The Children's March by Lauren Anderson

Singing City The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March 65th Anniversary Concert

The Glaucoma Service Foundation to Prevent Blindness 840 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-5109 215-928-3190 www.willsglaucoma.org

Board of Trustees: Jeremiah J. White, Jr., President • Charles Tressler, MD, Vice President • George L. Spaeth, MD, Director of Medical Research and Education • L. Jay Katz, MD, Secretary Richard Smoot, Treasurer Zeff Lanzinger, DO • Maxine Colm, PhD • Hyman Lovitz, Esquire Grace Renner • Leonard Rosenfeld, PhD • Irvin Schorsch George Strimel • Chris Urban Honorary Trustees: Francesco & Charlotte Bonmartini Steve Harmelin, Esquire • James Kim • Jonathan S. Myers, MD

Singing City Presents

THE CHILDREN’S MARCH Andrew Bleckner, composer Charlotte Blake Alston, Librettist with Singing City, Jeffrey Brillhart, artistic & music director Singing City Children’s Choir, Steven Fisher, director Keenan Boswell, pianist Charlotte Blake Alston, narrator Marielle Issa, soprano Madeline Addis, mezzo-soprano Andrew Burgmayer, tenor Ja’Wuan I. Thomas Veal, baritone Jeung Lee, bass Barry Dove, Joseph Nero and Harvey Price, percussion Commissioned by Singing City Choir For its 65th Anniversary Concert Part of 2013 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) Premiere Performance

Friday, April 26, 2013, 8 p.m. The Church of the Holy Trinity 1904 Walnut Street Rittenhouse Square,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cover Photo by Charles Lee Moore

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elcome to this evening’s world premiere performance of The Children’s March. This project, over a year in the making, celebrates the brave young people of Birmingham, Alabama, who 50 years ago this month, were in the midst of planning for an early May march downtown to speak to their mayor about segregation in their city. Two years ago I traveled with the Senior Choir of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church on a Southern Journey. The purpose of that tour was to visit key historic sites of the Civil Rights Movement. We began in Atlanta, where one continues to feel Martin Luther King’s presence throughout the city. From there we traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, visiting the Rosa Parks Museum and the church Martin Luther King served and where so much of the Movement was planned. We visited the famed Tuskegee Institute (home to the great William Dawson). We walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and confronted the horrors of slavery at the Slavery Museum. As powerful as these experiences were, it was in Birmingham where I became utterly overwhelmed by the realities of our American history. Sitting in the basement of 16th Street Baptist Church, where 50 years ago this September, four little girls lost their lives when the KKK detonated a bomb, we screened the film, The Children’s March. This film told a story that few among us knew. It told the story of thousands of young African American children and youth who marched for freedom in a children’s crusade, only to be confronted by police brutality. Following the orders of Birmingham’s racist Commissioner for Public Safety, “Bull” Connor, police released German shepherd attack dogs on the peaceful marchers and firemen blasted the children with high-pressure fire hoses. Images of these assaults appeared on television and in newspapers and triggered outrage throughout the world. Thanks to the brave children and youth of Birmingham “Bull” Connor lost his job and the bizarre segregation laws that ruled the city were struck down. This journey to the south left an indelible impact on me. Singing City’s passion for fighting exclusion through the unifying force of communal song led me to consider the possibility of re-telling the story through music. Given the central role of singing in the civil rights movement it seemed the natural decision. In commissioning Charlotte Blake Alston and Andrew Bleckner to re-tell the Birmingham children’s crusade, I wanted a work that would appeal to high school and college choirs. They have succeeded brilliantly, with a work that captures the pain that has accompanied African Americans throughout American history, culminating in the triumph and hope of a few thousand children and youth in Birmingham who forever changed the world. We have been humbled and inspired through these past two months of rehearsals and discussions. page 2

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One of the most telling moments of this work’s impact came a few weeks ago during a joint rehearsal with the children and adults. I stopped to ask the children how singing this work made them feel. One girl immediately responded, “powerful . . . I feel powerful.” That is the power of this story. Through the message of The Children’s March, we hope you will feel empowered to make a difference here in Philadelphia. Volunteer in your community, contribute financially to organizations that are making a difference, follow your elected officials’ actions carefully and contact them with your concerns—care more, love more, and yes— sing more! Jeffrey Brillhart, Artistic and Music Director What can I say about The Children’s March? It is one of the most powerful and meaningful projects in which I have ever taken part. I am very grateful to Singing City and its supporters for giving me the opportunity to create this new work. For a period of five months I grappled with Charlotte’s libretto in my studio, alternating between shouting in defiance, weeping in sorrow, and singing for joy. To paraphrase Charlotte from one of her video interviews, this is a story for the ages, one that needs to be told and retold. When the deadline for handing in the musical score approached, I felt very sad because this signified that a special part of my life was over, and that I had to give up a special friend or part of myself. Even now it is still surreal and a little shocking that the musical score will change from a private dream to a public spectacle. This is the nature of being a composer. One facet of the project Charlotte and I struggled with was the ending. Our ultimate decision was to honor two impulses: on the one hand, leave the message that the struggle continues, and on the other hand, end with a moment of comfort and peace via a setting of “There is a Balm in Gilead.” Just this past week, on the 50th anniversary of his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, I read in the New York Times that Martin Luther King did not fear the consequences of the struggle in Birmingham; that his certainty was rooted in his belief that “There is a Balm in Gilead.” I think the children of Birmingham had even more confidence. So tonight, we honor their courage and achievement, and sing for justice in their name. Andrew Bleckner, Composer For a number of years, I offered a workshop for middle school students called: What is a Civil Right? I included selected news footage from key events in the mid-to late 20th century struggle for civil rights. Nearly everywhere I presented the workshop—in schools all across the country —teachers, and administrators in their 30’s and 40’s would confide: “I never knew anything about these events” or “I never heard Singing City

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these stories before.“ Why are pivotal events of courage and sacrifice that shaped the kind of nation we are today, left out of our children’s history books? Today, we are experiencing a resurfacing of dehumanizing language and rhetoric not heard since the 1960s. That rhetoric largely goes unchallenged. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: “We must get rid of the notion that human progress rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. We must come to see that human progress is never inevitable. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation. We must make it clear that the time to do right is now and the time is always right to do right.“ The work of creating the nation we envision is OUR work. Our ongoing diligence is required. Tonight I feel—as I have through this entire creative process— awe, gratefulness, passion and humility. I was 14 and-a-half years old in the spring and summer of 1963. Images of the events in Birmingham and other southern cities kept my siblings and me glued to our television set. I was disturbed that people—my people—were being brutalized yet again, for taking a stand for human dignity and equality in the Land of the Free, but I was also in complete awe, that the majority of those who stood in harm’s way this time, were hundreds of children, many younger than me. They walked with ordered steps in small groups with a dignity beyond their years, either quietly or singing, and without resistance, tears or complaints, stepped into police vans to be carted off to jail. I wondered if I could have stood so boldly and courageously in the face of such cultural and political insanity. I am passionate about these stories being told with authenticity. I am both humbled and grateful that the opportunity to tell this story—to craft the text for this work, as daunting as it was—was offered to me by this storied organization. I am grateful that my niece’s marriage yielded a new “relative.” Earthaline Jefferson, who spent hours on the phone sharing her experience inside the animal pen at the Fairgrounds where she and other children were imprisoned that spring. I am grateful to Lauren Anderson, Jeff Brillhart, Steve Fisher and the members of this choir who have wrapped their arms and energy around the work. Andrew and I have lived with The Children’s March for over a year. For months we had countless extended conversations about every aspect of the work and I honor and am grateful for his patience, diligence and care. Certainly, we each bring our experience, expertise and passion as storyteller, composer and our sensibilities as human beings, as Americans of different generations. But mostly this has been a process led by our hearts. Please accept it as a gift – from our hearts to yours. Charlotte Blake Alston, Librettist page 4

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Please turn off cell phones, pagers and personal alarms.

Program

The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March Movements Soloists, in order of appearance Madeline Addis, mezzo-soprano Jaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Wuan Thomas, baritone Charlotte Blake Alston, narrator Andrew Burgmayer, tenor Marielle Issa, soprano Jeung Lee, bass

Instrumentalists Barry Dove, Joseph Nero and Harvey Price

Section 1: Opening 1) Once To Every Man and Nation 2) Run Mary Run 3) The Fourteenth Amendment (Section 1) 4) Background for Narration 1

Section 2: Timeline of Struggle 5) Fugitive Slave Act & Dred Scott 6) Emancipation Proclamation 7) The Fourteenth Amendment and Plessy vs. Ferguson 8) Brown vs Board of Ed & Rosa Parks 9) Little Rock 10) On and On

Brief Intermission

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Section 3: Birmingham

11) Background for Narration 2 12) The Segregation Ordinance 13) Mama Tell Me Why 14) The God of Man 15) MLK Bevel Dialogue 16) Woke Up This Mornin’ 17) Church Meeting

Section 4: The Children March 18) Word Spread 19) Bevel: Non-violence 20) I’m Going 21) Getting Ready 22) I’m On My Way 23) Bull Connor: “You Can Crush Them” 24) Fifty More 25) Children’s Declaration 26) Freedom/Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody 27) Firehoses 28) News Footage and Images 29) The Children Prevail 30) God Bless You

Section 5: Epilogue 31) Closing Narration 32) Will You Stand & There is a Balm in Gilead The concert is followed by a Q&A with the artists.

The Children’s March was made possible by support from Mark & Peggy Curchack A Donor Who Wishes to Remain Anonymous The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia and Friends of Singing City

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Reflections from Choir Members Learning this piece has stirred up many painful memories. I was born in a little town in Georgia. You can only get there (even today) by bus. My mother worked as a house keeper. Sometimes she had to take me with her. So, I would sit in the corner of the kitchen until she was done. When needed, we had to use the outhouse. Coloreds could not use the bathrooms in the house. My mother could clean them, but never use them. I came up north to Philadelphia with my name pinned to my blouse and was told to sit in the back of the Grayhound Bus. All my life I have suffered with motion sickness. Just imagine what it was like to a little girl of seven to be so sick and afraid to make a fuss. Those kids led the struggle in â&#x20AC;&#x153;63,â&#x20AC;? but the pathway to that end was forged by our parents and other young people who bore the yoke of abuse, and killings back in the 30s, 40s and 50s. What pains me today is our young black youth who take the small freedoms that many have struggled and died for, for granted. Every right they have has been paid for with blood, death and tears by their parents and great grandparents. How do we reach them? Lorance Checchia

It has been an educational experience to imagine the motivation, courage, and perseverance of the brave children who marched in Birmingham. This piece of music has been an important reminder of our history and a call to action for the work that remains to be done in our society. I have been inspired by learning more about what these children did when they refused to accept the status quo. Andrew Fuller

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I’m especially proud to be a part of this premiere presentation because it tells the story of the heroic actions of the children of Birmingham, Alabama. It’s a meaningful history lesson. Lest we forget the sacrifice and how it helped promote the passing of the Civil Rights Act which affected all of us. As scripture teaches, out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom. Learning this music was humbling. It warmed my heart and stirred my soul while renewing my hope and belief in our youth. Marlene Graham It has truly been an honor and privilege to learn and perform this work. Many of us are familiar with the Civil Rights Movement and the impact it had then and continues to have now on our country. But I personally never knew just how powerful the children’s role was in Birmingham. To hear and feel these children in this music; to be able to listen to their bravery and call to action to help literally brought chills at every rehearsal. I applaud Charlotte Blake Alston and Andrew Bleckner. Their storytelling and musical arrangement automatically takes you on this journey—from the absurdity of Bull Connor, the excitement of leaving school early and heading to Sixteenth Street Baptist Church for their instructions, to the unsettledness of There is a Balm in Gilead at the end. This beautiful arrangement is an amazing work that I hope can be truly embraced and performed throughout this country. As a country, our faith and hope in our children needs to be restored. The Children’s March does just this; our children can be a powerful source of positive change and influence. I hope you will take this journey with us and be called to action to support our children. Laura Randolph This 21st century recounting of The Children’s March serves as a timely reminder to those of conscience that human dignity (self-respect) is a benediction that must be cherished and preserved, nurtured with grace and humility while being passionately

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protected from hubris and ignorant assault, so that it can be majestically handed over intact, as legacy through time—the path is narrow and worldly terrain, divisive and unsettling; regardless, the firmament of faith will serve to unify and enable each worthy member of the “human race” to disrupt barriers that amplify societal strife to ensure a dignified future for all.

Rajeev Menon Sachdeva

I love this masterful new composition, because it captures the history and context of the Civil Rights struggles in this country, telling a most important, but often underreported American story. Having lived through the 1960s as a teenager and young adult, the text and music bring back painful personal memories, but more importantly, they compel all of us to have the courage, determination and guts to stand for equality and to fight injustice and bigotry when we encounter them every day. Bill Young After several weeks of rehearsing The Children’s March, learning the notes, the rhythms, and the moving words from various sections of the piece, I sat down and read the full libretto and wept. I certainly had been moved by the music and words all along, and especially of the children singing with us, but this was different. It hit me hard, the reality of the struggles so eloquently related in this piece. I had joined the choir in the spring of 1963 when the children’s march took place and was completely puzzled that I hadn’t remembered hearing about it until now on its 50th anniversary. This collaboration has brought together the remarkable talents of Andrew Bleckner, Charlotte Blake Alston, and Jeff Brillhart. I am extremely proud to be a part of it, especially since it is my 50th anniversary with Singing City as well. Roz Ominsky Singing City

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Singing City: History and Mission

inging City was founded as an integrated choir in 1948 in Philadelphia by Dr. Elaine Brown. The Choir was born out of the Fellowship House movement, which believed that differences between races, religions, and cultures could be bridged by people coming together in shared activities. In addition to performances in and around Philadelphia, the Choir traveled to the South during the 1950s and ’60s struggle for civil rights, performing before integrated audiences. As a result of critical acclaim through performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Choir was invited to perform in Israel with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic and also in Jordan and Egypt while on tour in the 1970s and ‘80s. Singing City was the first western choir to perform with the Leningrad Philharmonic in Leningrad in 1990. In May 2000, Singing City was the lead choir at the First International Choral Festival de Cuba. The choir toured Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the summer of 2004 and Brazil in July 2009. The choir traveled to Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro in July 2012. The Choir remains committed to artistic excellence and to the betterment of the community. Singing City offers programs corresponding to the three “pillars” of its mission and vision: Performance, Community, and Education. The Choir’s multi-faceted mission includes choral performance at the highest levels, community involvement and educational outreach. Singing City continues to bring choral music to the under-served, performing not only in concert halls, but also in homeless shelters and nursing homes in and around Philadelphia. Singing City’s nationally recognized schools residency program, Singing City in the Schools, has brought music rudiments, choral singing, and composition techniques to children in the Philadelphia public schools and to some private schools in the area. Singing City in the Schools was taken to a new level with the launching of the Singing City Prize for Young Composers in 2003. This is a composition competition for area high school and college students. The winners benefit from a monetary prize, a performance of their work by Singing City, and a year under the tutelage of a professional composer. The Singing City Children’s Choir joined the Singing City family in the fall of 2010. Under the banner of Performance, Community and Education, Singing City strives to be an artistic, social and spiritual force, bringing people together through choral music. page 10

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Jeffrey Brillhart, Music Director Appointed in 1999, Jeffrey Brillhart directs the Singing City Choir and oversees all aspects of Singing City’s musical initiatives. He provides artistic leadership for a rich program of formal concerts, choral music workshops as part of Singing City in the Schools, and outreach concerts in diverse communities in and around Philadelphia. Jeffrey is also Director of Music and Fine Arts at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr and is recognized as one of the foremost musicians working in the Presbyterian Church. He has won national recognition for his abilities in organ improvisation, organ performance, and conducting. Mr. Brillhart’s formal training was at Drake University, where he received his Bachelor of Church Music degree in 1977, and at the Eastman School of Music, where he received a Master of Performance and Literature Degree in 1979 and studied piano, organ, harpsichord, voice and conducting. In addition to his position as Director of the Fine Arts Program at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, where he works with over 600 youth and adults, Jeffrey supervises nine choral and handbell ensembles, an art program and “Young-in-Arts,” a music and art school for children. He directs the 120-voice Senior Choir which sings for two services each week and prepares several special performances each season. Mr. Brillhart also directs the Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers, a 24-voice ensemble specializing in baroque and 20th century music. His church ensembles have performed for national conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the American Choral Directors Association. Mr. Brillhart has presented master classes at the Curtis Institute of Music, the University of Iowa, Drake University, and the Eastman School of Music. He served as chorus master for The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Martin Luther King Tribute Concert in January 2004. In January 2005, he joined the music faculty of Yale University to teach organ improvisation. He is the author of “Breaking Free,” an improvisation textbook.

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Singing City Choir Lauren Anderson Soryl Angel Aminda Baird Joyce Barton Jason Blacketer Peter Boyer Kathleen Brady Rick Britton Wendy Browder Terri Carter Gloria Brown Luke Brown Sara Harris Brown Lorance Checchia Elizabeth Childs Deb Clarke Steve Crandall Peggy Curchack Kelly Dolan Susan Domingos Tamara Duffy Douglas Faulkner Dana Fiero Cimarron Frazier Andrew Fuller

Jennifer Gottschalk Melissa Graf-Evans Marlene Graham James Grant Martha Grant Kelsey Grimes Anne Hess Mark Hollern Robert Holmes Claire Huff Laila Nada Isaacson Barbara Jenkins Beth Johnson Robert Kidder Jeffrey Knightly Francine Levin Robert Mann Joyce Marshall Yuko Martin Andrew McDermott Alex Millard Kim Murphy Randy Nonemaker Rosalyn Ominsky

Hanif Peters-Davis Ralph Purri Mark Rader Laura Randolph Sterling Randolph Betsy A. Riley Mark Ritter Gili Ronen Nathanael Russell Rajeev Sachdeva Sarah Sciarra Marilyn Sifford Richard Sobel Betty Stockwell Meghann StrainHoward Robert Thuener Andrew Westerhaus Rick Wiles Amberly Williams Kerri Williams Barbara Willig LaVerne Wood William Young

Do you love to sing? Are you looking for a great community of singers? Singing City is now auditioning experienced singers. Auditions are held by appointment. Call the Singing City office, 215-569-9067, to schedule an audition. Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 17th & Sansom Streets, Philadelphia Learn more at www.singingcity.org

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Steven M. Fisher, Director, Singing City Children’s Choir Steve has been the Director of the Children’s Choir since 2005 when it was the West Philadelphia Children’s Choir. For seven years, Steve was the Assistant Music Director of the Philadelphia Boy’s Choir. He then went on to found his own boychoir, Keystone State Boychoir, which is celebrating its 11th Anniversary Season this year. The Boychoir has sung with the region’s most esteemed music ensembles, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Opera Company of Philadelphia, for which the Boychoir serves as its official children’s choir. The Boychoir has performed internationally and in December of 2009 made history as the first choir to sing in Antarctica. In doing so, the Boychoir also became the first choir to have sung on all seven continents. Steve is also director of “FYI!” (Find Your Instrument!), the outreach program of the Keystone State Boychoir. In addition Steve is music director and a founder of the New York Boychoir. Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in music from Temple University. He studied conducting with Alan Harler, composition with Richard Broadhead, arranging with Alice Parker, and piano with Alexander Fiorello. While at Temple, Steve received the prestigious Presser Foundation Award, which recognizes a student that has the potential to make a significant contribution in the field of music. Steve is a composer of choral music. Hal Leonard recently published his song “Even,” a setting of the beloved poem “The Lanyard” by poet laureate Billy Collins. Colla Voce will be publishing a medley of South African songs Steve arranged while in South Africa. During his time at Temple, Steve and Dr. Kathy Robinson, with the help of then Dean Jeff Cornelius, founded Umcolo! This immersion program in the townships of South Africa offers music educators the opportunity to experience first-hand the vibrant South African choral tradition. Steven resides in New York City where he pursues a career as a writer of musical theatre. His musical Mandela has been presented in New York, Johannesburg and at the Tony-award winning Crossroads Theatre. His family musical Isabelle and the Pretty-Ugly Spell enjoyed an extended run in New York this past spring and received a rave review from The New York Times. Steve is currently collaborating with Hector Berlioz on a symphonic play entitled Sorry, based on the recent tragic death of prodigious violinist Tyler Clementi.

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Barbara Willig, SCCC Assistant Director Barbara (Bobbi) Willig has a long and distinguished career as a music educator and choral director in the Philadelphia area. She studied piano with Eleanor Sokoloff of Curtis Institute, Alex Fiorillo, and Susan Starr and has graduate music degrees and supervision certification. She has acted as accompanist, music director, and orchestra conductor of music theatre productions for Abington Music theatre, Marple Newtown, Klein Branch JCC as well as codirector of the children’s summer music theatre at Bucks County Community College. Barbara has directed various music ensembles including a 300-voice choir for the Northeast Regional Music Arts Festival. She prepared children’s choirs for Mahler 8 Symphony of a Thousand with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Mendelssohn Club performance of Honegger’s Christmas Cantata at the Academy of Music. Past president of the Temple University College of Music Alumni Association and rehearsal accompanist for Chestnut Hill College 2012 theatre production, supervisor of student teachers for Temple University Boyer College, past music consultant for Philadelphia READS summer program, she is presently Assistant and Rehearsal Accompanist of Singing City Children’s Choir as well as member of Singing City.

Singing City Children’s Choir Now in its third year as the Singing City Children’s Choir (formerly the West Philadelphia Children’s Choir), SCCC is a choral music education program shaping the future by making a difference in the lives of children through musical excellence. Music from all styles and periods forms the foundation for musical learning and serve as the basis for the curriculum. Concepts about music (melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, dynamics, form, style and performance practice) and musical skills (singing, theory, sight reading, etc.) are taught throughout the rehearsals through singing, listening and analysis.

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SC Children’s Choir Jibreel Barnes Amber Brown James Brown Tymere Bryant Lanisha Cox Najay Cox Sanea Cox Carnita Dandridge Nashay Dickerson Clayton Dinkins

Aneesa Ewell Zariah Gay Cianna Gland D’Jah Hankerson Semaj Harris J’Ahna Love Jamira Murray Bernard Reaves Aziriyah Sessoms Taylor Scott

Taniya Shaw Sinseir Smith Anthony Sturgis Brinae Williams Robin Williams Taniesha Williams Niya Wise Treyonna Yancey- Watson

Spring Bloom Festival at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens in Devon The Philadelphia area’s premier garden showcase for Azaleas and Rhododendrons. The month of May is our time to shine! Come visit during our Spring Bloom Festival of brilliant color and dappled shade. Open 7 days a week from 8 am to sunset, always free of charge! 631 Berwyn Baptist Road • Devon, PA 19333 610-647-8870 • www.jenkinsarboretum.org

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Andrew Bleckner, Composer Described by National Public Radio’s Sacred Classics as “part of the next generation of exciting composers,” Andrew Bleckner studied composition with George Crumb at the University of Pennsylvania, and received a Ph.D. in composition in 1995. With an eclectic approach to composition, his concert music is inspired by sacred texts and African drumming. Recognized as an important voice in the composition of new music, Mr. Bleckner has received composition awards, grants, and fellowships from ASCAP, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the American Composers Forum, the University of Pennsylvania, and the MacDowell Colony. Bleckner has also received commissions from Singing City, The Commonwelath Youthchoirs, Dale Warland Singers (1999 Choral Ventures Program), Westminster Choir College, the Virginia Beach Symphony, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Virginia Wesleyan University, and Voces Novae et Antiquae. In addition to his choral works, Bleckner’s music has been performed by ensembles such as the American Composers Orchestra (1996 Whitacre Readings) and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. His music is published by Boosey & Hawkes, Alliance Music, Transcontinental Music Publications, and Southern Percussion Bleckner’s work in musical theater has won him recent acclaim. The Pigeon Boys, a musical about Pigeoneers in WWII, composed by Bleckner and with lyrics by Anne Berlin, premiered at the 2011 New York Music Theater Festival to excellent reviews. Howling Hilda and the Brooklyn Dodgers, also by Bleckner and Berlin, received a developmental reading at the 2011 Planet Connections Theater Festivity with acclaimed Broadway star Mary Testa in the lead role, and Testa won best for best performance by an actress in a reading, and the work was nominated for best reading at the festival. Currently, Mr. Bleckner serves as Resident Composer for Singing City. He has mentored the young composers who are the winners of the annual Singing City composition prize, and leads music creativity workshops in area schools. As a result of this role, he has created a large body of children’s songs for accompanied choir and/or solo voice.

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Charlotte Blake Alston, Librettist and Narrator Charlotte Blake Alston is a storyteller, narrator, librettist, instrumentalist and singer who performs in venues throughout North America and abroad. Venues are wide and include the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kimmel Center, the Women of the World Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, prisons, detention centers and a refugee camp in northern Senegal. She breathes life into traditional and contemporary stories from African and African American oral and cultural traditions. Her solo performances are often enhanced with traditional instruments such as djembe, mbira, shekere or the 21-stringed kora. In 1999, Charlotte began studying the kora and the West African history-telling traditions of Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea Bissau. Her teacher was the highly respected Senegalese griot (jali), the late Djimo Kouyate. She has recently resumed her studies with Malian Virtuoso Yacouba Sissoko. She brings her stories and songs to national and regional festivals, schools, universities, museums, libraries and performing arts centers throughout the United States and Canada, as well as local and national radio and television. Her repertoire is wide and programs are adapted to any grade level or age group. In 1991, Charlotte became the first storyteller to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra on both their Family and Student concert series. Since 1994, she has been the host of “Sound All Around”; the orchestra’s preschool concert series and continues to appear as a guest host and narrator on family concerts. For 6 seasons, Charlotte hosted “Carnegie Kids”, Carnegie Hall’s Preschool concert series and has been a featured artist on the Carnegie Hall Family Concert Series in NY since 1996. She has been a featured teller at The National Storytelling Festival, The National Festival of Black Storytelling, and at regional festivals throughout North America and abroad. She has been a featured artist at both the Presidential Inaugural Festivities in Washington, DC and the Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Children’s Inaugural Celebrations in Harrisburg, PA. In addition to her solo performances, Charlotte performs with her brother, world-renowned jazz violinist, John Blake, Jr. and his band in Tellin’ On The Downbeat: A Program of Storytelling Singing City

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and Jazz. In Fiddlin’ With Stories, Charlotte and John perform as a duo featuring violin and kora, in a program that celebrates the role of stringed instruments in African and African American culture. She has collaborated with numerous instrumental ensembles as well the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera North and the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company. She has been a featured narrator for several orchestras and conductors including The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony, the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She represented Carnegie Hall in 2003 when she hosted a series of concerts in Miyazaki, Japan with the Eddie Arron String Quartet and fellow storyteller, Motoko. Currently, she performs as both pre-concert artist and host of Carnegie Hall’s Family and Education Concert Series. In addition, she previously served as a host for Carnegie Hall’s Community Sing-Ins. Charlotte’s narrative voice can be heard on documentaries including Plenty of Good Women Dancers, The Peddie School, and Crosstown. In the PBS documentary Safe Harbor, producers proclaim her “strong, steady voice is like a lantern in the darkness.” She has narrated two shows at the Franklin Institute’s Fels Planetarium - Under African Skies and Stars of Wonder. She herself was featured in the award-winning documentary Family Name that aired around the country on PBS. Kinocraft Media Productions converted her “Martin Luther King Storypoem” to video format for educational distribution. She is the narrative voice for a series of training videos produced by Global Media Health Ms. Alston has produced several commissioned works for orchestras and opera companies including original narrative texts for Carnival of the Animals and Scherezade. More recently she has been engaged as a librettist for The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Commonwealth Youthchoirs. Kabo Omowale: Welcome Home Child with composer Andrea Clearfield and The Good Raised Up with composer John Blake, Jr. She was commissioned by the Huntingdon County Arts Council to craft and tell the story of the African American community of Mount Union, Pennsylvania which included a residency and performances for school and public audiences. Charlotte has received numerous honors including the prestigious Pew Fellowship in the Arts. She was selected as Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly” and was the recipient of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Artist Of The Year Award (The Hazlett Memorial Award), which recognizes individual artists “for excellence in the page 18

The Children’s March - 65th Anniversary Concert

Commonwealth.” She holds two honorary PhDs and received the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association. Charlotte was one of four Americans selected to perform and present at the first International Storytelling Field Conference in Ghana and was a featured artist at the Second Int’l Festival in Cape Town, South Africa. In the summer of 2005, she was the sole American selected to perform on a main stage at the STIMMEN: Voices Festival in Basel, Switzerland and The Cape Clear Island Festival in Ireland. In 1996, she was the Director of “In the Tradition...” the 14th National Festival of Black Storytelling. She is a recipient of the Zora Neale Hurston Award, the highest award bestowed by the National Association of Black Storytellers. You can also hear her stories by downloading The Tales 2 Go application for the iPhone.

Keenan Boswell, pianist In 2010, Keenan became a graduate of The Juilliard School and is currently completing his Masters degree at Westminster Choir College. Keenan is known for virtuosic pipe organ performances that display a “clear technique” and “comprehensive, symphonic use” of the organ. As a student of Ken Cowan in 2011, Keenan studied and performed Mr. Cowan’s arrangement of Franz Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1. In the upcoming year, Keenan will study with Alan Morrison. While pursuing undergraduate work at The Juilliard School, Keenan won first prize in Region IX of the American Guild of Organist’s Regional Young Organist Competition and was featured in concert at the 2008 AGO Regional and National Conventions. Keenan has performed at well-established organ concert venues such as Saint Mary-The-Virgin and Saint Ignatius Loyola of New York City and was featured on the 2010 Rising Stars summer concert series at Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA. Most recently, Keenan gave his solo organ debut recital at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, where he is Assistant Organist. Keenan shares his love for collaboration by working with singers and instrumentalists of both contemporary and classical genre. His work Singing City

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with soprano, Barbara Paterson, led to their participation in the 2011 Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Voice-Piano Competition in Paris, France with coaching from Dalton Baldwin and Mary Anthony Cox. Keenan coaches regularly with Susan Ashbaker and accompanies for students of Westminster Choir College. In 2011 and 2012, Keenan was a collaborative pianist for Westminster’s CoOPERAtive Program, working with Kathleen Kelly of Vienna State Opera, Gina Lapinski of NY Metropolitan Opera and Sandra Bernhard of Houston Grand Opera. His upcoming season will feature collaborations with Opera Company Philadelphia, Singing City, Lyric Fest, Lyric Fest’s Co-Founder Suzanne DuPlantis and Westminster Choir College Opera Theatre. Keenan’s passion for contemporary music drives him to produce recitals that feature musical peers in collaboration with him on organ. In 2010, Keenan’s collaborative recital at The Juilliard School saw the debut of a work encompassing dance, drums, guitar and organ. Contemporary organ works were arranged to convey a story visually expressed by nearly half the freshman class of Juilliard dancers. In January 2012, Keenan debuted a new work for voice, drums, mandolin, electronics and organ as a featured artist at Old First Church in San Francisco, CA. This work featured organ arrangements of music by Kanye West and the Fleet Foxes.

Marielle Issa, soprano Marielle is a sixteen year old sophomore at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. She loves singing, and has for as long as she can remember. She feels incredibly lucky to be part of a wonderful school choir led by Steve Kushner. Her passion lies in musical theater, and she hopes to make a career of it someday. Some favorites include roles in The Music Man, The Wizard of Oz and Hamlet. Marielle is also a full time dancer and has been training in classical ballet for over ten years. She hopes to continue to dance and perform throughout her life. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a powerful and rewarding piece, and to everyone who has been there to help along the way.”

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The Children’s March - 65th Anniversary Concert

Madeline Addis, mezzo-soprano Madeline Addis is a 16-year-old junior at Germantown Friends School. She is a part of the school’s Choir and Chorus, as well as GFS A Cappella. In addition to singing, Madeline loves acting and musical theater, and recently played the role of Amalia Balash in GFS’s winter production of She Loves Me. She is immensely thankful to her family, Steve, Teri, Anne, Jeff, and all of Singing City for the opportunity to work on such a beautiful and powerful piece.

Andrew Burgmayer, tenor Andrew Burgmayer, a junior at Radnor High School, has been a vocal student of Suzanne Duplantis for three years. A devotee of classical art songs and arias, he has performed Barber art songs in a Young Artists Concert at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church (BMPC) and at their Good Friday noon services for the past three years. Last year, he gave a recital of art songs at Rosement Presbyterian Village. Andrew was one of two soloists for a performance of Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia (Earth Mass) at BMPC. On stage, Andrew has been Jaffet in Benjamin Britten’s Noyes Fluddye, Micah in BMPC’s original Prophetable, Sonny in CCMP’s production of Grease and the leading role of Sky Masterson in CCMP’s Guys and Dolls. Last summer, Andrew attended the Young Artists Vocal Experience summer program at Furman University and the Solo Vocal Artist summer program at Westminster Choir College where he played leading roles in five Gilbert and Sullivan opera scenes. This summer he will attend the University of the Arts vocal jazz program. At school Andrew performs with three vocal groups; the large chorus (Meistersingers), the a capella all-male B#’s, and ProMusica, a small a capella group which he and friends started for fun that has become a recognized performing group at Radnor. As a sophomore, he was selected to participate in both PMEA 2012 District and Regional Choruses. On a personal note, Andrew enjoys singing with different jazz artists and has a history of wailing away to Queen while doing chores around the house. Singing City

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Ja’Wuan I. Thomas, baritone Ja’Wuan attends Northeast High School and is an aspiring young artist. Musical activities include playing the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and performing with the Northeast Concert Choir. Ja’Wuan started to develop his musical talent at church, listening to choir selections and hymns. His grandfather started to spark that creative musical ability by playing piano and recording spirituals. Ja’Wuan later auditioned for the world-renowned Philadelphia Boys Choir and Men’s Chorale where he placed in the advanced cadets program for a half semester and then moved to the performing choir. Ja’Wuan has experience with instrumental music, playing in a brass quintet, symphonic band, orchestra and placing 2nd chair in All-City Orchestra. He was honored to receive awards from the Major, Congress and Divine Change Inc. for his community work and for the ability to communicate to to his community through music and the arts. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Allentown Symphony Hall, Merriam Theatre, Academy of Music, Kimmel Center of Performing Arts, Good Morning America, and concert halls in China. Recently he sang the newly commissioned piece Do You Hear What I Hear written by David Clydesdale. In his spare time Ja’Wuan is a very active member in his church where he was just given the title of Junior Deacon. He was invited to the Amped for Christ retreat as a Worship Leader. He is working with the community of Tacony (Philadelphia) to form youth performing ensembles. Ja’Wuan will be touring France with the Philadelphia Boys Choir this Summer.

Jeung Lee, bass Jeung is currently a junior at Germantown Friends School. He sings regularly in the school choir, and has taken part in multiple school musical performances, including Guys and Dolls and Anything Goes. He has always loved music, and plays the flute in his upper school Jazz Ensemble.

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The Children’s March - 65th Anniversary Concert

Singing City Board of Directors Cheryl Slipski, President Nancy Frandsen, Vice-President Tim McGarrigan, Treasurer Margaret C. Gregg, Secretary

Peter Boyer Wendy Browder Warren Cooper Steve Crandall Peggy Curchack Walter Johnson

Jackie Lesser Milo Morris Mindy Rubinlicht Lawana Scales Rachel Sobel Radclyffe Thompson

Rosalinda R. Madara, Honorary Director

Advisory Board Anton E. Armstrong Jack Asher Jeffrey Cornelius Joseph Flummerfelt R. Thomas Friedman DeVonne Gardner Elizabeth L. Haslam Robert H. Holmes

Scott Jenkins Mary Tryon Ledwith Claire McKinley Weston Noble Helmuth Rilling Sandra Stouffer Andre J. Thomas

Staff Jeffrey Brillhart, Artistic and Music Director Lauren Anderson, Executive Director Scott Hughes, Choir Administrator and Office Manager Thomas Sheehan, Pianist Steven Fisher, Director, Singing City Children’s Choir Barbara Willig, Assistant, Singing City Children’s Choir Andrew Bleckner, Composer-in-Residence

Special Thanks

Friends of Singing City SC Children’s Choir Volunteers—Eve Bogle, Nancy Fairman, Peggy Gregg, Marge Kennedy, Bob Merin, and David Scott Principal Joe Dixon and the Faculty and Staff of the James Rhoads Elementary School Melissa Metelits, Video Production

Singing City

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Season Subscribers Season Subscribers provide the backbone of financial support for the performance aspect of our mission. We are grateful for their generosity and for their commitment to artistic excellence.

Benefactors

Mr. and Mrs. James R. Affleck, Jr. Lauren Anderson Peter Boyer Jeffrey Brillhart Deb Clarke and Cheryl Bruttomesso Peggy and Mark Curchack

Patrons

Elizabeth L. Haslam Clare and Jim Mackie Rosalinda R. Madara Charles Y. Murphy III Cheryl Slipski Richard and Dorothy Stevens William and Betty Stockwell

Walter Johnson Gary and Debbie Johnson-McNutt Mary Tryon Ledwith Linda Litwin Claire S. McKinley Rosalyn Ominsky Evelyn G. Parker Barbara Rittenhouse Jack and Roberta Rubinlicht Ruthanne and Gary Schlarbaum Elaine B. Shaffer John and Sandi Stouffer Mary Ann Sullivan Radclyffe F. Thompson

Susan Alpine and Ed Scheetz Norman and Carla Block Wendy Browder Gloria Brown Barbara Domingos Doug Faulkner Nancy Frandsen Helen Gilmore Ron and Peggy Gregg Sue Anne Grier Robert H. Holmes Claire and Warren Huff Don and Laila Nada Isaacson Beth Johnson