“Songs of Travel”

MUSIC AT ROSEDALE (2018-2019) …continues Music at Sunday 9 December 2018, 10:30am CHORAL CANTATA SERVICE: Gloria, RV589 – Antonio Vivaldi In its annual Cantata service the RPC Choir offers this beautiful and exuberant seasonal music with accompaniment from its magnificent Rosedale Karl Wilhelm organ. There is no admission cost to this service. Friday 8 February 2019, 7:30pm “SONGS OF TRAVEL” TRIO NUA – TORONTO TRADITIONAL CELTIC TRIO Sunday November 18th 2018 NUA is an award-winning innovative trio, bringing a fresh and unique 4 o’clock p.m. sound to traditional music, creating their own distinctive original compositions, joined with tunes from Irish and Scottish traditions. Sunday 7 April 2019, 4:00pm “LENT AND LIGHT” – HOGTOWN BRASS WITH THE RPC CHOIR The RPC-resident Hogtown Brass is a Toronto chamber ensemble dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the traditional brass ensemble. They join the RPC Choir in a program of Lenten and light classics prior to leaving on a tour of the Maritime provinces. Rosedale Presbyterian Church Good Friday 19 April 2019, 10:30am 129 Mount Pleasant Road Toronto, Ontario, Canada CHORAL SERVICE – MASS by Steve Dobrogocz www.rosedalepresbyterianchurch.ca Musicians and Ministers from Rosedale Presbyterian and St Andrew’s United Churches join annually for their Good Friday offering. In 2018 this powerful service features the Mass for Choir, Strings and Jazz Piano by American/Swedish composer Steve Dobrogocz. There is no admission cost to this service. www.rosedalepresbyterianchurch.ca Baritone Peter McGillivray has been described in the national press as Boarding Homes Ministry alleviates poverty of companionship, “a gifted comic actor,” with a “rich, flexible and strong voice.” He has practicing inclusion by visiting marginalized people in low-income housing. performed lead roles with the Canadian Opera Company as well as opera Most of the people we visit are isolated due to the stigma of mental illness, companies in Dallas, Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, addictions, and poverty. Together, we co-create relationships faithfulness Manitoba, Hamilton, Ottawa and Quebec City. Additionally he spent the and delight. BHM also advocates for inclusion through educational workshops 2010-11 season on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York in for faith communities on welcoming people who have experienced mental productions of La Bohème and Strauss’ Capriccio. His current season illness and trauma. BHM was founded by the Rev. Rodger Hunter, who served involves productions of Moby Dick with the Dallas Opera, Messiah with the as Chaplain and Executive Director throughout its history, until he passed Elmer Iseler Singers in Toronto, Don Magnifico for Edmonton Opera’s away in April 2017. Rodger was a great lover of music and poetry and keenly Cinderella and Dr. Bartolo in Le Barbier de Séville with Opéra de Québec. committed to the notion of home in the lives of many of society’s vulnerable. Tonight’s concert is offered in memory of, and tribute to him. Christopher Dawes has served Rosedale Presbyterian Church as Director of Music since September 2016, the conducting programs of the The current Chaplain and Executive Director of Boarding Homes Ministry is Faculty of Music, University of Toronto since 2004 and Canada’s Summer Kate McGee, whose brainchild this evening was, and to whom RPC is grateful Institute of Church Music as its 3rd Director since 2005. A busy and sought- for her inspiration of this concert and for lending her voice to the singing. after recitalist and keyboard performer across many parts of Toronto’s musical landscape he also currently directs the Marion Singers of Greater Boarding Homes Ministry Toronto (an a capella chamber choir performing in support of charitable Suite 200, 73 Simcoe Street causes throughout the GTA), and in the town where he resides with his Toronto, Ontario, M5J 1W9 family, he is acting Artistic Director to the 90-voice Georgetown Society. [email protected] boardinghomesministry.ca The Choir of Rosedale Presbyterian Church is a volunteer/ professional choral ensemble serving the regular Sunday and special services of RPC, as well as taking part in occasional concerts in the Music at Rosedale series. Its soloists are some of Toronto’s finest professional choristers, fulfilling a role of encouragement and enabling that blesses both the volunteer members singing side-by-side with them, and their congregation and audiences. Rosedale Presbyterian Church was founded in 1907, expanded for its swelling congregation in 1955, and gained its exquisite Karl Wilhelm Soloists of the Choir of Rosedale Presbyterian Church organ in 1983. For decades RPC has lived a commitment to faith, community Christopher Dawes, Director of Music life and work, mission, and fine and diverse music in both worship services (* = absent in this performance) and various forms of outreach to the broader community. The “Music at Rosedale” Series offers an eclectic season of chamber concerts to its SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS community, and a new Audio and Recording Ministry launching in 2018 is Brooke Dufton Nancy Olfert Charles Fowler *Lawrence Cotton intended to share RPC’s fine space, instruments and other musical gifts with Julia Frodyma Joseph Lévesque *Mikhail Shemet the Toronto musical community and the broader world. Rebecca Genge www.rosedalepresbyterianchurch.ca GUEST SINGERS Kate McGee, Daniel Bevan-Baker, Taylor Gibbs Bless the roof-tree overhead and every sturdy wall; I. A HOME IN HEAVEN The peace of one, the peace of God, the peace of love on all, The road is long and weary, but the light from home is nearing. Wie lieblich sind (Ein Deutches Requiem) – J. Brahms We all leave so we can know the reason why we want to go home. Text: Psalm 84:1,2,4 How lovely are thy dwellings: thou Lord of hosts! For solace and safety, home; My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord: Where the world will not break me, home; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. Leave the light on for me, Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: Never forsake me, take me home. they will always be praising thee. Deep River – spiritual arr. Ringwald IV. A HOME IN SONG AND IMAGINATION Text: traditional Deep River; my home is over Jordan Serenade to Music - Ralph Vaughan Williams Deep River, I want to cross over into campground. Text: William Shakespeare ('The Merchant of Venice') Oh, don't you want to go to that gospel feast, How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! That promised land where all is peace? Here will we sit and let the sounds of music creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night become the touches of sweet harmony. Angel Band – Gospel hymn by Wm. Bradbury arr. Shawn Kirchner Look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: Text: Jefferson Hascall, 1860 There's not the smallest orb that thou behold'st but in his motion like an angel The latest sun is sinking fast, my race is almost run; sings, still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins; Such harmony is in immortal souls; My strongest trials now are past, my triumph is begun. But whilst this muddy vesture of decay doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. O Come, angel band, come and around me stand, O bear me away on your snow-white wings to my immortal home. Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn! I know I'm near the holy ranks of friends and kindred dear, With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear, and draw her home with music. the dew on Jordan's banks: the crossing must be near. O Come... “I am never merry when I hear sweet music.” I've almost gained my heavenly home, my spirit loudly sings, The reason is, your spirits are attentive – the man that hath no music in himself, The holy ones, behold, they come, I hear the noise of wings. Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems and O Come... spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, and his affections dark as Erebus: Let no such man be trusted. Music! Hark! It is your music of the house. Methinks it sounds much sweeter than II. A HOME LOST by day. Silence bestows that virtue on it. How many things by season season'd are to their right praise and true perfection! Peace, ho! The moon sleeps with Endymion and would not be awak'd. Knoxville Summer of 1915 – Samuel Barber: Brooke Dufton, soprano It has become that time of evening when people sit on their porches, rocking gently Soft stillness and the night become the touches of sweet harmony. and talking gently and watching the street and the standing up into their sphere of possession of the trees, of birds' hung havens, hangars. People go by; things go by. (Reception follows in the Great Hall) A horse, drawing a buggy, breaking his hollow iron music on the asphalt; a loud The Gasman Cometh - Flanders & Swan: Charles Fowler, tenor auto; a quiet auto; people in pairs, not in a hurry, scuffling, switching their weight of 'Twas on a Monday morning the gas man came to call; aestival body, talking casually. The gas tap wouldn't turn, I wasn't getting gas at all. He tore out all the skirting boards to try and find the main Parents on porches: rock and rock. From damp strings morning glories hang their And I had to call a carpenter to put them back again ancient faces. The dry and exalted noise of the locusts from all the air at once Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do! enchants my eardrums.

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