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Geoffrey Boers conducts the UW Chamber Singers (photo: Steve Korn).
The Chamber Singers (Geoffrey Boers) and University Chorale (Giselle Wyers) present their Autumn Quarter concert.
Download the program as a PDF
University Chorale
Giselle Wyers, director
“Great and Small”
Exploring the grandest and tiniest things in life, love and nature
Maya Shah, soprano soloist; Serena Chin, piano
Eriks Esenvalds (b. 1977):
Rivers of LightMeena Kuduva, soprano soloi
Traditional (1591): Coventry Carol
Miguel Matamaros (1894-1971): Juramento
Cesar Carrillo (b. 1957): O Magnum
W.A. Mozart (1756-1791): Requiem in D Minor K. 626: 3 –”Domine Jesu”
Meliza Redulla, soprano soloist; Akhila Narayanan, alto soloist; Michael Lim, tenor soloist; Alex Mason, bass soloist
Soloists: Kate Connors, Charlie Dawson, Anna Messenger
PROGRAM
UW Chamber Singers
Geoffrey Boers, director
Bernat Vivancos (b. 1973): Les Cris des Berges (The Shepherd’s Cry)
Tyler Todd Kimmel, tenor solo
Jonathan Dove (b. 1959): Ring Out Wild Bells from The Passing of the Year
Amy Boers, piano
Daniel Knaggs (b. 1983): Time and Passing
III. Into Your Hands
II. To Everything there is a Season
Jocelyn Hagen (b. 1980): Already Always
Dominico Reyes, piano
Reginald Unterseher (b. 1956): Love Your Neighbor
Program Notes
Welcome to tonight’s program, it has been a wonderful experience to make music together in what feels almost normal. The one silver lining that we can take from the challenges of the pandemic is that there is a renewed joy and a sense of appreciation for each day together, and not taking any day for granted. I hope that you will sense that joy tonight, see it in their faces, and hear it in their expressive singing.
The Chamber Singers tonight begins with Les Cris des Berges, a cry out of a single voice, calling into the wilderness in hopes of connecting with others like him. Slowly, twelve different voices join him and encircle him in beauty. There is no text in this piece, so you may make it your own, is it a reflection of the feeling of disconnect during Covid times, or the sense of isolation we all experience?
Ring Out Wild Bells seems to be an exclamation point in reaction to a new time, a “new year” of out with the old and in with the new! This work is the finale of a song cycle titled The Passing of the Year. Composer Jonathan Dove sets Alfred Lloyd Tennyson’s poem of the same name–it is a poem of “out withs” and “in withs,” and Dove sets these poetic opposites brilliantly for two choirs. The poem is as powerful and essential today as when it was written!
We follow with two movements which continue our thoughts about a new time, from British composer Daniel Knaggs’ song cycle Of Time and Passing. Into Your Hands is a depiction of struggle at the end of life. At times frantic, other moments pleading and bargaining, and ultimately accepting. To Everything there is a Season is a more hopeful and celebratory setting, reminiscent of a pop song, and uplifts the beauty of all times of life!
Already Always, by Jocelyn Hagen is also reflective of life–there is no key signature, no consistent time signature or rhythmic pulse–like life, the music is always on the move. It is a Sondheim-esque, comforting reminder to make the most of every moment and not wait to celebrate. The piece is dedicated to people who work with the mental and spiritual health of young people.
Finally, it seems in music that the theme of love is always the punch line. Love Your Neighbor, by Washington composer Reginald Unterseher, is a simple pop setting of what is referred to as the Golden Rule. In the composer’s words, “the idea of loving a neighbor as you love yourself is an important principle of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and most kindergarten classrooms.”
Lyrics and Translations
Rivers of Light Eriks Esenvalds (b. 1977)
Translation from Saami Finnish:
Northern Lights slide back and forth, back and forth
Northern Lights, Northern Lights, blanket shivering, green coat
Juramento Miguel Matamaros (1894-197)
Translation:
If love makes one feel deep pain
And condemns one to live in misery
For your love, I would give you, my dear
Even the blood that boils within my veins
If it is fountain of mystic grief
And makes men drag long chains
I swear to you I will drag them across
The infinite and black seas of my sorrows
O Magnum Mysterium Cesar Carrillo (b. 1957)
Translation:
O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord, lying in a manger! Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear Christ the Lord. Alleluia!
Requiem in D Minor K. 626: 3 –”Domine Jesu” W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)
Translation:
Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory,
deliver the souls of all the faithful departed
from the punishments of hell and from the deep lake.
Deliver them from the mouth of the lion,
lest Tartarus swallow them up, lest they fall into darkness:
but let the standard-bearer Saint Michael
bring them back into the holy light
which you once promised to Abraham and his seed.
Shchedryk Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921)
Translation:
Here flew the swallow from afar
Started to sing lively and loud
Asking the master to come out
Come here, oh come, master – it’s time
In the sheepfold wonders to find
Your lovely sheep have given birth
To little lambs of great worth
All of your wares are very fine
Coin you will have in a big pile
All of your wares are very fine
Coin you will have in a big pile
You have a wife
Fair as a dove
If not the coin, then the chaff
You have a wife fair as a dove.
Ring Out Wild Bells from The Passing of the Year Jonathan Dove (b. 1959)
O Earth, O Earth, return!
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the time;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
--Alfred Tennyson
Time and Passing Daniel Knaggs (b. 1983)
III. Into Your Hands
Into your hands I commit my spirit…
Lord let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days;
Let me know how fleeting my life is.
Behold you have made my days but a few handbreadths,
And my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath!
Surely they are for naught in turmoil;
We heap up, and no not who will gather.
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry,
Hold not your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing guest, a sojourner, like all my elders.
O spare me, that I may know gladness,
Before I depart and be no more.
Into your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
-Psalms 31, 39
II. To Everything there is a Season
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
Time to be born, a time to die;
A time to plant, a time to pluck up;
A time to kill, a time to heal;
Time to break down, a time to build;
A time to weep, a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones;
Time to embrace, time to refrain;
A time to seek, a time to lose;
A time to keep, a time to cast away;
A time to rend, a time to sew;
A time for silence, a time to speak;
A time to love, a time to hate;
A time for war, a time for peace.
-Ecclesiastes 3
Already Always
Jocelyn Hagen (b. 1980)
Dominico Reyes, piano
It’s already always. Did you know?
Turn inside out to take it in.
Somersault down your hills of thought tucked in circles
the beginning, the end.
Where did you start and when do you stop if it’s already always.
Clasp hands of here, with now, and dance.
I’m here.
You’re now.
Together we last.
It’s already always.
– Jo Ford
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UNIVERSITY CHORALE SOPRANO Tia Bjornson, Tacoma, Wa; Community, Environment and Planning Emily Cameron, Snohomish, WA; Mechanical Eng. Chloe Chapman, Vancouver, WA; Lauren Chenoweth, Bellevue, WA Sarah Clark, Mercer Island WA; Political Science Kate Connors, Kennewick, WA Julia Fung, Bothell, WA; Pre-major Anika Harding, Danville, CA; Mechanical Engineering 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 Lena Lee, Lynwood, WA; Music Education; Pre-major Anna Messenger, Olympia, WA; Music Education Julia Nipert, Renton, WA; Pre-Nursing Chloe O'Keefe, San Francisco, CA; Gender, Women, Sexuality Studies and Public Health Sophia Parker, Bothell, WA; Vocal Performance Clara Propst, Seattle, WA; Psychology Ace Quisido, Cebu City; Philippines; Meliza Redulla, Olympia, WA; Music Education Sophie Root, Kirkland, WA; Psychology Anne Tinker, Seattle, WA Erin Tsai, Irvine, CA
ALTO Lyla Cain, Seattle, WA; Electrical Engineering Sofiia Fedzhora, Kyiv, Ukraine; Slavic Languages and Literatures Department Alexis Georgiades, Basking Ridge, NJ; Chemistry Christine Han, Suzhou, China; Intended: Philosophy Naomi-Hal Hoffman, Bellevue, WA; Vocal Performance Drama: Design Hongyi Ji, Shanghai China; Computer Science Lexi Koperski, Chicago, IL; Anthropology and Music history Ella L'Heureux, Leavenworth, KS; Linguistics Hannah Limb, Mountlake Terrace, WA; Biology Karissa Longo, Pittsburgh, PA; Music Education Joely Loucks, Friday Harbor, WA; Music Education Sophie Ma, Tokyo, Japan; Music Composition Akhila Narayanan, Redmond, WA; Computer Eng. Julia Park, Cambridge, MA; English Language and Lit., Journalism and Public Interest Comm. Leah Peterson, Bellevue, WA; Astronomy and Physics Jaminfaye Reduque, DuPont, WA; Bioresource Science and Engineering Silvana Segura, Redmond, WA; Psychology Maya Shah, Portland, OR; Undeclared Nelly Sunstrum, Redmond, WA; Civil Engineering Jessica Thaxton, Psychology Aliyah Wachob, Belmont, CA; Law, Societies and Justice & Creative Writing
TENOR Eyad Alsilimy, Mount Vernon, WA; Computer Eng. Hannah Carpenter, Puyallup, WA; Physics and Astronomy Gray Creech, Nashville, TN Javier de Mabel, Pamplona, Spain Eric Gagliano, Magnolia, TX; Civil Engineering Cam Gardner, Sammamish, WA; Political Economy Alé Hernandez, Rio Rancho NM Michael Lim, Du Pont, WA Karsten Lomax, Edmonds, WA; Comparative History of Ideas & Cinema and Media Studies Marshell Lombard, Johannesburg, Gauteng (Place of Gold), South Africa, DMA Choral Conducting John O’Kane, Seattle, WA; Industrial Systems Eng. Spencer Lundt, University Place, WA; Mechanical Engineering Luke van Sickel, Oregon City, OR Ryan Singh, Redmond, WA; Geography: Data Science Ethan Walker, Lynnwood, WA; Biology
BASS Nshan Burns, Graham, WA; Economics Charlie Dawson, Austin, TX; Economics Matthew Hanson, Camas WA Andrew Hoch, Burr Ridge, IL; Informatics Jacob Knight, Lynnwood, WA; Computer Science Jonah Ladish-Orlich, Renton, WA; Undeclared Sidharth Lakshaman, Bellevue, WA; Computer Engineering Alex Mason, Langhorne, PA Christian Rolfson, Mount Vernon, WA; Environmental Science and Resource Management Zach Shafer, Camas, WA; Computer Science Ryan Uken, Flower Mound, TX Trey Wheeler, Vancouver, WA; Music Education & Vocal Performance
CHAMBER SINGERS SOPRANOS Kaelyn Barnes, Everett, WA; BM, Vocal Performance Sydney Belden, San Clemente, CA; Sophomore BM/BS, Music-Voice/Environmental Studies Aida Bowen, Mount Vernon, WA; Junior Vocal Performance & American Indian Studies Mavis Chan✧, Bellevue, WA; BM, Vocal Performance and BA, Business Administration - Marketing Sydney Huang, Cleveland, OH; Freshman Pre-health Science Shalini Pullarkat, La Cañada, CA; BS, General Biology Nandini Rathod, Mercer Island, WA; Freshman Pre-Sciences Lauren Reynolds, Colorado Springs, CO; MMA, Marine and Environmental Affairs Caitlin Sarwono,
ALTOS Cee E. Adamson, Washington, D.C.; DMA, Vocal Performance Lily Campbell, Olympia, WA; BA, Public Health-Global Health Anjali Chudasama, Upland, CA; MM, Choral Conducting Kristin Deitrich, Baroda, MI; Music Education Heather Halverson, Woodinville, WA; Sophomore BM/BA,Vocal Performance/Communications Elizabeth Lu, Tacoma, WA; BS, Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology Anna Messenger, Olympia, WA; BM, Music Education Jaminfaye Reduque✧, DuPont, WA; BS, Bioresource Science and Engineering Larke Witten, San Antonio, TX; MM, Choral Conducting
TENORS Eyad Alsimimy, Oliver Callahan, Anaheim, CA; BM, Music Education Caleb Chin-Yung Chan, Portland, Oregon; BS, Computer Science Tyler Todd Kimmel, Seattle, WA; DMA, Choral Conducting Marshell Lombard, Johannesburg, South Africa; DMA, Choral Conducting Chad Miller, Lansing, KS; PhD, Psychology Tri Nguyen, Everett, WA; BS, Mechanical Engineering Maggie Petersen, Mercer Island, WA; Undeclared Freshman Isaac Tian, San Diego, CA ; PhD, Computer Science & Engineering
BASSES Justin Birchell, Anchorage, AK; DMA, Choral Conducting Charlie Dawson✧, Austin, TX; Economics Scott Fikse, Tacoma, WA; MM, Choral Conducting Grant Hopkins, Blue Bell, PA; PhD student, Biostatistics Evan Norberg, Seattle, Washington; DMA Choral Conducting Christian Rolfson, Mount Vernon, WA; Environmental Science and Resource Management Trey Wheeler, Vancouver, WA; BM, Music Education & Vocal Performance James Wilcox, Nashville, TN; Computer Science & Engineering
✧- CHOIR LEADERSHIP |
DIRECTOR BIOS
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, Chasing Daybreak, will begin streaming in January 2024 on Apple Music and Spotify. Their third 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, Nevada and Vancouver, Canada. She has conducted semi-professional ensembles across the United States and in Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Sweden.
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," as well as with MusicSpoke and Hildegard Publishing. Her works have been performed across the United States, South America, Canada, Australia, Cuba, and numerous European cities. She conducted her 30-minute choral cycle entitled And All Shall Be Well, in Carnegie Hall during May of 2022 with a consortium of NW-based choruses, and she will return with a newly composed choral/orchestral work in May of 2026. In 2021-22, she served as composer-in-residence for the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium's annual festivities celebrating the return of in-person singing (her appearance was sponsored by Consortio). Wyers is also committed to mentoring scholar-writers in the field, and served on the editorial board of ACDA’s Choral Journal for six years.