UP Music: This Is Our Calling Program

This Is Our

Calling

Songs of Hope and Unity

Saturday, April 12, 3:00 PM Buckley Center Auditorium

Free Admission

This Is Our Calling: Songs of Hope and Unity On behalf of all the student musicians who will perform today, we welcome you to this very special concert.

The flags you see around you represent Identities, Cultures and Countries of current University of Portland students, including many who will be performing today. It is important to everyone involved in this concert that the students have this representation in this space.

The University of Portland’s belief in the inherent dignity of each person is founded upon the social teaching of the Catholic Church.

At the center of that teaching is the fundamental mandate that every person, regardless race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or sexual orientation shall be treated with respect and dignity. We collectively feel there has never been a more important moment for the students to raise their voices together and sing this message out into the world.

The works we present today speak directly to the challenges and hopes of our time. They also call us to action. This program embodies our belief that music has the transformative power to inspire empathy, justice and compassion, to build bridges, amplify voices and inspire change. In times of upheaval, it's important to remember that the arts can make a difference. In fact, they are essential.

It is our hope that you leave today feeling connected, uplifted and inspired to show up for one another.

Land Acknowledgment We acknowledge the land on which we sit and occupy at the University of Portland. "The Portland Metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River creating communities and summer encampments to harvest and use the plentiful natural resources of the area" (PILR, 2018). We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land.

Song Listing

University of Portland Bel Canto Megan Elliott, conductor Paloma Wilson, student collaborative pianist Evan C. Paul, collaborative pianist Susan McDaniel, collaborative pianist Va, Pensiero (1841, from Nabucco) Natalia Duarte, flute Still I Rise (2005) Molara Fashola, soloist I Am the Wind (2019)

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Rosephayne Powell (b. 1962)

Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979) Text by Zöe Atkins (1886-1958)

University of Portland Chamber Choir David De Lyser, conductor Evan C. Paul, collaborative pianist A Mural of Change (2018)

Music by Timothy C. Takach (b. 1978) Words by Julia Klatt Singer

To Sit and Dream (2010)

Rosephayne Powell (b. 1962) Words by Langston Hughes (1901-1967)

No Color (2020)

Stacey Gibbs (b. 1964) Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970) University of Portland Singers David De Lyser, conductor Natalie Skyba, student collaborative pianist Evan C. Paul, collaborative pianist

O Love (2016) Tenors and Basses Laney Mohr, cello

Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979) Words by George Matheson (1842-1906)

A Vision Unfolding (2023) Kate Kabenina, violin Mekhi Morlin, trumpet Paloma Wilson, snare drum

Kyle Pederson (b. 1971) Spoken word text by Shanelle Gabriel

*Please hold your applause until after the final movement* Prologue 1: spoken word Kayla Matsuoka 1. Reach Down, Lord

Text by Robert Bode

Prologue 2: spoken word Casey James 2. Beat! Drums!

Poem by Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Reprise: Reach Down Lord Zora Richardson Prologue 3: spoken word Raymond Fernandez 3. All of Me

Text by Kyle Pederson (b. 1971)

Prologue 4: spoken word Casey James 4. Light Transforms the Darkness

Text by Shanelle Gabriel

Prologue 5: spoken word Drew Rodriguez 5. I Dream a World Natasha Adamson, soloist

Words by Langston Hughes (1901-1967)

Combined Treble Voices Natalie Skyba, student collaborative pianist Does the World Say (2022) JoAnn Lee, Ly’Le Pullom, soloists Kate Kabenina, violin Tess Peckman, Video Illustrator and Animator

Kyle Pederson (b. 1971)

Combined Choirs Evan C. Paul, collaborative pianist Measure Me Sky! (2022)

Peace (2015)

Visual Director: Dr. Gregory Pulver Slide Operator: Yudai Endo ( junior music major)

Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979) Poem by Leonora Speyer (1872-1959) Martin Åsander (b. 1987) excerpted from John 14:27

University of Portland Bel Canto

Soprano I Lily Mae Arenz Kirsten Avra Addison Doub *#Riya Mathew Kailani Maxwell

Major

High School

Business Electrical Engineering Nursing Biomedical Science Biology

Catlin Gabel Homestead Pueblo County Valley Catholic Kapolei

Psychology

Saint Lucy’s Priory

Hometown Portland, OR Los Altos, CA Pueblo, CO Beaverton, OR Kapolei, HI

Soprano II Monae Cuellar Linda Humphrey Ella Hutchinson Angela Quintanilla Gabrianne (Abby) Toledo Sarah Valenzuela Lily Wride

Nursing English Nursing Secondary Ed. & History Social Work

West Covina, CA Community Member Lincoln Portland, OR St. Joseph Bellflower, CA Int. School of Beaverton Beaverton, OR Providence Los Angeles, CA Los Altos CA

Alto I Nina Clare Creer Molara Fashola Emma Hayes JoAnn Lee Favour Maduagwu

Nursing Public Health & Wellness Social Work/Spanish Biology Biochemistry

Christian Brothers McHenry Community Ida B. Wells Summit Southridge

Biology & Theater

Bishop Gorman

Alto II #Zoe Diao Helen Flack-Jacobs Grace Ireland Harper Lawrence Laura Patla Estrella Zamora-Resendiz

Civil Engineering Psychology Computer Science Undeclared

Sacramento, CA McHenry, IL Portland, OR San Francisco, CA Beaverton, OR

Las Vegas, NV Community Member Beaverton Academy Beaverton, OR John Marshall Los Angeles, CA Lakeview Lakeview, OR La Salle Catholic College Prep Milwaukie, OR *Denotes Bel Canto Manager #Denotes Bel Canto student leader

University of Portland Singers and Chamber Choir Major

High School

Soprano *^#Natasha Adamson +Taylor Andreas Fin Bagshaw #Rhyann Butler Natalia Duarte #Sara Jordan +Gabriela Mootz #Dela Pelfrey Ashlyn Richards Zora Richardson

Arts Administration Theater Theater Music Music & Envir. Science Arts Administration Music Music Biology Theater/Arts Admin

Folsom Jesuit Chaparral Rex Putnam Westview Gresham Inglemoor Holy Names Academy Christian Brothers The Dalles

Alto +Morgan Couture #+Avery Feather #Eisley Isaacs Emma Jeppesen #+Grace Keefe Kayla Matsuoka Emily Pickett Ly’Le Pullom Aly Romero *#Jacqulynne Sample Natalie Skyba

Psychology Nursing Biology Computer Science Soc. Work/Spanish Psychology & Arts Admin.

Nursing Music & Theater Elementary Ed Applied Math & Theater Music

Chippewa Falls Blue Valley Northwest Centennial Scappoose San Dieguito Academy Woodside Priory School Prairie Gresham Grace Christian Christian Brothers HS Grant

Tenor Benjamin Barrero #Casey James Raphael Mendies #Isaac Portillo Vazquez +Drew Rodriguez #Tyler Smith *#+Van Tran

Psych/Soc Work Music/Theater Marketing Political Science Psychology Political Science English

Rancho Bernardo HS Redmond Proficiency Acad.

Homeschool Mountain View Ontario Henrietta Lacks Tigard

Bass #Luke Bangsund Physics #+Matt Cavanagh English #Noah Delos Reyes Nursing +Raymond Ross Fernandez Nursing Rowan Lowery Arts Admin & Theater #+Patrick Lucey Civil Engineering *Brewer Williams Music

Hometown Oregon City, OR Portland, OR Scottsdale, AZ. Portland, OR Portland, OR Gresham, OR Bothell, WA Seattle, WA Anchorage, AK The Dalles, OR

Chippewa Falls, WI Overland Park, KS Boise, ID Scappoose, OR Carlsbad, CA San Jose, CA Battle Ground, WA Gresham, OR Anchorage, AK Sacramento, CA Portland, OR

San Diego, CA Bend, OR Beaverton, OR Vancouver, WA Ontario, OR Vancouver, WA Tigard, OR

Paideia Classical Christian Portland, OR Little Canada HS La Cañada, CA San Mateo San Mateo, CA Dougherty Valley San Ramon, CA Newberg Newberg, OR Hillsdale San Mateo, CA Shattuck-St. Mary’s Dhahran, Saudi Arabia * Denotes Section Leader # Denotes Chamber Choir member ^ Denotes Singers Manager +Denotes graduating senior

PROGRAM NOTES, LYRICS, AND TRANSLATIONS Va, Pensiero “Va, Pensiero,” also frequently known as the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves,” is from the third act Verdi’s opera “Nabucco.” The opera tells the story of Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, and the Hebrews he has enslaved and then subsequently sent into exile. “Va, Pensiero” subsequently became an iconic anthem for many Italians that reached far beyond the world of opera. It has often been considered to be an allegory for the struggles of the Italian people against oppressive governments, both their own and those of invading forces.

English translation: Go thought on wings of gold, go rest on the slopes, on the hills where the warm, soft breezes of our native land spread their fragrant aroma.

Greet the banks of the Jordan, The fallen towers of Zion…

Oh my homeland so beautiful and lost!

Oh remembrance so dear and fatal!

Golden harp of the prophetic bards, Why do you hang silent from the willow?

Re-kindle memories in our breast.

Speak to us of times past!

Mindful of Jerusalem’s fates Either give forth a sound of crude lamentation, Or let the Lord inspire you to a harmony Which instills in us the virtue to suffer.

Still I Rise Commissioned by VOX Femina, “Still I Rise” was inspired by laureate Maya Angelou's third volume of poetry, which salutes the strength of Black women within the face of prejudice, abuse, and injustice. This piece is a powerful statement of defiance against racism and sexism, as well as a statement of hope and determination to rise above it.

Though I have been wounded; aching heart, full of pain.

Just like a budding rose, My bloom is nourished by rain.

Haven't time to wonder why, though fearful I strive.

My prayer and faith uphold me 'til my courage arrives.

Still I rise, still I rise Still I rise, as an eagle soaring above every fear.

With each day I succeed I grow strong and believe that it's all within my reach.

I'm reaching for the skies, Bolstered by courage.

Yes, still I rise.

Yes, it's all within my reach; I'm reaching for the skies, Yes still I rise, still I rise.

Gentle as a woman, Tender sweet are my sighs.

Strength is in my tears and healing Rains in my cries.

Plunging depths of anguish, I determine to strive.

My prayer and faith uphold me 'til my courage arrives.

Though you see me slump with heartache; Heart so heavy that it breaks Be not deceived I fly on birds' wings, Rising sun, its healing rays.

Look at me, you see a woman' Gentle as a butterfly.

But don't you think, not for one moment, That I'm not strong because I cry.

I'm reaching for the skies Higher and higher, yes Still I rise.

Yes, it's all within my reach; I'm reaching for the skies Yes, still I rise Still I rise

I Am the Wind In this piece, poet Zöe Atkins compares her uncertainty to the wavering winds and shifting shadows, contrasting with the unchanging stars and secure land. This poetic tension is

mirrored musically through rhythmic contrast and dissonant choral harmonies which highlight the power of community—joining together, offering strength and, ultimately, soaring as one.

I am the wind that wavers, You are the certain land; I am the shadow that passes Over the sand.

I am the leaf that quivers, You the unshaken tree; You are the stars that are steadfast, I am the sea.

You are the light eternal— Like a torch I shall die; You are the surge of deep music, I but a cry!

Mural of Change Composer Tim Takach writes, “For “A Mural of Change,” Julia and I took our inspiration from the 1998 film “Pleasantville.” In the fictional black and white town, there is a growing conflict between the naive black and white characters and a small number of colored characters who are segregated. Certain things give people color - art, books, music, and so these things are banned. The main characters choose to rebel and paint the side of a building in full color and it causes immediate shock and fear from the black and white characters. Instead of hiding or denying their work, they stand proudly beside their work and own their act of defiance. The racial metaphor in the film is obvious, but when we distill this theme into a poem it becomes more blurry, and we’re more easily able to apply it to our own context.

Julia’s poem references the wisdom gained from stories, the power in acknowledging our differences, and the bravery it takes to speak these things out loud. As we own the differences found in humanity, we create a world that’s better for everyone.”

Text: From the black and white we pluck burnt umber, raw sienna, feel the blues and the burning.

Stories have wings

the power to show us what is in pale pinks succulent scarlets-- no longer abstractions-what is more pleasant than that?

Oh the outrage to paint what everyone sees, what everyone knows, but refuses to speak.

Oh the joy truth and respect Acceptance and kindness bring.

To be the indigo of falling rain, the ruby breast of a robin, to be colored forever by the world.

To Sit and Dream Dr. Rosephanye Powell is a professor of voice at Auburn University. Before her work as a composer, she focused on performing and promoting the art songs and settings of spirituals by Black composer William Grant Still, on whom she is considered an authority.

She has said that her experiences of growing up in the gospel tradition of the Black church and studying voice and composition at Alabama State University, an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), played the biggest role in her approach to composing.

Poet, novelist, playwright, and activist, Langston Hughes experienced a challenging childhood, but, raised mostly by his grandmother, he grew up proud of his Black heritage and committed to social activism. He traveled widely in Africa and Europe before attending Lincoln University, where he was a classmate of future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He represents not only a key voice of the Harlem Renaissance but also an enduring inspiration in the struggle for civil rights To sit and dream, to sit and read, To sit and learn about the world.

Outside our world of here and now-Our problem world-To dream of vast horizons of the soul Of dreams made whole, Unfettered, free--help me!

All you who are dreamers, too, Help me to make

Our world anew.

I reach out my hand to you.

No Color No Color was collaboratively written by Stacey V. Gibbs and Shawn Kirchner as an intentional statement of unity, mutual respect, and love. Both composers came to the writing process with things they wanted to say or questions they wanted to ask. The composers in no way intend to downplay or disregard each person's unique cultural/racial heritage and the burdens or benefits belonging to it; but they do wish to assert a larger unity that embraces us all -- even as we are each vividly and truly "seen" in our unique identities.

No color can come between us, No shade to be thrown.

No tone be taken to demean us, No hue of hate to be shown, No color, no shade, no tone; Let me be transparent with you.

Whose history is whose?

Who's walking in whose shoes?

Who's making whose rules?

Who's learning in whose schools?

Whose history, whose shoes, whose rules?

Let me be transparent with you.

More love is our intention, Stop-did we forget to mention that We are more alike than we are different?

United we take a stand, Ignited with hand in hand, To build a band of harmony.

No time to wait, don't hesitate!

Within me there's a love so strong.

Within me there's a hope to belong, Within me there's a fire to right all wrongs.

Within me there's a love to share, Within me there's a need to care, Within my heart is a risk to dare.

O Love “O Love” was inspired by the words of Scottish minister, George Matheson in 1882. When he was blinded at the age of nineteen, his fiancé

called off their engagement and his sister cared for him as he endured new challenges.

Years later, on the eve of his sister’s wedding, he faced the painful reminder of his own heartache and loss as he penned the words to this hymn. Given a fresh melody, this setting for SATB choir (and optional cello) uses hopeful ascending lines representing renewed faith. Though lingering dissonances remind us of past heartache, the beautiful promise remains: “morn shall tearless be.”

O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, That in thy ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be.

O Joy that seeks me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain, That morn shall tearless be.

A Vision Unfolding In composing this work, Kyle Pederson and spoken word artist and poet Shannelle Gabriel set out to create a powerful statement of equality, freedom, justice, and inclusion. They wanted this whole work to be invitational—for all to be reminded of the compelling vision that we live into in our best moments, and to be invited to say “yes” to more of that. It is their hope, and the hope of all of us on the stage today, that we all lean into the invitation that the choir offers—that each of us might reach out beyond our comfort zone and seek to build bridges of care and connection, finding a better way of being in community. That we might stand in solidarity with those whose voices are too often dismissed, regardless of their skin color, sexual orientation, faith background, or other characteristic. And that we might see everyone as worthy of respect and dignity.

The following notes on each movement were written by the composer.

Movement I: Reach Down, Lord The poet is asking God’s spirit to reach down and lift us up—lift us out of the pit, out of the darkness, and lift us to the light…lift us up to wholeness. In the spoken word that precedes this movement, Shanelle Gabriel does something important: the narrator asks not only God to reach down—but the narrator challenges the listener to reach down…to get into the mess with those who are hurting and to lift them up. So when the choir sings the refrain, Reach Down, Lord, we hear not only a cry to God, but also an invitation to all of us, to reach down—and out—to another.

Reach down, Lord.

Reach your justice down.

When we walk on the broken road, Reach your justice down.

If we stumble into the pit And the dark is all we see, Reach below and lift us up; Reach your justice down.

Reach down, Lord.

Reach your justice down.

When we walk in the shadow of death, Reach your justice down.

Movement II: Beat! Drums!

This iconic Walt Whitman poem was written during the Civil War. It’s an in-your-face text, exploring how ordinary daily life is impossible during war; everything is disrupted. Whitman is also rallying the listener—at the time his Union countrymen—to join the righteous fight to end slavery, and to preserve the union that was the United States. In the spoken word that precedes this movement, Shanelle sets this poem up beautifully by challenging us to rally around the cause of justice…to make our quest today for justice central to our lives…inviting us to think of this text not as a battle cry to fight against one another with weapons, but to fight for each other, giving all we have to make this vision of wholeness in community a reality. Musically, the beat of the drum, the blow of the bugle, along with meter

and rhythm changes, highlight the incessancy of the Whitman text.

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!

Through the windows—through doors—burst like a ruthless force, Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation, Into the school where the scholar is studying, Leave not the bridegroom quiet—no happiness must he have now with his bride, Nor the peaceful farmers any peace, ploughing their field or gathering grain, So fierce you whirr and pound you drums— so shrill you bugles blow.

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!

Over the traffic of cities—over the rumble of wheels in the streets; Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses? no sleepers must sleep in those beds, No bargainers’ bargains by day—no brokers or speculators— would they continue?

Would the talkers by talking? would the singers attempt to sing?

Would the lawyers rise in the court to state their case before the judge?

Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow.

Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow!

Make no parley—stop for no expostulation, Mind not the timid—mind not the weeper or prayer, Mind not the old man beseeching the young man, Let not the child’s voice be heard, nor the mother’s entreaties, Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting the hearses, So strong you thump O terrible drums—so loud you bugles blow.

Movement III: All of Me I think we all sense our communities becoming more fractured; we witness individual relationships fraying in our neighborhoods, schools, churches, places of work, and even our families. One of the root causes of this is, I believe, how quick we are to judge others—and hold others in contempt—for their politics, their religion, gender or sexual expression, skin color, class, education level, and a host of other characteristics. This piece is an invitation to lay down our judgments. It’s also an invitation to see those aspects of identity that are important to people…but to see people around us as more than just a collection of isolated characteristics…to see all of them.

Look at my skin.

Do you see only skin, or the soul within... do you see what’s true?

Look who I love.

Do you view me as less, like none of the rest of me matters to you?

Turn off the talk on the air, and the voices who seem to just care about dividing and hiding us where you won’t see.

Look at my faith.

Do you see my creed, and choose to believe that’s all of me?

Look at my vote.

On that alone are you likely to show contempt for me?

You don’t have to see.

But if you take the time to look at me, you’ll see the same fears and a good heart, and the same tears that tear you apart.

See the same love, the same hope, the same need, the same joy.

So look at my skin.

See the skin and the soul within.

See what’s true.

Look who I love.

And see my faith and my vote, but not those alone, seek to know me, too.

Turn up the voices of truth.

Learn to let mercy through.

Love will guide us to a world where we see.

All of me.

Turn and see.

Will you see?

All of me Movement IV: Light Transforms the Darkness Shanelle’s text is a call to action: to live our light and love out into the world—a world that desperately needs light and love. It seemed fitting that this piece includes a section where both spoken word and singing happen simultaneously, joining the two primary artistic expressions of the greater work and allowing all choir members to give voice to the sense of immediacy present in the spoken word.

Light transforms the darkness, so go...go and let your light out.

Love is what we harness, so go...go and live your love out.

We are all unified by the way our heart beats What you feel, I feel Different palettes and hues and variety The Creator’s tapestry We need to see the light Don’t let the darkness hide our humanity This is a calling.

We’ve been blinded by hate we were taught to believe That’s not how it should be If my brother or sister is chained There’s no way I can say I’m free We are the change we need So that equality can be reality

spoken word: Calling you to set your heart ablaze Raise the torch, pave the way So all can say I am free Calling for all to have the ability to dream To see ourselves in every being I want you to be free For all to find home Wherever they may go Step into action, words no longer hollow We will fight for you to be free Called to stand for all races, abilities, religions, identities No matter who you love You are worthy You deserve to be free I will fight for you to be free This is our calling We are invited into each other’s life We are called to live love Called to be that light Movement V: I Dream a World The work concludes with the iconic Langston Hughes text. The choir and narrator have been casting a vision, and it’s hard to state it better than Hughes; I dream a world where none are scorned, where love will bless the earth and peace its paths adorn. At the end of the movement, the listener will hear earlier melodies reprised as all voices are gradually layered in; and for the first time, all instruments sound together, building to a thunderous conclusion that invites us all to say, “yes…that’s a vision I want to help make real.”

I dream a world where one No other one will scorn, Where love will bless the earth And peace its paths adorn I dream a world where all Will know sweet freedom’s way, Where greed no longer saps the soul Nor avarice blights our day.

A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the earth And every one is free, Where wretchedness will hang its head And joy, like a pearl, Attends the needs of all humankind— Of such I dream, my world!

Does the World Say Composer Kyle Pederson writes, “Too many times in my own personal experience, I allowed myself to be unduly influenced by the opinions and expectations of others. And as a junior and senior high teacher and coach, I saw this pressure play out daily on my students.

Does the World Say? names a few of these pressures, hoping that by naming them they might hold a bit less power over us. The piece then affirms the importance and power of friendship--and the gift available to us to walk alongside somebody buckling under the weight of expectation to remind them that they are not alone, and to remind them that others do not get to define who they are.”

Does the world say that you don't look the right way?

Does the world say that you're just not enough?

Does the world say that this isn’t the right spot?

When it wants you there but not here and tells you all the things you are not.

I've been there, too.

It's hard to shut my ears to the noise.

I don't stand a chance if it's me in this world all alone.

The chatter is deafening, too overwhelming, hard to find my way home.

So take my hand...don’t let go.

Does the world say that you don’t think the right things?

Does the world say that you’re not worth the time?

Does the world laugh when you fall, when you cry?

Does it turn the other way every time you walk by?

I'm growing, learning, loving, becoming.

So take my hand...don’t let go.

Measure Me Sky! Composer Elaine Hagenberg writes, “I want singers and audiences alike to see themselves inside my music—guided by the melodies and the text as one. The effect of the poetry in Measure Me, Sky! is instantaneous. It's as if one's arms have been cast wide, and their eyes turned to the heavens to take in the expanse both around and above. I wanted to launch singers into flight and invite listeners into the same breathless exclamation - calling all of us to venture into the unknown to discover our limitless potential.

Measure me, sky!

Tell me I reach by a song Nearer the stars; I have been little so long.

Horizon, reach out!

Catch at my hands, stretch me taut, Rim of the world: Widen my eyes by a thought.

Sky, be my depth, Wind, be my width and my height, World, my heart’s span; Loveliness, wings for my flight.

Peace This gorgeous and poignant music has closed most UP choral concerts for years. At the close of this concert in particular, we can think of no better way to exit this space we have shared today than with a wish for peace.

Peace I leave with you.

Peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives, I give to you.

Peace, my peace I give to you.

Let not your heart be troubled, Neither let it be afraid.

Amen.

Biographies

Paloma Wilson is a junior music major at the University of Portland, where she studies solo and collaborative piano with Susan McDaniel. This is Paloma’s second year accompanying choral ensembles at UP, and her first semester with Bel Canto. She is also a member of UP’s Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble and serves as a music theory peer tutor.

Natalie Skyba joins the University Singers for the first time this year, having accompanied Bel Canto in the spring of 2024. A junior music major, she studies solo and collaborative piano with Susan McDaniel. In the summer of 2024, Natalie attended the Music in the Marche opera and chamber music training program in Mondavio, Italy, where she accompanied opera scenes and performed chamber music for woodwinds and piano. In addition to performing with the University Singers, Natalie currently accompanies the campus Chapel Choir for Sunday Mass services.

Evan C. Paul is a collaborative pianist and composer active in the Portland area.

Originally from New England, he received his Ph.D. in music composition from the University of Oregon in 2014. He is currently the service pianist at Tualatin Presbyterian Church and the rehearsal and performance pianist for Bridging Voices, Portland's LGBTQ+ youth choir. He has worked with various opera programs throughout the state, including Portland Opera, OperaBend, Cascadia Opera, Ping & Woof Opera, and the opera program at Portland State University. He has also served as the pianist for the Portland chapter of the international non-profit organization Opera on Tap since 2015, and he is an active vocal and instrumental coach and pianist at secondary and postsecondary educational institutions throughout the Portland area. Evan’s own compositions focus on art song, works for chorus, and chamber music featuring winds; his most recent commission was e manibus vox for solo percussionist (2022). His six-part choral work The Last Invocation was awarded first prize by the Portland Vocal Consort for "Best of the Northwest" in 2011.

Megan Elliott brings 20 years of experience as a conductor, singer, and music therapist, and has a passion for creating strong choral communities that build each other up while also working hard to perform at the highest artistic level. Megan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocal Performance from Corban University, a Certificate of Music Therapy from Marylhurst University, and Master of Arts in Music Education from the University of Nebraska Kearney. She has been the Assistant Artistic Director and the Assistant Conductor of the Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland for 10 years and also serves as their alto section leader. She taught at Marylhurst University for 5 years, supervising music therapy practicum students and conducting

their treble choir. She is also a board-certified music therapist and has worked with children, people in memory care, adults with special needs, and directed a choir specifically for people with Parkinson’s disease. When she is not singing or conducting, Megan loves to cook, hike, ride horses, and spend time with her family.

Her dream is to go horseback riding in the Swiss Alps (while occasionally singing along the way, of course).

Dr. David De Lyser, Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music, joined the University of Portland faculty in 2010. His conducting duties at the University include the UP Singers, Chamber Choir and Music Director and Pit Orchestra Conductor for campus musical productions. He has previously conducted the UP Orchestra. He teaches composition, orchestration, conducting, music theory and musical theater courses. Outside of the University, he is the Artistic Director of the Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland and maintains a busy schedule of guest conducting and adjudicating. He holds graduate degrees in conducting and composition from the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Portland, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Business from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Dr. De Lyser is a published author and award-winning composer whose works have been commissioned, premiered and performed by professional, collegiate, community and high school performing ensembles across the country.

We wish to acknowledge the following departments, offices and individuals for their help in making today’s performance possible: Dr. Gregory Pulver, Director, Center for Gender and Sexuality, Professor of Theater Tshombé Brown, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tyler Smith, UP Theater Technical Director and Production Manager Emily Hogan, Academic Coordinator College of Arts & Sciences, Concert Program Design Yudai Endo, UP Junior Music Major UP Center for Gender and Sexuality UP Office of International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion UP Theater Department UP Performing & Fine Arts Department UP Events Office UP Physical Plant and Housekeeping Staff UP Printing Services UP Media Services UP Marketing & Communications Office

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Performances sponsored by the UP Performing and Fine Arts Department are sometimes video recorded and photographed for a variety of uses, including live simulcast and digital archive on the UP website and social media channels, or for publicity and publications.

Images of audience members may be included in these recordings and photos. By attending this event, audience members imply approval for the use of their image by the UP Performing and Fine Arts Department.

Music Patron Fund The University of Portland’s Performing & Fine Arts Department has established the Music Patron’s Fund as an additional resource for the Music Program’s students and mission. This fund will allocate financial support for the many needs of the program that are not always able to be met by the University and its yearly program budget, including students’ professional development, concert production costs, outreach and facilities. This Fund will also help with the acquisition and maintenance of the program’s music library, and piano and instrument inventory when other resources are not available. These funds will always be directed to the benefit of our students’ growth and training as musicians, which happens both in the classroom, in rehearsal and on the concert stage.

If you have enjoyed what you have seen/heard at this concert, we invite you to help support the efforts and education of our students by making a donation to the Music Patron Fund.

You can donate online at giving.up.edu/pfa or by using this QR code.

Please contact the University’s Development Office for more information and questions (503.943.8003), and thank you for your support of the Performing & Fine Arts at the University of Portland!

Study Music at the University of Portland The University is always seeking bright and talented students who want to study music.

Scholarships are offered to incoming majors and minors. One-year performance grants for private lessons are awarded to qualified students who perform in a University Ensemble.

For further information, please visit www.up.edu/music or contact Patrick Murphy, murphyp@up.edu.

UP NEXT FOR PFA...

04/13/2025... UP ORCHESTRA & WIND SYMPHONY CONCERT (3:00 PM || BUCKLEY CENTER AUD.) 04/13/2025... UP THEATER PRESENTS: PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2:00 PM || MAGO HUNT THEATER)

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University of Portland Performing & Fine Arts Department Buckley Center 236 503.943.7228 • pfa@up.edu • college.up.edu/pfa • www.up.edu/music