Cincinnati May Festival Celebrates 150th Anniversary

Founded

in 1873, the Cincinnati May Festival celebrated its 150th anniversary as the longest continuously running choral festival in the Western hemisphere with the 2022–2023 season. Premieres, new programs, and more were all part of the celebratory year.

The 2023 Cincinnati May Festival featured the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) performing beloved works, including Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Symphony of a Thousand, joined by the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Cincinnati Youth Choir, and Cincinnati Boychoir; Mozart’s Requiem; Bach’s Magnificat; and R. Nathaniel Dett’s oratorio The Ordering of Moses. The season also featured significant premieres of commissioned works. During a May 19 concert, Timotheus, Bacchus and Cecilia by James MacMillan and Breaths of Universal Longings by James Lee III premiered. Then, led by May Festival music director laureate James Conlon on May 25, the May Festival Chorus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performed a newly commissioned work by Julia Adolphe.

In honor of its commissioning legacy, the May Festival also launched the 25 for 25: A New Time for Choral Music

On May 6, the Indianapolis Children’s Choir premiered Terang and Hope is a Waking Dream Terang, a song commissioned for the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, focuses on a Malay proverb and explores the fading performance art of Malay-Kelantanese Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) tradition. Hope is a Waking commissioning project as part of its anniversary. Through this project, 25 composers from the Luna Composition Lab, which supports female, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming composers ages 13–18, composed new works that were premiered by area choral ensembles across Greater Cincinnati. The 25 new works premiered in April and May. This year serves as principal conductor Juanjo Mena’s conclusion to his six-year tenure with the May Festival. Mena contributed new and diverse programming and a deep commitment to community engagement during his time with the May Festival.

The 150th anniversary season also brought the announcement of the retirement of director of choruses Robert Porco. The longest-tenured director of choruses in the history of the May Festival, Porco will conclude his 35-year tenure after the 2023–24 season. He has worked with more than 1,300 individual singers of the May Festival Chorus, prepared 532 distinct choral works for 170 May Festival concerts, and conducted 26 concerts. Porco will be named director of choruses emeritus upon retirement.

Dream, composed by Greg Gilpin, is based on text from Aristotle that aims to inspire both the performers and audience to seek unity.

Ember Choral Arts performed the premiere of Three Water Songs by David Avshalomov on March 25. Avsholomov utilized the texts “All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters” by James Joyce and “Waterfall at Lu-shan” by the 8th-century

Chinese poet Li Po and crafted a third text himself about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The Atonement, a cantata composed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor that debuted in 1903, was performed for the first time in over 100 years for a doctoral project by University of Michigan choral conducting student Bryan Ijames. The project resulted in the first full recording of the piece, which may be the first work of its kind ever written by a composer of color.

Cantori New York gave the world premiere of Les fous et leurs chimères by Benjamin C. S. Boyle on March 4 and 5. Boyle’s cantata sets prose poems by Charles Baudelaire, in which the 19th century French poet addresses issues of social and economic inequities that remain relevant today. The commission was conceived in honor of Baudelaire’s 2021 bicentenary but performed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cantori New York and The Cecilia Chorus of New York commissioned Derrick Skye’s Neither Separated, Nor Undone. Skye’s work draws on the rhythms and sonorities of Balkan, Ghanaian, and Persian traditions. Cantori New York premiered the chamber orchestra version at New York City’s Church of the Holy Apostles on November 12, 2022; The Cecilia Chorus of New York gave the world premiere of the full orchestra version in Carnegie Hall on April 28, 2023. n

Recordings

Former Chorus America board member Shawn Crouch released The Tracery of Lights on February 14. The 10-track release includes performances by Volti, Seraphic Fire, and Essential Voices USA

On April 21, Chanticleer released On a Clear Day. Chanticleer shared that the new album, “traces a journey from darkness to light, and from mystery to clarity.” Most of the works on the album were commissioned by the group, including compositions by composers Mason Bates, Shawn Crouch, Stephen Paulus, and Steven Sametz. u

Bay Area-based girl chorus iSing

Silicon Valley released its second full-length album, love & light on April 14. The release is a collaboration with GRAMMY® Awardwinning soprano Estelí Gomez and virtuosa harpist Cheryl Fulton and is part of iSing’s 10th anniversary celebrations. The release features new commissions chorea lucis by California-based composer Kenyon Duncan and Lux Aeterna by South Korean Guggenheim Fellow Sungji Hong. n

Awards

Boston Children’s Chorus executive director Andrés Holder was honored as one of Boston’s Most Influential Men of Color by Get Konnected! Get Konnected! is a social impact venture which curates meaningful business and social connections, cultivates positive cross-cultural relationships, and facilitates business and career opportunities for women and people of color.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) announced Morna Edmundson, artistic director of Elektra Women’s Choir, as the recipient of a Doctor of Letters honorary degree. “As a choral conductor, administrator and builder, she has set a standard of excellence within her choirs that has been widely acknowledged in both performance and competition,” said UBC of the former Chorus America board member. n

Appointments and Retirements

The National Lutheran Choir (NLC) announced the appointment of Jennaya Robison (pictured) as its third artistic director in the organization’s 37-year history. Robison will assume her role on July 1 succeeding David Cherwien (pictured), who is retiring after 21 years of service. During

IN MEMORIAM: H. ROYCE SALTZMAN

On April 3, Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) announced the passing of H. Royce Saltzman at 94 years old. The co-founder and executive director of the Grammy-winning Oregon Bach Festival, Saltzman also served on the Chorus America Board of Directors from 2004–2010. He was the very first recipient of the Chorus America Distinguished Service Award, in honor of his service to the organization and immense impact on the choral field. Saltzman’s daughter, conductor and educator Kathy Saltzman Romey, shares some reflections on her father’s life and legacy. Romey also received the Chorus America Distinguished Service Award in 2021, with her father contributing remarks for the occasion.

Myfather was not only a parent but also one of my most important mentors and advisors. As a young conductor, I had many moments of doubt and would often call him for council and reassurance. He was always patient and calm, encouraging me to take risks and embrace new challenges as an opportunity for personal and professional growth. Throughout my childhood and undergraduate degree, he served as a wonderful role model in his work as a conductor, educator, and civic leader. Shortly after I graduated from the University of Oregon, he decided to step off the podium and away from the classroom to focus solely on administration. This was a very difficult decision for him as he dearly loved both teaching and performance. However, I know he felt he could make a greater contribution to the field through his work as an administrator. Looking back, I know this to be true. I witnessed his visionary leadership firsthand as Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Oregon Bach Festival (1970–2007), National President of

Cherwien’s more than two decades of leadership, NLC commissioned 21 new works and released 20 recordings.

Cathedral Choral Society (CCS) announced Gerald Lee Ricks (pictured) as its guest artist coordinator. Ricks also serves National City Christian Church as the director of worship, music, and arts.

ACDA (1979–1981), Founding Member and President of IFCM (1985–1993) and his service on NEA panels, international juries, and advisory boards including Chorus America (2004–2010). He lived out his core values in partnership with Helmuth Rilling, creating meaningful educational and performance experiences for generations of singers, teachers and conductors at the Oregon Bach Festival. Likewise, he was passionate in his advocacy for international exchange and cooperation coordinating four IFCM World Symposia, which celebrated the richness and diversity of choral music in all parts of the world.

Anton Armstrong often referred to my father as a servant leader, citing his unwavering commitment to facilitate and further the choral art both in this country and abroad. In the weeks leading up to and following his death, we received countless letters from friends and colleagues around the world, who spoke about my father’s impact on their lives. I know his spirit and legacy continue in those who were touched by his work and belief in the power of choral music to connect us as a global singing community.

The Oregon Bach Festival will honor Saltzman’s legacy with a public Celebration of Life on July 6 in Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts.

Boston Children’s Chorus appointed Kenneth Griffith (pictured) as its new music director. Griffith joined the organization in 2021 and most recently served as associate director of choirs.

Sonya Dahlgren Pryor (pictured), artistic director of Chorus North Shore, will retire this year after 62 years with the Ipswich, Massachusetts-based chorus. Dahlgren Pryor received many awards and honors as a music educator and director, including The Walter Hancock Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities and an award as Outstanding Arts Educator in Massachusetts.

John Silantien (pictured) of the San Antonio Mastersingers retired after a 38-year career of local, nation and international service to the choral directing field. Silantien was director of the choral activities program at the University of Texas, San Antonio and the San Antonio Master-singers which is the oldest symphony chorus in Texas. The Mastersingers commissioned Ethan Wickman to compose Two Sea Songs in honor of the former director. Silantien now holds the title of music director emeritus with the Mastersingers.

Children’s Chorus of Washington announced that Robbie Jacobs (pictured) will join the organization as executive director this summer. Jacobs currently holds the position of executive producer at Boston Children’s Chorus.

ProMusica Arizona Chorale and Orchestra announced the retirement of executive director Yvonne Dolby (pictured). Dolby will retire on June 30 after a 12-year tenure.

Cincinnati Youth Choir appointed Kathleen Riemenschneider (pictured) to the position of executive director. Riemenscheider has served CYC as director of operations since August 2022.

Los Angeles Children’s Chorus appointed Fred Meads (pictured) to the position of associate artistic director, effective August 1, 2023. Meads, who currently serves as education director for the Princeton, New Jersey-based Westrick Music Academy and music director of the Princeton Boychoir, will succeed current associate artistic director, Mandy Brigham, who will retire at the conclusion of this season. n

“Listen, baby, you got to use the gifts that you’ve been given.” I said, “Me, I use my voice as a weapon of mass connection.” And that’s when I thought “vocal activist.” That’s how that came about.