table of contents 2002-03 Concert Season 4 The Dale Warland Singers 6 Dale Warland, Founder and Music Director 8 Artistic Staff 9 From the President 10 Special Guests, Aaron Jay Kernis and Tom Crann 11 30th Anniversary Concert 12 Program Notes 14 History of the Dale Warland Singers 22 30th Anniversary Awards 26 Alumni Singers 29 Former Board Members and Staff 31 The Singers 32 Honor Roll 36 Acknowledgements 39 Sponsors 40 Please note: No cameras or recording devices of any kind may be used during performances. Please turn off any electronic beeping devices (watches, pagers, etc.) or leave them with an usher prior to the performance. Please hold your applause until each section is completed. 3 2002-03 concert season Choral Ventures ™ Tuesday, May 13, 2003, 7:00 pm Sundin Music Hall Hamline University, St. Paul On May 13th, the Dale Wariand Singers presents the 16th annual Reading Session for the finalists of the 2003 Choral Ventures ,. program. This free concert is a unique opportunity for all interested in the process of composing. Four new works will be rehearsed by the Singers, then the floor is open for audience questions and comments. This year's semi-finalists, chosen from 149 applicants in 36 states are Luis Jorge Gonzalez, Jay Huber, Martha Sullivan, and Frances White. Don't miss out on the opportunity to let your voice be heard! FREE ADMISSION! Sponsored by Jerome Foundation 2003-2004 Season of Music Sponsored by Target, Mervyn's and Marshall Fields' with support from the Target Foundation An American Thanksgiving 11/01/03, 8:00 p.m., Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, St. Paul 11/02/03, 4:00 p.m., First Lutheran Church, Columbia Heights Sponsored by Dorsey & Whitney, LLP Echoes of Christmas 12/06/03, 8:00 p.m., St. Olaf Catholic Church, Minneapolis 12/07/03, 4:00 p.m., Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata ORDER YOUR 12/14/03, 8:00 p.m., Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, St. Paul SEASON TICKETS Sponsored by Minnesota Monthly TODAY! Cathedral Classics 3/18/04, 7:30 p.m., Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis Call DWS direct at 3/20/04, 8:00 p.m., Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis 651-632-5870. Sponsored by Ecolab, Inc. Pay no ticket processing, A River Journey handling, or mailing fees! 04/04/04, 8:00 p.m., Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, St. Paul 04/25/04 4:00 p.m., First Lutheran Church, Columbia Heights Sponsored by Deluxe Corporation Foundation 4 recordings ENJOY THE UNPARALLELED SOUND OF THE DALE WARLAND SINGERS IN YOUR OWN HOME WITH THIS MAGNIFICENT COLLECTION OF CDs! Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers - 2002 Christmas wi" ,,,- DALE WARLAND SINGERS With this recording the Dale Warland Singers respond to thou- sands of requests for a new Christmas album. It includes familiar Christmas tunes in new arrangements, brand new carols and old favorites. Bernstein and Britten - 1999 This recording features Bernstein's provocative Chichester Psalms and Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb, plus contemporary works by Rautavaara, Wertsch, Harlap, Albright, Hovland and Paulus. Blue Wheat - 1996 A delightful collection of American folk songs with an expressive range from joyous whimsy to placid profundity December Stillness - 1995 DALE \X'ARLAND .:.. Lush, twentieth-century settings of Christmas/winter inspired texts Cathedral Classics - 1994 The ethereal sounds of Martin, Barber, Howells, and Allegri Fancie - 1994 Music by Brahms, Britten, Vaughan Williams, plus light selections from the Warland Cabaret Singers and more (available only on cassette) A Rose in Winter - 1989 (Re-released 1997) An intriguing blend of time-honored Christmas/winter works and engaging modern offerings Christmas Echoes, Vol. 1 & 2 - 1992 (Re-released 2001) These CDs contain a magical and refreshing collection of well- known and less-familiar Christmas carols. Carols for Christmas - 1987 A unique collection of arrangements of traditional Christmas carols by Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus. These recordings are available during intermission and after the ( concert in the lobby. You may also contact the Dale Warland Singers offices at 651.632.5870 or complete and mail/fax an online order form from our website: www.dalewarlandsingers.org. 5 the dale warland singers Now celebrating its 30th Anniversary Last surnrner the choir made its debut season of concerts, tours, radio at the Ravinia Festival (Chicago). The broadcasts, and critically acclaimed choir also performed at the American recordings, the Dale Warland Singers Society of Harpists National is recognized as one of the world's Conference and the Sixth World foremost a cappella choral ensembles. Symposium on Choral Music, both The 40-voice professional choir is held in the Twin Cities. based in Minneapolis/St. Paul. The Dale Warland Singers also The Dale Warland Singers has earned performs in collaboration with other a reputation for its commitment to Twin Cities arts organizations commissioning and performing new including the Saint Paul Chamber choral music. The ensemble has kept Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the choral genre fresh and alive by and the James Sewell Ballet. The commissioning works from Dominick Singers have worked under the batons Argento, Stephen Paulus, Libby of the late Robert Shaw, Hugh Wolff, Larsen, Carol Barnett, George Edo de Waart, Leonard Slatkin, Bobby Shearing, Peter Schickele, Bernard McFerrin, David Zinman, and Roger Rands, Emma Lou Diemer, Alice Norrington to name a few. Parker, Janika Vandervelde, Augusta Read Thomas, Aaron Jay Kernis, and During the 2002-2003 season, the Frank Ferko among others. The Dale choir released a new holiday Warland Singers' Choral Ventures ,. recording, Christmas with the Dale program solicits works from emerging Warland Singers. The Seattle Times composers, and through this program, describes the choral sound as over $150,000 in commissions have "impeccable, full of vibrant life and been awarded to over fifty talented blended like a bottle of Veuve Clicquot musicians. Grande Dame." This recording joins some 24 other Dale Warland Singers In 1992, the Dale Warland Singers recordings including Bernstein and became the first-ever recipient of the Britten which contains Bernstein's Margaret Hillis Achievement Award Chichester Psalms and Britten's for Choral Excellence. The Rejoice in the Lamb, along with organization shares this honor only Stephen Paulus' Pilgrims' Hymn and with Chanticleer and the Vancouver movements from Albright's Chichester Chamber Choir among professional Mass. Another favorite, Blue Wheat, is choirs. The group's extraordinary a collection of American folk music. efforts on behalf of composers and Also among the Singers' lauded new music resulted in ASCAP Awards releases is December Stillness, which for Adventurous Programming in 1992, BBC Music Magazine gave its highest 1993, 1996, and 1999. rating for performance and sound, calling it, "...splendid, melting stuff." In addition to a subscription season in The South Jersey's Courier-Post called the Twin Cities, the Dale Warland the 1994 release of Cathedral Classics, Singers tours throughout the United "an unmatched musical experience," States and abroad. In 1990, the and The Oregonian stated simply, ensemble traveled to Stockholm and "peerless." Earlier recordings by the Helsinki to represent North America Singers include: A Rosein Winter; at the Second World Symposium on Christmas Echoes, Vols. 1 and 2; Carols Choral Music. During the 1999-2000 for Christmas; Choral Currents; as well concert season, the group concertized as 13 others. in the Southeastern United States. It has also appeared on Garrison Keillor's original A Prairie Home Companion and has been featured on Public Radio International's Saint Paul Sunday. The annual Echoes of Christmas and Cathedral Classics broadcasts reach listeners nationwide, 6 Soprano Alto Beth Althof Abbie Betinis Wendi Buck Galina Erickson Marie Spar Dymit" Joanne Halvorsen' Jodi Hermanson Melissa Holm-Johansen Lynette Johnson Natalia Kojanova Pamela Marentette Mary C. Maiden Muller Melissa Morey Anna George Meek Deborah Loon Osgood Krista Palmquist Dawn Schuffenhauer Naomi Staruch Monica Stratton Tenor Bass Joel C. Fischer' Duane Andersen Eric N. Hopkins Jeffrey Bipes Adam Judd Matthew Culleton" Justin Karch Dave Jacobson David Nordli Brian Kremer Hal Snyder Patrick McDonough Anthony Sofie Michael Meyer Gregory Tambornino Jack Nelson Tim O'Brien Terry Sheetz Brian L. Steele , section leader 7 dale warland, founder and music director Dale Warland, celebrated American musician, has made an indelible impression on the landscape of contemporary choral music both nationally and internationally. During his time with the Dale Warland Singers, he has shaped a vocal ensemble known for its exquisite sound, technical finesse, and stylistic range. From this platform, Warland not only masters the traditional repertoire, but has commissioned over 230 new choral works. Dale Warland founder and music direct'or The choral world has responded by bestowing its highest honors on Warland, including a special award in 2002 from Chorus America and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for Warland's "pioneering vision, leadership and commitment to commissioning and performing new choral works at the highest level of artistry." Other awards and recognition include the 2001 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal; the 2001 McKnight Distinguished Artist Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements as a choral conductor and his continued contribution to the arts in Minnesota; and the 1995 Michael Korn Founder's Award, the highest honor for a choral conductor in the United States, previously awarded to Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, and Roger Wagner, among others. Warland's appearances as a guest conductor have taken him to the podiums of the Swedish Radio Choir, Danish Radio Choir, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, the Utah Chamber Artists, the Grant Park Music Festival and Israel's Cameran Singers. Warland has also rehearsed and prepared choirs for performances of major works in collaboration with notable conductors and composers including Robert Shaw, Edo de Waart, Leonard Slatkin, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, and Kryzstof Penderecki.