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VoxDaniel MusicaI. Paulson, founder/music director Streaming Live - May 23, 2021 welcome

Although we can’t be together at Beatnik Studios to experience this performance face-to- face, we are very excited that you are joining us in this virtual environment. For this season, we’ve worked hard to provide you with experiences that will lift you up and help to provide you balance during this time of isolation. This season has been crafted with you in mind, combining remastered favorite performances with new project offerings. In addition, each concert project includes interactive experiences with the artists, composers, distinguished guests, and myself.

From the beginning, Vox Musica has been dedicated to providing Music Worth Sharing to our community in beautiful Northern California. This year, we have the incredible opportunity to share our music beyond those borders, to people across the country and globe who are looking for something to brighten their world. I sincerely believe that music has the power to heal, to enlighten, and to change lives. I hope that our monthly concerts and performances will be a source of strength and peace for you.

I want to also take a moment to thank everyone who generously gives to our organization so that we can do the important work of sharing music with our community. As we welcome in a new year, may we continue to connect in ways that nourish our heart and soul, and keep the arts alive in our community and our lives.

Although we are streaming our performances online and we can’t be face-to-face we appreciate you joining us for our 15th concert season. We sincerely hope you enjoy our performance tonight and will continue to value our Music Worth Sharing.

Daniel Paulson, founder/music director organization VOX MUSICA 1017 L Street, # 333 • Sacramento, CA 95814 www.VoxMusica.net • 916.844.2586 • [email protected]

Executive Director: Suzi Horowitz Founder/Music Director: Daniel I. Paulson Production Manager: Spencer Timmons

Board President: Mary Frank Member: Jennifer Crawford Vice President: Ann Huntsman Member: Suzi Horowitz Treasurer: Joaquin Razo Member: Tony Torres

t @VOX_MUSICA | f /VOXMUSICA | I @VOX_MUSICA | h #VOXMUSICA

VOX | 2 ensemble

Vox Musica was founded in 2006 in a niche of “The recent arrival of the choir Vox Musica untapped potential in Sacramento’s budding classical to the Sacramento music scene is also indicative of the talent moving into the music scene. Vox Musica is committed to excellence area that highly values new music.” in performance of diverse and challenging choral - American Music Center, 2007 literature for women’s voices and is dedicated to promoting new works, including many premieres “The singers and conductor Daniel and commissioned works. Through collaborations Paulson threw down a breathtaking performance of my Three Nightsongs.” with composers, conductors, choirs, and musicians - Joshua Shank, 2008 from around the world, Vox Musica’s featured concert projects have included collected works from the 18th “The ensemble breathed refreshing life century Venetian Ospedali; music from India, Persia, into three contemporary arrangements of a 15th-century hymn ‘Es Ist Ein Ros and Georgia; a concert project for Taiko Drums and Entsprungen’ .” Women’s Choir; a concert project for DJ and Women’s - Sacramento Bee, 2010 Choir; and a concert project for looping violin and “The music was effectively built from a Women’s Choir. Vox Musica has released one compact hushed austerity to the more complex disc and has been a featured artist for both the and Vox Musica drove us through the prestigious Old First Concert Series in San Francisco terrain with excellent taste and powerful and the American Choral Directors Association’s 2011 emotion.” National Convention in Chicago, IL. More recently, Vox - Sacramento Choral Calendar, 2015 Musica was selected as the recipient of the 2015-16 “Vox Musica undertakes the performance American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) of insanely difficult music and does so National Award for Adventurous Programming. successfully, time and again.” - Sacramento Choral Calendar, 2017

Arunima Kohli, soprano I Allison Proffitt, alto I Samantha Harrison, soprano I Ema Gluckmann, alto I Mira Huang, soprano I Erin Brothers, alto I Tabitha Lewis, soprano II Jennifer Crawford, alto II Marielle Petricevich soprano II Cat Fithian, alto II Laura McLellan, soprano II Kate Kalthoff,alto II

WWW.VOXMUSICA.NET

VOX | 3 founder/director

Daniel I. Paulson, founder & music director, holds a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance from Sacramento State University, a Masters of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from the Three-Summer Masters of Music degree program at California State University, Los Angeles, and is a Doctoral student in Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has been a featured conductor on the International Festival of New American Music in Sacramento, CA, the Old First Concert Series in San Francisco, CA, and the American Choral Directors Association’s 2011 National Convention in Chicago, IL. He is a student of Dr. William Belan, Professor Emeritus of Choral Studies at California State University, Los Angeles, and Donald “Paulson has proved himself to be an astute programmer. He’s not afraid of Brinegar, Professor Emeritus of Choral Studies at Pasadena taking chances.” - Sacramento Bee, 2007 City College and former Adjunct Professor of Graduate Choral Conducting at the University of Southern California. “Paulson coaxed a multi-layered sound from the singers, whose His extended education includes studying early music with mysterious dimensions were delicately revealed.” the Western Wind Ensemble, the King’s Singers, and at the - Sacramento Bee, 2010 2013 American Bach Soloist’s Summer Academy. He was a “Paulson’s “Silent Night” was the most featured presenter at the 2013 Sacramento TEDx Conference perfect rendition that I could ever and spent the summer of 2014 teaching Choral/Vocal music imagine.” - Sacramento Choral Calendar, 2017 at the University of Costa Rica. He is Professor of Voice and “Paulson consistently produces Choral Music at Sacramento City College, Adjunct Instructor programs that thoughtfully translate of Voice at Columbia University in New York, and serves as and provide context for the cerebral music they tackle.” Founder & Music Director for Vox Musica. - Sacramento Choral Calendar, 2018

This season we are asking you to take an active role in the growth of our organization. There are plenty of opportunities for your IS OUR talents and skills to be utilized:

BOARDSHIP, FUNDRAISING, MUSIC MARKETING, & SOCIAL MEDIA are some areas in which you can be of service.

WORTH Contact us today if you can help! SHARING? (916) 844-2586 | [email protected] t @VOX_MUSICA | f /VOXMUSICA | h #VOXMUSICA

VOX | 4 guest speakers Parisa Soultani

Parisa Soultani is co-producer, editor and host of One Through Love, the first cinematic multi-lingual web initiative focused on the teaching of Jalaluddin Rumi and his mentor Shams of Tabriz. With a focus on Divine Love as the central binding force of all creation, One Through Love brings together a growing, international group of knowledgeable Rumi “Lovers,” Sufi teachers, practitioners, dervishes, artists, and more for a unique journey into the heart of Rumi’s legacy. In this program, she will present excerpts from One Through Love.

She is a filmmaker and television host who has produced, directed and edited numerous documentary films and TV series for national and international broadcasters and the Web. She is the host for LinkTV’s Bridge to Iran series as well as technical director and editor for PBS and KCET-Link’s Global Spirit series. In these times of conflict, she focuses on using the power of film, media, and citizen-to-citizen dialogue to help clear social and cultural misunderstandings and promote a deeper sense of unity while embracing our diversity. Parisa holds a BA in international business from Sacramento State University, and an MFA in Humanities from San Francisco State University with a focus on Rumi.

Andrew Harvey

Andrew Harvey is an internationally acclaimed writer, poet, translator and mystical teacher. He is the author of over 40 books, including Son of Man, The Hope, Way of Passion, Turn Me to Gold and Savage Grace with Carolyn Baker. Born in south India in 1952, Harvey has devoted much of his life to studying the world’s mystical traditions, including intensive study of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sufi mysticism.

He has taught all over the world, given over 20 courses for the Shift Network and is the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism. The Institute of Sacred Activism is an international organization focused on inviting concerned people to take up the challenge of our contemporary global crises by becoming inspired, effective, and practical agents of institutional and systemic change, in order to create peace and sustainability. Sacred Activism is a transforming force of compassion-in-action that is born of a fusion of deep spiritual knowledge, courage, love, and passion, with wise radical action in the world. The large-scale practice of Sacred Activism can become an essential force for preserving and healing the planet and its inhabitants.and an MFA in Humanities from San Francisco State University with a focus on Rumi.

VOX | 5 collaborating artists Eliyahu Sills

Eliyahu Sills is a highly acclaimed musician of many instruments and deep knowledge of multiple musical traditions, from spiritual music of the Middle East and India to American musics of Soul and Jazz and their African roots.

He is a leader and collaborator of many projects, most notably, The Qadim Ensemble, which brings together diverse cultures of the Middle East, whose CD reached #7 on Billboard’s World Music charts; and BOLO which blends infectious rhythms of dance music, the improvisation of jazz, the cultural depth of world music, and the soulfulness of devotional kirtan. Eliyahu also performs as a solo artist and with his duo, playing Hindustani Ragas, Middle Eastern Sufi music, and Jewish songs on the oud, ney, and bansuri.

In Istanbul, Turkey he studied the ney under masters Neyzen Omer Erdogdular and Neyzen Ahmet Kaya. He returned two years later to further his studies. Later in Israel he studied with Neyzen Itamar Shachar. In Morocco Eliyahu studied Arabic ney (nai) with Akdii Abdelsalaam, as well as Gnawa music with Hossein Bohalibambara Bziz.

In the 1990’s, studied at the New School of Jazz in New York City, playing upright bass. His most influential teachers there were Makanda Ken McIntyre, Arnie Lawrence, and Reggie Workman, who played with John Coltrane and Art Blakey.

Banafsheh Sayyad

Banafsheh Sayyad is a master Persian sacred dancer, choreographer, transformational teacher and founder of Dance of Oneness®. She performs and teaches internationally, initiating people into the wisdom of their bodies, inspiring them to live their everyday life as a sacred dance. Banafsheh is a pioneer in creating a liberated feminine expression in the Sufi dance genre previously performed only by men. Her modality, Dance of Oneness® is dance as a spiritual path and science of embodiment. A way of living our fullest potential through loving our body and our Self, and living as a lover, it is a fusion of the art of dance: rigorous technique and self-expression; healing; and wisdom teachings.

With a Masters of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography from UCLA and a Masters in Chinese Medicine, Banafsheh is dedicated to individual and collective healing through conscious dance. Her award-winning signature style of holy wildness has been presented in North America, Europe and Australia. Her dance film, “In the Fire of Grace” with Andrew Harvey traces Rumi’s journey of the soul in dance. Based in Topanga, California, Banafsheh performs and teaches across North America, Europe and Turkey. Visit www.banafsheh. org for Banafsheh’s online offerings.

VOX | 6 guest solists & composers

Parisa Vaaleh, soloits, Parisa Vaaleh was born into an art loving family in Tehran. She began singing when she was a young girl and had her first stage performance when she was seven years old. Unfortunately, Parisa’s steps towards a career in art and music were interrupted by the Iranian revolution in the late seventies. However, her unwavering love for singing never diminished. For years she exposed herself to music from different nationalities and realized that music has the power to unite us all, regardless of race, nationality, or creed. This moved Parisa and inspired her compose and perform a more “fusion” style of music so that she could better connect to the people of our world.

Parisa has collaborated with such notable musicians as Henrik Naji, Reza Abaei, and Aldoush Alpanian, and in 2007 they released an album together, entitled “Ascent.” Looking for a way to respond to the 2009 Iranian social movement, Parisa recorded and performed a moving arrangement of the famous Ma ra Beboos, by Kamran Thunder. She also composed Bahar-e ghamangiz which is a setting of a poem by Hooshang Ebtehanj. In 2010 she released her second album “Fasl e Entezar,” where in she collaborated with Siavash. Some of the best Iranian musicians was released this year. In 2012, Parisa released the single Khoone-ye Roo-ye Aab which was the result of a collaboration with composer and arranger Babak katouzi.

In San Francisco, Parisa performed as an opening artist at the Hebst theatre (2009), in a collaborative performance with Fared Shafinouri at the de Young museum (2010), and at the Palace of Fine Arts (2013) for international women’s day. Some other notable projects and performances include singing on a telematic opera by Pari Chehrehsa called “Seven Stages of Erfan” at the University of Calgary, in Canada and presenting a two-hour concert featuring a collection of her music at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA.

More recently Parisa performed on Erwin Khachikian’s “Let Her Sing 2017” concert at the Marines Memorial Theatre, where she shared the stage with 9 other amazing female vocalists; and sang on “Song of my Homeland” a music project by composer and arranger Honiball Joseph. Both of these projects were held by “Diaspora Art Connections.”

Parisa wishes to convey the message of love, peace, and spirituality through her singing.

VOX | 7 Alex Jenkins, tabla, Due to his in-depth study of the music of different cultures, Alex Jenkins’ playing transcends musical traditions and boundaries. His expression of rhythm is heavily influenced by his study of Tabla. As a result, he has become known for his creative approach to music and his unique ability to fuse rhythmic ideas from various disciplines, into one cohesive sound.

Alex has studied Music, Drums and Percussion at CSUS Sacramento, The Ali Akbar Khan School of Music in San Rafael and Drummers Collective in New York. In Addition, He performs and records regularly, around California and beyond, playing a variety of music (on both Drum set and Tabla) including, Jazz, Rock, Blues, Fusion, Indian Classical and just about everything in between. Alex leads his own group called “The Alex Jenkins Quartet” which continues to keep a very busy performing and touring schedule, playing more than 100 shows a year.

Currently, Alex teaches percussion at Skip’s Music, Sacramento, William Land Elementary School and at Howe Ave Elementary. In addition, he keeps a busy teaching and clinic schedule which include workshops and clinics for various schools such as CSUS, American River College, Cosumnes River College, California College of the Arts in Oakland, UC Merced, Wood Creek High School, Orange Open Middle School, Citrus Heights Elementary, Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, The Drum Lab, Davis Waldorf School, Whitney Elementary and various music stores around California.

Honiball Joseph, composer, is an accomplished musician, composer, conductor, and pianist, with thirty years of extensive international experience in art. In addition to numerous recitals, he has organized, conducted, arranged and composed several orchestral and vocal concerts. In London, he performed Contemporary Assyrian Music at the British Museum (2019). In California, he performed in such venues as the Norman P. Murray City Hall in Mission Viejo (2018), De Anza Visual and Performing Arts Center in Cupertino (2017), Smothers Theater in Malibu (2016), C-PAEC in Calabasas (2015) and IQ studio in Orange County (2017). He also performed at the most prestigious concert halls in Iran, such as Vahdat Hall (2011, 2014), Roudaki Hall (2005) and Milad Tower (2013). Additionally, he developed Performance Art; introducing a dialogue between music and other fine arts (2013-2014).

Honiball Joseph is the founder and current Chief Executive Officer of Gilgamesh Art & Culture Foundation. Besides Gilgamesh Art & Culture Foundation, he has founded and directed Gilgamesh Philharmonic Orchestra (2016-present), Iranian Choir of America (2015-present), Beneil Music Academy (2001-2015) and Messiah Ensemble (1998-2015). He also conceived and established the Virtual Iranian Global Art Festival in 2005 and served as its chair for three consecutive terms (2006-2008).

Honiball Joseph has been a music educator since 1986. He is passionate about helping high quality art become more accessible to the community. Creativity and generations of new ideas and novel styles in the art have been inseparable aspects of his life.

VOX | 8 Dr. Kira Zeeman Rugen, composer, is a composer, conductor, singer and professor from Scottsdale, Arizona. She is the Director of Choral Activities at Arizona Christian University where her choirs have toured around Arizona and California, and recently performed with Andrea Bocelli in live concert. Previously, Kira served as a faculty member at Grand Canyon University, where she taught music history, conducting and music education courses. She held the position of Faculty Associate at Arizona State University where she conducted Schola Cantorum (undergraduate music majors) and Choral Union the 100+ member community choir.

Kira’s compositions (found at MusicSpoke.com) have been performed around the world. The Master Chorale of Flagstaff commissioned her composition “Earth Teach Me” for choir, strings and piano for their concert “to Love this Earth” in April 2019. In November 2017, Kira traveled to France to conduct the premiere of her composition, “Saint-Brieuc Magnificat,” with the Saint-Brieuc Cathedral children and youth choir. Other choirs which have performed her compositions include the Phoenix Chorale, Kansas City Chorale, Pasadena Master Chorale, San Diego University Chamber Singers, Rockhurst High School, Arizona State University Men’s Chorus, Orpheus Men’s Chorus, Pinnacle Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir, Inspirare Nova, and the Episcopal Church of the Nativity.

Kira is the founder and Artistic Director for Solis Camerata, a professional choir which sings early music through modern repertoire. Now in their eighth season, Solis Camerata’s collaborations include high-profile performances with the Phoenix Symphony for Zelda, Symphony of the Godesses, Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, and performing at Talking Stick Resort Arena and Gila River Arena for the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience under the baton of composer Ramin Djawadi. They have performed with The Chieftains for their 50th anniversary tour and they were invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association Conference in Pasadena California in 2016. As a professional singer, Kira is in her fifteenth season as a soprano with the Phoenix Chorale, with whom she has won two Grammy Awards. Furthermore, she has performed for the Norvis Early Music Course in Durham England, Carnegie Hall’s Young Artist Concert Series with Ton Koopman, Korea’s Incheon International Choral Festival, and toured with Anúna (Ireland’s National Choir) under Michael McGlynn throughout Ireland, Japan and China.

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF AUDITION CHORAL ARTISTS Contact us today if you are interested FOR VOX (916) 844-2586 | [email protected] www.voxmusica.net/sing4vox

VOX | 9 vox artists

Arunima Kohli, soprano, is thrilled to be returning for her third season with Vox Musica. Her love for choral music sparked during her high school years at Palo Alto High School, and continued through her undergraduate and medical school career at Stanford University, where she sang and toured with the Stanford Chamber Chorale for seven years. She also studied voice with Amy Schneider and Wendy Hillhouse, presenting five vocal recitals, and was heavily involved with the Stanford Light Opera Company (formerly the Stanford Savoyards). She is one of the founding members of the Bay Area’s Convivium Choir, under the direction of Eric Tuan. After finishing her residency at UC Davis in June 2020, Arunima moved to Santa Rosa, where she is a Family Medicine Physician and the Lead Clinician for the Gender Clinic at Santa Rosa Community Health.

Mira Huang, soprano, is ecstatic to return for her second season with Vox... from the other side of the country! She currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, where she pursues a master’s degree in Historical Voice Performance at the Peabody Conservatory. Mira holds undergraduate degrees in Vocal Performance, Psychology, and English from the University of California, Davis. Vocally, she specializes in early and modern repertoire, and she also plays the flute and viola da gamba. When she is not overloaded with limitless musical engagements, Mira enjoys writing young- adult fiction, and has been honored with several short story publications.

Samantha Harrison, soprano, is a graduate of Boston University where she received her Master’s in Historical Performance. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from CSU Stanislaus. Along with studying and performing opera, Samantha has a passion for choral and chamber music. She has performed with the CSU Stanislaus Chamber Singers and Concert Chorale, and the Early Music Chamber groups and Graduate Vocal Ensemble of Boston University. As an avid recitalist, Samantha performs collaborative recitals regularly throughout California. MUSIupcoming concerts & eventsC HEECH: AN EVENING W/ JALĀL AD-DĪN MUHAMMAD RŪMĪ 6 Sunday, MAY 23 WORTH5:00pm live-streamed concert WWW.VOXMUSICA.NET/PROJECT-SIX

VOX | 10 SHARINGVOXMUSICA.NET Tabitha Lewis, soprano, is a recent transplant to the Sacramento area. Formerly, she served as Lecturer of Voice and Theory at Georgia College and State University. A frequent performer, she has performed opera roles, oratorios, and recitals spanning wide musical variety. In 2017, she was honored to be a Marc and Eva Stern Fellow at SongFest in Los Angeles, where she performed the world premiere of Juliana Hall’s cycle When the South Wind Sings (the topic of her doctoral dissertation). A frequent collaborator with composers, she has worked with Libby Larsen, Bernard Rands, Dominick DiOrio, and countless student composers. She made her directorial debut in 2017 with the Bloomington University Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s production of Patience. Lewis holds a DM and an MM from Indiana University and a BM from Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.). Learn more about her at: www.tabithalewissoprano.com.

Laura McLellan, soprano, is delighted to be singing amidst such talented peers in her third season with Vox. A Boston- bred Canadian American, Laura was lucky to be raised under exceptional batons, singing in choirs and playing the violin in orchestras from an early age. After receiving a degree in Environmental Studies from Brown University, she heeded the call of the West and found herself, happily, working for the State Water Resources Control Board. When she is not working or singing, Laura can be found on the water, rowing with the River City Rowing Club.

Marielle Petricevich, soprano, is excited for her second season with Vox! As a professional singer, she sings in and around the greater Sacramento area — in addition to Vox Musica, she sings with the Modesto Jazz Duo which takes a neo-classical approach to traditional jazz standards. She also maintains a regular recording studio appointment with PureJoyful Music, an entity focused on recording newly composed pieces for children’s chorus, and four part acapella works. In 2018, in association with Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Trossingen, she studied German Opera, History, and Vocal Pedagogy which rekindled her passion for professional singing.

Ema Gluckmann, alto, is excited to be starting her sixth season singing with Vox! While completing her B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Spanish she sang with the University Chorus at UC Davis. Many years later she sang with the UCD alumni choir. Ema has sung with various local choirs and has even performed in some local musical theater. Her primary choral experience has been with the Congregation B’nai Israel Choir for the past 36 years! When not singing, Ms. Gluckmann’s day job as a high school chemistry teacher keeps her quite busy.

VOX | 11 Allison Proffitt, alto, is honored to be performing in her second season with Vox Musica. A native of Downers Grove, Illinois, she began her musical education at age 8 in the local children’s choir. After singing in her middle and high school choirs, Allison joined the UC Davis Early Music Ensemble, where she discovered her love of oratorio. While living abroad, she performed with the prestigious Amici Musicae choirs in Zaragoza, Spain. She holds a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior from UC Davis. When she is not singing, Allison loves exploring redwood forests, practicing her Spanish, and dancing.

Erin Brothers, alto, is singing in her eighth season with Vox Musica and is an inaugural member of the group. Erin has been involved in music for longer than she can remember, playing and singing in various bands and choirs. She received degrees in both Music and Psychology from McMurry University in Abilene, TX. Currently she is the Director of Music Ministry at Dixon United Methodist Church. Her husband, Jeremiah is also a great musician and together they are raising a rock band, The Brothers Brothers: Eamon, Kellan and Garrett.

Cat Fithian, alto, caught the performance bug when she sang a solo at church camp at the age of 2. Since then she’s sung in various choirs and in storytimes at the public library where she’s enjoyed a long career. When not singing in Vox, Cat is the Vice Chair of the Board of Uplift People of Elk Grove, a non-profit that builds community around people working to pull themselves out of poverty. This is Cat’s fifth season with Vox.

Jennifer Crawford, alto, is honored to be in her fourteenth season with Vox Musica. Her musical upbringing includes singing in church, school and community choirs, as well as playing flute, oboe, and piano in concert bands, jazz ensembles, and woodwind quartets throughout her school career. When not singing, Jennifer can be found writing computer code, fostering kittens, or knitting.

Kate Kalthoff , alto, is new to Sacramento and is thrilled to be singing in her second season with Vox. Kate began her musical career studying piano and violin but her first love has always been voice. While working on her degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Kate became the lead singer and musical arranger for a blues/pop/rock band and for more than 20 years was headlining at some of that city’s most notable stages and clubs. After moving to Lake Tahoe, Kate joined Toccata Symphony and Chorus and was part of their 2017 tour in Salzburg, Vienna and Prague.

VOX | 12 program HEECH AN EVENING WITH JALĀL AD-DĪN MUHAMMAD RŪMĪ

MAY 23, 2021 - STREAMING LIVE ONLINE

I. Blessed by Light David L. Brunner (b1953) (USA) arr. Daniel I. Paulson (b1977) (USA) NEY & CONVERSATION Eliyahu Sills, ney ~ Andrew Harvey & Parisa Soultani, speakers

II. There are hundreds of ways to kiss the ground J. David Moore (b1962) (USA) NEY & CONVERSATION Eliyahu Sills, ney ~ Andrew Harvey & Parisa Soultani, speakers

III. Bishnau arr. Lua Hightower (b1945) (USA) I Want to Sing Heather Razo (b1988) (USA) NEY & CONVERSATION Eliyahu Sills, ney ~ Andrew Harvey & Parisa Soultani, speakers

IV. Desert Sky Songs Kira Zeeman Rugen (b1975) (USA) I. Stardust II. Suspended on Strings III. O Beloved IV. Mirrored NEY & CONVERSATION Eliyahu Sills, ney ~ Andrew Harvey & Parisa Soultani, speakers

V. Rondo for HICH Honiball Joseph (b1971) (Iran)

~ AFTER CONCERT TALK ~

VOX | 13 program notes Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (1207-1273), one of the world’s most revered mystical poets, who produced a prolific range of inspiring and devotional poetry that encapsulates the Sufi experience of union with the divine. Although Rumi was a Sufi and a scholar of the Qu’ran, his appeal reaches across religious and social divisions.

Rumi was born on the Eastern shores of the then Persian Empire on September 30, 1207, in the city of Balkh, in what is now Afghanistan, and finally settled in the town of Konya, in what is now Turkey. Rumi’s life story is full of intrigue and high drama mixed with intense creative outbursts. Rumi was a charming, wealthy nobleman, a genius theologian, law professor and a brilliant but sober scholar, who in his late thirties met a wandering and wild man by the name of Shams. In Rumi’s own words, after meeting Shams he was transformed from a bookish, sober scholar to an impassioned seeker of universal truth and love.

Rumi and Shams stayed together for a short time, about 2 years in total, but the impact of their meeting left an everlasting impression on Rumi and his work. After Shams was extinguished by Rumi’s youngest son, Rumi fell into a deep state of grief and gradually out of that pain outpoured nearly 70,000 verses of poetry. These thousands of poems, which include about 2000 in quatrains, are collected in two epic books named, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi and Massnavi (Massnavi, Mathnawi).

It seems that the universe brought these two opposing characters (a wealthy nobleman and a poor, wandering, wild holy man) together to remind us that it is impossible to know where your next inspiration may come from or who might aid in furthering your growth. For Rumi, life of mystics is a “gathering of lovers, where there is no high or low, smart or ignorant, and no proper schooling required.”

Rumi is one of the world’s brightest creative talents. He’s on par with Beethoven, Shakespeare and Mozart. His poetry was a vehicle through which the devoted could connect with the divine, and in so doing, the soul would be both destroyed and resurrected at once. Central to Rumi’s poetry was tawhid, the longing to reunite with a beloved, either divine or mortal. Through his verse, Rumi’s philosophy advocated for the unlimited and peaceful tolerance of all creeds, kindness, charity, and a heightened awareness through love.

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF AUDITION CHORAL ARTISTS Contact us today if you are interested FOR VOX (916) 844-2586 | [email protected] www.voxmusica.net/sing4vox

VOX | 14 I. Blessed by Light David L. Brunner (b1953) (USA) arr. Daniel I. Paulson (b1977) (USA)

Text: Let us fall in love again and scatter gold dust all over the world. Let us become a new spring and feel the breeze drift in the heaven’s scent. Let us dress the earth in green, and like the sap of a young tree let the grace from within sustain us. let us carve gems out of our hearts and let them light our path to love. The glance of love is crystal clear and we are blessed by it’s light.

II. There are hundreds of ways to kiss the ground J. David Moore (b1962) (USA) The text for this piece is a fragment of a poem translated by Coleman Barks in his 1995 book The Essential Rumi, published by Harper San Francisco. I think of it as an exhortation against inattentiveness and uninspired routine, and the musical setting is a kind of spiritual exercise that makes every word of the poem an object for meditative contemplation.

Text: Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

III. Bishnau arr. Lua Hightower (b1945) (USA)

Text: O’ listen to the grievances of the reed Of what divisive separations breed From the reedbed cut away just like a weed My music people curse, warn and heed Sliced to pieces my bosom and heart bleed While I tell this tale of desire and need

Whoever who fell away from the source Will seek and toil until returned to course Of grievances I sang to every crowd Befriended both the humble and the proud Each formed conjecture in their own mind As though to my secrets they were blind VOX | 15 I Want to Sing Heather Razo (b1988) (USA)

Text: I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. All religions, all this singing. One song.

Remember the lips where the wind-breath originated, and let your note be clear Don’t try to end it. Be your note. I’ll show you how its enough.

I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. All religions, all this singing. One song.

Go up to the roof at night in this city of the soul. Let everyone climb on their roofs and sing their notes! Sing loud!

I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think. All religions, all this singing. One song.

IV. Desert Sky Songs Kira Zeeman Rugen (b1975) (USA) Notes from the composer: On October 8th, 2014, the night sky in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona had a thrilling view of the lunar eclipse, aptly named the ‘Blood Moon’ due to its reddish hue. I watched the moon slowly overtaken by shadow and shades of red as the dance between the sun and the moon occurred. The next day, I came across photographs taken by my former student and astrophotographer, Marc Leatham (https://marcleatham.com/) which beautifully demonstrated the phases of that eclipse. The rest of his photography reminded me of several Rumi poems which personified the night sky correlating the energy of the cosmos and the relationship it has with human thoughts, feelings, and physiology. Desert Sky Songs (named for the Sonoran Desert as well as Rumi’s deserts of ancient Afghanistan and Turkey) demonstrate my interpretation of Rumi’s poetry, Marc’s photography and natural celestial events through an overarching story over the course of four songs.

VOX | 16 Text: I. Stardust We come from the energy and dust of the stars and are an integral part of the cosmos in the universe. The low C which occurs throughout the piece is the ‘heart beat’ of the universe.

“We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.” Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Persian Poet and Mystic, 1207-1273

II. Suspended on Strings The moon is lonely in the night sky and wishes to dance with the sun. But the moon must wait for the sun to come out, as all stars are pulled up and let down on strings.

“The moon says, “How long will I remain suspended without a sun?” Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Persian Poet and Mystic, 1207-1273

“The stars are suspended on strings that are pulled up in the daytime and let down at night.” Babylonian Mythology, 3000 B.C.

IV. O, Beloved This is a love story between the moon and the sun during an eclipse. It begins with a romance between the two heavenly bodies who then come together for a monumental celestial ‘kiss’ at the apex of the eclipse during the words:

“In the middle of my heart a star appears. And the seven heavens are lost in its brilliance.”

“The moon is no longer lonely, but then they fondly say goodbye as the eclipse wanes.”

“Union is a raging river running toward the sea. Tonight the moon kisses the stars (sun). O beloved, be like that to me.” Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Persian Poet and Mystic, 1207-1273

“In the middle of my heart a star appears. And the seven heavens are lost in its brilliance.” Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Persian Poet and Mystic, (1207-1273)

V. Mirrored This movement completes the set by pulling in the ideas from all four movements. Humans physically come from the stars and we experience the frenetic energy of the universe. In Rumi’s poetry, we see the movement of heavenly beings mirrored in our own perceptions of life.

“Let the waters settle and you will see the moon and the stars mirrored in your own being.” ”Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Persian Poet and Mystic, (1207-1273)

VOX | 17 Rondo for HICH Honiball Joseph (b1971) (Iran) Notes from the composer: Heech is a piece that was born out of the composer’s grieving heart for the loss of his father. The emptiness of the seemingly important things in life on the one hand, and the essentiality of love and kindness as the only thing which remains after a person’s death on the other, is what has guided this work, and is the gist of the quatrains that ornate this composition. Honiball has brought the reflections of different Persian poets and mystics on the subject of nothingness in this Rondo for Heech.

Text: This world and those in it amount to nothing O Nothing, don’t get entangled with Nothing for nothing Do you know what lasts at the end of this life? Only love and kindness, and the rest is just nothing Poem: Anonymous

What you saw was only this world, and you saw nothing All that you said and all that you heard was nothing You sought all the horizons, there was nothing Then you crawled into your grave, for nothing Poem: Khayyam of Neishabour

All that’s visible or invisible dissolve in you All perceptions of certainty and speculation dissolve in you To point the pointer of abstraction at you, is impossible Because all pointers dissolve in your presence

This world doesn’t deserve our anxiety Nor our burning and searing in its pain fires This world and its pain and joy is but an illusion Being ill and depressed over illusions is ill-thinking Poem: Abu Said Abal Khair

Look at the profit I’ve made in this world! Nothing Look what I traded this lifetime for! Nothing I may be a candle, center of attention, but the moment I dim, I am nothing I may be a precious chalice, but the moment I chip, I am nothing Poem: Khayyam of Neishaboor

All that’s visible or invisible dissolve in you All perceptions of certainty and speculation dissolve in you To point the pointer of abstraction at you, is impossible Because all pointers dissolve in your presence This world isn’t worth our anxiety Nor our burning and searing in its pain fires This world and its pain and joy is but an illusion Being ill and depressed over illusions is ill-thinking Poem: Abu Said Abal Khair VOX | 18 contributors & credits

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