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Home , St John Passion

’s St. John Passion April 4, 2015 3:00pm First Baptist Church, Huntsville, AL

Johannespassion, BWV 245 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) “St. John Passion”

The Huntsville Community Chorus Friends of the Huntsville Community Chorus Orchestra Christopher M. Walters...... Conductor Daniel Sommer...... and tenor (#13) Aaron Cain...... and bass (#24 and #32) David Caine...... Pilate Benjamin Tieslau...... Peter Eric Wilson...... Servant Lisa Kennedy...... Maid Joanna Blendulf...... viola da gamba Amanda Walden Braun...... soprano arias Emily Stauffer...... alto arias Chris Franks...... tenor arias (#20 and #34) Scott Mince...... bass aria (#19)

Part I (#1–14)

Part II (#15–22)

–INTERMISSION–

Part II (#23–40)

20 Artistic Staff CHRISTOPHER M. WALTERS, HCC ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR, has served as director of at Randolph School in Huntsville since 2011, where he has overseen tremendous growth in choral ensemble participation and achievement. At Randolph, he conducts choral ensembles grades 7-12, and teaches music fundamentals, songwriting, and AP music theory. Choirs under his direction continue to garner Excellent and Superior ratings at regional contests, receiving praise for their technical accuracy and musicianship. Dr. Chris Walters Walters is also voice instructor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and music director of Huntsville Collegium Musicum—a professional octet specializing in early choral music. The recipient of several commissions, including a research grant for composition from the Worcester (MA) Children’s Chorus, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum of Harvard University (forthcoming), Walters is an active composer. His octavo, “Weary with Toil,” winner of the 2006 Illinois ACDA Choral Composition Competition, is published by Colla Voce Music, Inc. Walters also conducts operas and major works of the choral-orchestral canon in collaboration with various organizations. Recent performances include: Bach’sSt. John Passion with the HCCA; Bizet’s Carmen, Donizetti’sDon Pasquale, and Mozart’s Così fan Tutte with Huntsville’s Ars Nova; Duruflé’s Requiem with the Salisbury Singers of Worcester (MA); Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Assumption College (Worcester, MA); the Historia der Auferstehung Jesu Christi of Heinrich Schütz with the Sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Wollaston (Quincy, MA); and Haydn’sMissa Cellensis (“Mariazellermesse”) with the Boston University Concert Choir and Chamber Orchestra. Walters has studied with Ann Howard Jones, David Hoose, Dennis Shrock, Eric Nelson, David Childs, Dennis Keene, Dale Warland, Craig Hella Johnson, and Robert Page. He holds Bachelor of Music (summa cum laude, Pi Kappa Lambda, and with first honors) and Master of Education degree from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Sacred Music degree in choral conducting from Emory University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from Boston University.

ERIC WILSON, HCC PRINCIPAL ACCOMPANIST, has just completed his third season with The Chorus. He has served as an accompanist for student and faculty recitals for almost 20 years, and as a staff accompanist for the American Horn Competition and the regional National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. Eric also served for five years as the accompanist for the Alabama Boychoir, under the direction of Karen Nicolosi. Eric is a soloist in this afternoon’s concert.

BILLY ORTON, HCCA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, has been with The Chorus since 2002, conducting the 140-voice Symphonic Chorus, which presents a full season of concerts plus guest appearances with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, as well as the 30-voice HCC Chamber Chorale, which he founded in 2004. Billy’s convivial approach to music-making has brought a wide range of collaborators onto HCCA stages, adding exciting flavors to the repertoire. His gift for creating powerful concert experiences has made him known as a musical leader who brings people together and makes wonderful things happen. He serves as Minister of Music and Worship at First Baptist Church, leading a program of music ministries which is both broad and deep.

21 Featured Soloists DANIEL SOMMER maintains an active schedule singing song and on the concert stage. He has collaborated with Alexandria Symphonic Orchestra, Ars Musica, Berkshire Bach Society, Berkshire Choral International, Fairfield County Chorale, Liederkranz Opera Theatre, Music Worcester, Pocket Opera of NY, and Westchester Choral Society. Highlights of past seasons include Schubert’s Winterreise and Die schöne Müllerin, Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Wolfgang Rihm’s Das Rot, Britten’s St. Nicolas, Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus & Messiah, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (arr. Schönberg), and Mozart’s Requiem. In 2013, he appeared in Hilan Warshaw’s documentary Wagner’s Jews, singing “Der letzte Gruß” by Herman Levi. Also, he and Paul Smith present works exclusive to the voice and guitar medium in their collaborative project, Spoon River Duo. Daniel also serves on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music teaching German diction. His experience in opera and passion for choral music have given him opportunities to work as German and Latin diction coach with organizations such as the Bard Summer Music Festival, Berkshire Choral International, Clarion Music Society, Fairfield County Chorale, Liederkranz Opera Theatre, Manhattan School of Music Chorus, Oratorio Society of New York, Pro Arte Choral, and Westchester Choral Society, among others. Through these relationships Mr. Sommer has collaborated with a number of conductors including Leon Botstein, Steven Fox, Vance George, Jane Glover, Liz Hastings, Frank Nemhauser, Robert Page, David Rosenmeyer, Stephen Michael Smith, and Kent Tritle. Daniel’s love of teaching and technology has led him to create hundreds of German and Latin pronunciation guides for choral and art song repertoire. Many of these are available forfree through Matthew Curtis’ resource, Choral Tracks, or Daniel’s website, www.SommerDiction.com.

AARON CAIN is assistant professor of voice and director of vocal studies at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has performed and recorded with a variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles in the United States and Europe, most of which have made early music their focus. Groups with whom he has performed include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Chamber Singers, Musica Angelica, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Cascade Consort, Vox Resonat, Huntsville Collegium Musicum, the Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival, and the Portland-based ensemble Cappella Romana, who were invited to perform at the prestigious Festival of Early Music in Utrecht, Netherlands, in the fall of 2014. He is also one of the members of the Concord Ensemble, a vocal ensemble which performs and records a variety of music ranging from medieval, renaissance, baroque and contemporary vocal works. The Concord Ensemble first gained international attention when it was awarded the grand prize in the 1998 Early Music America/Dorian Records Competition. Dr. Cain appeared on Cappella Romana’s recording, A Time for Life, Musika Ekklesia’s The Vanishing Nordic Chorale, and the Los Angeles Chamber Singers’ Padilla: Sun of Justice, winner of the 2006 Grammy for Best Small Ensemble Performance. He holds a bachelor’s of music from the University of Iowa, a master’s degree in choral conducting, and a doctoral degree in vocal performance with a specialization in historical performance practice from the University of Oregon.

22 Featured Soloists - Continued DAVID CAINE, bass-baritone, originally hails from Elizabeth, New Jersey, and is delighted to share this afternoon’s glorious music with you. People familiar with the Tennessee Valley music scene have seen him perform a variety of roles that span musical genres with various groups, including Huntsville Community Chorus, HCC Chamber Chorale, Huntsville Collegium Musicum, Ars Nova, Independent Musical Productions, and the Nashville Opera. It has been his pleasure to sing at some of the world’s great concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and Atlanta’s Symphony Hall, as well as halls and cathedrals across Europe. Although his comfort zone is jazz, he greatly enjoys performing music from the classical side. Some of his operatic roles include Guglielmo in Cosi fan Tutte, Scarpia in Tosca, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Banquo in Macbeth. He has performed song cycles from the lied repertoire such as Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Schubert’s Winterreise, and Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder. David is a vocal student of Dr. Ginger Beazley at Huntsville’s prestigious Ars Nova School of the Arts, and dedicates this performance to her husband, the inestimable Harry Beazley.

BEN TIESLAU is currently in his first year as the middle school choral director at Randolph School here in Huntsville. Previously he has served as the assistant conductor of the Vanderbilt Symphonic Chorus and assistant to the Blair Children’s Chorus at Vanderbilt University. Ben has a bachelor’s of music in voice from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and a master’s degree in education from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College.

LISA KENNEDY is a classically trained soprano with a degree in vocal performance, as well as a wife, mother, and certified music teacher for k-12 in instrumental and choral music and general music education. She has sung with the Huntsville Community Chorus and Chamber Chorale for three years, performing as a soloist in concerts with renowned organist Ken Cowan and also the Latin band, Mambo Gris Gris. She is music teacher and choir director at Holy Family School in Huntsville. She performs professionally in recitals, weddings, funerals, and dinner theater. In the non-classical music genre, she is working with Startlingly Fresh records, a small indie record label specializing in music found in Huntsville and surrounding environs, recording a demo album.

JOANNA BLENDULF baroque cellist and player, has performed in leading period instrument ensembles throughout the United States and abroad. Ms. Blendulf holds performance degrees with honors from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where she was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate for her accomplishments in early music performance. Joanna has performed and recorded with the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Pacific MusicWorks, and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, and was a principal cellist of the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas. Ms. Blendulf is an active chamber musician, performing with the Catacoustic Consort, Ensemble Electra, Ensemble Mirable, Nota Bene Viol Consort, Parthenia, and Wildcat . Joanna’s summer engagements have included performances at Tage Alter Musik Regenburg, Musica Antigua en Villa de Lleyva in Colombia, the Bloomington, Boston, and Berkeley Early Music Festivals, the Ojai Music Festivals as well as the

23 Featured Soloists - Continued Carmel and Oregon Bach Festivals. Joanna is also sought-after as a teacher and chamber music coach and is on the faculties of early music workshops across the country. Ms. Blendulf has served as a classroom and private instructor at the University of Oregon and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

AMANDA WALDEN, soprano, is a native of Dallas, Texas. A recent graduate of the Nashville Opera Fellowship program and the Master of Music program at Belmont University, Amanda also holds a bachelor’s of music in voice from Baylor University. Most recently, Amanda won the West Tennessee District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Operatic roles include Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Berenice in L’occasione fa il ladro, Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Nancy in Albert Herring, Laetitia inThe Old Maid and the Thief, Erisbe in L’Ormindo and scene work as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro.

In the spring of 2015, Amanda will cover the role of Mrs. Nimble in John Davies’ Jack and the Beanstalk with Nashville Opera. Amanda has also covered and performed the role of Lucy in John Davies’ The Billy Goats Gruff with the Nashville Opera Education and Outreach program. In addition to Nashville Opera and Belmont University Opera Theatre, Amanda has worked in various performance capacities with other institutions such as the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, as well as Metro West Opera Company in Weston, Massachusetts. Amanda has performed in Carnegie Hall, Meyerson Symphony Hall, and Bass Hall, as well as popular performing venues in Austria. Current and former teachers include Kristi Whitten, Jerrold Pope, and Robert Best.

EMILY STAUFFER has been described as “commandingly agile” (The New York Times) and as a “rich burnished mezzo” (Concerto.net.com). Most herself in oratorio and concert work, she also delights in operatic and stage work. Performances include Bianca inThe Rape of Lucretia (Britten), treble soloist in Te Deum in C (Britten), Juno inThe Judgment of Paris (John Eccles), Madame de la Haughtée in Cendrillon: An Amato-Opera-in-Brief, and as the alto soloist in Stabat Mater (Pergolesi). Other roles have included the Page (Salome), Ottavia (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Waltraute (Die Walküre), and Bradamante (Alcina). She is an avid recitalist, most particularly delighting in the works of Brahms, Britten, Debussy, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Poulenc, Schumann, Vaughan Williams, and Weill. Ms. Stauffer recently completed a master’s degree in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music, from which she also holds a bachelor’s degree. Ms. Stauffer is originally from Michigan.

CHRIS FRANKS is thrilled to be a newbie to the Huntsville Community Chorus and Chamber Chorale. A born and bred native of North Alabama, he has enjoyed the rich diversity of the music and fine arts scene of Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley. He studied vocal performance and theater at Calhoun Community College and the University of Montevallo. Chris has performed throughout the U.S and Ireland with various ensembles as a vocalist and trumpeter. Currently, he is a member of the Choir at Church of the Nativity in Huntsville. Chris is a full-time respiratory

24 Featured Soloists - Continued therapist, a husband and father of two beautiful and lively teenagers. He also enjoys reading, traveling, “fooding,” studying linguistics and comparative religion. He is grateful to the HCCA for the opportunity afforded him to perform as a soloist in J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion.

SCOTT MINCE is in his 4th year with the Huntsville Community Chorus and 2nd year with the HCCA Chamber Chorale. He was a bass soloist in ’s “Rejoice in the Lamb” with the Chamber Chorale and organist Ken Cowan for the Huntsville Chamber Music Guild. He also sings with the Chancel Choir at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Huntsville and is one of the cantors there. Having come from a musical family, Scott has sung in church for almost all his life. While in college, he sang with the Northeast Alabama Community College Choir and played guitar with the NACC Stage Band. By day, Scott is a sales coordinator for Concord Technology Alliance. He has two children, Kyle and Colgan, both of whom are developing their own musical talents.

CONCERT & SEASON ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Alabama State Council on the Arts • The Arts Council of Huntsville Donors and Sponsors of the HCCA Hudson Family Fund Dr. Mabry Miller and the HCC Conductor’s Chair

Administration – Sally Martin Priester Office Volunteers - Janet Armstrong, Donna Behnken, Lucy Gross, Shari MacPherson, Dottie Markell, Lynn Rudow Box Office / Tickets - Lucy Gross, John Hancock, Lynn Rudow House Manager - Karen Thiry • Ushers - HCC Singers and Friends

Marketing – Ronald A. Marino, Jr. Email Marketing - Amy Squillacote • Radio Ads - Lisa Kennedy Program Coordination - Rebecca England • Program Design - Loren Mosley Social Media - Cheryl Steely Web Team Lead - Jeff Wilson • Webmistress - Carolyn Smith • Website Editor - Cher Piette

Production – Micki Lighthall, Lead Sound - David Hoppe, Dru Murphree

A special thank-you to Dr. William Stone for use of the .

25 HCC Symphonic Chorus Sopranos: Doris Williams Jennifer Simms* Ray Braswell Debbie Alexander Rachel Winslett Carolyn Smith Mike Broadwell Janet Armstrong Kathryn Witherow Amy Squillacote David Caine* Marcia Bouska* Cheryl Steely* David Carrithers Ruth Brigham Altos: Michelle Tibbetts Tom Guffin Rachel Burkholder* Robin Ashley Charlotte Tolar Jim Hendley Kathy Christy Donna Behnken David Hillinck Emily Clark* Anne Chelekis* Tenors: David Hogan Rebecca England* Rachael Damiani* William Burke Patrick Lamb Kim Hangsleben Alissa Elliott Chris Franks* Bill Lloyd* Carol Harless Colleen Falwell* Jack Galgay Scott Mince* Lea Hoppe* Mary Flynn Richard Hall Darren Myers* Jennifer Jones Barbara Fry Lee Harless Douglas Nixon* Beverly Kappenman Jane Gamble Tim Howard Jerry Nutt* Laura Kendrick Lucy Gross David Ricks* Billy Orton* Lisa Kennedy* Suzanne Harris Tom Rogers Steven Peters Patti Lindow Debra Laslie Jacob Verhine* Chris Purves Dottie Markell Micki Lighthall* Tony Vollers Rich Saik* Cathie McDaniel Mary Macewicz* Eric Wilson* Bob Searcy Joy Caitlin Monroe Pat Morefield Jeff Wilson* Hayne Shumate Kezia Phillip Betty Myers Ben Tieslau* Sally Priester Lila Nelson Basses: Tim Tolar Leah Purves Lynda Gooding Nelson Bryan Ahern Steven Tucker Rebecca Rogers Jane Orton* Kenneth Barnes Larry Wilde Amber Stewart* Kenisha Phillips Edward Bosworth Beverly Troup Marie Sexton Jim Bradt * Chamber Chorale Members Friends of the Huntsville Community Chorus Orchestra

Violin I Viola Viola da gamba Harpsichord Lisa Wiggins, concert- Charles Hogue Joanna Blendulf Ron Guthrie master Chris Lanier Viljar Weimann Flute Organ Jacob Frank Cello Morgan Williams Betty Augsburger Veneta Billmayer Tina Gast II Jeff Dortch Bass Laura Elrod Nick Walker Jen Case Lara Lay

26 Program Notes It can be said that Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), and his prolific musical output, is among the most pored-over, well-researched, written-about, and investigated of all composers in the classical music canon. This might cause one to wonder: What could possibly be said in our humble program notes that couldn’t be Googled on a smartphone—this very instant, in fact—as you sit in the beautiful sanctuary of the First Baptist Church, awaiting the Huntsville Community Chorus’ performance of the St. John Passion? Indeed, Bach scholarship, particularly academic/artistic effort concerning Bach’s vocal music, has come a long way since the work of Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847). As is perhaps well known, upon his death in 1750, Bach’s music practically died with him, save for a few choice works for organ that continued in certain pedagogical circles in Germany. But that all changed in 1829, when Mendelssohn mounted a partial and reconstructed performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Singakadamie in Berlin—an achievement largely credited with initiating the resurgence of interest in studying and performing Bach’s vocal music, as was witnessed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, in a development that to previous generations of musicians and researchers could only seem a dream come true, a bewildering body of websites, articles, and even digital scans of autograph scores in Bach’s own handwriting can now be accessed within two to three clicks online. In short, there is a lot for the 21st century program note writer to live up to! Perhaps it is most helpful to offer a few foundational points to assist the listener who may be less familiar with Bach’s music or his specifically. After all, our own very unscientific research has revealed that such masterworks have not been performed in the greater Huntsville community within recent memory (the last performance of the St. John Passion, we are fairly certain, occurred over 30 years ago!). Background: Though evidence suggests that Bach composed as many as five Passion settings, only two complete works have survived (the St. John Passion of 1724, the St. Matthew Passion of 1727—both of which underwent no less than four revisions in subsequent years—and a third, the St. Mark Passion, which exists only in fragments). Written precisely for the three-hour liturgy exercised by local practice in the city-state churches of post-Reformation , Bach’s Passions tell the crucifixion story from the perspective of the writers of the . These monumental and sublime works are officially categorized as “Passion ” because the telling of the story—in this case the Christ—is relayed through , choruses, and arias. The gargantuan St. Matthew Passion (for double chorus, double orchestra, and soloists) is widely considered to be one of the greatest musical achievements in all of Western music. While the St. John Passion, St. Matthew’s predecessor, is much more humble in construction (single chorus, smaller orchestra), it certainly makes up for any potential lack of impact through a tremendous building of intense musical drama—a characteristic somehow less pronounced in the more introspectiveSt. Matthew. The St. John Passion was composed for Bach’s very first Good Friday service—April 7, 1724—in his final and most prestigious position as cantor (music director) of the St. Thomas church and school in Leipzig.

27 Performing Forces: The original scoring for the St. John Passion is for 2 flutes, 2 (who also play the older oboe d’amore and ), strings (including viola da gamba), , organ, harpsichord, bassoon, SATB chorus, and soloists. Our performance this afternoon, which makes a few necessary adjustments for modern instrumentation, consists of an orchestra of only 17 players (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 10 strings, 1 viola da gamba, organ, and harpsichord). The Text: The identity of the librettist remains anonymous. The text ofthe St. John Passion essentially falls into two basic categories: Scriptural quotation and free poetry. The first, delivered by the Evangelist (the narrator) as , supported by vivid interruptions from the “turba” choruses representing mainly the gathered crowd of Pharisees and soldiers, constitutes chapters 18 and 19 of John’s Gospel. Two interpolations are drawn from Matthew 26:75 and 27:51-52, movements 12c and 33 respectively, seemingly for the purpose of bringing additional emotional charge to Peter’s denial and to the tearing of the temple veil immediately after Jesus’ death. The second, the arias and , represent free poetry that reflects inwardly on the action presented by the Evangelist and characters. How to listen to the St. John Passion: If one thing could be said regarding how to listen to this incredibly complex work, especially for the first time, it might be this: Bach’s Passions are generally regarded to have something akin to three “planes” of time. The first, presented by the Evangelist, characters, and turba choruses, exists in the historical events as contained in the Gospel texts. The second, presented by the soloists and their arias, exists more internally as these “pious personages” comment on the historical events as they unfold, but in a highly personal way. The third, presented by the chorales interspersed throughout the work, exists in an almost timeless realm, as if the whole body of the faithful—both on earth and in heaven—were singing along. —Christopher M. Walters

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Mabry Batson Miller

November 18, 1917-March 25, 2015

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