Choral Chameleon (Chorus): 2019 - Deus Ex Machina Program

Saturday, April 27th @ 8pm James Memorial Chapel Union Theological Seminary 3041 Broadway, New York, NY

Sunday, April 28th @ 5pm St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 199 Carroll St, Brooklyn, NY

Vince Peterson, Founding Ar s c Director

A MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Dearest Friends,

I have felt what I am about to write for years. I also understand why what I am about to write has happened in choral music.

Too many musicians who are placed in charge of singers wield fear as a means of elici ng human sound. They treat people as though they are machines. The idea is that if enough fear is conjured and enough ul matums are given, humans will go into “fight or flight” mode and desperately push themselves to meet demands. On the other hand, many conductors are blissfully unaware of what they do to their singers or they jus fy the ac on as being “in service of music.”

My truth is that fear‐mongering and in mida on have nothing to do with making music at all.

In the great movie, Whiplash, J.K. Simmons’ character has a profound line toward the end. He says: “There are no two words more harmful in the English language than Good Job.” This has been the view of music teachers at the collegiate and professional levels for genera ons before mine. There is a long‐held belief that encouraging music students or telling them at any point that they have achieved a goal will stop them from working just as hard moving forward and it will give them a false impression of what the “real world” is like when it is receiving their musical offerings in the future. I remember, during my years in music school, thinking many mes that there must be a way to cul vate high performance from musicians without cruelty, in mida on, or insult. In a way, I feel like I’ve been looking for it my whole career thus far.

The root cause of this behavior in choral music is genera ons of symphonic chorus conductors, themselves, being mistreated or at least disregarded by their orchestral cohorts. Over me, this created a sense of despera on in them to ensure that a certain result would always be “guaranteed” and that whatever (usually off‐base) requests the orchestra conductor would make could be translated into choral rehearsal language and delivered to the conductor in short order. This despera on made its way into the choral rehearsal room and was passed on to singers. As many of those reputable conductors made their way into schools to teach, they began to “protect” future genera ons by modeling the behaviors they experienced in the “real world” as a means of preparing their students for careers as such.

Ironically, the organ, which has long been associated with choral music (let’s call it a “first cousin”) quite literally is a machine. However, when one hearkens to the sensi ve playing of a true organist, the instrument begs us to listen for its very soul. Perhaps, in a way, this is why it is so empathe c with singers. I find the dichotomy fascina ng and I hope you will as well in the context of this concert.

In short, human beings are not machines, but the organ is. The empathy between human voices singing and the kaleidoscopic sound of the organ evokes a deep sense of soul in both: each one li ing and celebra ng the other. If the soul is the deepest part of us and is somehow connected to God, then we can indeed hear “God from the Machine” and remember something fundamental about life.

May it be so.

Vince Peterson

PERFORMERS Soprano Nicole Belmont Annie Beliveau Joan Bredthauer Catherine DiGennaro Kate Delaney Mia Farenelli Liz Hanna* Sydney Hess Erika Lloyd* Justice Maltese Rina McNamara Tegan Miller Molly Rabuffo Kathryn Squitieri Parade Stone Stephanie Tuck Alyssa Venora Ilona Wilcox

Alto Amanda Aldinger Kelly Baxter Golding* Cara Caponi Elise Caves Emily Crowe* Becky Fasanello Sarah Fels Kate Kostelc Donna Lee Boreta Singleton Brooke Slemmer Emma Teitelbaum Jessica Wong

Tenor Alex Canovas* Carlos Diaz Salazar Fabrizio Doria Matthew Finkel* Matthew Ibanez Nick Rice Zach Ritter Matthew Robbins* Michael Squitieri Harris Stockel

*Denotes Ensemble Member/Section Leader

Vince Peterson, Artistic Director Alex Canovas, Associate Conductor Nathan Taylor, Organist Ariel Estrada, Narrator

Bass Michael Allocca Richard Berg David Bredthauer Ryan Buchanan Samuel Chan Jared Graveley* Rod Hines* Joshua Joseph Kevin O’Hora John Prince Matt Scaptura

TEXTS & TRANSLATIONS WHAT ARE WE BECOMING? Dale Trumbore I - What is What is a balm What is this place We've been here before What is a salve What is it that opens What have we become What is a human What is a wound What are we becoming What else could we be —Abigail Welhouse II - The Last Good Days What will you do with the last good days?

Before the seas rise and the skies close in, before the terrible bill for all our thoughtless wanting finally comes due?

What will you do with the last fresh morning, filled with the watermelon scent of cut grass and the insistent bird calling sweet sweet across the shining day?

Crops are dying, economies failing, men crazy with the lust for power and fame are shooting up movie theaters and engineering the profits of banks.

It is entirely possible it only gets worse from here.

How can you leave your heart open to such a vast, pervasive sadness?

How can you close your eyes to the riot of joy and beauty that remains?

The solutions, if there are any to be had, are complex, detailed, demanding. The answers are immediate and small.

Wake up. Give thanks. Sing.

—Lynn Ungar

DIRGE FOR TWO VETERANS Ralph Vaughan Williams The last sunbeam lightly falls from the finished Sabbath, On the pavement here, and there beyond it is looking down a new-made double grave.

Lo, the moon ascending up from the east the silvery round moon, Beautiful over the house-tops, ghastly, phantom moon, Immense and silent moon.

I see a sad procession and I hear the sound of coming full-keyed bugles, All the channels of the city streets they’re flooding as with voices and with tears.

I hear the great drums pounding and the small drums steady whirring and every blow of the great convulsive drums strikes me through and through.

For the son is brought with the father, In the foremost ranks of the fierce assault they fell, two veterans, son and father, Dropped together and the double grave awaits them.

Now nearer blow the bugles and the drums strike more convulsive, And the daylight o’er the pavement quite has faded, And the strong dead-march enwraps me.

In the eastern sky up-buoying, The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumined, ’Tis some mother’s large transparent face, in heaven brighter growing.

O strong dead-march you please me!

O moon immense with your silvery face you soothe me!

O my soldiers twain! O my veterans passing to burial!

What I have I also give you.

The moon gives you light and the bugles and the drums give you music, And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans, My heart gives you love.

—Walt Whitman

—INTERMISSION— MESSIAHS: FALSE AND TRUE Rex Isenberg

PART I

1. Consolamini, consolamini

CHOIR: Consolamini, consolamini, popule meus, dicit Deus vester.

Loquimini ad cor Jerusalem, et advocate eam, quoniam completa est malitia ejus, dimissa est iniquitas illius

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for.

Isaiah 40:1-2

NARRATOR: The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. … But … generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment … when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth.

Barack Obama, Campaign Speech in St. Paul, Minnesota, 2008 CHOIR: My brethren and friends! … May you be privileged to see God’s salvation, to be eyewitnesses to His return to Zion!

Sabbatai Zevi, Letter to the people of Sofia, 1676

2. Vox clamantis

CHOIR: Vox clamantis in deserto: Parate viam Domini, rectas facite in solitudine semitas Dei nostri.

A voice of one calling in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3

NARRATOR: What you need to believe in is what you see … If you see me as your friend, I'll be your friend. If you see me as your father, I'll be your father, for those of you that don't have a father … If you see me as your savior, I'll be your savior. And if you see me as your God, I'll be your God. Jim Jones, founder of Peoples Temple, Jonestown

3. Populus qui ambulabat

NARRATOR: Only very rarely has a person to the same extent captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future.

Thorbjørn Jagland, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, 2009

He can get right up to you and affect you in a way that maybe you've never been affected before. … He shows you by his actions. He doesn't tell you. He doesn't preach it. … He didn't teach us these things. He just lived them. And that was more than we had seen from anyone else. And as far as leaders go, I'll go with that, you know.

Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, on Charles Manson

CHOIR: Populus qui ambulabat in tenebris, vidit lucem habitantibus in regione umbræ mortis, lux orta est eis.

magnam;

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9:2

4. Exsulta satis, filia Sion

NARRATOR: He stands before the legions, waiting only for the sun to rise in order to announce … the oration that will electrify the soldiers…

Soren Kierkegaard, on Napoleon, The Concept of Anxiety, 1844

Master, we want to see a sign from you.

Matthew 12:38

And the sun rose more glorious than ever, an inspiring and inflaming sight for all.

Soren Kierkegaard, on Napoleon, The Concept of Anxiety, 1844

CHOIR: Exsulta satis, filia Sion jubila filia Jerusalem ecce rex tuus veniet tibi justus et salvator … et loquetur pacem gentibus.

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious. … He will proclaim peace to the nations.

Zechariah 9:9-10

PART II

5. Dominus dabit verbum evangelizantibus

NARRATOR: You, O king, saw and beheld a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and the form thereof was terrible. His head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. And whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

Daniel 2:31-33, 41-42

CHOIR: Dominus dabit verbum evangelizantibus, virtute multa.

The LORD gave the word: great was the company of the preachers.

Psalm 68:11

6. Omnes videntes me – Qui habitat in cælis irredebit eos

CHOIR: Omnes videntes me deriserunt me.

All who see me mock me.

Psalm 22:7-8

Qui habitat in cælis irridebit eos, et Dominus subsannabit eos.

He that dwelleth in Heav'n shall laugh them to scorn; The Lord shall have them in derision.

Psalm 2:4

NARRATOR: Wherefore rejoice? What conquest brings he home? What tributaries follow him to Rome, to grace in captive bonds his chariot-wheels? …

Go, good countrymen, and, for this fault, assemble all the poor men of your sort; Go you down that way towards the Capitol; disrobe the

images, if you do find them deck'd with ceremonies. … Let no images be hung with Caesar's trophies. … These growing feathers pluck'd from Caesar's wing will make him fly an ordinary pitch, who else would soar above the view of men and keep us all in servile fearfulness.

William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, I:1, Marcellus, Flavius

No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing, the truth will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

Joseph Smith, History of the Church: The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith

7. Omnes nos quasi oves erravimus

NARRATOR: It is time for us to realize that we're too great to limit ourselves to small dreams. We're not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. Let us begin an era of renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope. We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.

Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address, 1981

CHOIR: Omnes nos quasi oves erravimus, unusquisque in viam suam declinavit: et posuit Dominus in eo iniquitatem omnium nostrum.

All we like sheep have gone astray; Each in his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

NARRATOR: Let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, ... to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, 1865

CHOIR: Et livore ejus sanati sumus.

And with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

8. Videtis, videtis NARRATOR: In short, we were misled. … He is not who he said he'd be.

Jesse Lava, “The Real Obama Betrayal,” Huffington Post, 2011

CHOIR: Videtis quia nihil proficimus?

Ecce mundus totus post eum abiit.

You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!

John 12:19

NARRATOR: [He] is universally an admitted failure, has no will, no courage, no executive capacity.

William Dickson, Ohio Republican, on Abraham Lincoln, 1961

The starved loyalties and repressed hero-worship of the country have found in him an outlet and a symbol.

Herbert Hoover, in letters to Henry L. Stoddard, Esq., regarding President Franklin Roosevelt, 1933

At present matters look dark indeed, and there is large promise of a fearful revolution …

New York Herald correspondent, regarding President Lincoln, 1862

Your nation rose up to confirm the prophetic vision. But they stumbled.

Daniel 11:14

CHOIR: Nos audivimus ex lege, quia Christus manet in æternum.

We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever.

John 12:34

Si tu es Christus, salvum fac temetipsum et nos.

Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!

Luke 23:39

Quia Filium Dei se fecit. Se fecit! Crucifige, crucifige!

Because he made himself the son of God. Crucify, crucify!

John 19:7, 19:6

9. Nos autem sperabamus

NARRATOR: And it all came to pass, all that [they] had hoped, but it did not fill [them] with rapture nor carry [them] away with the power or the fervor [they] had expected. [They] had imagined it all different, and had imagined [themselves] different, too. … Despondently [they were] obliged to admit to [themselves] that [they] felt poor, surrounded by riches that [they] could not make [their] own.

I.P. Jacobsen, Niels Lyhne, 1880

CHOIR: Nos autem sperabamus quia ipse esset redempturus Israël.

But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

Luke 24:21

Consolamini, consolamini ....

Comfort, comfort ...

Isaiah 40:1-2

NARRATOR: What does truth require? It requires us to face the facts as they are, not to involve ourselves in self-deception; to refuse to think merely in slogans. …

John F. Kennedy, Address at the Free University of Berlin, 1963

Children demand that their heroes should be freckleless, and easily believe them so.

George Eliot

Let us deal with the realities as they actually are, not as they might have been, and not as we wish they were.

John F. Kennedy, Address at the Free University of Berlin, 1963

EPILOGUE

10. Man is his own star

NARRATOR: Sure I am that this day – now we are the masters of our fate; … As long as we have faith in our cause and an unconquerable will-power, salvation will not be denied us.

Winston Churchill, Address to Congress, 1941

So use all that is called Fortune. … A political victory, … the recovery of your sick, … or some other favorable event, raises your spirits, and you think good days are preparing for you. Do not believe it. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

CHOIR: Man is his own star, and the soul that can Render an honest and a perfect man, Commands all light, all influence, all fate; Nothing to him falls early or too late.

Our acts our angels are, or good or ill, Our fatal shadows that walk by us still. prologue to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance, originally from Epilogue to Beaumont and Fletcher’s Honest Man's Fortune

PERFORMER BIOS VINCE PETERSON, FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Vince Peterson is a respected choral conductor, composer/arranger, and teacher of music in the United States. His 20-year hybrid career spans the worlds of choral music, theater, sacred music, and music education. He has, however, established himself most prominently in the world of choral music, notably having founded the “shape-shifting” vocal ensemble Choral Chameleon in 2008. Under his leadership, Choral Chameleon has premiered more than 150 works since its nascence and has won critical acclaim in

The New York Times, Time Out New York, The New York Concert Review, I Care If You Listen, The Examiner, and other publications. In 2015, the ensemble was awarded the prestigious ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming. In 2017, the group was named the first vocal ensemble artist-in-residence at NYC's undisputed new music hub, National Sawdust.

A native of San Francisco, Peterson began professional work in music at the unusually early age of sixteen when he became the organist and music director of his home parish. He studied piano from age six, and organ from age eleven. In high school, he toured internationally as a choral accompanist, appearing in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Philippines, and throughout Italy, where he also appeared before Pope John Paul II and played for mass inside of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. During his college years, he apprenticed under the inimitable Joseph Jennings. A colleague he met through Joe would eventually write of him: “Already, his brilliance as an arranger, accompanist and conductor were evident. He studied seriously, argued brilliantly, and soaked up all the knowledge and experience imparted by his Bay Area mentors. He also gained an appreciation and understanding of the rare (at that time) 'professional choral musician.' It is little wonder that he would relocate to a place as musically rich, and yet dynamically challenging as New York City (Brooklyn, to be precise) to begin his own musical enterprise: one that focused on the well-being of the choral singer as a professional, the creation of new choral music, and the development of a multi-generational audience ready, willing and able to accept whatever new concoction Vince would throw at them.”

In 2003, Peterson earned the BM in Composition from San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of celebrated vocal music composer Conrad Susa. He has also studied composition with David Conte, Elinor Armer, and Philip Lasser. In 2007, he earned a Double MM in Composition and Choral Conducting from Mannes College of Music where he studied under pioneer conductor Mark Shapiro as well as the composer David Loeb. Upon receipt of his Master's Degree, he was also awarded the singular Music Teacher's League Award for 2007.

As a prolific arranger, Peterson has received seven commissions to date from the multiGrammy® Award-winning ensemble Chanticleer, whose YouTube videos of his work have garnered over half a million views. Several of his choral arrangements and original compositions have become staples for choirs across the United States.

Distinguished performance venues include Chicago Symphony Hall, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, Bartok National Concert Hall in Budapest, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Carnegie Hall, among others.

A recognized thought-leader in the music world, The New York Times called Peterson “authoritative beyond his… years,” and The Brooklyn Eagle praised his work as “a stunning symphony of the spiritual and secular,” while hailing him as a solo performer “with depth and vigor” who “provided a universal context which resonated with his audience.”

In 2018, Vince Peterson was awarded the Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal by Chorus America, a lifetime distinction he shares with only fourteen of the most influential choral musicians in the United States. When endorsing his candidacy for this award, another cherished colleague wrote: “Vince Peterson’s record speaks more eloquently for him than I can ever do. I will conclude by saying that after my many years now as a choral conductor, singer, and teacher of some accomplishment, I have been running low on sources of inspiration and hope; but when I look to Vince Peterson, I am always refreshed again. That is the impact of his work on me. He is clearly the artist this award is meant to recognize and support. It has been my privilege to nominate him today.”

In addition to his work with Choral Chameleon, Peterson is overjoyed to serve as Artistic Director of Empire City Men’s Chorus, which he has ushered through its 25th Anniversary Season.

NATHAN TAYLOR, ORGANIST Nathan Taylor is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (M.M.) where he studied organ performance in the studio of McNeil Robinson. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rollins College where he served as Organist of the Knowles Memorial Chapel.

He has performed throughout the US, Canada, and Europe including venues such as St. Mary the Virgin (NYC), Central Synagogue (NYC), the Cathedral Church of St. Luke (Orlando), Bethesda-by-the-Sea (Palm Beach), and St Paul’s Cathedral (London).

In additional to solo performances, he has also worked collaboratively with many groups throughout the region such as the Yale Glee Club, Grace Chorale of Brooklyn and, of course, Choral Chameleon. He is currently the Organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

DALE TRUMBORE, COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE Dale Trumbore is a Los Angeles-based composer and writer whose music has been praised by the New York Times for its "soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies."

Trumbore's compositions have been performed widely in the U.S. and internationally by ensembles including the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Children's Chorus, Modesto Symphony, Neave Trio, Pacific Chorale, Pasadena Symphony, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, and VocalEssence.

Trumbore is Composer in Residence for Choral Chameleon and was previously Composer in Residence for Nova Vocal Ensemble. She has been an Artist in Residence at Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, Copland House, Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, and Willapa Bay AiR. How to Go On, Choral Arts Initiative's album of Trumbore's choral works debuted at #6 on Billboard's Traditional Classical Chart. Choral Arts Northwest, The Esoterics, Helix Collective, New York Virtuoso Singers, and soprano Gillian Hollis have also commercially recorded works by Trumbore. Her music is published through Boosey & Hawkes, G. Schirmer, and MusicSpoke.

As a composer who works frequently with words, Trumbore is passionate about setting to music poems, prose and found text by living writers. She has written extensively about overcoming creative blocks and establishing a career in music in essays for 21CM, Cantate Magazine, the Center for New Music, MusicSpoke, and NewMusicBox. She is currently at work on her first book, Staying Composed.

Trumbore holds a dual degree in Music Composition and English from the University of Maryland and a Master of Music degree in Composition from the University of Southern California. A New Jersey native, Trumbore lives in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of L.A. with her fiancé and their two cats. www.daletrumbore.com REX ISENBERG, COMPOSER (CHORAL CHAMELEON COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE 2016-17) Born in Philadelphia, Rex Isenberg (b. 1987) began his musical life as a jazz pianist and vocalist before applying his talents as a composer. Characterized as “timeless”, “infectious”, and “inviting” (Herald Times, IN), Isenberg’s work blends a diverse array of styles and frequently draws upon historical events and texts, imbuing them with renewed meaning for contemporary audiences.

Isenberg served as Composer-in-Residence for Choral Chameleon in 2016-17 and as a Composition Fellow at Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in 2015, held residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in 2017 and at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in 2011. He has been commissioned by the American Viola Society, Cantori New York, Manhattan Saxophone Quartet, and others. His music has been performed and recorded by JACK Quartet, MIVOS Quartet, NOTUS Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Cecilia Chorus of New York, Cantori New York, Grace Chorale of Brooklyn, percussionist Ian Rosenbaum, and violists Jessica Meyer and Miranda Cuckson. He has also collaborated with Tony winner Stephen Spinella and Tony nominees Kathleen Chalfant and Paul Hecht, who were featured narrators on Messiahs: False and True, in 2015, 2016, and 2018 respectively.

Isenberg studied composition with Richard Danielpour, Reiko Füting, Kathryn Alexander, Michael Klingbeil, and Missy Mazzoli. He holds a Masters of Music and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition from Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Yale University. While at Yale, Isenberg was a member of The Yale Whiffenpoofs, composing several arrangements which he performed with the group in 20 countries and 25 U.S. states, for audiences which

included the U.S. Ambassadors to China, Lithuania, and Chile, the Consul General of Mexico, and Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

He currently resides with his husband Matt in Los Angeles. His work is published through ECS Publishing.

ARIEL ESTRADA, NARRATOR Off-Broadway: A PERSISTENT MEMORY, MBL Productions (Jessi D. Hill, dir.); DOUBLE FALSEHOOD, Letter of Marque (Andrew Borthwick-Leslie, dir.); FAR EAST, Lincoln Center Theater (Daniel Sullivan, dir.); SHOGUN MACBETH, CAMBODIA AGONISTES, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. Selected Off-Off/Regional: TARTUFFE (NYIT Award Nominee) Phoenix Theatre Ensemble (Craig Smith, dir.); MADE IN CHINA (NYT Critics Pick), Wakka Wakka (Gwen Warnock, dir.); THE DUDLEYS: A FAMILY GAME (2018 NYIT Award); ALL WE HAVE LEFT (Eugene O’Neill Theatre/ Jim Henson Foundation Puppetry Residency); THE IMBIBLE (2016 FringeNYC Encore Award); HOLY CRAB! (New York Theatre Workshop); DISORIENTED (Theater C); HONOR (Prospect Theater Company); MISS SAIGON (Merry-Go-Round Playhouse); 90 NORTH (Kennedy Center, ASCAP/In the Works Program); TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, TWELFTH NIGHT (Colorado Shakespeare Festival). TV/ Film: Title VII, Future Folk, Don’t Let Me Drown; Occupy White House Sprites, Tell

Me A Story, Blue Bloods, “Bull, The Americans, One Life to Live, Another World.

Ariel’s narration of Messiahs: False and True is an extension of his career-long work

as an actor and solo performer, which often explores how the human need for belonging can be exploited by charismatic leaders of abusive systems of power.

Ariel is currently rehearsing his solo performance work FULL CONTACT about his experiences growing up as a gay Filipino man at the height of the AIDS crisis, while also being a 20-year member of a martial arts cult. A workshop production will take place on June 26 and 27 at 7PM both nights at as part of PrideFest at The Tank. arielestrada.com ABOUT CHORAL CHAMELEON Choral Chameleon is a choir known for championing new music for voices, programming multiple musical genres together and for frequently presenting their programs with non-traditional staging. The company has premiered over 150 original compositions and arrangements to date.

Founded in New York in 2008, by Artistic Director Vince Peterson, the Company encompasses a professional ensemble, a volunteer chorus of 40+ and an annual week-long Summer Institute for composers and conductors. Choral Chameleon was 2017-2018 Group in Residence at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.

The culture of the organization marries informality, loving support, and joyful curiosity, with the expectation of solidly technical musicianship, constant learning and openness towards the unexpected.

Choral Chameleon was the 2015 recipient of Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and, in recognition of his work with Choral Chameleon over the past decade, Vince Peterson was the 2018 recipient of the Chorus America Louis Botto Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Zeal.

In addition to the Company’s self-produced programs, recent appearances and collaborations in the past 2 Seasons have included:  Philip Glass ‘Madrigal Opera’ directed by R.B. Schlather at National Sawdust  ‘Taylor Mac: A 24-Decade History of Popular Music’ 24-hour marathon show at St Ann’s Warehouse  ‘The Gauntlet’ immersive choral installation with Sxip Shirey at Ferus Festival at National Sawdust and at MakeMusicNewYork Festival.

Our Mission: The mission of Choral Chameleon is to reinvent the art of choral music from every perspective.

Our Values: INNOVATION: We fearlessly explore and bring new possibilities in choral music to our members and audiences.

EXCELLENCE: We pursue the highest standards in preparation, performance and repertoire.

COLLABORATION: We foster and celebrate diverse partnerships with composers, conductors and organizations to expand our reach in the community we serve.

ENRICHMENT: We strive to touch the lives of our audiences while preserving fun & gratifying experiences for our performers.

EDUCATION: We are committed to providing mentorship and practicing the care of the musician as the whole person.

Strategic Imperatives: Commission new works every season Bring audiences a dynamic blend of musical genres and art forms Nurture artistic growth of all singers, conductors and composers Encourage fun, openness and joy in the process of learning and performing

Arms of Choral Chameleon: The core of Choral Chameleon, the Ensemble, currently consists of ten professional singers, representing the best combination of musicianship and diversity of musical backgrounds in NYC. They are fearless pioneers in the world of new choral music and adventurous programming, and who bring Choral Chameleon’s signature experience to audiences beyond the City.

Our semi-professional Chorus of 50+ voices meets weekly in Manhattan, with the Ensemble at its core, and it is changing the way people experience the art of choral singing in their everyday lives. It brings the joy and adventure of the Choral Chameleon way of music-making to a wider array of talented singers and expands the possibilities of how choral music is presented in NYC. The Institute is our educational arm, which encompasses Ear Training Workshops and an Annual Institute for composers and conductors of choral music - an unprecedented experience which offers students the chance to explore the world of choral music-making in a loving environment surrounded by some of the most respected professionals on the music scene today. www.choralchameleon.com

Staff Vince Peterson, Artistic Director Alex Canovas, Associate Conductor Ariel Estrada, Marketing Manager, Grant Writer

Volunteer Administrative Staff Nicole Belmont, Marketing & Content Tegan Miller, Membership & Volunteer Singer Manager Eddie Maddalena, Accounting Kathryn Squitieri, Database Management Kelly Baxter Golding, Program Design & Layout Brian Rosen, Crowdfunding Manager Eddie Maddalena, Front of House

The Board of Choral Chameleon, Inc. Vince Peterson, Founder & Artistic Director Michael Squitieri, President Eddie Maddalena, Treasurer Kathryn Squitieri, Secretary Nathan Taylor, Vice President Nicole Belmont (President 2014-2018) David Dabbon Brian M. Rosen Stephanie Tuck Tegan Miller, Chorus President (ex officio) Matthew Finkel, Ensemble Representative (ex officio)

Artistic Advisory Board Vance George - Symphony Chorus Conductor Emeritus, San Francisco Symphony Matthew Oltman - Music Director Emeritus, Chanticleer Mark Shapiro - Artistic Director, Cantori New York; Conductor, Cecilia Chorus of New York Bruce MacIntyre - Musicologist, Director: Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music Emily Keeler - Artistic Director, San Francisco Arts Education Project Stephen Goldstine - Photographer, Consultant David Conte - Composer, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Conrad Susa (in Memoriam) - Composer, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Choral Chameleon is a member of the following organizations: Chorus America New York Choral Consortium

Choral Chameleon wishes to thank the following generous contributors to our 2018-2019 Annual Campaign: $1000+ Anonymous (1), Nicole Belmont, David Dabbon, Kathryn Squitieri, Michael Squitieri, Jerry Tuck $500 - $999 Peter Belmont, David S. DeLauro, Sarah Fels, Vince Peterson, John Prince $200-$499 Cara Caponi, Bob Evans, Barbara Gilbride, Joseph Gilbride, Donna Lee, Eddie Maddalena, Cathy Solomon, Fran Squitieri, James Taylor, Nathan Taylor, Stefanie Teitelbaum, Joanne Tuck, Nanci Tuck, Stephanie Tuck $100-$199 Chris Aldinger, Richard Berg, Deborah Bishop, Joan Bredthauer, Jim M. Brown, Michelle Coladonato, Emily Crowe, Audrey Elias, Donald and Caroline Gergel, Janet Griffin, Heather Hart, Westley Todd Holiday, Mike Jones, David Katz, Chris Kostelc, James Kostelc, Winnie Lee, Robert LoForese, Tania LoPinto, Parisa Mahdad, Chris Patterson, Jacqueline Perez, Lynn Peterson, Brian Rosen, Michaella Saffer, Stacey Spevak, Edward Thompson, Nicholas Weininger, Tracy Winters, Jessica Wong $10-$99 Nicole Albers, Amanda Aldinger, Michael Allocca, Kelly Baxter Golding, Paul and Constance Beliveau, Joseph Bellino, Bruce Bergquist, David Bloom, Christopher Bobbins, Janelle Boyd, Matt Brown, Scott Brown, Agnes Buchanan, Alex Canovas, Lisa Caputo, Allison Carroll, Michael and Diane Cassidy, Ted Cherney, Rita Coladonato, David Conte, Casey Cook, Robbie Cowan, Rebecca Crivello, Pritesh Damani, Hope Defrenes, Kate Delaney, Laurel Delaney, Christine DelCarlo, Steven Diamant, Jeanne DiGennaro, Mark Endozo, Michael Fairbairn, Jared Field, Matthew Finkel, Ann Gallagher, Douglas Geers, Joe Giglio, Kathleen Gilbride, Magnus Gilljam, Kimberly Glassman, Assaf Gleizner, Paul Golding, Erica Goldman, Craig Goodwin, Samuel Grace, Frenchiee Henry, Jennifer Harmer, Jessica Harris, Ann Harris-Jacobs, Christi Helsel Botello, Johanna Hirota, Ashley Michel Hoban, Chad Jones, Dr. Mona Kennedy, Ilya Khodosh, Dee Kittany, Julia Knerr, Francois Lajeunesse, Richard LaMura, Bebe and Peter Landis, Jessica Landrio, Ronald Languedoc, Amy Lawday, Brian Lin, Lancy Low, Robert Low, Cara Lyn, Mrs. R. Macklow-Smith, Joe McMurray, Darci McNalley, Janice Melara, Tegan Miller, Denyse Montegut, David Moon, Clay Morris, Dan Murphy, Olivia O’Connor, Matthew Oltman, Gina Parnaby, Suzanne Patterson, Anna Penchuk, Amy Pompliano, William Pusey, Paul Rabuffo, Erin Wittweger, Deborah Robbins, James Rodrigue, Gerald Rosen, Ian Scheffler, Shelly-Ann Scott, Benjamin Shaw, Amanda Sidebottom, Karen Siegel,

Boreta Singleton, Brooke Slemmer, Christina Squitieri, Jody Stein, Krishna Stone, Parade Stone, Ephraim Swanson-Dusenbury, Nancy Tepper, William Tisherman, Dale Trumbore, Rob Tuck, Elena Tulloch, Leah VanHorn, Alyssa Venora, Matt Vieira, Bonnie Wesley, Christine Whelan, Brad Whiteley, Joe and Teresa Wong, Shawne Workman, Shauna Youravich Miller, Meg Zervoulis, Daniel Zlatkin

Want to support Choral Chameleon?

Your donation will help fund another season’s worth of adventurous programming, like the event you are experiencing tonight, as well as support the costs of the Choral Chameleon Summer Institute for composers and conductors which cannot solely be met by fees.

Donations can be made directly at any time via our website homepage at www.choralchameleon.com If online donations are not your thing and you prefer written checks, or if you would like to explore further how you can support our work, you are welcome to speak to our President, Michael Squitieri, at michael@choralchameleon.com.

Stay in Touch!

Keep up with the latest informa on by signing up for our newsle er at www.choralchamelon.com Facebook: /choralchameleon Twi er: @choralchameleon Instagram: @choralchameleon

Mailing Address Choral Chameleon, Inc. 199 Carroll Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

MORE TO COME THIS SEASON!

Fri June 28 8pm Choral Chameleon Ensemble & Chorus St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

Bold risks taken in a loving atmosphere performed at a very high level ‐ this is our favorite event of the year and it is free to the public!

An evening packed full of hot‐off‐the‐presses work by 10‐11 composers who will have just completed these pieces over the previous 7 days! The premieres will be performed by our expanded professional Ensemble of 16.

These are expertly conducted by both Vince Peterson, and conduc ng faculty member Ma hew Oltman.

Up to 4 conduc ng fellows will also lead Choral Chameleon's Chorus through several works of exis ng choral repertoire.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.