In Nature's Realm, Concert program

IN NATURE’S REALM A Musical Homage to Mother Earth

Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 5pm All Souls Church 1157 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10075

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

I

t is my pleasure to welcome you to today’s concert for the very first time as the new Executive Director of Musica Viva NY. Alejandro and I are thrilled to present this program which celebrates our planet Earth in all of its beauty and vulnerability.

As we witness with horror the destruction that is happening in Ukraine, it becomes ever more clear how important it is to raise awareness of the fragility of our environment and of our lives.

We hope that you will enjoy the variety of musical styles and the beauty of musical languages we are bringing to you today. Our message is powerfully summed up by the composer Alec Roth in the introductory note to his piece Earthrise included below.

Sincerely, — Jasna Vasić, Executive Director — Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, Artistic Director

“O

nce a photograph of the Earth, taken from the outside, is available, a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let loose.” The astronomer Fred Hoyle’s 1948 prophecy was fulfilled just twenty years later. The photograph was taken on the 24th of December 1968 and brought back to Earth by the astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission. The image, captioned “Earthrise,” caused a world-wide sensation on its publication early in 1969. Its influence on the nascent environmental movement was immediate and profound. The picture of our small blue planet in the vast darkness of space showed clearly its beauty, but also its vulnerability: “It was the most beautiful heart-catching sight of my life . . . raging nationalistic interests, famines, wars, pestilence don’t show from that distance.” (Frank Borman, Apollo 8) According to that great prophet of our own day, the “Gaia theory” scientist James Lovelock, man’s hubristic claim to dominion over the Earth has led us to the brink of environmental catastrophe. He insists that if we are to come to a true appreciation of the damage we are doing, appealing to reason is not enough. We must develop an emotional connection to the Earth “by harnessing the power of metaphor and myth, ancient wisdom and sacred texts.”

— Alec Roth, 2009

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Sunday, March 27, 2022 5 pm All Souls Church

IN NATURE’S REALM A Musical Homage to Mother Earth Musica Viva NY choir Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, Artistic Director and Conductor Trent Johnson, organ

Missy Mazzoli (1980-). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vesper Sparrow

Randall Thompson (1899-1994) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Peaceable Kingdom

I.

I say Ye to the Righteous

II.

Woe unto Them

III.

The Noise of a Multitude

IV.

Howl Ye

V.

The Paper Reeds by the Brooks

VI. But These Are They That Forsake the Lord VII. Have Ye Not Known?

VIII. Ye Shall Have a Song

Intermission

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Gilda Lyons (1975-). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Momotombo, World Premiere I.

El tren iba rodando sobre sus rieles

II.

The baptism of volcanoes

III.

¡Momotombo! – exclamé

IV.

Evocación

V.

Yo tenía quince años

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). . . . . . . . . “Ombra ma fui” from Xerxes Madalyn Luna, mezzo-soprano

Alec Roth (1948-) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Earthrise Antiphon Earthrise Part I: Man’s Drive to Explore and Exploit Earthrise Part II: Contemplation of the Earth Seen From Space Earthrise Part III: A Plea for True Wisdom and Understanding Antiphon Paul D’Arcy, tenor

Please join us for a post-concert reception in the vestibule.

All performers and concertgoers will be required to show proof of vaccination. Masks should be worn.

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ABOUT THE PROGRAM IN NATURE’S REALM

H

ow do we capture the spectacle of nature? As a reflection of nature’s vastness as well as its intimacies, our program draws from a rich network of artforms to explore humankind’s wonder of nature, the relationship between nature and spirituality, and, of course, the inspiring sounds of nature itself. Originally commissioned by the Grammy awardwinning ensemble Roomful of Teeth in 2012, Missy Mazzoli’s Vesper Sparrow is a colorful combination of a human take on birdsong and the composer’s inspiration of Sardinian overtone singing, or “cantu a tenore.” Traditionally, the vocal practice consists of four voices, with an upper voice singing on text, another recreating a wind sound, and the lower two on nonsense syllables. The two lower voices sing with a specific vocal technique that creates a startling resonance. In this case, Mazzoli has the upper voices weave the first few lines of Farnoosh Fathi’s delightfully sensory poem “Home State” together with repetitive birdsong above the lower voices’ demanding ambience. The effect is an unexpected timbral feast that at once conjures the atmosphere of a lively summer night, yet still leaves moments of vulnerable exposure for the ensemble’s individual, swooping voices.

A

merican composer Randall Thompson’s inspiration for The Peaceable Kingdom (1936) was the eponymous set of 62 extant paintings by Quaker artist and preacher Edward Hicks (1780–1849) based on the prophet Isaiah’s utopian vision of predator and prey living in peace (Isaiah 11:6). Thompson’s selected texts and settings, however, span a greater range of Isaiah’s prophecies that dwell on this peaceful scene only briefly, and instead favor the awesome, even terrible scenes of the end times.

Thompson’s eight movements demonstrate a range of choral traditions; the opening movement, “I say Ye to the Righteous,” moves between a quasi-Quaker tune, a percussive declamatory style, and an unraveling of eighteenth-century counterpoint. This stylistic sampling presents music that is at once familiar and yet gives the sense of a timeless truth—a prophecy. The continued intensity of the second and third movements, “Woe unto Them” and “The Noise of a Multitude,” capture the weight of this most terrific of ancient prophecies through a rhythmic commitment to the text found in the choral works of contemporaries like Orff and Bernstein—the latter having been a student of Thompson’s during his brief time teaching at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. The fourth movement, “Howl Ye,” employs a sometimes menacing, sometimes pitiful imitative effect, the voices entwining until the movement finally meets its “dissolving” conclusion. “The Paper Reeds by the Brooks” is a quiet —5—

ABOUT THE PROGRAM reflection on the destruction of the previous movements with voices lamenting even the humble reeds with their flowing cries as they process just how thorough this apocalyptic transformation will be.

The last three movements signal a shift from warning to promise. “But These Are They That Forsake the Lord” reminds us in the familiar declamatory style that the horrors described are only the fate of some, and the upper voices weightlessly transition to the promises for the righteous. A joyful transaction between all voices in heavenly applause unveils the expanse of the promised kingdom. After the declamatory style returns one final time in the seventh movement, “Have Ye Not Known,” Thompson employs his most lyrical writing in his finale, “Ye Shall Have a Song.” With their tuneful iterations of “goeth with the pipe,” this moment has the playful light-heartedness of the Renaissance madrigals of Thomas Weelkes. The final ascent into the “mountain of the Lord” is a long-awaited arrival bringing all voices together in a powerful harmonious deliverance.

G

eorge Frideric Handel’s popular melody commonly referred to as “Largo” was first heard in 1738 as “Ombra mai fu,” the opening aria of the opera Serse. Although technically an opera seria, this drama of love affairs within the Persian king’s court had some atypical comedic elements.

While Xerxes himself was not a comedic character, his contemporary reputation in Europe as a fearless tyrant was in stark opposition to his vulnerable affection for a plane tree in this opening scene, and was therefore potentially seen as humorous to an eighteenth-century London audience.

Whether or not Xerxes’ love for a tree was entirely fictional, and whether or not it was received by Handel’s audience as humorous, the anecdote of his affection is likely founded upon the cultural significance of gardens as points of pride and symbols of wealth throughout the cultural histories of the Middle East. The music itself leaves little to be said: its undeniable simplicity and sense of focus is heard acutely in the suspended climax that exposes the Persian king’s voice in a committed utterance of adoration.

O

ur program ends with Alec Roth’s Earthrise (2009), inspired by the eponymous photograph taken by astronaut William (Bill) Anders aboard Apollo 8 during its lunar orbit in 1968. The work in three parts was commissioned by the UK ensemble Ex Cathedra for their 40th anniversary, and Roth’s corresponding use of 40 separate acapella voices in the original version drew directly from the style of another English composer, the Renaissance master Thomas Tallis. In his sacred work Spem in alium (c. 1570), Tallis—and Roth after him—wrote music for eight choirs with five parts each, the textures of which create a —6—

ABOUT THE PROGRAM palpable atmosphere of sound. In the version heard on our program, the parts are paired down to suit the size of the ensemble, but the spectrum of sound is maintained through Roth’s effortless addition of the organ.

The Latin texts in Earthrise are a combination of various Old Testament passages (Parts I, II, and III) bookended by two texts selected from what are referred to as the “O” Antiphons, or Great Advent Antiphons. The latter are traditionally sung during the last days of the Christian liturgical calendar in anticipation of the birth of Christ. The significance of Roth’s selection of these two O Antiphons is their sense of perspective: each acknowledges and cries out for a power far greater than their own. The Old Testament texts chosen for Parts I, II, and III correspond neatly with each subtitle, transitioning from man’s exploration and exploitation, his contemplation, and finally his pleading. As evocative as its photographed inspiration, Roth’s elaborate homage to medieval chant tradition flows easily between an adoration of nature and, ultimately, the mysterious power that brought nature into being.

— Evangeline Athanasiou

N

MOMOTOMBO – WORLD PREMIERE

icaragua is home to a range of volcanic formations from young cinder cones and lava domes to calderas and steeply ascending stratovolcanoes. Of them all—observed throughout the ages by caciques, poets, first peoples, conquerors—the greatest may be Momotombo. Rubén Darío’s poem Momotombo embraces the eternal nature of the volcano, present through the rising and passing of epochs, while placing it in the context of an ephemeral moment approaching the volcano by train as a boy: “I was fifteen: a star in my hand!”

I was read Darío’s poetry since early childhood; my mother—born and raised in Diriamba, Nicaragua—had a deep and layered connection to his work, and she made a point of instilling in me an appreciation for his rich imagery, rhythmic drive, lyricism, and wordplay, and a love for the heart that fuels so much of his writing. In his Momotombo, Darío’s contrasting imagery is potent, with the train that keeps going, the volcano that stands seemingly unchanged for all time, and the soul that remains constant as the body changes and inevitably expires, all witness to accounts of and by people who have come and gone. I followed this shape in this new work for chorus, tracing a line from Darío to the sources he references in his poem—Victor Hugo, from Les raisons du Momotombo; and E. G. Squier’s account of the old friars who went up the volcano and did not come back—and beyond—referencing Oviedo’s History of the Indies and a letter to court from Bartolomé de las Casas—all of which exist in the shadow of the eternal Momotombo, as the memory of a fifteen-year-old self flickers brightly, and as the train keeps going.

— Gilda Lyons —7—

MEET THE ARTISTS

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ounded in 1977, Musica Viva NY is a chamber choir of thirty professionals and highly skilled volunteers, based in Manhattan’s historic All Souls Church. Its mission is to bring world-class music to a widening community through its annual concert series, community engagement programs, and an ambitious artistic vision. Under the baton of Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, Musica Viva NY has been praised by The New York Times as an “excellent chorus.” Musica Viva NY has toured in France (2004), Germany (2006) and Italy (2012).

E

steemed conductor and pianist Dr. Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez was named Artistic Director of Musica Viva NY and Director of Music of the historic Unitarian Church of All Souls in Manhattan in 2015. He is also Co-Founder of the New Orchestra of Washington and Artistic Director of the Victoria Bach Festival. He has earned accolades from The Washington Post as a conductor “with the incisive clarity of someone born to the idiom,” as well as praise from The New York Times for leading “a stirring performance” of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. At a concert commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the WWI Armistice (featuring the world premiere of Joseph Turrin’s cantata And Crimson Roses Once Again Be Fair) Oberon’s Grove wrote: “Maestro Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez drew rich, warm sounds from the musicians” in “a beautiful and deeply moving program.” He is featured in El mundo en las manos/Creadores mexicanos en el extranjero (The World in Their Hands/Creative Mexicans Abroad), a book by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs honoring Mexican nationals who are leading figures in diverse artistic fields. He is the recipient of a 2016 Shenandoah Conservatory Alumni of Excellence Award for his exemplary contribution to his profession, national level of prominence, and exceptional integrity.

He resides in New York City.

T

rent Johnson is the Assistant Director of Music and Organist of All Souls Unitarian Church in NYC and Music Director and Conductor of the Oratorio Singers of Westfield, New Jersey. He is also an organist at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where he plays the “Mighty Wurlitzer” organ for the Christmas Spectacular Show. He is a graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and The Juilliard School. He has recorded the organ works of Pulitzer Prize winning composer George Walker for Albany Records and is a frequent collaborator with brass instrumentalists.

As a composer, he has written numerous works for chorus and orchestra, orchestral works, concertos, chamber music, song cycles, an opera, and works for organ and piano. Trent is the recipient of grants from Meet the —8—

MEET THE ARTISTS Composer, funding from the NEA, and is the recipient of the Wladimir and Rhoda Lakond Award in composition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City.

P

aul D’Arcy is in demand nationally as a soloist and chamber musician. Recent oratorio solo appearances include the Austin Symphony, Tucson Symphony, American Classical Orchestra, True Concord, and Ensemble viii. He has performed on numerous recordings for Harmonia Mundi, Reference Recordings, Naxos, and PBS, including the 2015 Grammy winning album, The Sacred Spirit of Russia with Conspirare. His most recent recording, It’s a Long Way (Skylark Ensemble), has been nominated for Best Choral Performance in the upcoming Grammys. Performances include the NY Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Sacra, St. John the Divine, Trinity Wall Street, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NYC Ballet, National Sawdust, Worldless Music at BAM, Essential Voices, San Diego Bach Collegium, Ensemble Origo, Seraphic Fire, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Cape Cod Symphony, and Spire.

M

adalyn Luna is a first generation, MexicanAmerican mezzo-soprano from Chicago, Illinois. Heralded as having a “distinctive, caramel-colored” voice by Opera News, Ms. Luna has been recognized for her invested character portrayals especially in contemporary opera and early music.

Past role highlights include Julia Bertram in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park, Sesto (Giulio Cesare), Emmeline (Emmeline), The Governess (The Turn of the Screw), and Soprano 2 (Hydrogen Jukebox). In Ms. Luna’s premiere year with the Unitarian Church of All Souls and Musica Viva NY, she has had the pleasure of being featured in Vivaldi’s Gloria and Bach’s Magnificat as an alto soloist. Madalyn was recently a member of Boston University’s Opera Institute and received her Master’s in Voice Performance from Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Cynthia Hoffmann.

She is currently a student of Mark Schnaible and resides in New York City.

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MEET THE ARTISTS

G

ilda Lyons, (b. 1975), composer, vocalist, and visual artist, combines elements of renaissance, neo-baroque, spectral, folk, agitprop Music Theater, and extended vocalism to create works of uncompromising emotional honesty and melodic beauty. Her work, Momotombo, commissioned by Musica Viva NY, is receiving its world premiere tonight.

As composer and vocalist Lyons’ works and performances are available on the Clarion, GPR, Naxos, New Dynamic, New Focus, Roven Records, and Yarlung Records labels. Current projects as composer include new works for soprano Caitlin Lynch, Lyric Fest, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and Quince. Recent premieres include Lyons’ to know about space, commissioned by Trio Triumphatrix, presented by Voices of Ascension; and Sourdough: Rise Up, a chamber opera commissioned by Resonance Works Pittsburgh released by Decameron Opera Coalition. Laura Strickling’s Grammy-nominated 2021 release of Lyons’ Songs of Lament and Praise (Yarlung) was described by Opera News as “quietly devastating.”

Lyons currently serves as Co-Chair of Composition at Wintergreen Music Academy and as Assistant Professor of Composition at The Hartt School.

She is Executive Director of the Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series, Founding Director of The Phoenix Concerts, NYC, and serves on the Board of Advisors of Composers Now, the Steven R. Gerber Trust, and Sparks & Wiry Cries. Her music is published by Schott, E.C. Schirmer, and Burning Sled Media. www.gildalyons.com.

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TEXTS Missy Mazzoli, Vesper Sparrow, Text by Farnoosh Fathi What will come so soon to my golden door?

When asleep from all sides, I am a shattered horse.

Randall Thompson (1899-1987), The Peaceable Kingdom 1. Say ye to the Righteous Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him: For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

Woe unto the wicked! It shall be ill with him: For the reward of his hands shall be given to him.

Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, But ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howl for vexation of spirit.

2. Woe unto them Woe unto them that draw inequity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope!

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink!

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue till night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and ppe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Earth, neither consider the operations of his hands.

Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas!

Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth.

3. The noise of a multitude The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together; the lord of host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even their Earth, and the weapons of our indignation, to destroy the whole land. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall hae no that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. Their children also shall be — 11 —

TEXTS dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt. They shall be afraid: pangs and sorrow shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed at one another; their faces shall be as flames.

4. Howl ye Howl ye; for the end of the world is at hand.

Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou art dissolved.

5. The paper reeds by the brooks The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and everything sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

6. Recit. But these are they that forsake the Earth, for ye shall go out with joy But these are they that forsake the Earth, that forget her holy treasures.

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands.

7. Have ye not known?

Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of earth?

8. Ye shall have a song Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to sing and praise the bounties of the Earth.

Gilda Lyons, Momotombo I. EL tren iba rodando sobre sus rieles EL tren iba rodando sobre sus rieles. Era en los días de mí dorada primavera y era en mí Nicaragua natal.

EL tren iba rodando sobre sus rieles. yo tenía quince años: una estrella en la mano! y era en mí Nicaragua natal.

EL tren iba rodando sobre sus rieles.

De pronto,

— 12 —

TEXTS Suddenly, between a canopy of trees, I saw “Ô vieux Momotombo, colosse chauve et nu...” Ô vieux Momotombo, «calvo y desnudo», and full of ancient triumphal pride.

EL tren iba rodando sobre sus rieles. yo tenía quince años: una estrella en la mano!

I was fifteen: a star in my hand!

EL tren iba rodando sobre sus rieles.

Rubén Darío, from Momotombo, 1907 Victor Hugo, from Les raisons du Momotombo, La Légende des siècles, 1859 II. The baptism of volcanoes [The baptism of volcanoes] is an old practice... the ceremony was performed early after the Conquest on all the volcanoes in Nicaragua, with the exception of Momotombo.

The old friars who started for its summit to set up the cross there were never heard from again.

E. G. Squier, special chargé d’affaires of the United States to the Republics of Central America from Travels in Central America, particularly in Nicaragua, 1853 III. ¡Momotombo! -exclamé A league and a half from the city of León is a very high mountain on the other side of the lake... from the highest peak rises smoke without ceasing...

There, no year passes without the earth shaking many times. ¡Momotombo! -exclamé- ¡oh nombre de epopeya! ¡Oh Momotombo ronco y sonoro!

I have been in that city fleeing to the streets I counted in a single night sixty or so, one after another... ...it is a cause of much fear Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, 1535 General and Natural History of the Indies, and Islands and Lands of the Oceanic Sea, part three, volume IV, 1855 Rubén Darío, from Momotombo, 1907 — 13 —

TEXTS IV. Evocación Know your grace, que este reino de Nicaragua es... un paraíso ...such abundance, such good health and the gentleness of its people.

Oh Momotombo... Te amo Oh Momotombo... I love you because at your evocation they come to me again, porque a tu evocación vienen a mí otra vez, perfumes de mí infancia, brisas de mí niñez. pride...

Bartolomé de las Casas, de una carta a un personaje de la corte, 1552 Rubén Darío, from Momotombo, 1907 V. yo tenía quince años Momotombo stood lyrical and sovereign, I was fifteen: a star in my hand!

El tren...

Rubén Darío, from Momotombo, 1907

George Friderich Handel, Ombra ma fui, from Xerxes Ombra mai fu

Never was a shade

Di vegetabile,

of any plant

Care ed amabile

dearer and more lovely,

Soave più.

or more sweet.

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TEXTS Alec Roth (1948-), Earthrise Antiphon O oriens, splendor lucis aeternae et sol iustitiae: veni et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.

(Great Advent Antiphon 5)

O you who rise, brightness of light everlasting and sun of justice: come and illumine those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

Part I – man’s drive to explore and exploit Quid est homo quod memor es eius?

Aut filius hominis quoniam visitas eum?

Constituisti eum super opera manuum tuarum; omnia subiecisti sub pedibus eius.

What is man that you are mindful of him? Or the son of man that you visit him?

You have set him in dominion over the works of your hands; all things you have subjected under his feet.

(Psalm 7(8): 4, 6) Ad silicem extendit manum suam; subvertit a radicibus montes.

In petris rivos excidit; et omne pretiosum vidit oculus eius.

To the hard rock he stretches out his hand; he overturns the mountains by their roots. In the rocks he cuts out channels; and every precious thing is sought out by his eye.

Profunda quoque fluviorum scrutatus est; et abscondita produxit in lucem.

Sapientia vero ubi invenitur? Et quis est locus intellegentiae? [Quis? Ubi?]

The deeps of the rivers he also searches; and hidden things he brings to light.

But where shall wisdom truly be found? And where is the place of discernment? [Where? Where?]

(Job 28: 9-12)

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TEXTS Part II – contemplation of the Earth seen from space Ecce O ecce

Look, O look!

Levate in excelsum oculos vestros et videte; quis creavit haec?

Quis mensus est pugillo aquas?

Et caelos palmo ponderavit? Quis adpendit tribus digitis molem terrae?

Lift up your eyes on high and see; who created these things?

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? And weighed the heavens with his palm? Who has balanced on three fingers the mass of the earth?

Qui sedet super gyrum terrae; et habitatores eius sunt quasi lucustae.

Qui extendit velut nihilum caelos; et expandit eos sicut tabernaculum ad inhabitandum.

He that sits above the circle of the earth; and its inhabitants are like locusts. He that stretches out the heavens as nothingness; and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

Qui dat secretorum scrutatores quasi non sint; iudices terrae velut inane fecit.

Ecce gentes quasi stilla situlae. Ecce insulae quasi pulvis exiguus.

He that makes the searchers of secrets as nothing; the judges of the earth he renders worthless.

Look, the nations are like a drop from a bucket. Look, the islands are like fine dust.

(Isaiah 40: 26, 12, 22, 23, 15) Part III – a plea for true wisdom and understanding Audite haec, omnes gentes; auribus percipite, omnes qui habitatis orbem, quique terriginae, et filii hominum, in unum, dives et pauper.

Os meum loquetur sapientiam, et meditatio cordis mei prudentiam.

(Psalm 48(49): 1-3)

Hear this, all you nations; pay heed, all you inhabitants of the globe, all you that are earth-born, and you children of men, all as one, rich and poor.

My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

— 16 —

TEXTS Dominus sapientia fundavit terram; stabilivit caelos prudentia.

Sapientia illius eruperunt abyssi, et nubes rore concrescunt.

Fili mi, ne effluant haec ab oculis tuis; custodi legem atque consilium, Et erit vita animae tuae, et gratia faucibus tuis.

Tunc ambulabis fiducialiter in via tua, et pes tuus non inpinget.

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; he established the heavens by understanding.

By his wisdom the deeps burst forth, and the clouds grow thick with moisture.

My child, let not these things escape from your eyes; guard the law and keep good counsel, And they will be life to your soul, and adornment to your neck.

Then you will walk securely in your way, and your foot will not stumble.

Beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam, et qui affluit prudentia.

Melior est adquisitio eius negotiatione argenti; et auro primo fructus eius.

Pretiosior est cunctis opibus; et omnia quae desiderantur huic non valent conparari. Longitudo dierum in dextera eius; in sinistra illius divitiae et gloria.

Viae eius viae pulchrae; et omnes semitae illius pacificae.

Lignum vitae est his qui adprehenderint eam; et qui tenuerit eam beatus.

Blessed is the man that finds wisdom, and who is rich in understanding.

It is better to acquire her than goods of silver; and better than purest gold is her revenue.

She is more precious than great riches; and all that could be desired cannot be compared with her. Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand, riches and glory.

Her ways are ways of beauty; and all her paths are peaceful.

A tree of life she is to them that lay hold of her; and those who hold her fast are blessed.

(Proverbs 3: 19-23; 13-18) Antiphon O sapientia, quae ex ore altissimi prodisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviter disponensque omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

(Great Advent Antiphon 1)

O wisdom, which came out of the mouth of the most high, reaching from one end all the way to the other, mightily and graciously ordering all things: come and teach us the way of understanding.

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MUSICA VIVA NY CHOIR Soprano

Tenor

Shabnam Abedi Hirono Amamiya Mary Esbjornson Charlotte Jackson Katie McCreary Emily Mikesell Erinn Sensenig Laura Villaneuva Reldalee Wagner Kate Wolfe Johnson

Shawn Bartels Paul D’Arcy Doug Purcell Noah Radcliffe Erik Rasmussen Erik Resureccion Nathan Siler

Alto Holly Drew Rodolfo Girón Madalyn Luna Helen Karloski Heather Petrie Andrew Troup

Bass David Baldwin James Dargan Frederick Diengott Blake Jennings Harold Norris Christopher Rothko Paul Whelan Gus Young Mickey Zhang

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE FINAL CONCERT OF THE MUSICA VIVA NY 2021-2022 SEASON

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF: All-Night Vigil & Symphonic Dances May 22, 2022 at 5pm at All Souls Church

Full details available on our website at www.musicaviva.org.

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MUSICA VIVA NY Staff Artistic

Administrative

Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez Conductor and Artistic Director

Jasna Vasić Executive Director

Trent Johnson Assistant Director of Music

Ray Henninger Operations Administrator and Production Manager Dinah Nissen, Esq. Marketing Director Barbara de Bellis Librarian Hannah Nacheman Digital Marketing Consultant

Board of Directors Melanie Niemiec President

Lisa O’Brien, Esq. Treasurer

Bill Bechman Vice President

Constance Beavon Julie Brannan Shu-Wie Chen Dinah Nissen, Esq.

Winnie Olsen Secretary

Harold Norris Kate Phillips David Rockefeller, Jr. Thomas Simpson

Advisory Board Seymour Bernstein Laurel Blossom Renée Fleming

Galen Guengerich Susan Jolles Walter Klauss Artistic Director Emeritus

Jean-Louis Petit Bruce Saylor

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for photos, videos, and more

facebook.com/musicavivany

@musicavivany

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youtube.com/musicavivany

MUSICA VIVA NY PATRON SUPPORT LEVELS FOR OUR 2021-22 SEASON

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ecome a Patron of Musica Viva NY today! We need your generous contributions to support the outstanding concerts and outreach programming of the Musica Viva NY choir and instrumentalists. There is a level for every budget, and you will enjoy special benefits as a measure of our thanks. Your contribution can be made as a one-time gift, or on a recurring basis.

PATRON LEVELS APPASSIONATO $10,000 and above ⚫ Up to four Musica Viva NY soloists will perform at your private event in the NYC area ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Six complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating CON FUOCO $5,000 to $9,999 ⚫ A Musica Viva NY soloist will perform at your private event in the NYC area ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Five complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating

CON BRIO $3,000 to $4,999 ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Three complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating RISOLUTO $1,000 to $2,999 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Three complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating ESPRESSIVO $500 to $999 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Two complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Preferred seating CANTABILE $100 to $499 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Preferred seating DOLCE $25 to $99 ⚫ Acknowledgment in program at all levels — 20 —

MUSICA VIVA NY PATRONS 2021-22

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e are deeply grateful to our Patrons listed below for their support of our 2021-2022 season. Thank you for joining us! Your support for our outstanding Musica Viva NY artists, our high-caliber, innovative choral and chamber music performances, and our community engagement is vital and essential.

Corporate and Foundation Support

Risoluto $1,000 - $2,999

Constance Beavon

Gunleif Jacobsen and Thomas Simpson Charitable Fund

Tom & Heli Blum Julie Brannan

The Blackbaud Giving Fund The Heart & Soul Charitable Fund New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

Stillman Brown & Meg Raftis Lisa & Richard Cashin Holly Drew Richard and Cynthia Esposito

The Rea Charitable Fund Appassionato $10,000 and above

Victor Fidel & Heather Floyd Lois Gaeta, In Memory of David Remember Baker

Don & Georgia Gogel Melanie & David Niemiec

Christopher Galas

Susan & David Rockefeller, Jr. Con Fuoco $5,000 to $9,999

Galen Guengerich & Holly Atkinson

Jennifer Shotwell

Elizabeth Harvey

Tom Simpson

Pamela Healey

Con Brio $3,000 to $4,999

Cherie Henderson & David Poppe

Bill Bechman & Tom Garlock

Rev. Dick Leonard

Shu-Wie Chen

Carri Lyon

George Dorsey

Margaret T. MacCary

Dinah Nissen & Elizabeth Apelles Fritz Reuter

Ricardo Mestres Jr. and Patricia T. Hayot

Madonna K. Starr

Harold Norris & Kell Julliard

Brenda Walker & Peter Swords

Winnie Olsen Marnie Pillsbury Epp Sonin

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MUSICA VIVA NY PATRONS 2021-22 Karen Steele Aracy & Klaus Winter

Marilyn Scott Murphy, in memory of Hector Phelps

One Anonymous Donor

Guy Quinlan & Mary Ella Holst

Espressivo $500 - $999

The Lynne S. Randall Charitable Fund

Lynne & Richard Allen

Katherine Redd

Christina Bellamy

Barbara Reed & Dan Schlieben

Robin Bossert

Gayle S. Sanders

Miles Chapin

Sheree Silvey & Philip Paty

Barbara de Bellis, in memory of Greta Minsky

Bradley Strauchen-Scherer Elizabeth Millard Whitman

Dixie Goss & Dan Cryer

Four Anonymous Donors

Mary Gundermann James Moskin

Dolce $25 - $99

Kate Phillips

Walter Daum

Judy Samuelson & Vic Henschel

Bonnie Hetzel

Deborah Taylor

John T. Moran

Beverly Benz Treuille

Six Anonymous Donors

Ned Whitney & Martha Howell Cantabile $100 - $499

Anne Brewer Danielle Buonaiuto Sandra Lotz Fisher Jeffery & Marjory Friedlander Ed Harsh & Peggy Kampmeier Carol Kirkman Steven Lane Millie & John Liebmann Peggy Montgomery

This list reflects gifts received from June 1, 2021 to March 15, 2022 — 22 —

SUPPORT MUSICA VIVA NY

SPONSOR MUSICA VIVA NY There are many opportunities to play a role in bringing Musica Viva NY’s season to life as a sponsor, including: • Underwriting a concert • Underwriting the appearance of a professional singer or • orchestra member • Underwriting an appearance by the Aeolus Quartet • Underwriting an intimate post-concert reception with the artists

Naming opportunities are available for sponsors.

Contact Jasna Vasić, Executive Director at jasna@musicaviva.org.

To find out more about other ways to support Musica Viva NY (including employer matching, volunteering, and monthly giving) please contact our Executive Director at jasna@musicaviva.org.

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Musica Viva NY is extremely grateful for the following help with its 2021-22 season from:

All Souls Unitarian Church (www.AllSoulsNYC.org) for Musica Viva NY’s meeting, rehearsal, performance, and reception spaces as well as for the facilities and events staff who help make all productions run smoothly

Greater than One (www.thegtogroup.com) for Musica Viva NY’s website and publicity design

Heart & Soul Fund, Inc. for its longtime support of our outreach programming

Musica Viva NY 1157 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10075

212 794 3646 info@musicaviva.org