Orpheus Club Men's Chorus - Holiday Concerts 2016

Page 1

Orpheus Club

Holiday ConCerts Featuring

Daniel minogue

Dec. 17, 2016 Saturday • 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18, 2016

trumpet

montclair state university West African Drumming and Dance ensemble rObert Levin, direCtOr

Sunday • 4:00 p.m. ridgewood united methodist Church 100 dayton St. • ridgewood ushers: Friends of the Orpheus Club

ridgewoodorpheusclub.org

Orpheus Club men’s ChOrus John Palatucci, Director • Ron Levy, Pianist • Dottie Fucito, Visual Director


660 Harristown Road Glen Rock, NJ 07452 201-445-5668 www.perrysflorist.net

Wanted!

Men singers for orpheus

H

H

Our Wednesday evening rehearsals start again January 4, 2017 8 to 10 p.m. The Georgian Room Care One at the Cupola W. 100 Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus

Call for more information! Dave Kerr 973-743-0248 Bill Amazzini 551-404-3976 Bob Husband 201-602-9092 2

• Enjoy the Camaraderie • It’s a great weekly break • Come to rehearsal—try us out!


O Holy Night O holy night, the stars are brightly shining; It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn! Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine! O night when Christ was born! O night divine! O night, O night divine!

Deck the Hall Deck the hall with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la la la la la. 'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la la la la la. Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la la la la la.

Auld Lang Syne Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We’ll raise a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

Rock of Ages Rock of ages, let our song raise thy saving power Thou amidst the raging foes, wast our sheltering tower. Furious they assailed us, but thine arm availed us And thy word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us. And thy word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us.

18

Welcome! Welcome to the annual holiday concerts of the Orpheus Club. One of the oldest male choruses in the Northeast, Orpheus is dedicated to the continuance of men’s choral singing, fellowship and to providing audiences with an eclectic repertoire of enjoyable music. Our singing membership is made up of men from all walks of life drawn together by the common bond of music. Our singers now come from throughout northern New Jersey. We welcome your inquiries about singing with us. If singing is not for you but you enjoy attending our concerts, we invite you to consider becoming a subscribing member. As such, you will be kept apprised of our upcoming concerts and will enjoy significant savings on the cost of tickets. For more information feel free to speak with any singing member after the concert, visit our website (www.ridgewoodorpheusclub.org), or write to us (PO Box 114, Ridgewood).

In the fall of 1990, John J. Palatucci became music director of the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus, Ridgewood’s oldest civic musical organization. His efforts to uphold and enhance the OCMC's proud history, tradition, and reputation, most recently include a performance of Johannes Brahms’ Rinaldo with the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra but also include Brahms' Alto Rhapsody with the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, Randall Thompson's The Testament of Freedom and Giuseppi Verdi's Hymn to the Nations with the Orchestra of Saint Peter-by-theSea, and the Maroon Men a cappella group from Ridgewood HS as well as several commissions of new music for male chorus which are dedicated to him and the OCMC. Since 1993 the OCMC and the Ridgewood Concert Band have collaborated on Howard Hanson's Song of Democracy, Ottorino Respighi's Laud to the Nativity, Aaron Copland's Old American Songs, the revised finale to Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser, and most recently the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album arranged for male chorus and concert band. In the spring of 2005, Mr. Palatucci led the OCMC in its Lincoln Center debut, performing at the Lincoln Center Library with the Palisades Virtuosi chamber ensemble. The OCMC became a charter member of the New Jersey Choral Consortium in 2008 where Mr. Palatucci sat on the board of directors and served as vice president. In January 2009, he was honored by his colleagues at Montclair State University by being selected as speaker at the annual Dr. Jack Sacher Memorial 3


Lecture. Also in 2009, during the OCMC’s centennial year, he led a Ridgewood community choral festival which culminated in a performance with orchestra and soloist Ron Levy of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. In 2011, his setting of Percy Grainger’s Sussex Mummers’ Christmas Carol for male chorus and piano was published by the International Percy Grainger Society. With Mr. Levy, he prepared the OCMC and its sister ensemble, the Ridgewood Choral, for a performance of the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Under the auspices of the NJCC, with the OCMC and the Rutgers University Glee Club, in 2012 he helped organize and oversee an inaugural statewide men’s chorus workshop and concert at Rutgers University. A 2013 debut performance at Carnegie Recital Hall with members of the OCMC included the NYC premieres of Peter Findley’s Ubi caritas and Godfrey Schroth’s Orpheus with his lute. Mr. Palatucci will be conducting at the National Chorale’s annual Messiah Sing at Lincoln Center’s Geffen Hall on Tuesday December 20. He will be premiering a new work by Patrick Burns entitled Vignettes for solo euphonium and band with the Ridgewood Concert Band on March 31, 2017. For more information about Mr. Palatucci, please visit the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus web site: http://www.ridgewoodorpheusclub.org/the-director.html Ron levy, internationally acclaimed pianist, has been called "first-class" by the New York Times. He regularly appears as a soloist, and in partnership with many of the world's leading singers and instrumentalists. A graduate of Oberlin, Mr. Levy is a founding member of the Hudson Trio, Kaleidoscope, the New World Trio, the Manchester Chamber Players, the Breucklen Trio and the award-winning Palisades Virtuosi, resident chamber ensemble at Bergen Community College and the University of Hawaii. He has been pianist and harpsichordist of the Oberlin Orchestra, the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, the New Jersey and North Jersey Philharmonics, the Westchester Symphony, and the Albany Symphony. Presently he is Associate Artist with the All Seasons Chamber Players. For over 20 years, Mr. Levy was associated with the Manchester (VT) Music Festival, of which he was a faculty and Board member. While living in Vermont, he was Music Director & Conductor of the Opera Theatre in Weston, and impresario of the "Third Saturday" chamber music series at the historic Equinox Hotel, as well as the "Music on the Hill" series at the Southern Vermont Art Center. A champion of new music, he has been the recipient of a considerable number of works written for him by prominent composers. Mr. Levy has taught at numerous colleges, and is currently an instructor at Montclair State University; he maintains an active and on-going affiliation with the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard, and NJ PAC. Mr. Levy conceived two "mini-festivals" which were presented by the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center. In 2008 Mr. Levy played in St. Petersburg, Russia, and at the venerable Stratford (CA) Summer Music Festival (with Palisades Virtuosi). In November of 4

Upcoming 2017 concerts Friday • February 10 Friday • March 31 West Side Presbyterian Church 6 South Monroe Street For more information: www.ridgewoodband.org 17


2013, Ron presented a concert at Carnegie, performing sixteen works written for him (including two for the Orpheus Club). That same fall he served on the jury of the Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition. Recently, Mr. Levy was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Rockland and Monmouth Symphony Orchestras; last spring, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his concerto debut, he soloed with both orchestras, performing concertos of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Grieg & Beethoven. A two-term President of the Professional Teachers' Guild of NJ, he is a contributing editor to BIM Music Publications, Switzerland. Recordings by Mr. Levy are available on the Albany, Centaur, Eroica, Koch International, MMF and High Point labels; several of the individual CDs comprising Palisades Virtuosi's New American Masters Series (Albany Records) have been submitted for Grammys.

speCial thanks to the ownership and management of Care One at the Cupola W. 100 Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus, NJ

Perry’s Florist

660 Harristown Rd., Glen Rock, NJ

Daily Treat Restaurant 177 Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ

Town & Country Apothecary

60 East Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ

Lewis Drugs 298 Westwood Avenue, Westwood, NJ

Benny’s Luncheonette

11-04 Saddle River Road, Fair Lawn, NJ

Rock Ridge Pharmacy 191 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ

The Wine Seller

6 West Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ

Wine & Spirit World

626 North Maple Ave., Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

The Orpheus Club appreciates your help and support! 16

Our Guests Daniel Minogue, trumpet is a candidate for a Music Education degree at Montclair University. While at MSU, Dan has been a member of the Orchestra, Brass Quintet, Jazz Band, Baroque Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble and the Wind Symphony. Last year, under the auspices of MSU, Dan attended Queens University in Belfast, Ireland, studying Irish traditional music, performance practice, and sound engineering and design. Events that Dan considers highpoints in his youthful career include performing at Carnegie Hall, being ranked 4th in trumpet by the NJMEA, and performing with the All-State Band and All-State Orchestra. Dan looks forward to becoming a teacher, and hopes to eventually be Director of Wind Bands at a NJ high school. MontclaiR State univeRSity WeSt afRican DRuMMing anD Dance enSeMble Robert Levin, director This is the 4th year that Robert Levin has been directing the MSU West African Drumming and Dance Ensemble in music from the oral tradition. Our group is planning its first ensemble visit to Ghana in the Spring of 2017, to have an immersive and interactive study abroad experience. We will learn from and perform with many great West African artists and cultural ensembles. We will also bolster the public education efforts at the Kopeyia Bloomfield Local Authority School, which Levin co-founded in the rural village of Kopeyia in 1988 during his first trip to Ghana. Robert Levin began his studies of West African music in 1977 with Ghanaian professors Abraham Adzenyah and Freeman Donkor at Wesleyan University, and has since traveled many times to Ghana where he studied extensively with Godwin Agbeli and other musicians. In addition to teaching West African music, Levin performs widely on piano and percussion and composes music for film, theater and recordings. 5


orpheus Club sCholarship prograM

translations

Roland L. Meyer Orpheus Club Scholarship To keep “the song alive” the members of the Orpheus Club are committed to support future generations of musicians in their endeavors. To that end, for more than two decades the Orpheus Club has been proud to sponsor a scholarship program designed to honor and assist a graduating high school senior who has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments in music and who intends to continue musical studies on the collegiate level. Since taking its current form in 1993, the program has made grants exceeding $25,000. Students from Ridgewood, Indian Hills, Paramus, Pequannock, Glen Rock, Ramapo, Northern Valley (Old Tappan), Eastern Christian, Northern Highlands, Fair Lawn, Verona, Roxbury, Montclair, Leonia, Lakeland and Kittatinny high schools and the Bergen County Academy have been past recipients of Orpheus Club awards. These outstanding young musicians have gone on to study at Oberlin College, the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Boston University, the Mannes College of Music, Miami University (Ohio), Rutgers University, Calvin College (Michigan), the Manhattan School of Music, Boston College, the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Hamilton College (New York), Brandeis University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Michigan and West Chester University of Pennsylvania. At out concerts this past April, the 2016 Roland L. Meyer Orpheus Club Scholarship grant of $2000 was presented to Graham Deubner from Glen Ridge High School. Graham is now attending the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles. The $750 Harriet and Edward Levy Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Timothy Ruszala from West Essex Regional High School. Timothy is now attending Princeton University. We hope to be able to honor other outstanding musicians in coming years. Applications for our 2017 award will soon be mailed out to area schools and will also be available on our web site. If you know of a promising high school senior who might be eligible, encourage them to apply. We thank all those individuals and groups who have made donations to this valuable effort and encourage you to continue your support of our students in the arts. Donations of any size are welcomed. Make your check payable to the Orpheus Club Scholarship Fund and give it to any singing member or mail it to:

Orpheus Club, Inc. P.O. Box 114 • Ridgewood, NJ 07451 All contributions are tax-deductible. 6

ave Maria Hail Mary, full of grace, Mary, full of grace, Mary, full of grace, Hail, Hail, the Lord The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed, Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary!

Hail Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Pray, pray for us; Pray for us sinners, Now, and at the hour of our death, The hour of our death. The hour, the hour of our death, The hour of our death. Hail Mary!

betelehemu We are glad that we have a Father to trust. We are glad that we have a Father to rely upon. Where was Jesus born? Where was He born? Bethlehem, the city of wonder. That is where the Father was born for sure. Praise, praise, praise be to Him. We thank thee, we thank Thee, we thank Thee for this day, Gracious Father. Praise, praise, praise be to Thee, Merciful Father.

save the Dates! The annual Orpheus Club

Spring Concerts will be held on

Saturday • April 29, 2017 Sunday • April 30, 2017 Mark your calendars now so as not to miss these gala events. 15


OFFiCerS Bob Husband .............................................................President Tom Veit ........................................Vice President, Membership Vernon Reed,.............................Vice President, Administration Cliff Hook ....................................................................Treasurer Cliff Gerenz..................................................................Librarian

bOard OF truSteeS Singing memberS

Greg Farrell

Steven Fell

Clifford Gerenz

Lou Fucito Dave Kerr

nOn-Singing memberS

Dotti Fucito

Marcia Perry

Phillip Raspe

COmmittee Chairmen Paul Berinato ..................................................................................................Music Peter Fenzel ...............................................................................................Publicity

paSt preSidentS George U. White Frank F. Knothe George W. Campbell Wilbur Morris Paul J. Howe Herbert R. Talbot George A. Steves Theodore Northrup Robert Nutt, Jr. Ray M. Gidney Harry Wiltshire Richard H. Long Chester S. Lawton William J. Crawford Arthur I. Demarest Leon A. Payne Albert W. Staub Clifford D. Ackerman 14

Howard R. Leroy Richard G. Mannheim Frederick A. Blanpied Charles R. Dewhurst Stanley M. Staples Howard M. Liechty John Bing Walter C. Doscher Frederick E. Ray Theodore H. Mastin, Jr. Herbert S. Buzzard Otis H. Grendler Jack D. Morrison Oliver H. Hiester Karel V. Ctibor Vincent G. Beck 7

Robert J. Egner Charles B. Hepburn George W. Billings Jerome Wyckoff E. Raymond Greve Carl F. Bilz Robert E. Duane Frank Strobl Roland L. Meyer James W. Rash Paul D. Berinato Dan Williams Lou Fucito Jim Lisanti Pat O’Brien Joe Lisella Robert Silvera Greg Farrell


orpheus Club Men’s Chorus First tenor ROBERT F. SILVERA**, Part Captain BOB HUSBAND VERNON REED*

CHARLES BROWN

HERB COHEN* LOU FUCITO* ROBERT GREMILLOT JAMES M. MATTHEWS* ASTER RILEy RICK SWANSON

CHARLES AUSTIN* GREG FARRELL* JIM MISKOWSKI ERIC SCHWARz

BILL AMAzzINI STEVEN FELL* TOM OTT*

PETE BERNICH*

seConD tenor PAUL BERINATO**, Part Captain BILL DE BLOCK JOHN GALVIN* CLIFF HOOK NEIL NEUBERT* MITCHELL G. SHAPIRO

JIM LISANTI*

PETER FENzEL CLIFFORD GERENz* JOE LISELLA* RICHARD REHBEIN DAVID STRIFE JAMES VANDERWERFF

baritone DAVE KERR*, Part Captain KEVIN DEERING ANDREW FERRETTI PAUL NELSON GARy STARK bass SAM SHAW, Part Captain EDWARD J. BROUILLARD** ROGER JACOBSON VAN SCHNELLBACHER MARLIN TOWNES aCtive – not singing in this ConCert JAy PALATUCCI

RAy DIJON* JIM LATHEy TOM OLSzEWSKI* TOM VEIT

BOB CASPARIAN JOHN MCKEON ERIC SLOEzEN

PHIL WAxBERG

honorary MeMber FRANK STROBL***

ous, changing, and has more woes than blessings. Yet Tevye sees the joy and mystery in his family and his situation, is on good terms with his God and can sing “To life!” even when “laden with happiness and tears.” Good fortune or no good fortune, life is worth a joyous song. We of the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus agree. beteLehemu by Via Olatunji, arranged by Wendell Whalum, with the Montclair State University West African Dance and Percussion Ensemble. This is a history-making Christmas/Kwanzaa mash-up, joining the Orpheus Club with the West African Dance and Percussion Ensemble. The voices, dancers, drums, call-andresponse singing and vibrant spirit of joy and fellowship will draw you into the celebration. So enjoy! aFFirmatiOn By Richard Lane, arranged by John Palatucci Members of the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus live to sing because singing brings richness and joy to our lives. Composer Richard Lane, pianist for the Orpheus Club for 42 years, shared his extraordinary talent with us in so many ways and helped instill in us the love of music and singing. Our director has taken Richard’s song, originally set for solo voice and piano, and adapted it for us so that this year – 12 years after his death – we can continue to remember and honor our dear friend. Sing We nOW OF ChriStmaS This hymn began as a 15th Century French Christmas carol, “Noel Nouvelet,” sung around the manger scene. By the 17th Century a translation was appearing in English hymnals. The longer version brings all the characters of the holy night into the singing. Our version arranged by Jay Althouse is a seasonal fanfare, boldly asserting “Now it’s Christmas; and we shall sing!” geSu bambinO By Frederick H. Martens and Pietro Yon This Italian Christmas carol was composed in 1917, blending with the traditional “Adeste Fideles,” or “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Pietro Yon (1886-1943) came to America in 1907, recruited from Rome to be organist at St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City. His brother, S. Constantino Yon, was already an organist in New York. The brothers opened a studio for church musicians, and in 1926 he became the assistant organist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He supervised the construction of the cathedral’s new organ and held his position there until a stroke disabled him in 1943. He wrote many works for organ and orchestra.

* Each star represents ten years of music making

www.ridgewoodorpheusclub.org

WhiLe ShepherdS WatChed their FLOCkS By Craig Courtney, lyric by Nahum Tate This Christmas carol may be traced back to the year 1700. The words are from Nahum Tate (1652-1715) who was born in Dublin into a family of Puritan clergy. He later moved to London to write poetry and was named England’s Poet Laureate in 1692. The bestknown musical setting of this poem is by Georg Frederick Handel. Craig Courtney, like Handel, has arranged this setting to create the feeling of nighttime in the hills around Bethlehem. Craig Courtney, arranger of this version, like Handel, creates a word and music picture that feels like nighttime in the hills around Bethlehem’s hills, a dreamy setting where angels come to announce the birth of Jesus.

Scan the code at left with your smartphone to go there

Program notes written by Charles Austin

Keep up with the

Orpheus Club 8

13


patrons & sponsors

prograM notes December 2016 the mOSt WOnderFuL time OF the year, Words and music by Eddie Pola and George Wyle, arranged by Jerry Rubino Andy Williams’ hit recording made this song famous in 1963. The song celebrates the traditions of the season like kissing under the mistletoe, holiday parties and family feasts (and “scary ghost stories,” a Victorian Christmas tradition we seem to have forgotten). “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is on everyone’s list of top 10 Christmas songs. Eddie Pola wrote dozens of songs, none of them major hits except this one; and orchestra leader George Wyle is better known for writing the theme to television’s “Gilligan’s Island.” ave maria By Franz Schubert, arranged by John Palatucci Probably the most beautiful musical rendering of any prayer, “Ave Maria” was composed by Franz Schubert in 1825. But the music was originally written for a prayer to the virgin which was a part of seven songs from Walter Scott’s poem, “Lady of the Lake.” The original German text was not that of the prayer. But the first words of that poem, “Ave! Maria!” inspired a later adaptation with the words of the Latin prayer, the version best known today. mOOd indigO By Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Albany Bigard, arranged by George Van Leaman This blues classic was first broadcast in 1930 with the title “Dreamy Blues.” Bigard had heard a tune like this in New Orleans as a clarinet solo, and Ellington and Mills added their distinctive style. It has been recorded by countless artists and featured in many movies. The Duke Ellington band played “Mood Indigo” for 50 years. the LittLe drummer bOy/peaCe On earth Words and music by Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati and Katherine Davis; and Alan Kohan, Larry Grossman and Ian Fraser, Arranged by Jay Althouse When he appeared on Bing Crosby’s 1977 Christmas special in television, David Bowie didn’t want to sing “The Little Drummer Boy.” So Kohan, Grossman, and Fraser rushed into a side room and in less than 30 minutes returned with the “Peace on Earth” descant, which pleased Bowie, and this arrangement made history. We in the Orpheus Club dedicate the Jay Althouse arrangement of this song to the memory of Mr. Bowie, who died last January. LinuS and LuCy Music by Vince Guaraldi, arranged by Philip Kern Christmas. Kids. And what more interesting kids than the gang from Peanuts? This doodly-doodly-doo cutie is from the TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” first aired in 1965. But the song named for Linus and his crabby sister was first recorded a year earlier on a jazz album by Vince Guaraldi and was dedicated to the woebegone, but brave and faithful Charlie Brown. The TV special’s story focusing on the real meaning of Christmas has won an Emmy and a Peabody award and has been broadcast every year. Sabbath prayer and L’Chaim, FrOm “FiddLer On the rOOr” Music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick Tevye, the milkman in “Fiddler on the Roof,” is a man of faith. It is sometimes a questioning faith, sometimes a troublesome faith, but it is a solid faith. His world is danger12

patrons Ms. Margaret Jane Budd Ms. Heather Fitzsimmons Ms. Alice Kelly Fleckenstein Mr. James Rash & Ms. Marcia Guthrie*

Mr. Conrad Hirzel* Ms. Marcia Perry* Mr. Robert J. Petretti** Mr. & Mrs. Walter White**

assoCiate MeMbers Mrs. Dottie Fucito*

Mr. & Mrs. H. Ralph Kirby*** subsCribing MeMbers

Mrs. Alida E. Manley***** Mrs. Marianne S. Neville**

Ms. Roberta A. M. Ragg**** Mr. & Mrs. Steven Steiner* Mr. Frank Strobl Donors

The Orpheus Club gratefully acknowledges the following members and friends who have made donations to the club: Ms. Margaret Budd Mr. William De Block Mr. Herb Cohen Ms. Concetta R. DeLucia Mr. Gregory Farrell Mr. Clifford Gerenz

Ms. Coleen Keating Mr. David Kerr Mr. James Matthews Mr. David McLean Ms. Marianne S. Neville Mr. Thomas Ott

Perry's Florist Ms. Victoria Price Mr. David Strife Mr. & Mrs. Steven M. Steiner Mr. Thomas Veit Mr. Phil Waxberg

Contributions toWarD MusiC purChases Mr. Louis Fucito Mr. Cliff Gerenz

Mr. Neil Neubert Mr. Phil Raspe

rolanD l. Meyer orpheus Club sCholarship FunD Bank of America (Merrill Lynch) Ms. Maja Britton Ms. Mary W. Bergquist Ms. Margaret Jane Budd

Ms. Coleen Keating Mr. Ronald Levy Ms. Alex Rainer-Meyer Ms. Marcia Perry Mr. Thomas Price / Bank of America

in Memory of bob Westerdahl

in Memory of Warren grim

Ms. Delfio A. LaMarca

Ms. Elisa R. Grim

Ms. Anne Louise Reardon

Ms. Deborah Schwarz

We invite your support “in praise of song.” Please make your check payable to Orpheus Club, Inc. and mail it to Post Office Box 114, Ridgewood, NJ 07451. All contributions to Orpheus are fully tax deductible to the maximum extent of the law. our sinCere thanks

The Orpheus Club is grateful to the many generous patrons, donors and sponsors who have helped to keep the song alive for 106 years. Thank you. 9


orpheus prograM

Holiday 2016

orpheus prograM

Holiday 2016

i

Salutation. ...................................................................................William P. Bentz Deck the Hall .......................................................................................Traditional The audience is invited to join in singing (page 18).

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.............Eddie Pola and George Wyle Arranged by Jerry Rubino

Ave Maria ..............................................................................Franz Schubert Arranged by John Palatucci Andrew Ferretti, baritone

iv

Echauffement..............................................................Traditional Senegalese Audience response: Oh ye Fer-nan-dez Oh ye Ba-lan-ta na ga Montclair State University West African Drumming and Dance Ensemble Robert Levin, director

Betelehemu (Nigerian Christmas Song)................................... Via Olatunji Arranged by Wendell Whalum

Mood Indigo .........................Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Albany Bigard Arranged by George Van Leaman

The Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth .......... Arranged by Jay Althouse ii

v

A Trumpeter's Lullaby .........................................................Leroy Anderson Daniel Minogue, trumpet

December: Christmas ........................................ Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky From The Seasons Op. 37a Ron Levy, piano

Trumpet Concerto ..................................................... Alexander Arutunian I'll Be Home for Christmas ..... Walter Kent, Kim Gannon and Buck Ram Daniel Minogue, trumpet

vi

Affirmation ............................................................................ Richard Lane Arranged by John Palatucci Lou Fucito, tenor

Sing We Now of Christmas .................................................... French Carol

iii

Arranged by Jay Althouse

Linus and Lucy......................................................................Vince Guaraldi Arranged by Philip Kern

Text Me Merry Christmas............... David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger Arranged by Alan Billingsley Mitchell Shapiro, Lou Fucito, Jim Lisanti, Paul Nelson and Bill Amazzini soloists

Gesù Bambino .........................................................................Pietro A. Yon Vernon Reed, tenor

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks...............................Craig Courtney

Selections from Fiddler on the Roof ...........Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock Arranged by John Palatucci Bob Silvera and Bob Kaufmann, shofar There will be a fifteen-minute Intermission. 10

11


orpheus prograM

Holiday 2016

orpheus prograM

Holiday 2016

i

Salutation. ...................................................................................William P. Bentz Deck the Hall .......................................................................................Traditional The audience is invited to join in singing (page 18).

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.............Eddie Pola and George Wyle Arranged by Jerry Rubino

Ave Maria ..............................................................................Franz Schubert Arranged by John Palatucci Andrew Ferretti, baritone

iv

Echauffement..............................................................Traditional Senegalese Audience response: Oh ye Fer-nan-dez Oh ye Ba-lan-ta na ga Montclair State University West African Drumming and Dance Ensemble Robert Levin, director

Betelehemu (Nigerian Christmas Song)................................... Via Olatunji Arranged by Wendell Whalum

Mood Indigo .........................Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Albany Bigard Arranged by George Van Leaman

The Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth .......... Arranged by Jay Althouse ii

v

A Trumpeter's Lullaby .........................................................Leroy Anderson Daniel Minogue, trumpet

December: Christmas ........................................ Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky From The Seasons Op. 37a Ron Levy, piano

Trumpet Concerto ..................................................... Alexander Arutunian I'll Be Home for Christmas ..... Walter Kent, Kim Gannon and Buck Ram Daniel Minogue, trumpet

vi

Affirmation ............................................................................ Richard Lane Arranged by John Palatucci Lou Fucito, tenor

Sing We Now of Christmas .................................................... French Carol

iii

Arranged by Jay Althouse

Linus and Lucy......................................................................Vince Guaraldi Arranged by Philip Kern

Text Me Merry Christmas............... David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger Arranged by Alan Billingsley Mitchell Shapiro, Lou Fucito, Jim Lisanti, Paul Nelson and Bill Amazzini soloists

Gesù Bambino .........................................................................Pietro A. Yon Vernon Reed, tenor

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks...............................Craig Courtney

Selections from Fiddler on the Roof ...........Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock Arranged by John Palatucci Bob Silvera and Bob Kaufmann, shofar There will be a fifteen-minute Intermission. 10

11


patrons & sponsors

prograM notes December 2016 the mOSt WOnderFuL time OF the year, Words and music by Eddie Pola and George Wyle, arranged by Jerry Rubino Andy Williams’ hit recording made this song famous in 1963. The song celebrates the traditions of the season like kissing under the mistletoe, holiday parties and family feasts (and “scary ghost stories,” a Victorian Christmas tradition we seem to have forgotten). “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is on everyone’s list of top 10 Christmas songs. Eddie Pola wrote dozens of songs, none of them major hits except this one; and orchestra leader George Wyle is better known for writing the theme to television’s “Gilligan’s Island.” ave maria By Franz Schubert, arranged by John Palatucci Probably the most beautiful musical rendering of any prayer, “Ave Maria” was composed by Franz Schubert in 1825. But the music was originally written for a prayer to the virgin which was a part of seven songs from Walter Scott’s poem, “Lady of the Lake.” The original German text was not that of the prayer. But the first words of that poem, “Ave! Maria!” inspired a later adaptation with the words of the Latin prayer, the version best known today. mOOd indigO By Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Albany Bigard, arranged by George Van Leaman This blues classic was first broadcast in 1930 with the title “Dreamy Blues.” Bigard had heard a tune like this in New Orleans as a clarinet solo, and Ellington and Mills added their distinctive style. It has been recorded by countless artists and featured in many movies. The Duke Ellington band played “Mood Indigo” for 50 years. the LittLe drummer bOy/peaCe On earth Words and music by Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati and Katherine Davis; and Alan Kohan, Larry Grossman and Ian Fraser, Arranged by Jay Althouse When he appeared on Bing Crosby’s 1977 Christmas special in television, David Bowie didn’t want to sing “The Little Drummer Boy.” So Kohan, Grossman, and Fraser rushed into a side room and in less than 30 minutes returned with the “Peace on Earth” descant, which pleased Bowie, and this arrangement made history. We in the Orpheus Club dedicate the Jay Althouse arrangement of this song to the memory of Mr. Bowie, who died last January. LinuS and LuCy Music by Vince Guaraldi, arranged by Philip Kern Christmas. Kids. And what more interesting kids than the gang from Peanuts? This doodly-doodly-doo cutie is from the TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” first aired in 1965. But the song named for Linus and his crabby sister was first recorded a year earlier on a jazz album by Vince Guaraldi and was dedicated to the woebegone, but brave and faithful Charlie Brown. The TV special’s story focusing on the real meaning of Christmas has won an Emmy and a Peabody award and has been broadcast every year. Sabbath prayer and L’Chaim, FrOm “FiddLer On the rOOr” Music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick Tevye, the milkman in “Fiddler on the Roof,” is a man of faith. It is sometimes a questioning faith, sometimes a troublesome faith, but it is a solid faith. His world is danger12

patrons Ms. Margaret Jane Budd Ms. Heather Fitzsimmons Ms. Alice Kelly Fleckenstein Mr. James Rash & Ms. Marcia Guthrie*

Mr. Conrad Hirzel* Ms. Marcia Perry* Mr. Robert J. Petretti** Mr. & Mrs. Walter White**

assoCiate MeMbers Mrs. Dottie Fucito*

Mr. & Mrs. H. Ralph Kirby*** subsCribing MeMbers

Mrs. Alida E. Manley***** Mrs. Marianne S. Neville**

Ms. Roberta A. M. Ragg**** Mr. & Mrs. Steven Steiner* Mr. Frank Strobl Donors

The Orpheus Club gratefully acknowledges the following members and friends who have made donations to the club: Ms. Margaret Budd Mr. William De Block Mr. Herb Cohen Ms. Concetta R. DeLucia Mr. Gregory Farrell Mr. Clifford Gerenz

Ms. Coleen Keating Mr. David Kerr Mr. James Matthews Mr. David McLean Ms. Marianne S. Neville Mr. Thomas Ott

Perry's Florist Ms. Victoria Price Mr. David Strife Mr. & Mrs. Steven M. Steiner Mr. Thomas Veit Mr. Phil Waxberg

Contributions toWarD MusiC purChases Mr. Louis Fucito Mr. Cliff Gerenz

Mr. Neil Neubert Mr. Phil Raspe

rolanD l. Meyer orpheus Club sCholarship FunD Bank of America (Merrill Lynch) Ms. Maja Britton Ms. Mary W. Bergquist Ms. Margaret Jane Budd

Ms. Coleen Keating Mr. Ronald Levy Ms. Alex Rainer-Meyer Ms. Marcia Perry Mr. Thomas Price / Bank of America

in Memory of bob Westerdahl

in Memory of Warren grim

Ms. Delfio A. LaMarca

Ms. Elisa R. Grim

Ms. Anne Louise Reardon

Ms. Deborah Schwarz

We invite your support “in praise of song.” Please make your check payable to Orpheus Club, Inc. and mail it to Post Office Box 114, Ridgewood, NJ 07451. All contributions to Orpheus are fully tax deductible to the maximum extent of the law. our sinCere thanks

The Orpheus Club is grateful to the many generous patrons, donors and sponsors who have helped to keep the song alive for 106 years. Thank you. 9


orpheus Club Men’s Chorus First tenor ROBERT F. SILVERA**, Part Captain BOB HUSBAND VERNON REED*

CHARLES BROWN

HERB COHEN* LOU FUCITO* ROBERT GREMILLOT JAMES M. MATTHEWS* ASTER RILEy RICK SWANSON

CHARLES AUSTIN* GREG FARRELL* JIM MISKOWSKI ERIC SCHWARz

BILL AMAzzINI STEVEN FELL* TOM OTT*

PETE BERNICH*

seConD tenor PAUL BERINATO**, Part Captain BILL DE BLOCK JOHN GALVIN* CLIFF HOOK NEIL NEUBERT* MITCHELL G. SHAPIRO

JIM LISANTI*

PETER FENzEL CLIFFORD GERENz* JOE LISELLA* RICHARD REHBEIN DAVID STRIFE JAMES VANDERWERFF

baritone DAVE KERR*, Part Captain KEVIN DEERING ANDREW FERRETTI PAUL NELSON GARy STARK bass SAM SHAW, Part Captain EDWARD J. BROUILLARD** ROGER JACOBSON VAN SCHNELLBACHER MARLIN TOWNES aCtive – not singing in this ConCert JAy PALATUCCI

RAy DIJON* JIM LATHEy TOM OLSzEWSKI* TOM VEIT

BOB CASPARIAN JOHN MCKEON ERIC SLOEzEN

PHIL WAxBERG

honorary MeMber FRANK STROBL***

ous, changing, and has more woes than blessings. Yet Tevye sees the joy and mystery in his family and his situation, is on good terms with his God and can sing “To life!” even when “laden with happiness and tears.” Good fortune or no good fortune, life is worth a joyous song. We of the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus agree. beteLehemu by Via Olatunji, arranged by Wendell Whalum, with the Montclair State University West African Dance and Percussion Ensemble. This is a history-making Christmas/Kwanzaa mash-up, joining the Orpheus Club with the West African Dance and Percussion Ensemble. The voices, dancers, drums, call-andresponse singing and vibrant spirit of joy and fellowship will draw you into the celebration. So enjoy! aFFirmatiOn By Richard Lane, arranged by John Palatucci Members of the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus live to sing because singing brings richness and joy to our lives. Composer Richard Lane, pianist for the Orpheus Club for 42 years, shared his extraordinary talent with us in so many ways and helped instill in us the love of music and singing. Our director has taken Richard’s song, originally set for solo voice and piano, and adapted it for us so that this year – 12 years after his death – we can continue to remember and honor our dear friend. Sing We nOW OF ChriStmaS This hymn began as a 15th Century French Christmas carol, “Noel Nouvelet,” sung around the manger scene. By the 17th Century a translation was appearing in English hymnals. The longer version brings all the characters of the holy night into the singing. Our version arranged by Jay Althouse is a seasonal fanfare, boldly asserting “Now it’s Christmas; and we shall sing!” geSu bambinO By Frederick H. Martens and Pietro Yon This Italian Christmas carol was composed in 1917, blending with the traditional “Adeste Fideles,” or “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Pietro Yon (1886-1943) came to America in 1907, recruited from Rome to be organist at St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City. His brother, S. Constantino Yon, was already an organist in New York. The brothers opened a studio for church musicians, and in 1926 he became the assistant organist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He supervised the construction of the cathedral’s new organ and held his position there until a stroke disabled him in 1943. He wrote many works for organ and orchestra.

* Each star represents ten years of music making

www.ridgewoodorpheusclub.org

WhiLe ShepherdS WatChed their FLOCkS By Craig Courtney, lyric by Nahum Tate This Christmas carol may be traced back to the year 1700. The words are from Nahum Tate (1652-1715) who was born in Dublin into a family of Puritan clergy. He later moved to London to write poetry and was named England’s Poet Laureate in 1692. The bestknown musical setting of this poem is by Georg Frederick Handel. Craig Courtney, like Handel, has arranged this setting to create the feeling of nighttime in the hills around Bethlehem. Craig Courtney, arranger of this version, like Handel, creates a word and music picture that feels like nighttime in the hills around Bethlehem’s hills, a dreamy setting where angels come to announce the birth of Jesus.

Scan the code at left with your smartphone to go there

Program notes written by Charles Austin

Keep up with the

Orpheus Club 8

13


OFFiCerS Bob Husband .............................................................President Tom Veit ........................................Vice President, Membership Vernon Reed,.............................Vice President, Administration Cliff Hook ....................................................................Treasurer Cliff Gerenz..................................................................Librarian

bOard OF truSteeS Singing memberS

Greg Farrell

Steven Fell

Clifford Gerenz

Lou Fucito Dave Kerr

nOn-Singing memberS

Dotti Fucito

Marcia Perry

Phillip Raspe

COmmittee Chairmen Paul Berinato ..................................................................................................Music Peter Fenzel ...............................................................................................Publicity

paSt preSidentS George U. White Frank F. Knothe George W. Campbell Wilbur Morris Paul J. Howe Herbert R. Talbot George A. Steves Theodore Northrup Robert Nutt, Jr. Ray M. Gidney Harry Wiltshire Richard H. Long Chester S. Lawton William J. Crawford Arthur I. Demarest Leon A. Payne Albert W. Staub Clifford D. Ackerman 14

Howard R. Leroy Richard G. Mannheim Frederick A. Blanpied Charles R. Dewhurst Stanley M. Staples Howard M. Liechty John Bing Walter C. Doscher Frederick E. Ray Theodore H. Mastin, Jr. Herbert S. Buzzard Otis H. Grendler Jack D. Morrison Oliver H. Hiester Karel V. Ctibor Vincent G. Beck 7

Robert J. Egner Charles B. Hepburn George W. Billings Jerome Wyckoff E. Raymond Greve Carl F. Bilz Robert E. Duane Frank Strobl Roland L. Meyer James W. Rash Paul D. Berinato Dan Williams Lou Fucito Jim Lisanti Pat O’Brien Joe Lisella Robert Silvera Greg Farrell


orpheus Club sCholarship prograM

translations

Roland L. Meyer Orpheus Club Scholarship To keep “the song alive” the members of the Orpheus Club are committed to support future generations of musicians in their endeavors. To that end, for more than two decades the Orpheus Club has been proud to sponsor a scholarship program designed to honor and assist a graduating high school senior who has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments in music and who intends to continue musical studies on the collegiate level. Since taking its current form in 1993, the program has made grants exceeding $25,000. Students from Ridgewood, Indian Hills, Paramus, Pequannock, Glen Rock, Ramapo, Northern Valley (Old Tappan), Eastern Christian, Northern Highlands, Fair Lawn, Verona, Roxbury, Montclair, Leonia, Lakeland and Kittatinny high schools and the Bergen County Academy have been past recipients of Orpheus Club awards. These outstanding young musicians have gone on to study at Oberlin College, the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Boston University, the Mannes College of Music, Miami University (Ohio), Rutgers University, Calvin College (Michigan), the Manhattan School of Music, Boston College, the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Hamilton College (New York), Brandeis University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Michigan and West Chester University of Pennsylvania. At out concerts this past April, the 2016 Roland L. Meyer Orpheus Club Scholarship grant of $2000 was presented to Graham Deubner from Glen Ridge High School. Graham is now attending the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles. The $750 Harriet and Edward Levy Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Timothy Ruszala from West Essex Regional High School. Timothy is now attending Princeton University. We hope to be able to honor other outstanding musicians in coming years. Applications for our 2017 award will soon be mailed out to area schools and will also be available on our web site. If you know of a promising high school senior who might be eligible, encourage them to apply. We thank all those individuals and groups who have made donations to this valuable effort and encourage you to continue your support of our students in the arts. Donations of any size are welcomed. Make your check payable to the Orpheus Club Scholarship Fund and give it to any singing member or mail it to:

Orpheus Club, Inc. P.O. Box 114 • Ridgewood, NJ 07451 All contributions are tax-deductible. 6

ave Maria Hail Mary, full of grace, Mary, full of grace, Mary, full of grace, Hail, Hail, the Lord The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed, Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary!

Hail Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Pray, pray for us; Pray for us sinners, Now, and at the hour of our death, The hour of our death. The hour, the hour of our death, The hour of our death. Hail Mary!

betelehemu We are glad that we have a Father to trust. We are glad that we have a Father to rely upon. Where was Jesus born? Where was He born? Bethlehem, the city of wonder. That is where the Father was born for sure. Praise, praise, praise be to Him. We thank thee, we thank Thee, we thank Thee for this day, Gracious Father. Praise, praise, praise be to Thee, Merciful Father.

save the Dates! The annual Orpheus Club

Spring Concerts will be held on

Saturday • April 29, 2017 Sunday • April 30, 2017 Mark your calendars now so as not to miss these gala events. 15


2013, Ron presented a concert at Carnegie, performing sixteen works written for him (including two for the Orpheus Club). That same fall he served on the jury of the Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition. Recently, Mr. Levy was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Rockland and Monmouth Symphony Orchestras; last spring, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his concerto debut, he soloed with both orchestras, performing concertos of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Grieg & Beethoven. A two-term President of the Professional Teachers' Guild of NJ, he is a contributing editor to BIM Music Publications, Switzerland. Recordings by Mr. Levy are available on the Albany, Centaur, Eroica, Koch International, MMF and High Point labels; several of the individual CDs comprising Palisades Virtuosi's New American Masters Series (Albany Records) have been submitted for Grammys.

speCial thanks to the ownership and management of Care One at the Cupola W. 100 Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus, NJ

Perry’s Florist

660 Harristown Rd., Glen Rock, NJ

Daily Treat Restaurant 177 Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ

Town & Country Apothecary

60 East Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ

Lewis Drugs 298 Westwood Avenue, Westwood, NJ

Benny’s Luncheonette

11-04 Saddle River Road, Fair Lawn, NJ

Rock Ridge Pharmacy 191 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ

The Wine Seller

6 West Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ

Wine & Spirit World

626 North Maple Ave., Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ

The Orpheus Club appreciates your help and support! 16

Our Guests Daniel Minogue, trumpet is a candidate for a Music Education degree at Montclair University. While at MSU, Dan has been a member of the Orchestra, Brass Quintet, Jazz Band, Baroque Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble and the Wind Symphony. Last year, under the auspices of MSU, Dan attended Queens University in Belfast, Ireland, studying Irish traditional music, performance practice, and sound engineering and design. Events that Dan considers highpoints in his youthful career include performing at Carnegie Hall, being ranked 4th in trumpet by the NJMEA, and performing with the All-State Band and All-State Orchestra. Dan looks forward to becoming a teacher, and hopes to eventually be Director of Wind Bands at a NJ high school. MontclaiR State univeRSity WeSt afRican DRuMMing anD Dance enSeMble Robert Levin, director This is the 4th year that Robert Levin has been directing the MSU West African Drumming and Dance Ensemble in music from the oral tradition. Our group is planning its first ensemble visit to Ghana in the Spring of 2017, to have an immersive and interactive study abroad experience. We will learn from and perform with many great West African artists and cultural ensembles. We will also bolster the public education efforts at the Kopeyia Bloomfield Local Authority School, which Levin co-founded in the rural village of Kopeyia in 1988 during his first trip to Ghana. Robert Levin began his studies of West African music in 1977 with Ghanaian professors Abraham Adzenyah and Freeman Donkor at Wesleyan University, and has since traveled many times to Ghana where he studied extensively with Godwin Agbeli and other musicians. In addition to teaching West African music, Levin performs widely on piano and percussion and composes music for film, theater and recordings. 5


Lecture. Also in 2009, during the OCMC’s centennial year, he led a Ridgewood community choral festival which culminated in a performance with orchestra and soloist Ron Levy of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. In 2011, his setting of Percy Grainger’s Sussex Mummers’ Christmas Carol for male chorus and piano was published by the International Percy Grainger Society. With Mr. Levy, he prepared the OCMC and its sister ensemble, the Ridgewood Choral, for a performance of the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Under the auspices of the NJCC, with the OCMC and the Rutgers University Glee Club, in 2012 he helped organize and oversee an inaugural statewide men’s chorus workshop and concert at Rutgers University. A 2013 debut performance at Carnegie Recital Hall with members of the OCMC included the NYC premieres of Peter Findley’s Ubi caritas and Godfrey Schroth’s Orpheus with his lute. Mr. Palatucci will be conducting at the National Chorale’s annual Messiah Sing at Lincoln Center’s Geffen Hall on Tuesday December 20. He will be premiering a new work by Patrick Burns entitled Vignettes for solo euphonium and band with the Ridgewood Concert Band on March 31, 2017. For more information about Mr. Palatucci, please visit the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus web site: http://www.ridgewoodorpheusclub.org/the-director.html Ron levy, internationally acclaimed pianist, has been called "first-class" by the New York Times. He regularly appears as a soloist, and in partnership with many of the world's leading singers and instrumentalists. A graduate of Oberlin, Mr. Levy is a founding member of the Hudson Trio, Kaleidoscope, the New World Trio, the Manchester Chamber Players, the Breucklen Trio and the award-winning Palisades Virtuosi, resident chamber ensemble at Bergen Community College and the University of Hawaii. He has been pianist and harpsichordist of the Oberlin Orchestra, the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, the New Jersey and North Jersey Philharmonics, the Westchester Symphony, and the Albany Symphony. Presently he is Associate Artist with the All Seasons Chamber Players. For over 20 years, Mr. Levy was associated with the Manchester (VT) Music Festival, of which he was a faculty and Board member. While living in Vermont, he was Music Director & Conductor of the Opera Theatre in Weston, and impresario of the "Third Saturday" chamber music series at the historic Equinox Hotel, as well as the "Music on the Hill" series at the Southern Vermont Art Center. A champion of new music, he has been the recipient of a considerable number of works written for him by prominent composers. Mr. Levy has taught at numerous colleges, and is currently an instructor at Montclair State University; he maintains an active and on-going affiliation with the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard, and NJ PAC. Mr. Levy conceived two "mini-festivals" which were presented by the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center. In 2008 Mr. Levy played in St. Petersburg, Russia, and at the venerable Stratford (CA) Summer Music Festival (with Palisades Virtuosi). In November of 4

Upcoming 2017 concerts Friday • February 10 Friday • March 31 West Side Presbyterian Church 6 South Monroe Street For more information: www.ridgewoodband.org 17


O Holy Night O holy night, the stars are brightly shining; It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn! Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine! O night when Christ was born! O night divine! O night, O night divine!

Deck the Hall Deck the hall with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la la la la la. 'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la la la la la. Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la la la la la.

Auld Lang Syne Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We’ll raise a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

Rock of Ages Rock of ages, let our song raise thy saving power Thou amidst the raging foes, wast our sheltering tower. Furious they assailed us, but thine arm availed us And thy word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us. And thy word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us.

18

Welcome! Welcome to the annual holiday concerts of the Orpheus Club. One of the oldest male choruses in the Northeast, Orpheus is dedicated to the continuance of men’s choral singing, fellowship and to providing audiences with an eclectic repertoire of enjoyable music. Our singing membership is made up of men from all walks of life drawn together by the common bond of music. Our singers now come from throughout northern New Jersey. We welcome your inquiries about singing with us. If singing is not for you but you enjoy attending our concerts, we invite you to consider becoming a subscribing member. As such, you will be kept apprised of our upcoming concerts and will enjoy significant savings on the cost of tickets. For more information feel free to speak with any singing member after the concert, visit our website (www.ridgewoodorpheusclub.org), or write to us (PO Box 114, Ridgewood).

In the fall of 1990, John J. Palatucci became music director of the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus, Ridgewood’s oldest civic musical organization. His efforts to uphold and enhance the OCMC's proud history, tradition, and reputation, most recently include a performance of Johannes Brahms’ Rinaldo with the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra but also include Brahms' Alto Rhapsody with the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, Randall Thompson's The Testament of Freedom and Giuseppi Verdi's Hymn to the Nations with the Orchestra of Saint Peter-by-theSea, and the Maroon Men a cappella group from Ridgewood HS as well as several commissions of new music for male chorus which are dedicated to him and the OCMC. Since 1993 the OCMC and the Ridgewood Concert Band have collaborated on Howard Hanson's Song of Democracy, Ottorino Respighi's Laud to the Nativity, Aaron Copland's Old American Songs, the revised finale to Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser, and most recently the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album arranged for male chorus and concert band. In the spring of 2005, Mr. Palatucci led the OCMC in its Lincoln Center debut, performing at the Lincoln Center Library with the Palisades Virtuosi chamber ensemble. The OCMC became a charter member of the New Jersey Choral Consortium in 2008 where Mr. Palatucci sat on the board of directors and served as vice president. In January 2009, he was honored by his colleagues at Montclair State University by being selected as speaker at the annual Dr. Jack Sacher Memorial 3


660 Harristown Road Glen Rock, NJ 07452 201-445-5668 www.perrysflorist.net

Wanted!

Men singers for orpheus

H

H

Our Wednesday evening rehearsals start again January 4, 2017 8 to 10 p.m. The Georgian Room Care One at the Cupola W. 100 Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus

Call for more information! Dave Kerr 973-743-0248 Bill Amazzini 551-404-3976 Bob Husband 201-602-9092 2

• Enjoy the Camaraderie • It’s a great weekly break • Come to rehearsal—try us out!


Orpheus Club

Holiday ConCerts Featuring

Daniel minogue

Dec. 17, 2016 Saturday • 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 18, 2016

trumpet

montclair state university West African Drumming and Dance ensemble rObert Levin, direCtOr

Sunday • 4:00 p.m. ridgewood united methodist Church 100 dayton St. • ridgewood ushers: Friends of the Orpheus Club

ridgewoodorpheusclub.org

Orpheus Club men’s ChOrus John Palatucci, Director • Ron Levy, Pianist • Dottie Fucito, Visual Director


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.