Voices Chamber Choir

PROGRAMME

Roy Thomson Hall presents

24TH Annual Free Noon Hour Choir & Organ Concerts

VOICES CHAMBER CHOIR Poetry in Song

FRI FEB 24, 2023 • 12PM

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PROGRAMME

VOICES CHAMBER CHOIR Poetry in Song

We are thrilled to be able to offer this free concert series thanks to the tremendous support of the Edwards Charitable Foundation and our community of education and outreach donors. Help us share the gift of music with our community by making a donation today or by donation upon arrival at the Hall. Your support ensures we can continue delivering free programming like Choir & Organ for years to come.

Roy Thomson Hall’s Free Choir and Organ Concerts celebrate the artistry of outstanding Canadian choirs and organists and feature the magnificent Gabriel Kney pipe organ.

Please join us for our next concert – “Poetry in Songs” on Friday, February 24, 2023 featuring Voices Chamber Choir.

For information about the 2022-23 season, visit https://roythomsonhall.mhrth.com/tickets/series/choir-and-organ-2022

AMÉLIE ROY, Oboe ANN-MARIE-MACDAIRMID, Organ/Piano RON KA MING CHEUNG, Artistic Director/Conductor

RUTH WATSON HENDERSON* Holy Spirit, By Whose Breath TOM TRENNEY

aya’s Prayer for Peace M (Maya Angelou)

ELEANOR DALEY*

In Remembrance (Anon.)

CECILIA MCDOWALL I obey thee, O Lord (Leonardo da Vinci)

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AMY BEACH Scottish Legend Op.54 #1 (1867-1944) (Organ Solo) SARAH QUARTEL* “Hope” is the thing with feathers (Emily Dickinson) ERIC WHITACRE Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown) CRISTINE TEMPLE-EVANS

Dreams (William Butler Yeats)

FLORENCE DURELL CLARK Cathedral Procession (1891-1977) (Organ Solo)

STEPHEN CHATMAN* Life Has Loveliness (Sara Teasdale) MATTHEW EMERY* Lead Us Home (Marjorie Pickthall) DONNA RHODENIZER* The Love of the Sea (Donna Rhodenizer) RITA MACNEIL*

Home I’ll Be (Rita MacNeil)

*Canadian Composer

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NOTES ON THE PROGRAMME Ruth Watson Henderson* Shades of Love: 3. Remember (Christina Rossetti) Tom Trenney Maya’s Prayer for Peace (Maya Angelou) Tom Trenney has been blessed to serve as Minister of Music to First-Plymouth Church (United Church of Christ) in Lincoln, Nebraska since 2009. In 201516, three of First-Plymouth’s choirs were honoured to perform at conventions of the Nebraska Choral Directors Association, the Nebraska Music Educators Association, and the North Central American Choral Directors Association.

Father, Mother, God, thank you for your presence during the hard and mean days, For then, we have you yo lean upon. Thank you. Father, Mother, God, thank you for your presence during the bright and sunny days, for then we can share that which we have with those who have less. Father, Mother, God, thank you for your presence during the holy, holy days, for then we area able to celebrate you and our families and our friends. For those who have no voice, we ask you to speak. For those who feel unworthy, we ask you to pour out your love in waterfalls of tenderness. For those who live in pain, we ask you to bathe them in your river of healing. For those who are lonely, we ask you to keep them company. For those who are oppressed, we ask you to shower upon them the light of hope! Father, Mother, God, you the borderless sea of substance as ask you to give all the world that which we need the most: peace. (“Prayer” Maya Angelou 1928-2014) Eleanor Daley*(b. 1955) ”In Remembrance” from Requiem In Remembrance is the central movement from Requiem, commissioned for the Elmer Iseler Singers in 1993, and the work was awarded the 1994 National Choral Award for Outstanding Choral Composition of the Year. “Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep.” An evocative and deeply moving work

by Canadian composer Eleanor Daley is presented with rich harmonic tapestries and seamless legato melodic lines. Warmly expressive and hopeful, it continues to appear on concert and festival programs since its premiere in 1993.

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Cecilia McDowall (b.1951) I obey thee, O Lord (Leonardo da Vinci) British composer. born in London. Cecilia McDowall has won many awards including the British Composer Award for Choral Music in 2014. Much of McDowall’s choral music is performed worldwide, as well as her orchestral music. Most recently, the Wimbledon Choral Society commissioned the Da Vinci Requiem, to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death in May 2019; this large-scale work was premiered by the choir and The Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, London. “I obey thee, O Lord” is a movement from the Da Vinci Requiem which combined the words in the Notebook of Leonardo da Vinci and the text “Lacrimosa” from the Missa pro defunctis arranged for choir and organ by the composer.

Lacrimosa dies illa, Qua resurget ex, favilla Judicandus homo reus. Huic ergo parce, Deus: Pie Jesu Domine, Dona eis requiem. Amen.(Full of tears will be that day, When from the ashes shall arise, The guilty man to be judged; Therefore spare him, O God, Merciful Lord Jesus, Grant them eternal rest. Amen.) (Missa pro defunctis) I obey thee, O Lord, first because of the love which I ought to bear thee: secondly, because thou knowest how to shorten or prolong the lives of men. Tear, come from the heart. Our body is subject to heaven, and heaven is subject to the spirit. (The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519) Amy Beach (1867-1944) Scottish Legend Op.54 #1 (Organ Solo) An American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale orchestral work. Her Gaelic Symphony was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. She was one of the first American composers to succeed without the benefit of European training, and one of the most respected and acclaimed American composers of her era. As a pianist, she was acclaimed for concerts she gave featuring her own music in the United States and in Germany.

Scottish Legend is from the 2 Piano Pieces Op.54 with a folk-like tune with a romantic harmonization transcribed for the organ.

Organ Solo: (Organ Console on Stage)

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Sarah Quartel* “Hope” is the thing with feathers Sarah Quartel is a Canadian composer and educator known for her fresh and exciting approach to choral music. She celebrates the musical potential of all learners by providing singers access to high quality repertoire and engaging music education. Sarah’s choral works are performed by children, youth, and adults throughout the world and her work as an educator connects exciting musical experiences with meaningful classroom learning. “‘Hope’ Is the Thing With Feathers” is believed to have been written in 1861. It was initially published posthumously in the second collection of Dickinson’s work, Poems by Emily Dickinson, second series, in 1891. In this poem, “Hope,” an abstract word meaning desire or trust, is described metaphorically as having the characteristics of a “bird,” a tangible, living creature.

‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers—That perches in the soul—And sings the tune without the words—And never stops—at all— And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—And sore must be the storm—That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm—I’ve heard it in the chillest land—And on the strangest Sea—Yet, never, in Extremity, It asked a crumb—of Me. (Emily Dickinson 1830-86) Eric Whitacre (b.1970) Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown) Eric Whitacre is one of today’s most popular and frequently-performed composers.

His remarkable global appeal has been enhanced by his achievements as conductor, innovator, broadcaster and charismatic public speaker, and by the success of his recordings. A graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, Eric is Artist in Residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and was formerly Composer in Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, UK. In addition to his extensive output for choir, Eric’s instrumental works have been performed by some of the world’s most distinguished orchestras, ensembles, and concert bands. “Goodnight Moon” is an American children’s book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was published on September 3, 1947, and is a highly acclaimed bedtime story. It features a bunny saying “good night” to everything around: “Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light, and the red balloon ...”. Originally written for Soprano and Piano, this arrangement for mixed choir was completed in 2017.

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In the great green room There was a telephone And a red balloon And a picture of The cow jumping over the moon And there were three little bears sitting on chairs And two little kittens And a pair of mittens And a little toy house And a young mouse And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush And a quiet old lady who was whispering “hush” Goodnight room Goodnight moon Goodnight cow jumping over the moon Goodnight light And the red balloon Goodnight bears Goodnight chairs Goodnight kittens And goodnight mittens Goodnight clocks And goodnight socks Goodnight little house And goodnight mouse Goodnight comb And goodnight brush Goodnight nobody Goodnight mush And goodnight to the old lady whispering “hush” Goodnight stars Goodnight air Good night noises everywhere.

Cristine Temple-Evans (b.1950) Dreams (William Butler Yeats) Cristine Temple-Evans is a choral music educator at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in Choral Music Education and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Arizona State University. She has done extensive arranging and composing for church and school choirs. She is the director for the Sun Lakes Chorale in Arizona. “Dreams” is a setting of the poem “The Cloth of Heaven” by William Butler Yeats, first published in Yeats’s third volume of poems, The Wind among the Reeds, in 1899, it appeared under the title ‘Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’. Yeats received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Had I the heaven’s embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half-light; I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

(William Butler Yeats 1865-1939) Florence Durell Clarke (1891-1977) Cathedral Procession (Organ Solo) Florence was born in Rochester, New York. Her parents, who were Canadian, moved to Hamilton where her father George J. Clark served as choir leader of James Street Baptist church from 1895-1906. Florence obtained a B.Mus. degree from the University of Toronto, where she studied composition with Sir Ernest MacMillan and violin with Ella Howard and Luigi von Kunits, a pupil of Anton Bruckner. She

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earned the diploma Licentiate of Trinity College, London, and became only the third woman to earn the designation Fellow of the Canadian College of Organists. An active member of the RCCO, Hamilton Centre, she was made a life member of the Centre and was also recognized as an Honorary member of the RCCO. Florence Clark wrote organ works, compositions for strings, vocal solos, and choral works.

Her published compositions include Prelude on a 2nd Mode Melody and Carillon.

Her manuscripts are in the Special Collections Department of the Hamilton Public Library. Cathedral Procession is one of many organ works by the composer.

Organ Solo: (Organ Console in Balcony) Stephen Chatman*(b.1950) Life Has Loveliness (Sara Teasdale) One of Canada’s most prominent composers, Stephen Chatman is Professor of Composition at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In 2012, Dr. Chatman was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. His choral music is frequently performed and his orchestral music all over the world.

Life Has Loveliness is the opening line of Sara Teasdale’s poem Barter, it reflects the spirit and the beauty or loveliness of life through lines pertaining not only to life’s value but also nature, music, children, love and peace. One of Teasdale’s advice “Spend all you have for loveliness, Buy it and never count the cost;” Matthew Emery* Lead Us Home Dr. Emery studied at the University of British Columbia (B.Mus) and the University of Toronto (M.Mus, DMA). Matthew has received over thirty awards and prizes for his compositions and his work has been included on nineteen albums, including a Juno nominated disc. His over sixty publications are published by G. Schirmer, Boosey & Hawkes, Hal Leonard and many others. He is currently teaches at Carleton University, and the University of Toronto.

Lead Us Home was written for the 2018 National Youth Orchestra of Canada to end every concert on their Migration Tour. The poem by Marjorie Pickthall (18331922) speaks to the power of music, and its ability to comfort, to transport and heal.

In moments of conflict, strife, and grief, we turn to music to lead us home and make us whole.

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Donna Rhodenizer* The Love of the Sea (Donna Rhodenizer) Canadian Music Educators Association (CMEA) “Jubilate Award of Merit” recipient Donna Rhodenizer is an accomplished songwriter, composer and music educator.

Her song lyrics sparkle with creativity and humor that reflect a writer who has the ability to reach into the imaginations and hearts of children (and their parents!).

The Love of the Sea is arguably the most popular of Donna’s composition. It has been recorded by other artists who have discovered this choral gem. The melody is indicative of Donna’s lyrical writing, the addition of an optional instrumental solo added to the mix creating a lovely setting for a truly memorable piece of Canadian music.

Rita MacNeil* Home I’ll Be (Rita MacNeil) Rita MacNeil was a Canadian singer from the community of Big Pond on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island. Her biggest hit, “Flying On Your Own”, was a crossover Top 40 hit in 1987 and was covered by Anne Murray the following year, although she had hits on the country and adult contemporary charts throughout her career.

In the United Kingdom, MacNeil’s song “Working Man” was a No. 11 hit in 1990.

In 1990, she was the bestselling country artist in Canada, outselling even Garth Brooks and Clint Black. She was also the only female singer ever to have three separate albums chart in the same year in Australia.

Through her career MacNeil received five honorary degrees, released 24 albums, won three Juno Awards, a SOCAN National Achievement Award four CCMA awards, eleven ECMA awards, was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and was named to the Orders of Nova Scotia and Canada.

On the eighth anniversary of her death, April 16, 2021, it was announced that Rita MacNeil would be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame posthumously in May of that same year.

Home I’ll Be: MacNeil’s eighth album, Home I’ll Be (1990), included the pop hit “You Taught Me Well” and went double platinum in Canada. At the 1991 Juno Awards, Home I’ll Be was nominated for best album and best female vocalist, while MacNeil won the Juno for Country Female Vocalist of the Year. This is an arrangement for choir by Larry Nickel. *Canadian Composer

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VOICES CHAMBER CHOIR Poetry in Song

Founded in 1996 by its artistic director and conductor Ron Ka Ming Cheung, Voices Chamber Choir presents high-quality choral music performances to the general public. The repertoire ranges from Medieval to Contemporary, with an emphasis on music by Canadian composers and arrangers.

Over the years, Voices has grown into one of Toronto’s finest amateur chamber choirs, with accolades from local, provincial, national and international music festivals and symposiums. Voices presents their own three-concert series, plus the choir participates in various events and collaborates with other music ensembles throughout the season in the Greater Toronto Area.

Voices is thrilled to be part of the Noon Hour Choir and Organ Concert this season. he concert will feature music mostly by women composers including Ruth Watson Henderson and Rita MacNeil plus poetry and lyrics featuring Christina Rossetti and Maya Angelou.

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RON K. M. CHEUNG

Artistic/Music Director

Ron graduated from University of Toronto with a Masters degree in Choral Conducting and with a Bachelor of Music in Education from McMaster University.

An experienced choral singer, he has performed with the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, the Bach- Elgar Choir, the McMaster University Choir, the 1990 National Youth Choir, and from 1991-1996, he was also a member of the world renowned Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Ron has also served as the tenor section leader with Westdale United Church Choir in Hamilton, as well as with the Choir of Grace Church on-the-Hill in Toronto.

In 1996 and 2002, Ron attended master classes with the Vancouver Chamber Choir under the direction of Maestro Jon Washburn, at the Annual National Conductor’s Symposium. In 1998, Mr. Cheung was selected as a participant in the conducting master class at the Oregon Bach Festival, under the tutelage of Maestro Helmuth Rilling. In 2001, Mr. Cheung attended masterclass with the great English choral conductor, Sir David Willcocks, and once again with Bach’s specialist Maestro Helmuth Rilling. In 2011, Ron participated in the conducting workshop with masterteacher Richard Nace at the Ontario Vocal Festival Symposium. In the summer of 2014, Ron directed Chorus Canadiana, a branch of the Yip’s Children’s Choir (Canada) to Salzburg, Vienna and Prague as part of the Rhapsody! International Choir Festival, with resounding success. And in 2015, the children’s choir was only one of three choirs from Canada that were invited to compete in the Golden Gate International Choral Festival.

In addition to Voices, Ron also founded the Healey Willan Singers, which is fast becoming one of the best women’s ensembles in Toronto. Ron is also currently the artistic director/conductor of the Yip’s Children’s Senior and Youth Choir (Canada).

Ron has also been employed as conductor of various choirs, including the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir. In addition, Ron has conducted different orchestras and ensembles in performance with his choirs such as the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, Counterpoint Orchestra, the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, Brass Conspiracy, and other instrumental ensembles. Ron also teaches voice and music theory at the Pro Music Conservatory of Music in Markham.

Visit Ron Cheung’s website at http://www.ronkmcheung.com.

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ANN-MARIE MACDAIRMID Accompanist

Ann-Marie MacDairmid is a native of Thornbury, Ontario. She has an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from the University of Western Ontario.

As well as being an organist, she is an accomplished pianist, percussionist and choral conductor.

Ann-Marie is the founder, director and accompanist for the Shoreline Chorus in Owen Sound, Ontario. Shoreline Chorus presents three concert programs a year – fall, spring and summer – working in a wide variety of musical genres including Classical, Spiritual, Gospel, Jazz, Mo-town, Doo-wop, Big band, Worldfolk music, African music, Disco, Broadway and Movie music. In April 2012 the choir went to Havana on a Canada-Cuba cultural exchange.

Ann-Marie is the accompanist for the Owen Sound based vocal jazz group Cricket and is part of “The Retreads” an instrumental jazz group that plays at regular meetings of the Thornbury-Clarksburg Rotary Club. She has served as accompanist for a number of other groups, including the Georgian Bay Concert Choir in Owen Sound and the Schneider Male Chorus in Kitchener.

Ann-Marie serves as assistant organist at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener. She performs solo recitals and accompanies instrumental and vocal performers at St. Andrew’s regular noon hour concerts throughout the year.

Her programming reflects an eclectic musical taste, the most noted being her “Hallowe’en Special”. Other solo organ programs feature themes ranging from dazzling pedal solos to ragtime to gospel preludes.

In the fall of 2012 Ann-Marie helped start a youth choir in Thornbury; the Apple Valley Youth Choir. She is the conductor and accompanist. The program is being co-sponsored by a local business and the Rotary club.

As a supply organist, Ann-Marie has played for many church services throughout Southern Ontario.

Ann-Marie is dedicated to community service. In December 2010 she was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Thornbury- Clarksburg Rotary Club for service in Rotary and other community organizations. In October 2011 Ann-Marie was nominated for an Owen Sound and Area Cultural Award in the Music category.

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UPCOMING SHOWS

EVGENY KISSIN

Piano

THU APR 27, 2023 • 8PM

VOCA CHORUS OF TORONTO Shining Night

Jenny Crober, conductor Shawn Grenke, organ Elizabeth Acker, piano Colleen Allen, sax Jamie Drake, percussion FRI APR 28, 2023 • 12PM

CANTALA WOMEN’S CHOIR

The Infinite Beauty of Sound Nancy Singla, conductor David Simon, organ THU May 25, 2023 • 12PM

For tickets visit

or call

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416-872-4255

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