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Chamber Singers and University Chorale

  • Geoffrey Boers directs the UW Chamber Singers (Photo: Gary Louie).
    Geoffrey Boers directs the UW Chamber Singers (Photo: Gary Louie).

The UW’s top auditioned choirs present their Spring Quarter concert. The Chamber Singers present "Finale," a set of pieces reflective of endings, including selections by Veljo Tormis, Johann Herman Schein, Herbert Howells, Lesia Dychko, Stephen Sondheim, and others. The University Chorale presents "The Sun's Reflection," a set of classical and folk-inspired pieces related to the sun and moon. Music includes Nick Drake's "Pink Moon," the world premiere of "Melancholy," by Aditya Sharma, and works by Jacob Narverud, Kate Rusby, and young composer Calvin Rice.   

Masks are recommended in all indoor spaces. Proof of vaccination remains a requirement for everyone 12 and over at Meany Hall and all ArtsUW Ticket Office events, including Meany Center, DXARTS, Dance Department, School of Drama, and School of Music. Individuals unable to be fully vaccinated, including people with a medical or religious exemption, must have proof of a negative provider-administered COVID-19 test (taken within 72 hours of the performance). UW staff will check for proof of vaccination and negative COVID tests at the doors as a condition of entry. Proof of negative test result must come from a test provider, a laboratory or a health care provider. Home or self-administered tests will not be accepted.  Details of these policies and procedures are athttps://artsevents.washington.edu/covid-protocols 


Program

Chamber Singers: "Finale"

Geoffrey Boers, conductor
Timothy Little Trần, Tiffany Walker, Tyler Kimmel, assistant conductors

Welcome to tonight’s program FINALE! Given the amazing and challenging year that we have just witnessed, you would be welcome to pronounce this either Feenahlay, as in the grand closure to an epic year, or “finally,” as if in relief that we have made it successfully to the end–and both would be correct. Our song-suite presents music depicting all kinds of endings, of songs, of dramas, of life–and so you will hear music of mourning, of transfiguration, of celebration, and of chapters closing and beginning.

Kutse laulule (Invitation to Sing):  Veljo Tormis

Die mit Tränen Säen (Those who sow with grief):  Johann Herman Schein

Requiem aeternam I (Rest in Peace): Herbert Howells

Nunc Dimittis (Depart in Peace): Gustav Holst
     Timothy Little Trán, conductor

Slava  (Glory): Lesia Dychko    
Sung in honor of those who have lost their homes and lives in Ukraine
     Tiffany Walker, conductor

Disney Love Medley: Menken/Slate/Zippel/Collins arr. James Ray

"Sunday from Sunday" from Sunday in the Park with George:  Stephen Sondheim, arr. Huff
     Tyler Kimmel, conductor


University Chorale: "The Sun’s Reflection” 

Giselle Wyers, conductor
Marshell Lombard, Leah Wyman, Timothy Little Trần, assistant conductors

A variety of classical and folk-inspired pieces related to the sun and moon.

Pink Moon: Nick Drake (arr. Marshell Lombard)  
     Marshell Lombard, conductor

Quiet Night Thoughts: Calvin Rice (West Coast premiere)  

Lunar Lullaby: Jacob Narverud 

Underneath the Stars: Kate Rusby 

Melancholy: Aditya Sharma (World premiere) 

Arirang: Korean folk song, arr. Hyo-Won Woo

Long Time Traveler Swing Low, Sail High: arr. Evan Powers 
     Timothy Little Trán, conductor


UW Chamber Singers and UW Chorale

Prayer for Ukraine: Mykola Lysenko 

Program Notes

Chamber Singers: “Finale"

It seems odd to begin a concert of endings with an invitation! This song, a Latvian song sung in Estonian, is written in the style of regilaul, or ancient runic song. The verses come in pairs, and traditionally are a sung “conversation” between teacher and children. Through these songs, generations learn of the stories and history of their ancestors. Like the verses, the melodies are also in two parts–the halves overlapping in a seemingly endless circle, as if it has always been and will always be sung.  This song begins with the end of the melody and never truly comes to an end…

Garais sauciens Invitation to Sing
No. 1 from Latvian Bourdon Songs
by Veljo Tormis (1930–2017)

Eima mōelnud trei-le tul-la lau-le maie
Kas mind tuuli siia toonud vōi mind vesi, 
Vōi mind vesi siia kandnud?
Ei mind tuuli siia toonud ei mind vesi
Lahke rahvas kutsus minda laia laulu,
Laia laulu laske maie
Misma laulan,
Mismas räägin vōōra rahva
Vōōra rahva keske’ella
Ess ma laula oma laulu räägi oma…

Räägi oma keele kesta

I hadn't imagined that I would celebrate here; 
Did the wind bring me here, 
or did the water carry me here?
Neither the wind nor the water brought me here; 
It was kind people who invited me,
we've come together to sing.
What shall I sing,
what shall I speak upon 
greeting foreigners? 
I'll sing my own song,
and speak my own language.

Die Mit Tränen Säen
by Johann Hermann Schein (1586–1630)

Beginnings and endings abound in this four-hundred year old gem. The text is a Hebrew poem possibly written in the 5th c. B.C. In poetic fashion the verses are in two contrasting halves, which depicts the promise of healing in the midst of grief. Schein was a visionary composer who lived at a time of epic change in musical style. The old renaissance church style had grown out of fashion, and opera, with its ornamentation and dramatic musical settings was all the rage. Schein adapted the old style with revolutionary ornaments and dissonance, which proclaims the text in a dramatic way.

Die mit Tränen säen,
werden mit Freuden ernten.
Sie gehen hin und weinen
und tragen edlen Samen
und kommen mit Freuden
und bringen ihre Garben.

Those who sow in tears 
will reap in joy.
Those who go out weeping
bearing seed for sowing
will come again with joy
carrying their sheaves

Requiem aeternam
by Herbert Howells (1892–1983)

R.I.P. we see scattered across our Facebook news feeds after someone has died. This common, and seemingly casual quip “rest in peace” originates from the Latin Requiem in pacem,  which is the text of our next piece. Herbert Howells Requiem on the contrary tells a tragic story about death, and the grief of loss that surrounds it. Howells began composing his Requiem in 1932, and had developed numerous sketches for it over the next years. In 19335, while on family vacation, Howells’ son Michael contracted polio and died three days later. Herbert Howells was broken hearted and grieved his son deeply for the rest of his life. Grief stricken, he put the Requiem and other works he had been working on away. The Requiem remained in his desk for nearly fifty years. One of his last acts as a composer was to finish this exquisite Requiem. This section of the piece is set for two choirs which begin with a simple A minor triad and which evolves and refracts over the next few minutes. The music is kaleidoscopic as it seems to keep expanding and lifting, a musical depiction of human spirit leaving the body.

Requiem aeternam dona eis,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine.

Grant eternal rest unto them, 
and let light perpetual shine upon them.
Grant eternal rest unto them, O Lord.

Nunc dimittis
by Gustav Holst (1874–1934)
Timothy Little Trần, conductor

Like Requiem aeternam, Nunc dimittis is another important Latin text for the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. It is a biblical canticle, or song, and tells the story of Simeon who was promised that he would not die until he saw the Christ child. This beloved “Song of Simeon” has been set countless times and is often paired with the well-known Magnificat, during the Christmas season. Holst’s setting is scored for an eight-part choir, entering hauntingly, weaving through key centers, and ending gloriously.

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine
Secundum verbum tuum in pace
Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum
Quod parasti ante faciem
omnium populorum:
Lumen ad revelationem gentium
Et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord,
in peace, according to Thy word:
For mine own eyes hath seen Thy salvation 
which Thou hast prepared 
in the sight of all the peoples,
a light to reveal Thee to the nations
and the glory of Thy people Israel.

Slava
Antiphon II from Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom 2
by Lesia Dychko (b. 1939)
Tiffany Walker, conductor

Ukraine! Slava is a similar shout of Glory, this text being shouted by the Orthodox Christians as they wait in the dark for the dawning of Easter. Orthodox music, like their painting, has a timeless and anonymous quality, as the artist creates song and image to glorify God only, and not the artist. This work begins with a quickly repeated phrase, common in Orthodox worship, which creates a liturgical “motor.” It is  accompanied by an Ison, or drone pitch symbolizing the eternal God. This act of passionate worship sets up the mystical second section, which speaks about trusting in the eternal as all life fades away. The “motor” returns and builds to a triumphant finale!

Slava Otsiu i Sïnu i sfiatomu Dukhovi!
Khfalï dushe moya Hospoda!
Budu khfalïtï Hospoda
pokï zhïttïa moho!  
Spivatïmu Bohovi moyomu
pokï zhïvu.  
Ne nadiytesia na kniaziv,
ne na sïniv liudskikh 
Ne prïyde vid nïkh spasinnia
ne prïyde vid nïkh.
Vïyde dukh yoho i znovu vernetsia vin
do zemli sfoyeyi.
Tohozh samoho dnia znïknut'
fsi zamirï yoho.

Glory to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit!
Praise my soul the Lord!
I will praise the Lord
as long as my life allows!
I will sing to my God
as long as I live.
Do not trust in princes,
not in the sons of men.
Salvation will not come from them,
will not come from them.
His spirit will depart and he will return
to his earth.
That very same day all his
intents will disappear.

Disney Love Medley
by Alan Menken, Glen Slate, David Zippel, Phil Collins
arranged by Jamey Ray
Heather Halverson, Trey Wheeler, Mavis Chan, 
Alec Walter, Tyler Todd Kimmel, soloists

Who doesn’t have a favorite Disney character, princess, prince, animal, or song? Our final Finale is a medley of songs from three feature animated films: Tangled, Tarzan, and Hercules. The choir acts as the orchestral soundtrack backing up the character’s solos, and concludes with a traditional and expected Disney ending! 

All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I've been
Now I'm here blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here suddenly I see
Standing here it's all so clear
I'm where I'm meant to be
And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you
Come stop your crying it will be alright
Just take my hand, hold it tight
I will protect you, from all around you
I will be here, don't you cry
For one so small, you seem so strong
My arms will hold you
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us, can't be broken
I will be here don't you cry

When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together
You'll be here in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
I'll be there
Always
Always
I'll be with you
I am on my way, I can go the distance
I don't care how far, somehow I'll be strong
I know every mile, will be worth my while
I would go most anywhere to find where I belong
Like a shooting star, I will go the distance
I will search the world, I will face its harms
I don't care how far, I can go the distance

'Til I find my hero's welcome, waiting in your arms

– Choir Gifts and Graduate Recognition –

“Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George
by Stephen Sondheim (1930-2022)
arranged by Mac Huff
Tyler Todd Kimmel, conductor

An end of a different kind, Sunday, is the finale of both acts of Sondheim’s beloved musical Sunday in the Park with George. Sondheim spins a tale of the artist Georges Seurat, who invented a new technique of painting with combinations of dots, rather than brush strokes, to evoke emotion; the technique is called pointillism. The musical is based around his most famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte, 1884, which captures characters and images on an “ordinary Sunday.” He passed away at the age of 31, after changing the art world, and never selling a painting. 

Sunday, by the blue purple yellow red water
On the green purple yellow red grass
Let us pass through our perfect park
Pausing on a Sunday
By the cool blue triangular water
On the soft green elliptical grass
As we pass through arrangements of shadow
Toward the verticals of trees
Forever
By the blue purple yellow red water
On the green orange violet mass of the grass
In our perfect park
Made of flecks of light, and dark, and parasols
People strolling through the trees
Of a small suburban park
On an island in the river
On an ordinary Sunday
Sunday


University Chorale: “The Sun’s Reflection"
Giselle Wyers, conductor
Serena Chin, piano
Leah Wyman, Marshell Lombard, and Timothy Little Trần, assistant conductors

Lunar Lullaby 
by Jacob Narverud (b. 1986)
text by Kathleen Nicely (contemporary)

The moon settles in the dusky sky
The gentle eyes of the north star rest upon
Your sleeping face and the heavens gaze upon you
In this moment, I know (I know)
You are not from the ground on which you tread, but of the stars
You are my radiant, my celestial child
You are my radiant, my celestial child
As night is drowned by morning you remain at my side
Accompanying the sunrise until night swells (until night swells) again across the sky
Then, dreaming, you return to the stars
Dreaming, you return to the stars
You are my radiant, my celestial child
You are my radiant, my celestial child


Prayer for Ukraine 
by Mykola Lysenko (1842–1912)

Bozhe velykyi, yedynyi   
Nam Ukrainu khrany
Voli i svitu prominniam
Ty yii osiny
Svitlom nauky i znannia
Nas, ditey, prosvity
V chystii liubovi do kraiu
Ty nas, Bozhe, zrosty
Molymos', Bozhe yedynyi
Nam Ukrainu khrany
Vsi svoi lasky y shchedroty
Ty na liud nash zverny
Dai yomu voliu,
dai yomu doliu,
Dai dobroho svitu, shchastia
Dai, Bozhe, narodu
I mnohaia, mnohaia lita

Lord, oh the Great and Almighty,
Protect our beloved Ukraine,
Bless her with freedom and light
Of your holy rays
With learning and knowledge enlighten
Us, your children small,
In love pure and everlasting
Let us, oh Lord, grow
We pray, oh Lord Almighty,
Protect our beloved Ukraine,
Grant our people and country
All your kindness and grace.
Bless us with freedom,
Bless us with wisdom,
Guide into kind world,
Bless us, oh Lord, with good fortune
Forever and evermore.

Quiet Night Thoughts
by Calvin Rice (b. 2004)
text by Li Po (7th century Chinese)
West Coast Premiere 

Before my bed shines the brilliant moon
so that is appears as frost on the earth
Raising my head I observe the vivid moon
Bowing my head I imagine that I’m home

Arirang (Korean Folk Song)
arranged by Hyo-Won Woo (b. 1974)

Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
Arirang gogaero neomeoganda
Nareul beorigo gasi neun nimeun
Simrido motgaseo
balbyeong nanda
Ari arirang sseuri sseurirang ari arariyo

Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
Crossing over Arirang Pass
Dear who abandoned me
Shall not even walk ten li before 
the feet hurt
Arirang, take me with you

Underneath the Stars
by Kate Rusby (b. 1973)
arr. Jim Clements for SATB
Solo: Ruby Whelan and Fern Bettinger

Underneath the stars I'll meet you
Underneath the stars I'll greet you
There beneath the stars I'll leave you
Before you go of your own free will, Go gently
Underneath the stars you met me
Underneath the stars you left me
I wonder if the stars regret me
They come and go of their own free will, Go gently
Here beneath the stars I'm mending
I'm here beneath the stars not ending
Why on earth am I pretending?
I'm here again, the stars befriending
They come and go of their own free will
Go gently, go gently
Underneath the stars you met me
And here beneath the stars you left me
I wonder if the stars regret me
I'm sure they'd like me if they only met me
They come and go of their own free will
Go gently, go gently

Melancholy
by Aditya Sharma (b. 1973)
World Premiere Performance

Hold me closer don’t let go
Gently kiss my tired soul
As we lay beneath the stars
I would give you my heart, If You just stayed
Looked for you with searing eyes
I kept waiting
why did you lie
As we lay beneath the stars
I would give you my heart, If you just stayed

Pink Moon 
by Nick Drake (1948–1974)
arranged by Marshell Lombard
Alejandro Hernandez, Jonah Ladish-Orlich, Ari Okin, soloists
Charlie Dawson and Jason Barringer, guitars
Marshell Lombard, conductor

Saw it written and I saw it say
Pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all
And it's a pink moon, hey, it's a pink moon
Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon
Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink moon
I saw it written and I saw it say
A pink moon is on its way
And none of you stand so tall
Pink moon gonna get ye all
It's a pink moon, yeah, it's a pink moon

– Choir Gifts and Graduate Recognition –

Swing Low, Sail High 
by Nicky Mehta (b.1972), arranged by Evan Powers
Emily Vaughan, soloist 
Solo group: Caitlin Sarwono, Ella L'Heureux, Eyad Alsilimy, Jaminfaye Reduque, Mavis Chan, Maya Shah, Silvana Segura, Sophia Parker, Sophie Ma, Sophie Root
Charlie Dawson, guitar
Timothy Little Trần, conductor 

I have failed you, I have failed you,
I have lost my way, lost my nerve and failed you,
But I love you, how I love you,
I have turned my back, left you last, but I love you.
Oh, setting sun, don't sink before I've found my heart;
Heart, don't give up now while there's still time;
Time, don't beat your old retreat,
Stay a little while with me, 'til I've looked the whole thing in the eye.
I have waited, I have waited
For the big reveal, the even keel, I've waited,
But there's no one who makes it all come true,
Just altars gathering dust while we bow to them.
Oh, night, bring all your shadows and your silence;
Silence, make a hostage of my mind;
Mind, bring on your trickery;
Black dogs, nip on at my heels, 'til I've looked the whole thing in the eye.
Swing low, sail high, swing low, sail high.
I have failed you, I have failed you,
I have closed my heart, I have failed you,
But I love you, how I love you,
All my days were rearranged to say I love you.
Oh, setting sun, don't weep for all the things you lose,
Morning comes as sure as it must die.
Dying is such mystery,
Yet I wonder will it be, when I've looked the whole thing in the eye?
Swing low, sail high, swing low, sail high.

CHAMBER SINGERS

SOPRANOS

Kaelyn Barnes, Everett, WA; BA, Vocal Performance

Mavis Chan, Bellevue, WA; Vocal Performance

Karen Dunstan, Ypsilanti, MI; MM, Vocal Performance

Virginia Elizondo, Houston, TX; MM, Vocal Performance

Caitlin Hennessy, Chicago, IL; MM, Vocal Performance

Naomi-Hal Hoffman, Bellevue, WA; Vocal Performance Drama: Design

Mallory McCollum, Warminster, PA; MM, Vocal Performance

Shalini Pullarkat, La Cañada, CA; BS, General Biology

Sarah Santos, Houston, TX; MM, Vocal Performance

ALTOS

Cee Adamson, Washington, D.C.; DMA, Vocal Performance

Sydney Belden, San Clemente, CA; Sophomore BM/BS, Music-Voice/Environmental Studies

Lily Campbell, Olympia, WA; BA, Public Health-Global Health

Anjali Chudasama, Upland, CA; MM, Choral Conducting

Heather Halverson, Woodinville, WA; Sophomore BM/BA,Vocal Performance/Communications

Anna Messenger, Olympia, WA; BM, Music Education

Emily Vaughan, Mukilteo, WA; BA/BA, Music-Voice/Cinema & Media Studies

Tiffany Walker, Chino Hills, CA; DMA, Choral Conducting

Leah Wyman, Greenville, SC; MM, Choral Conducting

TENORS

Oliver Callahan, Anaheim, CA; BM, Music Education-Choral Emphasis

Tyler Todd Kimmel, Seattle, WA; DMA, Choral Conducting

Timothy Little Trần, Pineville, LA; DMA, Choral Conducting

Marshell Lombard, Johannesburg, South Africa; DMA, Choral Conducting

Tri Nguyen, Everett, WA; BS, Mechanical Engineering

Zach Rude, Brainerd, MN; MM, Vocal Performance

BASSES

Justin Birchell, Anchorage, AK; DMA, Choral Conducting

Frank Goess, Albany, CA; BS, Aerospace Engineering

John O'Kane, Seattle, WA; BS, Industrial & Systems Engineering

Dario Rojas, Seattle, WA; BA, Environmental Science & Resource Management

Christian Rolfson, Mount Vernon, WA; Environmental Science and Resource Management

Zack Shafer, Camas, WA; BS, Computer Science

Alec Walter, Spokane, WA; BS, Electrical Engineering

Trey Wheeler, Vancouver, WA; BM, Music Education


UNIVERSITY CHORALE

SOPRANO

Fern Bettinger, Renton, WA; Psychology

Emily Cameron, Snohomish, WA; Mechanical Eng.

Mavis Chan*, Bellevue, WA; Vocal Performance

Sarah Clark, Mercer Island WA; Political Science

Lauren Fox, Buchanan, VA; Music (Voice)

Meagan Hodgins, Seattle, WA; Vocal Performance

Whi Jung, Seoul, Korea; Music Education

Anmol Kaur, Duvall, WA; Biochemistry

Claire Killian, Evergreen, CO; Political Science & Phil.

Emma Koslosky, Castro Valley, CA; Communications

Anna Kucinski, Redmond, WA; Human-Centered Design & Engineering

Meena Kuduva, Kirkland, WA; Computer Science 

Ellen Kwon, Federal Way, WA; Piano Performance and Music Education 

Anna Messenger, Olympia, WA; Music Education

Julia Nipert, Renton, WA; Pre-Nursing

Rosemary Norheim, Seattle, WA; Political Science

Chloe O'Keefe, San Francisco, CA; Gender, Women, Sexuality Studies and Public Health

Sophia Parker*, Bothell, WA; Vocal Performance

Clara Propst, Seattle, WA; Psychology

Meliza Redulla, Olympia, WA; Music Education

Caitlin Sarwono*, Redmond, WA; Music Education 

Felicia Tzeng, San Jose, CA; Interaction Design & Informatics

Natalia Valvano, Seattle, WA; Architectural Design

Melody Zhu, Sammamish, WA; Computer Science

ALTO

Meher Chand, Portland, OR; Psychology & Informatics

Sofiia Fedzhora, Kyiv, Ukraine; Slavic Languages and Literatures Department

Christine Han, Suzhou, China; Intended: Philosophy

Ella L'Heureux, Leavenworth, KS; Linguistics

Naomi-Hal Hoffman, Bellevue, WA; Vocal Performance Drama: Design

Hannah Limb, Mountlake Terrace, WA; Biology

Sophie Ma, Tokyo, Japan; Music Composition

Joely Loucks*, Friday Harbor, WA; Music Education

Lexie Moss, Seattle, WA; Psychology

Ari Okin, Los Angeles, CA; Music History

Julia Park, Cambridge, MA; English Language and Lit., Journalism and Public Interest Comm.

Ace Quisido 

Sophie Root, Kirkland, WA; Psychology

Jaminfaye Reduque, DuPont, WA; Bioresource Science and Engineering

Silvana Segura, Redmond, WA; Psychology

Maya Shah, Portland, OR; Undeclared

Nelly Sunstrum, Redmond, WA; Civil Engineering

Emily Vaughan*, Mukilteo, WA; Music (Voice) & CMS

Aliyah Wachob, Belmont, CA; Law, Societies and Justice & Creative Writing

Akhila Narayanan, Redmond, WA; Computer Eng.

Ruby Whelan, Melbourne, VIC; Sociology, Chinese

TENOR

Eyad Alsilimy, Mount Vernon, WA; Computer Eng.

Scott Fisher Jr*., Renton, WA; Music (BA) 

Cam Gardner, Sammamish, WA

Carson Kyle, Huntingtown, MD; Biology

Karsten Lomax, Edmonds, WA; Comparative History of Ideas & Cinema and Media Studies

Adrian Nguyen, Olympia, WA; Vocal Performance & Mathematics

Alejandro (Ollie) Hernandez, Rio Rancho, NM; Psychology & Spanish

John O’Kane, Seattle, WA; Industrial Systems Eng.

Spencer Lundt, University Place, WA; Mechanical Engineering

Ryan Singh, Redmond, WA; Geography: Data Science

Ethan Walker, Lynnwood, WA; Biology

Trey Wheeler*, Vancouver, WA; Music Education & Vocal Performance

BASS

Lewis Back, Issaquah, WA; Microbiology

Jason Barringer, Hood River, OR; Industrial & Systems Engineering

Elisha Bourassa, Sumas, WA; Social Welfare

Charlie Dawson, Austin, TX; Economics

Andrew Hoch, Burr Ridge, IL; Informatics

Jacob Knight, Lynnwood, WA; Computer Science

Jonah Ladish-Orlich, Renton, WA; Undeclared

Sidharth Lakshaman, Bellevue, WA; Computer Engineering

Christian Rolfson, Mount Vernon, WA; Environmental Science and Resource Management

Zach Shafer*, Camas, WA; Computer Science

Cian Scheer, Vashon, WA; Bioresource Science and Engineering

Alec Walter, Spokane, WA; Electrical Engineering

*Section Leader

Choir Cabinet Member

Biographies

Professor Geoffrey Boers

Geoffrey Boers is Director of Choral Activities at the University of Washington in Seattle, a program widely recognized as forward thinking, unique, and of great distinction. Under his direction, the graduate choral program has developed a singular mission: to nurture the whole student as conductor-teacher-servant-leader-scholar. This vision has led the program to become one of the most vibrant and innovative in the country, attracting students from around the world interested in exploring the future of our art. Through his teaching he is exploring the evolution of conducting gesture and rehearsal pedagogy and their connection with the emerging neuroscience of mirror neurons, empathy, perception, learning, and personal transformation. His exploration has led to new thoughts about conducting and teaching with regard to breath, movement, artistry, personal awareness, and cultural development. Recently, his work has led to the mentoring of local choral cohorts of teachers and conductors who are interested in building professional communities of ongoing mentorship and musical development.  He has developed such mentorship programs across the United States and Canada. In addition to these thoughts about mentorship he is actively working with other leaders in ACDA and NAfME to develop a more unified and useful system for development of musicianship, assessment, adjudication, and repertoire grading. 

Geoffrey maintains an active conducting, teaching, workshop and clinic schedule; his recent engagements have included conducting concerts in Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Meyerson Concert Hall in Dallas, New York’s Alice Tully and Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center, the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. In addition he has served as artist-in-residence in Toronto, Ontario, Mainz, Germany, as well as Seoul, Korea with the world-renown choir the Incheon City Chorale

In addition to his position at the UW, Boers sings professionally and is the conductor of the Tacoma Symphony Chorus where he conducts both the choir and symphony players in a four-concert season.

Since his tenure at the University of Washington, the choral program has become a leader in promoting the performance, study and exchange of Baltic music in the United States. The choir has toured to the Baltic countries in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2013. Geoffrey Boers was awarded a prestigious Royalty Research Grant in 2004 to create a Baltic Choral Library in collaboration with the UW Library as well as State and academic libraries in the Baltic. This collection of scores, manuscripts, vocal music, and writings is the first of its kind in the United States. This collection has promoted yearly exchanges with choirs and conductors from the Baltic area who travel each year to Seattle. Further, it has led to numerous UW choral students winning awards and scholarships to travel, study, and work in the Baltic countries.

Giselle Wyers (she/her/hers) is the Donald E. Petersen Endowed Professor of Choral Music at the University of Washington, where she conducts the award-winning University Chorale and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in choral conducting and music education. She serves as the newly appointed School of Music's designated Diversity Liaison. University Chorale’s latest CD, Resonant Streams (on the MSR Music Recordings label) was featured in a 2018 Gramophone magazine article. Wyers is the newly appointed director of Concord Chamber Choir, an adult community chorus within the Columbia Choirs community. Her professional project choir Solaris Vocal Ensemble, specializes in the performance of contemporary American choral literature. Their premiere album Floodsongs, on the Albany Music label, won the American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music in 2017-18.

As a guest conductor, Wyers has led high school honor choirs and all-state choruses in New York (Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center), Kansas, Wisconsin, Georgia, Missouri, Louisiana, Connecticut, Nebraska, Texas, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Vancouver, Canada. She has conducted semi-professional ensembles across the United States and in Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Sweden. Wyers was in demand for Zoom lectures during the pandemic with Res Diversa Chamber Choir (Chile), Western Washington University (a three-week group composition project), University of Iowa, Northern Illinois University, Montana State University, and with the Mastersingers of Milwaukee (Wisconsin), as well as conducting Nevada All-State online. 

Wyers is a leading national figure in the application of Laban movement theory for conductors. She has served as guest lecturer in conducting at Sweden’s Örebro Universitet, European Festival of Church Music (Germany), Latvian Academy of Music, Eastman School of Music, Ithaca College, Westminster Choir College, University of Iowa, Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Portland State University.

Wyers’ choral works are published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing Company as part of the "Giselle Wyers Choral Series," and have been performed across the United States, South America, Canada, Australia, Cuba, and numerous European cities. She will conduct her 30-minute choral cycle entitled And All Shall Be Well, in Carnegie Hall May of 2022 with a consortium of NW-based choruses. In 2021-22, she will serve as composer-in-residence for the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium's annual festivities celebrating the return of in-person singing (her appearance is sponsored by Consortio). Wyers is also committed to mentoring scholar-writers in the field, and serves on the editorial board of ACDA’s Choral Journal.

Timothy

Artist Statement:
I believe music is central to the human experience. As a music educator, choral conductor, and researcher, I aim to connect the learning of music from song literature to a deep immersion of artistic literacy and individualized expression. My educational and artistic approach to music is not sustained by the assessment of ability and talent alone. If this were true, my own musicianship may never have come to fruition. As a multicultural person, I focus on how practical learning techniques in rehearsal and on-stage help develop emotional intelligence and relationship building for students with multiple identities. The collaborative process of establishing common terminology and gestural meaning is the culmination of my creative process; here I find that pitch, rhythm, and text are analyzed and applied literally, internally, and interpersonally. The relationship between instructor and student, conductor and singer, or peer and peer are equally as important as the common language used to understand, apply, and interpret music. 

Louisiana native, Timothy Little Trần is a singer/songwriter, conductor, church music minister, and educator. Currently, Dr. Little Trần is the Director of Choral Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Slippery Rock University where he conducts choral ensembles and teaches courses within the academic music curricula.

Prior to Slippery Rock, Timothy was Executive Director of Performing Arts and Professor of Choral Music at Notre Dame College, where he shaped the department into dynamic performing divisions of music, theatre, and dance, as well as created majors in music and theatre entrepreneurship. Timothy also served as the Coordinator of Arts in Residences and Area Coordinator for the Senior Experience at Oberlin Conservatory and the Resident Director at the School of Creative and Performing Arts-Manhattan [SOCAPA], where he was one of the founding members of the Music Program. Dr. Little Trần has also held positions in Student Life & Development and Arts Marketing & Communication at Interlochen Arts Academy, the Shenandoah Conservatory, Columbia Choirs of Metropolitan Seattle, and Louisiana State University, where he also was a photographer for LSU Football and the LSU Tiger Marching Band.

Timothy holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington, a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting & Literature from Louisiana State University, and a Bachelor of Music degree with Vocal and Music Education studies from the Shenandoah Conservatory.

Timothy is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity and is passionate about LSU Football; his nephews and nieces; and using the arts as a medium to support students academically, artistically, and socially.

Tiffany Walker

Tiffany Walker is a choral conductor from Chino Hills, California who completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington.  She completed a Master of Arts in Teaching and single-subject credential in K-12 music at the University of Southern California.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, Berkeley.  Tiffany taught private voice lessons, was an assistant choral director at Ruben S. Ayala High School, and taught as a high school choral director at San Clemente High School and Ruben S. Ayala High School.  

Tyler

Tyler Todd Kimmel is a third year doctor of musical arts student in choral conducting at the University of Washington. He was born and raised in Seattle, where he currently works as a collaborative performing artist and educator. 

Passionate about music and theater, he has sought opportunities to maintain both mediums as a director of performing arts at Seattle Christian School, where he runs the secondary choir and theater departments. He also works with local professional and youth theater companies in their production and education departments, and works as a freelance actor and musician. As a composer, he has written several chamber pieces and solo works, two musicals, three film scores, and premiered incidental music for two plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. He is also an avid arranger, continually re-visioning and adapting works for his secondary and church choirs, and runs a voice and piano studio in south Seattle.

Before moving back to Seattle, Tyler served on the adjunct music faculty at Pepperdine University, where he was an assistant conductor of the orchestra, conductor for musical theater, theory tutor and vocal coach. While pursuing his masters degree at Florida International University (FIU), he served as an undergraduate composition teacher, and as an assistant conductor for the FIU Symphony under international conductor, Gzregorz Nowak.

Tyler is a member of the National Association for Music Educators and the American Choral Directors Association. He is passionate about performing arts education for secondary students, and loves hiking, running, skiing, and watching hockey.

Professional Affiliations: 
NAfME, ACDA
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