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1 CHRONOS VOCAL ENSEMBLE JORDAN VAN BIERT CONDUCTOR SATURDAY JANUARY 13 WEST END CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH 17|18 Season presented by Professional Audiology Clinic Ltd. C L I N I C WITH GUESTS Edmonton Youth Choir John Wiebe, Conductor NEW MUSIC FROM CANADA
Transcript

1

CHRONOSVOCAL ENSEMBLE

JORDAN VAN BIERT CONDUCTOR

SATURDAY JANUARY 13WEST END CHRISTIAN

REFORMED CHURCH

1 7 | 1 8 S e a s o n p r e s e n t e d b y Pro fes s iona l Aud io logy C l i n i c L td .

C L I N I C

WITH GUESTS Edmonton Youth Choir John Wiebe, Conductor

NEW MUSIC FROM CANADA

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SOPRANOMelanie Astle

Virginia Clevette

Jessica Heine

Stephanie Mattingly

Elle Salvalaggio

Janet Smith

Elizabeth Stolte

Melodie VanderWey

ALTOLana Cuthbertson

Deanna Davis

Jessica Hatton

Kelly Henry

Guylaine Lefebre-Maunder

Monica Littleton

Judith Plumb

Anne-Marie Switzer

TENORDavid Dykstra

Graham Fast

Slava Morozov

Caleb Nelson

Juan Ramirez

Anthony Wynne

BASSJoel Forth

Kurt Illerbrun

Damon MacLeod

Hugh McCune

John McCune

Justin Strand

Frank Thede

Shad Turner

CHRONOS[vocal ensemble]

Jordan Van Biert, conductor

Kim Cousineau, piano

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PROGRAM

WINTER SUNDon Macdonald (b. 1966)

A FLAME IN THE EMBERS Nicholas Ryan Kelly (b. 1986)

THREE LACQUER PRINTS Zachary Wadsworth (b. 1983)

Anne-Marie Switzer, alto soloCaleb Nelson, tenor solo

VOIX DU VENT Guillaume Boulay (b. 1982)

ONE BLACK SPIKE Jocelyn Morlock (b. 1969)

PICKING WILD BERRIES Alex Eddington (b.1980)

Elle Salvalaggio, soprano solo

PLAYING WITH FIRE Kristopher Fulton (b. 1978)

Edmonton Youth Choir

FOUR HERRICK SONGS (3 excerpts) David L McIntyre (b. 1950)Edmonton Youth Choir

AMBE Andrew Balfour (b. 1967)

INTERMISSION

SPRING AND FALL: TO A YOUNG CHILDTawnie Olson (b. 1974)

WHEN THE SUN COMES AFTER RAIN Matthew Emery (b. 1991)

WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND? David Archer (b. 1985)

I LOVED YOU FIRST Stuart Beatch (b. 1991)

THE EIGHTH OF SEPTEMBER Peter Togni (b. 1959)

LITTLE BELLSNicholas Ryan Kelly (b.1986)

Kim Cousineau, piano

THE FROST Kathleen Allan (b. 1989)

AMBE (reprise)

WORLD PREMIERE CANADIAN PREMIERE ALBERTA PREMIERE

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CHRONOS MUSIC SOCIETYChronos Music Society is a registered charity and issues tax receipts

for all donations over $20. Charity registration # 820201788RR0001

Cheques payable to:

Chronos Music Society, c/o 10615 - 137 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T5N 2H5

www.chronosvocalensemble.com [email protected]

Thanks for your support!

CHRONOS VOCAL ENSEMBLE

Chronos Vocal Ensemble is governed and operated by Chronos Music Society, a non-profit organization incorporated in Alberta and a federally-registered charity. Our aim is to support the production of choral performances of a high calibre in Edmonton and Alberta.

CHRONOS[vocal ensemble]

WE INVITE YOU TO SUPPORT CHRONOS VOCAL ENSEMBLE• Attend a performance.• Contact us to join our mailing list.• Like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.• Make a personal donation, and help produce concerts, recordings, and the creation of

new choral works! • Have a business? We’re looking for Advertisers and Concert Sponsors. • Contact us:

Kurt Illerbrun, President

Judith Plumb, Treasurer

Shad Turner, Secretary

Deanna Davis, Past President

BOARD OF DIRECTORSMatthew Blimke, Director

Mark Freeman, Director

Namisha Hlus, Director

Anne-Marie Switzer, Director

Find us on Facebook or Twitter!

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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S WELCOME

Happy New Year from Chronos Vocal Ensemble, and welcome to this evening’s performance!

This is the second production of our Season Five, which features three contrasting concerts: Fearless, Fresh and Free. Like the other titles, Fresh describes the music you will hear tonight – new music by Canadian composers. We also think it describes the experience you’ll continually have at our concerts.

Tonight’s program features shorter works, mostly a cappella, and secular in theme; topics include nature and the changing seasons, human relationships, passion, love, loss, death, and hope. The texts come primarily from the last 150 years, and are mostly in English.

You will be the first-ever audience for five world premieres this evening. We are particularly excited to premiere the winning entry to our inaugural composition competition, Nicholas Ryan Kelly’s Little Bells, and to have the composer here from Penticton BC to hear it. As I got to know Nick’s music, I discovered another a cappella gem that had yet to receive a public performance, and so his A Flame in the Embers is also on tonight’s program.

We’ve had the thrilling experience of working on a highly collaborative commission project with Toronto composer Alex Eddington. His Picking Wild Berries, based on a children’s book by Canadian author Julie Flett on a text in English and Swampy Cree, will be an interesting feast for your ears. Our thanks to Julie for allowing us to project the images from the book.

Speaking with composer Peter Togni this fall, I was excited to hear he’d completed a new commission that didn’t have built-in performance plans; he was pleased to send us the piece, which is captivating, and you will be the first to hear The Eighth of September.

Among the many other offerings on tonight’s program, we’re excited to bring you music of two US-based Canadian composers, Zachary Wadsworth and Tawnie Olson, whose works will be receiving their Canadian premieres tonight. We also have Edmonton-raised David Archer here from the West Coast to hear us perform his Who Has Seen The Wind, and we’ll present the first performance outside of BC of Juno-nominated composer Joceyln Morlock’s One Black Spike. Each other offering deserves a few words, and I’ll introduce more of the music verbally as we go along.

We’re so glad to have John Wiebe and Edmonton Youth Choir join us for tonight’s performance, and we’ve had a great time making music with them: we salute their energy, excellence and dedication to this art form!

Yesterday evening we were delighted to present a preview version of tonight’s program in St. Albert, and we look forward to future opportunities to perform in Edmonton’s surrounding communities, continuing tomorrow as we travel to Camrose to present a recap performance at the University of Alberta Augustana Campus.

We hope to see you again soon!

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A “a rapidly rising star in the Canadian choral scene” (Anacrusis), Chronos Vocal Ensemble was founded in 2013 by Jordan Van Biert. Under his leadership, and through a process of collaborative learning with careful preparation and dedication to the choral tradition, the choir aims to deliver compelling performances to audiences in Edmonton and beyond.

The singers are united in an appreciation for inspired music-making and significant repertoire. Coming from diverse backgrounds, professions, and ages, they each possess a high level of musicianship and strong vocal technique.

Now in its fifth year of operation, the ensemble has delighted audiences in Edmonton and the surrounding area, and performed by invitation at distinguished events including the University of Alberta Alumni Centennial, Alberta Music Conference, and the Podium 2016 Festival and Conference. In 2015 the choir was awarded the Healey Willan Grand Prize in the National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs, and in Spring 2016 toured the Canadian prairies.

The choir has released two successful recordings, most recently The Simplest Way: The music of Trent Worthington, recently reviewed glowingly in Anacrusis magazine: “I would highly recommend this CD to lovers of choral music… very fine singing.” In November 2016, the choir was given a Performance Award by the City of Edmonton’s Salute to Excellence for bringing recognition to Edmonton.

CHRONOS VOCAL ENSEMBLE

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Over the past decade, Jordan has emerged as a respected choral leader and organization builder, uniting singers in the common goal of creating rich musical experiences—for themselves, for each other, and for audiences. A graduate of the University of Alberta and The King’s University, Jordan is an experienced conductor of many ensemble types, a passionate educator, and an accomplished singer, having performed extensively with professional choirs in Alberta and beyond. He also serves as a workshop leader, adjudicator, juror, and organizational

consultant. In summer of 2016 he was part of a group of international conductors selected to conduct the Stuttgart Chamber Choir in performance as part of a masterclass with Frieder Bernius.

Jordan founded Chronos Vocal Ensemble in 2013 to pursue excellence in choral performance within the context of a non-professional ensemble. His work with the choir is gaining wider recognition: he has been recognized with a nomination as Emerging Artist in Edmonton’s Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts, and recently received the Con Spirito award from Choir Alberta, for “spirit, dedication, and commitment to choral music in the Province of Alberta.” More at www.jordanvanbiert.com

JORDAN VAN BIERT CONDUCTOR

Proud to help this outstanding choir

stand out.

B r a n d s t h a t s i n g . I d e a s t h a t s o a r .

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Edmonton Youth Choir (EYC) is the oldest choir in the Edmonton Youth & Children’s Choir family and focuses on advanced, a cappella repertoire. The choir has competed successfully in festivals and competitions across Canada and Europe, has been heard nationally on CBC Radio, and has recorded six CDs, and tours have taken the group to locales across Canada and around the world. In July 2014, the choir received two Gold Medals for their performances at the World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia, and in 2016 they toured South Africa. The choir has presented a number of choral–orchestral works with members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Youth Orchestra, and their latest CD, “Playing with Fire,” has just been released.

EDMONTON YOUTH CHOIR

Dr. John Wiebe is an award-winning conductor and pianist based in Edmonton, Alberta, where he is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Alberta – Augustana Campus, and the Conductor and Artistic Director of the Edmonton Youth & Children’s Choirs. He is known for his energy, craftsmanship and passion; choirs under his leadership have recorded six CDs, performed across Canada and around the world, and received numerous awards. John has studied at Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Alberta, with Frieder Bernius from Stuttgart, Germany, and in Vienna, Austria. John is active in the choral community as a clinician and adjudicator and is currently the President of Choral Canada.

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Kim Cousineau received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Victoria, and studied privately with Anna Cal, student of Russian pianist Pavel Egorov. He has been involved with numerous operatic and musical theater productions, including “Carmen”, “Hansel & Gretel”, and the world premieres of “Mary’s Wedding” and “Rattenbury” (Pacific Opera Victoria), “Candide” and “La Voix Humaine” (Opera Nuova), “Bernarda Alba” and “The Light in the

Piazza” (MacEwan Theatre), “The Last Resort” (Mayfield Dinner Theatre), and “Urinetown” (Concordia University of Edmonton). Kim was a staff pianist and coach with Vancouver Island summer music programs “In the Key Of Glee” and “A Voce Sola”, and with Singspiration in Edmonton. He is in high demand as a choral accompanist in the Edmonton area, working with many groups including Concordia Concert Choir, Da Camera Singers, Vocal Alchemy, Joyful Noise, and Chronos Vocal Ensemble. In 2012, he was the recipient of the BC Choral Federation’s Joyce O. Maguire Award for outstanding long-term service as a choral accompanist. Kim maintains a busy schedule as a collaborative pianist and coach in the Edmonton area.

KIM COUSINEAU PIANO

SOPRANOMargaret Bird

Angela Bittman

Laura Blanchette

Eli Brooks

Meghan Bunn4Janet Gauthier

Kiara Krasowski

Jenny Lee

Shaylene Lunam

Emily Luo1Katie Maxfield

Ella Morey

Ehren Moser1Siobhan Taylor

Alena Thompson4Caeleigh Warke

Alana Whitson

Casey Wong

ALTODana Barnstable1Jessica Behnke

Mia Chin

Jullieanna Edwards2,4Merina Fitzgerald4Emilia Grindlay

Anna Kraemer

Paige Lucas1Kerry McCune

Elizabeth Ng

Emma Stout

Justine Tomas

TENORFrederick Enorme

Samuel Esteban

Sean Gleason

Michael Paquia

Kevin Quinn1Juan Ramirez

BASSHendrick Baerends

Koen Baerends

Joshua Camacho

Marcus Esteban2Matthew Guay1,4Christian Maxfield

Josiah Maxfield

Callum McCabe1,4Hugh McCune3Ben Paramonov

Tim To4Luke Wiebe

Nathan Wong

1Section Leader

2Choral Assistant

3Librarian

4Choir Council

Administrative Assistant

Lisa Eriksson

10

WINTER SUN

DON MACDONALD

Don Macdonald

has a multifaceted

musical career that

includes professional

performing as a

vocalist, instrumentalist and conductor.

He composes for theatre, dance, voice

and choirs in a multitude of styles; he has

written soundtracks to over 50 film and

television productions. His commissioned

opera, “KHAOS,” received a highlighted

performance at the 2013 Opera America

Conference and his choral works have

been performed and recorded by many

fine ensembles including Rajaton and the

Vancouver Chamber Choir. Don lives in

Nelson, BC.

“To light, to water, and the flow of birds through ancient stars.” This

fantastic poetry written by Malca Litovitz, so rich with imagery of the Canadian winter,

provided the inspiration for a composition that embraces word painting.

To light,

to water,

and the flow of birds

through ancient stars.

To the wild sun of winter

startling the dark green

trees: giants

of majestic silence.

To snow on roofs

and the peace of Sunday.

To quiet and certitude,

to breathing, to air.

To acceptance, to dreams.

To disclosures of the sleeping heart,

for air, for light.

Malca Litovitz (b. 1952)

11

A FLAME IN THE EMBERS

NICHOLAS RYAN KELLY

Nicholas Ryan Kelly

was first drawn to

music’s storytelling

potential through

film soundtracks and

symphonic poems. After completing two

degrees in music and writing for nearly

every medium except choir, he began

focusing on choral music in late 2015.

Since then, he has had several choral

pieces commercially published, received

six national and international awards

for choral composition, and composed

for several prominent Canadian choirs,

including Musica Intima, Chor Leoni, and

the Da Capo Chamber Choir. His scores

can be seen (and occasionally heard) at

nicholasryankelly.com.

“‘A Flame in the Embers’ is set to words by Canadian poet Marjorie Pickthall. I

loved the poem’s atmosphere – the contrast between a radiant garden and a sombre

night – and the film-composer part of me had fun translating it into music.”

Dark is the iris meadow,

Dark is the ivory tower,

And lightly the young moth’s shadow

Sleeps on the passion-flower.

Gone are our day’s red roses,

So lovely and lost and few,

But the first star uncloses

A silver bud in the blue.

Night, and a flame in the embers

Where the seal of the years was set, –

When the almond-bough remembers

How shall my heart forget?

“Serenade,” Marjorie Pickthall (1883–1922)

12

THREE LACQUER PRINTS

ZACHARY WADSWORTH

Canadian-American

composer Zachary

Wadsworth’s “fresh,

deeply felt and

strikingly original”

music (Washington Post) has been

heard around the world. He has held

a residency at the Metropolitan Opera,

and his music has been performed at

Westminster Abbey in the presence of

Queen Elizabeth II. Other recent honours

include awards from Choral Canada

and the American Academy of Arts

and Letters. He is currently an Assistant

Professor of Music at Williams College in

Massachusetts.

Amy Lowell’s poetic “Lacquer Prints” were written as short responses to Japanese

woodblock prints. Each “print” exists in one static moment. In “Temple Ceremony,” rich

chords alternate between high and low voices, passing like wind. In “A Year Passes,”

the chorus imitates picturesque natural scenes and living creatures. In “A Burnt Offering,”

Lowell’s haunting description of emotional trauma unfolds in winding solo lines, building

to a climax on the image of Lowell’s indelible “Beloved.”

I. Temple Ceremony

Blow softly,

O Wind!

And let no clouds cover the moon

Which lights the posturing steps

Of the most beautiful of dancers.

II. A Year Passes

Beyond the porcelain fence of the pleasure

garden,

I hear the frogs in the blue-green rice-fields;

But the sword-shaped moon

Has cut my heart in two.

III. A Burnt Offering

Because there was no wind,

The smoke of your letters hung in the air

For a long time;

And its shape

Was the shape of your face,

My Beloved.

Amy Lowell (1874–1925)

13

VOIX DU VENT

GUILLAUME BOULAY

Guillaume Boulay

studied singing,

composing, conducting

and pedagogy at the

Quebec Conservatory

and Laval University, where he also

conducted the Music Faculty choir and

taught choral conducting from 2012 to

2015. As a composer, his work has been

notably presented in Edmonton, New

York (Carnegie Hall), Paris (Conservatoire

de Musique), Quebec and Montreal. He

has performed as a professional singer in

many settings, has been musical director

of Quebec’s Catholic Cathedral, and

is currently president of the board for

Quebec’s Sacred Music Festival.

“Voix du Vent” is the first piece of a five-song choral cycle composed in 2012 to

celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau. This

famed Quebecois poet is considered by many to be the first modern poet in French-

speaking Canada. The vocal parts of this cycle are faithful images of the author’s

wording, its inner musicality as well as its irrepressible melancholy, carried musically by

a sort of uninhibited tonal serialism.

La grande voix du vent

Toute voix confuse au loin

Puis qui grandit en s’approchant

Devient

Cette voix-ci, cette voix-là

De cet arbre et de cet autre

Et continue et redevient

Une grande voix confuse au loin

The great voice of the wind

Every voice confused far off

That then grows as it approaches

Becomes

This voice, that voice

From this tree and from this other

And goes on and becomes again

A great voice confused far off

Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau (1912–

1943)

14

ONE BLACK SPIKE

JOCELYN MORLOCK

Juno Award-

nominated composer

Jocelyn Morlock’s

music is hailed as

“airy but rhythmic,

tuneful but complex” and with “uncanny

yet toothsome beauty” (Georgia Straight).

Her music is recorded on 22 CDs

including the newly released “Halcyon”

and “Cobalt”, whose title track won the

2015 Western Canadian Music Award

for Best Classical Composition. Jocelyn

is the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s

Composer in Residence; recent premieres

include Lucid Dreams, a cello concerto

written for Ariel Barnes and the VSO.

www.jocelynmorlock.com

“‘One Black Spike’ represents the time period 1914–1945. Its subject is the Grand

Trunk Pacific Railway, opened in 1914, which connects Port Hardy and the BC interior.

The last spike (made of black iron ore) of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was driven

one mile east of Fort Fraser, British Columbia, Canada on April 7, 1914. Thanks to

Alan Ashton for his help in making the list that comprises the text of this song.”

One black iron spike

One mile east of Fort Fraser

Three thousand miles of track, standard

gauge

Three thousand days of immigrant labour

One resource economy

One black spike.

15

PICKING WILD BERRIES

When Clarence was little, his grandma

carried him on her back through

the woods to the clearing to pick

wild berries

pickaci-mīnisa

Grandma carried a bucket and sang.

Now Clarence carries his own bucket

and walks behind his

grandma

ōkoma.

They sing together.

Blueberries dot the clearing.

Grandma checks for

bears

maskwak.

They pick the plumpest berries they can find

and drop them into their

buckets

otaskīkowāwa.

Tup, tup.

Grandma likes sweet

blueberries

ininimina,

soft blueberries, juicy blueberries. Clarence

likes big blueberries, sour blueberries,

blueberries that go POP in his mouth.

Clarence and his grandma pick blueberries

for a

long time

konēsk.

They eat

So many

mīcēt

berries that their lips turn purple.

An ant

ēnik crawls up Clarence’s leg.

Tch, tch. It tickles.

A spider

kōkom-minākēsīs makes its web.

Sh, sh.

A fox

mākēsīs sneaks by.

Rustle, rustle.

When the buckets are full, Clarence lays a

handful of berries on a leaf for the

birds

pinēsīsak

and the other animals of the woods.

They say

thank you

nanāskomowak.

Clarence and his grandma walk back

through the

woods

sakāk

with their buckets full of berries.

The birds

sing

nikamo

in the clearing.

16

ALEX EDDINGTON

Alex Eddington has

been commissioned

by a diverse list of

musicians including

the Toronto Symphony

Orchestra, Continuum Contemporary

Music, and soprano Kristin Mueller-

Heaslip. He has composed many

pieces for students, including the Suzuki

String School of Guelph. His music

was recently released worldwide on

two albums on the Cambria label.

Alex has worked with theatre and

dance companies across Canada as a

composer and sound designer, including

Tarragon Theatre and Mile Zero Dance.

Listen at www.AlexEddington.com.

“‘Picking Wild Berries’ is a musical setting of Julie Flett’s beautiful children’s book Wild

Berries / Pikaci Minisa, written in English and Swampy Cree. The text is a simple

story about a boy and his grandmother picking blueberries in a forest clearing, while

observing nature. I was just as much influenced by Flett’s illustrations; the restricted

colour palette, clean lines, surprising animals, and the eternal presence of a deep

red sun all have analogies in the music. I am indebted to Chronos Vocal Ensemble for

commissioning me to work with this gorgeous source material.”

Wild Berries – Julie Flett

Text and images copyright Julie Flett (2014), used with permission.

17

PLAYING WITH FIRE

KRISTOPHER FULTON

Kristopher Fulton

is a Canadian

composer

(Vancouver, BC)

known for his use

of inter-textuality, specifically with reference

to film and comic books, to create new

and exciting works within the genre of

contemporary classical music. Kristopher’s

work has been actively commissioned and

performed by ensembles across North

America, Europe and Asia, has been

featured in several independent films, and

featured in the field of modern dance.

“I had been wanting to work with the renowned American author and poet Jason Mott

for years. When he agreed to write a poem (“Pyro”) as part of this commission for Dr.

John Wiebe and the Edmonton Youth Choir, I was absolutely elated. Jason has the

ability to combine mythic qualities of the superhero with the heartbreaking realism of the

everyday. The result is an emotional journey that explores many contemporary issues

such as identity, gender, mortality and even love through the lens of one of my favourite

X-Men characters: Pyro.”

PYRO

Someone once said that we all dream of

flame, that, in the end, we all wish to see

the light

fade.

That’s why we love stories of the end, songs

of the time when the future has become

the past

and all that remains are the dogged embers,

flickering, clinging to the last breaths of

warmth.

They call me Pyro. A name and a warning.

Someone who chases fire, who loves it,

who loses

control and lets it consume them.

But I am unconsumed. I am whole.

Because fire lives and breathes, just like us.

So I tend it. The flame never drew me,

only the life.

– Jason Mott

18

FOUR HERRICK SONGS

1. The Wounded Cupid

Cupid as he lay among

Roses, by a Bee was stung.

Whereupon in anger flying

To his Mother, said thus crying;

“Help! O help! your Boy’s a dying.”

“And why, my pretty wagge?” said she.

Then blubbering, replied he,

“A Serpent winged hath bitten me,

Which Country people call a Bee.”

At which she smil’d; then with her hairs

And kisses drying up his tears:

“Alas!” said she, “my lad! if this

So fierce a torment is:

Tell me then, how great is the smart

Of those, thou woundest with thy Dart!”

by Anacreon, translated by Robert Herrick

(1591-1674)

2. A Willow Garland

A willow Garland thou didst send

Last daye perfumde to me,

Which did but only this portend,

I was forsooke by thee

Since thus it is I’le tell thee what

To Morrow thou shalt see

Me weare the willow, after that

To dye uppon the tree

As Beasts unto the Alter goe

With garlands soe I

Will with my willow wreathe alsoe

Com foorth and sweetly dye.

Robert Herrick

19

DAVID L. MCINTYRE

David L. McIntyre is

living his childhood

dream of being a

composer and pianist.

Spending most of his

life on the Canadian prairies, he was

born in Edmonton, educated in Saskatoon

and Calgary, and has been based in

Regina since 1976. Known equally for

his piano, vocal, choral and chamber

works, David has fulfilled commissions for

the Regina Symphony Orchestra and the

Montreal Music Festival, among others,

and among many commissions. David

lives with his partner Greg and a flock

of Fantail and English Trumpeter pigeons

and nurtures a love of architecture and

cooking.

In “Four Herrick Songs,” composer David L. McIntyre sets four poems by the 16th-

century writer and minister, Robert Herrick (you will hear the first three tonight). Herrick

loved the richness, variety and sensuality of life, with an overriding message that “life

is short, the world is beautiful, love is splendid, and we must use the short time we

have to make the most of it – carpe diem.” McIntyre, who is known as a playful, witty,

tuneful and passionate composer, vividly and wonderfully marries his musical writing to

these Herrick texts. From the theatrical setting of “The Wounded Cupid” to the funeral-

procession of “The Willow Garland” to the impassioned sensuality of “The Showre of

Roses,” these pieces capture the essence of carpe diem.

3. The Showre of Roses

My Mistris blush’de, and there-with-all,

As that Rich Crimson spread,

From either cheeke a showre did fall

Of blossoms whyte and Red.

The more she blush’de the more the grace

Did make the Softe bloomes grow,

Which guilded there fell down a pace

Like flakes of winter snow.

Had she not cast her Eye beneath

And Seene a realm of flowr’s

Ah doubtless she had bloomed to death

With Rayninge Rosye showr’s.

But when she stopt…

A sent soe blest I smelt, that I did sweare

That paradise had lefte the East

To spend his spices there.

Robert Herrick

20

AMBE

ANDREW BALFOUR

Of Cree descent,

Andrew Balfour

has written a body

of more than 30

choral, instrumental

and orchestral works and has been

commissioned by many Canadian

artists and ensembles. Andrew is also

the founder and Artistic Director of the

innovative Winnipeg-based 14-member

vocal group Camerata Nova. Andrew

was Curator and Composer-in-Residence

of the WSO’s Indigenous Festivals in

2009 and 2010, and in 2007 received

the Mayor of Winnipeg’s Making a Mark

Award, recognizing the most promising

mid-career artist in the City.

This piece is based on an original song in Ojibway that was gifted by traditional

drummer and singer Cory Campbell to Andrew Balfour and the University of Manitoba

Concert Choir. Cory describes the song as “a call to the people to the ceremonial

way of life or to the red road or, quite frankly, to whatever we have going on,

because everything happens with spirit and in spirit.” Andrew has created an original

composition inspired by Cory’s song. The melodies of Andrew’s piece are original,

but hints of Cory’s song remain. For Andrew, the steady beat throughout represents

the heartbeat of Mother Earth, and the lyrical soprano melody that emerges from this

rhythmic texture conveys the powerful totem of the eagle, representing the teaching

of love, wisdom, and strength. The pronunciation for the text is based on the dialect

spoken on Sagkeeng First Nation in Cory’s home province of Manitoba. Specifically, the

pronunciation of the word “Anishinaabeg” reflects one of the teachings that have come

to Cory involving the etymology of the word; it represents not only the Ojibway people,

but all “two-legged beings.”

Ambe, ambe Anishinaabeg

biindigeg Anishinaabeg

Mino-bimaadiziwin* omaa

Ambe

Come in two-legged beings

come in all people

The way of a good life* is here

Come in!

*Mino-bimaadiziwin is an Ojibway

philosophy – the way of a good life – as

explained by the traditional teachings of the

Anishinaabe.

21

SPRING AND FALL: TO A YOUNG CHILD

TAWNIE OLSON

Tawnie Olson is an

Alberta-born composer

whose music draws

inspiration from

spirituality, politics, the

natural world, and the musicians for whom

she composes. www.tawnieolson.com

“When setting ‘Spring and Fall: to a Young Child,’ I tried to underscore

meaningful features of the poem (e.g., how Hopkins’ meter ties together “Márgarét”

and “Goldengrove,” foreshadowing the poem’s conclusion) and draw out things that

are glossed over in the text (the whole journey from childhood to middle age, casually

summed up with “by and by”). This piece is dedicated to my father, Tom Olson, and to

the Ithaca College Choir. It was commissioned by the Ithaca College School of Music,

the Ithaca College Choir, and Janet Galván.”

Márgarét, are you gríeving

Over Goldengrove unleaving?

Leáves, like the things of man, you

With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?

Ah! ás the heart grows older

It will come to such sights colder

By and by, nor spare a sigh

Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;

And yet you wíll weep and know why.

Now no matter, child, the name:

Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same.

Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed

What heart heard of, ghost guessed:

It ís the blight man was born for,

It is Margaret you mourn for.

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889)

22

WHEN THE SUN COMES AFTER RAIN

MATTHEW EMERY

Matthew Emery is a

composer who “writes

with an honesty which

enchants” (Vancouver

Sun); his music has

been performed in sixteen countries and

in every province. Recent performances

include ones at the White House

(Obama), the Great Wall of China, and

the Musikverein. His music is available on

numerous commercially released albums,

and through several leading publishers.

Matthew studied at the University of British

Columbia and the University of Toronto.

“‘When the Sun Comes After Rain’ is an anthem about finding home. I wrote the

work while in my second year of university, living on the other side of the country. It is an

imaginative a cappella setting of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem that brings a freshness

as real as the smells after a summer rain.”

When the sun comes after rain

And the bird is in the blue,

The girls go down the lane

Two by two.

When the sun comes after shadow

And the singing of the showers,

The girls go up the meadow,

Fair as flowers.

When the eve comes dusky red

And the moon succeeds the sun,

The girls go home to bed

One by one.

And when life draws to its even

And the day of man is past,

They shall all go home to heaven,

Home at last.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)

23

WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND?

DAVID ARCHER

David Archer’s music

finds life in the divide

between sacred and

secular. An award-

winning composer

and University of Alberta Music grad,

David creates thoughtful and emotionally

engaging music charged with mystery

and beauty. Pro Coro Canada, Vancouver

Chamber Choir, Canadian Chamber

Choir, Vox Humana Chamber Choir, and

the U of A Madrigal Singers are a few of

the ensembles that have performed pieces

from his expanding catalogue focused on

choral music. www.soundstone.ca

“I was drawn to this poem because of its simplicity and because of its question without a

good answer. No doubt this will be different for every person, but I hope that the music

makes a space for us to savour the mysteries of the unseen, the unknown, of faith, doubt,

wondering, hope, and peace. There is always room for another question.”

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you:

But when the leaves hang trembling

The wind is passing thro’.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I:

But when the trees bow down their heads

The wind is passing by.

Christina Rossetti (1830–1894)

24

I LOVED YOU FIRST

STUART BEATCH

Stuart Beatch is a

Canadian composer

of choral and

chamber music

currently living in

London, UK. He recently completed

graduate studies at King’s College

London under Rob Keeley, having

previously studied at the University of

Alberta. With a particular focus on

the choral arts, his music has been

sung by vocal ensembles on both

sides of the Atlantic, including the BBC

Singers, the National Youth Choir

of Canada, and Pro Coro Canada.

www.stuartbeatch.com

“‘I Loved You First’ is a simple and emotional setting of the eponymous poem by

Christina Rossetti. In this piece, I aimed to write something pure, delicate, and vulnerable,

but which remained true to my roots (that of sacred choral music). The text, about the

nature of true and lasting love, is set with clean, sterile lines juxtaposed against passionate

declarations, which ends with a warm and reaffirming chorale.”

I loved you first: but afterwards your love,

Outsoaring mine, sang such a loftier song

As drowned the friendly cooings of my dove.

Which owes the other most? My love was long,

And yours one moment seemed to wax more

strong;

I loved and guessed at you, you construed me

And loved me for what might or might not be –

Nay, weights and measures do us both a wrong.

For verily love knows not ‘mine’ or ‘thine’;

With separate ‘I’ and ‘thou’ free love has done,

For one is both and both are one in love:

Rich love knows nought of ‘thine that is not mine’;

Both have the strength and both the length thereof,

Both of us, of the love which makes us one.

Christina Rossetti (1830–1894)

25

THE EIGHTH OF SEPTEMBER

PETER-ANTHONY TOGNI

Canadian Peter-

Anthony Togni is

an award-winning

composer, pianist,

organist, conductor

and former CBC broadcaster based in

Halifax. He has toured internationally

and performs currently as part of

Blackwood, and his recordings are

broadcast worldwide. Togni’s Responsio

won the 2014 Nova Scotia Masterworks

Arts Award. In 2016, Peter’s opera

Isis and Osiris premiered to critical

acclaim in Toronto. Current projects

include a symphony, Open Gates

and Sea Dreams for choirs and flute.

www.petertogni.com

“‘The Eighth of September’ is by the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Pablo

Neruda, one of the great poets of the 20th century and a personal favourite of mine.…

These loving, ecstatic and passionate poems were written for his wife Matilde Urrutia.

He turns simplicity into mystical beauty and reveals the hidden corners behind the words

themselves. I have tried to capture this with my own musical language, always being

guided by the underlying passion and simplicity of the poetry.”

This day, Today, was a brimming glass.

This day, Today, was an immense wave.

This day was all the Earth.

This day, the storm-driven ocean

lifted us up in a kiss

so exalted we trembled

at the lightning flash

and bound as one, fell,

and drowned, without being unbound.

This day our bodies grew

stretched out to Earth’s limits,

orbited there, melded there

to one globe of wax, or a meteor’s flame.

A strange door opened, between us,

and someone, with no face as yet,

waited for us there.

Pablo Neruda (1904–1973)

26

LITTLE BELLS

“‘Little Bells’ celebrates the beauty that can be found in the everyday, and the joys

inherent in being attuned to one’s surroundings. The text by Walt Whitman describes an

awed reaction to sounds as commonplace as wind and a heartbeat – and I decided

that, rather than mimicking these sounds (which, to my mind, would be redundant),

the music should underscore this reaction, and help to evoke the remarkable contrasts

between the sounds Whitman describes.”

I heard you, solemn-sweet pipes of the

organ, as last Sunday morn I pass’d the

church;

Winds of autumn!—as I walk’d the woods

at dusk, I heard your long-stretch’d sighs, up

above, so mournful;

I heard the perfect Italian tenor, singing at the

opera—I heard the soprano in the midst of

the quartet singing;

Heart of my love!—you too I heard,

murmuring low, through one of the wrists

around my head;

Heard the pulse of you, when all was still,

ringing little bells last night under my ear.

Walt Whitman (1819–1892)

NICHOLAS RYAN KELLY

(see bio, page 11)

COMPOSITION COMPETITION WINNER

Chronos Vocal Ensemble’s inaugural

composition competition was held in

summer-fall 2017, and we received 21

entries from 6 provinces.

Congratulations to

winner Nicholas

Ryan Kelly!

Many thanks to our

jurors: Julia Davids

(Chicago), Rachel Rensink-Hoff (Hamilton)

and Timothy Shantz (Calgary) who

worked together with Jordan Van Biert to

narrow down selections and determine

a winner; thanks also to our anonymous

donor whose contribution has funded the

prize for this competition as well as other

upcoming new music projects.

27

THE FROST

KATHLEEN ALLAN

Kathleen Allan’s

compositions have

been commissioned

and performed

throughout the

Americas and Europe and have been

featured at two World Symposiums on

Choral Music. She is the Director of

Choral Studies at the Vancouver Academy

of Music, the Artistic Director of Canzona,

Winnipeg’s professional Baroque choir,

and is a founding co-artistic director of

Arkora, a chamber collective dedicated to

interdisciplinary performance. She studied

composition at UBC and holds a master’s

degree in conducting from Yale University.

www.kathleenallan.com

“I composed ‘The Frost’ while at a residency at the Banff Centre in February 2015.

During my residency I visited my aunt and uncle who lived in the Rockies, and spent one

of the most memorable days snowshoeing around and across a beautiful frozen mountain

lake. I didn’t know at the time that this special day would be the last time I saw my

beloved aunt before she died suddenly a couple of months later. Archibald Lampman’s

‘Winter Uplands’ was written after a winter walk near his Ontario home, and I felt that his

words perfectly captured the soundscape and essence of a winter day outdoors.”

The frost that stings like fire upon my cheek,

The loneliness of this forsaken ground,

The long white drift upon whose powdered peak

I sit in the great silence as one bound;

The rippled sheet of snow where the wind blew

Across the open fields for miles ahead;

The far-off city towered and roofed in blue

A tender line upon the western red;

The stars that singly, then in flocks appear,

Like jets of silver from the violet dome,

So wonderful, so many and so near,

And then the golden moon to light me home –

The crunching snowshoes and the stinging air,

And silence, frost and beauty everywhere.

Archibald Lampman (1861–1899)

28

West End Christian Reformed Church, and Staff

Trinity Lutheran ChurchRehearsal venue

Chronos Music Society Board & Volunteers

Beth Mackey

Administrative Assistant

Laurel HalkierConcert and poster designs

David GarberProgram layout

David DykstraWebsite management

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Graham FastMusic library

Envy Leaf SolutionsWeb hosting

Caleb Nelson, Silver StudiosConcert recording

Erin Iampen & Sophia StaufferFront of House

Vocal Alchemy

Ante Meridiem Choral Association

Edmonton Youth Choir Staff and Families

29

SUSTAINERS$2500 AND UP

Anonymous (2) Allard Foundation

Patrick Marchand and Deanna Davis Serendipity Choral Foundation

SUSTAINERS$1000 TO $2499

Anonymous (3) Barbara and Brian Hlus

Heather Jamieson and Sandy Gillis Kenneth Munro

Jordan and Tamara Van Biert

PATRONS$500 TO $999

Anonymous (1) Mark Freeman

Mark Lyrette and Elle SalvalaggioDonna Lynn Smith Blackburn

Frank Thede

FRIENDS$250 TO $499

Anonymous (1)James and Alice Joosse

Melinda and Frank WuestSusan Zukiwsky

SUPPORTERS$100 TO $249

Marcia Becov Deanna and Ronald Betty

August and Harriette GuillaumeMadeleine HenkemansTom and Mary Johnson

Margaret McKagueJan McMillanKaren Mills

Diane QuilichiniAndy and Wilma Van Biert

CONTRIBUTORS$50 TO $99

Audrey BrooksPeter and Tammy Salvalaggio

Patricia Wankiewicz

Chronos Music Society gratefully acknowledges our supporters.

We have made every effort to acknowledge all donations received since January 1, 2017.

Please contact us in case of error or omission.

2018 FUND DRIVE

Chronos Music Society owes so much to our generous financial contributors. This season, in addition to our season of concerts in Edmonton, we are mounting performances in several outlying communities, commissioning new choral works, completing sessions for a new recording, and traveling to Newfoundland to perform at the 2018 Podium Conference.

The time of the year has come where we ask you to make a contribution to Chronos Music Society to help us reach our goals. Read more at chronosvocalensemble.com/support, where you’ll also be able to instantly donate online through Canada Helps, or schedule a monthly recurring donation. (To send a cheque, find our mailing info on page 4.)

We have raised about $7000 in personal donations and pledges toward our goal of $16,500, which we hope to achieve by our next concert in April. Can you help?

30

31

JORDAN VAN BIERT CONDUCTOR

Featuring arrangements of African-American spirituals.

RESISTANCE TO OPPRESSION & RESILIENCE OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT

SUNDAY APRIL 15 7:30 PM, ALL SAINTS’ ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL 10035 103 STREET

CHRONOSVOCAL ENSEMBLE

17|18 Season presented by Professional Audiology Clinic Ltd.

C L I N I C

Tickets ChronosVocalEnsemble.com Tix on the Square I The Gramophone

Adults $20 advance, $23 doorSeniors | Students $15 advance, $18 door

32

Hearing assessments, instruments& protection

Give us a call780.424.7659 proud sponsor of

Chronos Vocal Ensemble since 2015

Hys Centre, 11010 101 Street, Edmonton


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