MENDELSSOHN CLUB OF PHILADELPHIA Paul Rardin, Conductor

! Honegger ! KING Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral

APRIL 29 20 17 Kiera Duffy, soprano 4pm | 8pm Maren Montalbano, mezzo soprano Sumner Thompson, tenor Dan Kern, narrator Jillian Harris, choreographer Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia

MCCHORUS.ORG

Welcome to the final self-produced concert of Mendelssohn Club’s 143rd sea- son. Under Paul Rardin’s artistic leadership, our organization has continued to champion new and underperformed choral works, as well as those which have been favorites for centuries. In following this path, we have endeav- ored to bring fresh perspectives to these pieces. In the words of one of our slogans from past seasons, “the new informing the old informing the new...”. We have also been fortunate this year to combine forces with several area music organizations, including the Keystone State Boychoir, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Working with the members of these groups has added synergy and excitement to our artistic efforts, and we look forward to many such col- laborations in the future. Your support of arts organizations such as ours is extremely important, especially in light of uncertain government funding in recent times. As Steven Sondheim has written in Sunday in the Park with George, “Art isn’t easy.” To put on productions such as the one you will experience today requires a great deal of cooperation among all the “moving parts”: chorus, orchestra, soloists and dancers. We hope that you will enjoy today’s performance, and continue to support Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia by attending future concerts. If you are so inclined, monetary gifts of any size are welcomed and help show funding institutions the impact we have on our audiences. Many of us in Mendelssohn Club have been singing for almost as long as we remember, and we are mindful of the gift we have been given. Although learning and refining great choral music in rehearsal is a crucial part of the process, moments such as today’s King David performances are the highlight of our choral experience. We look forward to continuing to make thrilling and interesting musical experiences for you and for ourselves in the years to come.

Best, Mark Pinzur Chorus President

1 Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia Paul Rardin, Artistic Director

Paul Rardin, conductor Kiera Duffy, soprano Maren Montalbano, mezzo-soprano Sumner Thompson, tenor Dan Kern, narrator Jillian Harris, choreographer Sophian Moore, Julian Darden & Danzel Thompson Stout, dancers and co- choreographers Mendelssohn Club Chorus Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia John Curall, lighting designer Heidi Barr, costume designer

Arthur Honegger King David A Symphonic Psalm

Narration by René Morax English Translation by Edward Agate

Part I 1. Introduction 2. The Song of David, the Shepherd 3. Psalm: All praise to Him 4. Song of Victory 5. March 6. Psalm: In the Lord I put my faith 7. Psalm: O, had I wings like a dove 8. Song of the Prophets 9. Psalm: Pity me, Lord 10. ’s Camp 11. Psalm: God, the Lord shall be my light 12. Incantation of the Witch of Endor 13. March of the Philistines 14. Lament of Gilboa

2 Part II 15. Song of the Daughters of Israel 16. The before the Ark

Part III 17. Song: Now my voice in song upsoaring 18. Song of the Handmaid 19. Psalm of Penitence 20. Psalm: Behold, in evil I was born 21. Psalm: O shall I raise my eyes unto the mountains? 22. The Song of Ephraim 23. March of the Hebrews 24. Psalm: Thee will I love, O Lord 25. Psalm: In my distress 26. The Crowning of Solomon 27. The Death of David

The performance runs approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Saturday, April 29, 2017 4 & 8 pm The Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral 23 S. 38th Street Philadelphia

Special thanks to The Presser Foundation and The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia for grants supporting this project, and to WRTI 90.1FM for their media partnership in support of today’s performances.

The use of recording or photographic equipment during this concert is strictly prohibited. Please silence audible cell phones and alarms.

3 program notes There are few Biblical narratives which offer the dramatic possibilities of the story of Saul and David. It is a study in contrasts: Saul, the reluctant king who found that he had an unexpected talent and taste for leadership, and the rash, impetuous David, whose deeply personal relationship with the Lord sustained him through a reign marred by troubles, largely of his own mak- ing. The playwright René Morax turned to that story for his epic play , and he enlisted the relatively unknown to provide the incidental music. Honegger responded with a remarkable score which matched the dramatic sweep and energy of the story and firmly established him as a major composer. Today’s performance features Honegger’s original scoring for chorus and an instrumental ensemble of 17 players. In addition, the performance also features choreography for three professional dancers and the chorus, developed by Jillian Harris in collaboration with the dancers. In 1908, Morax had founded the Théâtre du Jorat along with his set designer brother Jean and composer and conductor Gustave Doret. It was located in the Swiss village of Mézières, just outside Lausanne. Its rural location was part of the experience – Morax considered the wildflower-strewn meadows as the theater’s ante-room, and the entire structure was constructed out of wood to harmonize with its surroundings. It seated nearly a thousand people and its open structure was designed with sightlines and acoustics in mind. The theater had been closed during World War I, and Morax had planned a gala reopening in 1921 featuring his newly-written Biblical epic Le Roi David. While music had always been an important part of his productions, Morax had waited until the last minute to engage a composer. This was probably because he wanted to avoid a predictably uncomfortable conversation with Doret. He had decided on music in a more contemporary style, and written by someone other than Doret. At the recommendation of conductor and confirmation by Stravinsky, who was staying nearby, he con- tacted Arthur Honegger, a composer he did not know. Despite an already heavy workload and the fact that the premiere was now only four months away, Honegger accepted immediately, in part because it indulged his desire to become a “Biblical composer.” Arthur Honegger (1892-1955) was born in , France to Swiss parents, and although he spent most of his professional career in France, he always maintained close ties with Switzerland. He was an important part of the vibrant avant-garde musical scene in Paris, and best known for his , chamber and theatrical music. He was probably the most performed member of les nouveaux jeunes (the new youth), a loose group of composers assembled around , and in 1920 was named in an influential magazine article as one of , which became a successor to les nouveaux jeunes. The forces available to Honegger for Le Roi David were an amateur chorus of 100 voices and an instrumental ensemble of 17 players, comprising winds, brass, keyboards, percussion, and a single string bass, an unusual composi- tion that caused him a great deal of anxiety. He began to set for the chorus even before reading the play and completed and scored the 27 musi-

4 cal episodes in just two months. The play premiered to a packed house on June 11, 1921, with Honegger conducting the chorus and orchestra. It was an enormous success. The play ran for a month at the Théâtre du Jorat and there was immediate interest in mounting the play in Paris and Zurich. Because of the logistical difficulty in transporting the sets and costumes from Mézières, Honegger began considering how to present the music in concert format. He and Morax devised a narration to link the musical numbers together. Honeg- ger was never satisfied with the original orchestration and reochestrated the score for standard orchestral forces in 1923, creating the “symphonic psalm” that is usually performed today. Le Roi David quickly became one of Honeg- ger’s most popular works and firmly established his reputation as a major composer. Because the music was intended as incidental music, most of the individual sections of Le Roi David are very brief and are written with broad, theatrical gestures. Even the longest movement, The Dance defore the Ark, consists of smaller sections joined seamlessly together. Honegger used his unconven- tional musical forces to advantage, continually varying the instrumental and choral forces to change the color and texture of the music. Individual instru- ments are featured prominently, and he suggests moods and settings with short, deft musical phrases. Honegger’s musical style was greatly influenced by Stravinsky, which can be seen in the energetic rhythms of the music and the creative use of dissonance and . But even greater is the influ- ence of Bach, which pervades the entire work. The orchestra often plays a rhythmic or melodic ostinato to accompany the chorus. There is a strongly chromatic flavor to the music, with modulations and chord progressions oc- curring at half-step intervals. Bach’s influence comes together most clearly in the concluding section, which opens with a wonderful chorale tune that sug- gests Bach’s Wachet auf (Wake, Awake) but follows Honegger’s own melodic contours. There is an orchestral counterpoint accompanying the alleluias and a complex polyphonic texture as the chorale melody, the various alleluias, and the soaring solo soprano line are combined in a brilliant conclusion. Honegger’s score is dramatic, colorful and intensely lyrical, and is one of the unquestioned choral masterpieces of the twentieth century. – Michael Moore what to listen for

Given the fragmentary nature of Honegger’s assignment – to provide, in two months’ time, incidental music to a massive play – one imagines the composer working frantically to craft 27 distinctive musical vignettes. Here’s what Honegger’s sketch-board might have looked like (though no doubt written in French) after he read René Morax’s play: Part One 1. Introduction Conjure up the Middle East – playing an exotic, “eastern” scale? – and hint at David’s future royalty (brass fanfare).

5 2. The Song of David, the Shepherd Shepherd’s pipes (use and oboe, very tranquil) and a simple, major- scale melody for the young boy (surely a mezzo-soprano). 3. Psalm: All praise to Him Look to the past – Baroque? – for first sung reference to God; stately and , in unison; flare in and out with fanfares. 4. Song of Victory Exuberant, declamatory choir cheering on David over a dramatic drum-roll in . 5. March Instrumental only? Double bass and piano vamp a subdued marching melo- dy; trumpets, , and horn each playing their own rhythmic fanfares above it. Try all brass in different keys for mystery and grandeur! 6. Psalm: In the Lord I put my faith Double bass and low woodwinds to establish a sense of calm underneath a lilting, gentle tenor melody. Go crazy with trills and warbles at “fly like any bird.” 7. Psalm: Oh, had I wings like a dove Use the high instruments only, and soprano solo, to float like a dove; gentle flutes and piano lilt in the interlude. 8. Song of the Prophets Exotic; low voices represent the prophets; , low winds lend an aura of mystery. 9. Pity me, Lord Slow but anxious wandering in wilderness; angular tenor melody, exotic English horn echoing the Introduction’s oboe; jaunty, neo-Baroque affirma- tion of faith at “My heart up-raise.” 10. Saul’s Camp Austere; and double bass wandering scales, punctuated by fanfares, as if hearing them from a distance… 11. Psalm: God, the Lord shall be my light Bright, brilliant choral opening over timpani roll; jaunty, unusual “walking” scale beginning in bass over jazzy establishes “anti-foe” theme to be used later… 12. Incantation of the Witch of Endor Spoken part for the witch; steady drumbeat anchors woodwind trills that begin very slowly and speed up to whirling, driving shrieks as witch’s con- jurings grow more intense. Dramatic!

6 13. March of the Philistines “Oom-pah” drumbeat of double bass, bassoon, drum established fact we are mocking the Philistines; brass play sinister, heavy, accented march. Musical satire! 14. Lament of Gilboa Women’s voices (soli and choir) sing only “ah” in sighing, slow trills as we mourn death of Saul; narrator speaks passionately during music; repeated piano chords change gradually to more and more sorrowful Part Two 15. Song of the Daughters of Israel Angular, breathless, joyous soprano proclamation of David’s becoming King; jaunty women’s-chorus vamp accompanies 16. The Dance before the Ark Musical procession, fanfare, and dance; must create a gradual crescendo of speed and power, a musical whirling. Several major climaxes; last one of these leads an angel announcing that David’s son Solomon will build the temple; follow with a lilting, comforting choral “alleluia” built on Bach’s “Wake, awake” chorale to be used later… Part Three 17. Song: Now my voice in song upsoaring More straight-forward praise to God; go Baroque again with driving rhythms, unison chorus, chirping trumpet. 18. Song of the Handmaid Musical seduction! Flute solo playing an enticing but dissonant refrain; alto solo slow and sinewy, also using an exotic scale 19. Psalm of Penitence A musical dirge; brass pulse with heavy footsteps while voices echo each other in a mournful, downward melody; instruments think six beats to the bar, voices four beats – hypnotic rhythmic pattern that’s always slightly “off” 20. Psalm: Behold, in evil I was born Low, mournful piano, bass, trombone begin; lamenting melodies thread slowly through the choir, building to climactic choral echo with brass puls- ing as in #19. 21. Psalm: O, shall I raise my eyes unto the mountains? Recapture the calm faith of #6; tenor solo opens with upward scale “lifting eyes”; slow, calm lilt in second half for “he will not suffer.” 22. Song of Ephraim Text mourns Absalom, but Hebrew people celebrate their victory; joyous so- prano melody and alto “ah,” but with unsettling combinations of keys and melodies. 7 23. March of the Hebrews Brass build impressive but dissonant chords, flute and oboe play marching melody with unusual dissonances – military victory, but Absalom is now dead. 24. Psalm: Thee will I love, O Lord Calm, simple, E major melody recalls #3 for its comfort, with alto “ah” echo- ing #22; only dissonance comes with contrary melodies at “when waves of death” – piercing chords result. 25. Psalm: In my distress Woodwind shrieks with echoing brass attacks; unison choir sings angular, jagged tunes without accompaniment, as if isolated; rapid, stuttering repeat- ed notes midway through announce “the earth shak[ing] in its foundations.” 26. The Crowning of Solomon Slow, building chords in orchestra with noble trumpet melody heralding the new king, all of it underneath narration. 27. The Death of David Sense of birth of a new era and foreshadowing of great legacy leading ulti- mately to Jesus; soprano melody intones the Bach “Wake” tribute tune; this is handed to basses, who sing it more overtly under the “alleluias” from #16, which must begin very softly, more as a lament than as a cheer. Sadness and joy, ending and beginning all in one movement. – Paul Rardin

About the choreography Dance is both a reflection of and part of the human experience. The form is thus a beautiful vehicle to help audiences visualize the epic drama of King David. The choreography evokes the changing emotional tones within the broad scope of David’s life, relying upon diverse movement vocabularies in the same way that Honegger drew from global musical influences. The dancers do not represent single characters but rather the shifting identities and emotions encapsulated in David’s rise and fall. In the piece, you may recognize motifs that thread throughout the twenty-seven movements, unifying the play’s original components. I encourage those watching today to physically sense the power generated when motion, song, and text unite to transmit a universal story. – Jillian Harris

Mendelssohn Club makes its concert programs available in Braille for audience members who are visually impaired. Requests must be made at least one week in advance by calling Mendelssohn Club at 215.735.9922 or visiting our website at www.mcchorus.org.

8 The Texts

2. The Song of David, the shepherd 7. Psalm: O, had I wings like a dove God shall be my shepherd kind, O had I wings, wings like a dove, He will shield me from the wind, Then I would fly away and be at rest. Lead his lamb to pastures cool, Save in the tomb alone is there no Guide me to the quiet pool. comfort? He shall be my staff and rod, Is there no balm to heal this woe of Restore my spirit again, mine? E’en the darkest vale I trod Where shall I find for my head some safe Shall not be travell’d in pain. shelter? He will keep me from alarm, Morning and eve I pray and cry aloud. Tho’ the lightning play around. The storm of my distress blows like the Save me with His mighty arm, tempest, The while, shelter me from harm. Bearing to God my cries and my pray’r. Comfort I have found. Psalm 55:6-8,17 Psalm 23:1-4 8. Song of the Prophets 3. Psalm: All praise to Him Man that is born of woman lives but a All praise to him, the Lord of glory, little while. The everlasting God my helper. Whichever way he turn, the path he He has avenged all my wrongs and my must pursue is heavy to his feet. woes, He cometh up like grass, which in time And by his hand my people are made shall be mowed down. safe. He fleeth as a shadow, When hordes of heathens arose up And the place that once he knew against me, remembers him no more. By his right hand I felt myself sustained. Job 14:1-2 His thunder pealed on the heads of the foe, 9. Psalm: Pity me, Lord Who in their malice sought my end. Pity me, Lord, for I am weak! Psalm 18:46-48 A refuge and a harbor I seek. My weary head thy wings shall cover. 4. Song of Victory When will the endless night be over? David is great, the Philistines My heart upraise, my heart upraise o’erthrown. To hymn thy bounty all my days! Chosen of God is he, succour’d and O sun, arise to lead me on, unafraid. That with my harp, the vict’ry won, Saul hath slain his thousands, and ten I may return to sing a joyful song of thousands David. praise! 1 Samuel 18:7 Psalm 57:1-2,7-8 6: Psalm: In the Lord I put my faith 11. Psalm: God the Lord shall be my light In the Lord I put my faith, I put my trust. How say ye unto my soul, God, the Lord shall be my light and my “Flee like any bird unto the mountain?” salvation; For behold, evil is here, What cause have I to fear? And the wicked bend their bow, God, the Lord shall be my strength in That they may privily shoot them tribulation; that are clean and upright. His help is ever near. In the Lord I put my faith, I put my trust. Though wicked enemies came, My foes who my flesh would fain Psalm 11:1-2 devour,

9 Bright sword and lance they might Lord above show thyself and scatter all claim, our foes! Yet they stumble and fall upon that hour. Sing to the Lord, sing loud and long! E’en though an host against me should Play on your instruments and dance, rise, Give to the Lord glory and strength! I shall not be afraid; Let the sea roar in its fullness, From field of war the Lord will hear my Yea, let the fields rejoice for gladness cries, And the trees of the forest sing praises! And their arm shall be stayed. 1 Chronicles 16:8-9,32-33 Psalm 27:1-3 In eternal light he abides, 14. Lament of Gilboa He hovers on wings of the wind, Ah! Weep for Saul. Weep for Saul. And his robe is the roof of the earth. Hidden by clouds, there lies his dwelling, 2 Samuel 1:24 And ’mid the tempest, he hath spoken. 15. Song of the Daughters of Israel Then magnify the Lord Creator! Sister, oh sing thy song! Praise to the Holiest! Saviour of Israel! Never hath God forsaken us, Mighty God, Lord above! E’en in captivity, or in adversity. Mighty God, be with us. Chosen of him above, Jehovah, come to us. On us now lights his love. Mighty God, come to us! God the Lord comes to bless Israel. Give ear, ’tis not for thee as king to build Israel, give thanks unto the Lord! an house unto my name. 16. The Dance before the Ark Behold a child is born to thee, and I will Mighty God, mighty God, Jehovah be set him on thy throne. with us, And he shall be my Son, and I will be his Mighty God, mighty God, be with us! Father. O radiance of the morn, and the Then shall he build an house for my splendor of noon, name, Mighty God, mighty God, be with us! And Solomon shall he be called, Ope wide those doors that lead to That over Israel peace may reign! Heav’n, Alleluia! Ope wide those gates that lead to justice, 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 For the righteous alone enter therein 17. Song: Now my voice in song upsoaring In those precious portals of God the Lord. Now my voice in song upsoaring Shall loud proclaim my king afar. Many nations brought me to war, His wealth of splendor fast outpouring Yet in Jehovah’s name, they were Shall put to nothing e’en the loveliest of destroyed. star. Compassed me round like bees that swarm, Pride of Adam’s race that bore thee, Yet in Jehovah’s name, they were A simple shepherd wont to sing, destroyed. And yet surpassing all before thee, Each wither’d bush I set on fire Thou has been chosen by the Lord to be In great Jehovah’s name, it was our King. destroyed. God will send thee sons to cherish, Psalm 118:10-12 Who shall inherit in their turn, Thy name in glory shall not perish, For he has shielded me from harm, And all the people as their pastor And his right hand has led me on. Shall announce thee Master. Almighty God! God above, Mighty God, be with us, Psalm 45:1-2,16-17

10 18. Song of the Handmaid Thy fruit, fiery as blood, Was pluck’d by envious hands. Oh my love, take my hand, And must this be the price, Let us wander the vale, And forfeit of a kiss Where the vineleaves so frail Promise fruit for the land. 24. Psalm: Thee will I love, O Lord Nay, fair one, in this bower, Thee will I love, O Lord, who art my As yet no grape to cull, fortress. But see, in splendor full Thou art my shield, the horn of my The mandrake is in flower. salvation. Song of Solomon 7:13-14 God is my refuge safe, I trust in him, My rock, my strength, my tow’r and my 19. Psalm of Penitence deliverer. Pity me God, in my distress! In him I find the solace that I long for. Turn not away, but heal me again! He guideth my steps, that I may walk in Wash me of sin and cleanse me of comfort. shame, I call on him and invoke his aid, And in thy hot displeasure, O chasten And I am saved from my strong enemy. me not! When waves of death encompassed me, Psalm 51:1-2 And snares of men made me afraid, Then did he send, and take me from 20. Psalm: Behold in evil I was born above, Behold, in evil I was born, And drew me forth from many waters. And in iniquity conceived. Psalm 18:1-4,16 For thou desirest truth and goodness, 25. And in the hidden part great wisdom. Psalm: In my distress I have sinned, yea heavily transgressed. In my distress then I cried to my God. I have been shown the path to follow, Sorrows of Hell did so compass me And I have wandered from thy foot- round. steps. Out of his temple he listened and heard. Pity me, God, in my distress! E’en to his throne came my voice to his Pardon, Lord, the evil I have done. ears. Psalm 51:5-6,4,1 Suddenly, the earth did shake in its foundations. 21. Psalm: O shall I raise mine eyes unto The very hills moved and trembled, and the mountains? broke, O shall I raise mine eyes unto the From summit above to the foot of the mountains, vale, From whence should come my help? So great the anger and wrath of the The Lord shall guide thy steps, going Lord! and coming, Psalm 18: 6-7 From henceforth, evermore. 27. The Death of David He will not suffer thy foot to be moved, For he is on high, watching above; And God said: the day shall dawn The Lord who is thy keeper To bring a flow’r newly born; Neither slumbers nor sleeps. From thy stem in fullness growing, Psalm 121:1,3-4 In fragrance sweet, night and morn, All my people shall adorn, 22. The Song of Ephraim With breath of life bestowing. O thou forest of grief, Alleluia Where ravens seek their prey, Isaiah 11:1-2 The fruit is gather’d in That hung upon thy boughs. – English version by Edward Agate

11 The Performers Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, one of America’s longest-standing musi- cal ensembles, is performing its 143rd season, and its second season with its 13th Artistic Director, Dr. Paul Rardin. Since its founding in 1874, the chorus has carried on a rich tradition of performing the great works of the choral canon while also premiering, performing, and commissioning new choral works at the highest artistic level. The chorus has performed under the ba- tons of world famous conductors such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Eugene Or- mandy, Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Riccardo Muti, and has maintained a performing relationship with the Philadelphia Orchestra since its inception. In its early history, Mendelssohn Club gave the Philadelphia premiere of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, American premieres of Mahler’s No. 8 and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, and the first performance outside of the USSR of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13. These works, many of which are now considered some of the greatest choral works ever written, were new and sometimes experimental at the time of their premieres. Mendelssohn Club continues this tradition today through commissions from luminaries such as , Alice Parker, and Jennifer Higdon. Mendelssohn Club has commissioned 58 works since 1990 under Artistic Director Alan Harler, and Maestro Rardin has commissioned five more for his inaugural season. Mendelssohn Club is known throughout the nation as a leader in advancing the field of choral music. Recognition for this dedi- cation, as well as our commitment to artistic excellence, is seen through a Grammy nomination for the 1985 recording of Vincent Persichetti’s Winter , Mendelssohn Club receiving the 1992 and 2013 ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming, and our 2014 commission, Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields, receiving the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Sharon Torelli Sharon

Maestro Paul Rardin leads Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia and Symphony in C in his inaugural concert as Mendelssohn Club Artistic Director, “Beginnings…” at the Church of the Holy Trinity in October 2015.

12 In its more recent history, Mendelssohn Club has deepened its mission to take artistic risks that challenge both singers and audiences through commission- ing new works that include cross-genre performance. Recent commissions such as David Lang’s battle hymns, Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields, and Byron Au Yong’s TURBINE integrate artistic elements such as dance, ensemble cho- reography, projections, and even audience movement into our performances to create a fully immersive experience for our audience members.

Paul Rardin, Artistic Director Paul Rardin is the thirteenth Artistic Director of the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia. He is also Elaine

Brown Chair of Choral Music at Temple Univer- Nick Kelsh sity, where he conducts the Concert Choir, teaches graduate conducting, and oversees the seven-choir program at Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. Rardin previously taught at the University of Michigan and Towson University. He has prepared Mendelssohn Club for annual performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, including the Glorious Sound of Christmas and live-to-projection performances of The Lord of the Rings film series. His have per- formed for NCCO national conference and ACDA division conferences. In 2015 the Temple University Concert Choir performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Bernstein’s MASS under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and in 2016 the ensemble performed Bach motets with Helmuth Rilling. Rardin has served as a guest conductor for all-state choirs in sixteen states, for divisional honor choirs for the ACDA and Music Educators National Con- ference, and for Manhattan Concert Productions at Lincoln Center. He has presented clinics for state, regional, and national conferences of the Ameri- can Choral Directors Association. His engagements for 2016-2017 include conducting the Temple University Concert Choir at the National Association for Music Education Eastern Division conference; guest conducting all-state high school choirs in Maryland and Colorado; and conducting Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass at Carnegie Hall with Manhattan Concert Productions. Rardin is a graduate of Williams College and the University of Michigan, where he received the M.M. in composition and the D.M.A. in conducting. He has studied conducting with Theodore Morrison, Jerry Blackstone, and Gustav Meier, and composition with , George Wilson, and Rob- ert Suderburg. He has also participated in conducting master classes with Helmuth Rilling, Charles Bruffy, and Dale Warland. His arrangements of spirituals and folk songs are published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and his articles, many on the topic of contemporary music, have appeared in the ACDA publications Choral Journal, Troubadour, Resound, and Bel Canto. Rardin lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife, Sandy.

13 Kiera Duffy, soprano American soprano Kiera Duffy is recognized for both her gleaming high so- prano and insightful musicianship in repertoire that encompasses Handel, Bach, and Mozart to the modern sounds of Berg, Glass, and Zorn. She received critical praise for her portrayal of Bess McNeill in Philadelphia’s 2016 world pre- miere of Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves, a role she reprised at New York City’s Prototype Festival. In 2013 Ms. Duffy made her debut with the Metro- politan Opera as Das Erste Blumenmädchen in Parsi- fal under Daniele Gatti, and with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Stella in Previn’s A Streetcar Named De- sire. She has appeared in leading roles with the Op- era Company of Philadelphia, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Central City Opera, and Wexford Opera. At the Tanglewood Music Festival she performed El- liot Carter’s only opera, What Next?, Così fan tutte, and Don Carlo, all under the baton of James Levine. A prolific concert artist, Ms. Duffy has appeared with the New York Philhar- monic, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Orchester, Atlanta Symphony, National Symphony, Simon Bolivar Orchestra and Detroit Symphony. She has collaborated with many of the celebrated conductors of today, including , Gustavo Dudamel, Alan Gil- bert, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kristjan Järvi, James Levine, Donald Runnicles, Leonard Slatkin, and Robert Spano. Duffy was a Grand Finalist in the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Coun- cil Auditions, a first-place winner of the Marian Anderson Competition in Philadelphia, and has also been recognized by the Young Concert Artists In- ternational Competition and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Greenberg Com- petition. She was an accomplished pianist before pursuing degrees in vocal performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. Duffy serves as an ambassador for the charity Sing With Haiti, which seeks to rebuild and support the Holy Trinity Music School in Port-au-Prince after it was de- stroyed in the earthquake of 2010. In addition to her performing career, she also serves as Associate Professor and Head of the Undergraduate Voice Stu- dio at the University of Notre Dame. Maren Montalbano, mezzo-soprano Maren Montalbano began her vocal career with the San Francisco Girls Chorus at age seven, and has been singing ever since. A graduate of both New England Conservatory of Music and Tufts University, Ms. Montalbano sang in the historic world premiere of John Adams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning work, On the Transmigration of Souls, which was later released into a Grammy Award-winning CD. She recorded Douglas Cuomo’s opera Arjuna’s Dilemma with Anonymous 4 members Susan Hellauer and Jacqueline Horner, which

14 was released in 2008 to critical acclaim. Other commercial recordings include Alice Parker’s Listen Lord and The Family Reunion, Kile Smith’s Vespers, Lewis Spratlan’s Hesperus is Phosphorus, as well as The Crossing’s It is time, Christ- mas Daybreak, and I Want to Live. In the spring of 2009, her solo in Copland’s In The Beginning was praised as “excellent” by the Philadelphia Inquirer. In the past five years, Ms. Montalbano has been a guest artist with Lyric Fest, Choral Arts Philadel- phia, Network for New Music, and Piffaro, the Re- naissance Band. In the 2014-15 season, she toured with Piffaro to California, appeared on the Bach@7 Cantata Series (Choral Arts Philadelphia), and per- formed the modern premiere of Destinos vencen finezas, a 17th century zarzuela by Juan Francisco de Navas, with Philadelphia’s Baroque orchestra, Tempesta di Mare. Her dramatic interpretation of Destinos was hailed as “pure, suave and sensuous” (Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2015). Ms. Montalbano opened the 2015-16 season playing Andy Warhol in Andy: a POPera (Bearded Ladies Cabaret and Opera Philadelphia), where the Broad Street Review called her singing “impeccable.” Ms. Montalbano lives in New Jersey and sings professionally throughout a wide geographic area with such groups as Opera Company of Philadelphia, Mastersingers of Wilmington, and The Crossing. She just finished a three- year stint as the music director for the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, and she is passionate about keeping artists employed doing what they do best. Ms. Montalbano currently studies voice with Julianne Baird. Sumner Thompson, tenor Described as possessing “power and passion,” and “stylish elegance,” Sumner Thompson is in high de- mand on the concert and opera stage across North America and Europe. He has appeared as a soloist with many leading ensembles and orchestras includ- ing the Britten-Pears Orchestra, the National Sym- phony, the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, ’s Fire, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Les Voix Baroques, The Handel and Haydn Society, Tafelmusik, the Cham- ber Orchestra, gli angeli genève, and the orchestras of Cedar Rapids, Phoenix, Richmond, Memphis, Indianapolis, Buffalo, and Charlotte. Recent engagements included a repeat performance of Handel’s Messiah with Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers with the critically acclaimed Green Mountain Project, Britten’s War Requiem with the Boston Philharmonic, Bach’s St. John Passion at the National Cathedral, and the title role in Britten’s Saint Nicolas with Philadelphia Choral Arts. On the operatic stage he performed the role of El Dancaïro in Carmen with the

15 Cincinnati Opera, and the role of Siegmund in a concert version of Act I of Wagner’s Die Walküre in Boston. He will be revisiting the title role in Monte- verdi’s L’Orfeo in Juneau, Alaska in the spring of 2016. Mr. Thompson can be heard on the Boston Early Music Festival’s Grammy nominated recording of Lully’s Psyché on the CPO label, with the Handel and Haydn Society on their recording of Handel’s Messiah on the Coro label, and also with Les Voix Baroques on Canticum Canticorum, Carissimi , and Humori, all on the ATMA label. In addition to his musical pursuits, Mr. Thompson spends his time restoring his 1885 Stick-style Victorian home, building various types of bass guitars, and entertaining his 4 year old daughter.

Dan Kern, narrator Dan Kern received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for his direction of Juno and the Paycock for Interact Theatre Company in Los Angeles and for his portrayal of “Leontes” in A Noise Within’s pro- duction of Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale. He’s also been honored with Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award for his direction of Skylight at the Lantern Theatre. As an actor he’s appeared at A Noise Within (Volpone in Volpone), the Mark Taper Forum (Zhorzh in The Wood Demon), South Coast Rep (Salieri in Amadeus), and The American Conservatory Theatre (Eben in Desire Under the Elms). Film and TV appearances include The Lovely Bones, Frasier, Profiler, The President’s Man, C-16, Star Trek: Voyagers, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Melrose Place, White Mile, Phoenix, and others.

Jillian Harris, choreographer An Associate Professor of Dance at Temple Univer- sity, Jillian Harris has had a distinguished profes- sional career, touring nationally and internationally with the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and Kun- Yang Lin/Dancers. She appeared in the Metropoli- tan Opera world premiere of Benvenuto Cellini and played the feature role in the PBS broadcast of Della Davidson’s Night Story. A youngARTS award win- ner, Jillian has performed works by noted choreog- raphers such as Doug Varone, Murray Louis, Laura Dean, David Rousseve, and Moses Pendleton. She has a Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and has shown her work at venues like Joyce SOHO (New York City), Chi Movement Arts Center (Philadelphia), The Rose Wagner Perform- ing Arts Center (Salt Lake City), and Bravo Caffe (Bologna, Italy). Jillian is the producer, featured dancer, and assistant choreographer for Red Earth Call- ing, a short dance film that won the Best Narrative Short award at the 2015

16 Maui Film Festival (Maui, Hawaii), Best Experimental Short award at the 2015 Toronto Independent Film Festival, Best Narrative Short award at the Moondance International Film Festival (Boulder, CO). The film has also been an official selection of the Athens International Film and Video Festival, Citi- zen Jane Film Festival, Columbia Gorge International Film Festival, Toronto Independent Film Festival, Action on Film International Festival, Movies by Movers Festival, and Pineapple Underground Film Festival (Hong Kong). Her most recent project is INVASION, an interactive movement installation. In addition to choreographing, Jillian maintains an active teaching schedule, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at Temple University and con- ducting master classes in the United States and abroad.

Sophiann Moore, dancer Sophiann Moore is a graduate of Temple University where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Boyer School of Music and Dance in Dance Cho- reography and Performance. Born in Hartford, Con- necticut she began her dance training at the Artists Collective Inc. where she studied under teachers such as AQiida Gilbert, Cassandra Grace, Lee “Aca” Thompson, and Jolet Creary. When performing in Connecticut, she has had the chance to perform in the Bushnell for individuals such as Maya Angelou. Sophiann Moore graduated with Cum Laude Hon- ors while being the recipient of the Rose Vernick Most Promising Performers Award. While in Philadelphia, she has been able to study with Kun-Yang Lin, a student of , and studied with former Philadanco dancers who learned from Pearl Primus. She has had the opportunity to work with and study under Dr. Kariamu Welsh who created the contemporary Afri- can dance style Umfundalai Technique and is now a M’singha Wuti in the that technique. Her recent work has taken her on tour with The Clothesline Muse starring six-time Grammy nominated jazz singer Nnenna Freelon to multiple venues nationwide. Along with this, Sophiann Moore recently per- formed in Black Nativity: An African Musical at Freedom Theatre where she worked with Rajendra Maroon Maharaj. She plans on continuing her work in performance and choreography worldwide while still giving back to the Philadelphia community. She is grateful and excited to be a part of this amaz- ing multi-layered performance.

Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

17 Julian Darden, dancer Julian Darden studied performance and choreogra- phy at the Esther Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University. As a teaching artist, he has had the opportunity to work with the youth of Philadel- phia as an Education Assistant at the Lenfest Center and as a Mentor/Volunteer at Elkins Park School. As a dancer and choreographer, Darden creates work and currently performs with D2D: Dare to Dance Co., Kariamu and Company:Traditions, and the Berry & Nance Dance Project. This past year, Darden has performed and co-choreographed at New Free- dom Theatre and was a featured dancer in the 2016 Fringe Arts Festival. Darden looks forward to his continued growth as a per- forming artist and choreographer.

Danzel Thompson Stout, dancer Originally from Allentown, PA, Danzel Thompson Stout is a BFA graduate from Temple University. He is now a Philadelphia-based hip-hop artist who is versatile in various styles of dance, including Afri- can and techniques. He has trained under artists and companies such as Dominick Boyd (BIA), Stafford Berry and Kemal Nance (Berry & Nance Dance Project), Kariamu Welsh and Shaness Kemp (K&C), and Kyle and Dinita Clark (Just Sole: Street Dance Theatre). In his own time, he runs his dance company D2D: Dare to Dance, which creates a space for dancers to find their own artistic voices as they discover themselves as people. Danzel has also explored theater, performing in Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope and cho- reographing for The Black Nativity at Freedom Theatre. Danzel continues to seek out other opportunities to grow as an artist in the dance, theatre, and commercial world of art.

John Curall, lighting designer John has worked in theatre and entertainment for the past 23 years as a light- ing designer/technician and stage/production manager. In that time, he has worked on virtually every type of live entertainment, including: theater, dance, concerts, events, industrials, trade shows, theme park shows, cruise ships, a Super Bowl Halftime show, the 1996 Summer Olympics, and Ring- ling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. In his career he has designed more than 100 productions for theatre, dance and events. He is currently the Head Electrician for the Playhouse on Rodney Square in Wilmington, Delaware as well as working as a designer/technician for Philadelphia Theatrical Supply and free-lance for various companies and shows.

18 Heidi Barr, costume designer Heidi Barr is a Philadelphia based artist working in textiles, costume design and mixed media community based installation art. She holds a BFA in dance from Cornish College of the Arts and is a two-time Leeway foundation grant recipient. Equaling her lifelong commitment to dance and the costumes it inspires, is Heidi’s passion for gardening and her attention to environmental issues. This inspired her to found/design The Kitchen Garden Series, a line of kitch- en textiles made from reclaimed materials that are sold to support urban agriculture. Managing the Farmer’s Market at Christ Church is another ex- tension of these passions and she is excited to have this opportunity.

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia A founding resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia is a 33-member professional ensem- ble led by Music Director Dirk Brossé. The Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1964 by Marc Mostovoy, has a well-established reputation for distinguished performances of repertoire from the Baroque period through the twenty-first century. The Chamber Orchestra’s development was motivated, in part, by the de- sire to provide performance opportunities to young professional musicians emerging from the Curtis Institute of Music and other regional training pro- grams, but also by a desire to make a substantial contribution to the city and the region’s cultural life. The ensemble has also championed new music, fo- cusing on local composers. In total, the organization has commissioned and premiered over seventy new works. In 1994, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, a concert pianist and conducting graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music, joined the Chamber Orchestra as Assistant Con- ductor. In 1998, he was named Principal Conductor and, ultimately, Music Director in 2004. Maestro Solzhenitsyn, in assuming the position of Con- ductor Laureate in 2010, remains closely associated with the Orchestra. A conductor and composer of international acclaim, Maestro Dirk Brossé now enters his seventh season as Music Director of The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. In the 2016-2017 subscription season, the Orchestra will per- form six concert programs from October through May in the Kimmel Cen- ter’s intimate, 600-seat Perelman Theater. Over the course of the ensemble’s rich and diverse history, the Chamber Orchestra has performed with such internationally acclaimed guest art- ists as Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mstislav Rostropovich, Issac Stern, Rudolph Serkin, The Eroica Trio, Jean-Pierre Rampal, The Romeros Guitar Quartet, Julie Andrews, Bernadette Peters, Ben Folds, Branford Marsalis, Elvis Costello, Sylvia McNair, Steven Isserlis, Joseph Silverstein, Ransom Wilson, Gerard Schwarz, Jahja Ling, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, among others. The ensemble travels regularly, having toured the United States, Europe, and Israel.

19 Mendelssohn Club Chorus Soprano Emily Bigelow Frank Kanther Nora Burgard* Bill Kunze Rachelle Brisson Christine Chaapel John P. Leonard Rachel Castro-Diephouse Lindsay Dever William Lim, Jr.* Patricia Conrad* Robin Eaton John H. Luttenberger, III Sarah Finnan Ellie Elkinton Daniel Ojserkis Roberta Fischer Sierra Fox* David Pauls Maria Fox Karen H. Gildea Mark Pinzur Teri Gemberling-Johnson Anne F. Gold Roy Schmidt Fay Goldberg Katherine Haas Joseph Scholl Marianne Gruzwalski Becky Hallam Kyle Sheehan Kelsey Hendler Jennifer Hay William H. Shoff Elizabeth Hohwieler Kathleen Kershaw Jina Jang* Bass Bobbie Konover Nancy Jantsch Deborah L. Laird Andrew Bigelow Emily Grace Kane Susan Lin Evan Birnholz Christina King Smith Florence Moyer Jean Bernard Cerin* Lynn Kirby Maggie Nice Steven M. Chemtob Carolyn Linarello Margaret Oravetz Tyler Cudia Marianne Lipson Gina Polite Tom Elkinton Natalie McQuiston Gabrielle Rinkus Craig D. Frey Ilene Meyers Miller Rebecca Roberts Brendan Fullam Elizabeth Oliver Jennifer Sheffield Steven Glasser Stephanie Rosie Maria Sisto William Jantsch Roberta L. Rote Jane Uptegrove Jon Kochavi Julia Richie Sammin Marina Weber John Kohlhas Margaret C. Satell Martin Levitas Elizabeth C. Sollecito Tenor Nathan Lofton Rebecca McKillip Jaron Beadle Michael Moore Thornburgh Andrew Beck Bob Ranando Kathryn Wadsworth Frank Cassel Cleveland Rea Jennifer Wait* Kyle Conner Daniel Rosen Zanna Yoshida Mark Davidson Joel Sheffield Alto Anthony Glick Thomas D. Sutton Josh Hartman* Richard Tolsma Christy Bacon Michael Hogue Austen Wilson Brenda B. Bary Steve Hollenberg * core singers Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia Flute Bassoon Percussion Frances Tate Michelle Rosen Florence Ierardi David DiGiacobbe Phyllis Bitow (doubling piccolo) Ryan Stewart Harmonium Oboe Linda Henderson Trumpet Corinna Wiedmer- (doubling celeste) Rodney Marsalis Symer Steven Heitzer Piano (doubling English horn) Matthew Brower Trombone Clarinet Matthew Gould Doris Hall-Gulati Elizabeth Thompson Robert Huebner Timpani (doubling bass clarinet) David Nelson Bass Stephen Groat

20 MENDELSSoHN CLUB . O F P H I L A D E L P H I A

Staff Judit Nagy-Eichelberger Paul Rardin Mark Pinzur Artistic Director Rebecca Thornburgh Paul Rardin Alan Harler ex officio Conductor Laureate Amanda Schkeeper John Leonard ex officio Assistant Conductor Honorary Advisory Council Matthew Brower George G. Smith III Pianist Sally Williams Amanda Schkeeper Conducting Apprentice Executive Director Nathan Lofton Erica Vanstone Chorus Management Council Director of Marketing and Outreach Mark Pinzur Janet Embree Chorus President Production Manager Frank Cassel Vice-President Michael Stiles Caitlin Butler Administrative Assistant Secretary Board of Directors Martin Levitas Charlotte E. Sibley Singer Delegate Chair Kyle Conner Eleanor M. Elkinton Robin Eaton Vice-Chair Warren Hoffman Florence T. Gardner Nancy Jantsch Secretary Program Editor Matthew M. Schreck Michael Moore Treasurer Braille Programs Dr. Jeffrey M. Cornelius Vice-Chair elect John H. Luttenberger, III Kendra E. Ajuba Personnel Manager Russ Harris Rebecca Thornburgh Sandra Immerman Music Librarian Julia Judson-Rea Carolyn Linarello Linda Lipscomb Martin Levitas Designer John Kohlhas

Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia PO Box 59522, Philadelphia, PA 19102 215.735.9922 www.mcchorus.org

21 Mendelssohn club thanks the following organizations, foundations, & individuals who have contributed in support of the 2016-2017 season. (Gifts received between July 1, 2016 & April 18, 2017) Institutional Support The Archie W. & Grace Berry Foundation The Philadelphia Cultural Fund Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation The Presser Foundation Grainger Matching Gifts Corporation The George G. & Elizabeth G. Smith Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia Foundation Pennsylvania Council on the Arts The William Penn Foundation

Maestro’s Society Harris & Louise Gwen Hauser Clearfield Alice Hershberger Platinum Patron Frank Cassel & Chris Shepherd & Betsy ($10,000+) Clyde Holcombe Thomas D. & Eleanor M. Elizabeth H. Gemmill Sandra Immerman Elkinton Bill & Karen Gildea Richard & Marcia Klafter Gold Patron Steven & Lynne Glasser Jon & Cheryl Kochavi ($5,000-$9,999) Stephanie Judson & Alan & Edina Lessack Sandy Rea Susan Lin Kristen Phillips & Matt Julia Judson-Rea Linda Lipscomb Schreck Sean & Lynn Kirby Wallace & Henrietta Silver Patron John H. Luttenberger, III Martindale ($2,500-$4,999) Janelle McCoy Daniel & Amy Ojserkis Ilene & Steven Miller Harriet Rubenstein & Jeffrey Cornelius Michael & Rita Moore Martin Brigham Paul Rardin & Sandy Peter & Georgette Phillips Joel & Lucy Sheffield Crump Mark & Maxine Pinzur William Shoff Margaret C. Satell Kit Reeve Charlotte Sibley & Leif Bronze Patron John & Theresa Rollins Magnusson ($1,000-$2,499) James Roy Schmidt, Jr. & Perri Strawn & William Kirsten Olson Kunze William & Nancy Jantsch Thomas Sutton & Andrea Jane Uptegrove John & Jenifer Kohlhas Casher Janet Yamron Martin Levitas & Roberta Sallie Van Merkensteijn Vocalist (up to $99) Rote Louis (Larry) Willig Judit Nagy-Eichelberger Ramona Berry Soloist ($100-$249) Chorister’s Circle Amankonah Kendra & Obi Ajuba Andrew Beck Diva ($500-$999) Steve Barsky & Rebecca Joseph Carrello Dr. Joshua Atkins & Test Rachel & David Castro- Priscilla Lo Wayne H. Bylsma Diephouse Linda & Raymond Alvin & Lillie Claitt Warren Cohen Brisson Ann T. Csink & John Kyle Conner Mary Ellen Hagner Linck Patricia Conrad Brian G. Kight Harriet Dichter & John J. Jacob Friesen Carol & Steve Spinelli Schapiro Petrina Gardner & Kenn Sally & Andy Williams Ann Marie Dimino Corwin Christopher & Melissa Jeffrey Gelles & Sharon Virtuoso ($250-$499) Elkinton Gornstein Richard & Jane Baron Roberta Fischer Mark & Christine Gignac Jeff & Fran Barton Florence Gardner Dr. Regina Gordon & Anthony P. Checchia Faith Greenfield & Tom Carol Grey Mayewski Sondra Greenberg

22 Jennifer & Bryan Hay Mary Ellen McNish Brenda Rose Simkin Elizabeth Hohwieler Celia & Natalie Stephen Skwire Lindsay Jackson McQuiston Robert Spiller & Susan Anna Juliar Karen Mercer Walla Emily Kane Zaw Min Oo John & Linda Spitko Grace Karschner Daniel Pantano John (Jack) Taggart Daniel Kochavi Gina Polite Charles F. Tarr Bobbie Konover John E. & Ann M. Riggan Elizabeth & Scott Deborah Laird Patricia Roberts Vanderburg Fay Manicke Amanda & Brian Barbara Willig Irene McHenry & Randy Schkeeper Patricia Wood Granger Jennifer Sheffield Peter Zutter

Alan Harler New Ventures Fund (donations received between July 1, 2015 and April 18, 2017) The Alan Harler New Ventures Fund was established in 2007 in honor of Alan Harler’s first 20 years as Mendelssohn Club’s Artistic Director, to assure the continuation of his landmark initiatives and adventurous programming. It has supported the commissioning of Jennifer Higdon’s On the Death of the Righteous, David Lang’s battle hymns, and Rollo Dillworth’s Rain Sequence, as well as the commercial recording Metamorphosis, featuring On the Death of the Righteous, Andrea Clearfield’s The Golem Psalms, and James Primosch’s Fire-Memory/River-Memory.

Jeff & Fran Barton Terri Gemberling-Johnson Thomas Moore & Richard Brenda Bary & James & Jay Johnson Bost McGlinchey Alan Harler & Charles Eleanor Murdoch Joseph & Arlene Carrello Kalick Cleveland Rea Frank Cassel & Chris Jennifer & Bryan Hay Terri Radway Clyde Andrea Knox & Jonathan Margaret C. Satell Ann Marie Dimino Hodgson Michael Schaedle & Maria Christopher & Melissa Stephanie Judson & Sisto Elkinton Sandy Rea Joel & Lucy Sheffield Petrina Gardner & Kenn Brian G. Kight Christina King Smith Corwin John H. Luttenberger, III John & Linda Spitko Jeff Sultar

23 Mendelssohn Club thanks the following organizations, foundations, and individuals whose generous support made the 2015-2016 season a success.

Institutional Support The Fund for Music The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia The Archie W. and Grace Berry Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Foundation Philadelphia Cultural Fund Dolfinger McMahon Foundation The Presser Foundation The George G. & Elizabeth G. Smith Samuel S. Fels Fund Foundation

Maestro’s Society Chorister’s Circle Frank Cassel & Chris Clyde Platinum Patron Diva ($500-$999) Christine Chaapel ($10,000+) Jean & George Dowdall Alvin & Lillie Clait Thomas D. & Eleanor M. Florence Gardner Warren Cohen Elkinton Don & Dorie Gilchrist Kyle Conner Charlotte Sibley & Leif Stephanie Judson & Marc DiNardo & Magnusson Sandy Rea Elizabeth Drum Brian G. Kight Gold Patron Roberta Fischer Bobbie Konover ($5,000-$9,999) Jacob Friesen Carolyn & Bernard Valerie Gay Alice Hershberger Linarello Elizabeth H. Gemmill Martin Levitas & Roberta Priscilla Lo & Dr. Joshua Anne Gold Rote Atkins Faith Greenfield & Tom Kristen Phillips & Matt Rosa & Bernie Meyers Mayewski Schreck Mark & Maxine Pinzur Mary Ellen Hagner Michael Schaedle & Maria Sharon Torello Ben Harbold Sisto Virtuoso ($250-$499) Gwen Hauser Silver Patron Shepherd & Betsy Kendra Ajuba ($2,500-$4,999) Holcombe Richard & Jane Baron Gay Johnson Robin Eaton Jeff & Fran Barton Rebecca Johnson & Teri Gemberling-Johnson Brenda Bary & James Lawrence Weisberg & Jay Johnson McGlinchey Landon & Sarah Jones Paul Rardin & Sandra Harris & Louise Gabor Kari & Blandine Crump Clearfield Chantepie-Kari Margaret C. Satell Steven & Lynne Glasser Grace Karschner Caroline West & Jonathan Jeffrey Gelles & Sharon Richard & Marcia Klafter Sprague Gornstein Jon & Cheryl Kochavi Bronze Patron Sean & Lynn Kirby Alan & Edna Lessack ($1,000-$2,499) John H. Luttenberger, III Susan Lin Michael & Rita Moore Wallace & Henrietta Steve Barsky & Rebecca Peter & Georgette Phillips Martindale Test Kit Reeve Irene McHenry Jeffrey Cornelius Patricia Roberts Ilene & Steve Miller Sandra Immerman Theresa & John Rollins Constance Moore Charles Kalick & Alan Louis Willig Amy & Dan Ojserkis Harler Soloist ($100-$249) Harriet Rubenstein Nancy & William Jantsch Ted Serota Jean L. Sugars D. James & Emily Baker Robert Sharrar Rebecca McKillip & Joan Broadfield Corey & Jonne Smith David Thornburgh Judith Butler Barbara Supplee

24 Nyssa Taylor Donald Elfman Karen Mercer Ryan & Katherine Timothy & Rebecca Susan Mills Tibbetts Erdmann Eleanor Murdoch Richard Tolsma Carol Everett Natalie Price Jane Uptegrove Craig Frey Gina Polite Barbara Willig Walter Fullam Mark Putnam & Linda Janet Yamron Sondra Greenberg Reichert Sally Griffith Candace Putter Vocalist (up to $99) Kathy Haas Robert Ranando & Roy John Abel Allan Hasbrouck Harker Christy Bacon Jennifer & Bryan Hay Bonnie Roche Elizabeth Benjamin Ralph Heims Daniel Rosen Evan Birnholz Elizabeth Hohwieler Alison Rosenblum Judith Borie Bill Horan Julia & Kyle Sammin Rachel Brisson Anna Juliar William Sanderson Caitlin Butler Daniel Kochavi Paul Sittenfeld Janice A. Carson Jan Krzywicki & Susan Stephen Skwire Rachel & David Castro- Nowicki John Taggart Diephouse Nicole LaGreca Elizabeth & Scott Angela Coleman Deborah Laird Vanderburg Don Cooney Jan & Bill Lutz Regis Wagner George Corson, Jr. Andrew Masso Carol Westfall Harrington E. Crissey, Jr. David McConnell Austen Wilson Edward Dougherty Natalie & Celia Patricia Wood Eve & Jeffrey Edwards McQuiston Peter Zutter

Duane Kight Memorial Fund Contributions given in memory of Duane Kight, devoted singer and dear friend. (donations received during the 2015-2016 season)

John H. Luttenberger, III Jerry & Stephen Reid

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MCCHORUS.ORG Paul Rardin Artistic Director Photo: Nick Kelsh