ACDA-MN State Conference Program

ACDA-MN State Conference VocalEssence Ensemble Singers ReMix: Interest Session VocalEssence Chorus Performance

VOCALESSENCE

CONTENTS

1900 Nicollet Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403 612-547-1451 vocalessence.org

INTEREST SESSION: VocalEssence ReMix Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

VocalEssence is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

PERFORMANCE: VocalEssence Chorus Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kathryn Roberts, President Karl Speak, Vice President Jacob Wolkowitz, Treasurer Roma Calatayud-Stocks, Secretary Steve Aggergaard Mary Ann Aufderheide Julie Bader Traci V. Bransford Philip Brunelle Cassidy McCrae Burns Julie Henderson Craven Ann Farrell Rick Ford Wayne Gisslen R.J. Heckman Robin Helgen Joseph Kalkman David L. Mona Fred Moore David Myers Nancy F. Nelson, F.S.A. James Odland Don Shelby Timothy Takach Dorene Wernke Honorary Directors Dominick Argento William Bolcom Dave Brubeck* Aaron Copland* Håkan Hagegård Louise Heffelfinger* Eskil Hemberg* Betty Hulings* Sigrid Johnson James Earl Jones Garrison Keillor Donald Mitchell* Helmuth Rilling John Rutter Peter Schickele

VocalEssence in Our Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 About VocalEssence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Dr. André J. Thomas Eric Whitacre *In remembrance

ARTISTIC STAFF Philip Brunelle, Artistic Director and Founder G. Phillip Shoultz, III, Associate Conductor and Education Program Director

WELCOME CHRISTMAS & STAR OF WONDER

Gavin Berg, Youth Choir Assistant and Accompanist Mary Jo Gothmann, Accompanist Robert Graham, Education Manager and Vintage Voices Conductor

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

FOUR Welcome Christmas Performances: Dec 2 – 10, 2017

Mary Ann Aufderheide, Executive Director

Various venues in Apple Valley, Roseville & Minneapolis

Andrew Alness, Artistic Assistant

Jeff Bina, Director of Finance and Operations Rhiannon Fiskradatz, Youth Choir Manager Laura Holst, Development and Marketing Associate Amanda Timmer, Education Associate Katrina Wallmeyer, Director of Development and Communications

TWO Family Performances Star of Wonder Sat, Dec 9, 2017 at 9:30 AM & 11 AM Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis

Tickets: vocalessence.org | 612-371-5656

Elissa Weller, Institutional Giving and Events Manager

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Friday, November 17, 2017 at 4:25 PM St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church 900 Stillwater Road Mahtomedi, MN 55115

ABOUT VOCALESSENCE REMIX VocalEssence ReMix encourages break-out musical artists—whether you sing in a rock band or play classical music—to write for voice.

Four talented, emerging composers/ songwriters are selected annually to have a six-month one-on-one composer mentorship with renowned composers Libby Larsen, Carol Barnett, J. David Moore or Timothy Takach as they each write two choral works, one of which is suitable for high school-level choirs. The program also includes a performance by the professional VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, and possible commission and publication through VocalEssence Music Press.

VocalEssence ReMix is a collaboration between VocalEssence, the American Composers Forum, the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota, and the Jerome Foundation.

SPECIAL THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT OF THIS CONCERT This program is made possible through the generous support of the Jerome Foundation.

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers Philip Brunelle, conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III, associate conductor Mary Jo Gothmann, pianist Isaac C. Lovdahl, composer Zack Pentecost, composer Shruthi Rajasekar, composer Daniel Sabzghabaei, composer Carol Barnett, composer-mentor Libby Larsen, composer-mentor J. David Moore, composer-mentor Timothy C. Takach, composer-mentor

THE PROGRAM The Motion of Projectiles

Zack Pentecost (2017)

Sangeetham (music) Shruthi Rajasekar (2017) Dances with the Daffodils Isaac Lovdahl

Mary Ann Aufderheide, oboe (2017) Golī az dast beraft (a flower was lost) Daniel Sabzghabaei (2017) Sudden Beauty Andy Stermer (2016) Heirloom Hallelujah!

Jonathan Posthuma (2016) Sleep, Little Baby, Sleep Laura Caviani

Judith Melander, alto (2016)

Please take a moment to check that cell phones, paging devices and wristwatch alarms are turned off before the reading session begins. Recording devices and cameras are prohibited. Thank you.

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The Optimist and the Pessimist Peter Durow (2017)

PROGRAM NOTES, TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS THE MOTION OF PROJECTILES

SANGEETHAM (MUSIC)

Program Note:

Program Note:

Zack Pentecost

Approaching this piece, I knew I wanted to work with a different kind of text. I had just returned from a few weeks in Italy, where I spent a day in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, including a trip to the top of the bell tower. At the top of the tower, there is a sign mentioning that Galileo Galilei used a telescope from there to extend his horizon. (The birdseye view of St. Mark’s Square, as well as much of Venice, is fantastic. It is also worth noting that all of its windows are grated—I assume to prevent people from dropping things or themselves from the top—but that doesn’t stop anyone from putting their hands through with their cell phones out, to take pictures of the view.)

I eventually decided to extract text from an English translation of Galileo Galilei’s “Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences”.

The book is divided into four “Days,” in which Galileo discusses different areas of physics with The Motion of Projectiles as the title of the Fourth Day. I was drawn to the opening text of this section as the reader is asked to “Imagine any particle projected along a horizontal plane…” Despite the scientific nature of this “Day,” or the entire book for that matter, I felt that there was a bit of wonder that could be explored while still presenting the text for what it is—profound.

Imagine any particle projected along a horizontal plane. Without friction this particle will move along this same plane with a motion which is uniform and perpetual, provided the plane has no limits.

But if the plane is limited and elevated, then the moving particle will, on passing over the edge of the plane, acquire a downward propensity due to its own weight; so that the resulting motion which I call projection is compounded.

– Galileo Galilei, translated by Alfonso de Salvio and

Henry Crew

Shruthi Rajasekar

I’ve always believed that it takes tremendous courage to sing—to me, it is the most raw and exposed way of making music. My high school directors taught us to wholeheartedly embrace this vulnerability; they recognized it as a source of incredible strength. In searching for a text that embodies this message, I approached one of India’s most eminent musicologists, Dr. Bala Meenakshi Sundaram (fondly known to many as BMS Mama). He penned the entire Sanskrit poem in a single inspired moment. Because of its international path to conception, Sangeetham, which means “music” in Sanskrit, uses elements from both the Western classical and Carnatic (South Indian classical) traditions. Thus, the piece celebrates the power of the voice in lifting us up and bringing us together. báloham máthrubhakthoham sangeetha kalayám preethoham shrothoham atheebalaheenam samasthagurukripa purnoham nyáthoham parashrama vánoham jeethoham kóvida gánoham néthoham loka prasidoham mama balasyamulam sangeetham.

– Dr. B. M. Sundaram

I am a young man with high regard for my mother who worships the art of music.

Though the path is long and hard, I have the blessings of my gurus to persevere and succeed such that my music is known to all.

The shining truth is that the core of my being is music.

– translated by Nirmala Rajasekar

DANCES WITH THE DAFFODILS Isaac Lovdahl

Program Note:

As a high school choir director, this text struck me in a unique way; so many young people feel stressed, insecure, and lonely—I know I certainly did when I was younger. I believe it is important for young people to be singing uplifting, joyful texts in choir. We can all use a reminder from time to time about how beautiful life is! Wordsworth paints a lovely scene here: He begins describing his lone journey, until he discovers “a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils.” Upon this discovery, he depicts the countless dancing flowers in his view—he has found a new company of friends in nature’s beauty. Finally, he reflects on the joy that the memory of this scene gives him in his solitude. We all have memories that are near and dear to us that can help us gain perspective in dark, isolated times. “And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils.” This poem is meant to be an expression of how glorious life really is, even when it doesn’t seem to feel that way.

Every breath, every smile, every day is a gift. For Wordsworth, it was the simple, elegant daffodils—what makes your heart dance?

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

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Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be joyful, In such a jocund company: I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

– William Wordsworth

GOLĪ AZ DAST BERAFT (A FLOWER WAS LOST)

Daniel Sabzghabaei

Program Note:

This short and somber Persian lullaby, in the form of a rubaiyat, tells of the loss of a lover and what remains in the shadow of this loss. The text is presented in three iterations, bookended by ethereal, gentle humming. The first presentation acts as a hushed and fragile recount of the speaker’s loss, the sighing nature of the leaps in the melodic structure emphasized by the limping, hollow unisons. The second presentation offers a partial harmonization of various stressed and unstressed syllables and words with a slightly stronger, more intense dynamic. The final presentation is a full harmonization and elegiac declaration which descends into a muted and muddled finish, wandering, humming, soothing.

Golī az dast beraft-o khār mānde Be man jūr-o jafā besyār mānde.

Be dastam mānde tefle shīrkhārī Marā īn yād-e gāre yār mānde.

A flower slipped from my hand; what remains is a thorn.

What remains is pain and suffering.

In my hands remains an infant.

This is my Belovèd’s memorial.

SUDDEN BEAUTY Andy Stermer

Program Note:

Having grown up in the prairie towns of Willmar, Marshall, and Montevideo, Minnesota, I’m familiar with the drive Ms. Kildegaard describes in these lines. The landscapes, communities, and energy of rural southwestern Minnesota require a certain attitude to appreciate, a perspective author Bill Holm described as the “prairie eye.” I knew as soon as I read this poem that Ms. Page 6

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Kildegaard sees the world with such an eye, and possesses the rare talent of translating these visions into writing. I’m drawn to artists who explore sense of place through their work, especially those who have and continue to discover and reimagine the Minnesota prairie. At its best, their art captures, in some way, the essence of that place: subtle, direct, and rich with meaning and beauty. In setting these words to music I tried to imagine what hearing with a “prairie ear” might sound like.

We drove across high prairie, the Mississippi behind us, nothing ahead for miles but sky, a loamy sky, thick enough to put a trowel into, but off to the south clouds pulled away from one another as if to stand back take a long look, and in that space what light was left of the sun already gone below the horizon owed up and held there and we did too hold our breaths at the sudden beauty.

– Athena Kildegaard

HEIRLOOM HALLELUJAH!

Jonathan Posthuma

Program Note:

In recent years, the seed-saving and heirloom vegetable movement has put thousands of people back in touch with the diverse bounty and beauty of fresh produce. And perhaps the tomato—in all of its myriad colors, shapes, forms, flavors, and textures—is the ultimate show-stopper of the gardening world. Heirloom Hallelujah! captures the abundance of heirloom tomatoes in a joyful musical mosaic of over 160 heirloom tomato varieties in about 4 minutes of music. Behind these unique (and sometimes hilarious-sounding!) names is a tapestry of cultures, traditions, and personal stories that is still growing and evolving.

The text itself was assembled from several sources, with thanks to Gary Ibsen, founder of the Carmel TomatoFest and heirloom enthusiast, whose website along with The Heirloom Tomato, a book by Amy Goldman, was consulted to choose which synonym and spelling of each variety was used for the lyrics. By celebrating the wholesome diversity of the tomato in song, perhaps we can begin to encourage and grow gardens of delight in our own lives, prompting more moments where our response should be nothing but “Hallelujah!”

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Pink, Purple, White, Black, Plum, Cherry, Grape, Pear, Gold, Crimson, Violet, Brown, Red Peach, Orange Plum, Yellow Brandywine, Green Zebra Pink Ping Pong, Purple Bumble Bee, Great White, Black from Tula, Milano Plum, Cluj Yellow Cherry, Golden Grape, Austin’s Red Pear Crimson Jack, Violet Jasper, Brown Derby, Ruby Gold, Svetlana Red, Carmello, German Pink, Hawaiian Pineapple, Amana Orange, Chalk’s Early Jewel, Jutland, Oaxacan Jewel, Big Tiger Tigerella, Chocolate Stripes, Basinga, Punta Banda, Early Wonder, Hazel Mae, Banana Legs Yoder’s Yellow German, Believe It or Not, Santa Clara Canner, Ace 55, Giant 11 Legend, Kewalo, Sebastopol, Northern Lights, Heinz 9129, 1884, Wisconsin 55 Georgia Streak, Nebraska Wedding, Tennessee Surprise, Sioux Heirloom, Tati’s Wedding, Red Butter Heart, Hog’s Heart, Sunset’s Red Horizon, Peach Blow Sutton, Solar Flare, and Fireworks, Dad’s Barber Paste, and Camp Joy, Todd County Amish, Green Grape Gogoshari Striped, Beaverlodge Slicer, Kornesevsije, Black Mauri, White Queen, Raspberry Lyanna, Zogola, Anna Banana, Anahu, Dutchman, Brimmer, Impulse, Bradley, Kimberly, Mule Team, Black Krim, Stakebreaker, Red Robin, Glacier, Opalka, Honey, Dinner Plate, Chuck’s Yellow, Aussie Berkely Tie Dye, and Wonder Light, Azoychka, Earliana, Rose Foxy Lady, and Burbank Slicing, Pruden’s Purple, Golden Jubilee, and Ding Wall Scotty, Marmande, Good Old Fashioned Red, Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter, and Paul Robeson!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Pink, Purple, White, Black, Gold, Hallelujah!

– Jonathan Posthuma

SLEEP, LITTLE BABY, SLEEP

Laura Caviani Sleep, little Baby, sleep; The holy Angels love thee, And guard thy bed, and keep A blessed watch above thee.

No spirit can come near Nor evil beast to harm thee: Sleep, Sweet, devoid of fear Where nothing need alarm thee.

THE OPTIMIST AND THE PESSIMIST

Peter J. Durow

Program Note:

The Optimist and the Pessimist uses text from two different authors. When I first came in contact with Ben King’s (1857-1894) poem The Pessimist, I loved the humor. I found versions of the poem published with various numbers of verses and varied order to the verses. The poem has also been published under the title “The Sum of Life.” The genius of Ben King’s poem is that each stanza can be read in either a pessimistic or an optimistic point of view. Are we happy that we have work to do, food to eat, clothes to wear etc. etc. or are we gloomy about it? I knew that I didn’t want to title the piece The Pessimist so I looked for additional texts that would complement the poem and found Oscar Wilde’s (1854-1900) quote to be a perfect statement to open and close the composition.

The optimist sees the donut, the pessimist sees the hole.

– Oscar Wilde Nothing to do but work, Nothing to eat but food, Nothing to wear but clothes To keep one from going nude.

Nothing to comb but hair, Nowhere to sleep but in bed, Nothing to weep but tears, Nothing to bury but dead.

Nothing to read but words, Nothing to cast but votes, Nothing to hear but sounds, Nothing to sail but boats.

Nothing to breathe but air, Quick as a flash ’tis gone; Nowhere to fall but off, Nowhere to stand but on.

Nothing to sing but songs, Ah, well: Alas! Alack!

Nowhere to go but out, Nowhere to come but back.

Nothing to see but sights, Nothing to quench but thirst, Nothing to have but what we’ve got; Thus through life we are cursed.

Nothing to strike but a gait; Ev’rything moves that goes; Nothing at all but common sense Can ever withstand these woes.

– Ben King

Sleep through the night, Kept from snare and sorrow, Until thou wake to light And love and warmth to-morrow.

– Christina G. Rossetti and William M. Rossetti

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BIOGRAPHIES

The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), founded in 1959, is a non–profit organization whose active membership is composed of choral musicians from schools, colleges and universities, community, industrial organizations, churches, and professional groups. With a mission to inspire and support a community of choral musicians, ACDA is one of the largest professional organizations for choral directors in the world, with a membership of over 20,000 conductors representing one million singers. acda-mn.com

The American Composers Forum is committed to supporting composers and developing new markets for their music. Through granting, commissioning, and performance programs, the Forum provides composers at all stages of their careers with valuable resources for professional and artistic development. By linking communities with composers and performers, the Forum fosters a demand for new music, enriches communities, and helps develop the next generation of composers, musicians, and music patrons. composersforum.org Carol Barnett creates audacious and engaging music, both for traditional instrumentation and for cross-pollinations such as a Mass accompanied by a bluegrass band, or a duet for steel pan and organ. A force in the Minnesota music scene since 1970, her work has been funded by multiple regional and national organizations, and published through major houses. Carol is a charter member of the American Composers Forum and a graduate of the University of Minnesota. carolbarnett.net Philip Brunelle see page 12

The Jerome Foundation, created by artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill (1905-1972), promotes a dynamic culture through support for artists, collectives and/or ensembles across all disciplines in the early stages of their vocational artistic lives to create new work and for nonprofit arts organizations that offer programs, services and activities for such artists, collectives and/ or ensembles. The Foundation makes grants to not-for-profit arts organizations and artists in Minnesota and New York City. jeromefdn.org Libby Larsen is one of America’s most performed living composers. She has created a catalogue of over 400 works spanning virtually every genre from intimate vocal and chamber music to massive orchestral works and over twelve operas.

Grammy Award winning and widely recorded, she is constantly sought after for commissions and premieres by major artists, ensembles, and orchestras around the world, and has established a permanent place for her works in the concert repertory. libbylarsen.com Page 8

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Isaac C. Lovdahl graduated ‘magna cum laude’ from Concordia College in May 2015—receiving a B.M. in Vocal Music Education.

Currently, he is employed as the choir director at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul. He is also the Bass Section Leader/ Soloist at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, and sings with the Twin-Cities based professional choir The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists. Isaac’s music can be found through Santa Barbara Music Publishing, J.W. Pepper, and MusicSpoke.

J. David Moore is a composer, arranger, conductor, teacher, and Southerner who has lived in the Upper Midwest for most of his life. His music has been called “endlessly inventive,” “glorious… haunting… breathtaking,” and “joyous…wild and elemental.”He publishes through his company Fresh Ayre Music. David lives in Minneapolis with his beautiful wife Anna, where he bakes bread, drinks tea, and is distracted by shiny objects. jdavidmoore.net.

Zack Pentecost began his journey in music learning electric guitar in middle school. After completing a music theory course his senior year—in which his final composition project was read by the high school’s concert band—Zack decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in music composition at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. Zack continued his studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and completed his Ph.D. in Music Composition at the University of Minnesota. zackpentecost.com Shruthi Rajasekar is a Minnesotan composer and vocalist.

Shruthi was a 2016 winner of Vox Nova Chorale’s Emerging Composers Competition; her work was featured on Classical MPR’s Regional Spotlight. Shruthi has studied voice with Jerry Elsbernd, Patricia Rozario, OBE, and Dr. Rochelle Ellis. She is also a disciple of Nirmala Rajasekar in Carnatic (South Indian classical) music. A graduate of Wayzata High School, Shruthi is currently a senior at Princeton University.

Daniel Sabzghabaei is a composer whose work aims to emphasize the malleability of time and how we experience it, not just in the concert hall but in everyday life. His work has been commissioned and presented by organizations including Hong Kong’s Intimacy of Creativity festival, Dallas’s Voices of Change, the New York Festival of Song, Seattle’s Esoterics, and Korea’s Busan Choral Festival.

Daniel is currently a doctoral candidate and Sage Fellow at Cornell University. danielsabzghabaei.com G. Phillip Shoultz, III see page 12 The music of Timothy C. Takach has risen fast in the concert world and has been performed on A Prairie Home Companion, The Boston Pops tour, All-State and festival programs, and at venues including the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, and Royal Opera House Muscat. He is a co-creator of All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914. Tim is a co-founder of Cantus, Graphite Publishing, and a member of the band Nation. timothyctakach.com

Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 10 AM St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church 900 Stillwater Road Mahtomedi, MN 55115 VocalEssence Chorus G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor Philip Brunelle, organist Mary Jo Gothmann, collaborative artist

THE PROGRAM San’bonani arr. Michael Barrett

Blake Downing, tenor; Reagan Lee, tenor (2017) Processional from “The Masque of Angels” Dominick Argento (1963) To Sit and Dream

Rosephanye Powell (2010)

Alleluia Jake Runestad (2013) August, lebe, lebe, König! (BWV 207A) Johann Sebastian Bach (1734) Seinn O arr. J. David Moore (2007) Micah 6:8 Lisa Fuglie and Mark Anderson, arr. Carol Barnett

Andrew Alness, tenor; Becca Bellman, alto; Becky Gaunt, alto (2017) Let Beauty Be Our Memorial J.A.C. Redford (2013)

Please take a moment to check that cell phones, paging devices and wristwatch alarms are turned off before the reading session begins. Recording devices and cameras are prohibited. Thank you.

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TEXTS that it was born when the British banned the bag-pipes after the SAN’BONANI arr. Michael Barrett

San’bonani – Good morning/Hello Nonke – all of (you) – everybody Nisaphila nje? – Are you well?

Hololo – no meaning — Traditional isiZulu

TO

Jacobite uprising in 1745. Nonsense lyrics were applied to the old pipe tunes so that the precious melodies wouldn’t be lost.

Whatever the truth of the matter, mouth music appears in many varied forms and under many names in every Gaelic culture in the world, from Ireland to Cape Breton to Appalachia. Like most mouth music, the lyrics are light, flirtatious, and improvisatory, with a healthy amount of nonsense.

The fiddler is coming tonight The girls will get a tune SIT AND DREAM The fiddler is coming tonight Rosephanye Powell Tonight, the fiddler is coming

To sit and dream, to sit and read, To sit and learn about the world Outside our world of here and now— our problem world— To dream of vast horizons of the soul Through dreams made whole, Unfettered free—help me!

All you who are dreamers, too.

Help me make our world anew.

I reach out my hands to you.

— Langston Hughes

ALLELUIA

Jake Runestad

Program Note:

Through history, the singing of “alleluia” has served as an outward celebration as well as an introspective expression of praise. The work begins with a rhythmic declaration of joy and builds intensity through metric changes, tonal shifts, glissandi, and hand clapping.

This lively exultation soon gives way to a reverent meditation with soaring melodic lines and lush harmonies. The dancing rhythms from the beginning return with a gradual build in intensity as one’s praises rise to the sky.

AUGUST, LEBE, LEBE, KÖNIG! (BWV 207A)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Long live Augustus, Live long, o King!

O Augustus, our guardian, be the harsh foe’s opponent; May you live long for your country, and may God protect your soul and hand; Then, through Augustus’ life our welfare as Saxons will be confirmed.

Then no enemy will dare rise up against our prosperity.

SEINN O

J. David Moore

Program Note:

Seinn O comes from the Gaelic tradition of “mouth music,” a style of vocal music intended to accompany dancing. The most popular legend of the origins of Scottish mouth music (port a beul) suggests Page 10

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I will go across the river I will come back across the river I will go across the river Visiting the tailor

The bailiffs are after me The joiners are after me The bailiffs are after me I won’t have anyone but the tailor

MICAH 6:8

Lisa Fuglie and Mark Anderson, arr. Carol Barnett

The wrongs of one to another can seem too much to understand.

We hate in turns, we never learn.

An eye for an eye leaves both blind. It’s a pound of flesh for an ounce of crime And no one wins, the wheel just spins.

CHORUS He has shown you, oh man, what is good; what does Yahweh require of you?

Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. Let mercy fall like gentle rain, without compulsion, without strain.

When grace is real, we all can heal.

When we forgive another’s debt, we free ourselves to love, and yet We honor those we miss the most.

This light of mine is not my own; It shines from these few seeds I’ve sown.

On just terrain will mercy reign.

— Lisa Fuglie and Mark Anderson

LET BEAUTY BE OUR MEMORIAL

J.A.C. Redford Let beauty be our memorial; Let love be our last, best word; Let our dissonant counterpoint finally resolve In a graceful, consonant chord.

Let goodness hallow the holy ground Where under the Mercy we rest; Let beauty be our memorial And let all the earth be blest.

— J.A.C. Redford

VOCALESSENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS Celebrating its 10th anniversary, VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! has engaged singers of all ages in the celebration of Mexican culture by connecting composers from Mexico with school choirs and community choruses. Each year, two visiting composers work directly with Minnesota students and community members for four weeks, becoming familiar with the ensembles and writing a new song specifically for each school. In May of each year, all singers come together to present world premieres of the new music in concert at the Ordway.

VocalEssence is honored to be the first choir nationally to implement the Lullaby Project, a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. The Lullaby Project creates musical experiences for women facing pregnancy while enduring other hardships, such as homelessness or incarceration. In partnership with Longfellow Alternative High School in Minneapolis, VocalEssence assists teen mothers in the creation of original lullabies for their young children.

The experience of writing a lullaby promotes bonding with the baby (a key predictor in the future success of children), boosts development and attachment by encouraging moms to communicate with their children, and builds parents’ confidence by generating a sense of accomplishment in creating a song for their baby.

VocalEssence WITNESS is one of our nation’s premier initiatives celebrating the contributions of African Americans to our shared American heritage through concerts, recordings and comprehensive educational programs. The VocalEssence WITNESS School Program offers in-school workshops with experienced Teaching Artists for students grades 4-12, provides teachers with professional development and classroom resources and invites schools to attend the VocalEssence WITNESS Young People’s Concerts, featuring VocalEssence singers in a professional concert hall.

VocalEssence is excited to launch the pilot year of the VocalEssence Youth Choir, a choir that will seek to reflect the diversity of our community in its membership. The VocalEssence Youth Choir will primarily serve 50 high school students in the Minneapolis and St. Paul Public School systems. G. Phillip Shoultz, III will lead this project along with an impressive team of diverse, groundbreaking guest artists including Dessa and T. Mychael Rambo. In partnership with Orchestra Hall, The Ordway, and Augsburg University, students will get the opportunity to rehearse and perform in the most prestigious venues, with transportation, performance uniforms, and snacks provided at no cost.

For more information about VocalEssence programs, please email info@vocalessence.org or call 612-547-1451.

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ABOUT VOCALESSENCE VocalEssence, called “one of the irreplaceable music ensembles of our time” by Dana Gioia, past chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts—and the choral ensemble that Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones says “sings magnificently”—impacts thousands of students, singers, and composers each year through its initiative programs, contests, and support for innovative art.

VocalEssence was founded in 1969 and has debuted more than 250 commissions and world premieres. For more information, visit vocalessence.org.

Philip Brunelle

Artistic Director and Founder

Philip Brunelle, artistic director and founder of VocalEssence, is an internationallyrenowned conductor, choral scholar, and visionary. Philip has conducted symphonies, choral festivals, and operas on six continents. He recently completed 9 years as Vice President of IFCM (International Federation for Choral Music), holds five honorary degrees, and has been recognized for his commitment to choral music by the governments of Norway, Hungary, Sweden, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. His thoughts on music are at RenaissanceManpodcast.com. vocalessence.org/philipbrunelle

G. Phillip Shoultz, III

Associate Conductor and Education Program Director Known for his innovative pedagogy and ability to inspire singers, G. Phillip Shoultz, III, serves as the Associate Conductor and Education Program Director of VocalEssence. Phillip completed doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota and also earned degrees from the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. His work in the public schools garnered multiple honors. Phillip won the 2015 ACDA Graduate Conducting Competition and will represent ACDA in the 2017 International Conductors’ Exchange program. vocalessence.org/gps Page 12

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Mary Jo Gothmann

Accompanist

VOCALESSENCE ENSEMBLE SINGERS

Mary Jo Gothmann joined VocalEssence as staff accompanist in 2015. She enjoys a varied career as a chamber musician, soloist, opera coach, and organist. Mary Jo performs frequently with the Minnesota Orchestra and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Program, University of Minnesota, New England Conservatory, and St. Olaf College. Mary Jo is the founder and Artistic Director of the Joya Chamber Music Series at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka.

Minnesota is home to an international choral music gem—the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers. Declared by the Oxford Times (UK) as having “a blend that could—and should—be the envy of every choir in the business,” this 32-voice professional chorus is enjoyed by millions from Duluth, Minnesota to Shanghai, China.

The VocalEssence Ensemble Singers are equally at ease premiering music by Pulitzer Prize winning composers as well as teen moms in our Lullaby Project. vocalessence. org/what-we-do/performing-ensembles/ vocalessence-ensemble-singers SOPRANO Sophie Amelkin Jennifer Bevington Anna Christofaro JoAnna Johnson Anika Kildegaard Samantha Noonan Margaret Sabin Mari Scott

TENOR Anders Eckman Michael Fairbairn Robert J. Graham JW Keckley Nicholas R. Mattsson William Pederson Kyle Schwartz Jacob Watson

ALTO Robin Joy Helgen** Marita J. Link Anna George Meek Judith McClain Melander Anna Mooy Sadie Nelson Erin Peters Kristina Rodel Sorum

BASS Joshua Conroy Joseph Ellickson Harrison Hintzsche Erik Krohg Ryan LaBoy A.J. Lund Nathan Petersen-Kindem Robert C. Smith

** Board Liaison

VOCALESSENCE CHORUS

Hailed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as “singing impeccably, making even the most complex harmonies sound transparent” and performing with “consummate professionalism,” the VocalEssence Chorus is an exceptional group of talented, committed singers from many walks of life. Equally at ease sharing the stage with famous guest artists such as Dessa and Sweet Honey In The Rock and budding young singers from across the metro, the VocalEssence Chorus embodies the tagline Together We Sing.

Directed by VocalEssence Artistic Director and Founder Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz III, this 110-voice chorus sings everything from Bach to Bluegrass, debuting more than 250 commissions and world premieres since the organization’s inception in 1969. The VocalEssence Chorus performs separately and in tandem with the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, gracing the stage of prestigious venues such as Orchestra Hall, The Ordway, the Basilica of Saint Mary, and the Cathedral of Saint Paul. VocalEssence Chorus auditions are held every spring, and returning members of the Chorus re-audition every two years. vocalessence.org/what-we-do/performing-ensembles/vocalessence-chorus SOPRANO Amanda Allen AnnaLisa Anderson Barbara Anderson Libby Anderson Jessica Belt Whitney AI Bembenek Ali Biatek Julia Braaten Jennica Date Cathryn Davis Regan Debban Judy Drobeck Kristina M. Guiffre Jeanne Kenney Gillian Koch Kartra Kohl Sarah Kurtz Joy MacArthur Hannah Miller Lisa Moncur Sophia Pechaty Christina Pederson Shira Rabkin Leah Refuerzo Elizabeth Robbins Alexa Rosenbaum Cheryl Roberts Saunders Cassandra Schwartz Susan Scofield

LeAnn Stein Katherine Tonn Eisinger Amanda Troolin Jennifer S Vickerman* Laura Walklet Dannika Wright ALTO Akosua Obuo Addo Jo M. Beld Becca Bellman Alyse Carbonell Constance Chen Becky Gaunt Judy Gaunt Yvonne Grover* Autumn Gurgel Beth Gusenius Marjorie Hakala Meghan Hanna Dee Hein Susan E. Hill Kristin Howlett Sally Jaffray Jenny Kisner Jeenee Lee Rebecca Modert Kristi Mueller Sarah Olson Samantha Phillippe

Ana Lucía Piedrahita Fernández Marty Raymond Coral Sampson Erin Sandsmark Katie Sandsmark Marcelyn Smale Johanna Smith Sandra Swami Laura Tanner Brandee Polson Cassandra Warn Emma Wheeler TENOR Steve Aggergaard** Andrew Alness Larry Brandts Ben Demaree Blake Downing Samuel Fouts* Flynn Franzen Jason Kaiser Reagan Lee Jonathan Posthuma Rabindra Tambyraja BASS Robert Atendido Haskel Black James Bowen

Phil Bratnober David Erickson Matt Ferguson Tim Graham Alex Halverson Ward Jacobson Joe Kastner Philip Lowry Walker MacSwain Nicholas Mroczek* Ross Mumford Milo Oien-Rochat David Olson Jonathan Pinkerton Brian Ruhl Joseph Scheller Richard L. Shallbetter David Skodje William B Smale Connor Smith Trent Stenoien Matthew Terhaar David Toht Liam Vance Christopher John Wallace Stefan Weijola *Section Leader **Board Liaison

2017-2018 Season

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RUTTER RETURNS season

49 2017 - 2018

Sat, Apr 21, 2018 at 8 pm Cathedral of Saint Paul VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers John Rutter, guest conductor On the eve of our golden anniversary, see VocalEssence shine as never before when we revisit some of our best-loved performances and hit new heights in the inspiring Cathedral of Saint Paul. The incomparable John Rutter returns to conduct Feel the Spirit, a cycle of his spiritual arrangements for chorus and chamber orchestra, as well as a new piece he penned to celebrate our upcoming 50th anniversary.

COMMUNITY SING WITH JOHN RUTTER Sun, Apr 22, 2018 at 3 pm Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis

Tickets: vocalessence.org | 612-371-5656 Page 14

2017-2018 Season

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