University Women’s Chorus Alex Underwood, conductor University Mixed Chorus Allegra Martin, conductor Portia Davis, pianist Thursday, April 21, 2016, 7:30 pm Community United Church of Christ, Champaign PAUL CALDWELL AND SEAN IVORY A Pescar Camaron (b. 1940 and b. 1942) Jessica Palmisano, conductor XAVIER MONTSALVATGE Cuba Dentro de un Piano (1912-2002) MONTSALVATGE Canción de Cuna para Dormir a un Negrito MONTSALVATGE Canto Negro SILVIO RODRIGUEZ Un barco sigue al munda (b. 1946) Jennifer Marnul, soloist RODRIGUEZ Hace no sé qué tiempo ya Shiqi Fu, soloist RODRIGUEZ Erase que se era Emily Alameda, soloist RODRIGUEZ Rabo de Nube arr. Yosvany Estepe Grace Moran, soloist STEPHEN HATFIELD Son de Camaguey (b. 1956) University Women’s Chorus Portia Davis, pianist INTERMISSION ANONYMOUS Hanacpachap Cussicuinin (before 1622) ALBERTO GRAU Kasar Mie La Gaji (b. 1937) JUAN GUTIÉRREZ DE PADILLA Tristis Est Anima Mea (c. 1590-1664) PABLO MILANÉS De Que Callada Manera (b. 1943) arr. DIEGO LUNA V University Mixed Chorus Portia Davis, pianist If you enjoyed today's concert, consider giving to the Harold Decker Fund for Choral Excellence, University Women’s Chorus a new endowment which supports the activities of the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) choral department. Emily Alameda The Fund honors Harold Decker (1914 – 2003), one of the leading fi gures in choral music in Jeannelle Alford the mid-20th century. Professor Decker led the choral program at the University of Illinois Megan Balk from 1957 – 1981, establishing the fi rst doctoral program in the fi eld. Under his leadership, the Celeste Barajas University of Illinois became a preeminent center for the exploration of choral music as both an Jing Cai art and an academic discipline. Decker was admired not only for his artistry and his commitment Annika Dugad to his students, but also for his vision for the choral department at the University of Illinois. Shiqi Fu The Harold Decker Fund for Choral Excellence supports this vision, funding events consistent Kristin Gentile with his dream for the University of Illinois to be recognized as a national center for the study Jiwen Han and performance of choral music: vibrant, intellectually engaged, and generous in sharing the Jisoo Hong transformational power of the art with scholars, conductors, and singers. Jena Johnson Here are some ways your contribution could make a diff erence: Alia Kirsch • $100,000 could take the Chamber Singers on a life-changing international tour Ga Eun Lee • $30,000 to commission a major new work for chorus and orchestra from a leading American Susan Liu composer Nicole Loza • $20,000 enables the Chamber Singers to tour nationally, serving as ambassadors for the Jennifer Marnul University of Illinois • $10,000 supports a major recording project for the choral division Grace Moran • $3,000 allows a talented and needy student to travel with the Chamber Singers to Vienna in Lexie Oliva May 2017 as part of an exchange with the Anton Webern Chamber Choir (the touring choir of Chunqing Qian the Vienna Conservatory) Sara Temple • $ 2,000 provides a scholarship for a graduate student to sing in the Chamber Singers for a Megan Vescio year • $1,500 brings a leading expert in choral music, either a scholar or performer, for a two-day Anika Vogen residency in Champaign-Urbana Cammy Zou • $1,000 pays for a day-trip to Chicago for a performance, or to take the Chamber Singers for a residency/exchange at an Illinois public school • $250 supports the Chamber Singers' initiative to record videos designed to support the work of our choral colleagues working in public shoot music programs • • If you would like to support choral music at the University of Illinois, there are two easy ways you can contribute to the Decker Fund: • you may give online at giving.Illinois.edu (making sure to write Harold Decker Fund for Choral Excellence in the “Designate other Giving Options box”) • or send a check made out to UIF/School of Music to: School of Music Development Offi ce 1114 West Nevada Street Urbana, IL 61801 Please be sure to include Harold Decker Fund for Choral Excellence in the memo section of your check or online payment. University Mixed Chorus Upcoming Choral Department Concerts: Soprano Varsity Men’s Glee Club Spring Concert April 16, 7:30pm, Foellinger Great Hall at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Sarah Blanco Katherine Bohorquez Oratorio Society, Chamber Singers, and Women’s Glee Club with the UISO present Meghan Clodfelter works by Steven Stucky, Johannes Brahms, and Giuseppe Verdi Elizabeth Gartman April 29 7:30pm, Foellinger Great Hall at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Olivia Gronenthal Shannon Jameson Boston Kuchar Bridget McCarthy The Choral Division of the School of Music has been one of America’s most important centers Kaitlin Popovich for the study of the choral art since 1960, when Harold Decker established the nation’s fi rst DMA Amanda Shen program in the discipline at the University of Illinois. Graduates of the program (including Joseph Flummerfelt, Kenneth Jennings, Anton Armstrong, Andre Thomas, Chester Alwes, and Alto Craig Hella Johnson) stand among the most infl uential leaders in the fi eld, both as scholar- educators and as performers, and have held professional conducting positions throughout the Alison LeBeda United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Thereza Lituma Our program off ers advanced conductors a comprehensive curriculum covering Clare McQuinn all aspects of choral music designed to encourage their growth as both scholars and artists. Linzi Meng Our graduate students receive signifi cant instruction in Choral Literature, Musicology, and Rebecca Panitch Performance Practice, supported by a Music Library that has a comprehensive collection of scores, manuscripts, and technologies to support research. Conducting is taught in both private Tenor lessons and master classes, and our students have signifi cant time in front of an ensemble to hone their craft. Wilson Chaney The University’s choral ensembles perform frequently, including regular appearances Deleon Rocquemore at regional and national conventions, and demonstrate the highest level of artistry and Troy Webster professionalism. Performances include music from all style periods and genres, and include regular collaborations with the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia da Bass Camera, as well as with the opera and musicals regularly presented by the Voice and Opera Division. Joseph Chapman Myles Foreman James Ickes Osiris Ramos Chris Sullivan Our fi nal piece is more contemporary. Pablo Milanés is a Cuban singer-songwriter, and along Texts and Translations with Silvio Rodriguez, one of the founders of the nueva trova style, which emerged after the Cuban revolution. This song is from an album that is all se ings of verses by the poet Nicolás Pescar camaron Fishing for shrimp Guillén, known as the national poet of Cuba. The lyrics are wistful and at points even a bit melancholy, but the fl owing, swaying rhythms of the music highlight the poetic ideas of smiling Pescar camaron. Fishing for shrimp. and spring. “Cubiche, que este Cubiche,” me dice un “Hey, li le Cuban,” an American said to me. Americano. What is this song you sing? And what does it by Allegra Martin ¿Qué es esta canción que cantas? ¿Y qué sentido mean? Tell me, tell me, what does it mean? tiene ella? Dime, dime, ¿qué signifi ca? Let’s go to the river to fi sh for shrimp, Que vamo al rio a pescar camaron, The river above to fi sh for shrimp. Que rio arriba a pescar camaron. Let’s go to the river to fi sh for shrimp, Que vamo al rio a pescar camaron, The river down below to catch shrimp. Que rio abajo a pescar camaron. Let’s go to the river to fi sh for shrimp. Vamo al rio a pescar camaron. Oh, it is just a song to sing, nothing more, Pues, es una canción pa’ cantar, no más, A song for fi shing. Una canción pa’ pescar. And when I sing it, Y cuando la canto, It makes me happy. Me da alegría. Cuba Dentro de un Piano Cuba Within a Piano Program Notes for University Mixed Chorus Cuando mi madre llevaba un sorbete de When my mother wore The fi rst piece on our program is, to current knowledge, the oldest piece of polyphony printed fresa por sombrero a strawberry ice for a hat in the Americas, meaning it is the oldest piece of music printed with more than one independent y el humo de los barcos aún era humo de and the smoke from the boats was still vocal part. Hanacpachap cussicuinin is in Quechua, the primary language of the Incan empire, habanero. Havana smoke. which is still spoken today by 8-10 million people; it is one of the offi cial languages of Bolivia, Mulata vuelta abajeram... Mulata from Vuelta Abajo... Ecuador, and Peru. (You can, in fact, study Quechua right here at the University of Illinois!) It Cádiz se adormecía entre fandangos y Cadiz was falling asleep to fandango and was published in 1631 by Juan de Peréz Bocanegra, a Franciscan priest who lived and worked habaneras habanera in and around Cusco, Peru. Bocanegra published Hanacpachap cussicuinin at the end of a manual y un lorito al piano quería hacer de and a li le parrot at the piano tried to sing for priests that he wrote in both Spanish and Quechua. We know nothing about whether the tenor. tenor. composer was a native Quechua speaker, a Spanish priest, or possibly Bocanegra himself. It is ...dime dónde está la fl or ...tell me, where is the fl ower a Christian hymn in adoration of the Virgin Mary, but incorporates Indian imagery, such as a que el hombre tanto venera.