OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS

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2 OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS At Far Brook, learning through the arts inspires critical thinking. Experience the possibilities. 1/2 day preschool program available Call to arrange for a tour. Far Brook School Pre-K through grade 8 52 Great Hills Road, Short Hills, NJ farbrook.org 2

3 We thank the following for their generous commitments to our season Platinum Sponsors ($15,000+) Marjorie Bunnell Charitable Trust NJ State Council on the Arts Alexander Wentworth Seraphim ($7,000+) E.J. Grassmann Trust NJ Cultural Trust Richard Seeger Roger & Mary Lou West Cherubim ($2,500+) Gordon King Caroline L. Sargent Guardian Angels ($1,000+) Anonymous ExxonMobil Andrew Jones Deborah Simpkin King Alison Self Angels ($500+) Anonymous Tim Carpenter Laura Greenwald Sherry & Robert Kosinski Sponsors ($250+) Edward Claflin and Sarah Foote-Claflin Suzanne Block Glatt Gustavo Gomide Christopher Greene Marlene & Michael Karu Frances & Anthony Marsh Blair MacInnes Sandy Martiny Richard McAdams Joyce Nestle Leslie Penny Scott Pollack Bill & Peggy Simpkin Debbie & Dan Spinella Penelope Vance Barbara Weiland M. Elizabeth Sargent & William G. Watson Kathy Yates Amy Ziebarth Patrons ($100+) Give With Liberty (in memory of Eleanor Wishbow) Merck Partnership for Giving Prash and Laura Akkapeddi Michele Butchko Mark Davies Tray Davis Dora Fairchild Linda George Madeleine & Phil Henderson Dorie Jefferson Lawrence P. Katz Cordelia Manning Danielle Page George Page Susan & Damian Parisi Mari Schindele & Matthew Wiener James Splond Christine Susko Larry Zimmerman Donors (up to $100) BNY Mellon Community Partnership Barnet Eskin & Marcia Solkoff (in memory of Pearl Leo Zerolnick) Gloria Falzer Erika Meyer Donald J. Monahan & Suzanne Hennessey Nan Orchard Robert Rosen Emily Sharrett Karen & Donald Siegel Denise Wagner Molly Wallace & John Rogers 3

4 About Schola Cantorum on Hudson Schola Cantorum on Hudson was founded in 1995 by Dr. Deborah Simpkin King as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit choral/vocal organization, and performs its full concert season in both Manhattan and New Jersey. Now in its nineteenth season, SCH boasts an internationally-recognized new music initiative 1 and multi-pronged education and engagement programs, in addition to its multiple performing ensembles. Schola members are drawn together both by their love of singing, and by their ardent belief in the power of music for nurture and positive change within individual lives, and in society as a whole. Substantially more than a singing group, SCH is unique, reflecting both a breadth and a depth that bespeaks the full meaning of a schola (school). For example Our full-season thematic approach to programming is designed to bring the transformational power of music into conjunction with specific elements of the human condition. This thematic programming is supported by largely new music of a broad stylistic mix. Our focus is on solo technique as the foundational core of our ensemble sound, along with substantial solo opportunities (never outsourced), making us a supportive post-conservatory environment for young professional musicians as they begin their careers. For more, visit our web site at To receive information about upcoming Schola concerts, text your name and address to Dr. Deborah Simpkin King is a choral and vocal performer and educator, working primarily in the northern New Jersey/Manhattan area. As a frequent guest conductor, she takes on projects ranging from workshops and multi-day festivals to more extended interim and sabbatical positions. She is Artistic Director and Founder of Schola Cantorum on Hudson (founded in 1995), and Founder of its international advocacy initiative in support of new choral music, PROJECT : ENCORE. She is known for creative programming, and for premiering and promoting new compositions. Leadership in the industry beyond her professional work includes her Co- Chairmanship of the New York Choral Consortium, in collaboration with Kent Tritle, and her long-time coordination of the NJ-ACDA High School Choral Festival (since 1994). Dr. King is a frequent presenter at professional conferences on various aspects of the choral art. In addition, she maintains an active voice and private conducting studio, and also serves as a church musician. Dr. King s background is a mix of musicology (PhD), conducting (MMus) and vocal performance (BMus). The thread of continuity throughout her varied professional worlds is her fundamental belief that music is a gift that contains the potential for profound impact on the human spirit, providing lifelong nurture. It is this perspective that informs everything from polished performances to vigorous insistence on the development of fluency in sight singing. Dr. King has two sons: Patrick Daniel King, a Senior Producer with Comedy Central s The Daily Show, married to Elise Terrell King, Coordinating Producer with The Daily Show; and Michael Alexander King, married to Hannah Miller King, both conservatory-trained singers and soon-to-be graduates of Redeemer Seminary in Dallas. 1 Project : Encore of Schola Cantorum on Hudson, as its most visible element. 4

5 Program Notes by Deborah Simpkin King Just over a half century ago, Leonard Bernstein initiated what would become his famous Young People s Concert series, making use of the still-new vehicle of the television to bring it into the homes and classrooms of countless children beyond the lucky New York school children who filled Carnegie Hall for the live events. All told, between the years of 1958 and 1972, Bernstein wrote and appeared as commentator, piano soloist, and conductor in fifty-three different concerts designed for young people (loosely defined as ages eight to eighteen). Through his activities he helped convert a generation of American music listeners into avid music lovers. Those children are grown. Perhaps some who experienced those concerts as children are here today. Means of broadcast and communication have certainly changed. Musical styles continue to evolve. And we don't have the New York Philharmonic at our beck and call, as did Maestro Bernstein Young people s expectations of music, of entertainment, of what brings meaning into life even parenting styles! are all radically different than they were a half century ago. But the original need for connecting all ages to the lifedeepening, enriching art form of music remains ever fresh and will do so as long as we continue to produce new generations of children! If our thought processes and responses may be different today than they were fifty years ago, our need in this e-age of increasing isolation in the midst of unrelenting connectivity may be greater than ever. Can the very human art form of making music with the instrument of the human body find enhanced accessibility through complementary images conveyed through electronic media? Will our whole-life passion in performance of our art be palpable enough to compel the imaginative involvement of those who participate as audience? Will we as community music-lovers in performance, and music-lovers through compelling heart connection be richer for having shared a musical experience? We are interested in finding out. Beyond words It is the last of the fourteen songs in Rachmaninov s Opus 34 that is popularly known and recognized: Vocalise. The texts of the first thirteen are poems by some of the principal representatives of Russian Romanticism: Pushkin, Polonsky, Maykov, Bal mont, and others. Yet historical popular opinion has judged the last the one without words to be the most compelling. It has been arranged for several dozen combinations of instruments, as well as voices; Stanley Hoffman s arrangement is the first for all voices. Both Platoon and The Elephant Man are among at least a dozen film soundtracks that employ Samuel Barber s wellknown Adagio for Strings. It is an arrangement for string orchestra of the second movement of an earlier string quartet. When a publisher had the notion of making it available for singers, the text of the Agnus Dei was superimposed. New York Times writer Johanna Keller write that, If any music can come close to conveying the effect of a sigh, or courage in the face of tragedy, or hope, or abiding love, it is this pathos beyond the ability of words to capture so, presented today without text, as conceived by the composer. continued on page 10 5

6 The Apprentice Chorus of the Newark Boys Chorus School Choristers Jeremiah Bouzy, Edward Coleman, Brian Delgado, Joshua Espinoza, Christopher Jumbo, David Laney, Guiliano Montero, Donald Oyebola, Emory Rodrigues, Nasir Roper, Jamir Simmons The Newark Boys Chorus was founded in 1966 as the New Jersey Symphony Boys Choir. Three years later, the Newark Boys Chorus School was established to create an integrated academic and music program unique to the city of Newark, New Jersey. The school is fully accredited by the Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools, and its mission is to inspire in the students a love for learning, a quest for excellence, and a compassion for humanity. Our comprehensive, performance-based music program feeds the soul of our students and lifts the spirits of our audiences. The experience of participating in a chorus, along with the skills developed in Music Theory, Piano, and Voice classes, fosters the discipline, perseverance, and poise critical to becoming successful men. Known as Newark s Musical Ambassadors, our students have been heard throughout the world, performing a diversified repertoire that includes classical music, spirituals, folk music, and jazz. NBCS has performed at worldrenowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, in addition to the White House and cathedrals throughout Europe. Each year, the Concert Chorus and Apprentice Chorus perform for an audience of more than 25,000 at more than 60 concerts, lending their voices to celebrate the community, and raise awareness of important community and social issues. Mr. Jim Stayton, Apprentice Chorus Director Jim Stayton has worked in the Music Performance, Production, Education Administration, and Composition fields for twenty years. His career as an educator at the elementary, high school, and college level includes directing and conducting state and nationally recognized and award-winning instrumental and choral ensembles. Jim has also worked as Music Director, Organist and Pianist for multiple congregations in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Mr. Stayton is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University where he holds a B.A. in Choral Conducting and an M.A. in Choral Composition. Mr. Stayton s compositions include classical choral music, contemporary Christian, congregational music, and band and orchestra arrangements. His music has been spotlighted on TV s History Channel documentaries and his Mass of Joyful Hope is being performed nationally as well as in Canada and Germany. For information, call (973) Newark Boys Chorus School J 1016 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey

7 Mark Aro Vienna Boa Frank Borroto Jeremy Fratti Nkechi Fyle Jennifer Gaskins Christopher Greene Laura Greenwald-Strom Gordon King Sherry Kosinski Betsy Mackenzie-Stubbs Joseph Martin-Stowe Alyson Navarro Schola Cantorum on Hudson Jim Nelson Caroline L. Sargent Alison Self Emily Sharrett Karen Lea Siegel Ilya Speranza James Splond Kerry Stubbs Alex Wentworth Roger West Julian Whitley Darlene Southard Wyzga Joseph Arndt, organ and piano Gregory Mueller, percussion Instrumentalists Jeremy Fratti, flute Joanne Hansen, harp Acknowledgements The work of Schola Cantorum on Hudson is made possible in part by generous grants from The New Jersey Cultural Trust, The Marjorie Bunnell Charitable Fund, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts We wish to express our deepest appreciation for the hospitality of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Jersey City, NJ, Rev. Jessica Lambert, Pastor, and Music Director Chris Greene for welcoming us to St. Paul. Special thanks to our gracious hosts in Manhattan, St. Paul the Apostle Church, Rev. Gilbert Martinez, CSP, Pastor; Mr. John Znidarsic, Artistic Director of Arts and Artists at St. Paul; and in Montclair, NJ, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Preston Dibble, Director of Music and Fr. Joseph A. Scarangella, Pastor We gratefully acknowledge the many people who worked off-stage in support of these performances. Schola Cantorum on Hudson is a proud member of the NY and NJ Choral Consortia 7

8 This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Please silence all cell phones, pagers, watch alarms, and other electronic devices. Choral Art for the 21st Century! Please DO feel free to real-time Tweet, photograph, and share your live performance experience! To access the media images designed to accompany today s music, please do the following: Turn off the volume on your phone or tablet. Open a browser window and navigate to Click on the large Media Button near the top of the screen. From the Media Presentation page, click on the number corresponding to the number in the program to see the texts and images associated with the selection. Program Vocalise Sergei Rachmaninov; choral arr. Stanley M. Hoffman Ilya Speranza, soprano Simple Song, from Mass (1971) Leonard Bernstein Ilya Speranza, Laura Greenwald, and Nkechi Fyle, sopranos Warm-up Laura Greenwald, Deborah King, Betsy Mackenzie-Stubbs, Christopher Greene, Kerry Stubbs, Julian Whitley Leonard Bernstein I Hate Music, from A Cycle of Five Kid Songs (1943) Vienna Boa, soprano Selections from The Lark (1955) and Missa Brevis (1989) Emily Sharrett, mezzo-soprano and Darlene Southard Wyzga, soprano Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein Spring Song (sung in French; from The Lark) Court Song (sung in French; from The Lark) Requiem (sung in Latin; from The Lark) Gloria (sung in Latin; from The Lark) 8

9 Dona nobis pacem (sung in Latin; from Missa Brevis) Adagio (1936) Darlene Southard Wyzga, soprano Samuel Barber Chichester Psalms Maestoso ma energico (Psalm 108 : 2 and Psalm 100) Andante con moto (Psalm 23 and Psalm 2 : 1 4) Prelude (Psalm 131 and Psalm 133 : 1) Ilya Speranza, soprano; Betsy MacKenzie-Stubbs, alto; Mark Aro, tenor; James Splond, bass Leonard Bernstein How Can I Keep from Singing? American Folk Hymn, arr. Ronald Staheli Emily Sharrett, soprano; Betsy Mackenzie-Stubbs, alto Al Shlosha d Varim (sung in Hebrew) 5 Al Translation: The world is sustained by three things: by truth, by justice, and by peace. We will sing the melody through (as you see it below), then invite you to join us in singing it three more times, as indicated from the podium by Maestra King. shlo - sha, al shlo-sha d' va-rim ha - o - lam ka - yam. Al shlo - sha, al shlo-sha d' va-rim ha - o -lam ka yam. Allan E. Naplan 9

10 continued from page 5 Music to evoke Playwright Lillian Hellman was certainly not the first to recognize that adding incidental music to a drama (in this case, about the medieval-era trial of Joan of Arc) could be powerfully evocative. When Leonard Bernstein wrote the choruses for Hellman s The Lark, adapted from the original French version by Jean Anouilh, he made use of some conventions of the earlier era, thereby creating a wonderful hybrid of old and new, sacred monastic aura (Latin choruses) and secular surroundings (French choruses). Conductor Robert Shaw attended one of the early performances of the play, and suggested to Mr. Bernstein afterwards that, with a few changes and additions, the music would make an effective Missa Brevis of which we include the final movement, in which two of the movements from the play are musically united. The text is the traditional mass conclusion, grant us peace, to which Bernstein adds Praise God! Alleluia! Tying It All Together in Chichester Psalms When Dr. Walter Hussey, Dean of Chichester Cathedral in England, was working out the commissioning of what would become the Chichester Psalms, he was bold enough to suggest to the composer, I think many of us would be very delighted if there was a hint of West Side Story about the music. Dare we suggest, he got more than a hint! In fact, the male chorus s dramatic interruption halfway through the second movement is a reworking of a chorus which was cut from the original Prologue to West Side Story. Stephen Sondheim s original lyric: Mix make a mess of em! Make the sons of bitches pay! was transformed into Why do the heathen so furiously rage together? from Psalm 2. Secular or sacred, dramatically intense in a messy sort of way! Furthermore, the principal melodic material in all three movements was adapted from music Bernstein had just composed for another musical, which was never completed. Surely it was at least in part due to its theatrical elements that the Chichester Psalms quickly established themselves as Bernstein s most popular choral work. The choice of psalm texts was entirely that of the composer, and each movement contains one complete psalm plus one or more verses from another complementary psalm by way or contrast or amplification. Notice, for example, the completely unbridled joy as the opening text of Psalm 100 returns halfway through the first movement. Notice also the very beginning, where psaltery and harp are bid awake! and the unusual effect of the voices jumping up suddenly just before the tempo speeds up approximates the call of a ram's horn, which is used at various points in Jewish worship. The second movement is certainly the most dramatic of the three. The boys voices and harp present the first half of the well-known Psalm 23, and are followed by the women in canon, with the second half of the psalm. The men interrupt this psalm of peaceful assurance with the violence of Psalm 2, which Bernstein sets with rugged lines punctuated by occasional outbursts. The women's voices return, however, with the soothing canon in the presence of mine enemies or, the continuation of the men s raging. All is finally calmed with the re-entrance of the boys voices yet, just as we see in Bernstein s theater pieces, the second movement ends with a musical, if not textual, reminder that strife persists, and that the only way to survive is to rise above it, as do the voices that hold on to the very end. The third movement is unabashedly sensual, and calls upon thematic material from the first two movements in its opening symphony. At its conclusion, the voices sing a cappella the music of the opening of movement I. The significance of this ought not to be overlooked. While the text is one of brotherly love and unity, the music reminds us of the initial call to rouse the dawn with harp and psaltery. Speaking to young people at Tanglewood in 1970, Bernstein said, It is the artists of the world, the feelers and the thinkers, who will ultimately save us, who can articulate, educate, defy, insist, sing and shout the big dreams. Only the artists can turn the not-yet into reality. Through his music, his message is timeless. 10 We cannot keep from singing!

11 Thank you to the following for their generous gifts and contributions to the 2104 Gala honoring Deborah Simpkin King, Ph.D. Expectation! Gordon King Caroline L. Sargent Richard Seeger Roger & Mary Lou West Benefactors Anonymous Tray Davis Suzanne Glatt Christopher Greene Scott Pollack Robert Schuneman Barbara G. Weiland Alexander Wentworth Patrons Mark Aro Michele Butchko Tim Carpenter Linda George Laura Greenwald Dorie Jefferson Andrew Jones Sherry & Robert Kosinski Frances Marsh Alyson Navarro Joyce Nestle Leslie Penny Alison & Chris Self Patrons, cont. Emily Sharrett Karen & Donald Siegel Ilya Speranza Kent Tritle Penny Vance Darlene Wyzga Kathy Yates Singer Sponsors Christopher Greene Laura Greenwald Gordon King Robert Schuneman Richard Seeger Sandy Martiny 20 th Anniversary Fund Donors Edward Claflin Mark Davies Blair MacInnes Mary Elizabeth Sargent Bill & Peggy Simpkin Jane & Joseph Skibo Larry Zimmermann Special Thanks Special thanks to Philip Setzer, Violinist of the Emerson String Quartet, for sharing his extraordinary musical gifts with us! Thanks also to The Management and Staff of Van Vleck House What a Dish, Caterer Alison Self, 2014 Gala Chair Darlene Wyzga, Silent Auction 11

12 Honorary 2014 Gala Committee Schola Cantorum wishes to express our deep appreciation to the members of the Honorary Gala Committee. Ivo Antognini Internationally recognized composer, educator, and performer PROJECT : ENCORE Composer and SCH Featured Composer Preston Dibble Organist and Director of Music, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Montclair Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of The American Guild of Organists Suzanne Glatt Director of Development, Far Brook School William Hobbie and Penny Vance Constructive Consulting, LLC and Former Board Member Arlene Pollack Schola Devotee Blair and Gordon MacInnes Friends of Schola Robert Schuneman President and Owner of ECS Publishing, Emeritus Philip and Linda Setzer Violinist, founding member Emerson String Quartet Actress and Artist Kent Tritle Director of Cathedral Music Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine Host of The Choral Mix on WQXR Director of Musica Sacra and The Oratorio Society of New York NYCC Co-Chair, with Deborah Simpkin King Past Impact Award Honorees 2013 Caroline L. Sargent 2012 Roger K. West 2011 Alexander Wentworth 12

13 ~ Auditions ~ Do you read music? Do you have vocal training? Do you have choral experience? Are you interested in a wide range of musical expression? Then Schola is for you! , ext 3 Second Annual ~ Schola Summer Choral Festival ~ July 8 11 in Montclair, NJ Come join with the Schola choir and other great singers in the community in a week of preparation and performance of two of the world s most beautiful choral pieces: Duruflé s Requiem and Fauré s Cantique de Jean Racine with Organist Preston Dibble, Director of Music at Church of the Immaculate Conception Location Church of the Immaculate Conception 30 North Fullerton Avenue Montclair, NJ You may rehearse and sing, come to the concert, or buy tickets for friends to come and hear. Get more information and register online at 13

14 Spring Song French: Here again comes the spring Latin: Praise God! Alleluia! Court Song (French) Beware my dear husband, for I have a lover! He is both beautiful and noble. I love him completely. I have a lover, beautiful and noble love! He serves me not just by night, but day and night, I love him completely. Requiem Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Gloria Glory to God in the highest! Glory to our most noble King. Glory to our illustrious King. Chosen by God, our most noble King. Dona Nobis Pacem Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant us peace. Praise God! Alleluia! Chichester Psalms I Psalm 108, vs. 2 Awake, psaltery and harp: I will rouse the dawn! Psalm 100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands, Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord, He is God. It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations. 14 Texts and Translations Chichester Psalms II Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters, He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, For His name s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 2, vs. 1 4 Why do the nations rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, and the Lord shall have them in derision! Chichester Psalms III Psalm 131 Lord, Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great matters or in things too wonderful for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother, my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth and forever. Psalm 133, vs. 1 Behold how good and pleasant it is, For brethren to dwell together in unity.

15 Schola Cantorum on Hudson Board of Directors Gordon King, Co-Chair of Finance and Development Alison Self, Secretary; Richard Seeger, Treasurer Alexander Wentworth, Mary Lou West Executive Staff Deborah Simpkin King, Artistic Director and Founder Christopher Greene, Executive Director Darlene Southard Wyzga, Director of Operations Wayne Eastwood, Webmaster Staff Darlene Southard Wyzga, Project : Encore Manager Karen Lea Siegel, Publications Manager Wayne Eastwood, New Music Initiative Coordinator Alison Self, Development Coordinator Roger West, Personnel Records Manager Mary Lou West, Box Office Coordinator Joyce Nestle, Member Care Coordinator Alexander Wentworth, Technology Coordinator Gordon King, InReach Conductor You can find us on Facebook. Sign up for our Twitter alerts at SCH is committed to accommodating audience members with disabilities whenever possible. If you require special assistance on the day of the concert, please contact us and every effort will be made to assist you. 15

16 Schola Updates Audition Season Opens May 27th Early decision and Schola Sings Solo cast announcements: August 7th Interest entertained through September 8th, as openings remain NYCC Big Sing! 2014 The largest mass sing event of the year in New York City free! Download your scores at NewYorkChoralConsortium.org, and come join the fun! Fauré Requiem Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine Kyrie and Gloria from Rossini's Messe Solennelle Second Annual Schola Summer Festival Tuesday through Friday, July 8 11, 2014 at Church of the Immaculate Conception Register online at Requiem by Maurice Duruflé Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré Featuring Organist Preston Dibble, Director of Music at Immaculate Conception Building Community in our E-Age through Live Performance Arts Welcoming interest in task force participation to strategize and implement Schola's third-decade agenda. with interest to ArtisticDirector@ScholaOnHudson.org Projected Season 20 Dates December 13 and 14, 2014 March 7 and 8, 2015 May 16 and 17, 2015 Music of the Americas: Cousins in Canada Composition in negotiation Best of Schola's First Twenty Years! including alumni participation Visit