MUSIC AT EMORY

Here and There

Eric Nelson, director

Jonathan Easter, piano, organ, and harpsichord

Sunday, April 16, 2023, 4:00 p.m.

Schwartz Center for Performing Arts

In Virtute Tua Grzegorz G. Gorczycki

Carol Xu, Sean Parker, (1665–1734)

Rajesh Ryana, string trio

In Thy strength, O lord, the just man shall rejoice: And in Thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly. Thou hast given him his heart’s desire.

Psalm 20: 2–3 (sung in Latin)

Ubi Caritas (2007)

Ola Gjeilo

(b. 1978)

Where charity and love are, God is there. The love of Christ has gathered us together. Let us rejoice and be glad. Let us revere and love the living God. And from a sincere heart let us love one another. Amen.

—Ancient liturgical prayer (sung in Latin)

Salmo 150 (1993)

Ernani Aguiar

(b. 1950)

Praise the Lord in his sacred places, Praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts, Praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet, Praise him with the psaltery and the harp.

Praise him with the timbrel and the dance, Praise him with strings and pipes.

Praise him with high-sounding cymbals, Praise him with cymbals of joy.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!

Psalm 150 (sung in Latin)

Festival Te Deum (1944) Benjamin Britten

Hannah Soloff, soprano (1913–1976)

Even When He is Silent (2011)

Kim André Arnesen (b. 1980)

A Silence Haunts Me (2019) Jake Runestad (b. 1986)

Gamelan (1979) R. Murray Schafer

The syllables sung by the choir (1933–2021) imitate the sounds of a Javanese or Balinese Gamelan

Simple Boat (2005) David L. Brunner

Alexa Schwartz, soprano (b. 1953)

Irish Fisherman’s Prayer

Dear Lord, be good to me. The sea is so wide, and my boat is so small.

Two Buddhist prayers from The Way of the Bodhisattva Regard your body as a vessel, A simple boat for going here and there. Make of it a wish-fulfilling gem

To bring about the benefit of beings.

May I be a guard for those who are protectorless, A guide for those who journey on the road. For those who wish to go across the water, May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.

Will the Circle Be Unbroken arr. J. David Moore (b. 1962)

Eric Nelson

Eric Nelson is Director of Choral Studies at Emory University and Artistic Director of Atlanta Master Chorale. Dr. Nelson’s choirs have performed throughout the world, including London, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Seoul, Carnegie Hall, the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, and the Sydney Opera House. He has conducted choirs at eight American Choral Directors Association conventions, including Atlanta Master Chorale’s performance at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis and Emory Concert Choir’s performances at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and Lincoln Center in New York City.

Dr. Nelson’s ensembles are characterized by their variety of repertoire and for their ability to fuse technical precision with warmth of musical expression. He appears regularly as clinician, lecturer, and guest conductor for honor choirs, conventions, symposiums, workshops, and all-state choral festivals. He is also past president of GA ACDA.

Dr. Nelson’s choral compositions and arrangements are sung regularly by ensembles throughout the United States. He is the editor of the Atlanta Master Chorale Choral Series, a division of Morningstar Music Publishers and EC Schirmer. His compositions are also published by Colla Voce and Augsburg Fortress. He holds degrees in voice and conducting from Houghton College, Westminster Choir College, and Indiana University.

Jonathan Easter

Known for his musicality and expressivity across multiple instruments, Jonathan Easter is increasingly sought after as a collaborative organist and pianist.

As a collaborative artist, Easter has performed at ACDA and AGO conventions at the regional and national levels. He also performs regularly with the Atlanta Master Chorale and Emory University’s Concert Choir as their accompanist and assistant conductor.

As an organist, Easter has performed solo and collaborative recitals at Peachtree Road UMC, Jacoby Symphony Hall in Jacksonville, Florida, the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Augustine, and Spivey Hall. He can be heard on multiple CDs with the Atlanta Master Chorale, University of North Florida Chamber Singers, and an upcoming CD with trumpet-players from around the country.

In addition to his work with choral ensembles, he has worked on multiple occasions with solo artists including world-famous mezzosoprano Jamie Barton.

Easter currently serves as Director of Fine Arts and Organist at Saint Mark UMC in Atlanta.