The
Saint Dominic Academy Glee Club Presents The 45th Anniversary Spring Concert
Sunday, May 5th, 2024
Saint Ann Roman Catholic Church
“Castle on a Cloud”
The Saint Dominic Academy Glee Club
The Glee Club is one of the largest and most honored activities at the Academy. Approximately twenty percent of Saint Dominic Academy students have been members of the Glee Club during Mr. Napoli’s 45 years at SDA.
The Glee Club has long been considered the one of the most accomplished all girls parochial school choirs in the Archdiocese and in the tri-state area. The Glee Club attended regional competitions every year from 1992 - 2018 and won Grand Championship awards in 14 of those 27 competitions.
In December, 2004, The Glee Club performed a Christmas Concert in the Winter Garden Atrium at the World Financial Center. They were one of the first choirs to perform at this historic site following its restoration after the September 11, 2001 attack on Lower Manhattan.
On December 26th, 2015, members of the Glee Club traveled to Rome and performed at a New Year’s Day, 2016, World Peace Day Papal Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Saint Peter’s Basilica.
On May 26th, 2023, the Glee Club performed Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s “Stabat Mater” with other treble choirs in Carnegie Hall. This was the third time that the Glee Club performed in that historic venue.
The Glee Club has sung five times at the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular, opening for the renowned Rockettes, most recently on Thursday , December 7th, 2023 and will perform there again on December 5th, 2024
The Dominoes
The Dominoes are the Saint Dominic Academy Chamber Choir. The 30 members are chosen by audition from the larger 52 member Glee Club. The Dominoes have gained distinction over the years by performing at both internationally famous venues as well as local events.
The Dominoes have performed, by invitation, 13 times at Carnegie Hall. Other New York City performances include the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Waldorf-Astoria and 5 times at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular where they take the stage with the Glee Club just before the Rockettes.
In January 2008, the Dominoes were invited by the Barack Obama campaign to perform at Senator Obama’s appearance at Saint Peter’s College. The next day, the Dominoes sang for and met the future president.
The Dominoes performed with American composer Tim Janis at Caldwell College in April, 2010; Janis was so impressed with the choir that he arranged for the Dominoes to perform a featured number, Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song”, with international star André Rieu at the Nassau Coliseum in June, 2010. The Dominoes have also been featured on local television, performing live on Fox 5’s Good Day New York and News 12 New Jersey’s “Sounds of the Season”. In December, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Dominoes performed at the prestigious New York Athletic Club.
Local Performances
Locally, the Dominoes performed Christmas concerts for over twenty years at the Jersey City Women’s Club on Fairmount Avenue, now Saint Dominic Academy’s Siena Hall, and many times at the Liberty House Restaurant’s “Snowflake Award Ceremony”, at various municipal tree lightings, for elderly members of the community and annually at the Cusack Care Center’s Blessing Tree Lighting and at the Mayor’s Annual Holiday Concert at the Landmark Loews Theater. The Dominoes and Glee Club perform annually with Saint Peter’s Prep’s Vox choir; a collaboration that dates back to 2013.
Church Performances
The Dominoes have performed multiple times at Saint Malachy’s Church in the theater district (the “Actor’s Chapel”). In 2009, They were a featured group with Schola Cantorum on Hudson. (now known as Ember) They also performed at Saint Malachy’s three times as part of the National High School Choral Festival sponsored by Pueri Cantores, the Official International Youth Choral Organization of the Catholic Church.
The Dominoes were the featured liturgical choir at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart - the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, at their annual Catholic School’s Personnel Mass in 2011 and 2018.
On December 26th, 2015, in an international event sponsored by Pueri Cantores, members of the Dominoes and Glee Club traveled to Rome and joined choruses from around the world and the Sistine Chapel Choir, singing at the New Year’s Day 2016 World Peace Day Papal Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Saint Peter’s Basilica. A day earlier, all the youth choirs had an audience with the Holy Father.
The Dominoes performed with the Newark Boys Chorus at Saint Peter’s University Church. (Saint Aedan’s) on March 1st, 2018.
Saint Dominic Academy’s annual Christmas and Spring Concerts were most often performed at Saint Aloysius Church from 1982 - 2019. Since then, these concerts have been performed at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church and at Saint Ann Roman Catholic Church. (Hoboken)
A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, James E. Redcay III currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of MidAmerica Productions (where he has worked since 2015), presenting large-scale classical performances at Carnegie Hall and throughout Europe as part of an annual season of concerts. A graduate of New York University, Redcay spent years in New York City as an accomplished pianist, composer and teacher, performing and composing for numerous concerts and institutions. During this time Redcay held the position of Composer-in-Residence at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. After graduating from NYU, Redcay moved abroad to Macao, where he taught music at the Conservatory of Macao and created and managed large-scale arts and entertainment programs and daily operations for Sands China Ltd., a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands. After six fruitful years, Redcay relocated to the United States and now resides in the Philadelphia area with his wife Thao and son Elias.
James Redcay - Piano Accompanist
Joseph P. Napoli – Director
Joseph P. Napoli has taught at Saint Dominic Academy since 1979. Mr. Napoli has also directed the Manhattan College Singers, Saint Peter’s College Glee Club and the Saint Dominic Academy Women’s Choir.
In 2005, the Council for American Private Education named Napoli New Jersey’s NonPublic School Teacher of the Year. In 2006, he was honored as Italian-American Educator of the year by the Bayonne Columbus Committee and was similarly honored by Jersey City’s Dante Alighieri Society in 2011. In November, 2011, Saint Dominic Academy honored Mr. Napoli with the Dominican Pillar Award. In September, 2015, the Cusack Care Center honored him as “a partner in caring” at their 12th annual Generations Benefit Luncheon.
Joe’s choirs have made two recordings; “A Saint Dominic Academy Christmas” (Dominoes, 2002) and “Voices of Winter” (Women’s Choir, 2006). He lives in Hoboken with his lovely wife, Rose.
Director’s Message
As the school year draws to a close, nostalgia, joy and sadness intermingle as the Glee Club prepares to bid goodbye to our twelve Senior members. As freshman, they spent most of the school year at home due to the pandemic and there were no live performances. As sophomores they sang their first Christmas Concert in holiday themed masks; the masks were off by the Spring Concert. As Juniors, they performed at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Carnegie Hall. Their time in the Glee Club has been marked by a tremendous rebuilding effort that has brought the choir back to a level of excellence unrivaled by most high school treble ensembles.
The Class of 2024 is very dear to me and today’s Spring Concert is a retrospective of their favorite pieces; indeed, the Messe Brève that opens today’s program and Les Miserables medley that is the finale’ were chosen by senior Emalie Genic.
The future looks bright! An unprecedented 19 members have solos in today’s concert; 11 of those are underclasswomen. An additional 5 freshmen have solos in the concert with Saint Peter’s Prep two weeks hence. They are ready to carry on this 45 year old tradition as we move forward towards the Glee Club’s 50th year and Saint Dominic Academy’s 150th year. I am truly blessed to have shared so much glorious choral music with these young women!
Program
Welcome and Introduction Sabrina Rodriguez Class of 2024 Glee Club President
Kyrie
Messe Brève Performed by The Dominoes
Gloria - Duet performed by Miranda Shepard and Joan Dimaya
Sanctus
O Salutaris - Solo performed by Gabrielle Young
Agnus Dei - Duet performed by Hannah Lance and Keira Ang
Messe Brève means “Short Mass” and contains four settings from the Ordinary of the Mass; the longest Mass setting, “Credo,” is usually excluded in a short Mass. Although not from the Ordinary of the Mass, Delibes included the Eucharistic Hymn, O Salutaris in his Messe Brève.
Please hold your applause until after the last selection in the MassAgnus Dei.
Glee Club Sacred Selections
Non Nobis Domine
William Byrd
Lift Thine Eyes to the Mountains From ‘Elijah” composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Psalm 23
I Thank You God
Srul Irving Glick - In Loving Memory of John E. Nagel
Gwyenth Walker; poem by E.E. Cummings
Featured Senior Soloist - Sabrina Rodriguez
Sabrina has performed solos in every concert since her sophomore year. Thank you Sabrina! The Glee Club and I will miss you very much!
Think of Me - from The Phantom of the Opera - Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webberand performed by Sabrina Rodriguez
Senior Farewell Speech
Maryann Burt, SDA Class of 2025
Senior Songs
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - Poem by Robert Frost and Music by Ruth Artman
The Rose
For Good
Chapel of Love
The Shoop Shoop Song
Amanda McBroom
From “Wicked”; Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Duet - Sabrina Rodriguez and Mia Barth
Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwhich and Jeff Barry
Rudy Clark; solo by Gabrielle Beredo
Finale’ - Medley from Les Misérables
Music by Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel and Herbert Kretzmer; arr. Ed Lojeski
The Glee Club has been performing this medley since 1989 - only two years after the original Broadway production. They are frequently joined by Vox - Saint Peter’s Prep’s
Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean, a French peasant, and his desire for redemption, released in 1815 after serving nineteen years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister's starving child. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew after a bishop inspires him with a tremendous act of mercy.
At the End of the Day (sung by the factory workers)
Jean Valjean assumed a new identity as Monsieur Madeleine, a wealthy factory owner and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. Fantine is a single mother working in his factory, trying to support her daughter Cosette, who is being raised by an innkeeper and his wife while Fantine labors in the city. One day, a coworker steals a letter about Cosette from Fantine, revealing to the other workers that Fantine has a child. A fight breaks out, and the foreman and workers use the incident to manipulate Valjean into firing Fantine, who is thrown penniless onto the street where she sells her hair and teeth and is lured into prostitution.
I Dreamed a Dream
Soloist - Mia Barth (as Fantine)
In “I Dreamed a Dream”, Fantine reflects on her broken dreams and about Cosette's father, who abandoned them both. Jean Valjean, horrified at his finding Fantine destitute, promises to unite her with Cosette but, broken in health, Fantine dies and Valjean vows to find and take care of her daughter who is staying with an innkeeper and his wife.
Castle on a Cloud
Soloist - Maeve George (as Cosette)
Not knowing that she is now an orphan, Cosette dreams of a life with a mother where she is not forced to work and is treated lovingly. Valjean meets Cosette while she's on an errand drawing water, and offers the abusive innkeepers payment to adopt her.
Do You Hear the People Sing? Duet - Maryann Burt and Maeve Barry (as leaders of the uprising)
Nine years have passed and a revolutionary group plots against the monarchy. Marius, a member of the uprising, falls in love with Cosette at first sight and asks his best friend Éponine, the innkeeper's daughter, to find her. He and Cosette meet and profess their love.
On My Own
Solist - Emalie Genic (as Éponine)
Éponine, herself in love with Marius, is heartbroken. Éponine walks the streets of Paris alone, imagining that Marius is there with her, but laments that her love for Marius will never be reciprocated She then returns to the barricade. During the first skirmish against the soldiers, Éponine takes a bullet for Marius and dies in his arms, giving him Cosette's letter and confessing her love, leaving Marius devastated and heartbroken over the death of his best friend.
Bring Him Home - Quartet - Sabrina Rodriguez, Emily Sullivan, Sofia Conti, Chiara Secades (as Jean Valjean)
Valjean, realizing the Cosette loves Marius, prays to God to protect Marius, even if the cost for his safety requires Valjean's own life.
Finale’ - Quartet - Evangeline Cruz-Perez, Eliza Curtis, Mila Varela and Anya Vasudevan (as Fantine, Eponine and Valjean)
Valjean confesses to Marius that he is an escaped convict and must go away because his presence endangers Cosette. He makes Marius promise never to tell Cosette. Valjean goes to a convent awaiting his death, having nothing left to live for. The spirit of Fantine appears to him and tells him that he has been forgiven and will soon be with God. Cosette and Marius arrive to find Valjean near death. Valjean thanks God for letting him live long enough to see Cosette again, and Marius thanks him for saving his life. Valjean gives Cosette a letter confessing his troubled past and the truth about her mother. As he dies, the spirits of Fantine and Éponine guide him to Heaven reminding him that "to love another person is to see the face of God". They are joined by the spirits of those who died at the barricades, all of whom sing of the coming of a better world. (Do You Hear the People Sing reprise)
Acknowledgements
Sabrina Rodriquez, Mia Barth, Emalie Genic and Hannah Lance
The Saint Dominic Academy Alma Mater
Lift your voices, lift your spirits. Sing with zest and love and glee! Boast of courage, truth and honor, taught at this Academy. Raise her ; wear her Emblem, pledge to God and country too. Keep er spirit, keep her counsel, She will always follow through! Saint Dominic Academy, we pledge our hearts in loyalty, Our Alma Mater here’s to thee, we love our school devotedly. May all our efforts during life, in all our triumphs and in strife, By the patron of our school blessed be, Saint Dominic Academy!
Saint Dominic Academy Administration
Elizabeth Christou Woodall Head of School
Dr. Maureen Fonseca Associate Head of School
Kamila Pawka Dean of Student Leadership & Activities
Alyssa Ruiz Dean of School Culture
Sharon Buge Director of Finance
Mary Murphy Director of Advancement and Enrollment
Maureen Cravath Head of Admissions
Saint
Dominic
Academy Glee Club Board of Directors
Joseph P. Napoli Director
Stephanie Vargas Herrera ‘10 Assistant Director and Business Manager
Sabrina Rodriquez President
Mia Barth Vice President
Emalie Genic Secretary
Hannah Lance Stage Manager
