C4
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C4 CHAMBER CHORUS Sopranos Franny Geller Anna Levenstein Asia Meirovich Karen Siegel
Altos Joy Chia Malina Rauschenfels Deborah Skydell
Tenors Christopher Baum Jonathan David Sam McCoy David Rentz Eddie Rubeiz
C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective
NOT DEAD YET
Basses James Bilodeau Phillip Cheah Benjamin Niemczyk Tim Rusterholz
Saturday, 17 November 2007, St Joseph’s Church, New York, NY
C4 SYMPHONIC CHORUS
C4 C4 • Member of the C4 Collective
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (1995)
Jan Sandström (b. 1954)
Jonathan David, conductor
C4 SYMPHONIC CHORUS
Sopranos Franny Geller Tina Goldstein Katherine Gressel Adria Le Boeuf Anna Levenstein Erica Lowe Asia Meirovich Karen Siegel Jieun Yang
Altos Joy Chia Abbe Dalton Rachel Dowell Eloise Flood Malina Rauschenfels Lorena Ruiz Cecilia Seiter Kristina Sturk Steinwall
Tenors Christopher Baum Timothy Beck Jonathan David Steve Lanser Sam McCoy David Rentz Eddie Rubeiz
Basses Daniel Andor James Bilodeau Phillip Cheah Benjamin Niemczyk Tim Rusterholz Anders Steinwall
C4 CHAMBER CHORUS
Carmina mei cordis (2004) ‡ I. Aeterna lux, divinitas
Abbie Betinis (b. 1980)
Malina Rauschenfels, soloist
II. Angele dei
Karen Siegel, soloist Sam McCoy, conductor
Purcell’s Funeral Sentence (1999) David Rentz, conductor
Paul Ayres (b. 1970)
C4 SYMPHONIC CHORUS
C4: THE CH0RAL COMPOSER/CONDUCTOR COLLECTIVE
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C4, the world’s first Choral Composer/Conductor Collective, is a unique vocal ensemble in New York City dedicated to performing music by living composers. A collaborative project of its singing members, it functions not only as a presenting ensemble in its own right, with concerts at least twice yearly, but also as an ongoing workshop and recital chorus for the emerging composers and conductors who form the core of the group. It is, as far as we know, the first ensemble of its kind, and the largest choral group in the nation to focus entirely on the music of our time. C4 operates two choruses of different sizes. The 16-voice Chamber Chorus rehearses every week on Thursday nights and sings all of the repertoire on each concert. The C4 Symphonic Chorus is a larger group comprised of a rotating pool of singers called in for works that require additional forces in order to be effective. The 10-member C4 Collective consists of the composers, conductors, and singers who share responsibility for running the group and serve as the organization’s Board of Directors. The C4 Collective makes all artistic decisions on behalf of the group.
Shin-ichiro Ikebe (b. 1943)
Poro-Hechiri
Joy Chia, conductor
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Sea Shanty (2007) ‡
Malina Rauschenfels (b. 1978)
Benjamin Niemczyk, conductor
Byker Hill
Phillip Cheah, conductor
arr. Mitchell Sandler/adapt. Todd O’Connor
Dúlamán (1995)
arr. Michael McGlynn (b. 1964)
Phillip Cheah, conductor
TEN-MINUTE INTERMISSION
‡ New York City premiere
Program Notes & Texts
C4 CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Instrumental (2007) †
Eddie Rubeiz (b. 1975)
Franny Geller, Anna Levenstein, Malina Rauschenfels, Eddie Rubeiz and Phillip Cheah
C4 CHAMBER CHORUS Hana/Blossom (2007) †
Jonathan David (b. 1965)
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
Carmina mei cordis
Swedish Composer Jan Sandström, born in Lapland in 1954, is an eclectic whose influences stretch from minimalism to serialism. His Motorbike Concerto (1988-89) for trombone and orchestra has received more than 300 performances worldwide. A longtime chorister, choral work occupies an important part in Sandström’s catalogue, and it generally conveys a much gentler world than does the concerto. His arrangement of Praetorius’ carol Es ist ein Ros entsprungen is another of his most popular works. At the most basic level, it is the carol in slow motion. One section of the divided chorus presents the original, almost verbatim, only twice as slowly. Meanwhile, the other section mimics an organ, building up rich chords of diatonic clusters. This harmonic and temporal kaleidoscope yields a work of quiet yet intense devotion. – Jonathan David
Carmina mei cordis (Songs of My Heart) is a set of two short pieces. The first, Aeterna lux divinitas, is an 18th-century hymn from the Liturgia Horarum. Because the text hails the unity of the Trinity, the piece modulates between three primary tonalities. Though these tonalities are sometimes at odds with each other, simultaneously expressing identical ideas in completely different keys, in the end, all unify into a canon which spirals on, encircling and unifying all voice parts in its course. The Alleluia refrain is my own addition to this traditional Catholic text. The second piece, Angele dei, is also known as the Prayer to One’s Guardian Angel. Though it was once attributed to St. Anselm, scholars now trace the Latin prayer to Reginald of Canterbury, who died sometime after 1109. This musical setting, harmonically informed by my love for the choral music of Poulenc and Messiaen, is one of invocation and of my own deep desire for spiritual peace. – Abbie Betinis ABBIE BETINIS continues to add to her catalogue of nearly 40 works for voice, with commissions ranging from an ad hoc collection of ten-year-olds to the fully professional Dale Warland Singers. Her choral music, championed by conductors such as Matthew Culloton, Emily Ellsworth and Dale Warland, has been praised for its melodic line and unfolding dramatic impulse, yet is also identified by its characteristic rhythmic vigor. Her piece Yhinx: An Ancient Greek Love Charm (2003), written for the men’s ensemble Cantus, was featured on their nationwide 2004-2005 tours. Her Christmas carols, composed in the tradition of her great uncle Alfred Burt, reach a national listening audience through premieres broadcast annually on Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media.
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Karen Siegel, conductor
Nomenclator Zoologicus (2007) †
Karen Siegel (b. 1980)
Sam McCoy, conductor
The Golden Peacock (2004)
I. O Western Wind Karen Siegel and Anna Levenstein, soloists II. Sant Jacobs Strasse Benjamin Niemczyk, Asia Meirovich, Sam McCoy, Franny Geller, Anna Levenstein and Karen Siegel, soloists III. L’homme armé Phillip Cheah, conductor IV. Di Goldene Pave V. Katy Cruel Benjamin Niemczyk, conductor
Robert Dennis (b. 1933)
C4 SYMPHONIC CHORUS
Come, Holy Ghost (1984)
Jonathan Harvey (b. 1939)
Phillip Cheah, Sam McCoy, Karen Siegel, Adria LeBoeuf and Asia Meirovich, soloists Christopher Baum, conductor
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† World premiere
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen aus einer Wurzel zart, als uns die Alten sungen: von Jesse kam die Art und hat ein Blümlein bracht mitten in kalten Winter wohl zu der halben Nacht. Lo, how a rose e’er blooming, from tender stem hath sprung! Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung. It came a floweret bright amid the cold of winter, when half spent was the night. Traditional German text English version by Theodore Baker
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Betinis has received grants and awards from the American Composers Forum, American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP), Cambridge Madrigal Singers, the Esoterics, Minnesota Music Educators Association, and first place in the University of Minnesota’s Craig and Janet Swan Composer Competition. At age 27, she has received over thirty commissions for new work, by organizations such as the American Suzuki Foundation, Anoka High School Band, Cantus, the Dale Warland Singers, The Rose Ensemble, The Schubert Club, The Singers-Minnesota Choral Artists, University of Minnesota Men’s Choir, and the Young New Yorkers Chorus. Her published music is available from Augsburg Fortress, Graphite Publishing, Kjos, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and – new in August 2007 – in G. Schirmer’s Dale Warland Choral Series. Since 2005, she has served as composer-inresidence with The Schubert Club in Saint Paul.
tu solus es solacium, Thou art the Life which moves the whole, tu certa spes credentium. Alleluia! sure hope of each believing soul. Alleluia! O veritas, o caritas, O Verity! O Charity! o finis et felicitas, O Ending and Felicity! sperare fac et credere, in Thee we hope, in Thee believe, amare fac et consequi. Thyself we love, to Thee we cleave. Qui cuncta solus efficis Thou who alone the world hast made, cunctisque solus sufficis, art still its one sufficing aid, tu sola lux es omnibus the only Light for gazing eyes, et praemium sperantibus. Alleluia! and, unto them that hope, the Prize. Alleluia! Liturgia Horarum Translated by R.F. Littledale
Purcell’s Funeral Sentence
Poro-Hechiri
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) first set the Funeral Sentences in 1674, perhaps for the funeral of Pelham Humfrey in Westminster Abbey. He revised the piece on one or more occasions, the last time in 1681, and it is this version that Paul Ayres has transformed. The (latter) composer writes, “One SATB group sings (nearly exactly) Henry Purcell’s setting of the Funeral Sentences, the other group sing newly-written material, commenting, reflecting, accompanying and interfering…” – David Rentz PAUL AYRES studied music at Oxford University, and now works freelance as a composer & arranger, choral conductor & musical director, and organist & accompanist. His compositions usually involve words – solo songs, choral pieces, incidental music – and he works with many choirs and theatre groups. Paul is assistant director of music at St George’s Church Hanover Square, and has given many solo organ recitals throughout the world. Please visit www.paulayres.co.uk to find out more.
Poro-Hechiri is a composite of seven songs of the Sakhalin Ainu people – folk songs of dancing and festivity – set for women’s voices. The Ainu are an ethnic group indigenous to several North Pacific islands, now variously parts of Japan and Russia. Unfortunately, as a result of assimilation with the Japanese majority, the Ainu language is now a moribund language that is increasingly endangered. Ikebe’s composition, Poro-Hechiri, approximates this language, but is faithful to the Ainu tradition of playful everyday songs centered on ordinary activities. SHIN-ICHIRO IKEBE is one of the most illustrious contemporary Japanese composers, winning multiple international awards for his compositions. He is also actively engaged in a wide range of compositional media, including symphonies, operas and theater pieces, as well as music for radio, television and movies. He is currently a professor at the Tokyo College of Music. – Joy Chia
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I Aeterna lux, divinitas, Eternal Light, Divinity, in unitate Trinitas, O Unity in Trinity, te confitemur debiles, Thy holy name Thy servants bless, te deprecamur supplices. Alleluia! to Thee we pray, and Thee confess. Alleluia! Christum rogamus et Patrem, O Father, Source of God the Word, Christi Patrisque Spiritum; O Word with Him co-equal Lord, unum potens per omnia, O Spirit of like majesty, fove precantes, Trinita. Alleluia! O Triune God, all praise to Thee. Alleluia! Qui finis et exordium Thou First and Last, from whom there springs rerumque fons es omnium, the Fount of all created things,
II Angele dei, Angel of God, qui custos es mei, my guardian dear, Me tibi commissum pietate superna; To whom his love commits me here; Hac nocte illumina, Ever this night be at my side, custodi, rege, et guberna. To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. Attributed to Reginald of Canterbury (11th-12th century) Translation from the Baltimore Manual of Prayers (1888)
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Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and ne’er continueth in one stay. In the midst of life we are in death: of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased? Yet, O Lord God most holy, O Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful Saviour, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death. Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears to our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, thou most worthy judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee. The Book of Common Prayer
Sea Shanty
I wrote Sea Shanty for this C4 concert. It is derived from 12 (somewhat altered) measures of “Brei Yvane,” from a Bulgarian Women’s Choir CD. From there, it turned into a sea shanty, perhaps because I was improvising sea shanties for a dance piece I was writing at the same time this summer. It received new made up words for exotic sailors to sing. It is a worker’s song – something for sailors to sing while rowing, raising sails, and scrubbing decks. It comes together when everyone is doing their job. There are also a few lines portraying the wind and the waves, perhaps from my days of growing up on Lake Superior. – Malina Rauschenfels
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Byker Hill Byker Hill is a coal hauling/loading folk song from the northeast of England. At holidays and festive times, miners from the area (Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and North Yorkshire) would gather with their families to dance on the coaly green to the piper playing or their own singing if a piper was not available. The tunes were nearly always pipe tunes, the words floating verses loosely strung together. Versions of this song were published as early as 1812 and the song has been undergoing changes ever since. It is a poignant social commentary on the working class life; the version performed tonight has been recorded by Chanticleer. Some terms that might bear elucidation: piper – a Northumbrian small pipe player (in contrast to Scottish bagpipes). Byker Hill, Walker Shore – company coal pits. Bonny Lass of Byker Hill, Elsie Marley – piper songs. creel – a willow basket for hauling coal. creelman – a maker of baskets. bumbo – a mixture of beer and gin. the dirt – slang for mine. clean shirt – “rich” miners had more than one shirt to wear. Geordie – nowadays a term for a native of the Tyneside region, near Newcastle; the word seems to have originally referred specifically to pitmen or coal-miners in that region. – Phillip Cheah
The pitman and the keelman, Trin, They drink bumbo, made from gin; Then to dance they do begin, To the tune of Elsie Marley. Oh, Geordie Tarleton, he had a pig; He hit it with a shovel and it danced a jig All the way to Walker Shore, To the tune of Elsie Marley. Oh, gentle Jenny, she’s behind the barns With a pint of ale underneath her arm; A pint of ale underneath her arm, And she feeds it to the baby. If I had another penny I would have another gill; I would make the piper play me The Bonny Lass of Byker Hill.
McGlynn’s music can be heard on film and television soundtracks all over the world, including on the award-winning film The Work of Angels, an exploration of the Book of Kells. He is an accomplished solo singer specializing in early music, and has worked with many international artists as a soloist including most notably Elvis Costello, Fretwork, and the late Jeff Buckley at the Meltdown Festival at London’s South Bank in 1995.
Instrumental Instrumental, for five parts, is an affectionate spoof of the 16th century French chanson. The form was rediscovered in the 70s by any number of Renaissance wind and brass bands with olde-schoole names, and it’s a guilty pleasure for a number of us in C4. – Eddie Rubeiz
C4 C4 Dúlamán
Dúlamán is Irish Gaelic for ‘seaweed.’ In Ireland, certain men made their living by collecting and selling different types of seaweed; the men were frequently nicknamed for the particular types in which they dealt. ‘Dúlamán gaelach’ is a seaweed used in dying cloth while ‘dúlamán maorach’ is an edible variety. The song, sung in Gaelic, records a conversation between two seaweed collectors. Dúlamán Gaelach has a beautiful daughter whom Dúlamán Maorach (mentioned only in the last verse in McGlynn’s setting) wishes to marry. Gaelach is not exactly thrilled with the idea of having Maorach as a son-in-law, but Maorach elopes with his daughter anyway. – Phillip Cheah MICHAEL MCGLYNN was born in Dublin in 1964 and is best known as composer for and director of the hugely successful Irish choir Anúna which he founded in 1987. Anúna have released nine albums, almost exclusively featuring Michael’s arrangements and original works, since 1993. Currently many hundreds of choral groups world-wide perform McGlynn’s work on a regular basis, with some of his works entering the choral vernacular as “standards” including the piece being performed tonight, Dúlamán.
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If I had another penny I would have another gill; I would make the piper play me The Bonny Lass of Byker Hill. Chorus: Byker Hill and Walker Shore, collier lads forever more. When first I come down to the dirt I had no trousers, no pit shirt; Now I’ve gotten two or three, oh, Walker pit’s done well by me.
A’nion mhin ó, sin anall na fir shuirí, Dearest daughter, here come all the courting men. A mhaithair mhin, ó cuir na roithleán go dtí mé. Dearest mother, get the spinning wheel to me. Chorus: Dúlamán na binne buí Gaelach, Irish seaweed from the yellow cliff, Dúlamán na farraige. Seaweed from the ocean. Rachaidh mé chun ‘lúir leis a’ dúlamán Gaelach, ‘Let’s go to Newry,’ says the Irish seaweed, ‘ceannódh bróga daor’ arsa dúlamán Gaelach. ‘I’ll buy expensive shoes,’ says the Irish seaweed. Bróga breátha dubh’ ar a’ dúlamán Gaelach, Black speckled shoes on the Irish seaweed, Bairéad agus triús ar a’ dúlamán Gaelach. A beret and trousers on the Irish seaweed. Tá ceann bui óir ar a’ dúlamán Gaelach, There’s a yellow-gold head on the Irish seaweed, Tá dhá chluais mhaol’ ar a’ dúláman Maorach. There are two bare ears on the Stately seaweed.
Hana/Blossom
The main inspiration behind my motet is the work of medieval French composer Guillaume de Machaut. One Machaut hallmark that I’ve incorporated into Hana is isorhythm, wherein rhythmic and melodic patterns repeat at different lengths, generating new music without sacrificing unity. Machaut also liked to set different texts, often in different languages, simultaneously in the same piece. Here, I’ve taken the same haiku, but presented it in its original Japanese (tenors, baritones and basses) alongside its English translation (trebles). To emphasize the otherness of the two languages I’ve contrasted the trebles’ more modern texture with the men’s which is modeled after Machaut. The two groups also sing in different keys for most of the piece. There is a brief moment of harmonic reconciliation, but it is fleeting, and the men end alone, quietly questioning perhaps the same text they are singing. – Jonathan David
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Hana no kage aka tanin wa nakari keri Cherry blossom shade, never an utter stranger
Nomenclator Zoologicus Inspired by Zoltán Kodály’s Pange Lingua for chorus and organ, Nomenclator Zoologicus mirrors structural and textural aspects of that work before setting off in a new direction. Kodály’s masterpiece is an homage to his deep Catholic faith, and his text is a statement of transubstantiation, a fundamental idea of the religion. I respond with a statement of a fundamental aspect of modern science, the study of biology, as represented by a list of animal genera and sub-genera. The result is an elevation of science to a level of reverence usually reserved for the sacred. This piece is named after the comprehensive ten volume series of books of the same name, which was the source for this text. While I reserved a small section at the end for extinct animals, the actual percentage of extinct genera and sub-genera is disturbingly far greater. – Karen Siegel Protozoa: Amoebidium, Anglasia, Astroentactina, Bacterium Worms: Bedingia, Bosicola, Callinera, Chitwoodia, Dacnitoides Insects: Delevea, Ebito, Endoiasmus Moths & Butterflies: Fotella, Gomora, Hylophiloides Grasshoppers, Crickets & Locusts: Ichnoptera, Junodia, Kishinouyeum Jellyfish & Corals: Lithomices, Meducites, Nauphanopsis, Onubactis Molluscs: Pyrunculus, Queridomus, Rhytostephanus Fish: Sacrestinus, Trichonotus, Ulca Amphibians: Vanzolinius (tree frog), Wolterstorffina (toad)
Reptiles: Xenoboa (snake), Yuen (lizard) Birds: Zaprium, Acanthidositta Mammals: Bauerus (bat), Camelopardalis (giraffe), Delphis (dolphin), Eutatus (armadillo) Primates: Fedantia, Graecopithecus, Homo sapiens Extinct Animals: Iberodon (small mammal), Jungornis (hummingbird), Kotasaurus (dinosaur), Laccotriton (salamander), Mesoscorpia (fish)
Fulbright Grant. Dennis’ commissions and performances include pieces composed for the Denver Project, the New York City Opera, the Jubal Trio, the American Brass Quintet, Calliope, the New York Women’s Chorus, and the Lincoln Center Institute. The Cleveland, Chicago, and Louisville Orchestras have performed his music for orchestra. Dennis has also composed extensively for theatre and film, notably Oh! Calcutta! in collaboration with Peter Schickele. He wrote and performed music for Sesame Street on several occasions, and he has written scores for productions at the Arena Stage, the Guthrie Theatre, and Circle in the Square. The early 1970’s ‘Mad Painter’ series had Dennis playing his own music on a ‘tack’ piano and in February 1975 Dennis wrote the score (vocal, piano/keyboard, flute, bass clarinet) for a frequently aired 4.5 minute film called Milk and three scores (same instruments minus the vocal) for the inserts ‘Elk Feeding,’ ‘Sheep Feeding,’ and ‘Cow Feeding’. Dennis’s theater and film credits include full scores and incidental music for the New York Shakespeare Festival production, Bound to Rise (a Horatio Alger musical, commissioned and performed by the The Medicine Show Ensemble Theatre), and three installments of the PBS ‘Dance in America’ sub-series of ‘Great Performances’, composed for the Pilobolus Dance Theatre Mr. Dennis was composer-in-residence for The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble in 19901991 and in 1996-1997. He has composed eight pieces for The Western Wind, six of which, including tonight’s The Golden Peacock, were recently released on CD by that ensemble. The Man in the Moon: The Western Wind Sings Music of Robert Dennis is available through The Western Wind’s website, www.westernwind.org.
I. O Western Wind O western wind when wilt thou blow, the small rain down can rain? I wish that you were in my arms and I in bed again! II. Sant Jacobs Strasse (St. James’ Road) Wer das Elend bauern will der mach sich auf, He who wishes to cultivate misery, Und sich dahin wohl auf Sant Jacobs Strasse. let him set off and travel on St. James’ Road. Zwei Paar Schuh die muss er han, Two pairs of shoes he must have, Ein Schüssel und ein Flaschen. a bowl, and a bottle.
C4 C4 The Golden Peacock
For almost thirty years, The Western Wind has beautifully and imaginatively performed the pieces I’ve written for them. Their musicianship has been an inspiration and their long-lasting friendship and support have been invaluable. In 1986, I was asked by the group to compose a one-minute version of their namesake song, the 16th century English O Western Wind, to be used as theme music for their National Public Radio program “The Western Wind on the Air.” From this grew the idea to write a group of settings of ‘older’ folk songs, and O Western Wind is the first in a set of five. Sant Jacobs Strasse, based on a 12th century German Pilgrim’s hymn, is believed to refer to the main route to the pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela in westernmost Spain. L’homme armé is a well-known 15th century French song that gained extended life as a cantus firmus used in masses by Dufay, Josquin, and others. Di Goldene Pave is an 18th(?)-century Yiddish song about the homesickness felt by a young bride. Katy Cruel was a very popular marching tune in 18th-century New England. – Robert Dennis
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ROBERT DENNIS is a native of St. Louis. He studied at the Juilliard School with Vincent Persichetti and Vittorio Giannini, and at the Conservatoire in Paris under a
III. L’homme armé (The Armed Man) L’homme, l’homme, l’homme armé, The man, the man, the armed man, L’homme armé doit on doubter. The armed man should be feared. On a fait partout crier, Everywhere it has been proclaimed Que chacun se viengue armé That each man shall arm himself D’un haubregon de fer. With a coat of iron mail.
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IV. Di Goldene Pave (The Golden Peacock) Es iz gelfoygn di goldene pave The golden peacock came flying Fun a fremdn land. From a faraway land. Hot zi farloyrn di goldene feder She lost her golden feather Mit a groyzn shand. With great shame. Gefloygn, gefloygn di goldene pave The golden peacock flew and flew Iber alle felder. Over the fields.
Hot zi farloyrn di goldene feder She lost her golden feather In a fremdn lender. In a faraway land. Vi es iz bitter, mayn tayere mama, Bitter as it is, dear mother, A vasser on a fish, For a lake to have no fish, Azoy iz bitter, mayn tayere mama, So it is bitter, my dear mother, Bay a fremdn tish. To eat from a stranger’s table.
entrances throughout the choir (at the words “Thy blessed unction”), harmonized in block chords as accompaniment to soprano and tenor solos (“Anoint and cheer”), and finally serving a more traditional cantus firmus role while the other sections introduce new material (“Give us peace at home”). Meanwhile, first the sopranos and then the other voices break off from the ensemble and sing, each person in their own time, a variety of fragments derived from the chant. These disparate lines build to a brief climax before gradually fading away, and in the closing measures the entire ensemble comes together, for the first time in the entire piece, to sing a unison statement of the hymn tune’s closing phrase. – Christopher Baum
C4 Chamber Chorus Christopher Baum received his BA in Classical Guitar from San Jose State University and his MM in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Denver. In November he will conduct the premiere of Patrick Castillo’s This is the Hour of Lead, written for and sung by fellow C4 member Phillip Cheah. Chris lives in Astoria.
at Barnard College, the Putney School in Vermont, and Cathedral High School in New York City where he was the Director of Music. He is presently in charge of Choral/Performance Promotion at Oxford University Press, having worked prior as the personal assistant to Peter Schickele, discoverer and perpetrator of that infamous mini-meister, P.D.Q. Bach.
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V. Katy Cruel When I came to town, they called me the roving jewel, Now they’ve changed their tune, they call me Katy Cruel. O that I were where I would be, then would I be where I am not! Here I am where I must be, where I would go I cannot! I know who I love and I know who does love me! I know where I’m going and I know who’s going with me! Through the woods I’ll go, through the bog and mire, Down the road I’ll go, to my heart’s desire!
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, And lighten with celestial fire; Thou the anointing Spirit art, Who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart. Thy blessed unction from above Is comfort, life and fire of love; Enable with perpetual light The dullness of our blinded sight. Anoint and cheer our soiled face With the abundance of thy grace; Keep far our foes, give peace at home; Where thou are guide no ill can come. Teach us to know the Father, Son, And thee of Both to be but One That through all the ages all along This may be our endless song. Praise to thy eternal merit, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Bishop J. Cosin
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Come, Holy Ghost
Concerning his music in general, Jonathan Harvey has said “I like to unify; not into an easy unity, but a unity that is rich and complex. I’d like music to speak of, to herald and to prophesy a better world, less entangled with personal egoistic emotions.” The principle of rich, complex unity defines Harvey’s setting of Come, Holy Ghost, a text based on the medieval hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus. The work’s unifying factor is the plainchant melody of that hymn, which is stated by a solo baritone at the outset of the piece. The chant melody is repeated in each of the next three sections, stated in imitative
James Bilodeau grew up in the Adirondacks. He spent his youth singing in church choirs, school choruses and several musicals. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Production and Technology from the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, CT. At Hartt he also studied choral arts and conducting with Dr. Edward Bolkovac and voice with Janine Hawley and Janet Alcorn. Since moving to New York, James has sung with the Empire City Men’s Chorus as well as with C4. Professionally, he works as a Talk Radio Imaging Producer for Sirius Satellite Radio where he was recently asked to ‘update’ Barry White’s “Love’s Theme”... just another day at the office!
Phillip Cheah is a member of the New York Choral Artists, the Concert Chorale of New York, and the renowned Bach Choir at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Highlights of the 2007-2008 concert season include St. Matthew’s Passion with the Bach Choir, the premiere of two song cycles written for him by Patrick Castillo and C4’s Jonathan David, and conducting the 2008 Interschool Choral Festival in New York. He has conducted the Handel Society of Dartmouth and Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble, served as chorus master with the Indiana University Opera Theatre, and was a répétiteur and assistant conductor at the Amato Opera in New York City. He has recorded on the Pro Organo and Tzadik (John Zorn) labels. Phillip is on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, having previously taught
Joy Chia has spent most of her life singing in choruses, and is very excited to continue to do so in New York City. A native of Singapore, she was a member of its Philharmonic Chorus, singing under the baton of Maestro Lim Yau. In college, she directed Yale’s all-senior, all-women singing group, Whim ‘N Rhythm 2004, as well as Something Extra, an underclassman all-women group. C4 is her first a cappella choral group co-ed experience - she feels so grown up. She is currently an associate at Sidley Austin LLP.
Jonathan David was a singer/songwriter/ guitarist for several rock bands from his early teens. In college he was lured by the evil temptations of “classical” music, and today is a composer mainly of choral works, music-theatre and “art” song. He recently had premieres of commissioned works by the New York Treble Singers (03/07) and the Thanks-giving Foundation of Dallas (01/07). His choral music has also been performed by groups including the Princeton Singers, Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble, The Greenwich Village Singers, the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus and the Americas Vocal Ensemble. Music-Theatre works include Bronx Express (New York Fringe Festival, 2005), Wild Wind (NY Fringe, 1999), and Islands of Light (in progress). He is composer-inresidence for The Greenwich Village Singers and Music Director for the chamber chorus, Howl!. He studied with John Bavicchi and
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Don McDonnell at the Berklee College of Music. Jonathan is published by Oxford University Press. Franny Geller is a Manhattan native and choral-music addict who would gladly sing the Mass in B-minor as a daily morning exercise routine. After fostering her love for Early Music at LaGuardia High School, she moved on to complete a BA in music at Queens College, and now enjoys quality choral time with the Bach Vespers Choir at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble, and C4. By day she coordinates workshops in a cappella singing for The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, watches birds in Central Park, and cuts small pieces of paper into interesting shapes.
studied Vocal Performance and Instrumental Conducting and also served as the Assistant Conductor for the Opera/Musical Theater program. Asia Meirovich is a pianist, vocalist, composer, songwriter and arranger. She joined her first choir at the age of 3 and spent her entire childhood as a choir singer and a classical piano student. Asia went on to get a degree in Contemporary Writing and Production from the Berklee College of Music, where she studied jazz and contemporary piano, vocals, writing, orchestration and studio production. Asia released her rock singer/songwriter CD “Shards” in May 2006 and performs regularly with her band Asia Mei & The Waters. Asia works as a teacher and as an assistant record producer and arranger, working for such artists as Moby, Bruce Springsteen and Bonnie Raitt. She was born in Russia, raised in Israel, and lived in Boston before moving to New York. She is excited to have joined C4. www.asiamei.com
matched by a love for visual art, particularly photography. His award pieces have appeared in the New York Times, Time Out New York and The New Yorker. He also runs BDN Design, a small organization devoted to both commercial and pure artistic pursuits in the realms of photography and graphic design. He holds degrees from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music and DePaul University School of Music.
of the University Chapel Choir. David is also an active composer whose works have been performed by, among others, the Madison (WI) Youth Choirs, the Washington University Chamber Chorus, the Milwaukee Young Artists Festival Ensemble, and the Yale Camerata. Eddie Rubeiz grew up in Geneva, Swizerland, where he sang in a series of choirs and studied piano, music theory and percussion. After moving to the US in 1993, he started writing vocal music in earnest, and his work has been performed by a variety of ensembles, from college a cappella groups to church choirs to off-Broadway shows. He’s currently involved in the mixed vocal group Cerddorion and a funk band named Shagg, and has also started a one-person choir, ‘Set of All Eddies’, with the help of his computer. By day, he helps write software for the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning.
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Anna Levenstein has toured extensively with the medieval vocal ensembles Sequentia and Ordo Virtutum. She has appeared as guest artist with Chatham Baroque and La Sfera Armoniosa, and has toured and recorded with ensembles Elysium and Ciaramella. Anna is a passionate voice teacher with a growing studio on Roosevelt Island. She holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Case Western Reserve’s Early Music Performance Practice Department and a certificate in Early Music Singing from The Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Anna can be heard on the Decca, Naxos and Auditorium labels. www.elysium-sings.net www.ciaramella.org
Benjamin Niemczyk made his conducting debut with the Civic Orchestra of the Chicago Symphony in 1999. He is conductor of Westchester Oratorio Society, a choral ensemble that regularly collaborates with REBEL Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Brooklyn Philharmonic. A singer by trade, he has sung with some of the finest ensembles in both Chicago and New York, has appeared on multiple television broadcasts and commercial audio recordings and has sung in most major venues in the New York area. In 2004, he made his European debut in France with the Festival of American Music and soon thereafter made his Town Hall debut conducting the New York premieres of pieces by Ronald Martin. Benjamin studied conducting under Cliff Colnot of the Chicago Symphony and Harold Rosenbaum of the New York Virtuoso Singers. His musical pursuits are
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Sam McCoy began his musical life singing and playing trumpet and French horn. In addition to his work with C4, he is also the Assistant Conductor for the New Amsterdam Singers Chamber Chorus, as well as a member of the NAS full chorus. Sam is also director of the Urban Ambient Ensemble and a member of the early music ensemble, Guildsingers. He earned his graduate and undergraduate degrees from Oklahoma City University, where he
Even back in Minnesota, Malina Rauschenfels always had a short attention span. Although she has spent nearly a quarter century playing the cello at Eastman (BM), Juilliard (MM), and around town, large chunks of that time were also spent playing violin, viola, flute, composing “serious” music, collaborating/writing with choreographers, dancing, doing handstands, and singing while walking down the street. When not teaching nonstop, Malina is generally creating some sort of performance art and collaborating with other artists. Check out her MySpace page for performance clips and information about an upcoming concert on December 8! Malina has written music for Misnomer Dance Theater, Dodge Dance, Airelise and Laura Flowers, and scored Jody Oberfelder’s film ‘LineAge’. She has danced with Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects as a dancing violinist in both Serbia and Pennsylvania and performed her own choreography at the Southern Theater, Zenon Dance in Minneapolis, MN, and at the City Center Studios in NY. myspace.com/malinamorethanmusic
Tim Rusterholz grew up in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he learned to play the piano, cello, and guitar and started the legendary punk/ska ensemble that would come to be known as Sunshine Policy. At the University of Wisconsin - Madison he studied composition, started playing the carillon and the drums, and sang with the UW Madrigal Singers. In New York he creates music on his computer as well as with his voice/instruments and works as a bike messenger.
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In addition to his work with C4, David Rentz directs Guildsingers, an early music ensemble. He also directs the choruses at the Brearley School and serves as assistant conductor for the New Amsterdam Singers. He has earned graduate degrees in choral conducting from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and, most recently, Yale University, where he was co-director
Karen Siegel grew up harmonizing doowop tunes with her family, and went on to study voice, piano, cello, and eventually composition. She holds a Master’s degree in Composition from NYU, where she studied with Marc Antonio Consoli, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Yale. Additional studies include coursework with Conrad Cummings at the Juilliard Evening Division and vocal instruction with Lavinia Bertotti and Claudine Ansermet at the Fondazione
Italiana di Musica Antica in Urbino, Italy. Her works have been commissioned by the Manhattan Choral Ensemble, Trio Eos, and the Matrix Music Collaborators, and performed by the new music ensemble Cygnus. Currently, Karen is a PhD candidate in composition at the CUNY Graduate Center, where she studies with Tania León. Deborah Skydell is Co-Director of the New York City Children’s Choir. She holds a BA from Haverford College, and an MM in choral music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While in Illinois, Deborah was the director of the Chicago Chamber Choir, as well as Arava, a Jewish choir, and Amasong, a women’s chorus. Since moving to New York, she has been the Director of Lower School Music at the Berkeley Carroll School and Director of Music at Tuxedo Park School. She is also a fully certified Kodály music educator with a strong interest in world music. Her arrangements of folk songs for women’s choir have been performed by groups around the country. She is very happy to be performing in her first concert with C4!
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We in C4 wish to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the following organizations and individuals for their support and assistance: St. Joseph’s Church The Norwegian Seamen’s Church Michael David and Family Annabel Gordon Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP
We would also like to extend very special thanks and good wishes to Pastor Svein Helge Rødahl of the Norwegian Seamen’s Church, who recently left New York to return to Norway.
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