Our Mission The Rainbow Women’s Chorus works together to develop musical excellence in an atmosphere of mutual support and respect. We perform publicly for the entertainment, education and cul- tural enrichment of our audiences and community. We sing to enhance the esteem of all women, to celebrate diversity, to promote peace and freedom, and to touch people’s hearts and lives.
Our Story Rainbow Women’s Chorus is a nonprofit corporation governed by the Action Circle, a group of women dedicated to realizing the organization’s mission. Chorus members began singing together in 1996, presenting concerts in venues such as Le Petit Trianon Theatre, the San Jose Repertory Theater, Triton Museum, Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. The chorus also performs at church services, diversity celebrations, awards ceremonies, community meetings and private events. Rainbow Women’s Chorus is a member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA). In 2000, RWC proudly cohosted the GALA festival in San Jose, with the Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus. Since then, RWC has participated in GALA festivals in Montreal (2004), Miami (2008), and Denver (2012). In February 2006, members of RWC sang with a dozen other choruses at a breast cancer and HIV benefit at Carnegie Hall in NYC, Timothy Selig conducting. In July 2010, RWC traveled to Chicago for the Sister Singers Women’s Choral Festival. But we like it best when we are here at home, singing for you! Support the Arts Rainbow Women’s Chorus and other arts organizations receive much valued support from Silicon Valley Creates, not only in grants, but also in training, guidance, marketing, fundraising, and more. Silicon Valley Creates also produces LiveSV, an online, up-to-date listing of arts events in Silicon Valley. Visit them at www.livesv.com the next time you’re looking for somthing to do.
Please support Rainbow Women’s Chorus and other arts organizations with your generous donations. Keep the Arts alive!
Strike the Harp and Join the Chorus! Our Chorus needs not only singers but also support staff and funding in order to continue to bring you beautiful music. The members of Rainbow Women’s Chorus encourage you to join us and share in our joy of singing and entertaining.
Visit our web site, www.rainbowwomen.org, or call (408) 857-3138 or (408) 603-9367 for more information. Rainbow Women’s Chorus Staff Ruth Huber, Co-Artistic Director, Composer-in-Residence Ruth Huber was instrumental in founding both RWC and Tapestry Singers (the Austin Women’s Chorus). She holds three music degrees, including a Master of Music in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory, and has studied conducting at San Jose State University. Her compositions and songs have won awards from the American Choral Directors Association, the San Francisco ArtSong Competition, and the Austin Music Umbrella Songwriters Competition, and she receives commissions from choral groups around the country. A certified member of Music Teachers National Association, she teaches piano, serves as Music Director for Campbell United Congregational Church and resides in San Jose with her wife, Brenda Meng, and an assortment of adorable cats.
Betsy Wagner, Co-Artistic Director, Choralographer Betsy Wagner has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education with a dual major in voice and piano from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. She has been teaching music to students in grades K-12 since 1978. Since coming to the Bay Area in 1990, she has built an award-winning choir program at Morrill Middle School in San Jose. Betsy has been singing with Rainbow Women’s Chorus since 1997 and has been co-director since 2000. She creates the choralography for RWC performances and, in the fall of 2003, helped found RWC’s small ensemble, Vocal InFusion. According to her mom, her natural musical ability showed up at the early age of two, when she played “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” by ear on her toy piano.
Kathy Disney, Accompanist Kathy Disney received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from San Jose State University in 2009 and a teaching credential in 2012. She currently teaches general music to grades K-5 in the Cupertino Union School District. For fun she sings in the church choir and serves as substitute pianist at St. Jude’s, Cupertino. She is a member of NAfME (National Association for Music Education), and AOSA (American Orff-Schulwerk Association). She lives with three wonderful men—husband Don and teenage sons Caleb and Reece— but loves her weekly “women’s night out” with RWC. Singers Concert Production Staff Decorations: Mary Alice and Larry Edson Sopranos Altos Concert Volunteers: Rosy McCloskey, Donna Bonnie Montgomery Betsy Wagner*† Hazel, Karen Evans, Kevin Brownstein, Gloria Perkins† Eileen Hamper Kim Daniel, Lisa Cummings, Al & Winn, Larry Edson Eileen Soeder Jackie Jolly Production Manager: Kathleen Eagan and Jan Blossom Jean Hogan Laurie Pepin Kathleen Eagan Joanna DeSa Program Design and Layout: Eileen Hamper Karen Parker† Kim Wallace† Program Notes: Bonnie Montgomery, Nancy Margaret Lindberg Laurie Ellsworth Arvold, Margaret Lindberg † Marjorie Pearson Laurie Pepin Sound and Recording: Charles Ryan † † Mary Alice Edson Laurie Willis Spanish Translation: Marion Steeg Ruth Huber* Lily Kuo Stage Manager: Brian Singer † Sari Van Otegham Marion Steeg Ticket Distribution: Mary Alice Edson Marnie Singer In addition, all of the members of the Chorus * Directors Nancy Arvold contributed to every aspect of producing this † Vocal InFusion PJ Turnham concert for you. Sally Cooperrider We also always depend on the unflagging Vilma Perry support of our friends, family, partners, and many others. We couldn’t do this without you!
Action Circle (Board of Directors) Chorus Volunteers President: Kathleen Eagan Chorus Contact: Eileen Hamper Vice President: Laurie Pepin Databases: Marnie Singer Treasurer: Laurie Ellsworth Grants and Fundraising: Margaret Lindberg, Eileen Hamper, Mary Alice Edson, Secretary: Eileen Hamper Marjorie Pearson and Marion Steeg Member at Large: Facebook Page: Bonnie Montgomery Mary Alice Edson Membership: Laurie Pepin Bookkeeper: Evon Wise Music Librarian: Gloria Perkins Website: Greg Elmensdorp Performance Booking: Jan Blossom Tax Returns: Sally Cooperrider Wardrobe Mistress: Jan Blossom Big THANKS to Our Donors! Thanks from the bottom of our musical hearts to the following donors for their support: $500+ Anne Hansen, Micki & Becky, $100 - $500 Betsy Wagner, Bettie Owen, Cathy McLain, Eileen Hamper, Jan Blossom, Jan T. Guffey, Joyce Sogg, Kate Engelberg, Kathy Madden, Linda Agler and Lynne McLaughlin, Margie Streuble, Niki Davis, Richard Nancarrow, Terry Shoup, SALLY COOPERRIDER Attorney at Law Contributors Brian Kuhn, Diane James, E.C. and L.L. Family Law Mediation & Collaborative Law Wong, Ellyn Wood, Gerri Hettenbach, Estate Planning Domestic Partnerships Joanna Hill, John Haselden, Julie Ann 142 George St., San Jose, CA 95110 Vargas Meneses, Lee Ann Slaton & Gary www.Cooperriderlaw.com Schaffer, Lois and Kenneth Gerchman, Mary Alice Edson, Phyllis Chai, Ruth (408) 287-7717 Huber, We sincerely apologize if we left your name off.
Rainbow Women’s Chorus
Join us as we enter our eighteenth year. 14938 Camden Ave, Suite 61, San Jose, CA 95124
(408) 857-3138 www.rainbowwomen.org Ladies of Note
How High the Moon INTERMISSION
Route 66 You Make Me Feel So Young
Skylark God Bless the Child
Nice Work if You Can Get It At Last
My Romance It’s De-Lovely
I Can’t Give You Anything but Love Our Love is Here to Stay
Cry me a River (Karen Parker) Sway
Slow Boat to China (Joanna DeSa St Louis Blues (Gloria Perkins) and P.J. Turnham) Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues Java Jive (Vocal InFusion) Miss Celie’s Blues
Additional Performance Credits Piano accompanist: Kathy Disney Trumpet: Amanda Cienfuegos Percussionist: Reece Disney Bass: Terry Shoup Women in Blues and Jazz
How High the Moon Lyrics by Nancy Hamilton, music by Morgan Lewis, arranged by Jay Althouse Lyricist Nancy Hamilton wrote several successful Broadway revues, including “Two for the Show” in 1940, which debuted “How High the Moon.” A graduate of Smith College, Hamilton excelled in many areas. Her film documentary on Helen Keller, narrated by her lifelong friend, actress Katherine Cornell, won the 1955 Oscar for best documentary. While the 1951 Les Paul and Mary Ford version of “How High the Moon” is perhaps the most popular, the jazz com- munity also embraced it. Ella Fitzgerald made it her signature tune, scatting midway through Charlie Parker’s tune “Ornithology,” which he based on the chord progression of “How High the Moon.” Route 66 Words and music by Bobby Troup, arranged by Roger Emerson Route 66 (also known as “Get Your Kicks”) was composed in 1946 by songwriter Bobby Troup. He got the idea for the catchy song while driving along Route 66 from Chicago to LA, one of the first and most popular US Highways, built in 1926. The song celebrates the romance and freedom of cross-country automobile travel at the time. But the rest of the lyrics eluded him, and out of frustration he turned the song into a mini-travelogue by listing some of the cities along the route. Popularized by Nat King Cole, his daughter Natalie recorded it in 1991 on her album Unforgettable: With Love, honoring her father’s memory. Skylark Words by Johnny Mercer, music by Hoagy Carmichael, arranged by Mac Huff Johnny Mercer’s muse, according to his biographer Philip Furia, was Judy Garland. The song is said to express his longing for the teenage Garland, with whom he had an on-and-off affair for decades. The song, with melody composed by Hoagy Carmichael, debuted as a Big Band hit, with Anita O’Day recording it with the Gene Krupa Orchestra in 1941, and Helen Forrest immediately after with Harry James. Each succeeding generation has had its own icon interpret the song, including Ella Fitzgerald in 1964, Bette Midler in 1973, Linda Ronstadt in 1984, and k.d. lang in 1997. Nice Work if You Can Get It Music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, arranged by Jay Althouse The Gershwins composed this tune for the 1937 movie musical A Damsel in Distress, in which Fred Astaire, an American showman, is dropped into an English manor house very much like Downton Abbey. The three Stafford Sisters introduce the song in the movie, and the Andrew Sisters recorded the tune the next year. Songstresses as diverse as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Doris Day have made the song their own. My Romance Words by Lorenz Hart, music by Richard Rogers, arranged by Greg Jasperse The 1935 circus-themed musical Jumbo was the origin of this American standard. By the time a movie adaptation appeared in 1962, Billy Rose’s Jumbo, the public might have forgotten the story, but it could not forget “My Romance.” Over the years dozens of artists have recorded the song, including the Andrews Sisters, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, Judy Garland, and Sarah Vaughn.
I Can’t Give You Anything but Love Words by Dorothy Fields, music by Jimmy McHugh, arranged by Dave Riley and Jay Althouse Imagine Duke Ellington and his orchestra at Harlem’s Cotton Club in the 1920s. Now picture the lady at the microphone. That would be Adelaide Hall, who introduced this song in the Broadway revue Blackbirds of 1928. Her collaboration with the Duke at the Cotton Club and Bill “Bojan- gles” Robinson on Broadway made her a star of the Jazz Age. Adelaide Hall’s young protege at the Cotton Club, Lena Horne, introduced this tune to a second generation when she performed it in the 1943 filmStormy Weather, in which Horne plays a character loosely based on Hall’s life.
Cry me a River Words and Music by Arthur Hamilton Performed by Karen Parker Arthur Hamilton wrote this song in 1953 for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the movie Pete Kelly’s Blues. But cut from the movie, torch singer Julie London introduced the song to the public in a 1955 recording. Ella finally recorded the song in 1961, and in 1963, Barbra Streisand led off her debut album with this song.
Slow Boat to China Words and Music by Frank Loesser Performed by P.J.Turnam and Joanna DeSa “I’d like to get you on a slow boat to China” was often said to poker players who lost steadily and handsomely, meaning their opponents would like to play against them on the longest trip imaginable. Frank Loesser turned it into a romantic song and a big hit in 1948. Female singers who have recorded the song include Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni James, and Bette Midler. Vocal InFusion Java Jive Words and music by Milton Drake and Ben Oakland, arranged by Kirby Shaw Miss Celie’s Blues Words by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and Lionel Richie, music by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, arranged by J. David Moore for MUSE, Cincinnati’s Women’s Choir When Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple came to the screen in 1985, Quincy Jones gave life to what fictional blues singer Shug Avery sang for her friend and lover, Miss Celie, in a back- woods Georgia juke joint. The story, set in the early 1930s, was a low point in Shug’s career, as it was for “Empress of the Blues” Bessie Smith. Shug said Bessie was an old friend, and Alice Walker endowed Shug with some of Bessie’s characteristics: her confidence, her style, and her bisexuality. Bessie died tragically in 1937, but her catalog of Columbia recordings ensures her immortality.
INTERMISSION Enjoy the snacks provided for your enjoyment by our singers. Also, browse our gift table -- make a donation and receive a CD or T-shirt.
You Make Me Feel So Young Words by Mack Gordon, music by Josef Myrow, arranged by Jay Althouse Many a jazz standard began life in a forgettable movie musical. Mack Gordon composed many of these classics, including this one, introduced in Three Little Girls in Blue (1946). Frank Sinatra recorded a version on his album Songs for Swingin’ Lovers in 1956. Pianist and pop singer Jeri Southern responded with her own interpretation in 1957, followed by Ella Fitzgerald’s recording in 1959.
God Bless the Child Words and music by Arthur Herzog, Jr., and Billie Holiday, arranged by Steve Zegree Billy Holiday co-wrote God Bless the Child with Arthur Herzog in 1939, first recorded it in 1941, and was honored in the Grammy Hall of Fame. The song was inspired by an argument with her mother over money; her mother quoted a Biblical verse and said, “God bless the child that’s got his own.” Holiday’s anger led her to use the line and Bible verse as a starting point for the song, reflecting the economic reality of the Great Depression: those who got will get more, and those who don’t will lose it all. At Last Lyrics by Mack Gordon, music by Harry Warren, arranged by Jay Althouse. Etta James, soul and blues singer, made this ballad famous in 1960. It became her signature song and was the third in a string of successful songs from her debut album At Last! It was so popular that it became her second number two R&B hit and crossed over to pop radio, reaching number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. “At Last” was originally written in 1941 by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical filmOrchestra Wives.
It’s De-Lovely Words and music by Cole Porter, arranged by Jay Althouse Ethel Merman starred in thirteen Broadway musicals between Girl Crazy in 1930 and Gypsy in 1959. She introduced this song in 1936’s Red Hot and Blue. Her New York Times obituary read in 1984, “Composers vied for her, knowing she would hit every note on the mark, hold it as long as needed, give it the right shading, follow the trickiest rhythm flawlessly. Lyrics writers were equally certain that she would make every syllable distinct and evoke every bit of laughter from a comic line.”
Our Love is Here to Stay Words and music by George and Ira Gershwin, arranged by Mark Hayes George and Ira Gershwin were working on the composition “Love is Here to Stay” for the unexceptional filmThe Goldwin Follies in 1937, when George died suddenly of a brain tumor. In fact, the song was the last piece of music George wrote. Ira composed the words after George’s death. “Love is Here to Stay” is clearly a love song, but it is really about Ira’s deep love for and profound sadness about his brother’s untimely passing. As many have noted, it is perhaps the greatest song about brotherly love ever written. Although the work was not featured prominently in the 1937 movie, many notable women have since recorded it, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Joni James.
Sway Spanish words and music by Pablo Beltran Ruiz, English words by Norman Gimbel, arranged by Kirby Shaw Mexican bandleader Pablo Beltran Ruiz introduced this mambo in a 1953 instrumental recording. The following year, Norman Gimbel penned English lyrics and Dean Martin recorded the best known version of this song. Here’s how caliente this song was: Rosemary Clooney’s interpretation was released on the 1959 album “A Touch of Tabasco,” which was distributed with bottles of Tabasco sauce. Torch singer Julie London featured the song on her marvelously titled 1963 album “Latin in a Satin Mood.” More recent artists have covered the song, including Michael Bublé in 2004, the Pussycat Dolls in 2006, and the obligatory appearance on Glee in 2010. St Louis Blues Words and music by W. C. Handy. SWAY (translation of the Spanish text) Performed by Gloria Hayes-Perkins Who will be the one to love me? Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues Who will she be? Who will she be? Words and music by Ida Cox, arranged by Ruth Huber Who will give me her love? Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Ida Who will she be? Cox reigned as blues royalty through the 1920s, Who will she be? performing on the segregated vaudeville circuit and cutting what was then called “race records.” I don’t know if I will ever find her. Bluesmen overshadowed the ladies in the 1930s, I don’t know. I don’t know. and these queens were almost lost to history. Ida Cox was in retirement when persuaded to make I don’t know if I will ever love again. new recordings. Her 1960 album Blues for Rampart I don’t know. Street sparked a renaissance for classic female I don’t know. blues. Wild Women found a new generation of listeners and singers. Just in the 1960s, Francine I have wanted to live again (with) Reed, Barbara Dane, Nancy Harrow, Sue Keller and The passion and warmth of another love, Cass Elliot covered the song. Another love that would make me feel, That would make me happy.
Who will be the one to give me her love? Who will she be? Who will she be?
Who will she be? Who will she be? Who will she be?