Singing City Fall Concert Program

SINGING CITYLove & Mortality

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Board of Trustees: Jeremiah J. White, Jr., President • Charles Tressler, MD, Vice President • George L. Spaeth, MD, Director of Medical

Research and Education • L. Jay Katz, MD, Secretary Richard Smoot, Treasurer

Zeff Lanzinger, DO • Maxine Colm, PhD • Hyman Lovitz, Esquire Grace Renner • Leonard Rosenfeld, PhD • Irvin Schorsch

George Strimel • Chris Urban

Honorary Trustees: Francesco & Charlotte Bonmartini Steve Harmelin, Esquire • James Kim • Jonathan S. Myers, MD

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Singing City

Jeffrey Brillhart, Artistic & Music Director

Singing City and the SC Children’s Choir

Thomas Sheehan, pianist

Keenan Boswell, pianist

Present

Love & Mortality

Sunday, November 11, 2012, 3 p.m.Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church

625 Montgomery AvenueBryn Mawr, PA 19010

Fall Concert 2012—Love & Mortality

Please turn off cell phones, pagers and personal alarms. Hold all applause until after the final movement of each piece.

Love & Mortality

Program

Jeffrey Brillhart, conductor

To Music arr. Betty BertrauxSC Children’s Choir, Steve Fisher, Director

Liebeslieder Waltzes, op 52 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) 1. Rede, Mädchen 2. Am Gesteine rauscht die Flut 3. O die Frauen 4. Wie des Abends schöne Röte 5. Die grüne Hopfenranke 6. Ein kleiner, hübscher Vogel 7. Wohl schön bewandt war es Mindy Rubinlicht, soprano 8. Wenn so lind dein Auge mir 9. Am Donaustrande 10. O wie sanft die Quelle 11. Nein, es ist nicht auszukommen 12. Schlosser auf, und mache Schlösser 13. Vögelein durchrauscht die Luft 14. Sieh, wie ist die Welle klar 15. Nachtigall, sie singt so schön 16. Ein dunkeler Schacht ist Liebe 17. Nicht wandle, mein Licht Nathanael Russell, tenor 18. Es bebet das Gesträuche

Thomas Sheehan and Keenan Boswell, pianists

A Red, Red, Rose James Quitman Mulholland

IntermissionAbide With Me arr. Greg Jasperse (b. 1968)Neither Angels, Nor Demons, Nor Powers Timothy C. Takach (b. 1978)Psalm-Prelude Set 2, No. 1, De Profundis Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

Thomas Sheehan, organTake Him, Earth, for Cherishing Herbert Howells There will be Rest Frank Ticheli (b. 1958)Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

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Program Notes &Texts

Liebeslieder Waltzes, op 52 (David Brodbeck)Johannes Brahms’s Liebeslieder Walzer, Op 52, play an integral role in a kind of “Schubert project” that occupied the composer during his first decade in Vienna. Brahms edited a number of Schubert’s unpublished compositions at this time, including, among other works, one book of 12 Ländler in 1864 (D. 790) and a second of 20 Ländler in May 1869 (D. 366 and 814). To each he quickly responded with a cycle of his own making—the Op. 39 Waltzes in January 1865 and the Op. 52 Liebeslieder (marked, tellingly, “Im Ländler-Tempo”) in August 1869.

For all their Schubertian background, however, the vocal waltzes reflect a more contemporary source of influence as well. From time to time Brahms drew inspiration from the Waltz King himself, Johann Strauss Jr. Thus, “Am Donaustrande, da steht ein Haus,” Op. 52, No. 9, seems indebted to the beloved “Blue Danube” Waltz, not only for its essential imagery, but perhaps for certain musical details as well.

Brahms conceived of the Liebeslieder as pieces of genuine Hausmusik–he described them as such when sending the manuscript of the first book to his publisher Simrock in the summer of 1869. The texts of the Liebeslieder are East European folk poems in translations by Georg Friedrich Daumer. As we might expect, Brahms’s settings are hardly the “trifles” described by their self-effacing composer in a note to his publisher. True, the first piece (“Rede, Mädchen”) begins simply, with “oom-pah-pah” vamping. But the music rapidly becomes more sophisticated, as Brahms eschews literal repetition–a hallmark of popular Music–in favor of continual variation. Most striking, perhaps, is the return of the original tune in free inversion twice later in the piece, with corresponding changes in the counterpoint of the accompaniment. The first waltz thus contains within itself a striking contrast between popular and art music, and throughout the rest of the work these opposing forces are played out with a sure hand.

The Liebeslieder Walzer, in short, are quintessential Brahms. Though their charm may derive in part from the contrast in which they stand to his work as a whole, their eternal freshness stems from technique refined in larger forms. As Ernest Newman, the British critic and Wagner biographer put it, “had Brahms never been stretched to the tension of such works as the C-minor Symphony and the Requiem, he could never have relaxed to the charm of the waltzes.” This image tells a familiar story–of an uncompromising composer who brought the highest artistic sensibilities to every expression of his muse. (David Brodbeck is a


musicologist at University of California at Irvine and a contributor to The Compleat Brahms.)

1. Rede, Mädchen, allzu liebes, das mir in die Brust, die kühle, hat geschleudert mit dem Blicke diese wilden Glutgefühle!Willst du nicht dein Herz erweichen, willst du, eine Überfromme, rasten ohne traute Wonne, oder willst du, daß ich komme?Rasten ohne traute Wonne, nicht so bitter will ich büßen. Komme nur, du schwarzes Auge. Komme, wenn die Sterne grüßen.

Speak, maiden, whom I love all too much, who hurled into my once aloof heart, with only one glance, these wild, ardent feelings!Will you not soften your heart? Do you wish to be chaste and remain without sweet bliss, or do you want me to come to you? To remain without sweet bliss - I would never make such a bitter penance. So come, dark-eyes, come when the stars greet you.

2. Am Gesteine rauscht die Flut, heftig angetrieben; wer da nicht zu seufzen weiß, lernt es unterm Lieben.

Against the stones the stream rushes, powerfully driven: those who do not know to sigh there will learn it when they fall in love.

3. O die Frauen, o die Frauen, wie sie Wonne tauen! Wäre lang ein Mönch geworden, wären nicht die Frauen!

O women, O women, how they melt one with bliss! I would have be-come a monk long ago if it were not for women!

4. Wie des Abends schöne Röte möcht ich arme Dirne glühn, Einem, Einem zu gefallen, sonder Ende Wonne sprühn.

Like the evening’s lovely red, would I, a poor maiden, like to glow, to please one, one boy—and to then radiate bliss forever.

5. Die grüne Hopfenranke, sie schlängelt auf der Erde hin. Die junge, schöne Dirne, so traurig ist ihr Sinn! Du höre, grüne Ranke! Was hebst du dich nicht himmelwärts? Du höre, schöne Dirne! Was ist so schwer dein Herz? Wie höbe sich die Ranke, der keine Stütze Kraft verleiht? Wie wäre die Dirne fröhlich, wenn ihr das Liebste weit?

The green hops vine, it winds along the ground. The young, fair maiden —so mournful are her thoughts!

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You—listen, green vine! Why do you not raise yourself heavenwards? You—listen, fair maiden! Why is your heart so heavy?How can the vine raise itself when no support lends it strength? How can the maiden be merry when her sweetheart is far away?

6. Ein kleiner, hübscher Vogel nahm den Flug zum Garten hin, da gab es Obst genug. Wenn ich ein hübscher, kleiner Vogel wär,ich säumte nicht, ich täte so wie der. Leimruten-Arglist lauert an dem Ort; der arme Vogel konnte nicht mehr fort. Wenn ich ein hübscher, kleiner Vogel wär, ich säumte doch, ich täte nicht wie der.Der Vogel kam in eine schöne Hand, da tat es ihm, dem Glücklichen, nicht and. Wenn ich ein hübscher, kleiner Vogel wär, ich säumte nicht, ich täte doch wie der.

A small, pretty bird took flight into the garden - there was fruit enough there. If I were a pretty, small bird, I would not tarry—I would do just as he did. Malicious lime-twigs lurked in that place; the poor bird could not escape.If I were a pretty, small bird, I would have hesitated, I would not have done that. The bird came into a pretty girl’s hand, and she did not harm him, the lucky thing. If I were a pretty, small bird, I would not linger - I would do just as he did.

7. Wohl schön bewandt war es vor ehe mit meinem Leben, mit meiner Liebe; durch eine Wand, ja, durch zehn Wände erkannte mich des Freundes Sehe. Doch jetzo, wehe, wenn ich dem Kalten auch noch so dicht vorm Auge stehe, es merkts sein Auge, sein Herze nicht.

Quite fair and contented was I previously with my life and with my sweetheart; through a wall, yes, through ten walls, did my friend’s gaze recognize me. But now, oh woe, if I am with that cold boy, no matter how close I stand before his eyes, neither his eyes nor his heart notices.

8. Wenn so lind dein Auge mir und so lieblich schauet, jede letze Trübe flieht welche mich umgrauet. Dieser Liebe schöne Glut, laß sie nicht verstieben! Nimmer wird, wie ich, so treu dich ein andrer lieben.

When your eyes look at me so gently and lovingly, you chase away every last anxiety that troubles my life. The lovely glow of this love—do not let it disappear! No one else will ever love you as faithfully as I.


9. Am Donaustrande, da steht ein Haus, da schaut ein rosiges Mädchen aus. Das Mädchen, es ist wohl gut gehegt, zehn eiserne Riegel sind vor die Türe gelegt. Zehn eiserne Riegel das ist ein Spaß; die spreng ich als wären sie nur von Glas.

On the banks of the Danube, there stands a house, and looking out of it is a pink-cheeked maiden. The maiden is very well-protected: ten iron bolts have been placed on the door. But ten iron bolts are but a joke; I will snap them as if they were only glass.

10. O wie sanft die Quelle sich durch die Wiese windet! O wie schön, wenn Liebe sich zu der Liebe findet!

O how gently the stream winds through the meadow! O how lovely it is when Love finds Love!

11. Nein, es ist nicht auszukommen mit den Leuten; Alles wissen sie so giftig auszudeuten. Bin ich heiter, hegen soll ich lose Triebe; bin ich still, so heißts, ich wäre irr aus Liebe.

No, there’s just no getting along with people; they always make such poisonous interpretations of everything. If I’m merry, they say I cherish loose urges; if I’m quiet, they say I am crazed with love.

12. Schlosser auf, und mache Schlösser, Schlösser ohne Zahl; denn die bösen Mäuler will ich schließen allzumal.

Locksmith - get up and make your locks, locks without number; for I want to lock up all the evil mouths.

13. Vögelein durchrauscht die Luft, sucht nach einem Aste; und das Herz, ein Herz, ein Herz begehrt’s, wo es selig raste.

The little bird rushes through the air, searching for a branch; and my heart desires a heart, a heart on which it can blessedly rest.

14. Sieh, wie ist die Welle klar, blickt der Mond hernieder! Die du meine Liebe bist, liebe du mich wieder!

See how clear the waves are when the moon gazes down! You who are my love, you love me back!

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15. Nachtigall, sie singt so schön, wenn die Sterne funkeln. Liebe mich, geliebtes Herz, küsse mich im Dunkeln!

The nightingale, it sings so beautifully, when the stars are twinkling. Love me, my beloved heart, kiss me in the dark!

16. Ein dunkeler Schacht ist Liebe, ein gar zu gefährlicher Bronnen; da fiel ich hinein, ich Armer, kann weder hören noch sehn, nur denken an meine Wonnen, nur stöhnen in meinen Wehn.

Love is a dark shaft, a very dangerous well; and I, poor man, fell in. I can neither hear nor see, I can only think about my bliss, I can only moan in my woe.

17. Nicht wandle, mein Licht, dort außen im Flurbereich! Die Füße würden dir, die zarten, zu naß, zu weich. All überströmt sind dort die Wege, die Stege dir; so überreichlich tränte dorten das Auge mir.

Do not wander, my light, out there in the field! Your feet, your tender feet, would get too wet, too soft. All flooded are the paths there, and the bridges, so amply there did my eyes weep.

18. Es bebet das Gesträuche, gestreift hat es im Fluge ein Vögelein. In gleicher Art erbebet die Seele mir, erschüttert von Liebe, Lust und Leide, gedenkt sie dein.

The bushes are trembling; they were brushed by a little bird in flight. In the same way, my soul trembles, overcome by love, pleasure and sorrow, as it thinks of you.

A Red, Red, RoseJames Quitman Mulholland, composer, is Professor of Music at Butler University and was Director of Music at First-Meridian Heights Presbyterian Church. His compositions have been chosen as required repertoire on over forty states’ high school choral lists, and, in addition, have been performed at the last four national conventions of the ACDA. Many of his compositions have become standard repertoire for children’s choirs throughout the country, as well as most collegiate and professional ensembles. A Red, Red, Rose is the first of four settings of Robert Burns’ ballads and was at one point the most widely sold choral piece in America.

When asked about the inspiration for his setting of A Red, Red, Rose Mulholland replied: “the beauty of someone expressing their love for


someone through nature and music, expressing love as a blooming rose—the sweetest music you have ever heard…Speaking about love, nature, and music—that is my entire life right there!”

Abide With MeReverend Henry Francis Lyte wrote the text Abide with Me in 1847. Though often associated with evening services, it was actually written about the death of a dear friend who, on his deathbed continually repeated the words “abide with me …” Lyte’s gardener later recalled that he observed the poet writing the text just after his last Sunday in the pulpit, September 4, 1847:

“After tea on that last Sunday, Lyte walked in the valley garden in front of the home, then down to the rocks, where he sat and composed. It was a lovely sunny dand the sun was setting over distant Dartmoor in a blaze of glory. On the left lay Brixham harbor like a pool of molten gold, with its picturesque trawling vessels lying peacefully at anchor. After the sun had set Lyte returned to his study. His family thought he was resting, but he was putting the finishing touches to his immortal hymn.”

Abide with me is paired with the tune Eventide. Written in just ten minutes by composer William Henry Monk, his wife reported that he composed it during a spectacular sunset in a time of personal sorrow. Greg Jasperse’s arrangement of Abide with Me is an elegant jazz-harmony infused work that sensitively and dramatically captures the essence of this venerable text.

Neither Angels, Nor Demons, Nor Powers “When I originally wrote this piece for the commissioning choir in Topeka, KS, I only had their context in mind – they wanted to commission a piece for a student of theirs that was killed in a car crash. I was able to customize the text to fit the sense of hope they wanted to convey, and I used parts of the student’s eulogy to glue the text together (“And I believe, so I believe”). What has been rewarding about this piece, though, is that I’ve been able to see it live on in the voices of other choirs around the country, from the original premier in Kansas to a college choir in North Carolina to the National Lutheran Choir.” –Timothy C. Takach (2010)

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Text: And I believe. So I believe.

I will lift my eyes to the hills. There, dost thou well believe, no storm should come To mar the stillness of that angel-home; There should thy slumbers be Weighed down with honey-dew, serenely blessed.

And I believe. So I believe.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels, nor demons, nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.

I do believe.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. - Psalms 121:1 - Felicia Dorothea Hemans - Romans 8:38-39 - Revelation 7:17

Take Him, Earth, for CherishingEngland’s Herbert Howells (1892-1983) composed this motet in the spring of 1964, and dedicated it “to the honoured memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States of America.” The work was premiered later that year in Washington, D.C. The resulting work, Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing, has endured as one of Howells’ most powerful short compositions. For the text, Howells chose an elegy by the fourth-century Roman Christian poet Prudentius, in an English translation by the Irish writer Helen Waddell. This text already had special meaning for him: he had used its original Latin opening, “Nunc suscipe, terra, favendum,” as an epigraph for Hymnus paradisi. Those close to Howells said that Kennedy’s assassination affected him deeply, and he thus found it fitting to dedicate to Kennedy a text associated with the memory of his own son. Beginning from a quiet unison, the choral voicing expands through successive stanzas and arrives at a funeral march on “Comes the hour God hath appointed.” With “Take, O take him, mighty Leader,” the music finds its rest in radiant B major before returning to the opening material. The first lines of the poem recur as a refrain throughout.


Text:Take him, earth, for cherishing To thy tender breast receive him. Body of a man I bring thee, Noble even in its ruin. Once was this a spirit’s dwelling, By the breath of God created. High the heart that here was beating, Christ the prince of all its living. Guard him well, the dead I give thee, Not unmindful of his creature Shall He ask it: He who made it Symbol of His mystery. Comes the hour God hath appointed To fulfill the hope of men, Then must thou, in very fashion, What I give, return again. Body of a man I bring thee. Not though ancient time decaying Wear away these bones to sand, Ashes that a man might treasure In the hollow of his hand: Not though wandering winds and idle winds, Drifting through the empty sky, Scatter dust was nerve and sinew, Is it given to man to die. Once again the shining road Leads to ample Paradise; Open are the woods again, That the Serpent lost for men. Take, O take him, mighty Leader, Take again thy servant’s soul. Grave his name, and pour the fragrant Balm upon the icy stone. Take him, Earth, for cherishing, To they tender breast receive him.

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Body of a man I bring thee, Noble in its ruin. By the breath of God created. Christ the prince of all its living. Take him earth, for cherishing. –Prudentius (348-413), from Humnus circa Exsequias Defuncti translated by Helen Waddell; used with permission

There will be Rest

Frank Ticheli, although known principally for his concert band works, has written a handful of choral pieces all of which are beautifully sensitive and powerful works. His setting of Sara Teasdale’s “There Will Be Rest” is no exception. Ticheli incorporates many modern choral elements into the piece such as the use of resolved and unresolved seconds and fourths, giving the piece a shimmering quality. However, Ticheli is careful to not overuse these elements and provides the text with a confident yet—I can’t think of the right word, oh yes—perfect setting. In addition, “There Will Be Rest” furthers a theme seen in other works of Ticheli such as “Earth Song” which is that of hope and peace for the future.

Sara Teasdale, the poet, is one of the finest American lyrical poets. Teasdale struggled with depression throughout most of her life. Her pain is often reflected in her works and certainly is reflected in this poem. In “There Will Be Rest,” Teasdale provides the reader with a vision of what pure rest is to her and then finishes by saying that she will find rest above her, in the stars. As Ticheli describes it, “she seemed to draw strength and hope from the stars and their permanent radiance.” One of the last poems she wrote before taking her own life at forty-eight, this piece provides its listener with an intimate spiritual transcendence. It is almost impossible to hear or sing this piece without feeling a renewed sense of comfort, peace and happiness.

There Will Be Rest- Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

There will be rest, and sure stars shining Over the roof-tops crowned with snow, A reign of rest, serene forgetting, The music of stillness holy and low.


I will make this world of my devising Out of a dream in my lonely mind. I shall find the crystal of peace, – above me Stars I shall find.

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommenMany consider Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, written in 1901, as Mahler’s greatest song, one of his most profound and moving works and was of immense personal significance for Mahler. Composed originally for voice and piano, at the height of Mahler’s powers, Ich bin der Welt was premiered in Vienna on January 29, 1905. As with many of Mahler’s songs, Ich bin der Welt explores aspects of world-weariness and sadness. The sense of removal is extraordinary. Mahler spoke of “the feeling that rises to the tip of one’s tongue but goes no further,” but still more signifi-cantly he said of Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, “It is I… myself.”

Text by Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866): I am lost to the world with which I used to waste so much time, It has heard nothing from me for so long that it may very well believe that I am dead! It is of no consequence to me. Whether it thinks me dead; I cannot deny it, for I really am dead to the world. I am dead to the world’s tumult, And I rest in a quiet realm! I live alone in my heaven, In my love and in my song!


Singing City: History and Mission

Singing City was founded as an integrated choir in 1948 in Philadelphia by Dr. Elaine Brown. The Choir was born out of the

Fellowship House movement, which believed that differences between races, religions, and cultures could be bridged by people coming together in shared activities. In addition to performances in and around Philadelphia, the Choir traveled to the South during the 1950s and ’60s struggle for civil rights, performing before integrated audiences.

As a result of critical acclaim through performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Choir was invited to perform in Israel with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic and also in Jordan and Egypt while on tour in the 1970s and ‘80s. Singing City was the first western choir to perform with the Leningrad Philharmonic in Leningrad in 1990. In May 2000, Singing City was the lead choir at the First International Choral Festival de Cuba. The choir toured Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the summer of 2004 and Brazil in July 2009. The choir traveled to Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro in July 2012.

The Choir remains committed to artistic excellence and to the betterment of the community. Singing City offers programs corresponding to the three “pillars” of its mission and vision: Performance, Community, and Education. The Choir’s multi-faceted mission includes choral performance at the highest levels, community involvement and educational outreach.

Singing City continues to bring choral music to the under-served, performing not only in concert halls, but also in homeless shelters and nursing homes in and around Philadelphia. Singing City’s nationally recognized schools residency program, Singing City in the Schools, has brought music rudiments, choral singing, and composition techniques to children in the Philadelphia public schools and to some private schools in the area. Singing City in the Schools was taken to a new level with the launching of the Singing City Prize for Young Composers in 2003. This is a composition competition for area high school and college students. The winners benefit from a monetary prize, a performance of their work by Singing City, and a year under the tutelage of a professional composer. The Singing City Children’s Choir joined the Singing City family in the fall of 2010.

Under the banner of Performance, Community and Education, Singing City strives to be an artistic, social and spiritual force, bringing people together through choral music.


Jeffrey Brillhart, Music Director Appointed in 1999, Jeffrey Brillhart directs the Singing City Choir and oversees all aspects of Singing City’s musical initiatives. He provides artistic leadership for a rich program of formal concerts, choral music workshops as part of Singing City in the Schools, and outreach concerts in diverse communities in and around Philadelphia. Jeffrey is also Director of Music and Fine Arts at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr and is recognized as one of the foremost musicians working in the Presbyterian Church. He has won national recognition for his abilities in organ improvisation, organ performance, and conducting. Mr. Brillhart’s formal training was at Drake University, where he received his Bachelor of Church Music degree in 1977, and at the Eastman School of Music, where he received a Master of Performance and Literature Degree in 1979 and studied piano, organ, harpsichord, voice and conducting.

In addition to his position as Director of the Fine Arts Program at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, where he works with over 600 youth and adults, Jeffrey supervises nine choral and handbell ensembles, an art program and “Young-in-Arts,” a music and art school for children. He directs the 120-voice Senior Choir which sings for two services each week and prepares several special performances each season. Mr. Brillhart also directs the Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers, a 24-voice ensemble specializing in baroque and 20th century music. His church ensembles have performed for national conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the American Choral Directors Association. Mr. Brillhart has presented master classes at the Curtis Institute of Music, the University of Iowa, Drake University, and the Eastman School of Music. He served as chorus master for The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Martin Luther King Tribute Concert in January 2004. In January 2005, he joined the music faculty of Yale University to teach organ improvisation. He is the author of “Breaking Free,” an improvisation textbook.


Do you love to sing?

Are you looking for a great community of singers?Singing City is now auditioning experienced singers.

Auditions are held by appointment.Call the Singing City office, 215-569-9067, to schedule an audition.

Please consider joining us if you: Live within weekly traveling distance of Philadelphia (50 miles or less)

Can sight-read music and have prior choral experience

Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 17th & Sansom Streets, Philadelphia

Learn more at www.singingcity.org

Singing City Choir

Lauren AndersonSoryl AngelAminda BairdJoyce BartonJason BlacketerPeter BoyerKathleen BradyRick BrittonWendy BrowderGloria BrownSara Harris BrownLuke BrownLorance ChecchiaElizabeth ChildsDeb ClarkeLeslie ClearwaterSteve CrandallPeggy CurchackElaine Del VecchioTony Del VecchioKelly DolanSusan DomingosTamara DuffyDouglas FaulknerDana FieroAndrew Fuller

Jennifer GottschalkMelissa Graf-EvansMarlene GrahamMartha GrantJames GrantSusan HepplerAnne HessMark HollernRobert HolmesClaire HuffLaila Nada IsaacsonLauren JamesBarbara JenkinsBeth JohnsonAlan Johnson-McNuttRobert KidderJeffrey KnightlyFrancine LevinRobert MannJoyce MarshallYuko MartinBelina MizrahiKim MurphyDaniel NissenbaumRandy NonemakerRosalyn Ominsky

Alicia PaistRalph PurriMark RaderLaura RandolphSterling RandolphGabrielle RinkusMark RitterGili RonenMindy RubinlichtM’Annette RuddellNathanael RussellRajeev SachdevaSarah SciarraMarilyn SiffordRichard SobelBetty StockwellMeghann Strain- HowardRobert ThuenerWill WeaverRick WilesKerri WilliamsAmberly WilliamsBarbara WilligLaVerne WoodWilliam Young


Steven M. Fisher, Director, Singing City Children’s Choir

Steve has been the Director of the Children’s Choir since 2005 when it was the West Philadelphia Children’s Choir. For seven years, Steve was the Assistant Music Director of the Philadelphia Boy’s Choir. He then went on to found his own boychoir, Keystone State Boychoir, which is celebrating its 11th Anniversary Season this year. The Boychoir has sung with the region’s most esteemed music ensembles, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Opera Company of Philadelphia, for which the Boychoir serves as its official children’s choir. The Boychoir has performed internationally and in December of 2009 made history as the first choir to sing in Antarctica. In doing so, the Boychoir also became the first choir to have sung on all seven continents. Steve is also director of “FYI!” (Find Your Instrument!), the outreach program of the Keystone State Boychoir. In addition Steve is music director and a founder of the New York Boychoir.

Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in music from Temple University. He studied conducting with Alan Harler, composition with Richard Broadhead, arranging with Alice Parker, and piano with Alexander Fiorello. While at Temple, Steve received the prestigious Presser Foundation Award, which recognizes a student that has the potential to make a significant contribution in the field of music. Steve is a composer of choral music. Hal Leonard recently published his song “Even,” a setting of the beloved poem “The Lanyard” by poet laureate Billy Collins. Colla Voce will be publishing a medley of South African songs Steve arranged while in South Africa. During his time at Temple, Steve and Dr. Kathy Robinson, with the help of then Dean Jeff Cornelius, founded Umcolo! This immersion program in the townships of South Africa offers music educators the opportunity to experience first-hand the vibrant South African choral tradition.

Steven resides in New York City where he pursues a career as a writer of musical theatre. His musical Mandela has been presented in New York, Johannesburg and at the Tony-award winning Crossroads Theatre. His family musical Isabelle and the Pretty-Ugly Spell enjoyed an extended run in New York this past spring and received a rave review from The New York Times. Steve is currently collaborating with Hector Berlioz on a symphonic play entitled Sorry, based on the recent tragic death of prodigious violinist Tyler Clementi.


Barbara Willig, SCCC Assistant Director

Barbara (Bobbi) Willig has a long and distinguished career as a music educator and choral director in the Philadelphia area. She studied piano with Eleanor Sokoloff of Curtis Institute, Alex Fiorillo, and Susan Starr and has graduate music degrees and supervision certification.

She has acted as accompanist, music director, and orchestra conductor of music theatre productions for Abington Music theatre, Marple Newtown, Klein Branch JCC as well as codirector

of the children’s summer music theatre at Bucks County Community College. Barbara has directed various music ensembles including a 300-voice choir for the Northeast Regional Music Arts Festival. She prepared children’s choirs for Mahler 8 Symphony of a Thousand with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Mendelssohn Club performance of Honegger’s Christmas Cantata at the Academy of Music.

Past president of the Temple University College of Music Alumni Association and rehearsal accompanist for Chestnut Hill College 2012 theatre production, supervisor of student teachers for Temple University Boyer College, past music consultant for Philadelphia READS summer program, she is presently Assistant and Rehearsal Accompanist of Singing City Children’s Choir as well as member of Singing City.

Singing City Children’s Choir

Now in its third year as the Singing City Children’s Choir (formerly the West Philadelphia Children’s Choir), SCCC is a choral music education program shaping the future by making a difference in the lives of children through musical excellence. Music from all styles and periods forms the foundation for musical learning and serve as the basis for the curriculum. Concepts about music (melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, dynamics, form, style and performance practice) and musical skills (singing, theory, sight reading, etc.) are taught throughout the rehearsals through singing, listening and analysis. The choir is directed by Steve Fisher and assistant Bobbi Willig.


Jibreel BarnesJaime E. BondLaniyah BrownQuadai BrownAmber BrownJames BrownTymere BryantJa-shera CaddellCianni CarrollBryce ClarkJamaiyah CooleySanea CoxNajay CoxLanisha CoxCarnita DandridgeNashay DickersonClayton DinkinsErnest DychesShamira EdwardsAneesa EwellZykiera GayCianna GlandIquilla HairstonDarrien Hampton

D'Jah HankersonSemaj HarrisJakiyah Harvin- WhitmoreDahmere HawkinsDymir HayesEmani HightowerIyana HolmesAnyah HolmesIndia HolmesSasha HubertSaliymah HubertDonald JacksonRaheem LadsonJasmin Love BrownJazzmyne ManleyMasson McCloudTe'Avia MeekinsJaiyonna MobleyMaurice MooreQydir MorrisJamamira MurrayDashon PerryKimyadah Pollard

Bernard ReavesTaylor ScottAziriyah SessomsKhalia SmithSinseir SmithZyaire SteedleyJamir StephensonBarbie StevensAnthony T. SturgisSuntoria TownsendChernhya TwittyAaron WashingtonTreyonna Yancey- WatsonSadeed WhiteMercedes WilliamsImere D WilliamsSikia WilliamsBrinae WilliamsRobin WilliamsTaniesha WilliamsNiya WiseJacqueline Young

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Thomas Sheehan, pianist

Thomas Sheehan joined Singing City in September 2011. He currently serves as Assistant Organist and Choirmaster at St. Mark’s Church, Philadelphia, working with Matthew Glandorf, and is completing his second year as a student of Alan Morrison at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He received a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance with distinction from Westminster Choir College in 2011, studying with Ken Cowan. In 2010, he graduated summa cum laude from Westminster with a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ

Performance. In 2009 he was awarded first prize in both the Arthur Poister National Competition in Organ Playing, and the AGO/Quimby Regional Competition for the Mid-Atlantic Region (Region III).

In July, 2010 he was a featured “Rising Star” performer at the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists in Washington, DC, and in 2011 performed at the Region III AGO Convention in Harrisburg, PA. An experienced accompanist, he has performed frequently with the Westminster Choir College Chapel Choir and the Westminster Schola Cantorum. In 2007, Mr. Sheehan toured England with the choirs of Trinity Church, Princeton, NJ, including performances at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London; Blackburn Cathedral; and St. John’s Chapel, Cambridge, under the direction of Tom Whittemore.

Keenan Boswell, pianist

In 2010, Keenan became a graduate of The Juilliard School and is currently completing his Masters degree at Westminster Choir College.

Keenan is known for virtuosic pipe organ performances that display a “clear technique” and “comprehensive, symphonic use” of the organ. As a student of Ken Cowan in 2011, Keenan studied and performed Mr. Cowan’s arrangement of Franz Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz No. 1.” In the upcoming year, Keenan will study with Alan Morrison. While pursuing undergraduate work at


The Juilliard School, Keenan won first prize in Region IX of the American Guild of Organist’s Regional Young Organist Competition and was featured in concert at the 2008 AGO Regional and National Conventions. Keenan has performed at well-established organ concert venues such as Saint Mary-The-Virgin and Saint Ignatius Loyola of New York City and was featured on the 2010 Rising Stars summer concert series at Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA. Most recently, Keenan gave his solo organ debut recital at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, where he is Assistant Organist.

Keenan shares his love for collaboration by working with singers and instrumentalists of both contemporary and classical genre. His work with soprano Barbara Paterson led to their participation in the 2011 Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Voice-Piano Competition in Paris, France with coaching from Dalton Baldwin and Mary Anthony Cox. Keenan coaches regularly with Susan Ashbaker and accompanies for students of Westminster Choir College. In 2011 and 2012, Keenan was a collaborative pianist for Westminster’s CoOPERAtive Program, working with Kathleen Kelly of Vienna State Opera, Gina Lapinski of NY Metropolitan Opera and Sandra Bernhard of Houston Grand Opera. His upcoming season will feature collaborations with Opera Company Philadelphia, Singing City, Lyric Fest, Lyric Fest’s Co-Founder Suzanne DuPlantis and Westminster Choir College Opera Theatre.

Keenan’s passion for contemporary music drives him to produce recitals that feature musical peers in collaboration with him on organ. In 2010, Keenan’s collaborative recital at The Juilliard School saw the debut of a work encompassing dance, drums, guitar and organ. Contemporary organ works were arranged to convey a story visually expressed by nearly half the freshman class of Juilliard dancers. In January 2012, Keenan debuted a new work for voice, drums, mandolin, electronics and organ as a featured artist at Old First Church in San Francisco, CA. This work featured organ arrangements of music by Kanye West and the Fleet Foxes.


Board of Directors

Cheryl Slipski, PresidentNancy Frandsen, Vice-President Tim McGarrigan, TreasurerMargaret C. Gregg, Secretary

Peter BoyerWendy BrowderWarren CooperSteve CrandallPeggy CurchackWalter Johnson

Jackie LesserMilo MorrisMindy RubinlichtLawana ScalesRachel SobelRadclyffe Thompson

Advisory Board

Anton E. ArmstrongJack AsherJeffrey CorneliusJoseph FlummerfeltR. Thomas FriedmanDeVonne Gardner Elizabeth L. HaslamRobert H. Holmes

Scott JenkinsMary Tryon LedwithClaire McKinleyWeston Noble Helmuth RillingSandra StoufferAndre J. Thomas

Rosalinda R. Madara, Honorary Director

Singing City Staff

Jeffrey Brillhart, Artistic and Music DirectorLauren Anderson, Executive DirectorScott Hughes, Choir Administrator and Office ManagerThomas Sheehan, PianistSteven Fisher, Director, Singing City Children’s ChoirBarbara Willig, Assistant, Singing City Children’s ChoirAndrew Bleckner, Composer-in-Residence

Special Thanks

Friends of Singing CitySC Children’s Choir VolunteersBryn Mawr Presbyterian Church


Season Subscribers provide the backbone of financial support for the performance aspect of our mission. We are grateful for their generosity

and for their commitment to artistic excellence.

BenefactorsMr. and Mrs. James R. Affleck, Jr.Lauren AndersonPeter BoyerJeffrey BrillhartDeb Clarke and Cheryl BruttomessoPeggy and Mark Curchack

SponsorsSoryl Angel and James WarkJessica BrownMarguerite P. HarrisThe Rev. and Mrs. Dennis C. LloydRichard and Rachel SobelJane Windle

partial listing

Season Subscribers

Elizabeth L. HaslamClare and Jim MackieRosalinda R. MadaraCharles Y. Murphy IIICheryl SlipskiWilliam and Betty Stockwell

PatronsSusan Alpine and Ed ScheetzNorman and Carla BlockWendy BrowderGloria BrownBarbara DomingosNancy FrandsenHelen GilmoreRon and PeggyGreggSue Anne Grier Robert H. HolmesClaire and Warren HuffDon and Laila Nada IsaacsonBeth JohnsonWalter Johnson

Gary and Debbie Johnson-McNuttMary Tryon LedwithLinda LitwinClaire S. McKinleyRosalyn OminskyEvelyn G. ParkerBarbara RittenhouseJack and Roberta RubinlichtRuthanne and Gary SchlarbaumElaine B. ShafferJohn and Sandi StoufferMary Ann SullivanRadclyffe F. Thompson


$1,000 and aboveAnonymousLauren AndersonBryn Mawr Presbyterian Church Alternative Gift MarketBryn Mawr Presbyterian Church Fine Arts CouncilMark and Peggy CurchackR. Thomas FriedmanMary Tryon LedwithMrs. Richard W. Ledwith*Jonathan LehmanCharles Y. Murphy, IIIStewart and Leny PatrickPennsylvania TrustRebecca Bien and David PollThomas B. Roberts and Maryellen Fullerton

$500 to $999Sue Anne GrierClarence L. HallquistElizabeth L. HaslamBob and Louise KidderJudy NeilsonBarbara and Thomas* RittenhouseRuthanne and Gary SchlarbaumCheryl SlipskiVirginia SmithRichard and Dorothy Stevens

$250 to $499Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church Peacemaking CommitteeMrs. De Ann P. ClancyDr. Jeffrey CorneliusRebecca and Daniel CoyneEllen and Bill DohmenEwdin H. and Wanda Hayes EichlerJoseph FlummerfeltNancy FrandsenMr. and Mrs. James S. GrantRon and Peggy GreggBob and Jane GuthrieHerb HeinemanBob HolmesBeth JohnsonAnn KraftsonMr. and Mrs. Michael G. MerinBetty MorrellBarbara NewmanAlice and Mark RaderDavid RawleGeorge Elser and Angela M. ScullyJohn and Sandra StoufferRadclyffe Thompson

ANNUAL FRIENDS DRIVE 2011-12

Annual contributions to Singing City are of crucial importance because they are used to support the operating budget of the Choir. Annual Friends Drive gifts are spent throughout the year on operating needs such as our formal concert series, community concerts at care facilities and retirement homes, and to support our small but dedicated staff. Because gifts to the Annual Friends Drive are not designated to a particular use when made, these funds have the broadest impact on Singing City and its audiences. In our 64th season, and under the leadership of board member Mike Thompson, $55,000 was raised to support the Annual Friends Drive. Our thanks to each and every contributor.


$100 to $249B. Cohen and C. AultAminda BairdElizabeth BartleMary BassettIrving BraunsteinWendy BrowderBoyce and Karen BuddAnthony P. ChecchiaDeborah Clarke and Cheryl BruttomessoHarris and Louise ClearfieldSharon and Bruce CundiffHelen DennisKathleen and Michael DolanDiana and Stuart DonaldsonNeil and Marion DuganMrs. Anne FloodMarie FordPeter GallowayHelen H. GilmoreRobert A. and Mary Jane GirondiCarol GreyMark and Cynthia HollernScott HughesJohn ImmerwahrDon and Laila Nada IsaacsonBruce and Lauren JamesWalter JohnsonJeff Knightly and Cindy CasselRay KraftsonDolores Kuykendall Robert and Lisa LandleyWilliam LoebLinda MadaraBlake MarshallMargaret S. MaurinJohn McNicholWistar MorrisBonnie MotelDrew and Robin NageleGlenavie NortonEvelyn ParkerJane G. Pepper

Barbara PollKathleen and Alfred Putnam, Jr.Betty-Jean RiedersMark and Sandy RitterAnna RobertsJoan C. RobertsFranna RuddellElaine ShafferFrank and Molly SlatteryCarol TashjianMargaret and John C. TutenMr. and Mrs. Steven H. TyreDuncan and Elizabeth Van DusenNancy N. VickChris WackmanJanet and Kim WhiteBarbara WilligBill and Anita Young Up to $99Eunice and Henry AlexanderJanet AndereckAnton E. Armstrong, DMAElaine BaerNorman and Carla BlockPeter BoyerKathy BradyJeffrey BrillhartGloria BrownSteve CrandallCharles H. and Suzanne M. DavisDavid and Cyndi DetwilerKelly Anne DolanFrank DomingosNancy FairmanJayne FieroElisabeth Yarosh GentieuBill GreySusan W. HenryClaire and Warren HuffJanet IgnatiusAnne A. KamrinBeth and Bob KrickSydney and Lucille Kuder


Francine LevinStephen E. LevinNancy LickAnne G. LucasBarbara MaxwellBelina MizrahiMartha MorrisA. Michael NasielskiRoz OminskyVictoria ParkerLaura RandolphChris and Edith Roberts

Foundation, Business and Government SupportBarra FoundationSamuel S. Fels FundAnn and Gordon Getty FoundationHypno DesignLincoln Financial FoundationPA Council on the ArtsPennsylvania TrustThe Presser FoundationThe Philadelphia Cultural Fund The Joseph K. Skilling TrustWells Fargo FoundationWoodcock WashburnHenrietta Tower Wurts Foundation

Frances B. RubinsohnWilliam H. SeyboldRichard and Rachel SobelHarriet SoffaMr. and Mrs. Alan Willoughby

*deceased

Every effort has been made to insure the accuracy of these lists. Please notify us at [email protected] of any errors. Thank you!


Congratulations, Singing City,

on Your 65th Season!

Mindy Rubinlicht and Jason Torban

Woodcock Washburn is a proud supporter of

Singing City.

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KENNETH P. BARROW, JR., REALTOR

Offering services in commercial sales,leasing, management, development, land searches; appraisals for condemnations, tax assessment appeals, change of use, subdivision and zoning.

610-447-8816www.kpbrealtor.com


Congratulations and Best Wishes to the

SINGING CITY CHOIR

ON YOUR

2012 – 2013 SEASON


Sing! Sing! Sing!

Sings Choral MusicPhiladelphia Museum of ArtWednesday, December 26

2:00 pm

Join us!

“If music be the food of love, play on.”

Twelfth Night

a

In memory of

Harris OminskyBoard Member/President

Singing City

Congratulations to the Singing City family on another wonderful

season of choral music!

Steven Crandalllead trainer, petco positive dog training

Private instruction, group classes and

consultations available at petco stores in King of Prussia, Exton,

and Philadelphia in the Andorra Shopping Center.


Join Artistic Director, Raquel García, and the voices

of The Philadelphia Chorus for our winter concert, December 2nd, 2012

4:00 pm, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral and our spring concert,

April 21, 2013 4:00 pm, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral

For more information, go to www.thephiladelphiachorus.org/


LOWENBERG WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC

Helping to Protect, Preserve and Grow the Assets of our Clients

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Professional Duplicating

Bryn Mawr 610-520-1234

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Singers have to be really good listeners.

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Choose to work with Aminda for the purchase or sale of your home. You'll soon be "singing" her praises.

Aminda Baird, Realtor610-316-2928

Weichert Realtors Wayne, Pa 19087


Considering family expansion through

becoming a foster care family?

Join us for upcoming foster care information sessions where we

share our experiences.

Contact Gili Ronen at

[email protected] for details.

Congratulations,Singing City,on Your 65thAnniversary

Season!

Best Wishesfrom

Nancy Frandsenand Cheryl Slipksi

WISHINGSINGING CITY

AND LAILA & THE SECOND ALTOS

A SUCCESSFUL 65TH SEASON

D. Michael Carmody, Jr.Financial Services

200 White Horse Pike, P.O. Box 176Haddon Heights, NJ 08035

Tel: 856-310-0717 • Fax: 856-310-0455Email: [email protected]


Pileggi of Haddonfield Supports Singing City!

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Call for appt. 215-317-5675 19 Mechanic Street • Haddonfield, NJ

Napoli School of Music and Dance

�

Ardmore Location692 Pont Reading RdArdmore, PA 19003(next to John’s Sneakers)

610-658-5284

CONGRATS!

Pennsylvania Trust is proud to support the Singing City Choir

STABILITY THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS. Our relationships begin with the client and their individualobjectives, including stability and care for family; personalor professional goals; and philanthropy, among many others. Once we get to know you, it becomes possible tocraft a financial advisory strategy that is tailored to meetyour specific needs.

“WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT OUR

WORK ETHIC AND COMMITMENT SET US APART

IN OUR ABILITY TO BUILD

OUTSTANDING CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS.”George McFarland

President

CALL BILL HAINES OR

MIKE THOMPSON AT

610.975.4300 OR 800.975.4316

R A D N O R , PAW W W.P E N N T R U ST. CO M

PT12 Singing City_PA Trust 10/23/12 2:12 PM Page 1

Singing City

123 S. 17th Street • Philadelphia, PA 19103 www.singingcity.org [email protected]

Singing City Fall Concert Program

Documents

Transcript of Singing City Fall Concert Program