John Finney, Music Director and Conductor Kevin Neel, Accompanist and Associate Conductor
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John Finney, Music Director and Conductor Kevin Neel, Accompanist and Associate Conductor The audience is respectfully asked to turn off electronic devices and refrain from taking flash photography during the performance. If accompanying children under seven years of age, please be seated with them in the back half of the performance hall. Thank you. Sunday, November 24, 2019 St. Mark's Putnam Performing Arts Center Southborough, MA 4:00 p.m. CoNCert ProgrAM Messe de Minuit pour Noël Marc-Antoine Charpentier (b. ca. 1645-50; d. 1704) Kyrie gloria Credo offertory Sanctus Agnus Dei SoloiStS SoPrANoS: Karleen Mohn, Wendy Moran, Olga Kouchpil Mezzo-SoPrANo: Louise-Marie Mennier teNorS: Barbara Bolten, Robert Seraphin BASSeS: Zenon Cybriwsky, Eric Kuo INTERMISSION Northern Lights Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978) Sunrise Mass Ola Gjeilo 1. the Spheres 2. Sunrise 3. the City 4. Identity & the ground 3 orCheStrA Guiomar Turgeon, Concertmaster Violin I Viola Bass guiomar turgeon Jennifer Shallenberger Anne trout elizabeth hinkle Dorcas McCall Nancy Kidd robert Curtis Arie Yaacobi Violoncello Flute Jessica Lizak Violin II Sarah Freiberg ellison Na'ama Lion Laura Papandrea rebecca Shaw David Santucci Organ Sue Faux Kevin Neel 5 Heritage Chorale — Fall 2019 Sopranos Claudia Abramson, Acton Wendy Moran, Holliston Darcy Anderson, Mansfield Lois Novotny, Wayland Patricia Berlandi, Holliston Erin Perry, Framingham Judy Cadorette, Framingham Janet Petren, Holliston ֍ Marie Cosma, Framingham Felicia Quesada Montville, Natick Kathy Duckett, Townsend Elaine Recklet, Hudson ֍ Marianne Faling, Natick Toni Smit, Franklin Lois Finstein, Framingham § Monica Spencer, Hopkinton Linda Gernes, Holliston Ann Swanson, Wellesley Hills Ann Harris, Hopedale Jeannette Taylor, Concord Janice Johnson, Northborough ֍ Barbara Timko, Hopkinton Olga Kouchpil, Framingham Heidi Trefonas, Medway Karen Maloney, Ashland Dianna Vosburg, Holliston Liz Megerle, Bedford Nancy Westbom, Wayland Karleen Mohn, Mendon Altos Christine Beach, Wellesley Anne Lysaght, Wellesley Liz Borths, Sherborn Deborah Marion, Natick Janet Buerklin, Framingham ֍ Louise-Marie Mennier, Framingham Debbie Chase, Framingham Eve L. Mertens, Southborough Patricia Collins, Wayland Joyce Miller, Bolton Janee Connor, Holliston Deanna Mustachio, Framingham Linda Foley, Acton Rose Neuman, Framingham Rita H. Ghilani, Ashland Pam Roberts, Milford Judy Hall, Sudbury Nancy Schaad, Medfield Jess Haugsjaa, Framingham Andrea Seiver, New Braintree Laura Helliwell, Framingham Deborah Silen, Auburndale Roberta Jackson, Ashland Anne Ten Eyck, Framingham § Sarallyn Keller, Natick Kathryn Vagnini, Medfield Judy Kramer, Acton Mary Weinstein, Hopkinton Cathy Leonard, Holliston Debbie Wolozin, Sudbury Tenors Barbara Bertram, Natick Joe McIlwain, Framingham Barbara Bolten, Natick Craig Parker, Woburn Martin Everett, Ashland Robert Seraphin, Franklin Jonathan Guest, Natick § Chris Vagnini, Medfield Michael McGee, Woburn Basses Laury Ashin, Natick Hugh Hinton, Winchester Allan Beth, Newton Les Kramer, Acton Neil Cudmore, Woburn Eric Kuo, Framingham Zenon Cybriwsky, Marlborough Burt Payne, Wayland Stéfane Cahill Farella, Framingham Dennis Pioppi, Wellesley Arthur Finstein, Framingham Keith Sims, Wayland Wayne Hall, Sudbury § Mike Zarin, Natick ֍ Past Presidents § Section Leaders 6 J OHN FINNEy Heritage Chorale Music Director and Conductor John Finney is widely praised as a musician of great vitality and versatility. He has conducted the Heritage Chorale since 1987 in performances of choral repertoire from more than six centuries, ranging from the Renaissance era to the present day. Works performed by the Heritage Chorale under John Finney’s direction include Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Israel in Egypt, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and the Requiems of Mozart, Brahms, Fauré, and Duruflé. He has conducted members of the Heritage Chorale during three international concert tours, to Europe in July 2010 (with concerts in Prague and Vienna), to Canada in July 2012 (with concerts in Montréal and Québec City), and to Ireland in July 2015 (with concerts in Galway, Derry, and Dublin). John Finney has served for more than 30 years as Director of Music at the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church in Wellesley Hills. He holds the title of Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Boston College, where he is Conductor of the University Chorale of Boston College and the Boston College Symphony Orchestra. He tours regularly with the University Chorale, and has conducted that ensemble in concerts in major cities throughout the world, including Rome, Prague, Vienna, Dublin, and Barcelona. Since 2013, he has performed as harpsichordist/organist and conductor at the acclaimed Bach Festival in Blue Hill, Maine. He was Associate Conductor and Chorusmaster of the world-renowned Handel & Haydn Society in Boston from 1990 until 2014. He has been a member of the organ faculty of The Boston Conservatory, and taught for six years at the Academy for Early Music in Bressanone, Italy. He holds degrees in organ performance from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and The Boston Conservatory. kevin NEEL Accompanist and Associate Conductor An emerging Boston-area musician originally from the Charlotte, North Carolina area, Kevin Neel's extraordinary professional accomplishments as organist, collaborative pianist, conductor, singer, and administrator prompted his recent recognition in the Diapason Magazine's 2019 Class of "20 under 30" of young talents in the fields of organ and harpsichord performance, organ and harpsichord building, carillon, and church music. Kevin has been heard at the organ in numerous venues including Symphony Hall (Boston), Old South Church, Emmanuel Church, Old West Church, and Methuen Memorial Music Hall. He has also appeared as organ and piano accompanist for multiple choral ensembles, and is now Accompanist for both the Heritage Chorale and The Boston Cecilia. In December 2016 he co-founded “et al.,” (formerly "The Brookline Consort") with soprano Carey Shunskis. He now serves as co-artistic director, baritone, and primary accompanist for this project-based professional choral ensemble. 7 He has also sung with the Marsh Chapel Choir, Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers, and VOICES 21C. He is currently Organist and Chapel Choir Director at Emmanuel Church, Boston, and Organist for St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine. Equally at home in administration, he serves as the Parish Operations Manager at Emmanuel Church, and was the Executive Director for Coro Allegro from 2016-2019. Kevin holds a Masters of Sacred Music degree from Boston University in Choral Conducting with primary professors Ann Howard Jones, Scott Allen Jarrett, and Peter Sykes, and a Bachelors of Music degree from Indiana University in Organ Performance with primary professors Janette Fishell, Bruce Neswick, Jeffrey Smith, and Todd Wilson. Learn more about Kevin at www.kevinwneel.com. It's more fun if you participate! Bid on a special treat at Heritage Chorale's Pops 2020 concert, A Musical Kaleidoscope, on Sunday, February 23, 2020. Help the Chorale produce its ambitious and innovative programming, while increasing your enjoyment of Pops 2020. 8 ProgrAM NoteS As Midnight to Sunrise suggests, today’s concert metaphorically spans time, as well as continents. The music begins in 17th century France and culminates in 20th century America. Stylistically, it travels from Baroque to Contemporary. It's a study in contrasts and commonalities, but most importantly, a joyous musical adventure. Midnight Mass for Christmas Messe de Minuit pour Noël (Midnight Mass for Christmas) is enchanting, joyous, intimate … a series of “folksongs” transformed into a single, seamless Catholic mass by a sophisticated French Baroque composer, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1645?-1704). Charpentier’s Italian-inspired musical preferences weren’t fully appreciated in France until the late 1670s. While he was studying in Italy in the 1660s with Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674), Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) was winning the favor of Louis XIV and collaborating with Molière. By 1679, however, Charpentier had attracted the support of the Dauphin, Louis XIV’s heir, and occasionally was a collaborator with Molière himself. By the 1690s, Charpentier had become the Master of Music in the principal Jesuit church in Paris, Saint Paul-Saint Louis. It was at this time that he composed Messe de Minuit pour Noël to be sung at midnight Christmas services. Based on “noëls” (Christmas carols) that would have been familiar to most people in 17th century France, the music is joyful and melodic with a French Baroque musical palette. Charpentier weaves eleven “noëls” into a lyrical, harmonious Italian-influenced composition. Though others at the time had used similar musical sources, his Messe de Minuit pour Noël has become “the most often performed Mass setting by any French Baroque composer.”1 Additionally, though he composed thirty-five oratorios, eleven settings of the Mass, over two hundred motets, and the well- known Te Deum, only recently has there been revived interest in Charpentier’s work and a reconsideration of his importance in French music.2 1 http://www.cascadianchorale.org/programs/0812%20Noel%20-%20A%20French%20Christmas.pdf 2 http://www.greenwichchoralsociety.org/concerts-events/concerts-program-notes Northern Lights Northern Lights by Norwegian composer and pianist Ola Gjeilo (1978 - ) was commissioned by and dedicated to the Central Bucks High School-West Chamber Choir, Dr. Joseph Ohrt, conductor, with support from the Royal