Sunday, March 2 at 5pm All Souls NYC 1157 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10075
A MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the third concert of Musica Viva NY’s 2024-2025 season!
We are delighted to continue celebrating Artistic Director and Conductor Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez’s 10th anniversary season with us, a milestone that marks a decade of inspiring music-making. Tonight’s program transports us to the Baltic region, home to three countries—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—that share both striking similarities and unique cultural identities. What unites them is a profound and enduring tradition of choral music, deeply woven into their national heritage. We are honored to present a program featuring works by contemporary composers from this region. This mostly a cappella repertoire will resonate beautifully within the historic walls of All Souls NYC.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Epp Sonin, a member of Musica Viva NY’s Advisory Board and an Estonian native, for her invaluable guidance and for sharing her deep knowledge of Baltic choral traditions. Beyond the concert hall, we remain committed to expanding and enriching our Community Engagement initiatives. This season, we are thrilled to welcome two additional NYC public schools to our roster, and to deepen our partnership with the New Amsterdam Boys and Girls Choir which will culminate in a special joint concert with Musica Viva NY soloists in May—stay tuned for details!
Our CRIMSON ROSES album’s release has garnered wonderful publicity which you can read about later in this program.
Finally, we are excited to announce that Musica Viva NY is going on tour! For the first time under Alejandro’s leadership, we will embark on a remarkable journey to Spain, presented by the renowned Teatro Real of Madrid. Our performances will take place in some of the country’s most stunning venues, including the Cathedral of Toledo, Teatro Real in Madrid, and Teatro Principal in Zaragoza. We hope you’ll mark your calendars for the second half of March 2026, and perhaps even join us for this unforgettable musical adventure. More details will be available soon!
Thank you for being with us this evening and for your unwavering support of Musica Viva NY. We hope you enjoy the concert!
– Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, Artistic Director – Jasna Vasić, Executive Director
Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 5pm
All Souls NYC
CURSE UPON IRON
Pärt, Tormis, Vasks and Ešenvalds
Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, Artistic Director and Conductor
Trent Johnson, Assistant Artistic Director
Musica Viva NY choir
Musica Viva NY soloists
Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, piano
Trent Johnson, organ
Spiff Weigand, percussion
Veljo Tormis (1930-2017) ............................. Laulja (The Singer)
Trent Johnson, organ; Spiff Weigand percussion
Arvo Pärt (1935-) ........................................ The Beatitudes
Pēteris Vasks (1946-) ..................................... White Scenery
Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, piano
Ēriks Ešenvalds (1977-) ............................. A Drop in the Ocean
Shabnam Abedi, soprano
Pēteris Vasks The Fruit of Silence
INTERMISSION
Arvo Pärt ................................................ The Deer’s Cry
Veljo Tormis
Raua Needmine (Curse Upon Iron)
Shawn Bartels, tenor; Matt Mueller, bass; Spiff Weigand, percussion
Andris Dzenītis (1978-) Miers ar dzīvām acīm (Peace with Living Eyes)
We hope you will join us for a party downstairs in Reidy Hall after the concert.
MEET THE ARTISTS
Musica Viva NY is a non-profit arts organization that was established nearly fifty years ago. Its mission is to bring world-class music to a wide community through an annual concert series, an active community engagement program, and an ambitious artistic vision. Under the baton of Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, Musica Viva NY strives to offer joy, solace and renewal in a complex world by presenting new compositions and classic masterworks in transformative interpretations that ennoble the human spirit.
Musica Viva NY’s superb chamber choir and world class collaborating instrumentalists make their concert home at Manhattan’s historic All Souls NYC. “Musica Viva NY is a treasured institution that makes living in New York a joy” ( Front Row Center).
Musica Viva NY regularly combines its presentation of the classical repertoire with less widely known works, as part of its commitment to perform the works of living American composers, women composers and composers of color, including works that address social, racial or environmental issues.
Musica Viva NY has commissioned and premiered numerous works by contemporary composers including Bora Yoon, Seymour Bernstein, Elena Ruehr, Joseph Turrin, Bruce Saylor, Jean-Louis Petit, Eugenio Toussaint, Gilda Lyons, Richard Einhorn, Trent Johnson and Trevor Weston. “With a commitment to new music and diverse composers, New York City choir Musica Viva NY is paving the way for daring collaborations” (Choir & Organ Magazine).
Dr. Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez is a celebrated conductor and pianist whose artistry and leadership have earned him widespread acclaim. He serves as the Artistic Director of Musica Viva NY and Director of Music at Manhattan’s historic Unitarian Congregation of All Souls NYC. He is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of the New Orchestra of Washington (NOW) and Artistic Director of the Victoria Bach Festival in Texas.
Dr. Hernandez-Valdez has garnered accolades from The Washington Post, describing him as a conductor “with the incisive clarity of someone born to the idiom,” and from The New York Times, which praised his direction of “a stirring performance” of Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem Reflecting on his 2018 performance commemorating the WWI Armistice centenary—which featured 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.”
Internationally recognized, Dr. Hernandez-Valdez is featured in El Mundo en las Manos/Creadores Mexicanos en el Extranjero (The World in Their Hands/Creative Mexicans Abroad ), a publication by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs celebrating influential Mexican artists. His
MEET THE ARTISTS
achievements have been further honored with the 2016 Shenandoah Conservatory Alumni of Excellence Award, recognizing his national prominence, professional contributions, and exceptional integrity.
Dr. Hernandez-Valdez resides in New York City, where his work continues to inspire and elevate the world of classical music.
Trent Johnson is an organist, composer, pianist and conductor. He is the Organist and Assistant Director of Music of All Souls NYC, and is an organist at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, where he plays the “Mighty Wurlitzer” organ for the Christmas Spectacular Show. For over 20 years he led the Oratorio Singers of Westfield, New Jersey in much of the standard literature for soloists, chorus and orchestra, as well as a dozen premieres of his own compositions. An active organ recitalist, Mr. Johnson has performed recitals in many of the major churches, concert halls and cathedrals in the United States, Europe and Asia. As a composer, Mr. Johnson has written numerous works, among them: oratorios, cantatas, concertos, chamber music, orchestral music, organ music, and a full-length opera, entitled, “Kenyatta”, which was premiered at the NJPAC in Newark, New Jersey in 2017.
Former soprano soloist with Musica Viva NY, Shabnam Abedi currently sings with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street. Shabnam is Juilliard’s first SouthAsian American jazz voice graduate. A versatile artist with a reputation for high-level music making in a variety of genres, Shabnam also studied opera and education at Rutgers. Extensively trained in Indian Classical Music, Shabnam’s album “Amar Bijon Ghore” was released to great acclaim in South Asia. She has been recognized by the The New York Times multiple times and performs in various jazz venues like Jazz at Lincoln Center and Mezzrow. She is one of the six founding members of Voces8 Foundation’s ensemble Lyyra. She released her debut jazz album “Love Shadows” in January, 2025.
Shawn Bartels, tenor, has been a soloist with Musica Viva NY since 1996. Roles include Almaviva ( Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Nanki-Poo ( Mikado), Vain Man/ Snake ( Little Prince), Quint (Turn of the Screw), Ottavio ( Don Giovanni ) and Nicolas in Britten’s Saint Nicolas. Mr. Bartels sang Uriel (Creation) with Robert Shaw, in Jonathan Miller’s staging of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and as a soloist at Carnegie Hall. Shawn has appeared with the Victoria Bach Festival, the Society of Musical Arts and the New Orchestra of Washington. He received his BM in Vocal Performance from the University of Northern Colorado and his MM in Vocal Performance from FSU.
MEET THE ARTISTS
Matt Mueller (Bass) is a versatile and sensitive singing actor whose distinctive performances have been seen on stages including the New York Philharmonic, Florentine Opera and Cleveland Opera Theater, among many others. Highlights include Sarastro ( Die Zauberflöte), Pluton ( Hippolyte et Aricie), Betto (Gianni Schicchi ) and more. Matt recently completed a residency with the Canadian Vocal Arts Academy (ICAV) (Soloist, Beethoven Symphony no.9; Frank, Die Fledermaus.) He completed his master’s degree in music at the Cleveland Institute of Music and previously trained at the University of Oklahoma (BMA, piano), Berlin Opera Academy and Middlebury Language Institute where he studied both German and Italian.
Spiff Wiegand was born in Kentucky with 2 thumbs on his right hand and plays over 20 instruments. Jimmy Fallon and Brad Pitt lip-synced to his yodeling, he played accordion on John Oliver, and was once a mark on TV’s What Would You Do? He did the right thing.
Spiff performs as a percussionist with Texas Early Music Project, Ruckus Early Music, Alkemie, Hesperus, Freelance Nun, Weird Uncle, Garefowl, Chivalrous Crickets, Jackson and the Janks.
Spiff is a recording engineer and producer having worked with Acronym, LeStrange Viols, Alkemie Medieval Ensemble, Five Boroughs Music Festival, Academy of Sacred Drama, Seven Times Salt and Kleine Kammermusik.
MUSICA VIVA NY 2024-2025 SEASON
Save the date for the final concert of our 2024-2025 anniversary season:
May 18, 2025
A HUMAN REQUIEM
Brahms and Schubert
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
On February 9th, 2025, the Baltic States—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—completed the 48-hour process of disconnecting from the Russian power grid and connecting to the EU grid. While the last Russian troops left more than 30 years ago, this recent development is symbolic of the region’s long-suffering resistance to foreign subjugation. Most recently, the Baltic states’ nearly half-century under Soviet rule fostered a heightened interest in what is traditional and regional, as opposed to what is modern and foreign. In addition to setting strict guidelines for “official” art, literature, and theatre, the Soviet Union closely monitored music composition and consumption. After Stalin’s death in 1953, the “Khrushchev Thaw” allowed an emerging generation of composers to explore new musical trends circulating beyond the Iron Curtain. In the following decades, many Baltic composers returned to various local, traditional, and/or ancient forms while maintaining the innovative spirit of the avant-garde.
In the late 1960s, Estonian composer Veljo Tormis (1930–2017) was drawn to his homeland’s musical traditions, eventually becoming the leading figure in the preservation and celebration of Estonian folk music. Inextricably tied to this music is, as Tormis would argue, the Estonian language itself. German was the language of the elite in Estonia for at least two centuries before the celebrated poet Kristjan Jaak Peterson (1801–22) advocated for the longevity of the Estonian language in his patriotic ode, “The Moon” (1818):
Cannot the tongue of this land
In the fire of incantation
Rising up to the heavens
Seek for eternity?
The poet’s other famous ode, The Singer (Laulja), follows a similar metaphor of a powerful voice that can silence both the natural and manmade worlds. Tormis’ setting (1974) opens with the organ’s ostinato, or repeating figure, akin to the nature of the Balto-Finnic rune song tradition known as Regilaul, or “Runosong.” An oral tradition, Regilaul is often sung communally and sometimes in a call-and-response structure, with one singer interacting back and forth with a separate group of singers. These ancient texts favored the trochee poetic meter (long-short), and Peterson’s text maintains similar trochee and dactyl (long-short-short) patterns. To complement the poetry, Tormis utilizes word painting techniques as the voices break from a solitary pitch into mesmerizing harmonies with each iteration of “the singer.” Later, they break from recitation with distinctly melodic ascensions upon the text, “the singer is lifting his voice” (laulja on tõstamas oma hääle).
Tormis’s most widely performed composition, Curse Upon Iron (Raua Needmine) from 1972, is based upon selections from Rune IX, “Origin of Iron,” from the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. The passages follow a poetic narrative of the first transformation of naturally occurring iron into stronger, tougher steel, as demonstrated by a related excerpt:
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Angry grew the hardened iron, Broke the vow that he had taken, Ate his words like dogs and devils, Mercilessly cut his brother, Madly raged against his kindred, Caused the blood to flow in streamlets From the wounds of man and hero.
Tormis’ piece explores this forgery—which cannot happen without human intervention—as a symbol of the devastation of war in the modern era. As the native Estonian people were some of the last to be converted to Christianity during the Northern Crusades, Tormis sought a pagan foundation for his ancient musical drama. His inspiration came, in part, from shamanic rituals, where a leader attempts to communicate with spirits of the natural world to heal or gain wisdom through chanting and dance. The score calls for the shaman drum, driving the piece forward as the singers’ trochee phrases persist in their admonition of violence and hate. The last minutes transition to a demonstration of modern warfare as we hear machinery in the voices’ rhythmic patterns and sustained tones. Sirens wail and bombs fall from the sky—their explosions met with screams.
After contributing to Estonia’s avant-garde community for most of the 1960s, Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) joined the Orthodox Church in the midst of a creative crisis. He emerged in the late ’70s with Für Alina (1976), a short piano piece demonstrating his new Medieval-inspired style called tintinnabuli (derived from Latin meaning “little bells”). Tied to the tenets of his Christian faith, this compositional technique values simplicity and assumes a sacred relationship between very few discrete musical parts. His Beatitudes (1990–91) place us directly in the cathedral with the subtle organ steadying the voices in their rich harmonies as they recite Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. After a measured, line-by-line ascension, the singers reach their peak upon “Amen” and the organ breaks forth into a lush cadenza with a brilliant descent.
After decades of exploring the creative range of tintinnabuli, Pärt entered a compositional phase featuring fuller textures and more diatonic musical ideas. The Deer’s Cry (2007) exemplifies these elements in its setting of St. Patrick’s fifth-century lorica (Latin for “body armor”), a prayer of protection. Catholic tradition maintains that the pagan, Irish King Lóegaire’s men set up an ambush for the saint and his evangelizing followers while they were traveling in the woods. Having perceived this threat, St. Patrick recited the lorica and, subsequently, he and his men were disguised as a family of deer, passing safely before the king’s men.
In 2006, Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977) commemorated the life of Mother Teresa by weaving together five Christian texts for A Drop in the Ocean (Piliens Okeānā). The first sound, however, is not text but the ocean itself conjured by the singers’ whistling and breathing. The Latin
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
recitation of the Lord’s Prayer emerges in the alto voices, serving as a drone for the other voices’ Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. While the upper voices float above the virulent utterances of the low, the composer captures the oppositional nature of the saint’s determination to “bring light where there is darkness” and “bring joy where there is sadness.” After featuring several verses of Psalm 54, the piece concludes with a litany of praise alongside Mother Teresa’s metaphor of the importance of service—the voices recede into the ocean.
Seven years after Ešenvalds’s “A Drop in the Ocean,” another Latvian composer, Pēteris Vasks (b. 1946), honored Mother Teresa with The Fruit of Silence (2013). The Latvian composer followed an overall simpler format with a gentle yet steadfast piano accompaniment for the unified voices as they present the saint’s recommended path to spiritual peace: silence, prayer, faith, love, and service.
Latvian composer Andris Dzenitis (b. 1978) composed Peace with Living Eyes (Miers Ar Dzīvām Acīm) just last year (2024) using a text by late fellow countryman, Knuts Skujenieks (1936–2022). Like many artists of his generation, Skujenieks was accused of anti-Soviet interests and imprisoned for seven years; he drew inspiration from that experience in his emotional and contemplative verses published in the following decades. Dzenitis’s setting commits to a homophonic texture where the voices move together in evocative harmonies, producing a healing, hymn-like quality reminiscent of Bach’s chorale finales.
Lithuanian composer Onutė Narbutaitė demonstrates her interest in texture and atmosphere in her 1991 piece, Summer (Vasara). Narbutaitė introduces life into a sensory landscape built upon her original text. The voices soon emerge from the forest recounting, “We ran barefoot, the morning dew brushed us,” alongside the sights, sounds, and smells of a lucid memory. Narbutaitė’s seamless transitions between the voice parts have the effect of impossibly long phrases, embodying a breathless excitement.
In her 1987 composition, The Rain on Thin Glass Legs (Lietus Plonom Stiklinėm Kojom), a second Lithuanian composer, Nomeda Valančiūtė (b. 1961), explores the potential complexities of what might be otherwise termed “minimalism.” Guided by three short verses from Lithuanian poet Henrikas Radauskas (1910–70), the singers maintain a heightened form of word painting in their repetitive intervals—we are inundated by the random yet patterned plunking of raindrops in a storm.
The final composer, Imant Raminsh (b. 1943), emigrated from Latvia to Canada as a child and has drawn inspiration from both the traditional music of his homeland and the vast wildernesses of British Columbia. His 1999 arrangement of the Latvian seafarer’s song, Blow, Winds (Pūt, Vējiņi), echoes his own journey across the Atlantic as the singers yearn for the winds to guide them home.
VELJO TORMIS - LAULJA
Nii kui valguse allikas, seisab austud laulja oma vendade keskeella.
Nii kui valguse allikas, seisab austud laulja.
Kägatab pikne, ja metsad on vait: laulja on tõstamas oma häält.
Ja tema ümber, vait kui merekaljud, rahvad on kuulemas.
Like a source of light, the revered singer stands in the midst of his brothers.
Like a source of light, the revered singer stands.
The thunder roars, and the forests are silent: the singer is raising his voice.
And around him, silent as the rocks of the sea, the nations are listening.
– Kristjan Jaak Peterson
ARVO PÄRT - THE BEATITUDES
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Amen.
– Matthew 5: 3–12
ĒRIKS EŠENVALDS - A DROP IN THE OCEAN
Pater noster, qui es in coelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in coelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
– Matthew 6: 9-13
ĒRIKS EŠENVALDS
- A DROP IN THE OCEAN (CONTINUED)
Lord, make me a channel of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon,
Where there is discord, let me sow harmony,
Where there is error, I may bring truth,
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith,
Where there’s despair, let me sow hope.
– St. Francis of Assisi
Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away, I would flee far away, I would find my place of shelter far from the tempest and storm.
– Psalm 55:6
Ah, Jesus, my God, Jesus, my Spouse, Jesus, my Life, my Love, my all in all.
Jesus, You are my God, Jesus, You are my Spouse, Jesus, my Life, my Love, my all in all.
My work is nothing, but a drop in the ocean, but if I did not put that drop, the ocean would be one drop the less.
– Mother Teresa
PĒTERIS VASKS - THE FRUIT OF SILENCE
The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service and the fruit of service is peace.
– Mother Teresa
ARVO PÄRT - THE DEER’S CRY
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me, Christ with me.
– According to the Lorica of St Patrick
Ohoi sinda, rauda raiska, Rauda raiska, rähka kurja, Liha sööja luu pureja, Vere süütuma valaja!
Kust said kurja, kange’eksi, Üleliia ülbe’eksi?
Hurjuh sinda, rauda raiska!
Tean ma sündi sua sõgeda, Arvan algust su õela!
Käisid kolme ilmaneitsit, Taeva tütarta tulista, Lüpsid maale rindasida, Soo pääle piimasida.
Üks see lüpsis musta piima, Sest sai rauda pehme’eda; Teine valgeta valasi, Sellest tehtud teraksed, Kolmas see veripunasta, Sellest malmi ilma tulnud.
Ei sa siis veel suuri olnud, Ei veel suuri, ei veel uhke, Kui sind soossa solguteldi, Vedelassa väntsuteldi.
Hurjah sinda, rauda raiska!
Tean ma sündi su sõgeda, Arvan algust su õela!
Susi jooksis sooda mööda, Karu kõmberdas rabassa, Soo tõusis soe jalusta, Raba karu käpa alta.
Kasvid raudased orased, Seo jalgade jälile, Karu käppade kohale.
Ojoi rauda, laukalapsi, Rabarooste, pehme piima!
Kes su küll vihale käskis, Kes pani pahale tööle?
Ohoi cursed, evil iron!
Ohoi cursed, evil iron!
Flesh consuming, bone devouring, Spilling blood, devouring virtue! Whither comes your cruel cunning, Haughtiness so overbearing?
Fie upon you, evil iron!
Your beginnings reek of malice. You have risen from villainy.
From above the earth appeared fiery maidens in the heavens Heavily with milk aladen, Spilling milk upon the marshes.
Black, the liquid from one maiden, Turning into ductile iron.
White milk flowing from the other, Tempered steel from this arising. From the third a crimson liquid, Cursed, rusty ore created.
Ohoi cursed, evil iron!
Ohoi evil, cursed iron!
Then you were not high and mighty,
Not so mighty, not so haughty, When you slumbered in the swampland
When you suffered in the marshes.
Fie upon you, evil, iron!
Your beginnings reek of malice. You have risen from villainy.
Then a wolf came running hither, Bear arambling over yonder.
Footprints stirring in the the swampland,
Traces from the swamp arising Giving rise to iron seedlings, In the shadows of the wolf prints In the traces of the bear tracks.
Ohoi wretched child of bogland, Born of ruse and milk of maidens! Tell me who made you so angry! Who set you to evil doings?
VELJO TORMIS - RAUA NEEDMINE (A CURSE UPON IRON)
Surma sõitas sooda mööda, Taudi talveteeda mööda, Leidis soost terakse taime, Raua rooste laukaalta.
Leidis soost terakse taime, Raua rooste laukaalta.
Nii kõneles suuri surma, Taudi tappaja tähendas: Mäe alla männikussa, Põllulla küla päralla, Talu aitade tagana: Siin saab surma spipada, Siia ahju ma asetan, Siia tõstan lõõsad laiad.
Rauda, vaene mees, värises, Jo värises, jo võbises, Kuulia kui tule nimeda, Tule kurja kutsumista.
Okoi sinda, rauda raiska!
Ei sa siis veel suuri olnud, Ei veel suuri, ei veel uhka, Kui sa ääsilla ägasid, Vingusid vasara alla.
…Kui sa ääsilla ägasid, Vingusid vasara alla.
Taat see ahjulta ärises, Hallipardi vommi päälta:
Rauda rasvana venikse, Ila kombel valgunekse, Veerdes alla ääsiilta, Voolates valutulesta.
Veel sa rauda pehmekene, Mis ka sind karastatakse, Terakseksi tehtanekse?
Death came riding through the marshes,
Plague along the wintry byways, Til they found the iron seedlings
Resting in the lowly swampland,
Finding seedling steel in swampland
Rusty iron in a boghole.
Then a great death began to utter, Killer plague began intoning, In a pinegrove on a hillside, In a field behind the village, Far beyond the farmer’s granges. Here will be the fateful forgings! Here a furnace I will fashion, Mighty fanning bellows anchor!
Here I’ll set the iron boiling!
Blast the rusty ore to flaming!
Pound the iron full of fury!
Iron quaked and iron quivered, Quaked and quivered, tossed and trembled,
When he heard the all for fire, Heard the iron’s angry summons.
Ohio cursed, evil iron!
Then you were not high and mighty,
Not so mighty, not so haughty!
Moaning in the blazing furnace, Whining under beating anvils.
…moaning in the blazing furnace, Whining under beating anvils.
Droned the old man on the oven
Groaned the greybeard from the furnace:
Iron stretches out like tallow, Dripping down like oozing spittle, Flowing from the blazing furnace, Seeping from the scalding fire.
Yet the iron, soft and gently, Must be toughened, must be tempered, Turned into steel defiant.
VELJO TORMIS - RAUA NEEDMINE (A CURSE UPON IRON)
Toodi ussilta ilada, Musta maolta mürgikesta.
Ei see raud kuri olekski, Ilma usside ilata, Mao musta mürkideta.
Taat see ahjulta ärises, Hallipardi vommi päälta:
Varja nüüd vägeva Looja, Kaitse kaunike Jumala, Uued ajad. Uued jumalad. Kahurid, lennukid, Tankid, kuulipildujad.
Et ei kaoks see mees koguni, Hoopis tükkis ema lapsi, Uus raud ja teras, Uhiuued, targad, Täpsed, vägevad tapjad, Automaatsete sihtimisseadmetega Tuumalaingut kandvad, Tõrjerelvadele kättesaamatud Raketid.
Looja loodusta elusta, Jumala alustatusta. Noad, odad, kirved, Taprid, saablid, Lingud, tomahawkid, bumerangid, Ammud, nooled, kivid, kaikad, Küüned, hambad, liiv ja sool, Tuhk ja tõrv napalm ja süsi.
Uus ja kõige kaasaegsem tehnika,
Elektroonika viimne sõna, Valmis liikuma igasse punkti, Kõrvalkaldumatult sihti tabama, Peatama, rivist välja lõõma, Hävitama, Võitlusvõimetuks tagema, Haavama, teadmata kaotama.
Get the spittle from a serpent! Bring the venom from a viper! Iron would not harbour evil,
If it had no serpent spittle
Had no murky viper venom.
Droned the old man on the oven, Groaned the greybeard from the furnace:
Shelter us, Supreme Creator! Grant us safety, God Almighty.
Changing eras, modern deities. Cannons, airplanes, tanks, armed warfare.
Cannons, tanks, airplanes
So that mankind will not perish, Future children be protected
New steel and iron,
Transformed into precise Evil, powerful killers
Armed with automated guiding devices,
Armed with nuclear warheads
Useless against all defenses
From destruction, from extinction, Ever part of God’s creation.
Knives, spears, axes, Halberds, sabres, Slings, tomahawks, boomerangs, Bows and arrows, rocks and clubs, Claws and teeth, sand and salt, Dust and tar, napalm and coal.
Tapma raua, terase, Tapma raua, terase, Kroomi, titaani, uraani, plutooniumi, Ja paljude teiste elementidega
Ohoi sinda, rauda kurja, Mõõka sõja sünnitaja, Rauda rähka, kulda kilpi, Sina teras, nurja tõugu!
Hurjuh sinda, rauda raiska! Oleme ühesta soosta, Ühest seemnest me siginud,
Sina maasta, mina maasta, Musta mulda me mõlemad, Űhe maa pääl me elama, Ühe maa sees kokku saame, Maad meil küllalt siis mõlemal.
Killing, killing, with steel and iron! Killing, steel and iron, chromium, Titanium, uranium, plutonium and Multitudes of elements so warlike.
Ohio cursed, evil iron! Sword, begetter of all warfare! Golden guardian of the swamp ore, Steel that’s kith and kin to evil.
Fie upon you, evil iron! You and I are from the same seed, From the same earth we have sprouted.
From the same good soil we harken,
You and I, we share this planet, Bound to share the earth together, Earth that will us all recover, Earth enough for all, forever.
Save the dates for Musica Viva NY’s Spanish tour – second half of March 2026!
Musica Viva NY is going to Spain on tour in March 2026 under the aegis of one of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe, Teatro Real! There will be concerts in spectacular spaces in Madrid, Toledo, Zaragoza and Seville. Patrons are invited to come on tour with the choir. More information to follow.
ANDRIS DZENĪTIS
- MIERS AR DZIVAM
ACIM
(PEACE WITH LIVING EYES)
tas miers ar dzīvām acīm tas stāv un neaiziet un visi ceļa grāvji un visi logi ciet
tas miers ar ābeļsēklām līdz sīvai saulei sals un ļoti klusai naktij ir ļoti dziļa balss
– Knuts Skujenieks
that peace with living eyes it stands and does not go. and all the ditches in the road and all the windows are closed
that peace with apple seeds until the fierce sun frost and a very quiet night has a very deep voice.
Kve pejo sakai, ošė liepos, upely dainavo varlė, mes gulėjom žolėj ir žiūrėjom į dangų.
O debesys debesys plauke bal ti
Dideli lyg laivai plaukė
Bėgom prie jūros
Gom ieškoti kriauklelių baltų
Radom daug akmenėlių gražių, paišėm plunksnom ant smėlio
Švelnus buvo jūros vanduo
Vakarinė šviesa glostė viržius
Sugrįžom namo, tamsoje jaukiai
švietė
Langriežė pievoj svirpliai
Ir virš marių pakilo mėnulis
We ran barefoot, brushing
The morning dew, we picked strawberries in the forest,
Ants ran on the pine bark,
A bee buzzed over the clover,
The wind stirred the sand, the thunder rumbled,
The sun collected raindrops from the dahlia blossoms,
The resin smelled, the linden rustled, a frog sang in the stream,
We lay in the grass and looked at the sky.
And the clouds, the clouds were white
They sailed as big as ships
We ran to the sea
We went to look for white shells
We found many beautiful pebbles, We drew with our feathers on the sand
The sea water was gentle
The evening light caressed the heather
We returned home, in the darkness it shone pleasantly
The crickets of the meadow of cranberries
And the moon rose above the lagoon
NOMEDA
VALANČIŪTĖ
- LIETUS PLONOM STIKLINĖM
KOJOM (THE RAIN ON THIN GLASS LEGS)
Lietus plonom stiklinėm kojom po visą sodą bėginėja.
Džiaugsmingai krūpčioja alėja
The rain runs on thin glass legs all over the garden. The alley trembles joyfully
IMANT RAMINSH - PŪT, VĒJIŅI (BLOW, WIND!)
Pūt vējiņi, dzen laiviņu Aizdzen mani Kurzemē.
Kurzemniece man solīja Sav’ meitiņu malējiņ’.
Solīt, sola, bet nedeva; Teic’ man’ lielu dzērājiņ’.
Teic man lielu dzērājiņu, Kumeliņa skrējējiņ’.
Kuru krogu es izdēru?
Kam noskrēju kumeliņ’?
Pats par savu naudu dzēru, Pats skrēj’ savu kumeliņ’;
Pats precēju līgaviņu Tēvam, mātei nezinot
Blow ye winds and drive my boat Send me on to Courland.
A Courish woman promised me Her daughter, a deft worker, for my bride.
Promises, promises, but she broke her promise She said I was a drunkard.
She said I was a drunkard And a reckless horse racer.
Which tavern did I ever drink dry? Whose horse did I race into the ground?
I drank on my own tab And raced my own horse.
And I married my very own bride Without her parents’ knowledge
To find out about ways to support Musica Viva NY through employer matching, volunteering, and monthly giving, please contact our Executive Director at jasna@musicaviva.org .
Critical acclaim for our album CRIMSON ROSES
We are delighted to announce that our album, CRIMSON ROSES, released by Naxos in November 2024, has been receiving glowing reviews in the musical press, including the following:
BBC Music Magazine February 2025
“This moving album from Naxos celebrates the strength of contemporary American choral composition with three successful, and well-performed works.”
“This recording finds the Musica Viva NY Choir on especially thrilling form.”
Gramophone January 2025
“with warmth, vitality and cohesion under music director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez . . . the Musica Viva NY Choir bask in the technical challenges, sustaining long lines with finesse and brimming with colour and crisp ensemble in the livelier material.”
Sequenza 21/ December 2024
“This is the tenth anniversary of Hernandez-Valdez’s tenure with Musica Viva NY, and the contemporary pieces that were selected for the recording demonstrate both his dedicated curation and the versatility and talent of the group.”
“The orchestra and choir acquit themselves well in Turrin’s neo-romantic score. Kudos to conductor Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez for leading the piece in a well-paced and thoughtful interpretation.”
Textura December 2024
“Led by its conductor and Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, the chamber choir dazzles audiences with seasonal concerts at its historic All Souls NYC home base in Manhattan.”
“Crimson Roses: Contemporary American Choral Music is distinguished by the ensemble’s superb realizations of the three works but also for including a performance by the great mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. Having someone of her stature—she’s issued over seventy recordings and received countless honours and awards for her life’s work—make a guest appearance on the album is a genuine feather in the cap for the choral ensemble.”
“Cumulatively, the works argue strongly on behalf of Musica Viva NY and Hernandez-Valdez’s assured guiding hand and suggest attendance at one of its All Souls NYC concerts should be part of any city visitor’s itinerary.”
Soprano
Shabnam Abedi*
Anna Aistova*
Elizabeth Clancy
Mary Esbjornson
Ching-Ying Huang*
Kate Wolfe Johnson
Kathryn McCreary*
Erinn Sensenig*
CC Treadway
Reldalee Wagner
Alto
Caitlin Caruso Dobbs*
Rodolfo Girón*
Kate Katigbak
Natalie Lebert
Emily Mikesell
Dinah Nissen
Andrew Taylor-Troup*
Laura Villanueva
Gianna Zampardo
MUSICA VIVA NY
Musica Viva NY choir
Tenor
Shawn Bartels*
Jack Cotterell*
Chad Kranak*
Erik Resurreccion
Nathan Siler*
Bass
Paul Greene-Dennis*
Nick Hay*
Matt Mueller*
Harold Norris
Christopher Rothko
John Verkuilen*
Paul Whelan*
Augustus Young
Coming up at All Souls NYC
* Section leader
● Come hear the choir rehearse every second Wednesday each month from 6-8pm at All Souls NYC.
● Next event in Sanctuary Sound series (meditative sound experiences in the beautiful acoustic of our sanctuary) on March 23 at 2pm.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for photos, videos, and more facebook.com/musicavivany
MUSICA VIVA NY
Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez
Artistic Director
Jasna Vasić
Executive Director
Trent Johnson
Assistant Artistic Director
Erinn Sensenig
Operations and Production Manager
Julie Brannan President
Heidi DuBois Vice-President
Shawn Bartels Secretary
Seymour Bernstein
Laurel Blossom
Renée Fleming
Our Team
Dinah Nissen, Esq.
Marketing Director
Kate Phillips Director of Community Engagement
Barbara de Bellis Librarian
Nathan Siler
Digital Marketing Consultant
Board of Directors
Lisa O’Brien, Esq. Treasurer
Constance Beavon
Shu-Wie Chen
Melanie Niemiec
Dinah Nissen, Esq.
Advisory Board
Galen Guengerich
Susan Jolles
Walter Klauss
Artistic Director Emeritus
Winnie Olsen
Kate Phillips
David Rockefeller, Jr.
Jean-Louis Petit
Bruce Saylor
Epp Sonin
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:
• Underwrite a concert
• Underwrite a recording
• Underwrite a tour
• Underwrite the appearance of a guest artist
Naming opportunities are available for sponsors. Contact Jasna Vasić, Executive Director at jasna@musicaviva.org .
PATRON SUPPORT LEVELS FOR OUR 2024-2025 SEASON
This 2024-2025 season is Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez’ 10th season as Artistic Director of Musica Viva NY. We need your generous contributions for this 2024-2025 season to celebrate this anniversary, and to support the outstanding concerts and community engagement 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
• Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director
• Invitation to a season preview with the Artistic Director in the choir loft
• Six complimentary season subscriptions
• Reserved seating
• Two free passes to each concert’s Saturday dress rehearsal
CON FUOCO
$5,000 to $9,999
• Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director
• Invitation to a season preview with the Artistic Director in the choir loft
• Five complimentary season subscriptions
• Reserved seating
• Two free passes to each concert’s Saturday dress rehearsal
CON BRIO
$3,000 to $4,999
• Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director
• Invitation to a season preview with the Artistic Director in the choir loft
• Four complimentary season subscriptions
• Reserved seating
• Two free passes to each concert’s Saturday dress rehearsal
RISOLUTO
$1,000 to $2,999
• Invitation to a season preview with the Artistic Director in the choir loft
• Three complimentary season subscriptions
• Reserved seating
• Two free passes to each concert’s Saturday dress rehearsal
ESPRESSIVO
$500 to $999
• Invitation to a season preview with the Artistic Director in the choir loft
• Two complimentary season subscriptions
• Preferred seating
CANTABILE
$200-$499
• Invitation to a season preview with the Artistic Director in the choir loft
• One complimentary season subscription
• Preferred seating
DOLCE
$25-$199
• Acknowledgment in program at all levels
MUSICA VIVA NY PATRONS 2024-2025
We are deeply grateful to our Patrons listed below for their support of our 2024-2025 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.
Appassionato $10,000 and above
Barbara Cohn
Heidi & Nicholas DuBois
Don & Georgia Gogel
Melanie & David Niemiec
Susan & David Rockefeller, Jr.
Con Fuoco $5,000 to $9,999
Lois Gaeta, in memory of David Remember Baker
David Poppe & Cherie Henderson
Fritz Reuter
Bradford & Gail Rodney
Jennifer Shotwell
Epp Sonin
Con Brio $3,000 to $4,999
Lisa & Dick Cashin
Shu-Wie Chen
George Dorsey
Victor Fidel & Heather Floyd
Pamela Healey
Margaret MacCary
Dinah Nissen & Elizabeth Apelles
Lisa O’Brien
Laura Pedersen
Judith Samuelson & Vic Henschel
Madonna K. Starr
Risoluto $1,000 - $2,999
Lynne & Richard Allen
Shawn Bartels
Constance Beavon
Tom & Heli Blum
Susan Boland
Julie Brannan
Stillman Brown
Dixie Goss & Dan Cryer
Elizabeth Harvey
Lena Kaplan
Stephen Lash
Harold Norris & Kell Julliard
Winnie Olsen
Thomas Simpson
Deborah Taylor
Brenda Walker
Edward Whitney
One anonymous Patron
Espressivo $500 - $999
Astrid & John Baumgardner
Barbara de Bellis, in memory of Greta Minsky
Austin & Sarah Bramwell
Miles Chapin
Mary Gundermann
Dana Ivey
Michele Jawin & Dr. Mark Kroll
Carol Kirkman
John Mascio
James Moskin
MUSICA VIVA NY PATRONS 2024-2025
Kate Phillips
Lynne Randall
Karen Steele
Andrew Taylor-Troup
Aracy Winter
Rachel Ziemba
Cantabile $200 - $499
Robin Bossert
Michelle Boston
Anne Brewer
Alice Cheng
John Cooper
Richard Einhorn
Anne Fraenkel-Thonet
Marjory & Jeff Friedlander
Mary Geissman
Arthur Hopkirk
Margaret Kampmeier & Edward Harsh
Walter Klauss
Steven Lane
Millie & John Liebmann
Patricia Lloyd
Colleen McCourtney
Tara McNamara
Erika Mikkelsen Halford
Elizabeth Millard Whitman
Molly O’Neil Frank
Priscilla Pochna
Erik Resurreccion
Mary Ann Schade
Bradley & Erich Strauchen Scherer
Dolce $25 - $199
Betsy & David Bennett
Laura Berman
Ann Bigelow
Jack Burkhalter
Beth Clancy
Carol Crigler
Michelle Demko
Mary Dugan
Marye Elmlinger & Eric Lamm
James Finder
Sandra Lotz Fisher
Linda Francke
Joseph Goddu
Christine Goodwin
Nancy Jacobson
Susan & Stephen Langley
Dede McMahon
Isabel Mountbatten
George & Jane Nissen
Steven Ostrow
Mary Pisarkiewicz Mazur
Eleanor Preiss
Marilyn Reagan
Barbara Reed
Paul Roberts
Bryce Stack
William Steele
William Thurston
Hanan Watson
Sarah Wilson
Suzanne Zissu
Alison Tung
Jasna Vasić
This list reflects gifts received from June 1, 2024 to February 20, 2025.
Musica Viva NY is extremely grateful for the following help with its 2024-25 season from:
All Souls NYC (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
Heart & Soul Fund, Inc. for its longtime support of our community engagement programming
MVNY’s community engagement is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
