period, including the monumental Messiah with its famous “Hallelujah Chorus.” Historically, Handel has been celebrated for his ability to create profound emotion with seemingly simple music. For this precise reason, Beethoven called Handel “the greatest composer who ever lived.”

“Exceeding Glad Shall He Be” is the second of four movements from Handel’s coronation anthem “The King Shall Rejoice.” The music was commissioned for the coronation of King George II of Great Britain and Queen Caroline. The anthem is Handel at his most extroverted: the music is joyous and festive, and the original instrumentation was considered massive for the time. Originally written for choir and orchestra, the piece is performed by the Univerity Chorus in a piano reduction.

Yosef Hadar: Erev shel shoshanim

arr. Jack Klevanow

“Erev shel shoshanim” (Evening of roses) is frequently referred to as an Israeli folk song. Although the words are largely taken from the biblical Song of Songs, the original setting was created by Moshe Dor and Joseph Hadar in 1956. The song has become so familiar in its many guises that in many cases the credits read only “Israeli,” “traditional,” “folk song,” or “public domain.” Many people know and love the versions popularized in the United States by the Oranim Zabar Israeli folk song group on a recording from the 1950s and in recordings by Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba in the 1960s.

Traditional: Desh arr. Ethan Sperry

Indian classical music became popular in America within the last century, with its emphasis on improvisation and non-Western harmonies sparking interest among many. The hallmark of Indian classical music is the raga, a scale of notes upon which an entire performance is based. “Desh” is based on one of the simplest Indian ragas. Arranger Ethan Sperry attempted to recreate a raga, which is traditionally instrumental, using only choral forces. “Desh” requires singers to speak nonsense syllables in an imitation of Indian percussion instruments, as well as mimic the spiraling melodies of the stringed sitar.

Shawn Kirchner: I’ll Be on My Way

“I’ll Be on My Way” is an inspirational memorial song that moves from a sense of sorrow to great joy. A slow opening, sung by a soloist, captures a feeling of reverence before a light, banjo-inspired piano accompaniment launches the

PROGRAM NOTES

spirit-freeing rest of the piece. The rising arpeggio motive of the chorus to the words “I’ll be on my way” fills both the singers and the audience with joy.

Shawn Kirchner is a composer/arranger/songwriter, singer, and pianist based in Los Angeles whose choral works are performed throughout the world. Kirchner’s creativity is driven by his passion for songwriting, folk/carol traditions, and poetry—but fused with the improvisatory virtuosity of Baroque and bluegrass instrumental traditions. He is best known for his setting of the Kenyan song “Wana baraka” and for Heavenly Home: Three American Songs.

P.D.Q. Bach: Liebslieder Polkas

P.D.Q. Bach is a fictional composer invented by the American musical satirist Peter Schickele, who developed a five-decade-long career performing the “discovered” works of the “only forgotten son” of the Bach family. Schickele’s music combines parodies of musicological scholarship, the conventions of Baroque and Classic music, and slapstick comedy. His music uses instruments not normally used in orchestras, such as the bagpipes, slide whistle, kazoo, and fictional or experimental instruments such as the pastaphone (made of uncooked manicotti), tromboon, hardart, lasso d’amore, and left-handed sewer flute.

Schickele gives a humorous fictional biography of the composer, according to which P.D.Q. Bach was born in Leipzig on April 1, 1742, the son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Anna Magdalena Bach, the twenty-first of Johann’s twenty children. He is also referred to as “the youngest and oddest of Johann Sebastian’s twenty-odd children.” According to Schickele, P.D.Q. “possessed the originality of Johann Christian, the arrogance of Carl Philipp Emanuel, and the obscurity of Johann Christoph Friedrich.”

The Liebeslieder Polkas are ten settings of poems about love. The authors include William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and William Marvell, among others. Schickele’s original program note describes the Polkas as “the first opus of P.D.Q. Bach’s to be discovered in which he inflicted his music on the work of wellknown poets, or even known poets, for that matter.” The performance requires an unconventional instrumentation that includes a wandering third pianist and a deflated balloon.

Aaron Copland: Zion’s Walls arr. Glenn Koponen

Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as “the dean of American composers.” The open, slowly changing harmonies in much of his music are typical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music, evoking the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. He is best known for the works he wrote in the 1930s and 1940s in a deliberately accessible style often referred to as “populist” and which the

PROGRAM NOTES

composer labeled his “vernacular” style. Works in this vein include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, and Rodeo, his Fanfare for the Common Man, and Third Symphony. In addition to his ballets and orchestral works, he produced music in many other genres, including chamber music, vocal works, opera, and film scores.

“Zion’s Walls” is a traditional American song whose melody and words are credited to John G. McCurry, compiler of the Social Harp song collection of 1855. Copland originally arranged it as one of five songs in his second set of Old American Songs for voice and piano, but he later arranged it for voice and orchestra. The Pacific Choirs will be performing the choral arrangement by Glenn Koponen.

The music and text of “Zion’s Walls” depict a celebration of salvation. One by one, the different voice groups of the choir “join in singing the praises of Zion.” Full of metric and harmonic detours, this arrangement is sure to challenge as well as delight audiences.

Traditional: Ukuthula

arr. André van der Merwe

Ukuthula is an African prayer for peace. The song originated in churches in the townships of pre-democratic South Africa, and the content of the song is unashamedly emotional. When translated, the Zulu text reads:

We find peace! We are saved!

We are filled with gratitude! We will conquer! We are consoled! We find peace!

This arrangement was written by André van der Merwe, a conductor and composer from Cape Town, South Africa. He has conducted the esteemed Stellenbosch University Choir since 2003.

Program notes by James Scott

ENSEMBLE BIO

The Pacific Choral Ensembles have had a long and distinguished tradition at University of the Pacific. They are a rich and vital component of Pacific life and a platform for the fundamentals of ensemble collaboration, musicianship and musicality, providing the students with an opportunity to learn a myriad of styles and genres while singing with others.

One of the major focuses of the choral curriculum at Pacific Conservatory is to provide undergraduate-level conducting students with practical training opportunities to prepare themselves for the next chapter of their musical journey.

In recent years, Pacific choral students have been admitted to the nation’s leading masterclasses including Yale Summer School of Music-Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and National ACDA undergraduate conducting masterclass. Graduates are actively involved in the regional and national choral music scene through their careers as music educators while the others pursue their further degrees in the graduate programs with strong choral legacy.

Students from Pacific Choirs had an opportunity to participate in the masterclass with the members of Roomful of Teeth. In addition, Pacific Choirs regularly col laborate with Stockton Symphony in concerts.

Notable repertoires from classical canon includes Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Durufle’s Requiem, Faure’s Requiem, Vierne’s Messe Solennelle, Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzer, Beethoven’s Mass in C major and Choral Fantasy, and Bach’s Cantata BWV 150, to name a few. Pacific choirs are equally committed to dis covering choral repertoires from diverse cultures from around the world, both contemporary and traditional.

Membership into the choral ensembles is open to any Pacific student by audition.

CONDUCTOR

An all-round musician, Yejee Choi maintains a dynamic career as a conductor, composer, vocalist, keyboardist, and educator. Choi joined the faculty of the Conservatory of Music at University of the Pacific in the fall of 2016.

Prior to Pacific, Choi enjoyed exuberant performing life as a conductor and ensemble musician in various venues in South Korea, Japan, China, New Zealand, Australia, and across the United State. The highlights of her performances include works with Marin Alsop, Helmuth Rilling, James Conlon, Simon Halsey, Osmo Vänskä, David Hill, and Grant Gershon. Choi also has appeared at many of the major concert venues and at such renowned halls as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Opera House of National Grand Theatre Beijing (NCPA), and Orchestra Hall (MN) to name a few.

A passionate advocate of community engagement through music, Choi co-founded J.W. Summer Festival Chorale, a semi-professional choir of 93 members in reserve in Seoul, South Korea. Upon the founding of the organization in 2010, Choi fully exerted her entrepreneurship, co-directing both musical and administrative aspects of the group. Equally devoted to music education for youth and children, she also served as the founding board member of the “Music Belongs To Everyone!” series, a youth outreach program under the umbrella of J.W. Chorale. Choi held similar

positions as the director of choral division of Esperanza Azteca Youth Orchestra and Choir in Los Angeles, CA, and as the founding conductor of Modesto Youth Chorus, an ensemble affiliated with Modesto Symphony Orchestra under the artistic direction of David Lockington.

As a composer, Choi’s works have been continually commissioned by various choral and instrumental ensembles and soloists in Seoul, South Korea, since 2010. Her compositional interest lies in adopting and amalgamating diverse musical idioms from different genres and cultures ranging from Korean folk songs, Western classical music, jazz, pop, alternative rock, ethnic music, etc., in exploration of ever-evolving sound language. Having studied Film & Media Scoring at Yonsei University, South Korea, Choi’s ongoing creative endeavor also focuses on amplifying the potential of acoustic choral sound in combination with VSTi (Virtual Studio Technology Instrument) and live instruments.

A native of South Korea, Choi holds a bachelor’s degree in voice performance from University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and a master’s degree in choral conducting from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She completed her doctorate in conducting at the USC Thornton School of Music, where she was the instructor of Choral Conducting I and Oriana Women’s Choir, and was awarded the outstanding doctoral graduate of her class. Prior to her study in the United States, she attended Yonsei University as an English language and literature major, and Korean National University of Arts (KNUA) as a composition major. In addition to voice, conducting, and composition, Choi received a rigorous training in piano and organ, and performed with various instrumental chamber music ensembles in the United States and South Korea.

At Pacific, Choi directs two choral ensembles, Pacific Singers and University Chorus in addition to teaching Choral Conducting and Music Experiences for senior music majors. In the past, her students at Pacific were admitted to the nation’s leading masterclasses and graduate programs including Yale Summer School of MusicNorfolk Chamber Music Festival and National ACDA undergraduate conducting masterclass. Choi maintains an active schedule as a clinician, guest conductor and adjudicator.

Sopranos

Emma Bradley Molly Bolewski Lilia Casaro Kyra Comstock Zoie Macapanpan Raquel Reginato Sydney Zucco

Altos

Miranda Albertoni Huey Chan Charlotte Han

PERFORMERS

University Chorus

Isabella Knittle

Krystle Kong Bailey LaBrie Grace Liaw Stella Mahnke Mallory Norman

Tenors

Jorge Altamirano-Nunez Michael De Lashmutt Matthew Hui Davis Robinson

Basses

Henry Bao Joshua Gutierrez Daniel Hui

Tristan McMichael Seth Neves Christopher Penn Michael Robertson Iker Rodriguez Jake Scallan James Scott

Student Officers

Molly Bolewski, president Miranda Albertoni, ensemble librarian James Scott, student assistant conductor

Section Leaders: Molly Bolewski, Charlotte Han, Michael De Lashmutt, Jorge Altamirano-Nunez, and James Scott

Pacific Singers

Sopranos

Gabby Baluyot Hailey Cating Rose Dickson Kailey Diggs Juliette Frediere Nikki Ikeda Ria Patel

Samantha Perrego

Charlize Price

Jordan Souza

Vanessa Vasquez-Bartolo Jordan Yang

Altos Molly Bolewski Alexis Bondoc Elaine Hanley Mia Janosik Rebecca Mahon

Tenors

Riley Brearton Leo Hearl Michael Megenney Basses Mateus Barioni Davis Mahoney Ian Orejana James Scott Ryan Vang

Student Officers

Filo Ebid, president Brylan Finley, vice president Mia Janosik, ensemble librarian

Section Leaders: Nicole Ikeda, Molly Bolewski, Riley Brearton, Davis Mahoney

Daniel Ebbers, Professor & Program Director of Vocal Performance

Yejee Choi, Director of Choral Studies

Eric Dudley, Associate Professor of Voice, Conductor/Coach

James Haffner, Professor & Director of Pacific Opera Theatre

Virginia Kelsey, Assistant Professor of Voice

Carl Pantle, Lecturer & Collaborative Pianist

AND PROGRAMS

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Please contact the Assistant Dean for Development at 209.932.2978 to make a gift today. You may also send a check payable to University of the Pacific:

Conservatory of Music, University of the Pacific Attn: Assistant Dean for Development 3601 Pacific Avenue Stockton, CA, 95211

UPCOMING CONSERVATORY EVENTS

Oct. 5 | 7:30 pm

Symphonic Wind Ensemble and University Concert Band

Faye Spanos Concert Hall

Oct. 15 | 7:00 pm

Pacific Prism

Faye Spanos Concert Hall

Homecoming Event

Oct. 19 | 7:30 pm

Kyle Bruckmann, oboe Patricia Grimm, piano Recital Hall

Oct. 20 | 7:30 pm

Guest Artist Series Scott Holden, piano Recital Hall