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Geoffrey Boers directs the UW Chamber Singers (Photo: Gary Louie).
In preparation for UW Choirs’ Summer 2024 tour of Czechia, Austria and Hungary, the Chamber Singers (Geoffrey Boers) and University Chorale (Giselle Wyers, director) present “Wonderful World,” featuring works spanning the globe and the diverse styles of the American Songbook.
Program
"Wonderful World"
UW Chamber Singers
Geoffrey Boers, director
Leron, Leron Sinta: Saunder Choi
Egija Claire Ungure, conductor
Schaffe in Mir, Gott. Op. 29 No. 2: Johannes Brahms
Geoffrey Boers, conductor
Pater Noster: Jakob Handl
Scott Fikse, conductor
Daemon, Irrepit Callidus: György Orbán
Larke Witten, conductor
Now Our Meeting’s Over: arr. Jocelyn Hagen
Evan Norberg, conductor
INTERMISSION
University Chorale
Giselle Wyers, director
Twin Stars: **Composed by Seattle University choirs, Giselle Wyers, arranger
A group choral composition project, sponsored by the Pigott Endowment for the Arts, Dr. Leann-Conley Holcom, Director of Choral Activities, Seattle University)
Serena Chin, piano
Beautiful-Broken: Taylor Bellamy (b. 1993)
SOLOISTS: Claire Killian, soprano; Naomi-Hal Hoffman, alto
I Am: Sophie Ma (b. 2001)
SOLOISTS: Lainey Graham, soprano; Jessica Thaxton, alto; Michael Lim, tenor; Dustin Peng, bass
Miloserdiya Dveri: Alexander Kastalsky (1856-1926)
Scott Fikse, conductor
Christus Factus Est: Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Apple Tree (Aurora): arr. Katerina Gimon (b. 1993)
Jonah Ladish-Orlich, Adrian Wong Cascante, Jessica Thaxton, Leah Peterson, percussion
Combined Choirs
Crowded Table: arr. Andrea Ramsey
Geoffrey Boers, conductor
Notes and Translations
Leron, Leron Sinta: Saunder Choi
"Leron Leron Sinta" is a traditional Filipino folk song that originated during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines. It was often sung by farmers while working in the fields or during their leisure time. The timeless melody is deeply rooted in Philippine culture, and Choi's masterful arrangement brings new life to the song, highlighting its rich history. Saunder Choir, a contemporary composer and arranger, also lends his unique perspective to this classic folk song with his arrangement. He demonstrates his masterful use of different choral textures and dynamic contrasts, creating a sound that captures the essence of the Filipino musical tradition.
The arrangement takes the listener on a journey through the heart of the song with its gentle, flowing melodies and lively, rhythmic interludes, celebrating the timeless appeal of this tune. As we present Saunder Choi's arrangement of "Leron Leron Sinta" tonight, we invite you to immerse yourself in the beauty and charm of this beloved Filipino folk song. Through its enduring melody and rich history, "Leron Leron Sinta" continues to captivate audiences around the world.
Leron, leron, my love,
Blossoms of the papaya tree
with a bamboo basket (climbs tree)
He'd gather some fruits.
When he reached the top,
The branch broke
Oh what a trick of fate
He had to search for another!
Wake up, Neneng,
Let's pick some tamarind fruits
Take the bamboo basket,
To put the ripe ones in
Upon reaching the top
The branches swayed
Hold on tight, Neneng,
As you might fall.
I will love
A fearless man
He got seven guns,
Nine knives
The journey he will take,
Is the table distance
With a plate of pancit
The foe he will engage!
Schaffe in Mir, Gott: Johannes Brahms
Psalm 51:10–12
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence; and take not your holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of your salvation; and uphold me [with your] free spirit.
Brahms was an admirer and a scholar of Baroque music, particularly the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Brahms collected historic music of the time and conducted a choir that was expert in ancient music—they were pioneers of performing early music, a practice which goes on to today!
Brahms was taken by the motets of Bach and wrote numerous motets of his own which reflected Bach’s style. Both Brahms and Bach, though over a century apart, shared similar compositional form even as they reflected vastly different harmonic language. Each verse of the text is set in a different form. For Brahms, the pleading “create in me” text is expressed through long developing melodies which together create achingly beautiful harmony.The darker, more plaintive text “cast me not away…” is expressed in a dense and ancient fugue. Brahms plays with the old-fashioned form of the fugue (like a round, or canon—thin “Row, Row, Row Your Boat), by starting themes upside down,twice as long, and echoing one beat apart. The thick dense texture is both hard to sing and expressive of human longing for love, acceptance, and healing.
Pater Noster: Jakob Handl
Jacob Handl (c. 1550–1591), also known by the surname “Gallus,” was a well-travelled composer who spent much of his life in what are today Czech, Austrian, and Polish lands. In addition to being a prolific composer, he was a monk, choir master, and member of the Viennese court chapel. Handl is associated with the Counter-Reformation in Bohemia, known for mixing Franco-Flemish polyphony with Venetian polychoral style. His Pater Noster is an example of this rich Venetian influence with its antiphonal choir “surround-sound” effects and rich harmony in eight-part divisi declaring the words of the Lord’s Prayer, or Our Father.
Translation
Adapted from the original Aramaic text of the Our Father, or Lord’s Prayer
O creator in heaven, from whom life comes,
Help us to honor your name.
Let your will be done,
As in heaven, so on earth.
Give us wisdom for our daily needs,
And forgive us for the wrongs we have done,
As we forgive others who have wronged us.
Let us not be lost in superficial things.
Free us from what holds us back from our true purpose.
Amen.
Daemon, Irrepit Callidus: György Orbán
Daemon Irrepit Callidus is Romanian born Hungarian, György Orbán’s (1947-) perhaps most well-known choral work in the United States. Here, the juxtaposition of good and evil represents the two opposing ideas of sacred and secular. This vivid composition is written from the standpoint of human imagination and fear and as part of the recurring theme of seeking protection from the forces of darkness. The struggle between good and evil is represented vividly in the presence of a stubborn, ostinato like eighth-note pulse, in the fast tempo indication (Allegro), and in the extensive use of chromaticism. The manic and unsettling chanting on the oscillating minor second eighth-note figures seems to evoke some sort of exorcism or tribal incantation. Notice text painting of the words: Inescatur, impinguatur, dilatatus (overgrows, encroaches, stretches.)
Orbán studied, then taught at the Cluj-Napoca Academy of Music until 1979 when he emigrated from Romania to Hungary, becoming professor of composition at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, in 1982.
The shrewd demon creeps in,
Lures the heart with marks of honor,
Mixes lies in with praise, song and dance.
What the demon gives may be lovely,
But it is less precious than the heart of Jesus.
The flesh is hunted by sensuality;
Gluttony clings to our senses;
The flesh overgrows, encroaches, stretches.
The flesh may give pleasure,
But it is less precious than the heart of Jesus.
Add together the thousands
And thousands of joys in the world.
They will never satisfy nor keep at bay the fires of the heart.
The universe may be very enticing,
But it is less precious than the heart of Jesus.
Twin Stars: Seattle University Choirs
Composed by Seattle University choirs, Giselle Wyers, arranger; Serena Chin, piano. Twin Stars is a group choral composition project, sponsored by the Pigott Endowment for the Arts and led by Dr. Leann-Conley Holcom, Director of Choral Activities, Seattle University.
Beautiful-Broken: Taylor Bellamy
Miloserdiya Dveri: Alexander Kastalsky
(from Church Slavonic):
The doors of thy mercy open unto us,
O most blessed Mother of God
That we who put our hope in thee may not perish
but may be delivered through Thee
from all calamities
For Thou art the salvation of your people.
Christus Factus Est: Anton Bruckner
(from Latin):
Christ became obedient for us
unto death on the cross
Therefore God exalted Him and gave Him
a name which is above all names
Apple Tree (Aurora): arr. Katerina Gimon (b. 1993)
Biographies
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.