No. 11 (January 2012)

Dear Friends of Choral Music, This is another splendid issue of Hear the Voices—documenting that choral music is alive and well at Mansfield University. We seem to be at the peak of choral music-making with the success in Wales and the American Prize still fresh in our memory. And this issue features communications from alumni and friends which is so important to sustaining good will. In addition, several great opportunities for Mansfield singers beckon in the year ahead (see choral calendar and a more detailed synopsis inside this issue). With some trepidation, I am watching how losing a great senior class will affect the choral sound. Continuation of the level of excellence we have reached will, no doubt, depend very much on recruiting students, especially, but not only, through fellowships but also through administrative and fi-nancial support for the entire music program. Donations to the cause of music at Mansfield University are always welcome. If you are so inclined, visit the Mansfield University website at Mansfield.edu and check the green box: Support MU. Then look for the link on the right: Give Online. You may select Concert Choir Tours or any other noble cause for the university. I am grateful to Jürgen Thym for edit-ing this issue of Hear the Voices and to Sheryl Monkelien for formatting it.

MU CONCERT CHOIR & CONDUCTOR WIN “THE AMERICAN PRIZE” When we went to press with the last issue of HTV in July 2011, the news was so new that we only could hint at the fact that, in addition to being “Winners in Wales”, the Mansfield University Concert Choir and its conductor were also honored with the American Prize for 2011. In the following is a more detailed account of what happened, including excerpts of the adjudication. The Mansfield University Concert Choir won The American Prize in Choral Performance for 2011 in the College/University Division. This prize recognizes and rewards the best performances by choruses in America based upon submitted applications. Peggy Dettwiler applied for the award back in March of 2011 by submitting a recording of ten selections performed by the choir over the past three years. The Road Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . arr. Stephen Paulus With a Lily in Your Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Whitacre Joshua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . arr. Norman Luboff hope, faith, life, love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eric Whitacre Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (Pt. 1) . . . J. S. Bach Sing Joyfully unto God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Byrd Sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric Whitacre Mitten wir im Leben sind . . . . . . . . . Felix Mendelssohn Soon Ah Will Be Done . . . . . . . . . . . arr. Diane Loomer Born to Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Glenn Burleigh

The recordings were reviewed by a jury and ranked. Winning choruses received cash prizes and award certificates. Other winners in the College/University category were Pacific Lutheran University Choir of the West (2

nd place) and the University of Arizona Symphonic Choir (3

rd place).

In addition, Peggy Dettwiler won second prize in Conducting in the College/University Division. Here she submitted a separate DVD featuring 30 minutes of her conducting in recent performances. Carole Ott, Assistant Professor of Choral Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro won 1

st prize

and David DeVenney from West Chester University in Pennsylvania was awarded 3rd

place.

The American Prize was founded in 2009 based on the belief that a great deal of excellent music being made in this country goes unrecognized and unheralded, not only in our major cities, but all across the country. By shining a light on nationally recognized achievement, winners of The American Prize get world-class bragging rights to use in promotion of their programs. The annual competitions of The American Prize are open to all U.S. citizens, whether living in this country or abroad, and to others cur-rently living, working and/or studying in the United States of America, its protectorates and territories.

The American Prize is a series of new, non‐profit national competitions providing cash awards, profes-sional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition for the best recorded perfor-mances of music by ensembles and individuals each year in the United States at the professional, col-lege/university, church, community and secondary school levels. The awards are administered by Hat City Music Theater, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Danbury, Connecticut.

Evaluation of the Mansfield University Concert Choir by American Prize Adjudicator The choir sings with wonderful stylistic accuracy. They sing with excellent intonation and balance among the parts. In the Mendelssohn and others, we hear nice full singing, which never sounds forced. They do not over-sing. There is much gorgeous soft singing as well. “Road Home:” Very nice legato singing with beautiful long lines, good vowel matching. A beautiful solo voice, but this is the only time on the recording I felt the style of her singing, with so much scooping, did not suit the style of the piece. But this is more of a personal preference. Whitacre (“Lily”): Very clean singing. The soprano sound is very bright and sometimes sounds a little thin. Chords are well balanced. (“Hope”): Great atmosphere established at the beginning, good balance between the sections, tone qualities match very well—a beautiful warm tone—the chords shimmer. (“Sleep”): Again great intonation and balance among the parts, good dynamic pacing. “Joshua:” Good stylistic singing. Softened consonants, etc., suit the spiritual style. Excellent performance with good dynamic pacing. “Soon Ah Will Be Done:” Again a wonderful, colorful, stylistically accurate performance. Great soloist. Nice dramatic phrasing, the dialect sounds very natural. A very powerful performance with great pacing. Bach: Excellent articulation, stylistically appropriate. Sometimes the soprano sounds a little thin. The tempo is maintained well throughout. Mendelssohn: German text very clearly declaimed. Men’s sections sound great, well-balanced and matched tonewise. Good uniform vowels throughout the choir. An excellent choir with fantastic performances of pieces in a variety of styles. Congratulations.

Evaluation of the Conductor by American Prize Adjudicator The conductor is very expressive with her gestures, both with and without baton. She makes good use of the baton, she holds it well, and the point of the beat is right where it should be. She gives a lot of good information in her gestures, and there are no unnecessary busy gestures. She gives beautiful final releases. She maintains good posture and makes good eye contact with the singers. She shapes phrases beautifully. For the most part, the gesture is free and encourages good, healthy singing. In Joshua, there is some tension in her conducting, in an effort to control the stylized rhythm and percussive-ness of the piece. I saw this in the more rhythmic passages of With a Lily as well. Excellent work. No wonder this choir has such a great reputation.

Both documents are signed by Nancy Menk Note: Nancy Menk is Mary Lou and Judd Leighton Chair of Music at St Mary’s College of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, where she conducts choral ensembles and teaches conducting. She is the founder and conductor of the South Bend Chamber Singers and serves as conductor of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus. Her Chamber Sing-ers won the 2004 ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming, and were finalists for the prestigious Margaret Hillis Award, given annually by Chorus America, in 2000. In November 2005 she made her fourth appearance at Carnegie Hall, conducting music of Gwyneth Walker for women's voices and orchestra. Dr. Menk serves regularly as a guest conductor and choral adjudicator throughout the United States. She has conducted All-State Choirs in Pennsylva-nia, Kentucky, North Dakota, Delaware, and Indiana. She holds degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (BS and MA) and the College-Conservatory of the University of Cincinnati (MM and DMA).

MOZART’S MAGIC FLUTE AT MANSFIELD The editor of Hear the Voices spoke with Todd Ranney, assistant professor of voice and opera theatre, who, to-gether with Professor Young-Suk Kim, produced Mozart’s famous opera in Straughn Auditorium in the fall of 2011. Editor: What made you and Young-Suk Kim decide to produce this opera in Mansfield? Todd Ranney: When making plans for staging an opera at the collegiate level, I first consider the physical venue at my disposal—in Mansfield’s case: Straughn Auditorium, an early twentieth-century theater with 1200 seat capacity and with full fly-house and orchestra pit. Secondly, already during the spring semester I consider the voice students enrolled at the school and those who will be attending the following fall semester. Dr. Kim and I conduct auditions for interested students (with guests invited to offer opinions on our choices) and then announce the results sometime in early April. Occasionally, recasting is necessary when one or more students do not to return in the fall.

The Magic Flute was one of two operas that I thought might be suitable for stage and vocal forces in 2011 (the other was The Elixir of Love). After talking it over with my colleagues, Dr. Kim and I agreed to mount the Mozart. It also would provide returning stu-dents with the opportunity to perform a second Mozart opera (as we did Marriage of Figaro the year before). Mozart and other early nine-teenth-century operas are most suitable for young voices because of the relatively small orchestral forces needed. This prevents young voices from projecting their still-maturing instruments beyond their capabilities in an auditorium the size of Straughn. Being an operatic performer, I understand the requirements and vocal maturity needed for success on stage; thus, as a studio instructor I carefully balance the vocal types available in the audition and envision a scenario, which will provide education, experience, opportunity and training for our singers. Ed: Mozart’s Magic Flute is quite a mixed bag, in terms dramaturgy and musical style. TR: Perhaps. Still, it is an all-time favorite with audiences. According to Operabase statistics, it is currently the number one opera pro-duced in the world over the past five years, edging out La Traviata and Carmen. The story is suitable to all ages and speaks of overpow-ering love, eternal commitment and good overcoming evil. It’s kind of the Star Wars of the eighteenth century, where boy and girl come together to meet all challenges and rise above good and bad. Ed: It is a fairy-tale world, where liars are immediately punished with padlocks on their mouths. TR: There are many symbolisms in the opera that one may consider. For instance, the Queen of the Night represents evil, while Sarastro represents good, and the pursuit of Tamino and Papageno is the fulfillment of their purpose in life. This conflict of good and evil however must work in opposition to balance the way of life. Tamino is the tool used by both night and day to bring forth the destruction of the oth-er, but his journey through hard work, patience and reason leads him to find the balance between both and normalcy is restored in the end. Ed: Are students capable of fitting into the demanding roles in which Mozart casts some of the characters? TR: It is exactly this type of opportunity that students need: to be introduced to opera in order to develop their skills as actors and singers for the theatrical stage. Our students at Mansfield are as able to learn and mature through the exposure created by this “class” experi-ence as vocalists at other schools. Young-Suk Kim and I have witnessed a phenomenal progression in acting skills by the students over the last three years. Especially noteworthy were Derrek Stark as Tamino, Derek Gracey in the role of Papageno, Daniela Di Benedetto as Papagena and Danielle Montgomery as the First Lady. All four of these students have grown tremendously since their debut with Mansfield Opera Theatre (or MOT). Other highlights were Kim Bemis’s consistent delivery of high F’s in the coloraturas of the Queen of the Night and the menacing performance of Jarrod Miller as Monostatos. The opera was almost entirely double cast (with only the Queen and Third Lady among the principal parts not being doubled), thus building a foundation of vocal and acting talent on which we can count next year and beyond. Ed: You also invited students from several area high schools to the dress rehearsal at Straughn. What was the reaction of the young-sters? TR: Over the years, I have been engaged in operatic performances that also focused on educational outreach. So in keeping with that experience, I wanted Mansfield Opera Theatre, from the start, to follow a similar vein: I invited area schools to a final morning dress re-hearsal to witness the opera classics and will continue to do so in the future. I have received letters from many students last year for Marriage of Figaro, and the same is true for this year’s Magic Flute. Most, if not all, students expressed great amazement at the produc-tion and the power of the voices. Costumes, scenery, orchestra and lighting all added to their deep appreciation of what in most cases

is their first operatic experience. The teachers reacted with similar enthusi-asm. The turnout for Flute was even higher than for Figaro (about 350 to last year’s 250). I have no doubt that with continued exposure and availa-bility these performances will eventu-ally “sell out”. Ed: After doing Marriage of Figaro and Magic Flute—what is your next project? Another Mozart opera? Other operas that might work on the college level?

TR: It would not be inconceivable to have a Mozart series and bring Così, Don Giovanni, La Clemenza di Tito or even the one-act Impre-sario in a double bill. Other operas that would work at Mansfield given the talent pool at any given year might include: The Elixir of Love, Gianni Schicchi, Pirates of Penzance, Hansel and Gretel, Fledermaus, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and others. As far as my own per-sonal project, I am directing/producing Madama Butterfly this April and singing the role of Sharpless with the Wooster Symphony’s semi-staged production and again singing with Pennsylvania Lyric Opera Theater next August.

Ed: Your staging relied mainly on movement of the characters (or acting) and lighting. The props were sparse, and there was no back-drop to provide orientation for the spectators. Did you run out of funds?

TR: There was a decrease of over 30% in the budget for this year’s production over last year’s and that had an impact on the final visual nature of the production. I attempted to overcome some of that deficiency with the addition of a raked stage and by adding more lighting contrasts than in the previous year, and I maintained the high level of costuming introduced in my first year.

Ed: In Act I Papageno, the bird catcher, was seen on stage with a special companion—a live bird. Do you want to comment?

TR: We had a special un-credited guest artist on stage making her second appearance in the role of “live bird” for Papageno to bring on stage. “Figara” as she is now known was brought on by Derek Gracey at the beginning of the opera and taken off after the Three Ladies appear to fetch his catch for them. A brief sidebar about “Figara”: I have had Figara Ranney in my household for over 17 years and until last year her name was “Figaro” named after the operatic character in Mozart’s opera. Due to a medical emergency with him, I found out he was harboring up to five eggs inside which needed to be removed surgically. The sudden realization set in that boy birds don’t have eggs so I had to rename my double yellow fronted Amazon parrot to Figara. You will note the similarity in the name due to the final vowel changing from the masculine “o” vowel to the feminine “a”. This play on name gender can also be heard with the characters of Papageno and Papagena in their duet in the Finale of Act II in the Magic Flute. My Figara, while she does not talk, is a mimicker of sounds. Ed: Thank you. I think we can close our conversation here, because the last point leads to a fitting conclusion, namely a link to a YouTube clip, in which a parrot (Menino is his name) sings the coloraturas of the Queen of the Night aria. If it is okay with you (and apol-ogies to Kim Bemis who so splendidly performed in your production), I will mischievously place that link at the end of our talk. Hear the Voices readers, I am sure, will enjoy listening to Menino’s priceless rendition. Parrot singing opera (original video) - YouTube or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?=sWh_2Iit3Ek&feature=fvwrel

Sarastro—Holden Moyer Pamina—Erika VanGorden Tamino—Derrek Stark Priest—Ethan Sherman Man in Armor—Joshua Hartman

STAYING CONNECTED

Prone to hyperbole, the editor of HTV occasionally quipped that sooner or later the newsletter at hand would write itself. Well, so far it has not happened! But during the last few months his inbox was filled with mails and letters by so many friends of choral music, mostly alums commenting on the special place Mansfield assumes in their memory, that this time the centerfold story is a mosaic of updates and reminiscences of former students appropriately entitled “Staying Connected.” It is heartening to gather voices from as distant as the 1950s. Sarah Best, class of 2007 and MU outstanding senior, writes: “I've been in touch with Mark Johnson Rehnstrom—as he and I run in simi-lar singing circles in New York, gigging for various choirs and concerts together. He mentioned the possibility of returning to MU for a recital as well [he did so indeed, see below]. The NYC singing world is such a small world. I remember being in the B Minor Mass chorus when he sang at MU years ago. Strangely enough, I was working on a recording gig with one of the former members of "Cantus"—and he vividly remembered the performance they sang at MU for YMCF. Really a small world! Anyway, things have been steady and good here in NYC and I'm continually progressing as new opportunities arise. Plans are moving forward for more auditioning and performing here in NYC. (Note: Sarah Best will be performing the alto solo in Mozart’s Requiem in April.)

Bill Cutter, class of 1978 and now Professor of Music at MIT, writes: “I saw your choirs on Christmas Day on WVIA while I was visiting my parents for the holidays! All of the ensembles sounded terrific! I did a wonderfully fun production of "Amahl and the Night Visitors" with my Chamber Choir at MIT. Hired an opera director friend of mine to stage the piece and collaborated with the costume and design folks of our theater department at MIT. What fun!”

Andy Dutko, class of 2010 and MU outstanding senior, writes in gratitude for the education and encouragement he received at Mansfield University (he singles out Sheryl Monkelien, Young-Suk Kim, and Peggy Dettwiler in his missive): “I would like to thank the three of you for all the work you put into me to push me forward and strive for professional excellence. It is the support of the faculty that makes Mans-field the school for music education in Pennsylvania. I can’t believe just how many hours I have spent with each of you in and outside of class so that I can learn about what it takes to become an excellent musician and educator. Each of you pushed me to my limits of time commitment, giving me a distinct quality of leadership that was noticed by both the music students and community. My time in Mansfield was fantastic and I couldn’t imagine it without our professional and personal relationship that was created. Thank you for all that you have done for me and I hope to make you proud in the professional world.

Victor Fields, class of 2001 (see Rehnstrom)

Briana Gresko (formerly Bailey), MA in Choral Conducting at MU in 2008, writes from North Beach, Maryland (50 miles south of Balti-more, 25 south of Annapolis): “Career-wise, I feel like things are starting to take off. A colleague and I are presenting our session from last fall – ‘Developing Musicianship in the Middle School Choral Rehearsal’ - at the ACDA Voices United Conference this week (MD/DC & VA summer conference), and I've been asked to present to my middle and high school counterparts in the county on sight reading at our in-service a little later. I’ll be the manager for the Junior All State Chorus (grades 7-9) this year. I was also just asked to conduct a cham-ber vocal group that is tentatively being planned for next summer at the overnight chorus camp which I’ve accompanied the past two years (my first guest conducting gig!). I’m so glad when I spoke with you two years ago, nervous about teaching middle school and feel-ing like I was missing out, that you told me to give it time. I ended up really loving my time there, and I feel like what I learned through teaching there is invaluable.” And she continues: “Many congratulations to you on all of the wonderful, exciting things happening at Mans-field. I loved reading about your experience in Wales, and I'm so thrilled that you and the choir will be at ACDA and the Choral Olympics again. Congratulations!!! Josh and I loved hearing you perform at MENC in April. Everyone else we know who heard your performance agreed that you were the best group we heard all conference!”

Wendy Griffin, class of 2001, reminisces about the importance of singing in her life, now and then: “I was singing my little boy to sleep tonight and thought of you, I thought that as a teacher you might want to know how a song you picked to sing on promenade my freshmen year has determined what I sing to my own kids and how my daughter loves the song so much she can sing every word. My freshmen year you sang Vespers along with some other short tunes on promenade and I loved the song so much that my sophomore year when I was trying to raise money to go to Europe with the concert choir and I gave a concert in my hometown I sang that song. Years later when I was singing my daughter to sleep I remembered it and it's her favorite song. Now I sing it to my son and someday I'm sure he will be singing along. Thank you for choosing that song to sing on promenade one day back in 1997/98 school year, it has been part of my life ever since!”

Ryan Howe, class of 2009, visited his alma mater on January 3. He is teaching full-time in Iowa at The School for Music Vocations at Southwestern Community College. Some of the courses he teaches are: Music Theory, Jazz Improvisation, Recording Studio Tech-niques, Jazz Ear Training, plus directing various jazz ensembles. He is grateful for the skills he learned at Mansfield University, particu-larly the choral notebook he was required to compile! (Ryan obviously missed the caucuses in his state of employment.)

Alyssa (Munger) Johnson, class of 2000 and now teaching music at Zach Elementary School in Fort Collins, Colorado, reminisces about Mansfield, the late Esther Jerald, and she lets us know how she is doing in the Rocky Mountains: “I was so excited to see that MU did so well at the choral festival this summer. I can’t tell you how proud I am to be part of such a wonderful tradition! I hope to bring my family up to Mansfield sometime in the near future. I don’t know if you have any contact with the family of Esther Jerald. I saw today in the Mansfieldian that she passed away this year. Such a dear lady she was! I will always be grateful for her contribution to my European Tour fund when we went with Concert Choir in ’99, and how in many other ways she took me in and cared for me as my own grandmother would when I was so far away from my family. She was truly a special lady I will never forget! My family is doing well. My husband Jeff and I have been married for 10 years and have two boys, Miles, 7 and Ian, 3. I am in my 12th year of teaching and 10th year at Zach Elementary in Fort Collins, CO. Zach is the largest elementary school in the Poudre School District. I have around 600 students in 28 sections, K-5. The choir program (grades 2-5) regularly has about 100 students! It’s very busy, but overall, I love my job and am so thankful for the great start in education that I got at MU. This fall I will be taking on my 2nd student teacher. It feels funny that I am old enough and experienced enough to be taking on such responsibility! Thanks for all you do to continue to put out quality music teachers.”

Masashi Kishimoto, MA in Choral Conducting at MU in 2010, reports that he passed the written and oral examinations for the doctoral degree in Choral Conducting at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. His degree recital is in April. Hardy souls may want to ven-ture out to North Country to cheer him on as he puts finishing touches on a well-deserved doctorate. (Note: He will be back in Mansfield in April, singing the tenor solo in Mozart’s Requiem.)

Hingrid Kujawinski, MA in Choral Conducting at MU in 2011, sent her Christmas Greetings this year from the beaches of Rio De Janei-ro. In addition to working on her tan in 100 degree weather (it is summer in the southern hemisphere), she had to travel from her native Porto Allegre to get to an American consulate and apply for a visa, as she plans to audition for various doctoral programs in choral con-ducting in the US in the spring. After her pleas for a visa were answered in the affirmative, she celebrated in the “Garota de Ipanema”, a bar made famous by Antonio Carlos Jobim (aka Tom Jobim) who lived in the Ipanema neighborhood (close to the beach) and made his fame with a song in the “bossa nova” style called “Garota de Ipanema” about a very beautiful but unattainable girl he saw passing by in the neighborhood (“the way she walked was poetry,” the lyrics say). Here is a link to a performance by Tom Jobim and a youngish-looking Frank Sinatra with English and Portuguese subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2UYVvkpYRo. According to Hingrid, the girl from Ipanema who inspired the song is still alive and now owns a company that sells bikinis. Now you know! (Note: If Hingrid emerg-es from her tanning duties and the bar at the beach of Ipamena, Brazil, there is a good chance that she will be at the ACDA Eastern Divi-sion conference in Providence in February.)

Jesse Martins, MA in Collaborative Piano in 2011 (student of Benjamin Moritz) and now an opera coach in Sarasota, Florida is inviting Mansfield folks to join him in sunnier climes during spring break and watch Vanessa, an opera by Samuel Barber, in addition to Bizet’s Carmen, Donizetti’s Lucia, and Verdi’s Otello. Daniela DiBenedetto, Nathan Smouse, and Aaran Pooley, allegedly, have already volun-teered to escape the snowy landscapes of Northern Central Pennsylvania to satisfy their operatic curiosities. He expresses his gratitude for all he learned at Mansfield University and is considering to establish a scholarship to support budding accompanists, including those for the Concert Choir, “as my short semester of involvement contributed so much to me as an artist.” “I have good news,” he continues: “I will be the Associate Conductor of our new Youth Opera world premiere next fall. And the conductor will be no one less than Steve Os-good (Associate Conductor at the Met). I am so excited – practically eating the Orchestra Score for breakfast. A lot of work ahead but it will be a huge deal.”

Matt Owen, class of 2010, writes that he has “accepted a job teaching English at a language school in Budapest, Hungary! I am very, very excited about this opportunity. It might not be teaching music, but it will hopefully give me some teaching experience that I can add to my resume. I am also excited about the chances that I'll have to sing in Budapest. I was able to find lots of amazing chances to sing some spectacular repertoire in Graz [where he spent some time last year], and Budapest is a much larger city, so my hopes are high that I will find some great choirs to participate in.”

Panayótis Paslís, MA in Choral Conducting in 2007, who occasionally is in touch by phone or video phone (via Skype), sends all his Mansfield friends best wishes for a Happy and Prosperous Year 2012. He is teaching music at an elementary school on the island of Spetses, off the coast of the Peleponnes Peninsula. (Those Mansfield folks traveling in 2005 to Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey may re-member the ancient theatre of Epidauros with its splendid acoustics—Spetses is 20 miles straight south from there.) Despite Greece’s economic crisis, Panayótis still has not shed his infectious laughter: He is a teacher who, thus far, is getting paid for his work, albeit about 500 Euro less per month than the year before. It will take him just a little longer to buy one of the yachts owned by Russian millionaires and moored in the port of his island.

Mark Rehnstrom, Baritone (class of 1979), and Victor Fields, Piano and Organ (class of 1981), performed a joint recital for Mansfield University Students during Promenade on September 8, 2011. Their performance included art Lieder by Schubert, Three Psalms by Rehnstrom, an organ piece by Sark, Three Songs in Hebrew by Steinberg, Helfman, and Shur, plus popular art songs by Rogers, Carmi-chael, and Youmans. Rehnstrom has appeared as a soloist with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and is a much sought after professional chorister in New York City. Fields is an Adjunct Professor of Music at Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and organist and accompanist for numerous choruses and churches in central Pennsylvania.

Mike Remillard, class of 1980, sends his regrets for not attending the 2010 fall reunion by reminiscing about times past: “As a former member of both the Festival Chorus and the Concert Choir, I wish I could attend both concerts. The only impediment to that is the 500 mile distance from my home in Maine to MU. I will be with all MU choir members in spirit if not in actual attendance. I have very fond memories of my three years as a graduate student in Music Education and would re-live those three years in an instant if that were possible. It is heartwarming to see all that MU has accomplished since 1980. I really look forward to returning sometime in the near future for a Music Department reunion. Until then, I am thankful for the research skills and tenacity that I learned at MU. I use those skills every day in my work as a Network Support technician. It is interesting to see that although one may study a certain discipline, one can never predict where life’s road will lead them. I would not trade my three years at Butler Center for anything! Thank you MU, and Thank You MSC Department of Music!”

Carrie (Miller) Stein, class of 2001, now Choral Director, Pocono Mountain East High School & Junior High School, writes: “I have been meaning to send you a message to say how much I enjoyed the Concert Choir reunion last year. I was torn about returning to Mansfield and participating in the reunion, but I am so glad that I did. It was wonderful to reconnect with classmates that I hadn't seen in 10 years and to sing in a choir again. We loved the video that was shown at the banquet. How fun to relive the best memories from my time in college and in choir. I certainly was not expecting the reunion to be such an emotional experience. By the time the Concert Choir sang that song about the road home, I just had tears streaming down my face. I think I sobbed all the way through the Celtic Blessing on stage while singing with my former college roommate on my left (Jess Weaver) and one of my favorite students that I taught at Pocono Mountain on my right (Jimmy Wright). Mostly, thanks to the reunion, I remembered why I really love singing in a choir again - why I love the whole experience of being a part of a group like that. I hope your students at MU appreciate what they have and the experiences that they will have in the Concert Choir and just slow down and enjoy every minute of it. Thanks again and hope to make it back up to Mansfield soon!”

Bob Todd III, class of 1966 and donor of a Steinway grand piano to turn Mansfield into a “Steinway School,” was one of the fellow trav-elers on the recent European Tour of the Mansfield University Concert Choir, contributing video clips and photographs that made it into the documentary movie “Winners in Wales.” He passed on to the editor the following link (woodwinds and brass performers take note!): http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/lXKDu6cdXLI?rel=0. And he comments on the fact that not even “one in the audi-

ence left during the performance.” This is priceless, so check it out.

Leon Whitesell, class of 1958 and now a retired piano professor from University of Central Oklahoma, writes: “Congratulations on your wonderful work at Mansfield! I was an undergrad in Music back in the 1950's. I have two doctorates in music, have studied around the world, but I ALWAYS think of Mansfield as my home place and remember it for its high standards even then! I am so proud to say that I am an alum!”

MANSFIELD’S VOICE STUDENTS AT NATS Four Mansfield University voice students came away winners in their respective categories at the Allegheny Mountain Chapter of the National Association of Teaching of Singing (NATS) auditions held November 5 at Penn State University in State College. Derrek Stark and Derek Gracey were winners in the senior men cat-egory. John Mink was a winner among sophomore men, and in freshman men, Martin Schmidt was a win-ner. The winners were featured in a final concert at the end of the auditions, where Schmidt sang “Go Lovely Rose” by Roger Quilter, Mink performed “Non piu andrai” from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Derrek Stark sang “Ah! Mes amis” from Donizetti’s La fille du régiment, and Derek Gracey sang “Bella siccome un angelo: from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Seven MU students were semifinalists in the competition: Daniela DiBenedetto, Tiffany Eisner, Alex Mac-Donald, Holden Moyer, Tara Schumaker, Ethan Sherman and David Vest. A total of 21 Mansfield stu-dents took part in the auditions, which included college and high school students from across Pennsylvania. All students received comment sheets from the judges, who were voice teachers and NATS members. “These auditions are a great opportunity for the students to get feedback about their singing, hear other stu-dents from around the area, and be exposed to a wide variety of repertoire,” Assistant Professor Alissa Rose said. All the MU students study voice with Rose, Youngsuk Kim or Todd Ranney. NATS is the largest association of teachers of singing in the world, with members in more than 25 countries, and the student auditions are one of the major activities of each NATS chapter.

UPCOMING TRAVELS AND PERFORMANCES

February: ACDA Conference in Providence, Rhode Island

The Mansfield University Concert Choir has the opportunity to share their choral music at the Eastern Division Conference of the American Choral Di-rector's Association held in Providence, Rhode Island, at 9:30 am on February 17 in the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. They will perform on the same stage as choirs from prestigious universities such as Yale, Maryland, and Queen's College. The eastern division of ACDA encompasses twelve states in the American Northeast. Over 800 choral directors and hundreds of choral singers will attend the conference.

March: Mansfieldians and MU Jazz Ensemble to travel to Scotland and England

The Mansfieldians and MU Jazz Ensemble will be traveling to Scotland and England in March, 2012 during spring break. MU has a study abroad ex-change program with Napier University in Edinburgh where many MU students have studied, and Dr. Michael Galloway spent his 2010 sabbatical. The Mansfieldians and Jazz Ensemble will present clinics and concerts at Napier and surrounding schools in Edinburgh. In London, concerts have been arranged by MU alum André Canniere. André is a teacher and professional jazz musician in the London area. The Mansfieldians and MU Jazz Ensemble will perform at Spice of Life Jazz Club and several schools in the London area. There will be additional concerts in York and students will have an opportunity to attend a musical or play in the famous West End of London.

The students return on March 18 and will present a home concert on Sunday, March 25 at 2:30pm.

April: Mozart’s Requiem and Adler’s Ecumenical Mass at Steadman The Festival Chorus will perform two major works on April 14th & 15th: Mozart's Requiem and Samuel Adler's Ecumenical Mass. The works will feature alumni soloists: Elizabeth Jacobs, soprano (2004); Sarah Best, alto (2007), Masashi Kishimoto, tenor (2009); and Thomas Jones, bass (1977). Faculty, student, and area professional musicians will play in the orchestra. Dr. Samuel Adler, Professor Emeritus of the Eastman School of Music and composer on the faculty of the Julliard School, will be present during the week of rehearsals and performances.

April: Mansfield University Women’s Choir to sing in Carnegie Hall

The women of the Mansfield University Concert Choir have been invited to sing in Carnegie Hall next April 24. Rob Fisher, one of the judges who heard the choir's winning performance at the International Eisteddfod in Wales, wants the group to be the Nun's Chorus in a concert performance of “The Sound of Music." In a letter, Fisher states: "It was a pleasure hearing your choirs compete, and I was happy to be ab le to announce them as winners a couple of times." He consulted with his colleagues at Carnegie as well as the director of the Rodgers & Hammerstein estate before issuing the invitation.

Fisher, an internationally distinguished artistic director, conductor and pianist, is a leading figure in American music and musical theatre. He has di-rected and produced a number of performances at Lincoln Center and supervised Broadway revivals of Anything Goes, Hair, The Apple Tree, and Wonderful Town. Fisher also was the music director for Garrison Keillor's American Radio Company and frequently is a guest on "Prairie Home Com-panion."

The singers will spend three days in New York City to rehearse and perform in this renowned concert hall (with all expenses paid!). Peggy Dettwiler, director of the Concert Choir, is thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of such a major event, which is organized as a benefit for Carnegie. "Most groups have to pay dearly for an opportunity to sing in Carnegie, and usually they are part of a massed ensemble. To think that we are being spon-sored and are the only ensemble featured as the Nun's Chorus is truly an honor. We will keep the community informed about ticket sales, as I am sure that the performance will be sold-out. Another beautiful coincidence is that Mansfield University will produce "The Sound of Music" as their spring musi-cal in March so we will be ready to go!"

UPCOMING TRAVELS AND PERFORMANCES (con’t. from p. 9)

July: World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio Plans are underway for the Mansfield University Concert Choir to participate in the World Choir Games taking place in Cincinnati, Ohio, in Ju-ly. The MU Concert Choir has been invited to go straight to the championship round, as they excelled in several categories at the World Choir Games three years ago in Graz, Austria. 2012 is the first time the event comes to the United States. The Concert Choir will participate in three categories: Mixed Youth Choir, Musica Sacra, and Folklore scheduled on July 5, 6, & 7. Opening and closing events will take place July 4 and 8, respectively. For information about attending the World Choir Games, write to Peggy Dettwiler at pdettwil@mansfield.edu.

Here is really something “special”—Jean-Anne Teal, longtime voice professor at Mansfield University, recently wrote from Glas-gow, Scotland: “I have just heard a beautiful choral piece on Classical FM over here in Scotland: John Taverner’s ‘Song for Athe-ne,’ and I thought immediately of how beautifully the Concert Choir would sound singing it. I had just returned from three weeks in China & Tibet and, before that, Portland OR, where I was able to rock and sing to my first grandchild - Eli Finian Greenshields, born on 9/10/11, 10 lbs.3 oz. - quite a large fellow! (Note: The editorial staff of HTV congratulates Grandmother Jean-Anne on the new arrival. The Concert Choir performed the Taverner piece, made famous at the Memorial Service for Princess Diana in West-minster Abbey in September 1997, at one of Mansfield’s holiday concerts.) After the Mansfield University Concert Choir returned from Europe this summer, Peggy Dettwiler was interviewed by Dennis Mil-ler, Director of Public Relations at Mansfield University. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ3zerePutM

NEW CDs and DVDs available for purchase!

The Road Home featuring the Mansfield University Concert Choir Peggy Dettwiler, Director

Performances recorded live in 2011 at the MENC Eastern Division Convention, Baltimore, Maryland; Home Tour Concert, Mansfield, Pennsylvania; Inter-national Musical Eisteddfod, Llangollen, Wales

King David by Arthur Honegger Festival Chorus & Wind Orchestra Peggy Dettwiler, Director Todd E. Ranney, Narrator Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn, Mezzo-Soprano; Young-suck Kim, Tenor; Catherine Robison, Soprano

Winners in Wales 2011 European Tour DVD & Journal

Features the travels and performances of the Concert Choir in England, Wales, and Ireland including the competition at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales; produced by Jürgen Thym and Mark Polonia

Rainbow near Killarney, Ireland; the image taken by the editor in October, 2011 serves as the cover picture for The Road Home

CD’s are available through Mark Custom Recording www.markcustom.com King David: 9730-MCD The Road Home: 9729-MCD DVD available from Peggy Dettwiler; 570-662-4721

ECHOES to Mansfield’s Music Making (also known as “Fan Mail”) WVIA broadcast your “Winter Wonderland” concert this afternoon, and as I was driving around doing errands, I was captivated. After listening to the choral sound, I guessed that it was one of your choirs – and I was right. It was such extraordinary singing that I stopped in a couple parking lots to hear sections of the concert. And the last part I heard was the concert choir’s…The Huron Carol, the winter (dissonant, lovely) piece, and the Piazzolla. Hearing this music made my afternoon incredibly better.

Dianne Peeling, Pianist in Williamsport, PA

Congratulations! You always have put in so much hard work with the choral ensembles at MU, and without you I firmly believe many of these accomplishments would not have occurred. I may not have ever told you this, but your passion for choral music and knack for liter-ature selection is what gave me the foundation for my own. If I could live my life in choir at MU, I would do so in an instant. … I would just like to thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart for all of the experiences and skills you provided me with. As distant as we are, you have been and still are the most influential person in my life. I hope to make it down for some of the future concerts, and possibly visit the Choir Games. From the deepest part of my musical soul, thank you!

Steven S. Miller, Kendall Jr/Sr High School in Kendall, NY I once heard this hypothetical scenario: If you had one day left to live, whom would you call, and why are you waiting? I was a part of the All-State Chorus in Erie, PA back in 2004. You gave me one of the most important musical experiences of my life; I often think back to those rehearsals and how wonderful it all was. I just wanted to let you know, because, being a music teacher myself, it's always nice to know you've touched someone for the better.

Jason Perry, DG Cooley Elementary School It goes without saying what a thrill it was to watch the bus coming up the hill to Butler Friday Evening, and seeing all our young people home safely. That thrill, however, was soon replaced by a certain humility to be standing among a group that has accomplished so much. While watching the happy reunions with family and loved ones, I could not help but think that with all the negativity existing today in our world, our country, and even in many of our communities these days, if this group of young people represents our future, then Hey, don't worry, everything is going to be OK!

Sid Congdon, Friend of Choral Music

I can't begin to thank you enough for initiating and following through with the beautiful service of healing last evening. Your knowledge of repertoire and suitable readings was so well done, and truly made it interfaith. I felt that service ended my 9/11 day perfectly. Please also thank all the singers for their time and preparation for just "one more thing" they needed to do on that day. They were excellent. We

welcome them anytime to our church to sing.

Joan Berresford, Mansfield. PA

(commenting on the special service organized by Peggy Dettwiler and the ACDA Chapter at MU on September 11 at St James Episcopal

Church in Mansfield)

CHORAL CALENDAR FOR SPRING 2011

Feb. 16-18 ACDA Eastern Division Convention in Providence, RI Concert Choir performs on Friday at 9:30 am March 1-4 The Sound of Music in Straughn Auditorium March 9-18 Mansfieldians/Jazz Ensemble Tour to Scotland & England March 31 Concert Choir Tour to SUNY-Fredonia; festival with Donald Neuen April 14, 8:00 pm Major Choral Work – Mozart’s Requiem & Adler’s Ecumenical Mass April 15, 3 pm Major Choral Work – Mozart’s Requiem & Adler’s Ecumenical Mass April 22-25 Women of Concert Choir to Carnegie Hall; performance as the chorus of nuns in a concert version of The Sound of Music on April 24 at 8 pm April 26 Mansfieldians Jazz Festival with the New York Voices Evening concert at 7:30pm April 28, 7:30 pm Concert Choir Home Tour Concert May 1, 7:00 pm Chamber Singers present “A Concert for Animals” July 4 – 8 Concert Choir to the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, OH

Dr. Peggy Dettwiler Butler 105, 18 Campus View Drive Mansfield University Mansfield, PA 16933