Saturday, October 21
7:00 P.M.
Florence Kopleff Recital Hall
Choral Union
Emily Hobson-Gallardo, conductor
Kyung-Mi Kim, piano
Nyla Hardy & James Wooten, percussion
I Wanna Be Ready
arr. by Rosephanye Powell (b. 1962)
Traditional Spiritual
Jacob Thatch McDonald, conductor
The Arranger
Dr. Rosephanye Powell has been hailed as one of America’s premier women composers of solo vocal and choral music. She has an impressive catalogue of works published by some of the nation’s leading publishers.
Rosephanye Powell has made a name for herself in the choral worlds of composotion, singing, music education, and research study in the preservation and performance of African-American spirituals and gospel music." - Chanticleer, Grammy award-wining vocal ensemble
Where Shall I Be?
arr. William Grant Still (1895-1978)
MORE ON THIS COMPOSER
William Grant Still was known as “The Dean of Afro-American Composers." Still broke many barriers during his career, including being the first African-American composer to write orchestral works and have them performed by major symphony orchestras, as well as being the first conductor of color to lead a major American symphony. His musical style incorporates a variety of African-American styles, from spirituals to blues and jazz, in addition to European, Latin American, and other folk music genres.
Três Cantos Nativos
Marcos Leite (b. 1953)
THIS WORK
Composed in 1982, Três Cantos Nativos dos Indios Kraó is freely based on melodiessung by the Kraó tribe - a group of native Brazilian indians who live in the Xingú river area of the Amazônia forest of northwestern Brazil. The meaning of the text is not known; it was treated by the composer as a group of phonemes.
Marcos Leite is well-known in Brazil as a conductor, composer, pianist, and musical director of many theater productions. He has performed with some of the most important popular artists and arranged popular tunes for vocal groups for the last 15 years. His arrangements typically bring the essence of Brasilian urban popular music to the vocal music universe. Currently Leite is the arranger and director of the vocal quartet GargantaProfunda and a member of the Conservatório de Música Popular Brasileira de Curitiba where he teaches and directs a choir.
-Daniel Rufino Afonso, Ir., Editor
Tenor–Bass Choir
Patrick K. Freer, conductor
Andrew Choi, piano
Nyla Hardy, percussion
Bonk’ abaphandle
arr. Michael Barrett (b.1983)/Mbuso Ndlovu (b. 1982)
Traditional isiZulu
THE ARRANGERS
Michael Barrett is associate artistic director of the New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), which he started in 1988 with Steven Blier. He was chief executive and general director of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (2003–12); co-founded the Moab Music Festival in 1992 with his wife, violist Leslie Tomkins; and was the director of the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y (1994–97). A protégé of Leonard Bernstein, he was also artistic advisor for the Bernstein estate and a teacher at the University of Pretoria Camerata in South Africa. Along with another university teacher, Mbuso Ndlovu, Barrett arranged Bonk’ abaphandle. This piece is a traditional celebratory isiZulu song.
O Absalom
Stanley M. Hoffman (b. 1959)
José Azurdia Lamadrid, conductor
THIS ANTHEM
In 2021, O Absalom was released on an album titled PANTA RHEI (everything flows), performed by Seattle Pro Musica and conducted by Karen P. Thomas. Dr. Hoffman also works as a conductor, vocalist and lecturer. He was Chief Editor at ECS Publishing from 1998 to 2019, and is the Founding Music Director of The Temple Israel of Natick Singers.
We Are All Sons
from “Considering Matthew Shepard”
Craig Hella-Johnson (b. 1962)
José Azurdia Lamadrid, conductor
ON CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD
Craig Hella Johnson composed "Considering Matthew Shepard" as his musical response to the tragic death of a young gay man who has become an American icon and a symbol for hope and empowerment. This major new work sets a rich variety of texts by Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, Craig Hella-Johnson and many others, leading us from anguish to understanding.
One of the most original and innovative American works of the past several decades.” - Robert Kyr
Hold On
arr. Uzee Brown Jr. (b. 1950)
Traditional Spiritual
Lucas Gray, conductor
THIS SPIRITUAL
Uzee Brown Jr. is an American singer, performer, composer, arranger, educator and choir director. Brown was president of the National Association of Negro Musicians and was featured in the first official publication of the documentary history of the National Association of Negro Musicians by the Center for Black Music Research in Chicago, Illinois. For over thirty years, Brown has been an educator on African-American music focusing on Spirituals. Brown is former chair of the Department of Music at Clark Atlanta University, President of the National Association of Negro Musicians and co-founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of Onyx Opera Atlanta.
Treble Choir
Emily Hobson-Gallardo, conductor
Austen Smith, piano
Storm Comin’
arr. Ruth Moody (b. 1975)
THE WAILIN' JENNYS
The Wailin’ Jennys Are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody And Heather Masse. Starting as a happy accident of solo singer/songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most beloved international folk acts. Founding members Moody and Mehta along with New York-based Masse continue to create some of the most exciting music on the folk-roots scene, stepping up their musical game with each critically lauded recording, and thrilling audiences with their renowned live performances.
Song of Miriam
Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979)
Elizabeth Daly, conductor
THIS PIECE
Inspired by the empowering poem by Rabbi Ruth Sohn, this piece describes the journey of a young woman who finds bravery amid uncertainty and fear. Middle Eastern harmonies paint an expansive desert landscape following Miriam from the Bible, while the voices search for faith and risk taking the first step, ultimately conquering fear to find the "song in my heart."
My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord
arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003)
ad. Rollo Dilworth (b. 1970)
Traditional Spiritual
THIS SPIRITUAL
The iconic spiritual arrangement by Moses Hogan has been masterfully adapted for treble voices by Rollo Dilworth. The powerful opening chords and the exhilarating call and response sections makes this into a classic spiritual.
University Singers
Deanna Joseph, conductor
Justin Maxey, piano
Responsorial I
from Four Responsorials
Eric William Barnum (b.1979)
THIS SHORT WORK
A conductor and composer, Eric William Barnum continues to passionately seek new ground in the choral field. Working with choirs of all kinds, his collaborative leitmotif endeavors to provide intensely meaningful experiences for singers and audiences.
Originally conceived to be short responses to movements of an eclectic Mass, these four works that make up Responsorials can be performed together or separately. The texts are extracted and adapted from William Wordsworth's illustrious metaphysical poem On the Power of Sound, which delves deeply into the mysteries of the natural and supernatural world and its complex relationship with the physics of voice and sound. An expansive feeling of both joy and mystery pervades these short vignettes. They are: "As Deep to Deep shouting through one valley calls"; "The heavens, whose aspect makes our minds as still as they themselves appear to be"; "A Voice to Light gave Being"; "Break forth into thanksgiving, Ye banded instruments of wind, chords."
Dixit Dominus (HWV 232)
G.F. Händel (1685-1759)
Movement 1
Movement 9
THIS BAROQUE CHORAL WORK
Dixit Dominus is a psalm setting by George Frideric Handel that uses the Latin text of Psalm 110, which begins with the words Dixit Dominus ("The Lord Said").
The work was completed in April 1707 while Handel was living in Italy. It is Handel's earliest surviving autograph. The work was written in the baroque style of the period and is scored for five vocal soloists (SSATB), five-part chorus, strings and continuo.
Measure Me, Sky!
Elaine Hagenberg (b. 1979)
RETURNING TO ELAINE HAGENBERG
A newly composed piece by Hagenberg, Measure Me, Sky! encourages singers to take hold of their limitless potential. Ascending vocal lines stretch across a driving accompaniment, as if reaching out to grasp the expanse depicted in Leonora Speyer's rapturous poem.
Time
Jennifer Lucy Cook (b. 1988)
TIKTOK VIRAL COMPOSER
Jennifer Lucy Cook (she/her) is a composer and lyricist that specializes in music for the stage and screen, choral music and pop songwriting. Her musical recaps of the Bachelor recently went viral on TikTok. She is an alumni of the BML (Book, Music, and Lyrics) professional workshop in London, earned a Master’s degree in Musical Theater Writing from Goldsmiths University in London and a Bachelor’s in Media Music from Brigham Young University.
Emily Hobson-Gallardo
Dr. Emily Hobson-Gallardo is serving as a Lecturer in Choral Studies at the Georgia State University School of Music. At GSU she conducts the Treble Choir, Choral Union, and teaches courses in conducting. She recently returned to the Atlanta area after completing her Doctorate in Choral Conducting at the University of Houston Moores School of Music. Prior to this appointment she served as the Director of Choirs at Oglethorpe University. In Houston, she served as the Assistant Conductor of the Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Rehearsal Conductor of the Houston Symphony Chorus, and as the Assistant Conductor/Choral Conducting Intern with the GRAMMY award-winning Houston Chamber Choir for the 2019-2021 seasons. Prior to relocating to Houston, she was the Assistant Director of Choirs at the University of West Georgia. At UWG she conducted the Concert Choir, taught the Aural Skills sequence, Choral Methods and Materials, as well as Music Appreciation. She was a conductor of the Greater Atlanta Girls Choir, and also taught middle and high choral school programs in Fayette County and Marietta City Schools.
A diverse choral conductor and music educator, she is originally from Mississippi where she received her Bachelor’s of Music Education degree from Mississippi State University graduating cum laude with an emphasis in piano and voice, studying with Dr. Gary Packwood and Dr. Rosangela Yazbec Sebba. She then went on to obtain her Master’s degree in Choral Conducting graduating summa cum laude from Georgia State University in Atlanta, studying with Dr. Deanna Joseph. As a clinician and adjudicator, she has conducted all ages and skill levels as well as worked with many different organizations and schools in the southeast.
She has maintained a private studio teaching and coaching students of all ages. As a singer she has sung in a variety of professional choral ensembles; most recently the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus. In Houston, she sang with the University of Houston Moores School of Music Concert Chorale, St Phillip Presbysterian Staff Singers, and the Houston Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Her research is primarily concerning the Performance Practice of Italian Convent Musicians of the Early Modern Period. She recently presented a session entitled; Gratifying and Engaging Early Music Repertoire for Treble Choirs at the 2021 Texas Music Educators Association Conference.
Jacob Thatch McDonald
Graduate Choral Conducting Student
Jacob Thatch McDonald is a Georgia-native, Atlanta-based musician currently enrolled in a Dual-Track Master of Music program at Georgia State, concentrating in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting. He has been a member of Voces Amicis since its inception in the fall of 2021 and looks forward to the future and evolution of the group. Born in Macon, GA, Jacob began his performing career in choirs and community theatres in middle Georgia before pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. There, he developed a fondness for performing dramatic music, whether that music be choral, operatic, musical theatre, or even particularly rousing art songs. Outside of his musical pursuits, Jacob loves playing table-top games, storytelling, and spending time with his wife Sara and their adorable cat, Percy.
Patrick K. Freer
Patrick K. Freer is Professor of Music at Georgia State University where he conducts the Tenor-Bass Choir and directs the masters & doctoral programs in music education. The GSU Tenor-Bass Choir is one of four national finalists for the 2023 American Prize in Choral Performance (large university division) and was selected by audition to perform for the 2023 GA-American Choral Directors Association. The ensemble was a featured choir in 2022’s XIV Corhabana International Choir Festival (Havana, Cuba) and the 2012 national meeting of Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, Inc.
Dr. Freer has held Visiting Professorships at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria) and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). He has been conductor-in-residence conductor for the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra (Colombia). His degrees are from Westminster Choir College and Teachers College-Columbia University. Dr. Freer has guest conducted or presented in 40 states and 30 countries.
Dr. Freer is Editor of the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing and former longtime editor of Music Educators Journal. He serves on ACDA’s National Standing Committee for Research and Publications and has chaired all three of ACDA’s International Symposia for Research in Choral Singing. He was elected to three terms as National Chair for NAfME’s Special Research Group on Gender & Sexuality. He also chaired the philosophy sub-group within the task force responding to COVID-19 concerns for the National Collegiate Choral Organization (USA).
Dr. Freer’s research and pedagogical expertise centers on working with boys and their changing voices, from prepubescence to young adulthood. Dr. Freer is a recipient of the Outstanding Senior Faculty Award for Research & Creative Activity in GSU’s College of the Arts.
Elizabeth Daly
Graduate Choral Conducting Student
Elizabeth Daly is a second year graduate student in choral conducting at Georgia State University. Originally hailing from Syracuse, NY, Elizabeth recently graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Music Education with Performance honors. At SU, Elizabeth was a Research Assistant with Chorosynthesis, collaborating on their ESV (Empowering Silenced Voices) Database for music on topics of social consciousness, was the recipient of the Frances and William Buecheler Scholarship, and was a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the national music honor’s society. Here in Atlanta, Elizabeth teaches fundamentals of aural skills at GSU, is a music intern with Central Presbyterian Church, Assistant conducts the Georgia Festival Chorus, works for the choral area as a graduate assistant, and sings/conducts with Voces Amicis. During her first year, she also presented her research on Italian nun composers of the Italian Renaissance at the University of Toronto Graduate Music Conference and the Georgia State University Graduate Conference for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity. Elizabeth lives with her Husband in Decatur, GA.
Deanna Joseph
Dr. Deanna Joseph is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the Georgia State University School of Music where she conducts the University Singers and leads the master’s program in choral conducting. In 2015, she was the recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Outstanding Teacher Award at Georgia State, where she was selected out of a pool of over 800 faculty. A recent review of her work states, “[t]he choir sings with great musicality, excellent intonation, clear diction, and a healthy and beautiful pallet of tone colors…” (The Choral Scholar).
In May of 2017, the University Singers under Dr. Joseph’s leadership won first place in the renowned Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition while on a concert tour of Austria and Bavaria. In May of 2013, the University Singers competed in La Florilège Vocal de Tours where the choir placed second overall in the mixed choir category and Dr. Joseph was honored with the Prix du chef de choer (conducting prize). The Georgia State University Singers have been invited to perform at two Southern Division conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and at two conventions of the Georgia Music Educator’s Association during Dr. Joseph’s tenure at GSU, and the Georgia State University Choirs have been hired to sing two productions of David Bintley’s Carmina Burana with the Atlanta Ballet: in 2013 (North American premiere performances) and 2017. The choir’s professional recording, Evening Hymn (Gothic Records), is distributed internationally by Naxos and is available for purchase or streaming on all the major music distribution outlets including Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, etc. The American Record Guide review states “There are no runts in the repertory litter…[and] [t]he Georgia State choir of 40 is very good at all of it: radiant as dusk approaches, but hushed and sensitive to the coming darkness as shadows deepen and fall.” The disk has been featured several times on National Public Radio’s program, With Heart and Voice.
Dr. Joseph is an active guest conductor and headline clinician and has conducted all-state and honor choirs in more than twelve states. She is a frequent conductor of choral-orchestral repertoire and has led performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven Mass in C, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Creation and Lord Nelson Mass, Schubert’s Mass in A-flat and Bruckner’s Mass in D Minor. She has prepared choirs to sing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Opera, and Andrea Bocelli. One of her small ensembles was featured on a 2016 episode of “The Walking Dead”.
Dr. Joseph’s research in the area of 19th-century choral-orchestral performance-practice has led to invited presentations on the topic at several division conferences of the American Choral Director’s Association and at the national convention for the National Collegiate Choral Organization. In October of 2012, she was selected as one of 25 presenters from ten countries to speak at the Lund Choral Festival in Sweden.
Prior to her appointment at Georgia State University, Dr. Joseph served on the faculties at Smith College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Dr. Joseph holds conducting degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where she was awarded the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize. She is the founder and artistic director of the Atlanta Summer Conducting Institute (ASCI), a weeklong, summer conducting master class that draws conductors from across the country.