12/2/22 Holiday Choral Concert

Holiday Choral Concert

Friday I December 2, 2022 I 7:30 pm

University Chorus and Pacific Singers

St. Mary’s Concert Choir and Canti Fermi Joshua

Faye Spanos Concert Hall

Yejee Choi, director Monica Adams, collaborative pianist, University Chorus Patricia Grimm, collaborative pianist, Pacific Singers

Landin, director

Personent hodie (2001) German Tune (1630) arr. Lara Hoggard (1915–2007)

Kylie Ward, Parker Deems, Yoshiki Shimokawa, Gianna Stratton, trumpets

Matthew Miramontes, Seth Neves, Victor Alcaraz, William Giancaterino, Brooke Farrar, trombones Leonard Cox, Robin Bisho, percussion

Musicks Empire (1968) Lloyd Pfautsch (1921–2003)

Ching-a-Ring Chaw (1954) Aaron Copland (1900–1990)

Gaudete (2014) Medieval Chant arr. Michael Engelhardt Matthew Ka Nam Hui, tenor Seth Neves, Joshua Gutierrez, basses Robin Bisho, Leonard Cox, Mallory Norman, Jonathan Herbers, percussion

Wexford Carol (2000) Irish Folksong arr. Pittsburgh Symphony Brass Yoshiki Shimokawa, Kylie Ward, trumpets Skylar Warren, horn Matthew Miramontes, trombone Kyle Saelee, tuba

University Chorus and Pacific Singers Yejee Choi, conductor

Masters in This Hall

French Carol arr. Harry Robert Wilson (1901–1968) and Walter Ehret (1918–2009)

Jazz Gloria (1970) Natalie Sleeth (1930–1992)

Saint Mary’s Concert Choir Joshua Landin, conductor

Once upon a December (1996) Ahrens and Flaherty arr. Audrey Snyder (b. 1953)

Il est né le divin enfant French Carol arr. Audrey Snyder (b. 1953)

St. Mary’s Canti Fermi Joshua Landin, conductor

PROGRAM I DECEMBER 2, 2022 I 7:30 PM

The Sleigh (à la Russe) (1926) Kountz and Tchervanow arr. Grace Helen Nash St. Mary’s Combined Choirs Joshua Landin, conductor

Koppången (1998) Swedish Folksong arr. Per-Erik Moraeus Alexis Bondoc, alto Iker Rodriguez, guitar Charlotte Han, violin Pat Grimm, piano Shirat Ha-Chag (1957) Hassidic Melody arr. A. W. Binder

O magnum mysterium (1952) Francis Poulenc (1899–1963) Riley Brearton, tenor; Alexis Bondoc, Mia Janosik, altos James Scott, student assistant conductor

Mary Had a Baby (2004) arr. Craig Courtney (b. 1954) Filo Ebid, tenor

Winter Wonderland (1934) Felix Bernard (1897–1944) arr. Yejee Choi Yoshiki Shimokawa, Parker Deems, trumpets Skylar Warren, horn Matthew Miramontes, trombone Kyle Saelee, tuba Pacific Singers Yejee Choi, conductor

Noel (2002) arr. Brad Holmes (b. 1956) Riley Brearton, Davis Mahoney, James Scott, Filo Ebid, baritones Jonathan Herbers, djembe; Mallory Norman, cowbell

O Holy Night (2007)

Adolphe Adam (1803–1856) arr. Gary Fry Parker Deems, Kylie Ward, trumpets Skylar Warren, horn Matthew Miramontes, trombone Kyle Saelee, tuba Robin Bisho, Mallory Norman, Leonard Cox, Jonathan Herbers, percussion Combined Choirs Yejee Choi, conductor

PROGRAM NOTES

German Tune, arr. Lara Hoggard: Personent hodie

“Personent hodie” is a Christmas carol originally published in the 1582 Finnish song book Piae cantiones, a volume of seventy-four medieval songs with Latin texts collected by Jacobus Finno, a Swedish Lutheran cleric. A melody found in a 1360 manuscript from the Bavarian city of Moosburg in Germany is highly similar, and it is from this manuscript that the song is usually dated. The song became more commonly performed after arrangements were made by popular composers Gustav Holst, John Rutter, and Lara Hoggard. Hoggard’s arrangement is used as a festival processional, which means that a choir will sing the music while entering the performance space.

Translation

On this day earth shall ring with the song children sing to the Lord, Christ our King, born on earth to save us; him the Father gave us. His the doom, ours the mirth; when he came down to earth, Bethlehem saw his birth; ox and ass beside him from the cold would hide him.

God’s bright star, o’er his head, Wise Men three to him led; kneel they low by his bed, lay their gifts before him, praise him and adore him.

On this day angels sing; with their song earth shall ring, praising Christ, heaven’s King, born on earth to save us; peace and love he gave us.

Lloyd Pfautcsh: Musicks Empire

In 1968, Lloyd Pfautsch took a text by English poet Andrew Marvell (1621–1678) and set it to music. What resulted was “Musicks Empire,” a chant that resembles the plainsong of the early Orthodox Church. At times solemn and at other times rejoiceful, this arrangement takes the Old English text and places it within the simple yet profound melodies of Gregorian chant. This marriage of the medieval and the orthodox has resonated with audiences for decades, making “Musicks Empire” a favorite among the choral festival repertoire.

Aaron Copland: Ching- a-Ring Chaw

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 composer labeled

PROGRAM NOTES

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.

“Ching-a-Ring Chaw” is the last of the five songs in Aaron Copland’s Old American Songs, Set 2. The song has its origins in the blackface minstrel songs of 1800s America. This presented a problem for Copland, who, while being a cultural progressive, was also an outspoken advocate for the preservation of American heritage and music. He decided to remove parts of the original text that could be seen as offensive. He explained, “I did not want to take any chance of it being construed as racist.” His arrangement has become a choral staple, with its lighthearted and joyful lyrics about the “promised land” and its playful nonsense syllables punctuating the rhythm.

Michael Engelhardt: Gaudete (Rejoice)

Note

by the composer

“This ancient Christmas carol from Piae cantiones (1582) is set in a very progressive style. The tune of the carol remains completely intact, with only slight rhythmic variations from the original. It is the harmonic, percussive, and (optional) electronic elements that regenerate this simple medieval tune into a post-modern, quasi-industrial groove anthem.

“The fusion of mechanical precision together with rural simplicity can be directly attributed to my own upbringing. Born and raised in an eclectic small town that fervently resisted the suburban sprawl of Chicago—my father a plastic molding engineer and my mother a dressmaker—I have always lived in the beautiful tension of industry versus artistry, machinery versus humanity, progress versus heritage. In that light, special care should be taken to make sure that a well-balanced sense of joy is present in the performance of this arrangement. The somewhat cold, metallic sound of the percussion should be offset by a warm, celebratory spirit in the choir.”

Michael Engelhardt

Irish

Tune, arr. Pittsburg Symphony Brass: Wexford Carol

The “Wexford Carol” is a traditional religious Irish Christmas carol originating from County Wexford and, specifically, Enniscorthy. The subject of the song is the nativity of Jesus Christ. Sometimes known by its first verse, “Good people all this Christmas time,” the song is of uncertain origins, and while it is occasionally claimed to be from the early Middle Ages, it likely was composed in the fifteenth or sixteenth century based on its musical and lyrical style. The song achieved a renewed popularity due to the work of William Grattan Flood (1859–1928), who was organist and musical director at St. Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy.

PROGRAM NOTES

He transcribed the carol from a local singer and had it published in The Oxford Book of Carols, putting Enniscorthy into most carol books around the world. The Pittsburg Symphony Brass Ensemble, founded by George Vosburgh in 1994, arranged the “Wexford Carol” for their 2000 album A Christmas Concert. Various musicians from Pacific’s brass studios have collaborated for today’s performance of the arrangement.

Swedish Folksong, arr. Per-Erik Moraeus: Koppången

“Koppången” is a Swedish song composed originally for violin in 1998 by Per-Erik Moraeus for his folk-music group Orsa Spelmän, which includes his brothers Kalle Moraeus and Olle Moraeus. The name and the inspiration for the song come from the wetlands and nature preserve Koppången, near the Moraeus family home in Orsa Municipality, Dalarna, Sweden. In 1999 Py Bäckman wrote lyrics for the song, in both Swedish and English. The lyrics describe a person looking out at a serene winter landscape. The beauty of the scene becomes so profound that it inspires a spiritual awakening in that person, strengthening their faith, and leaving them with a sense of lasting peace. “Koppången” has become a “modern Christmas classic” in the two decades since its composition.

English Text

There is silence around me in this peaceful winter night. From the church down in the valley I can see the candlelight. And I stopped for a moment in this winter paradise, When I heard a choir singing through the darkness and the ice. And the rays of lights behind the window’s vaulted frames Have united the souls in hope that something great is waiting. And I know that those who have left us here had the same thoughts as I, We’re like flames in the darkness and stars up in the sky. And I see how they sparkle and they fade before my eyes And the truth is coming closer like a wonder in disguise. We are caught here for a moment like an imprint of a hand On an old and frosted window or a footprint in the sand. For a while I’m eternal—that’s the only thing I know, I am here and we share our dreams about our destination. It is cold out here, the snow is white but I’m warm deep inside. I am warm ‘cause I know that my faith will be my guide.

Hassidic Melody, arr. A. W. Binder: Shirat ha chag (Festival Song)

A. W. Binder was an American composer who played a prominent role in the Jewish artistic revival beginning in the 1920s. His most important contribution to Jewish music was his composition of the third edition of the Union Hymnal in 1932. According to the Milken Archive of Jewish Music, the first two editions of the Hymnal “consisted largely of second-rate hymns, mostly in English, and many adaptations from non-Jewish sources such as opera, classical lieder and oratorio,

PROGRAM NOTES

and Western folksong. It contained very little in the way of tradition. Binder carefully rethought its entire purpose and aesthetic and thoroughly revised the hymnal to include many established tunes from eastern and western European Ashkenazi traditions.” Binder’s setting of the traditional Jewish tune “Shirat ha chag” is one of his many choral works based on the music of his heritage.

Francis Poulenc: O magnum mysterium (O great mystery)

French composer Francis Poulenc is often remembered for his lighthearted, irreverent compositions for piano and chamber ensembles. However, his more serious, ambitious music has gained recognition in the six decades since his death. These compositions were often composed when Poulenc was feeling most deeply connected with his Catholic faith and therefore were often written for choir. These works include the Mass in G (1937), Figure humaine (1943), Gloria (1959), and O magnum mysterium (1952). In the last of these, the nativity scene is depicted with a chilling yet peaceful atmosphere. Poulenc’s use of dissonance and wandering harmonies creates the illusion of time stopping—a profound depiction of the birth of the baby Jesus.

Felix Bernard, arr. Yejee Choi: Winter Wonderland

Sing along to this holiday classic!

Text

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

In the lane, snow is glistening A beautiful sight We’re happy tonight Walking in a winter wonderland.

Gone away is the bluebird Here to stay is a new bird To sing a love song While we stroll along Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow, we can build a snowman We’ll pretend that he is Parson Brown He’ll say, are you married? We’ll say, no man, But you can do the job when you’re in town.

Later on, we’ll conspire As we dream by the fire To face unafraid The plans that we’ve made Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow, we can build a snowman We’ll pretend that he is Parson Brown He’ll say, are you ready? We’ll say, no man, But you can do the job when you’re in town.

Later on, we’ll conspire

As we dream by the fire To face unafraid

The plans that we’ve made Walking in a winter wonderland Walking in a winter wonderland Walking in a winter wonderland.

Richard Bernhard Smith

PROGRAM NOTES

Brad Holmes: Noel

“Noel” is a communal song of celebration in the African Katuba dialect. Arranged by Brad Holmes, a choral director at Baylor University in Texas, this song begins with four soloists performing a call-and-response that is characteristic of much of African vocal music. “Noel” is filled with chanting, clapping, and drumming. A traditional African djembe is used to set the tempo, and the full power of the com bined choirs is employed to create a joyous celebration.

Text and Translation

Noel, noel! Yesu me kwisa ku zinga ti beto!

Kana nge zola ku zaba mwana! Nge fwiti kwisa ku fukama!

Adolphe Adam, arr. Gary Fry: O Holy Night

In 1843, the text of “O Holy Night” was written by the French poet Placide Cappeau for his local church’s Christmas service. Composer Adolphe Adam heard the poem and decided to set it to music, and it was premiered by soprano Emily Laurey in 1847. Since then it has been translated into English and performed by countless popular artists including Leontyne Price, Bing Crosby, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Josh Groban. The wide vocal range of the melody makes “O Holy Night” famously difficult to perform. Gary Fry’s interpretation of the classic song is an expansive, magisterial musical landscape, complete with distant church bells, warm brass carols, and booming percussion.

—Program notes by James Scott

Noel, Noel!

Jesus has come to live with us!

If you want to know the Child, you have to come kneel!

An all-around 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 conducting at Pacific, Choi enjoyed an 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. 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 Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts and Orchestra Hall (Minnesota) to name a few. A passionate advocate of community engagement through music, Choi cofounded the J.W. Summer Festival Chorale, a semiprofessional choir of ninety-three members in reserve in Seoul, South Korea. Upon the founding of the organization in 2010, Choi fully exerted her entrepreneurship, codirecting both musical and administrative aspects of the group. Equally devoted to music education for youth and children, Choi also served as the founding board member of the “Music Belongs To Everyone!” series, a youth outreach program under the umbrella of the J.W. Chorale. Choi held similar positions as director of the choral division of the Esperanza Azteca Youth Orchestra and Choir in Los Angeles and as the founding conductor of the Modesto Youth Chorus, an ensemble affiliated with the Modesto Symphony Orchestra.

As a composer Choi has been continually commissioned by various choral and instrumental ensembles and soloists in Seoul since 2010. Her compositional interest lies in adopting and amalgamating diverse musical idioms from different genres and cultures ranging from Korean folk songs to Western classical music, jazz, pop, alternative rock, and ethnic music in exploration of ever-evolving sound language. Having studied film and media scoring at Yonsei University, South Korea, Choi also continues her creative endeavors by focusing on amplifying the potential of acoustic choral sound in combination with Virtual Studio Technology (VST) instruments and live instruments.

A native of South Korea, Choi holds a bachelor’s degree in voice performance from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and a master’s degree in choral conducting from the 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 the 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 the Korea National University of Arts 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 the Pacific Singers and University Chorus in addition to teaching choral conducting and music experiences for senior music majors. Her students at Pacific have been admitted to the nation’s leading masterclasses and graduate programs including the Yale Summer School of Music– Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and the National American Choral Directors Association undergraduate conducting masterclass. Choi maintains an active schedule as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator.

Joshua Landin, who earned his Bachelor of Music degree in music education from the University of the Pacific in 2015, has been a conductor and educator in the Stockton area for ten years teaching voice, conducting, and acting, and leading choirs and bands in both public and private schools. He has been teaching at St. Mary’s since the fall of 2018, but he has been the music director for the St. Mary’s musicals since 2012.

University Chorus PACIFIC ENSEMBLES

A large, mixed chorus collaborating with other choirs for two performances each semester and performing both a cappella and choral-orchestral works in a wide variety of genres.

Sopranos

Emma Bradley

Molly Bolewski

Lilia Casaro

Kyra Comstock

Zoie Macapanpan

Raquel Reginato

Sydney Zucco

Altos

Miranda Albertoni

Huey Chan

Charlotte Han

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

PACIFIC ENSEMBLES

Pacific Singers

A select, mixed-voice chamber choir who collaborate with the University Chorus for two choral concerts each semester and perform at major university events and ceremonies. They also work with the University Symphony Orchestra and the Stockton Symphony to perform major choral and orchestral pieces.

Sopranos

Gabby Baluyot

Hailey Cating Rose Dickson

Kailey Digg

Nikki Ikeda

Ria Patel

Samantha Perrego

Charlize Price

Jordan Souza

Vanessa Vasquez-Bartolo

Jordan Yang

Altos

Molly Bolewski Alexis Bondoc

Elaine Hanley Mia Janosik

Tenors

Riley Brearton

Filo Ebid

Leo Hearl

Michael Megenney

Basses

Davis Mahoney

Ian Orejana James Scott Ryan Vang

STUDENT OFFICERS

University Chorus

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

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

Pacific Singers

Filo Ebid, president

Brylan Finley, vice president Mia Janosik, ensemble librarian

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

ST. MARY’S ENSEMBLES

Concert Choir

Amelia Birmingham

Elliot Bitondo

Samantha Brockhouse

Rachelle Calimlim

Tatiana Crowley

Alexandra Grizzle

Edward Her

Addyson McCaffrey

Canti Fermi

Amanda Bruno

Colin Cacconie

Isabella Crotty

James Ehrich Adam Johnson

Hali’A Kaleimamahu

Eva Madary

Hailey Mangente

Alexander Navarro Aisea Solidum

Samantha Verkuyl

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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

Dec. 3 | 7:30 pm

Student Recital Logan Feece, composition Faye Spanos Concert Hall

Dec. 5 | 7:30 pm

Pacific Varied Ensembles III Recital Hall

Dec. 6 | 7:30 pm

Pacific Composers Concert Recital Hall Dec. 7 | 5:00 pm

Student Recital Marcella Stone-Fox, piano Recital Hall

music.pacific.edu