The Chamber Singers (Geoffrey Boers, director) and University Chorale (Giselle Wyers, director) present "Blue Planet," a program of works demonstrating multiple cultures through crossover genre, syncretic styles, and the African diaspora in the United States.
Program detail
Central to the UW Chorale’s program are movements from To the Hands by Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw (b. 1982). Scored for choir and string quintet, this poignant work reflects on “the suffering of those around the world seeking refuge, and of our role and responsibility in these global and local crises.” Throughout the program, the Chorale performa works in French, Hawaiian, Spanish, English, and Latin by composers and poets of diverse genders, nationalities, and cultural/ethnic backgrounds. This musical tapestry—rich with themes of community, nature, collective joy, suffering, transformation, and beauty—offers a glimpse into the shared experience of life on this planet.
Program
(In process)
University Chorale
Portones Abiertos y Rostros Brilliantes - Paul Basler (b. 1963)
Ka Wai 'Apo Lani - Queen Liliʻuokalani (1838-1917) arr. Dorothy K Gillett
To the Hands - Caroline Shaw (b. 1982)
I. Prelude
II. In Medio (in the midst)
IV. ever ever ever
V. Litany of the Displaced
VI. I will hold you
TaReKiTa - Reena Esmail (b. 1983)
Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One - Healey Willan (1880-1968)
Three Shakespeare Songs -Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
II. The Cloud-Capp’d Towers
Les Voyageurs de la Gatineau - French Canadian Folk Song. arr. Jennifer McMillan
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.
Scott Fikse is a multi-genre performer and director with a passion for teaching. He is currently pursuing a DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington and serves as a graduate teaching assistant for the School of Music in music history, conducting, and choral methods, as well as an instructor of record for the Program for Writing Across Campus (PWAC) where he teaches Writing in the Humanities. He serves as the assistant conductor of the University of Washington Chorale, Recital Choir, and the Graduate Cohort Ensemble.
Locally, Scott serves as the conductor in residence for the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society and as the choirmaster at All Pilgrims Christian Church. He is also a guest lecturer, with appearances at Seattle Symphony, Early Music Hawai‘i, Midsummer Musical Retreat, Seattle University, and others, and is a regular contributor to the American Choral Directors Association monthly Choral Journal magazine. An active bass-baritone, Scott sings as a choral scholar with the Compline Choir, in the professional vocal ensemble Nothing Gold, and as a guest choral scholar with some of Seattle’s most respected liturgical ensembles. He has also performed numerous roles on the musical theater stage, in vocal jazz ensembles, and in competitions with the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Scott moved to Seattle from Honolulu in 2022, where he directed the music program at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu and created the church’s popular “First Mondays” and “Jazz Journey” concert series. Under his direction the LCH choirs prepared over 200 works each year, ranging from chant, Renaissance polyphony, and Baroque works to modern masters. He also served as director of the Honolulu Chorale and artistic director of Early Music Hawai‘i, where he continues to serve both as artistic director and board member. Scott has secured numerous grants to fund projects with both LCH and EMH, and is currently designing a series of masterclasses that will bring world-class soloists and coaches from across the country to work with Honolulu-based performers. He also remains rooted to Hawai‘i through his work with the Shinnyo-En Buddhist community, where he sings as a soloist for the annual Lantern Floating Ceremony each May which welcomes over 40,000 participants a year.
Scott received his Bachelors of Musical Arts from Pacific Lutheran University, his Masters in Choral Conducting from University of Washington, and has a certification in German language from Eurocentres Köln, Germany. A scholar and active writer, his research currently examines topics in Early Music performance practice and development and the evolution and intersections of both early American and Hawaiian choral music.
Canadian conductor-educator-tenor Nicholas Renaud is passionate about working with others toward musical growth and dynamic performances. Currently, Nicholas is pursuing his DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Washington under the supervision of Dr. Geoffrey Boers and Dr. Giselle Wyers, where he serves as Assistant Conductor of the award-winning UW Chorale, co-conductor of the UW Recital Choir and Choral Cohort Ensemble, and as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the School of Music.
Out in the community, Nicholas works frequently as a tenor, guest conductor, clinician and French-language diction coach for local choirs and serves as Artistic Director of La Chorale francophone de Seattle, a multi-generational community choir specializing in the performance of French-language music from around the world. Prior to commencing his studies at UW, Nicholas conducted a variety of community bands and choirs and had a busy career teaching K-12 Music and French classes in public schools and serving his fellow teachers as a union activist in and around Vancouver, Canada.
Nicholas holds degrees and graduate-level diplomas in music, French and education from some of Canada's top universities. While completing his Bachelor of Music at the University of Victoria, he served as Assistant Director of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Chamber Singers, and as Conductor of the Massed Men's Choir and Director of the Vocal Jazz Women's Chorus, Ellavation. He has been the recipient of numerous fellowships, scholarships and awards, but his proudest accomplishment throughout his studies was receiving the Outstanding Practicum Award from the University of British Columbia. This was given in recognition of Nicholas' dedication, commitment and diligence while teaching high school students in choir, band and IB French classes during his Bachelor of Education degree.
An earnest scholar, Nicholas' research interests include inclusive and decolonial approaches to leadership and pedagogy, incorporating voice science in the choral rehearsal process, empathetic choral conducting, and early Canadian choral music. Nicholas is devoted to building community and cooperation through the study of music, engaging in innovative teaching that involves a variety of approaches and activities to foster teamwork. He works hard to empower others––no matter their age or experience level––to develop confidence as they learn to express their creativity through group music-making and engaging musical performances.
Helen Woodruff is a graduate student at the University of Washington, pursuing her MM in Choral Conducting. She is passionate about approaching choral music from new perspectives. She is strongly rooted in music education and thrives for choral music to be accessible to all, pursuing creative ways for singing to be experienced.
Helen believes that we are all born with the innate desire to use our voices. Singing fulfills a universal and fundamental desire to express ourselves and to connect with others. It is the greatest way to convey culture, history, community, and personal expression in a way that is accessible to all because the voice is an instrument that we carry with ourselves daily. She finds substantial power in the collective human voice, which is why she is drawn with such strength to conducting and facilitating this expression and communication.
Currently, Helen co-conducts the Treble Choir and works with the University Chorale. Prior to this, she graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a BM in Music Business. After her undergraduate degree, she spent four years in California at the Harker School teaching K-12 general music, string orchestra, choir, and musical theater.