chicago a capella-red carpet of sound

1Chicago a capella

The Red Carpet of SoundMusical Pairings, a capella and with Piano

Friday, Feb. 4, 2011, 8:00 pmWentz Concert Hall

171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville

Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, 8:00 pm*Anne & Howard Gottlieb Hall

at Merit School of Music38 S. Peoria St., Chicago

Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, 8:00 pmNichols Concert Hall

1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, 4:00 pmPilgrim Congregational Church

460 Lake Street, Oak Park

*This performance is dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of 98.7 WFMT, with hearty congratulations and gratitude!

Chicago a cappellaKathryn Kamp, Soprano

Cari Plachy, SopranoElizabeth Grizzell, Mezzo-soprano

Susan Schober, Mezzo-sopranoCary Lovett, Tenor

Trevor Mitchell, TenorMatt Greenberg, BassBenjamin Rivera, Bass

Brian Streem, Bass

Founder and Artistic DirectorJonathan Miller

Music Director and PianistPatrick Sinozich

Gold Sponsor:

Media sponsor:

Chicago a cappella is supported by the Klaff Family Foundation; Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; the

Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development; Dr. Scholl Foundation; a CityArts Program 2 grant from the City of Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Villages of Oak Park, Forest Park and River

Forest; and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. The Naperville Sun is a media sponsor of Chicago a cappella’s series at Wentz Hall in Naperville.

2 Chicago a capella

ABOUT CHICAGO A CAPPELLA

Chicago a cappella is a vocal ensemble dedicated to performing fun and innovative concert programs at the highest possible musical standards. Through its Chicago-area performances, touring engagements and recordings, the group enlightens and entertains audiences with repertoire from the ninth to the twenty-first century with a special focus on music written in the present generation. Now recognized as one of the area’s most accomplished ensembles, Chicago a cappella is known for its performances of early music, vocal jazz, and spirituals.

Founded in 1993 by Jonathan Miller, Chicago a cappella has released seven CDs, including its newest release, Christmas a cappella, on Cedille Records. The group has introduced more than sixty works to Chicago audiences, including newly commissioned works by Chen Yi, Tania León, Ezequiel Viñao, Stacy Garrop, and Rollo Dilworth. In 2007, Jonathan Miller appointed Patrick Sinozich as the group’s first

Music Director. In 2008, Miller was honored with the prestigious Louis Botto Award from Chorus America in recognition of this innovative action and entrepreneurial zeal in developing a professional choral ensemble.

Chicago a cappella has presented over 150 concerts in the Chicago area in addition to guest appearances in 11 states and in Mexico. John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune recently hailed Chicago a cappella’s “fine-tuned ensemble and secure blend” and American Organist praised the group’s “breathtaking ensemble and control [and] stylistic elegance... Chicago a cappella is a jewel in the crown of Chicago’s musical life.” The ensemble has been featured on national radio broadcasts and performed live concerts on Chicago’s WFMT Radio. Chicago a cappella has completed educational residencies in the Chicago Public Schools and is a proud business partner of Naperville North High School.

2936 N. Southport Ave., 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60657Office: (773) 281-7820 | Fax: (773) 435-6453

Tickets: (773) 755-1628www.chicagoacappella.org | [email protected]

Founder and Artistic Director ................................................................................. Jonathan MillerExecutive Director ..............................................................................................Matthew GreenbergMusic Director ..............................................................................................................Patrick SinozichOperations Coordinator .................................................................................................... Deb HobanEducation Outreach Coordinator ............................................................................Susan SchoberProduction/Operations Intern .................................................................................Shaina FarwellMarketing Intern ........................................................................................................Kennyetta Dillon

Board of DirectorsMichelle EppleyWilliam K. FlowersHelen C. Gagel

(President)Joyce GrenisHoward HushLeslie Lauderdale

Robert B. Linn (Treasurer)

Linda Mast (Vice-President)

Diana Ramirez (Secretary)

Stephen ShawMaria T. Suarez

Committee MembersCarole Baumgart

(Marketing) William Thomas Huyck

(Finance/Legal)David Perlman (Marketing)Lisa Scott (Financial

Development)

Find us on Facebook for photos, audio clips and more: www.facebook.com/chicagoacappella

Read blogs and join the conversation at www.chicagoclassicalmusic.org

3Chicago a capella

CHICAGO A CAPPELLA CDS

Shall I Compare Thee?Contemporary settings of Shakespeare’s

timeless words

Holidays a cappella LiveLive performances of Christmas spirituals, Chanukah songs and holiday music from

around the world

Mathurin Forestier: MassesWorld-premiere recording of breathtaking

Renaissance church music

EclectricNew works, familiar favorites, pop & jazz.

“An overflowing cornucopia of choral delights” (ChicagoTribune)

Go Down, MosesA stunning collection of spirituals

Palestrina: Music for the Christmas Season

Brilliant Renaissance polyphony by the Italian master Palestrina

Available in the lobby: $16 each (includes sales tax)

Christmas a cappella: Songs From Around the World

Our latest release on Cedille Records is a sparkling selection of seasonal songs including lively African works, delightful treatments of traditional French and French-Canadian carols, a unique Danish take on the Christmas story, distinctive works by leading American composers Stephen Paulus and Gwyneth Walker, two pieces based on Hebrew texts, and James Clemens’s brilliant, jazz-inflected Jingle a cappella. The disc has received the

coveted “10/10” rating from ClassicsToday.com.

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LOCATION INFOR M ATION

Smoking is prohibited in all venues. Food and beverage are not permitted in the audience seating area. No photography or recording of any kind is permitted.

Wentz Concert Hall171 E. Chicago Ave., NapervilleRestrooms and drinking fountain: in the main lobby.

Anne & Howard Gottlieb HallMerit School of Music38 S. Peoria St., ChicagoRestrooms and drinking fountain: Near main lobby entrance on first floor.

Nichols Concert HallMusic Institute of Chicago 1490 Chicago Avenue, EvanstonRestrooms and drinking fountain: On lower level; take stairs or elevator from lobby.

Pilgrim Congregational Church460 Lake Street, Oak ParkRestrooms: Off the lobby, in the southeast corner of the building. Accessible restroom in south hallway near the chapel. Additional restrooms on the lower level.

RESTAUR ANT SUGGESTIONS

NapervilleCatch 3535 S. Washington St.Hours: Fri. & Sat. 5-10 PM, Sun. 4:30-8:30 PM10% off food

Quigley’s Irish Pub43 East Jefferson Ave.Hours: Fridays until 2 AMSundays until 1 AM10% off food Tango Argentinean Grill 5 W. Jackson Ave.Hours: Fri. & Sat. until 1 AM, Sun. dinner 2:30-10 PMFree appetizer with purchase

of two entrees

ChicagoJaks Tap Bar & Grill901 W. Jackson Blvd. Friday 11 AM - 2 AM / Sat. 4 PM - 2 AM / Sun. 4-11 PM15% off all pizzas

Lloyd’s Chicago1 S. Wacker Dr.Dinner 5:00-8:30 pm10% off food

Venus Greek Cypriot Cuisine820 W. JacksonHours: Fri. and Sat. 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM15% off food + Complimentary Parking

EvanstonLulu’s Dim Sum & Then Sum804 Davis St. (two blocks from

Nichols Hall)Hours: 11:30 am – 10:00 pm20% off

Prairie Moon1502 Sherman Ave. (one block

west of Nichols Hall)Hours: Fri. & Sat. 4-11 pmSunday 4-1015% off

Oak ParkCafé Winberie151 N. Oak Park Ave.Hours: Sunday 1 pm - 10 pm10% off Cucina Paradiso 814 North Blvd.Hours: Sunday 5:00 - 9:30 pm1/2 off wine bottles with purchase of

two entrees (Reservations: mention Chicago a cappella)

Hemmingway’s Bistro 211 N. Oak Park Ave. (in The Write Inn,

2 blocks north of Lake St.)Hours: Sunday until 9:00 pm10% off food

Show your ticket stub or program book to receive discounts at these area restaurants.

5Chicago a capella

PROGR A M

Bound for Mt. Zion! a cappella African-American religious song, arr. Robert L. Morris (b. 1941)

Hallelujah! I’m goin’ to praise His name! with piano Gospel song, arr. Robert L. Morris

* * * * * * *

Alleluia a cappella Randall Thompson (1899-1984)

Last Words of David with piano Randall Thompson

* * * * * * *

To Be Sung of A Summer Night a cappella Frederick Delius (1862-1934)on the Water (2 sections)

Two Songs for Children with piano Frederick Delius

* * * * * * *

Gott ist mein Hirt (Psalm 23) a cappella Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Zum Rundetanz (Op. 17, No. 3) with piano Franz Schubert

* * * * * * * T’filat N’ilah L’Yom Kippur a cappella trad. Hebrew liturgyReader’s Kaddish from the N’eilah arr. Max Janowski (1912-1991)(concluding) service for Yom Kippur

Vayachalom (Jacob’s Dream) with piano Max Janowski

* * * * * * *

White Horses with piano Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947)

This Train a cappella spiritual, arr. Gwyneth Walker

INTERMISSION

B’kori aneyni (Psalm 4) a cappella Jonathan Miller (b. 1962)

the preacher: ruminates behind with piano Jonathan Millerthe sermon (from Gwendolyn Brooks Suite)

* * * * * * * Les chansons des roses Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943) 1. En une seule fleur a cappella 2. Contre qui,rose a cappella 3. De ton rêve trop plein a cappella 4. La rose complête a cappella 5. Dirait-on with piano

* * * * * * *

Make Our Garden Grow with piano Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) (from Candide)

Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the ushers. Unauthorized photography or sound recording of any kind are strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.

UPCOMING EVENTS

TICKETS AND INFORMATION

(773) 755-1628 or www.chicagoacappella.org

CHICAGO, CHICAGOJoin us for a musical trip through our city’s past, from pioneer days to the Great Fire, the

World’s Fair, skyscrapers, Carl Sandburg, sports, politics, and more!

ChicagoFriday, April 1, 8:00 pm

Gottlieb Hall at Merit School of Music

Evanston

Saturday, April 2, 8:00 pmNichols Concert Hall

NapervilleSunday, April 3, 7:30 pm

Wentz Concert Hall

Oak ParkSunday, April 10, 4:00 pm

Pilgrim Congregational Church

SIMPLY SINATRA

A One-Night-Only Gala Benefit Event

Join us for a spectacular evening featuring the music of the legendary Frank Sinatra. You’ll enjoy hors d’oeuvres, wine, dessert, and a few surprises, all under the stunning Tiffany Dome of the Chicago Cultural Center. Let Chicago

a cappella fly you to the moon with the music of Ol’ Blue Eyes, and show your support for the artistry of Chicago a cappella. We promise a fun and

elegant night you’ll never forget.

Tribute Award Honoree: Dr. Robert HarrisFriend of the Year: Terri Hemmert

Thursday, May 12, 2011, 7:00 pmChicago Cultural Center

A limited number of reserved host tables are available, as well as general admission reservations.

7Chicago a capella

INTRODUCTION

If this is your first Chicago a cappella concert, we wish you a hearty welcome. If you’ve joined us before, you already know that we are in the business of putting together gloriously sung, really cool, unusual programs that are created to stimu-late you to think as well as feel. This program is no exception.

We have made it our business for 18 years to bring you the niftiest stuff imagin-able for voices singing without instruments. You will still get a great deal of that tonight, along with something else. For the first time in our 18 years of existence, we are adding the wonderful element of a piano to our program, so that you can hear two sides of nine different composers—their a cappella side and their accom-panied side. We have affectionately called this process “pairings,” sort of like what people like to do with wine and food.

A big reason for doing this concert is the fortunate presence on our staff of Patrick Sinozich, now in his fourth year as our music director. (See his bio on page 25.) Patrick is a wonderfully gifted pianist, conductor, composer, arranger, vocal coach, and producer, who has been involved with Chicago a cappella since he accompa-nied our very first auditions. I still remember him playing the spiritual “Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel” for Matt Greenberg in 1993. He hears our a cappella singing from a pianist’s perspective, and his experience beautifully complements the other strengths of our musical team.

For this program, we have had the joy of exploring repertoire that much of the wider choral world has been singing as a matter of course but which, by choice, we have kept out of our repertoire. The more we realized how promising the “pairings” idea was, the more fun it became. Patrick suggested “Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide. Ben Rivera suggested the Schubert Psalm 23 for women’s voices. At some point I remembered that my very first paid commission as a com-poser was to write a suite of three songs to the tremendously musical poetry of the late Gwendolyn Brooks, songs which just happened to have piano.

While accompanied repertoire obviously has not been my specialty with Chicago a cappella, many terrific accompanied works have made their impression in my other roles as a singer and conductor. These roles include church jobs, demo sessions, choral clinics, and so on, not to mention my formative decade in the Chi-cago Children’s Choir, where I first fell in love with Randall Thompson’s Last Words of David. Therefore, I found myself in an unusual position during the programming process for this concert: from time to time, I would have a thought something like, “Oh, we could finally do that piece! Yippee!”

* * * * * *

I usually find that my program research for CAC confirms a few hunches and turns at least one major assumption on its ear. I had enough graduate-school training in music history to expect that “common-practice” repertoire (basically, music from Bach through Mahler, or roughly 1725 to 1900) was the place to start for finding our “pair-ings.” I assumed in particular that we’d be drowning in scores for Chor mit Klavier as soon as we opened the great catalogues of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and so on.

But it was not to be. Despite these composers being titans of lieder for piano and solo voice, the choir-plus-piano combination didn’t figure much in their output. As it turned out, mostly they were writing for slightly different combinations: choruses were usually combined with soloists and orchestra, or left to their a cap-pella selves. This was a letdown, since those were the very composers I had first targeted in my early program planning.

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PROGR A M (c o n t.)

“Whence the happy pairings, then?”, you may ask, in lofty 19th-century turn of phrase. “From our own time” is the answer. It has been left to more recent decades to bring the choir, accompanied by keyboard, into its own as a fully-flowered sub-genre of choral music. With the exception of the Schubert pieces, everything that you’ll hear today comes from the 20th or 21st century. Composers and publish-ers are now offering thousands of such new works every year, perhaps fueled by the ready combination of choir and piano in every high school in America, not to mention middle-school, college, children’s, and community adult choruses. In fact, probably 80 percent of new choral works are for choral forces with piano; of the remaining 20 percent, at least half are a cappella.

There has also been a sort of natural swinging of the pendulum as a result of this pro-gram’s reach. If you think of a cappella music as occupying one side of the pendulum swing of repertoire, this concert has brought us a little closer to the center. It has been a little strange for us, for example, to have been early champions of Morten Lauridsen’s cycle Les chansons des roses—we gave them one of the earliest performances in the area—without ever having sung the final movement, which is the most iconic of them all! Now, finally, we get to sing the whole cycle in all its glory.

Thank you for being here and for bringing your friends. We always appreciate your comments, so please don’t hesitate to write your impressions on the audi-ence survey, or drop me an e-mail ([email protected]) or a comment on our Facebook page if you feel like it. Enjoy the show. —Jonathan Miller

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9Chicago a capella

PROGR A M NOTES

Robert L. Morris

Robert L. Morris is one of the finest arrangers of spirituals and early gospel music active today. A resident of the Twin Cities, he most recently served as director of choral activities at Macalester College, where he is now professor emeritus. He spent much of his early career in Chicago, where he absorbed a wide variety of musical styles, and he was an arranger for Duke Ellington.

His publisher accurately notes: “Without sacrificing sincerity of intent, Morris updates spirituals in a way that subtly reflects the inevitable changes and diverse genre infusions that only living in northern urban areas could cause.” Morris has a keen ear for the small differences between forms of the spiritual, gospel music, and their respective characteristics (including the form called a “characteristic”!). An awareness of these differences is crucial for approaching a performing inter-pretation with the appropriate style and sensibility.

a cappella: Bound for Mt. Zion!

This song may be a spiritual or a gospel song; as Morris notes, “it has character-istics of both.” In his usual wonderful manner born of deep experience, he notes that there is “a body of songs that were congregational songs or other ‘church house’ songs which seems to be squarely on the line between the spiritual and the early gospel hymn/song. . . . The style of this setting is strongly influenced by jubilee and early gospel male quartet singing. The ‘ol’-fashioned’ sound belies the mild dissonances and slightly intricate, engaging rhythms.”

accompanied: Hallelujah! I’m goin’ to praise His name!

This jubilant song has a distinct gospel feel, partly because of the written-out piano part, and partly because the lyrics are more in keeping with the sentiments of the urban church following the Great Migration: “every day he walks by my side” and “I know I’m in his care.” Morris brings consistent energy to the arrange-ment. He also leaves possible repeats of several sections up to the discretion of the director. Thus one performance of this piece may be quite different from another, though hopefully in all cases the requisite joy is there.

For the record: Two arrangements by Robert L. Morris appear on Chicago a cappella’s CD Holidays a cappella Live: “Glory to the Newborn King” and “Children, Go Where I Send Thee.”

* * * * * *Randall Thompson

Ira Randall Thompson was born in New York City. The son of an English teacher, Randall never strayed far from the academic environment. His early musical pursuits began at an old reed organ on the family summer farm in Vienna, Maine. His first attempts at composition began around 1915 with a piano sonata and a Christmas partsong. In 1916 he entered Harvard University; he auditioned for the chorus but was turned down by its conductor, Archibald T. Davison, who eventually became his mentor. Thompson later mused, “My life has been an attempt to strike back.”

In 1922 Thompson began studies at the American Academy in Rome where, inspired by the master composers of the Renaissance, he developed the musical

10 Chicago a capella

PROGR A M NOTES (c o n t.)

style which led him to the forefront of American choral composers. Though he composed symphonies, songs, operas and instrumental works, he is best known for his choral compositions.

In addition to finely-wrought vocal lines grounded in the counterpoint he studied in Rome, Thompson also brought to his music a keen sensibility about poetic text. His care with choice and setting of words has doubtless contributed to his success. In setting lyrics from the Old Testament to Horace to Robert Frost, he espoused a vigorously ecumenical spirit.

a cappella: Alleluia

Thompson wrote this piece during the first five days of July 1940, at the request of Serge Koussevitsky, for the opening of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. The renowned Harvard conductor, G. Wallace Woodworth, led the premiere on July 8th. Thompson surprised Koussevitsky, who had asked for a “fanfare”; Thompson was saddened by the war in Europe and especially by the fall of France. Rather than being jubilant, the introspective Alleluia is, in the composer’s own words,

a very sad piece. The word “Alleluia” has so many possible interpretations. The music in my particular Alleluia cannot be made to sound joyous. It is a slow, sad piece, and ... here it is comparable to the Book of Job, where it is written, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

The work is Thompson’s best-loved and most popular composition.

accompanied: The Last Words of David

Upon hearing a concert of Thompson’s works conducted by the composer, a writer for the Harvard Crimson wrote in 1965: “What texts! Thompson chooses his texts with the care of a sculptor choosing his stone, a calligrapher his nib.” The Last Words of David, a choral work, was on that program, in its orchestral version. The text does make its own impression, illuminated further by the remarkable skill of Thompson’s vocal lines.

The unusual text seems to have been set nowhere else in the choral world. It comes from the second book of Samuel (23:3-4), in which it is said that these are indeed the last words ever spoken by King David:

He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

* * * * * *

Frederick Delius

Born in England to German parents, Delius was the son of a wealthy wool mer-chant who made his fortune in Yorkshire. He showed an early aptitude for music but was steered into his father’s business; frustrated there, he made the rather unusual step of persuading his father to let him go to Florida in 1884 to grow oranges. The formative experience of Delius’s life happened there: in addition to studying music theory with a local organist, he heard the singing of the “Negro” plantation workers, which was an experience of sublime life-affirming energy that

11Chicago a capella


he strove to capture in all his music thereafter. His early works from the 1890s in-cluded a few early songs and several instrumental and symphonic scores, all with eclectic influences ranging from Northern European music and mythology to his American immersion. In 1901 Delius hit his stride as a composer, writing effective-ly in a number of genres with a powerful and distinctive stamp that has stood the test of time. His music on today’s program comes from that fertile period, before illness curbed his activities.

a cappella: To Be Sung Of A Summer Night on the Water

These two short, meditative, impressionistic words for a cappella chorus are miniature tone-poems in the best Delius style. They are intense, compact, lyrical, and harmonically clear. The first one is an aethereal meditation that indeed evokes both summer and water. The second is more vigorous, almost a gentle sea-chan-tey. Both works were later to be rescored for a chamber ensemble of strings and recorded by Neville Mariner on an iconic recording, English Music for Strings. We sing them as an unbroken set.

accompanied: Two Songs for Children

These are the only choral pieces Delius ever composed with piano. In 1912, the influential American composer Horatio Parker contacted Delius with a proposed commission to write music to be published by Silver-Burdett in its Progressive Music Series. The series was an ambitious program aiming to teach basic music skills to children using tunes by important contemporary musicians. By the time he sat down with Delius in Grez-sur-Loing, France on January 21st, 1913, Parker had al-ready been in contact with Debussy, Elgar, Stanford, Richard Strauss and others. The two resulting songs from Delius are on texts by Tennyson and May Morgan. Only the first, Little Birdie, was published in the collection, evidently because the second was more difficult than the publisher wanted; Oxford published both in 1924.

The scholar J. Bennett Tyre notes that the two poems set by Delius, while seem-ingly naïve, “present a memory of childhood to the grown-up, but their expres-sion of a desire to preserve this childhood against the onslaught of the future resonates in a distinctly Delian manner. . . . developing irony, longing and bitter-sweet remembrance among adult listeners.” Tyre rightly notes that it is some-times difficult for the listener to awake from the dreamlike state induced by these remarkable, short, rarely-heard works.

Little Birdie

—Alfred, Lord Tennyson

What does little birdie sayIn her nest at peep of day?Let me fly, says little birdie,Mother, let me fly away! Birdie, rest a little longer, Till the little wings are stronger!So she rests a little longer,Then she flies away.

What does little baby sayIn her bed at peep of day?Baby says, like little birdie,Let me rise and fly away!Baby, sleep a little longer,Till the little limbs are stronger!If she sleeps a little longer,Baby too shall fly away.



The Streamlet’s Slumber-Song

—May Morgan

* * * * * *

Franz Schubert

Quintessentially Romantic in his musical sensibilities and in his tragically short lifespan, Schubert wrote lieder, partsongs, symphonies, chamber music, and more. A product of Vienna, he had his first huge success at age 18, when his song “Erlkönig” made waves in the entire German-speaking world. His reputation spread rapidly through word of mouth, live concerts, and publishing; his rise to fame, using the best technology of the time, might be considered the 19th-cen-tury equivalent of a viral YouTube video. His solo songs are the cornerstone of his output, and his talent for vocal writing extends to his partsongs.

accompanied: Psalm 23: Gott ist mein Hirt, D. 706

Some writers say that Psalm 23 rivals Schubert’s Ave Maria as a virtually perfect piece of religious music. Yet this work was written in December 1820 under circumstances that were not especially lofty, having been created as a test piece for the vocal pupils of Schubert’s friend Anna Frolich. It was originally composed for exactly the performing forces we employ here—one singer on each voice part, two sopranos and two altos, with piano. The German translation of the psalm was made by Moses Mendelssohn, the great German-Jewish philosopher whose son Abraham was the father of composer Felix Mendelssohn, so one may assume that Mendelssohn made a direct translation to German from Hebrew (or at least consulted the original Hebrew if he was translating from a Latin source). The German poetic lines are of uneven length, which means that he wasn’t trying to fit the words’ meaning into a metrical straitjacket; perhaps this is one of the reasons that Schubert’s music takes wing in the special way that it does. Listen for the contrasts in mood, especially for the change from more florid writing at the begin-ning to longer-held notes about halfway through at “Dein Stab und Deine Stütze” (“Thy rod and thy staff”), a form of word-painting which beautifully conveys a sense of solid stability amid the difficulties of life.

While beneath a cloudless skySwallows over meadows fly, Bees are droning lazy tunesThrough the sultry noons.Drowsily I flow along, Murmuring my sleepy song,Slower, softer still it sighs,To a whisper dies.

While among the new-mown grass,Crickets cry, “Ah soon alas!Bee and brook will sing no more,Summer will be o’er.”Drowsily I flow along,Murmuring my sleepy song,Slower, softer still it sighsTo a whisper dies.

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a cappella: Zum Rundetanz (Op. 17, No .3)

This strophic men’s partsong features unusual phrase lengths that give energy and lilt to the poetry. The poem stresses the ebb and flow of dancing couples to reflect the naturalistic images of clouds dispersing and night falling.

Gott ist mein Hirt, mir wird nichts mangeln.Er lagert mich auf grüne Weide,

Er leitet mich an stillen Bächen,Er labt mein schmachtendes Gemüt,Er führt mich auf gerechtem StegeZu seines Namens Ruhm.Und wall’ ich auch im Todesschattens Tale,

So wall’ ich ohne Furcht,Denn Du beschützest mich,Dein Stab und Deine StützeSind mir immerdar mein Trost.Du richtest mir ein FreudenmahlIm Angesicht der Feinde zu,Du salbst mein Haupt mit ÖleUnd schenkst mir volle Becher ein;Mir folget Heil und SeligkeitIn diesem Leben nach,Einst ruh’ ich ew’ge ZeitDort in des ew’gen Haus.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Auf! es dunkelt; silbern funkelt Dort der Mond ob Tannenhöh’n! Auf! und tanzt in froher Runde; Diese Stunde Dämmert unbewölkt und schön!

Hüpft geschwinde um die Linde, Die uns gelbe Blüten streut. Laßt uns frohe Lieder singen, Ketten schlingen, Wo man traut die Hand sich beut. Also schweben wir durch’s Leben Leicht wie Rosenblätter hin. An den Jüngling, dunkelt’s bänger,

Schließt sich enger Seine traute Nachbarin. —Johann Gaudenz von Salis-Seewis (1762-1834)

Up! It’s getting dark; silvery twinklesthe moon there above the fir-heights!Up! and dance in a happy round;this hourit dawns as the clouds lift, and beauti-fully!

Skip quickly around the linden treeThat scatters yellow flowers for us.Let us happy songs sing,Sling off chains;How dare one prey on the hands!.

Thus we hover suspended through life,Light as rose-leaves.To the youth—ever more anxious as it darkens—Let him pull to himself tightlyHis dear neighbor [dance partner]. —trans. Jonathan Miller

* * * * * *



Max Janowski

Born to a musical family in Berlin in 1912, Max Janowski had a mother who was an opera singer, a father who conducted choirs and coached cantors, an uncle who was a cantor, and singers all around him. He started playing piano at age four and won a piano competition at age twelve; he enrolled in the prestigious Schwarenka Conservatory and soon was appointed assistant organist at one of Berlin’s largest synagogues. Aware of anti-Semitic developments at home, he made it to Tokyo by winning a competition whose prize was the head piano-fac-ulty position at the Mosashino Academy of Music. In 1937 he emigrated to New York and mostly wrote torch songs for a year, until he won yet another competi-tion. This, the one that would set the course of the rest of his life, was a compos-ing competition for K.A.M. Temple on Chicago’s South Side. As the winner, he was given the post of music director, which he held until his death in 1991. Max Janowski was probably the most prolific composer of classical liturgical music for Reform and Conservative synagogues in America, publishing more than 150 works himself and leaving dozens more in manuscript. From his home base at K.A.M. (later KAM Isaiah Israel after a successful merger), Janowski conducted concerts of Yiddish and Hebrew songs, directed no fewer than six high-holiday choirs (each rehearsed on a different day of the week in the summer), and trans-formed the landscape of synagogue music in the Midwest. He coached and directed young singers of exceptional talent, including Sherrill Milnes and Isola Jones. A man of liberal, ecumenical spirit, he also served as music director at All Souls Universalist in South Shore for more than three decades, where he ar-ranged folk songs, pop songs, and spirituals for an enthusiastic mixed-race choir.

a cappella: T’filat N’ilah L’Yom Kippur: Reader’s Kaddish from the Ne’ilah service for Yom Kippur

Using the traditional nussach (cantorial chant) as his melodic basis, Janowski cre-ated this simple yet completely effective prayer for cantor and choir to begin the final service of Yom Kippur. This setting is found in the a cappella liturgy for the Conservative service, such as is currently in practice at Congregation Rodfei Zedek in Hyde Park. The chant tone is found nowhere else in the liturgical year and appears in a number of prayers during N’ilah. Rather than being the complete Kaddish said in mourning, this shorter “Reader’s Kaddish” prayer is instead used as a marker of sorts to indicate major divisions in the service.

Yitgadal v’yitkadash sh’mei rabah May His great name be exalted and sanctified

Be’alma di vra khir’uteh in the world which He created according to His will!

veyamlikh malkhuteh be’ayekhon uvyomekhon May He establish His kingdom during your lifetime and during your days

Uv’khaye dekhol beit yisrael and during the lifetimes of all the House of Israel,

ba’agala uvizman kariv ve’imru amenspeedily and very soon! And say, Amen.

yehe shmeh rabba mevarakh le’alam ul’alme almaya May His great name be blessed for ever, and to all eternity!

15Chicago a capella


Yitbarakh veyishtabbakh veyitpaar veyitromam Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted,

veyitnasei veyithadar veyitalleh veyithallalextolled and honoured, adored and lauded

shmei d’kud’sha, brikh hu. be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,

le’eila ul’eila min kol birkhata veshirata tushbekhata venekhemataabove and beyond all the blessings, hymns, praises and consolations

daamiran be’alma ve’imru amenthat are uttered in the world! And say, Amen.

accompanied: Vayachalom (Jacob’s Dream)

This telling of the verse from Genesis about Jacob’s dream is one of Janowski’s most distinctive and beautiful works. Using musical language more like Debussy’s than like that of the traditional synagogue, Janowski wrote this setting in 1970 as a commission for Congregation Etz Chayim in the western suburbs of Chicago. The soaring soprano solo conveys the sense of a ladder extended upward infinitely up to heaven, and the choir’s response in eighth notes moving up and down the scale provide word-painting of the angels ascending and descending on the ladder in a way that recalls the great Italian madrigalists. The piano part showcases the virtuosity that Janowski himself displayed regularly, with expression both tender and majestic.

In the first section of the Torah portion Vayetze (Genesis 28:10-14), the following takes place:

And Jacob went out from B’eyr Shavah and went toward Charan.And he lighted upon the place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

Song text begins here:

Vayachalom v’-hiney sulam mutsav artsahAnd he dreamed; and behold, a ladder set upon the earth;

V’rosho, magiah hashamaimahand the top of it reached to heaven,

V’hiney malachei Elohimand behold, the angels of God

Olim v’yordim bo.ascending and descending on it.

V’hiney Adonai nitsav alav, vayomer:And behold, the Lord stood beside him, and said:

Ani Adonai Elohey Avraham avicha,I am the Lord, God of Abraham thy father,



Veylohey Yitzchak;And the God of Isaac.

Ha’aretz, asher atah shocheyv alehaThe land whereon thou liest,

L’cha etnenah ul’zarecha.To thee will I give it, and to thy seed.

* * * * * *Gwyneth Walker After her training as a composer and teaching at Oberlin Conservatory, Gwyneth Walker retired from academia and has been a full-time composer for almost thirty years. With a strong theatrical sense, she has been writing solo vocal, choral, and instrumental works that bring texts to life in unusual and striking ways. She employs unexpected and effective elements to create maximum emotional effect. Chicago a cappella most recently performed music by Walker on the “Abundance” program (February 2009).

accompanied: White Horses

Based on a text by E. E. Cummings, Walker treats the tender poem as a sort of troubadour lyric. The piano part is an especially effective counterpart to the vocal lines, with a low bass line in the left hand and quicker notes in the right hand to fill in the soundspace created by the voices’ longer-held notes.

after all white horses are in bedwill you walking beside me, my very lady,touch lightly my eyesand send life out of meand the night absolutely into me

-E. E. Cummingsfrom Is 5, Poems by E. E. Cummings, ©1926 by Horace Liveright; Copyright renewed 1953 by E. E. Cummings; Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation.

a cappella: This Train

This work was composed for the 1998 All-OMEA (Oklahoma Music Educators’ As-sociation) high-school chorus. Walker takes on with vigor the challenge of setting this spiritual in a way that brings images in the text to life. In addition to playing with the “ssssss” sound at the end of the word “this,” she uses words like “stop,” “joker,” and “weary” as springboards for word-painting. The composer has also added a few new verses, noting:

Additional lyrics have been added for contemporary relevance (“This train will stop at the ghetto...and at the factory door”). And new musical sections (“If you reach up, reach up to the sky...”) have been inserted to broaden the formal structure.

Unusual musical devices used here include borrowings from traditional spirituals and the flashier-sounding settings by arrangers like Dawson and Hogan.

17Chicago a capella


This train is bound for glory, this train, if you want to get to heaven, then you got to be holy.This train is bound for glory, this train.

This train don’t carry no gamblers, this train,no big time spenders, no midnight ramblers,This train don’t carry no gamblers, this train.

This train don’t carry no jokers, this train, no cigar smokers, no high steppin’ women,This train don’t carry no jokers, this train.

If you reach up, reach up to the sky,you can grab yourself a handle as the train goes rumbling by.Hold on tightThis is the train of freedom and it’s pulling out tonight.

This train will stop for the weary.This train will stop for the poor.This train will stop in the ghetto, will stop at the farm,will stop right here outside the factory door!

This is the train of freedom and glory and justice and it’s pulling out tonight. -Traditional, adapt. by composer

For the record: Gwyneth Walker’s “The Christ-child’s Lullaby” appears on Chicago a cappella’s CD Christmas a cappella.

INTERMISSIONJonathan Miller

Jonathan Miller has been writing music for choirs since 1998, when, as music director at Unity Temple in Oak Park, he ran out of repertoire in the congregation’s music library that he felt was the right fit for the volunteer choir with the sermons and the service. As with his concert programming, his choral music is eclectic, drawing on a wide range of musical and poetic influences. His choice of texts run from biblical Hebrew and Latin to the work of poets such as Rumi, Gwendolyn Brooks, Peter Watson Jenkins, and Mark Jarman. He has composed a number of choral cycles, including Journey to Bethlehem (seven movements) and Capital City (three) as well as incidental music for Chicago a cappella’s more theatrical produc-tions of The Nordic Wolf and Go Down, Moses. His music has been performed at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and at the Pentagon; he conducted a perfor-mance of his work The Lincoln Memorial at the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

a cappella: Psalm 4: B’kori aneyni (world premiere)

The composer writes: “This setting of Psalm 4 came to me last fall, after I had served for the first time as High Holiday cantor at Rodfei Zedek. It was a huge honor and a privilege to sing in that capacity, and I had great Hebrew coaching from both Cantor Julius Solomon and Rabbi Elliot Gertel. Although I’ve sung Hebrew since I was ten, I emerged from that experience with a new-found love for the language; I set myself to reading the first 23 Psalms to see if any of them would strike me as material for writing new choral music. Psalm 4 is the first one



that grabbed me. I found myself desiring a beautiful melody most of all, and I was pleased with the result, especially after I found myself humming it and almost nothing else for about two months after I finished the piece.”

B’kori aneyni, Elohey tsidki; When I call, answer me, God of my righteousness;

batzar, hirchavta li, Thou who didst set me free when I was in distress;

choneyni, ush’ma t’filati.be gracious unto me, and hear my prayer.

B’ney ish, ad me ch’vodi lichlimahO ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be put to shame,

Te’ehavun rik – t’vakshu chazav, Selah.in that ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah.

Ud’u ki hiflah Adonai, chasid lo;But know that the LORD hath set apart the godly man as His own;

Adonai yishma b’kori eilav. the LORD will hear when I call unto Him.

Rigzu v’al techeta’u;Tremble, and sin not;

im’ru bi’lvav’hem al mishkavchem, v’domu, Selah.commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Ziv’chu ziv’chey tzedek, uvit’chu el-Adonai.Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

Rabim omrim, mi-yareinu-tov:Many there are that say: ‘Oh that we could see some good!’

N’sa aleynu or panecha, Adonai.LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.

Natata simcha v’libi; mey-eyt d’ganam v’tirosham rabu.Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than when their corn and their wine increase.

B’shalom yachdav, esh’k’va v’ishan:In peace will I both lay me down and sleep;

Ki atah Adonai l’vadad; lavetach, toshiveyni.for Thou, LORD, makest me dwell alone in safety.

19Chicago a capella


accompanied: the preacher: ruminates behind the sermon

The composer writes: “In 2001, I was at a party in Oak Park given by my dear friend, composer Glenn Meade. At the party was Linda Crabtree Powell, who at the time was the choir director at Emerson Junior High School, also in Oak Park. We got to talking; I mentioned to her that I had recently purchased a collection of poems by Gwendolyn Brooks and was reading through them, and that a few poems from A Street in Bronzeville were starting to suggest music to me. Linda replied that her school was going to be renamed for Brooks in the fall of 2002, and we cooked up the idea of setting three poems for her choir to be sung at the dedication. With support from the Oak Park Area Arts Council, the Gwendolyn Brooks Suite came into being, scored for three-part junior-high-school choir plus piano. Nora Brooks Blakely, the poet’s daughter and a talented artist in her own right, attended the dedication ceremony, and Linda Powell conducted the premiere. Nora told me af-terward that I had really captured the essence of ‘the preacher: ruminates,’ which made me feel like the heavens had just opened in a blessing. The poem is indeed lonely, and I started hearing a combination of Satie-like chords in the piano and a gospel wail from the soloist. The section where God has a good friend slapping him on the back is the most fun, though.”

I think it must be lonely to be God.Nobody loves a master. No. DespiteThe bright hosannas, bright dear-Lords, and brightDetermined reverence of Sunday eyes. Picture Jehovah striding through the hallOf His importance, creatures running outFrom servant-corners to acclaim, to shoutAppreciation of His merit’s glare. But who walks with Him?—dares to take His arm,To slap Him on the shoulder, tweak His ear,Buy Him a Coca-Cola or a beer,Pooh-pooh His politics, call Him a fool? Perhaps—who knows—He tires of looking down.Those eyes are never lifted. Never straight.Perhaps sometimes He tires of being greatIn solitude. Without a hand to hold. –Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)

For the record: Chicago a cappella has recorded two works by Jonathan Miller, “Shehecheyanu” (on the CD Holidays a cappella Live) and “The Fall” (on the CD Eclectric).



Morten Lauridsen

Morten Johannes Lauridsen received the 2007 National Medal of Arts. He has been composer-in-residence for the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1994–2001 and professor of composition at the University of Southern Califor-nia Thornton School of Music for more than thirty years. His work occupies a permanent place in the standard vocal repertoire of the 20th century. His seven vocal cycles, including the one we perform this evening, are among the best-selling choral works ever. In addition to Les Chansons des Roses, he is perhaps best known for the extended work Lux Aeterna—a Requiem in its form—and his sacred a cappella motets (O Magnum Mysterium, Ave Maria, O Nata Lux, Ubi Caritas et Amor and Ave Dulcissima Maria).

Writing of Lauridsen’s sacred works in his book, Choral Music in the Twentieth Century, musicologist and conductor Nick Strimple describes Lauridsen as “the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic, (whose) probing, serene work contains an elusive and indefinable ingredient which leaves the impression that all the questions have been answered.” In this sense Lauridsen is a spiritual peer to Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, whose works leave a similar impression.

a cappella AND accompanied: Les chansons des roses

In 1993 Lauridsen’s publisher released this extraordinary cycle of five settings of French poems by Rainer Maria Rilke. While Rilke is known mostly for German verse, these French poems made a strong impression on Lauridsen. It is in this

21Chicago a capella


cycle that the chord voicing now associated with Lauridsen (which, in technical terms, is a 2nd-inversion or “6/4” chord) first made its powerful stamp.

There is some musical material shared between a few movements. In the second movement, “Contre qui, rose,” what starts out sounding like a melody in the sopranos with harmonic support from the lower lines then becomes more and more contra-puntal, with each voice part having something distinctive to say. (Listeners familiar with the composer’s O magnum mysterium may recognize its musical roots here, sung in D-flat to Rilke’s text instead of O magnum’s brighter key of D.) The fourth movement, “La rose complête,” borrows markedly from “Contre qui, rose” and features an unbroken segue into the accompanied final movement, “Dirait-on.” Lauridsen says that he wrote the last movement first and then went back to complete the cycle.

C’est pourtant nous qui t’avons proposé de remplir ton calice.Enchantée de cet artifice, ton abondance l’avait osé.

Tu étais assez riche, pour devenir cent fois toi-même en une seule fleur;

c’est l’état de celui qui aime…Mais tu n’a pas pensé ailleurs, mais tu n’a pas pensé ailleurs.

It is we, perhaps, who proposedthat you replenish your bloom.Enchanted by this charade,your abundance dared.

You were rich enough to fulfillyourself a hundred times overin a single flower;

such is the state of one who loves…But you never did think otherwise.

En Une Seule Fleur

Contre qui, rose, avezvous adopte ces épines?Votre joie trop fine vous a-t-elle force de devenir cette chose armée?

Mais de qui vous protège cette arme exagérée?Combien d’ennemis vous ai-je enlevés qui ne la craignaient point?Au contraire, d’été en automne,

vous blessez les soins qu’on vous donne.

Against whom, rose,have you assumed these thorns?Is it your too fragile joythat forced youto become thisarmed thing?

But from whom does it protect you,this exaggerated defense?How many enemies have Ilifted from youwho did not fear it at all?On the contrary, from summer to autumnyou wound the affectionthat is given you.

Contre qui, rose



J’ai une telle conscience de ton être, rose complete, que mon consentement te confond avec mon coeur en fête.

Je te respire comme si tu étais, rose, toute la vie, et je me sens l’ami parfait d’une telle amie.

I have such awareness of your being, perfect rose,that my will unites youwith my heart in celebration.

I breathe you in, rose, as if you wereall of life,and I feel the perfect friendof a perfect friend.

La rose complète

Abondon entouré d’abondon,tendresse touchant aux tendresses…C’est ton intérieur qui sans cessese caresse, dirait-on;

se caress en soi-même,par son proper reflet éclairé.Ainsi tu inventes le thèmede Narcisse exaucé.

-Rainer Maria Rilke, from Les Roses

Abandon surrounding abandon,tenderness touching tenderness…Your oneness endlesslycaresses itself, so they say;

self caressingthrough its own clear reflection.Thus you invent the themeof Narcissus fulfilled.

-trans. Barbara and Erica Muhl Texts and translations used courtesy of Peermusic Classical

Dirait-on

For the record: “Contre qui, rose,” from Morten Lauridsen’s Les Chansons des Roses appears on Chicago a cappella’s CD Ecletric. Mr. Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium” appears on Chicago a cappella’s CD Holidays a cappella Live.

* * * * * *

De ton rêve trop plein, fleur en dedans nombreuse,mouillée comme une pleureuse, tu te penches sur le matin.

Tes douces forces qui dorment,

dans un désir incertain, développent ces tendres forms entre joues et seins.

Overflowing with your dream,flower filled with flowers, wet as one who weeps,you bow to the morning.

Your sweet powers which still are sleepingin misty desire,unfold these tender formsjoining cheeks and breasts.

De ton rêve trop plein

23Chicago a capella


Leonard Bernstein

One of the first American orchestral conductors to receive worldwide acclaim, Leonard Bernstein was the longtime music director of the New York Philharmonic. In addition to his achievements as a conductor, he led an active life as a composer, pianist, and public spokesperson for the arts. His more classical side was balanced by his work on West Side Story, his most famous composition, which was pre-miered in 1957 after almost a decade of work. He embraced both recording and television as media for getting the word out about the music he loved. accompanied: “Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide

Bernstein wrote in several theatrical genres, from musical theatre to “straight” opera to operetta. Candide falls in the last of these categories. Based on Voltaire’s French novella, it was originally set to a libretto by Lillian Hellman and premiered in that version in 1956. The abridged “Chelsea version” ran on Broadway for al-most two years in a revision with a new book by Hugh Wheeler with lyrics primar-ily by Richard Wilbur. The full two-act version, first staged by Harold Prince in 1982, is a staple of opera companies. The shorter work is popular with music schools and is performed regularly.

Hellman’s inspiration for Candide was fueled in part by the parallels she perceived between Voltaire’s time and her own. On one hand, Voltaire satirized the Catholic Church’s Inquisition-fueled acts of torture and murder of “heretics.” On the other, Hellman was incensed at the similarly hyper-conformist attitudes of the House Un-American Activities Committee; as she observed in the 1950s, the HUAC baited dissenting political views and vilified the left through “Washington Witch Trials,” all in the name of protecting America from Communism.

“Make Our Garden Grow” is the finale of the show. Beginning with Candide proposing to his beloved Cunegonda, it sums up the action with a sentiment that tells us not to be too lofty or rigid in our ideals of perfection, but to live a more grounded, practical life.

SPEC IAL THANKS

98.7 WFMTChris Baer

Enid FrandzelEvanston Symphony OrchestraHendricks Pianos: Bill Jenkins

Bill HobanMerit School of Music: Tom Bracy, Nora Erickson

Eric MirandaMusic Institute of Chicago: Fiona Queen, Sam Nordlund

North Central College: Ken Hannah Jim Parks

Pilgrim Congregational Church: Joan Hutchinson, Joycelin Fowler Linda Powell

Gwyneth Walker

Thanks also to The Saints, Volunteers for the Performing Arts, for providing our house staff. For information visit www.saintschicago.org or call 773-529-5510.

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25Chicago a capella

CHICAGO A CAPPELLA ARTIST ROSTER 2010 -11

Jonathan Miller .............................................................................................................Artistic DirectorPatrick Sinozich ............................................................................................................... Music DirectorHoss Brock ..................................................................................................... tenor (Chicago, Chicago)Matt Greenberg ....................................................................................................bass (entire season)Elizabeth Grizzell ..............................................................................................mezzo (entire season)Kathryn Kamp .................................................. soprano (Tastes; Red Carpet; Chicago, Chicago)Alexia Kruger ........................................................................soprano (Holidays; Chicago, Chicago)Cary Lovett ............................................................................... tenor (Tastes; Holidays; Red Carpet)Trevor Mitchell .....................................................................................................tenor (entire season)Cari Plachy ...........................................................................soprano (Tastes; Holidays; Red Carpet)Benjamin Rivera ....................................................................................................bass (entire season)Susan Schober ...................................................................................................mezzo (entire season)Brian Streem ...........................................................................................................bass (entire season)

B IOGR APHIES

Jonathan Miller, Founder and Artistic DirectorJonathan grew up in the Chicago Children’s Choir and has devoted decades to giving back the joy that he found

there. While studying math at the University of Chicago, he quickly found himself in five choirs and decided to pursue music more deliberately. An early step was earning his musicology doctorate at UNC-Chapel Hill, studying Renaissance music. Since 1993 Jonathan has been blessed to lead Chicago a cappella’s superb vocalists and musical team, who value ensemble work, adventuresome repertoire, and a sense of fun. Jonathan’s composing career began when, as choir director at Unity Temple in Oak Park, he wanted new music for worship. He has written more than fifty choral works; his music has been sung at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Increasingly active in Jewish music, Jonathan leads the Rodfei Zedek Festival Choir in Hyde Park, serves as principal guest conductor of Kol Zimrah, writes synagogue music, and is honored to serve as publisher of the late Max Janowski’s catalogue. A board member of Chorus America, Jonathan lives with his wife and daughter in the woods of Downers Grove.

Patrick Sinozich, Music DirectorAn acclaimed choral conductor, pianist, vocal coach, and chamber musician, Patrick Sinozich joined Chicago a cappella’s

musical staff in 2007 as Music Direc-tor. He is currently in his 15th season as Artistic Director of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus. Patrick did his undergraduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and com-pleted graduate studies at Northwestern University. He is on the musical staff of the Chicago Symphony and has performed chamber music with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the San Francisco Sym-phony and the Cincinnati Symphony. He has also produced four CDs for Chicago a cappella and three for the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus (which featured many of his own arrangements). Patrick’s association with Chicago a cappella goes back to the ensemble’s very first auditions, which he accompanied, and he has provided musi-cal support as the ensemble’s occasional rehearsal coach since 2005.

Matt Greenberg, bassBaritone Matt Greenberg has appeared frequently on Chicago’s concert and theater stages, singing everything from Bach to Broadway.

His solo appearances include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Mozart’s Requiem, and an evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Matt is a longtime member of the Grant Park Chorus and sang for over 20 years with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he made over a dozen solo or small ensemble appearances. A founding member of Chicago a cappella, he has also performed with Music of the Baroque, William Ferris Chorale, and the Harwood Early Music


B IOGR APHIES (c o n t.)

Ensemble. Matt’s work in musical theater includes the Jeff-award winning Sylvia’s Real Good Advice, Hot Mikado, and appearances at Light Opera Works and Wisdom Bridge. He has also appeared with the pop quintet Table For Five. Combining his performing with a career in arts administration, Matt is Chicago a cappella‘s Executive Director.

Elizabeth Grizzell, mezzoMezzo-soprano Elizabeth Grizzell has performed with groups both in Chicago and abroad. She has appeared as soloist

with the Tunbridge Wells Opera, the Marlow Choral Society, and the Wooburn Singers of England. As a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, she has recorded the role of Apprentice with the late Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. Especially fond of oratorio, her recent performances have included Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Dvorak’s Mass in D. Betsy records regularly for both GIA Publications and Hinshaw Music, and is a soloist with GIA’s Cathedral Singers. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a vocal emphasis from DePaul University. Of special note is her Musikgarten program, a musical education experience designed for children ages 16 months to 8 years old. Her studio in Naperville currently introduces more than 100 children to the fun and beauty of music.

Kathryn Kamp, sopranoA good mix of opera, operetta, and musical theater productions and oratorio and concert engagements keeps Kathryn busy

when she’s not singing with Chicago a cappella! She has appeared as soloist at the Ravinia Festival, Orchestra Hall at Chicago Symphony Center, Grant Park Music Festival, the Peninsula Music Festival, and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, among others. Favorite works include Mozart Requiem and Despina in Cosi fan tutte; Haydn Creation and Dixit Dominus; Handel (Messiah); Poulenc (Gloria) and Brahms (Requiem); Gilbert and Sullivan ingenues (Patience, Rose Maybud, Yum-

Yum and Mabel); and anything by Steven Sondheim (Anne Egerman and Mrs. Segstrom). She also stage directs opera and operetta productions. Free time is spent in the garden, on a bike, cooking, reading, and hanging out with her husband. She always looks forward to the unique vocal demands and wonderful colleagues of Chicago a cappella.

Cary Lovett, tenorA veteran of the Chicago choral and musical-theater stage, where he has been seen as a middle-aged character baritone, a clueless tenor ingénue

and an esoteric a cappella choral singer, Cary can rightfully be described as a truly eclectic performer. Most recently, Cary appeared with Light Opera Works, where he was hailed for his “..zesty dancing skills” performing the role of Alfred Doolittle in their production of My Fair Lady. Immediately preceding this production, he sang the role of Fredrick in Pirates of Penzance. For over a year he was a member of the third national tour of Les Misérables, where he understudied the role of Jean Valjean. He has sung with the Grant Park Chorus and Music of the Baroque, and was a founding member of Chicago a cappella. Visit his website: www.tenor4hire.com.

Trevor Mitchell, tenorAcclaimed as having “simply the most uniquely beautiful and easily produced tenor instrument most people will ever hear,” Trevór Mitchell’s

career has taken him across the U.S. and to Austria, Italy, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. Recently audiences heard him in Bach’s B-Minor Mass, Weihnachts-Oratorium, St. Matthew Passion, and St. John Passion, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Ninth Symphony, Vivaldi’s Beatus Vir, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and several recitals, one being a recital for honored guest Paul, Duke of Oldenburg of Germany. Also this season, under the baton of the renowned John Rutter, Trevór performed Vaughan Williams’ Ser-enade to Music. Recent performances also

27Chicago a capella

B IOGR APHIES (c o n t.)

include Messiah with the Baroque Band. Trevór also recorded Don Meyers’ Medita-tion in Three Reflections with the Millen-nium Symphony of Norfolk, VA and was a tenor soloist on a recently completed recording of sacred music with St. John Cantius Church.

Cari Plachy, sopranoChicago native Cari Plachy is enjoying splitting her time between choral and opera singing. She has been seen throughout

the Midwest with Opera for the Young, DuPage Opera Theater, Light Opera Works and Bowen Park Opera. Her choral work includes singing with the Chicago Symphony Chorus. In 2008, she had an opportunity to step out from the chorus and sing a solo in Bruckner’s Psalm 150. The Chicago Sun Times recognized it as being a “sparkling, and aggressively sung solo.” Cari received her Bachelor’s degree in music education from DePaul University. Since then, she has been working with the education department of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, bringing music to children all over Chicago. In addition to her work in Chicago, Cari is fortunate to bring her love of music to deaf children at Child’s Voice School in Wood Dale.

Benjamin Rivera, bassBass-baritone Benja-min Rivera appears often as a concert and oratorio soloist. Recent appearances include performances of Bach’s

St. John Passion, several Haydn Masses and a local premiere of a song cycle for baritone and instrumental sextet by Stacy Garrop. He is a longtime member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he served in the position of section leader for several seasons. Benjamin also sings with the Grant Park Chorus during the summer. He recently completed his tenth season as conductor of the Chicago-area chamber choir Cantate, with whom he performs a wide range of mainly a cap-pella music. Benjamin holds the Master of Music degree in Music Theory from Roosevelt University and recently left a

teaching position at St. Xavier University to pursue doctoral studies in conducting at Northwestern University.

Susan Schober, mezzoSusan Schober is a founding member of Chicago a cappella. A native Chicagoan, she sang for nine years with the Chicago Children’s Choir, and

has performed a wide variety of solo and choral music with Chicago-area ensembles. Most recently, she was a soloist at the 23rd International Kodály Festival in Kecskemét, Hungary. In addition to solo and choral music, Susan has performed leading roles in several theatrical productions, including Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Britten’s Albert Herring, Herman’s La Cage Aux Folles, and Sullivan’s Utopia Limited. Susan received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in Music Education from Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. She is an accomplished music educator, specializing in the Kodály Method. She has taught students at every level, from preschool to graduate level teacher training. Susan loves both singing and teaching, but her favorite job is being a new mom to twins Katherine and Andrew.

Brian Streem, bassA lover of choral music, Brian Streem has been a member of some of Chicago’s finest choral ensembles, including the Chicago Sympho-ny Chorus, the Grant

Park Symphony Chorus, Bella Voce, the William Ferris Chorale, and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. His theatrical credits have included Pippin (Pippin), Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar), Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls), Jack (Into the Woods), Philip (Lion in Winter) and the star of the one-man show All in the Timing. His recent work with Chicago a cappella was praised by critic Cathryn Wilkinson, who noted that he “pattered out a better maraca ostinato with his mouth than many drummers can with two hands.” Brian is a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, studying music theory with Dr. Rudy Marcozzi.

HELP CHICAGO A CAPPELLA ACHIEVE EVEN MORE!

By being with us at this performance, you are part of an exciting musical endeavor. We have big plans at Chicago a cappella—and this is only the beginning.

Just in the last year, we expanded our season, worked with high school choral singers from all four of our communities, launched a new website, and recorded a CD to be released this year.

Our future plans include an educational outreach program with Whitney Young High School, newly-researched programs on spirituals and gospel music, and new CD recordings.

But we need your help now to take advantage of these opportunities. You can be a part of Chicago a cappella’s future with your generous tax-deductible gift. Support of the arts is rapidly shrinking, and ticket sales cover only a portion of our expenses. We rely on contributions from friends like you for over 1/3 of our operating budget. In fact, individual gifts are our single largest source of revenue.

Please support the exciting and important work that makes Chicago a cappella a unique part of our region’s cultural arts scene. Use the envelope in this program to make your gift today, and be a part of our vital musical endeavor – and our exciting future!

Now it’s easier than ever to support the work of Chicago a cappella. In addition to our traditional giving options, our sustaining donor pro-gram allows you to set up an automatic contribution with your credit card: you can choose any amount you wish. You’ll receive all the benefits of your annual tax deduction without the hassle of writing checks – plus you’ll help us reduce fundraising costs and save paper and resources.


Chicago a cappella announces the launch of the

Program Development and Recording Fund.The Fund will sustain our work in the years to come—paying for new recordings, commissions of new music, and concert productions. Our

goal is to raise $500,000 by the end of our 20th season in 2013. Chicago a cappella has received a lead gift of $250,000 from the Klaff Family Foundation. This gift will support specific projects of Jewish music and

spirituals/gospel music over the next three seasons. We are thrilled to envision our musical future and to find the partners who can help us make it happen. The Fund supports that future. If you have any

questions about the Fund or about our upcoming musical plans, please feel free to e-mail Jonathan Miller at [email protected] or

Matt Greenberg at [email protected].

DONORS

We offer our deep gratitude to our contributors who made gifts and pledges to Chicago a cappella between January 1, 2010 and January 20, 2011. We re-gret that we are unable to list the many thoughtful contributors who made gifts under $50. If this list contains an error, please accept our apologies and kindly let us know so that we may correct it.

FOUNDATIONSUPPORTERSArts Work Fund for

Organizational Development

Dr. Scholl FoundationThe Gaylord and Dorothy

Donnelley FoundationKlaff Family FoundationThe MacArthur Fund for

Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation

GOVERNMENTSUPPORTERSIllinois Arts Council

City of Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs

Oak Park Area Arts Council

MEDIA SPONSORSNaperville Sun (concerts at

Wentz Hall, Naperville)98.7 WFMT (The Red Carpet

of Sound)

CORPORATE SUPPORT,MATCHING GIFTS, ANDOTHER SUPPORTBank of AmericaBlue Cross-Blue Shield of

Illinois

First Bank and Trust Evanston

Hendricks Pianos (Gold Sponsor, The Red Carpet of Sound)

JP Morgan Chase Foundation

King Insurance AgencyG. Scott Miller, Ameriprise

FinancialMinibar-WinebarMorris Graduate School of

Management at Robert Morris University

Nuveen InvestmentsWhole Foods Markets

VISIONARY ($5,000 or more)AnonymousHyslop Shannon

Foundation

ARCHANGEL ($2,500 or more)Ann and Roger ColeHoward and Jane HushMurray Kopelow and Cathy

Bachman

ANGEL ($1,000 or more)AnonymousMarguerite BlochBill and Jeanetta FlowersFrank G. & Gertrude Dunlap

FundHelen GagelJoyce Grenis and Michael

KoenJay and Jackie LauderdaleDiana Ramirez

Priscilla and Steve ShawMaria Suarez

BENEFACTOR ($500 or more)The Nora Bergman FundMichelle EppleyMarina GilmanMatt Greenberg and Chris

BaerHank and Becky Hartman

INSTITUTIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS

31Chicago a capella

Ann Hicks and Lawrence Hamilton

Tom and Margaret HuyckCharles KatzenmeyerDouglas and Christine

KelnerLeslie LauderdaleRonna LernerBob and Fleury LinnLinda Mast and Bard

SchatzmanDavid Miller and Mary Ellen

McNishJonathan Miller and Sandra

Siegel MillerMary MillerRobert and Lois MoellerKen NovakCarolyn Sacksteder

SPONSOR($250 or more)Claudia and Timothy DivisDon and Joanna GwinnAnne Heider and Steve

WarnerRae KendrickJean McLaren and John

NitschkeDrs. Donald and Mary Ellen

NewsomAlice and David OsbergRichard and Cindy PardoDavid and Carole PerlmanDale and Donna PrestCaryl RineBette Sikes and Joan

PedersonAnn StevensMary Beth StrahotaAlexander and Robin

StuartEmily Troxell JaycoxFrank Villella and Oscar

Ivan ZambranoJohn WashburnLance and Stephanie

WilkeningDuain Wolfe

PATRON ($100 or more)Wendy Anker and Edward

ReedAlison AshKaren AtwoodBob and Rose Marie BaerDavid and Denise Bunning

Trent and Kara ColemanLaura and Gary CooperFaith DavisThomas DoyleMary EkinsRon & Judy EshlemanKris and Julie GagnonHoward and Judy GilbertNorm and Judy GreenbergSanford Greenberg and

Betsy PerdueJudith Grubner and Craig

JobsonRobert HarrisF. James & Margery HeiderAnn HewittValerie HumowieckiJean and Lester HuntKaren HuntSusan KampMelynda and Scott KohlJohn and Karen KrugerHelen and John LauderdaleStephen and Lisbeth

LernerBarbara and Martin

LetscherJoan LevinCarol LoVerdeJay LytleJennifer MarlingLinda MatonichGlenn and Sandy MeadeBetsy Meisenheimer and

Wes WesterfieldDaniel Melamed and

Elizabeth SabgaEphraim and Ann MillerVreni NaessCathy and Paul NewportJohn and Gail PollesJane Ann PrestDoris RoskinKenneth SchugJennifer and Warren

SchultzDennis and Patricia SmithLaura SmithJeni and David SpinneyTom and Linda SpringJuan SuarezGeri SztukBarbara VolinClark and Joan WagnerShirlene Ward and Kevin

KippEllen Wehrle and Richard

Pokorny

Tracy and Tony WeismanRobert and Barbara

WichmannCheryl WollinShawn Ying and Jason

CohenJohn and Mary

Zimmerman

FRIEND ($50 or more)AnonymousJill Abramson and

Jonathan MalamyDavid and Patricia AgnewCarole BaumgartWilliam and Betty BoydFrank Brockway and Mimi

BrileJim and Ellen DaltonDavid E. DanielsonDale and Frances DellutriSusan EleuterioAnne EvansDale FitschenFrances FlowersMadelon and Roger FrossDon and Diane GilliardElizabeth and Phil GouldCarolyn HayesAndy and Junia HedbergCharles Hoffman and

Tamara SchillerLaurie HowickCarol B. JohnsonCarl and Carola KupferDavid and Darlene

LandsittelIvan and Jasna LappinDiane and Doug

MacDonaldMarvin and Marlene LevineCatherine MarquisScott, Kelly & Ian McClearyCheryl and Tom McRobertsPatrice Michaels and Jim

GinsburgWilliam S. Miles and

Michele D. RaibleBelverd E. NeedlesCharles & Janice OlsonMargarita PrietoVirginia RussellMichelle and Jonathan

SalesJoe and Joan SenkoJudith and Richard Spurgin

DONORS (c o n t.)


DONORS (c o n t.)

IN -K IND CONTR IBUTIONS

SUSTAINING DONORSBy joining our Sustaining Donor program, the following individuals support the work of Chicago a cappella while reducing our fundraising costs and saving resources. Sustaining donors choose the level and frequency of their automatic payment, and receive the benefits of annual tax deductions without the hassle of writing checks. For more information, see the envelope in this program, visit our website, or call (773) 281-7820.

A huge thank you to our Sustaining Donors:

Susan BealFrank BrockwayNorma FelbingerPatrice Michaels and Jim

GinsburgSanford Greenberg & Betsy

PerdueAnn Hewitt

Jean & Lester HuntDoug & Christine KelnerLeslie LauderdaleVreni NaessDonald & Mary Ellen

NewsomKen NovakAlice & David Osberg

David & Carole PerlmanCarolyn SackstederWarren & Jennifer SchultzTom & Linda SpringAnn StevensDavid & Carolyn UtechFrank VillellaShirlene Ward & Kevin Kipp

About Face TheatreAdler PlanetariumAirTran AirwaysAirWave Recording StudiosAriaArlington ParkBarrel of MonkeysThe Belden StratfordThe Buzz Café, Oak ParkChicago Architecture

FoundationChicago BlackhawksChicago Botanic GardensChicago Chamber MusiciansChicago Gay Men’s ChorusChicago Human Rhythm

ProjectChicago Opera TheatrerChicago Shakespeare

TheaterChicago SinfoniettaChicago SkyChicago Symphony

OrchestraCircle TheatreComedysportz TheaterCosi Restaurant, Evanston Court TheatreDana Hotel and SpaDelicate SpaDeSoto House HotelEast Bank ClubEclipse Theatre CompanyFairmont Hotel ChicagoNorma FelbingerFlat Top GrillFootlights / Marcus

Promotions Frank Lloyd Wright

Preservation TrustFrench Pastry SchoolFulcrum Point

Gethsemane Garden CenterGive Me Some Sugah Bakery,

ChicagoGrant Park Music FestivalDiana HamannHedwig DancesTerri Hemmert Munn HeydornHomestead HotelHouse Red, Forest Park, ILInn at the Springs, Bonita

Springs, FLJ&L CateringJewel-Osco/North BroadwayJewel-Osco/North AshlandNatalie Knight and Collin

Tillotson L20 RestaurantLe Chocolat du Bouchard,

NapervilleLifeline TheatreLight Opera WorksLloyd’s ChicagoLulu’s Dim Sum and Then

Sum, Evanston Lynfred WineryMarriott Theatre LincolnshireMetropolis Performing Arts

CentreMusic Box TheatreMusic of the BaroqueThe Naperville Sun Northeastern Illinois

UniversityNorthlight TheaterOceaniqueOld Town School of Folk

MusicOrion EnsemblePark Hyatt ChicagoPiccolo TheatreJim Parks

Press America, Inc.Province RestaurantRedhead Piano BarRemy Bumppo Theatre

CompanyRitz-Carlton Hotel Chicago (A

Four Seasons Hotel)Robert Morris University Robson Design Will Rogers St. Charles SingersSax Chicago HotelSusan SchoberThe Second CityShiraleaShureSandy Siegel-Miller Maria Suarez Swedish American Museum

CenterSwedish BakeryTall Ship Adventures of

ChicagoTimeline Theatre CompanyTrader Joe’s, NapervilleTRUVosges Haut-Chocolat98.7 WFMTWhole Foods Market,

LakeviewWhole Foods Market,

Evanston North Whole Foods Market, River

ForestWinberie Café, Oak ParkWild Mountain, Taylors Falls

RecreationCheryl Wollin Wrigleyville RooftopsWriters’ TheatreWXRT RadioZanies Comedy Nite ClubZen Shiatsu

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