Nativity. Laud to the. Idaho Washington Concert Chorale

Transcription

1 24 Our Season Billboard Hits March 2ND at 7:30PM Pullman Community Congregational United Church of Christ March 3RD at 7:30PM Lewiston First United Methodist Church Celebrating the 50TH Anniversary of when BYE, BYE LOVE, WAKE UP LITTLE SUSIE, JAILHOUSE ROCK and SILHOUETTES were Billboard Magazine s number one hits. 1 Harmony A Chorus of Wine, Cheese & Song March 25TH at 5:00PM St. JaMEs Episcopal Church Pullman The chorale s annual Wine & Cheese fundraiser hosted with the Palouse Enological Society. $25 with wine $15 food only. Featuring entertainment by chorale members and friends. Elgar & Bruckner April 28TH at 7:30PM April 29TH at 6:00PM St. Boniface Catholic Church Uniontown Edward Elgar AVE VERUM CORPUS, AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA, AVE MARIS STELLA Anton Bruckner LOCUS ISTE, AVE MARIA, VIRGA JESSE, PANGE LINGUA, CHRISTUS FACTUS, OS JUSTI Celebrating the 150TH anniversary of Elgar s birth. Idaho Washington Concert Chorale 1 Concert Nativity Laud to the Sponsored by Decagon Devices, Inc. Friday, December 15, 2006 at 7:30 PM, ST. BONIFACE CATHOLIC CHURCH, UNIONTOWN Sunday, December 17, 2006 at 3:00 PM, ST. BONIFACE CATHOLIC CHURCH, UNIONTOWN

2 Hear Us Sing Perhaps there is no better time of year to consider how the past can influence the present. Nostalgia for the traditions and familiar customs determines our most cherished celebrations, and the human desire for safety, plenty, reassurance, and wonder is strong when the days are darkest. Particularly in the music of this season, we experience a reassuring connection to the long ago and far away. Paradoxically, the music of this concert draws us into the past while allowing us to be present in the here and now. An intriguing theme pervades the Chorale s current program of Christmas music, as each piece gives us remarkable insight into the creative inspiration derived from earlier musical and poetic sources. Paula Elliot, Soprano and WSU Librarian Our Concert Sponsor Decagon Devices, Inc. Decagon Devices was initially founded, as a family business in 1983 in Pullman, Washington, and has now grown into a prosperous small business with over 40 employees. Decagon s instruments have applications in foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biology, forestry, agronomy, and soil sciences and are used throughout the world in organizations of all sizes, including universities, research and testing laboratories, state and government agencies, wineries, and industrial testing facilities. Decagon is recognized as the world leader in water activity instrumentation in the food industry. Their AquaLab water activity meter sets the standard for speed, accuracy, and ease of use. For further information please view their website at UP TOWN HAIR & NAIL SALON Suzanne A. Robinson L.M.P., R.N Licensed Massage Practitioner, R.N. Nationally Certified American Massage Therapy Association cell Thain Road,Suite A Lewiston, Idaho Our Business Supporters The Bank Left Gallery Fine Art, Design & Gifts 100 S Bridge Palouse, Washington Wednesday - Saturday 10-5 pm A Proud Supporter of Arts on the Palouse RONALD B. WEBSTER

3 22 3 Support our local & regional artists! Our Business Supporters Family & Cosmetic Dentistry Children & New Patients Welcome Personalized & Comfortable Alfred M.Fairbanks,DDS Jonathan M.Fairbanks,DDS Practicing in Pullman over 30 years DAY (2329) 1410 SE Bishop Boulevard, Pullman, Washington Program Notes BUXTEHUDE: Das Neugeborne Kindelein celebrated organist Dietrich Buxtehude was born The and educated in Denmark, but became a citizen of Lübeck at the age of 30, when he assumed his lifelong post at the Marienkirche. His position did not require him to write vocal music, but he was clearly attracted to it, and his surviving choral works illustrate a moment of musical transition in the mid-17th century. Sometimes drawing on the Venetian polychoral style of the renaissance, which had made its way to Germany in the preceding generation, Buxtehude was nevertheless a composer of his own northern culture and his own time, utilizing the strophic structure of Lutheran hymns, and making strong, consistent use of the basso continuo (played here with an informed bow by cellist Ruth Boden). Composed for New Year s in the latter decades of the 1600s, Das Neugeborne Kindelein is a stylistically ambiguous work, called cantata by some, motet, by others, and recently, vocal concerto. The Lutheran verses were in common use for about a century prior to the appearance of Buxtehude s setting. In renaissance motet style, the text is divided into short phrases, and its words are often enhanced by musical illustration, as in the florid passages for singen (to sing), and the resolute articulation of the word trotz (despite). Baroque techniques contrasting sections, dynamic shifts, and instrumental interludes allow each element of text to be thoroughly reflected in the music. As John Weiss has observed, the chorale-like center of the work gives dramatic expression to devout reconciliation, the uppermost theme in New Year s observances of the pious. Surrounding this key sentiment are sprightly passages of happy anticipation and confidence in God s compact with the faithful. The new year of 2007 brings with it the 300th anniversary of Buxtehude s death. In this performance of Das Neugeborne Kindelein, the Chorale celebrates his life and legacy. RESPIGHI: Laud to the Nativity centerpiece of this concert is a dramatic retelling of The the shepherds encounter with the angel and their visit to the manger. In Respighi s Rome, shepherds were part of a centuries-old Christmas ritual, as they came into the city from their mountains to play their pipes before images of the Virgin in the streets. The pastoral music of these p iff e rar i inspired many composers, from Corelli to Berlioz. It is not surprising that the Roman Respighi incorporated the living musical tradition of the piff e rar i into this composition. In the opening of the Laud, we hear the orchestral descendants of the shepherd s pipes, setting the stage for the drama to unfold. The piece was composed between 1928 and 1930, and given its first performance in a private setting. The text of the Laud is by the 13th-century Franciscan monk, Jacopone da Todi. Like St. Francis himself, Jacopo was born into a prosperous Umbrian family, but following devastating personal experiences, he chose a simple and penitential life of writing and contemplation. The often-set Good Friday poem, Stabat Mater Dolorosa, is also thought to be of his authorship. His copious devotional verses, though never unknown, were popularized in French in the mid-19th century, at the height of the European Romantic Movement. The English translation sung here attempts to imitate the complicated rhyme scheme of the medieval Italian. Although trained in the conventions of 19th-century German romantic music, and at times a student of both Max Bruch and Rimsky-Korsakov, Respighi s great love of earlier Italian music colored his distinctive style. Medieval songs, Renaissance lute music, Gregorian chant and obscure 17th-century Italian operas captured his imagination and found their way into lush, richly-textured early-20th-century compositions best described today as neo-baroque. Both the shepherd s and Mary s monologues are supported by sometimes surprising modal harmonies in a manner similar to the monodies of Monteverdi, while the Angel s coloratura passages resemble the ornamented vocal style cultivated by artful singers in the Baroque. Certain passages evoke medieval chant, and others find their roots in madrigals and renaissance dances. But all are bound together by a masterful early 20th-century use of theatrical color, harmony and instrumentation. The characters of the timid, awestruck shepherds are featured in the scene at the manger, where they witness the child that the angel announced. Their tentative interaction with a serene and welcoming Mary, whose reflections alter the mood to one of contemplation, give way to a great contrapuntal rejoicing by the choir, which dramatically calms to join with a final meditation of the Virgin, a parting appearance of the angel, and a grateful Amen. John h. Norton Attorney at Law S Washington, Moscow, Idaho Licensed in Washington and Idaho

4 4 21 Program Notes POULENC: THREE SELECTIONS FROM Quatre Motets Pour le Temps de Noel the 1920s, Francis Poulenc was the youngest of the In notorious group Les Six, whose mission was to divert contemporary composition from the influence of German Romanticism and French Impressionism. After early avantgarde output, he studied composition with Charles Koechlin, who was known for his modernist music, but who assigned his pupil Bach chorales to harmonize. Called part rascal and part monk, Poulenc became a prolific composer of both secular and sacred music. It is the sacred to which we turn, a succession of mystical compositions, fueled by a return to his boyhood Catholicism, begun in 1936 in response to profound personal experiences. One writer has said that, At first listen... Poulenc would seem to have written his ethereal, polyphonic a cappella sacred music during the 15th century instead of the 20th. Polyphony came naturally to him. But like Respighi, Poulenc possessed a musical vocabulary of his time, and his use of pure 20th-century harmonies further dramatizes the message of the verses in his contemporary motets. These small, intimate pieces set well-known medieval Latin Christmas poems in a style reminiscent of earlier sacred choral music. But unlike renaissance composers, Poulenc deliberately ignores the rhythmic stress of the language, setting it against the rhythm of the music, challenging singers to bring a new, conscious awareness to the meaning of the words. The Quatre Motets were first performed as a group in The three heard here form a sequence of meditations, from awe at the manger in O Magnum Mysterium, to the shepherds lyrical narrative in Quem Vidistis Pastores, and ultimate rejoicing in the birth of Christ, Hodie Christus Natus Est. RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Fantasia on Christmas Carols texts and melodies also inspired the program s Early final offering. The three English carols that make up the Fantasia are not found among the well-worn tunes that pervade our atmosphere between October and December. Yet they were familiar to the English country people of the early- 20th century, at a time when urbanization and industrialization threatened the rich folk cultures of all Europe. The collecting of folk songs in this period by dedicated scholars and composers was a function both of romantic nostalgia for earlier times and modern nationalistic sentiments that were alternately literary and political. A contemporary of Respighi, but outliving him by 20 years, Vaughan Williams studied with Max Bruch and Maurice Ravel, whose influence can be heard in the rich colorations and exquisite lines of the waning 19th century. Yet Vaughan Williams believed that the authentic resource for a new English music lay very close to home. He was drawn not only to his native folk song, but also to Elizabethan and Jacobean music, puritan hymns, and themes of the sea and adventure. Profoundly humane, he believed that music was always for ordinary people, and was devoted to giving English music back to the English. Yet the music he returned to the world was of a genre all its own, immediately recognizable by its evocative, often ancient-sounding harmonies, energetic dance-like passages, and lambent atmospheric qualities. In 1906, Ralph Vaughan Williams himself became a collector of the old songs of the Sussex and Herefordshire countryside, and for this reason among many, he is a monumental figure in the revival of British music. His Fantasia on Christmas Carols was first performed in The stark evangelical quality of This is the Truth Sent from Above is characteristic of many religious folk songs that narrate the Old Testament circumstances for the coming of Christ. In contrast, On Christmas Night is a happy celebration of the promise made good. Come All You Worthy Gentlemen is comparable to our more familiar, God Rest Ye. The baritone solo that introduces all three songs has the character of a wandering storyteller, with the power to both frighten listeners and to mollify their fears. The chorus provides both a harmonic accompaniment to the soloist and a joyous noise of celebration and good will to all. Woven through the vocal and instrumental lines are melodic fragments of The First Nowell, and the less familiar English carols, The Wassail Bough, A Virgin Unspotted, and There is a Fountain. In the final wassailing verses of the Fantasia, we extend our holiday greetings to you, our audience, in a wish for good health, prosperity and happiness this holiday season and, as the poem says, forevermore, amen. Pa u l a E l l i o t Season Tickets You can still purchase season tickets! todays ticket can be used towards the purchase price. $30 for three tickets good at any concert this season. Tupperwa perwa are Helen Lombard, Direc Our Business Supporters for Home, for Heal lth, for Lif fe custom kitchens bridal showers microwave classes fund raisers classic parties phone: cell: helenannel@aol.com Director Hodgins Drug & Hearing Something for everyone since South Main, Moscow, Idaho Open Monday - Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-5, Sunday 12-5

5 20 5 Our Business Supporters OPEN 24 HOURS Now featuring full US Postal Services! Lotto ATM Money Orders Photo Finishing Tradition since N Grand Avenue Pullman, Washington fax Season Tickets You can still purchase season tickets! todays ticket can be used towards the purchase price. $30 for three tickets good at any concert this season. Brused Books buy sell trade hardbacks - paperbacks science to science fiction literature to psychology 235 E Main Pullman, Washington Monday - Saturday 10-6 pm Closed Sunday Laud to the Nativity DAS NEUGEBORNE KINDELEIN Dietrich Buxtehude ( ) Ferenc Cseszko, violin 1, Concertmaster Gladys Patten, violin 2 Diane Worthey, violin 3 Ruth Boden, violoncello Elena Panchenko, harpsichord Das neugeborne Kindelein, das herzeliebe Jesulein bringt abermal ein neues Jahr der auserwählten Christen Schar. Des freuen sich die Engelein, die gerne um und bei uns sein und singen in den Lüften frei, daß Gott mit uns versöhnet sei. Ist Gott versöhnt und unser Freund, was kann uns tun der arge Feind? Trotz Teufel, Welt und Höllenpfort, Das Jesulein ist unser Hort! Es bringt das rechte Jubeljahr. Was trauern wir dann immerdar? Frisch auf, es ist jetzt Singens Zeit: Das Jesulein wendt alles Leid! A newborn Child Dear little Jesus, Brings a new year once again To the chosen flock of Christians. The angels rejoice, Who love to be around us And sing out freely in the air, That God is reconciled. If God is appeased and is our friend What can the evil enemy do to us? Despite the Devil, despite the world and the Gates of Hell The little Jesus is our refuge. It brings the true year of jubilee. Why should we grieve anymore? Up now, it is the time to sing; The little Jesus Child takes sorrow away. Thank you for joining us tonight! A reminder to please turn off all cell phones, pagers and recording devices and refrain from using fl ash photography during the performance. Please hold applause between movements. Musical Alchemy, Inc. is recording our performance this evening. Friday night patrons: Please help us reduce our printing costs by recycling your programs in the box provided as you leave this evening.

6 6 19 Laud to the Nativity LAUD TO THE NATIVITY Ottorino Respighi LAUDA PER LA NATIVITÀ DEL SIGNORE (1930) ( ) The Angel Julie Anne Wieck, soprano Mary Nancy Grunewald, mezzo-soprano The Shepherd Matthew Holter, tenor Leonard Garrison, flute 1 Alheli Pimienti, flute 2 Keri McCarthy, english horn Lisa Pratt, oboe Becky Wernham, bassoon 1 Kelsey Hoskins, bassoon 2 Elena Panchenko, piano 1 Nola Swanson, piano 2 Jeremy Krug, triangle THE ANGEL TO THE SHEPHERDS: Fear not, ye shepherds abiding yonder upon the hills, ye shepherds of Judea. Raise your voice and behold Him. I am the Angel of eternal dawning. I am the messenger holy and I bring to you good tidings of great joy. This day is born the little Jesus, the Son of God, that all may rejoice in salvation. ANGEL CHORUS: And this child pure and holy, sent by the Lord against evil to battle, lies in a stable lowly, within a manger among the sheep and the cattle. To shield the Child from the breezes, Mary, gently in bands of linen has bound Him. His blanket is the hay around Him. Thus art Thou come down to earth, blessed Jesus. And this Child, pure and holy, sent by the Father, lies in a stable with a manger bed lowly. THE ANGEL: Fear not, ye shepherds abiding yonder upon the hills, ye shepherds of Judea. Raise your voice and behold him. I am the Angel of God. THE SHEPHERD: O Lord, Thou hast descended to earth from heaven. Angels sang in chorus, Thou must be sore offended to lie there in a stable rude before us. Poor is the preparation, which we have made to welcome Thine incarnation. THE SHEPHERDS AT THE MANGER: Ah, how rude is the stable where fast asleep the infant Lord we discover. His mother was not able to find a bed nor a blanket Him to cover. Here Joseph also lies a-sleeping too old and weary for to aid the mother. Thus, she alone is keeping watch o er the Child, fairer than any other. THE SHEPHERD: O Lord, Thou hast descended... MARY: My Child, sweet be thy slumber; though Thou must lie poor here in a manger, bright angels without number hover around Thee, guarding Thee from danger. My Son, with what affection I gaze upon Thee! Filled with awe on Thy birth I ponder! Beholding Thy perfection, I am removed far from poverty and sadness. My heart is filled with gladness, for joy far greater than my joy maternal comes from Thee, Child of wonder! SHEPHERDS: O Fountain of joy eternal, lying upon the hay here we behold Thee. MARY: How blest am I who bore Thee! Alas, how poor the arms which now enfold thee! SHEPHERDS: Take our cloaks for the Baby, O blessed Mary, if they do not offend thee, that sheltered thus He may be. MARY: As Lord we worship and adore Thee; Thou art descended from on high to save us. Though poorly we now receive Him, though naked He lies in the hay it will not grieve Him, if we only will believe on Him, this heavenly Infant whom the Father gave us. SHEPHERDS: Our flocks unguarded stand, we cannot tarry. Now no longer care we for the cold: we have beheld Him, the Infant Jesus! Praise to Thee! Honor! Thine be glory! Father in heaven. God Almighty. O Savior, of God begotten and born of a virgin in humiliation, give light to ev ry nation, that by Man Thy birth here may never be forgotten. Happy would we hasten back to our hillsides and our flocks, could we but touch Him; yet we Our Business Supporters Creating memories our Specialty 234 E Main Street, P.O. Box 218, Pullman, WA

7 18 7 Our Business Supporters We are proud to support the arts in our communities. dare not ask this favor. Unclean shepherds, we are fearful that we might smutch Him. Contented would we hasten back to our hills and flocks, could we but touch Him. MARY: That ye may go rejoicing, men of the fields, draw nearer and kneel before Him, touch Him and adore Him.Thus blest by Him, go forth, your praises voicing. SHEPHERDS: Glory! Praise, and honor and glory to Thee. Glory to Thee, O Father on high, Thou God Almighty. Glory, praises, honor... Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among all men of good will! To save the world from evil Thou cam st in pity, for it was not Thy duty, O Child of heavenly Laud to the Nativity Intermission beauty. Laud we Thy Name, extol Thee, Lord of all majesty, Father everlasting. Peace on earth, good will to all men of good will. ANGEL: Glory be unto God in heaven... MARY: Upon me God bestowed His favor, and I shall cease to laud and praise Him never. I bore to Man a Savior who shall be king of earth and heav n forever. I bow in humble devotion o er the Child who has come to save us from error. No rose was ever fairer. His beauty fills my soul with pure emotion. My thoughts I cannot capture. My spirit lifts in rapture; it soars ever higher! ANGEL:...for born is the promised Messiah! SHEPHERDS: Amen, Amen, Amen...

8 8 17 Laud to the Nativity from QUATRE POUR LE TEMP DE NOEL Francis Poulenc (1952) ( ) performed by The Chamber Choir I. O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM O magnum mysterium, et admirabile sacramentum, ut animalia viderent Dominum natum, jacentem in præsepio. Beata Virgo cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Christum. II. QUEM VIDISTIS PASTORES DICITE Quem vidistis, pastores dicite? Annuntiate nobis, in terris quis apparuit. Natum vidimus, et choros Angelorum collaudantes Dominum. Dicite quidnam vidistis et annuntiate Christi Nativitatem. IV. HODIE CHRISTUS NATUS EST Hodie Christus natus est. Hodie Salvator apparuit. Hodie in terra canunt Angeli, lætantur Archangeli hodie exsultant justi, dicentes: Gloria in excelsis Deo. Alleluia. O great mystery, and wondrous sacrament, that the animals might see the Lord born in the manger. Blessed be the virgin whose womb was worthy to bear our Lord Christ. Tell us, shepherds, whom have you seen? Make known who has appeared on earth. We have seen a newborn babe and the chorus of angels praising the Lord. Tell us all you have seen and proclaim the birth of Christ. This day, Christ is born. This day the Saviour appears. This day on earth the angels sing, the archangels rejoice, and the just exult saying: Glory to God in the highest. Alleluia. Aitken, Schauble, Patrick, Neill, Ruff & Shirley Archer Photography Artisans at the Dahmen Barn At Home Designs Auditorium Chamber Music Series The Bank Left Gallery Beasley Realty Bennett & Associates BookPeople of Moscow, Inc. Brused Books City northamerican Coleman Oil/Chevron DynaMarts Cowgirl Chocolates Creason, Moore & Dokken Dissmore s IGA Eastside Marketplace Eleanor s Corner Saloon Free & Clear Gail Byers Real Estate Other Chorale Supporters We would like to thank the following individuals and businesses for their support, contributions, and assistance. Our Families Our Season Ticket Holders American West Bank, Uniontown Athena Design Adam Benson Paul Brians Churchyard Inn Bed & Breakfast & Cheryl Waller City of Colton Sharon & Eugene Dixon Paul Dorpat & Jean Sherrard Albert & Ellen Eng Shirley Engerbretson First Step Internet First United Methodist Church, Lewiston Jack Keller Jonathon Keller Kirstin Malm Maryann & Don Matteson Ted Nitz The Owl Southway Pharmacy Our Advertisers Gritman Medical Center Helen Lombard, Tupperware Hill s Valley Floral Hodgin s Drug John H. Norton, Attorney at Law MarcoPolo Imports Marketime Drug McDonald s of Pullman, Stadium Way Moscow Vision Clinic Musical Alchemy, Inc. The Natural Abode Neill s Flowers & Gifts New Garden Restaurant One World Café Open Eye Consignment Shop Otto s Produce Market Pacific NW Kiwanis - Louise Regelin, District Governor Palouse Industries, Inc./Early Learning Services/Young Children & Families of the Palouse James Payne Mimi Pengilly Julia Pomerenk Malynda Ray St. Boniface Church, Uniontown St. James Episcopal Church, Pullman Chris Thompson City of Uniontown & Police Dept. Ronald Webster Leo West Palouse Enological Society Palouse View Dental Center Pets Are People, Too Precision Engraving Gifts & Awards Premier Alpacas of the Palouse Pullman Civic Trust Rose Creek Graphics Sam Dial Jewelers Suzanne Robinson, Uptown Hair Salon S&S Custom Cabinets, Inc. Today s Dental Webster & Frey, P.L.L.C. Wine Company of Moscow Woodland Enterprises, Northwest Showcase 110 East Third Moscow, Idaho

9 16 Wreath Art Notecards $5 for 5 9 Chorale Board Member & alto Karen Weathermon so enjoyed our season poster artwork that she envisioned high quality notecards in their image as a fundraiser for the chorale. Teaming up with Marketing Director & soprano, Jill Price Freuden, Karen s idea has been wildly successful and each year a new Poster Art Notecard has been added to the collection. This season Karen & Jill joined with Acting Bass Section Leader David Spencer to create a set of holiday notecards featuring David s stunning handmade Holiday Wreaths as photographed by Jill in his studio/workshop this December. David has created intricate and lush wreaths from greenery, flowers and berries he grows in his own garden as gifts family and friends for quite some time. In recent years he has donated wreaths for the chorale to sell as a fundraiser and this season his wreaths raised more than $1500 for the choir. These notecards may be purchased in sets of five cards for $5 or individually for $1.25. There are 6 cards in the series, four featuring the wreaths that are especially nice for the holidays. The two other cards show bunches of hanging dried flowers that David harvested this summer and would be appropriate any time of the year. Notecards are printed in vibrant color on 80 pound smooth cover stock and are bundled with an envelope and an attractive raffia binding. Our Poster Art Series Notecards are still available, adding this season s Singing At Silverthorne photograph taken in 2003 at Silverthorne Theatre in Lewiston by Lawrence Norris. FANTASIA ON CHRISTMAS CAROLS Ralph Vaughan Williams (1912) ( ) Chris Thompson, baritone Ruth Boden, violoncello SOLO: This is the truth sent from above, The truth of God, the God of love: Therefore don t turn me from your door, But hearken all, both rich and poor. The first thing which I will relate Is that God did man create, The next thing which to you I ll tell, Woman was made with man to dwell. Then, after this, twas God s own choice To place them both in Paradise, There to remain, from evil free, Except they ate of such a tree. And they did eat, which was a sin, And thus their ruin did begin. Ruined themselves, both you and me, And all of their posterity. CHORUS: Thus we were heirs to endless woes, Till God, the Lord, did interpose, And so a promise soon did run, That He would redeem us by His Son. SOLO: That He would redeem us by His Son. CHORUS: Come all you worthy gentlemen, that may be standing by. Christ, our blessed Saviour, was born on Christmas day. The blessed Virgin Mary unto the Lord did pray. O we wish you the comfort and tidings of joy! SOLO: On Christmas night all Christians sing To hear the news the angels bring. CHORUS: On Christmas night all Christians sing To hear the news the angels bring. SOLO: News of great joy, news of great mirth, News of our merciful King s birth. CHORUS: News of great joy... Laud to the Nativity Elena Panchenko, piano Jeremy Krug, chimes SOLO: When sin departs before Thy grace, Then life and health come in its place. CHORUS: When sin departs... SOLO: Angels and men with joy may sing, All for to see the newborn King. CHORUS: All for to see... Angels and men... All for to see... SOLO: God bless the ruler of this house and long on may he reign. CHORUS: From out of darkness we have light Which makes the angels sing this night. SOLO: Many happy Christmases he live to see again. God bless our generation, who live both far and near, CHORUS: Glory to God and peace to men Both now and evermore, Amen SOLO: And we wish them a happy, a happy New Year. CHORUS: God bless the ruler of this house and long on may he reign. Many happy Christmases he live to see again. God bless our generation, who live both far and near, And we wish them a happy, a happy New Year. SOLO: O we wish you a happy, a happy New Year. CHORUS: Both now and evermore, Amen.

10 John Weiss, Conductor Currently assistant professor of music at Washington State University, John Weiss earned a Bachelor of Music degree in music education at Boston University s School for the Arts, a Master of Fine Arts degree in choral conducting at the University of California, Irvine, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Arizona. Past choral groups under his direction have won numerous first prizes at state, regional and national competitions. He has been a guest clinician and conductor at MENC regional and state conferences in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Oregon, and choral director for North American Music Ensembles 1991 European tour. As a bass, Dr. Weiss was a Metropolitan Opera Regional Finalist and won First Prize in the Associazione Lirica Italo-Americana Mario Del Monaco Voice Competition. He has performed leading and supporting roles with Boston Lyric Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Ash Lawn-Highland Summer Festival, Raylynmor Opera, Commonwealth Opera, Longwood Opera, Vermont Opera, Oakland Opera, and Sacramento Opera, and also soloed for such organizations as the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, College of the Holy Cross Choirs, and the Oakland Chamber Orchestra and Oratorio Society. Some of his favorite roles include Leporello in Don Giovanni, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Mustafa in L italiana in Algeri, Alfie Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Sarastro in Die Zauberfl öte, Colline in La Bohéme, Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore. In May 2005, he sang the role of Sparafucile in Rigoletto with Granite State Opera in New Hampshire. Dr. Weiss will present a recital at WSU on January 16, 2007, before he travels to perform the same program in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Mobile, Alabama. The University of Arizona nominated Dr. Weiss doctoral research, Operatically Trained Singers in the Collegiate Choral Rehearsal, for the Julius Herford Award sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association. An article based on this research appeared in Th e Choral Journal, August 2002 and he presented his findings at the Second International Physiology and Acoustics of Singing Conference in Denver in October Last spring he presented the same research at the Washington Music Educators Assoc. State Conference in Yakima, and at the American Choral Directors Association NW Division Convention in Portland. Elena Panchenko, Accompanist Elena Panchenko, originally from Ukraine, studied at the Moscow Conservatory, where she earned her degree in piano performance, music history and music theory. She served as the Musical Director of the Penn State Opera for four years and performed the debut of two new operas, including Mrs. Satan, an opera about the life of the first woman presidential candidate, Victoria Woodhall. Working extensively as an accompanist and church musician, Elena has performed with groups as varied as a children s dance group to such well-know musicians as Francis Orval and David Shifrin, clarinetist and Music Director of Chamber Music at Lincoln Center. In addition to Elena s duties with the chorale, she is also the Music Director at St. James Episcopal Church in Pullman. Elena s family includes her husband, Alex, WSU Math Professor and former Ukrainian rock star (as is Elena); her son Ivan, a student at UW; and their dog, Tasha. We hope that you enjoy our concert this evening. We love planning, preparing and presenting classical choral works to you and have been blessed by such appreciative audiences and supporters. Your attendance, donations, season ticket purchases, and fundraiser purchases make a difference. We want to thank you for your previous support and ask you to continue, or possibly increase, your giving level in As our support grows, we grow, and your contributions not only help us to purchase music, pay for venue & rehearsal space, and financially compensate our very talented Musical Director and Rehearsal Accompanist, but allow us to hire chamber musicians and guest soloists to enhance our performances. Our Executive Committee & Board of Directors are volunteers and all chorale members pay dues of $60 a season and have voted to continue this level of giving for the future. Your financial support keeps us strong and 100% of your donation goes directly to creating concerts. Thank you for thinking of us! We N eed You! SPECIAL GIVING OPPORTUNITIES & BENEFITS New for Chamber Orchestra Sponsorship $2500 Sponsors benefits, plus the opportunity to be hosted by a Chorale member as our guest at one Dress or regular Rehearsal and to receive a free chorale member only CD from any concert. This level supports a Chamber Orchestra for one concert series. St. Boniface Piano Update Check out the New Piano! St. Boniface Catholic Church is proud to announce the purchase of the Yamaha G-2 Art Deco Grand piano the chorale is using tonight. Many talented musicians donated their art to several Piano Benefit performances over the last three years realizing a dream of the chorale and Piano Benefit Organizer Janice O Toole to see a quality piano find its home in this beautiful venue. Many thanks to all those who performed, the many who helped behind the scenes, and all of you who supported this cause by attending these wonderful concerts. Once a majority of the funds were raised, the arduous task of evaluating pianos began, and Jay & Sandra Mauchley are to be especially recognized for their considerable efforts on locating this fine instrument. The chorale is thrilled to be the first performing group to take advantage of the new piano. We want to thank Washington State University s Music and Theatre Arts Department for loaning pianos for so many previous concerts and City northamerican for donating half of the moving costs over the years. St. Boniface s piano still needs your financial support. A piano cover and spider dolly are needed and a maintenance fund needs to be established, as any piano requires tuning & regular care. You can still purchase raffle tickets for the beautiful Sharon Dixon Quilt. The winner will be announced in April, Updating our Giving Levels Conductor Sponsorship $1000 Benefactors benefits, plus the opportunity to be hosted by a chorale member as our guest at one Dress or regular Rehearsal. This level supports our conductor for 1/5 of the season. Accompanist Sponsorship $500 Benefactors benefits, plus the opportunity to be hosted by a chorale member as a guest at one regular rehearsal. this level supports our Accompanist for 1/4 of the season. Musical Guests Sponsorships $250 Patron benefits, plus an IWCC polo shirt. This level supports Musical guests or invited soloists, for one concert series. Chorale Member Sponsorship $60 Associates benefits. This level supports one chorale member s annual dues. GENERAL FUND DONATION LEVELS & BENEFITS Associates $25+ Listing in the program, on our website, and an invitation to the Chorale Friends Reception in May. Friends $100+ Associates benefits, plus the ability to purchase Chorale Friends $10 tickets anytime through the Box Office Patrons $250+ Friends benefits, plus a Brahms Requiem or Argersinger Mass /Duruflé Requiem CD. Benefactors $500+ Patrons benefits, plus 3 free tickets for use at any regular season concert. Sponsors $1500+ Benefactors benefits, plus 6 free tickets and mention on the cover of one concert series program. Angels $3000+ Sponsors benefits, plus 2 free tickets to Harmony: A Chorus of Wine, Cheese and Song

11 14 11 Sponsors, $ Decagon Devices, Inc. Edmund O. Schweitzer David & Kathy Spencer Benefactors, $500 + Best Western University Inn Chamber Choir Caroling John Brewer Steve & Ann Swannack In Memory of Mark Swannack Gordon & Dene Thomas Patrons, $250 + Meredyth Goodwin PRECISION ENGRAVING Gifts & Awards Birthdays Anniversaries Weddings Graduations Sports Awards Chorale Member Profile "We're More Than Michael Bezruchka, bass I, is new this season both to the Chorale and to the Chamber Choir. Michael s goal of being a landscape architect has brought him to the Palouse from the Seattle area. He began his study at Washington State University and is now continuing at the University of Idaho, where he is junior. While at WSU, Michael sang in the University Singers and studied voice under John Weiss, which is what brought him to the Chorale. At age twelve Michael began singing with the Columbia Boys Choir, and with them he toured England and Wales. After several years of piano study, he returned to singing (albeit with a very different voice!) when he attended Shoreline Community College. Singing brings him much joy, Michael reports, and he finds that singing communicates stories and texts much more fully than can be done in speech. Aside from singing, Michael is an avid hiker, having scaled both Mount Baker and Mt Adams. Alpine lake hikes are his favorite destinations, along with locales like eastern Montana that provide stunning starscapes. While Michael intends eventually to return to western Washington when his degree is complete, he notes eastern Washington and Idaho are fast claiming a hold on him as well. We hope that means that he will be with us for some time to come! Chorale Donors Friends, $100 + Kathy Anderson Judy Campbell Richard Domey & Diane Gillespie Shaun & Jill Freuden Howard & Barb Hayes Jennifer Hammond In Honor of Charlotte Parkhurst Kirk & Laura McMichal Maureen Miller Glenn & Carol Petersen Sandra Ristow William & Susan (Bohm) Schmick Esther & Roger Spencer West 3rd St. Moscow, Idaho a T r ophy Sh o p! " Karen Weathermon John & Cheryl Weiss Ralph & Valerie Yount Associates, $25 + Robert & Carolyn Allan Erol & Alice Barbut Keith & Betty Brandon Laurie Caraher Mary & Jack Carloye Ted & Marsha Creason Carol Dahl Edwin P. Garretson, Jr. Clive Gay Jack & Jan Keller Fred & Helen Koehler Sarah Marhevsky Miho Nam Merton & Joan Pubols Theresa Schrempp & Richard Wonderly Sylva & Bob Staab Bruce & Marilyn Sweeney Ruth & Dean Vanderwall Rosemary & Barney Waldrop Julie Anne Wieck, soprano Julie Anne Wieck is an Associate Professor of Music at Washington State University and a native of Aberdeen, South Dakota. She teaches studio voice, diction, opera workshop and vocal literature. Before coming to WSU in the fall of 1996, she taught at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. Dr. Wieck received her Bachelors in Music Education at University of South Dakota-Vermillion. After teaching public school for two years, she attended University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she received a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance. She has studied voice with Sylvia Plyler at University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Donna Harler-Smith at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Sharon Papian at University of South Dakota-Vermillion. On the stage, Ms. Wieck has performed leading roles in Purcell s Dido and Aeneas, Verdi s Falstaff, Menotti s The Telephone and Amahl and the Night Visitors, Weill s Street Scene, Herbert s Naughty Marietta, Floyd s Susannah, Strauss s Die Fledermaus and Rodgers and Hammerstein s Carousel. She has also appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, in Bach s B Minor Mass, Mendelssohn s Midsummer Night s Dream, Gershwin s Porgy and Bess, and various operatic arias. Since coming to WSU, she has performed with the Washington Idaho Symphony and Chorale as the soprano soloist in Poulenc s Gloria, Verdi s Requiem, Bizet s Carmen, and Tchaikovsky s Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin. As director of the WSU Opera Workshop program, Dr. Wieck has presented full productions of Carlisle Floyd s Susannah, Mozart s The Marriage of Figaro, Strauss s Die Fledermaus, Bizet s Carmen and Donizetti s L Elisir d Amore. Dr. Wieck has also directed many WSU musical theatre productions including The Secret Garden, Company, She Loves Me, Into the Woods, Sweet Charity, and Little Shop of Horrors. This spring she will direct a production of Godspell for Mom s Weekend at WSU. Ms. Wieck is an active recitalist and adjudicator throughout the region and a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and Music Educators National Conference. Nancy Grunewald, mezzo-soprano Nancy Grunewald, mezzo soprano, is a native of New York State who possessed a musical interest from an early age. She sang in church and school choirs in her youth, and began voice lessons in high school after moving to Pullman, Washington. She earned a degree in vocal performance from Washington State University. Studying with Margaret West Davis, Nancy was awarded several music scholarships, and sang as alto soloist in Bruckner s Te Deum and Handel s Messiah. She also appeared with the WSU chamber orchestra in a selection from Gluck s Orfée, and with the WSU Symphony Orchestra as featured soloist in Mahler s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen ( Songs of a Wayfarer ). She performed mezzo soprano roles with WSU s Opera Theater, including the title role in Menotti s The Old Maid and the Thief and Augusta Tabor in WSU s American bicentennial opera production, The Ballad of Baby Doe. Reentering the performance sphere in the past few years, Nancy has held full recitals in Pullman, Seattle, and Port Townsend, Washington, and in Moscow, Idaho. She has also performed in a number of solo venues in eastern Washington and western Idaho, including solos in conjunction with the Idaho-Washington Concert Chorale. In January 2006 she was featured mezzo soprano soloist in Duruflé s Requiem, performed with the Washington-Idaho Concert Chorale s Chamber Choir.

12 12 13 Matthew Holter, tenor Matthew Holter, an accomplished lyric tenor and choral director, has been actively performing for audiences for over twenty years and is pleased to return to the performance stage with the Idaho-Washington Concert Chorale this season. Matt sang the tenor solo in the Messiah last December. Originally from Minnesota, Matthew earned his Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Arizona in Tucson where he was a member of the Arizona Chamber Choir under the direction of Maurice Skones. During that time, he performed as a clinician and ambassador for the University in tours throughout Arizona, California, and Oregon, and was a featured artist with numerous ensembles statewide. Upon returning to Minnesota, Matthew continued performing public concerts with additional success in directing high school choral ensembles. Mr. Holter s choirs have received numerous awards and performed many tours throughout the Midwest and northeastern United States. His interest in stage performance has culminated in dozens of productions from works by Handel to Little Shop of Horrors and original collaborations. Matthew is currently the Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Voice Area at Washington State University. He lives in Pullman with his beautiful wife, Victoria, and two rowdy sons, Robin and Kellen. Chris Thompson, baritone a native of Kansas, Chris Thompson, received degrees from Kansas State University, Loyola University (New Orleans), the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London), and the University of Kansas. Presently, he is Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera at the University of Idaho where he teaches studio voice, directs the Opera/Musical Theatre Studio, and has conducted The Pirates of Penzance, My Way, A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, A Chorus Line, the northwest premiere of Corps of Discovery (based on the journals of Lewis and Clark), Schoolhouse Rock Live, Jr., All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, and I Love You, You re Perfect, Now Change. In the spring of 2007, Chris will conduct Oklahoma! In concert, Chris has been a soloist in works such as: B minor Mass (Bach), Magnificat (Bach), St. John Passion (Bach), St. Matthew Passion (Bach), Requiem (Brahms, Faure, Willan), Messiah and Judas Maccabeus (Handel), Te Deum (Dvorak), Vespers (Monteverdi), Christmas Oratorio (Saint-Saens), Hodie (Vaughan Williams), African Portraits (Peterson), and Five Mystical Songs (Vaughan Williams). Chris made his Off-Broadway debut as Daniel Keane in Fermat s Last Tango (Original Cast Recordings) and is a featured soloist on Impetuosities (Albany Records), a CD of music by Joshua Rosenblum. Chris returned to Lyric Opera San Diego in the fall of 2006 to sing Danilo in Lehar s The Merry Widow after opening their season in the new North Park Mary Birch Theatre as Dandini in Rossini s La Cenerentola. Chris has sung with regional opera companies throughout the United States and England in roles ranging from Pooh Bah in The Mikado to the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro. Sopranos Kathy Anderson Nancy Beebe Laurie Caraher Paula Elliot Jill Price Freuden Meredyth Goodwin Nancy Grunewald Sandra Haarsager Cynthia Langford Helen Lombard Mary Macey Maureen Miller Janet Mount Ann Norton Kathy Spencer Altos Alice Barbut Cheryl Blackburn Susan Bohm Janet Brandt Elinor Butcher Judy Campbell Jennifer Coleman Marcia Cooke Kami Cornwall Mimi Dimitrovska Sandy Field Dawn Findley Judie Hanley Tressa Hochstatter Jan Keller Sarah Marhevsky Laura McMichael Holly McCollister Sarah Morrison Miho Nam Heather Nelson Chamber Choir Caroling Best Western The Idaho-Washington Concert Chorale Jan Patrick Ruth Vanderwall Susan Vannoy Karen Weathermon Tenors Erol Barbut Kevin Brackney Tom Brandt Bill Dugger Clive Gay John Haugen Glenn Petersen Don Willows Basses Allen Alstad Michael Bezruchka Craig Heider Kirk McMichael Daniel Morrison Matthew Petersen Jim Reece David Spencer Gordon Thomas Dean Vanderwall Members who helped with Caroling but couldn t join us in this concert John Brewer, tenor Jack Keller, bass Steve Swannack, bass Chorale Leadership Cheryl Blackburn Advertising Manager Database Manager Tom Brandt Tenor Section Leader Judy Campbell Alto Section Leader Kami Cornwall Graphic Designer Heather Dixon Dress Coordinator Jill Price Freuden Marketing Director Soprano Section Leader Mary Macey Chorale Librarian Ann Norton Chorale Librarian Laura McMichael Front Door Manager David Spencer Acting Bass Section Leader Wreath Artist & Designer Kathy Spencer Audition Committee Accompanist Gerd Steckel Receipts Treasurer Steve Swannack Bass Section Leader Riser Crew Coordinator Gordon Thomas Box Offi ce Manager Web Master Sing with Us! Singing with the Chorale is fun! Board of Directors Janet Brandt Chorale Member-at-Large Sheila Converse WSU Faculty, Pullman Richard Domey Patron of the Arts, Pullman Meredyth Goodwin Chorale President Barbara Hayes Costume Designer, Lewiston Jan Keller Chorale Treasurer Jim Murphy UI Faculty, Moscow Janice O Toole Chorale Vice-President Glenn Petersen Chorale Secretary Rosemary Waldrop, Private Voice, Pullman Karen Weathermon Chorale Member-at-Large Press Releases & Notecards Music Director & Principal Conductor John Weiss Rehearsal Accompanist Elena Panchenko House Manager Sherry Caisley IWCC is an auditioned choir of community members from the Palouse and surrounding communities. We perform a 3-4 concert series each season and rehearse Monday nights at Gladish Community Center in Pullman from the end of August through the first week of May. Auditions for 2007 will be held on January 8, If you are interested in joining us, please contact: Janice O Toole , otoole3@inlandnet.com