ITHACA COLLEGE CHAMBER SINGERS
Dr. Sean Linfors, conductor
Wrap Me in Song
The Chamber Singers’ program this evening comprises gorgeous vocal works that appear frequently on choral programs all over the world. The pieces are standards for a reason – they highlight beautiful ensemble singing, rewarding nuanced performances and giving audiences a sense of the ethereal and the worldly. Unaccompanied choral singing connects the singer and the listener in a way that elevates both and transcends text. We invite you to be uplifted and informed and to share this concert with us.
Sing Joyfully is a vibrant and lively six-part motet written by English composer William Byrd (1540-1623). Byrd is considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance and is often regarded as one of England's most influential composers of early music. In 1572, Byrd became the Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, one of the largest choirs in England, under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth I. Byrd’s compositions were heavily influenced by the religious politics of his time. His use of polyphony was often criticized by his Puritan contemporaries, but championed by Queen Elizabeth I, who eschewed the more extreme forms of Puritanism.
- Program Note written by Jack Patterson
Charles Villiers Stanford’s part song, The Blue Bird is the third of his collection of Eight Part Songs, composed in 1910. These contain settings of text by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge. The words of the poem, originally published under the French title L'Oiseau Bleu, depict a blue bird in flight over a lake. Stanford’s arrangement represents the stillness of the lake, as the soprano line soars above and illustrates the freedom of the bird's flight.
- Program Note written by Sarah Smith
Sing Me To Heaven was composed by Daniel Gawthrop and commissioned by the conductor of a community choir in Northern Virginia called VOCE. The lyrics were written by Jane Griner, Gawthrop’s wife, to touch the souls of the listeners and “describe the way that we, as singers, feel about music in our lives.” It only took Gawthrop about an hour and a half to compose the music, and very few revisions were made. The simple, clear lyrics combine with crunchy and complex harmonies to create a sentimental piece for musicians and non-musicians alike.
- Program Note written by Bean Cesari
Pilgrim’s Hymn is a choral work excerpted from Stephen Paulus’ “church opera” The Three Hermits, which he wrote in 1996 and subsequently self-published. It became popular world-wide, eventually being sung at the funerals of two US presidents, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. It also received many performances to great acclaim after 9/11, as the text (Michael Dennis Browne, adapted from Leo Tolstoy) and music impart a sense of communal strength and fortitude along with inner serenity.
- Program Note written by Sean Linfors
Bacai per aver vita, “I kissed for having life,” was published when Victoria Aleotti was 18. The poem explores themes of love, yearning, and intimacy, emotions that resonate with most young adults. Aleotti sets the text with simplicity while still finding moments of rich and expressive harmony, truly enabling the meaning of the text to melt through the interwoven voices. Times have changed since the 1500s, but human nature and the desire for love and connection remain the same. These themes have always been and will continue to be expressed through choral music.
- Program Note written by Rachel Somers
This version of Non Nobis Domine - set to music by award-winning composer Rosephanye Powell - has been lauded as one of her most celebrated works: the compelling sense of energy and ostinato rhythms being cited as one of the composer’s calling cards. The text “Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam” is the incipit of Psalm 113:9 the Vulgate translation of the Hebrew Book of Psalms, when translated saying: “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy name give glory." Powell’s setting of this psalm sits at the forefront of a line of historic liturgical as well as secular settings, and she has succeeded at keeping the oft-set text fresh in the voices and minds of choirs worldwide.
- Program Note written by Paul Narkewich
Marques L. A. Garrett, current Associate Professor of Choral Studies at the University of North Texas, brings joy to this beloved spiritual about anticipating life after death. Through energetic rhythm and emphatic setting of text, this arrangement expresses the joy in seeing loved ones who have passed on and conveys hope for a better future.
- Program Note written by Sarah Smith
Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal originated as a hymn written by Fredrick Rowland Marvin, from his collection of Dream Music. It wasn’t popularized as a choral arrangement until Alice Parker’s work as an arranger for the Robert Shaw Chorale. The text signifies themes of hope and peace, specifically the happiness of eternal life found in Heaven. The strong pulse gives us a sense of determination to reach the joyous afterlife.
- Program Note written by Bean Cesari
Soprano
Kirsty Ferguson
Catherine Hayes
Lydia Smith
Katie Sochor
Rachel Somers
Roli Zibuck
Alto
Bean Cesari
Amara Evans
Janelle Jusino
Leah Monteleone
Bria Petrella
Haley Rayfield
Kelly Rogers
Sarah Smith
Tenor
Jack Cecere
Emmanuel Jeffreys
Bass
Paul Narkewich
Jack Patterson
Matthew Scott
Owen Umicker
Sean Linfors is an Associate Professor of Music Education at Ithaca College, where he directs ensembles and has taught choral methods, choral conducting, and choral literature. He received his undergraduate degree in trumpet performance from University of Richmond and graduate degrees in choral conducting and choral music education from Florida State University, studying with André Thomas. Prior to graduate study, he taught public school in Florida and Virginia. In 2013, he was the Guest Conductor and Clinician for the East African Choral Festival in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2016 he was semi-finalist for The American Prize, as a conductor and as director of the Tallahassee Community Chorus. In 2019 Linfors was named the Artistic Director of the Syracuse Chorale in Syracuse, New York, and in 2020, he was named to the same position by the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble in Ithaca. Ensembles under Linfors’ direction have toured Canada, Italy, and the United States, and have been featured at National ACDA Conference and regional conferences. The Ithaca College Choir, under his direction, was awarded the 2023 American Prize in Choral Performance for larger collegiate programs. He’s an active commissioner of new choral works for collegiate and community ensembles. Recent performances have included Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Us, Margaret Bonds’ Credo and The Ballad of the Brown King, and Carol Barnett’s Bluegrass Mass: the World Beloved, Locally, he has prepared choirs for Opera Ithaca and Cayuga Chamber Orchestra.