Program Notes, Texts, and Translations
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Seattle Pro Musica SEATTLE PRO MUSICA Staff Members Karen P. Thomas Artistic Director & Conductor Katie Skovholt Executive Director December 14 & 21, 2019 Mandy Goldberg Operations & Administrative Associate Dwight Beckmeyer A message from conductor Karen P. Thomas Accompanist Kelly Foster Griffin Vocal Coach Jenn Newland The winter solstice is a significant time of year in many cultures, and it has been marked for centuries by festivals and Stage Manager rituals, often focusing on the symbolic death and rebirth of the sun. Even Neolithic cultures likely attached special meaning to the solstice, as can be seen in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites, such as Board of Directors Stonehenge in England where the primary axis points to the winter solstice sunset. Wes Kim President Seattle Pro Musica Soloists Because winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, it was seen as the reversal of the sun’s ebbing presence in the Anne Clamoungou SOPRANO I ALTO I TENOR I sky. Thus, concepts of the birth or rebirth of sun gods have been common. Sol Invictus (“Unconquered Sun”) was the Vice President Winter—Marisa Dahlman, Liz Reed Hawk, Danny Szydlo, Helen Anderson + Sarah Bergquist Peter Aldrich *^ Lee Maneman official sun god of the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers. Shab-e Yaldaa (rebirth of the sun) is celebrated in Rick Johnson Jordan Berg *+ Marissa Burkey * Jacob Buys *^ Iran by people gathering at home to tell stories and read poetry while bonfires are lit outside. Treasurer Lauren Carr Lauren Cree Neal Champagne Parvulus filius —Ashley Mialon, Miriam Gnagy, Sophia Jung, Jacob Buys, Cathy Federici, Robin Wyatt-Stone Hannah Won Marisa Dahlman *+ Allison Freel *+ Matt Li In ancient Celtic society, solstice was the time of the death of the old sun and the birth of the dark half of the year. It Corporate Secretary Ann Gilcrease Fiona Hatfield Will Myers O magnum mysterium—Ashley Mialon, Arvind Narayanan was called Alban Arthuan by the ancient Druids, and it marked the time of the Sun God’s journey through the under- Beth Alley Stephanie Gray Nancy Haver + Arvind Narayanan *^ Mi Zeh Y’maleil —David Carpman world to learn the secrets of death and life. Jordan Berg Ashley Mialon Emily Jordan TENOR II Meaghan Leferink Emi Nakamura *+ Helen Lafferty Kaelee Bolme More familiar to most of us today is the celebration of a twelve-day midwinter holiday called Yule (or Jul), observed Mary Redman Katie Skovholt *+ Teena Littleton *+ David Dodman *^ Briana Schwartz Acknowledgements by the pagan Scandinavian and Germanic people of northern Europe. Many modern Christmas traditions, such as the Jenny Spence *+ Rose Morrison Danny Szydlo *^ Kacey Stevens Deb Arnold—Hebrew translation for Yemei ha’Chanukah Christmas tree, the Christmas wreath, the Yule log, and others, are direct descendants of ancient Yule customs. Jan Strand SOPRANO II Corina Rahmig + Vésteinn Þórsson Sarah Ruuska Robert Wade Gail Broder—Hebrew language coach Rachel Bodansky Rabbi Janine Schloss—Hebrew translation for Mi zeh y’maleil Central to all these traditions is the importance of the natural world, and the ways in which nature joins with spiritual- Advisory Board Mary Clementi Jessica Staire Fred Williams ity to create observances that range from religious to completely secular and humanist. Our program explores various Alice Tang *+ Dean Arnold Jonna Farley BASS I experiences of solstice, winter, and festivals of light. We’ll share music that revels in the beauties of winter and snow- Erin Gabriel *+ Marit Trelstad Keith Axelsen Jim Bartscher *^ Land Acknowledgement fall, seen through the eyes of contemporary composers and poets, as well as traditional Inuit descriptions of snow. Mona Dworkin Miriam Gnagy *+ Janelle Walhout Peter Budny ^ Seattle Pro Musica acknowledges that our performance take Samuel F. Dworkin Elly Hale + Hannah Won+ Together, we’ll experience joyful depictions of festivals of lights, such as Chanukah and Christmas, and revel in this David Carpman place on Indigenous land: the traditional territory of Coast Mike Evans Carole Jones ALTO II Ben Flynn Salish peoples, specifically the Dkhw’Duw’Absh, or Duwamish, magical time of year which has captivated humans for millennia. Phil Haas Sophia Jung *+ Gail Broder Ryan Gao *^ “The People of the Inside.” Noreen King Teena Littleton Shadia Kawa Jacque Deerr-Lord *+ Rick Johnson *^ Teresa Nemeth Terri Lords Cathy Federici * Grant Vandehey Sincerely, Katie Oman Jenn Newland Mara Forster-Smith *+ Robin Wyatt-Stone *^ Joy Portella Ada Ng *+ Liz Langeland Mark Yeary John Schilling Jan Strand + Karen Maneman BASS II Dale Whitehead Erica Weisman *+ Liz Reed Hawk *+ Paul Drayna *^ Judy Williams Elizabeth Sanders + Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Peter Hemmen Check our website for the latest on performance dates and venues. Catherine Wolff Katy Sarff Tom Lin *^ Karen P. Thomas Karen Segar Lee Maneman *^ Artistic Director and Conductor *Vox +Chroma ^Orpheon ORPHEON TTBB Ensemble Solstice Star of Wonder A tender song written in memory of Roche’s friend who died in the 1988 Terre Roche (US, b. 1953) Lockerbie bombing on the Winter Solstice. The performers ask that you kindly hold your applause until the end of each half of the program. Winter Song A setting of a poem by Wilfred Owen describing the change of seasons Karen P. Thomas from autumn to winter. CHROMA SSAA Ensemble Non nobis, Domine A joyful processional that builds from a single melody to a multi-layered VOX Rosephanye Powell (US, b. 1962) celebration. Mixed Ensemble Facta est cum angelo Two Christmas motets by another famed Italian musician-nun, known O lux beatissima A 12th-century text in a beautiful modern setting by a Northwest Raffaella (Vittoria) Aleotti for her skills as a performer, composer, and conductor. Joan Szymko (US, b. 1957) composer. (Italy, c. 1570–after 1646) Snowforms An aural depiction of snowfall, using Inuktitut names for several differ- Angelus ad pastores ait R. Murray Schafer (Canada, b. 1933) ent types of snow. The notation is entirely graphic—white drawings on Raffaella Aleotti bright blue paper that represent the rising and falling of pitches, relative volume, and gestures. Lumina lina An atmospheric setting of an ancient chant used at the lighting of the Mircea Valeriu Diaconescu evening lamp at sunset. (Romania, b. 1929) SEATTLE PRO MUSICA Winter Sun An ode to Canadian winter: “To light, to water, and the flow of birds Wishes A gorgeous setting of the William Butler Yeats’ poem “Aedh wishes for Don Macdonald (Canada, b. 1966) through ancient stars.” Fraser Wilson (England, b. 1984) the cloths of heaven.” Invocation (from This Night) A contemporary setting of an ancient Celtic Christian text: John Muehleisen (US, b. 1955) “God of the moon…sun…stars…” SEATTLE PRO MUSICA Invitation to Love The composer writes of this poem: “It is a reminder to hold a grateful O magnum mysterium A work for chorus and two soloists that combines Western contempo- Faye Chiao, (US, b. 1986) and hopeful heart; no matter the days be filled with light or darkness, Hyo-Won Woo (Korea, b. 1974) rary music with ornamentation and rhythmic patterns from traditional Love is always welcome.” Korean music. O nata lux The composer wrote this piece during his mother’s final illness, saying: winter The composer writes: “watching a quiet snowfall…the terrain and the air Morten Lauridsen (US, b. 1943) “I chose the theme of light…to give me strength…” Joshua Shank (US, b. 1980) itself seem to come alive…from trees, grass and sky to something nearly devoid of color and almost unrecognizable...an utterly pure world...” Winter Ride A quintessential winter piece, the text captures the thrill of running Mari Esabel Valverde (US, b. 1987) through white snow. Birds at Winter Nightfall Based on Thomas Hardy’s well-known poem that presents winter from Karen P. Thomas (US, b. 1957) birds’ point of view. Y’mei Chanukah A rousing celebration of Chanukah and the miracle of the eight days Traditional, arr. Steve Barnett of light. Parvulus filius A stunning 12-part piece for two choirs, composed by one of the famed Sulpitia Cesis (Italy, 1577–after 1619) musician-nuns of 16th- to 17th-century Italy. Mi zeh y’maleil Based on a traditional Sephardic melody sung by the Jews of Tetuan, Traditional, arr. Joshua Jacobson Morocco. These performances are supported in part by ArtsFund, 4Culture, Classical KING FM 98.1, INTERMISSION and the City of Seattle, Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. Please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices. No photography during performances. Thank you. 2 3 anio snow for melting into water Program notes, texts, and translations tiltuktortok snow beaten down aput snow spread out mauyaolertok soft snow Rosephanye Powell’s music is characterized by beautiful melodies, strong rhythmic emphasis, and rich harmonies, often derived from African-American popular styles. She serves as Professor of Voice at Auburn University, and her research has focused on the art of the African American spiritual and the art songs of William Grant Still. In 2009, Don Macdonald is an award-winning composer of film and concert music, and he has an eclectic musical background Dr. Powell received the “Living Legend Award” presented by California State University African Diaspora Sacred Music as a violinist, producer, educator, and conductor. Macdonald has been active as a choral singer since a very young age, Festival in Los Angeles. and many of his works use voice in some way. He also writes music for theatre and dance, and has written in rock, jazz, and folk music idioms. Non nobis, Domine is a short hymn used as a prayer of thanksgiving and expression of humility. The Latin text is from Psalm 113. The text of Winter Sun is from the poem of the same title by the award-winning Canadian poet, Malca Litovitz, and is rich with imagery of a Canadian winter.