SUNDAY, NOV. 14, 2021 • 3 P.M.
North Broadway United Methodist Church
Columbus, OH
BEXLEY HIGH SCHOOL VOCAL ENSEMBLE
Amy Johnston Blosser, conductor
Chad Baker, accompanist
Kiffy Kokal, percussionist
CHORALE
Robert Bode, conductor
Lee Thompson, piano
Xin Su, piano
PROGRAM
Bexley High School Vocal Ensemble
Come, Sweet Death
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Come, sweet death! Come, soothing rest.
Come and lead me homeward.
I am weary of life and longing.
Come, I am waiting for thee, come now and set me free!
My eyes at last are gently closing now.
Come, blessed rest!
Oy es día de Placer
Tomás Pascual (1595–1635)
ed. Jody Noblett
Tovah Blumenfeld, Olivia Millard, Justin Zordan, Ryan Sanfilippo, quartet
Today is a day to rejoice and to sing.
Come everyone! Come everyone and dance!
We rejoice this day for the sake of pleasure.
Therefore, we have such mysteries of great joy.
Tomás Pascual, a Mayan composer from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, was trained by a Spanish chapelmaster and later became a chapelmaster himself. Oy es dia de placer, along with numerous other pieces written by indigenous composers, was transcribed from its original manuscript by Sheila Raney Baird and Robert Stevenson. When rediscovered, the works were still wrapped in their original deer-skin bindings, which had been stored with other documents within the cathedral archives.
Regina Coeli, Laetare, Alleluia
Jose Mauricio Nunes Garcia (1767–1830)
Nora Cahill, Roshan Sivaraman and Nina Stevens, soloists
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.
José Maurício Nunes Garcia was a Brazilian composer, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1767. Known in his day as José Maurício, he was a contemporary of European masters Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart, and his music largely emulated their "Viennese School" style of Classical composition. José Maurício was the son of Afro-Brazilian parents — Apolinário Nunes Garcia, a tailor, and Vitória Maria da Cruz, who was the daughter of enslaved woman Joana Gonçalves. José Maurício is also credited with championing the Western Classical style in the Americas.
Desh
Indian Raga
arr. Ethan Sperry
India has a rich and deep musical tradition dating back thousands of years. Most Indian ensembles consist of one or two percussionists to provide the rhythm, and one or two melodic instrumentalists (violin, flute, sitar) or vocalists to provide the melody which is superimposed over a shruti box which drones the root and fifth of the scale for the duration of the piece. Indian music is based on the melody, creating and resolving dissonance with this drone rather than on functional harmony. The melodic players or singers either perform in unison or alternate, often imitating each other — they rarely create harmony or polyphony. This arrangement attempts to reproduce these traditional Indian sounds using only the human voice. The term raga generally refers to the specific scale upon which a piece of Indian music is based. There are over 400 specific ragas which have been defined and named in the classical Indian tradition. In most cases, a raga consists of an improvised introductory section or allap which is slow and introduces the notes of the scale often without rhythmic accompaniment. This is usually followed by a faster section which is also improvised based upon the notes of the raga. Desh is one of the simplest and most beautiful ragas.
More Waters Rising
Saro Lynch-Thomason
arr. Saunder Choi
There are more waters rising, this I know, this I know.
There are more waters rising, they will find their way to me.
There are more waters rising, this I know, this I know.
There are more fires burning, this I know, this I know.
There are more fires burning, they will find their way to me.
There are more fires burning, this I know, this I know.
There are more mountains falling, this I know, this I know.
There are more mountains falling, they will find their way to me.
There are more mountains falling, this I know, this I know.
I will wade through the waters, this I know, this I know.
I will wade through the waters when they find their way to me.
We will wade through the waters, this I know, this I know.
I will walk through the fire, this I know, this I know.
I will walk through the fire when they find their way to me.
I will walk through the fire, this I know, this I know.
I will rebuild the mountains, this I know, this I know.
I will rebuild the mountains, when they find their way to me.
I will rebuild the mountains, this I know, this I know.
Saro writes, "This is a song that I created back in March 2016 when the HB2 bill was passed here in North Carolina. Now in the early days of winter 2017, this song feels deeply resonant. For me, this song is about seeing what's coming on the horizon — harder times that are inevitable and unavoidable. But the answer to the fear of what’s coming is resiliency and claiming a strength within ourselves that has been there all along. Aspects of this song are inspired from elements of African-American Civil Rights and protest songs.”
Fix You
Barryman, Buckland and Champion
arr. George Chung
Matthew Arace, Scarlett Johnson, Jackson Klingelhofer, Roshan Sivaraman, quartet
When you try your best, but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
And high up above or down below
When you’re too in love to let it go
But if you never try, you’ll never know
Just what you’re worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I…
Tears stream down your face
I promise you, I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I…
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Chris Martin wrote “Fix You” for his then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow after the death of her father. The lyrics acknowledge both the loss of a loved one, and the challenges we all face in our daily lives. Sharing the burden of grief is a theme repeated throughout. This is a song of steadfast support and encouragement for a loved one in a time of struggle.
Circa Mea
Mark Burrows
Matthew Arace and Jackson Klingelhofer, soloists
In my heart there are many sighs for your beauty,
which wound me sorely.
Your eyes shine like rays of the sun,
like the flashing of lightning which brightens the darkness.
The text for Circa Mea comes from the Carmina Burana (“Songs from Beuern”), a collection of texts primarily from the 11th and 12th centuries. While most of the texts are in Latin, even written by theology students, sacred songs they are not. The songs in the Carmina Burana are about gambling, mocking authority, and love. The most well-known treatment of Carmina Burana is a setting of 24 texts by Carl Orff.
Circa Mea falls into the love song category. But by “love” don’t think about long walks on the beach… the driving rhythm, the sense of longing in the phrasing, even the modality — F-sharps leaning into Gs, E-flats pressing against Ds — this is a song about desire.
Chorale
Let the Music Fill Your Soul
Jacob Narverud (b. 1986)
Brittany White, horn
Come in, you sisters and brothers,
Come in, you cousins and daughters,
Come in, you seekers and doubters,
Let the music fill your soul.
Come in, you seers and dreamers,
Come in, you movers and shakers,
Come in, explorers and climbers,
Let the music make you whole.
Close your eyes and breathe together,
(Sit beside a perfect stranger)
Open to the Life around you,
Let the music fill your soul.
Come in, you heroes and artists,
Come in, you scholars and rebels,
Come in, you singers and lovers,
Let the music make you whole.
Close your eyes and breathe together,
(Sit beside a perfect stranger)
Open to the Life around you,
Let the music fill your soul.
— Text by Robert Bode
That Which Remains
Andrea Ramsey (b. 1977)
What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose,
A sunset, a mountain bathed in moonlight,
The ocean in calm and in storm,
We see these, love their beauty,
Hold the vision to our hearts.
All that we love deeply becomes part of us.
Life is overlord of death.
Life is stronger than death,
And love can never lose its own.
— Text by Helen Keller
Room Enough (Premiere)
William Averitt (b. 1948)
When they ask how we lived
In those crimped and harrowing days,
Let us say that we danced in our own little space.
That there was room enough to tilt and sway.
Let us say that we sang
Alone in our rooms,
That we sang of summer and tomorrow
And the great blue spread of the sea.
And let us say when they ask
That there was room enough
To lift our humble song,
To join the great symphony of life
And the wide chorus of the world.
— Text by Robert Bode
Tu Voz
Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970)
Cantas y a sol y a cielo con tu canto
tu voz desgrana el cereal del día,
hablan los pinos con su lengua verde:
trinan todas las aves del invierno.
El mar llena sus sótanos de pasos,
de campanas, cadenas y gemidos,
tintinean metales y utensilios,
suenan las ruedas de la caravana.
Pero sólo tu voz escucho y sube
tu voz con vuelo y precisión de flecha,
baja tu voz con gravedad de lluvia,
tu voz esparce altísimas espadas,
vuelve tu voz cargada de violetas
y luego me acompaña por el cielo.
You sing, and by sun and sky with your song
your voice threshes the grain of the day,
the pine trees speak with their green language;
all the birds of winter trill.
The sea fills its cellars with dried fruits,
with bells, chains and moans,
the metals and utensils clink,
the wheels of the caravan can be heard.
But I only hear your voice and your voice
soars with the velocity and precision of an arrow,
you lower your voice with the gravity of rain
your voice scatters the mounting swords,
your voice returns full of violets
and then keeps me company through the sky.
— Text by Pablo Nerudo
Estrela é lua nova
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)
Liz Arteta, Vincent Stepien, soloists
Estrela do céu é lua nova
Cravejada de ouro.
A star of the sky is a new moon
Crafted out of gold.
Fire! (from Afro-American Fragments)
William Averitt (b. 1948)
Fire,
Fire, Lord!
Fire gonna burn ma soul!
I ain't been good,
I ain't been clean —
I been stinkin', low-down, mean.
Fire,
Fire, Lord!
Fire gonna burn ma soul!
Tell me, brother,
Do you believe
If you wanta go to heaven
Got to moan an' grieve?
Fire,
Fire, Lord!
Fire gonna burn ma soul!
I been stealin',
Been tellin' lies,
Had more women
Than Pharaoh had wives.
Fire,
Fire, Lord!
Fire gonna burn ma soul!
I means Fire, Lord!
Fire gonna burn ma soul!
— Text by Langston Hughes
Combined Choirs
Sure on This Shining Night
Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943)
Sure on this shining night
Of starmade shadows round,
Kindness must watch for me
This side the ground.
The late year lies down the north.
All is healed, all is health.
High summer holds the earth.
Hearts all whole.
Sure on this shining night
I weep for wonder
Wandering far alone
Of shadows on the stars.
— Text by James Agee
ROSTERS
BEXLEY HIGH SCHOOL VOCAL ENSEMBLE
Soprano I
Tovah Blumenfeld *
Cece Bowling
Audrey Crandall
Anja Hoy
Scarlett Johnson ^
Soprano II
Rylee Barno
Nora Cahill
Keira Murray
Sammie Ross
Nina Stevens
Alto I
Olivia Beckman
Bethany Kok
Olivia Millard *
Maya Murray
Ciel Peacock
Alto II
Lily Jones
Joy Luh
Kate Magee
Roshan Sivaraman ^
Caroline Ziegler *
Tenor I
Isaac Bernstein
Alex Dutton
Aidan Glasser
Jackson Klingelhofer ^ *
Christian Peters
Tenor II
Fisher Brashear
Andreas Chitu *
Luke Hill
Justin Zordan
Bass I
Eli Abel
Alex Nelson
Beck Robins
Ryan Sanfilippo
Malcolm Sexton
Bass II
Matthew Arace ^ *
Mitchell Cohen
Aaron Ligator
Ethan Nguyen
* officers
^ section leaders
CHORALE
Soprano
Molly Beetem
Lindsey Bertin
Jordan Drinnon
Corinne Gorgas
Abigail Haffey
Sophia Longo
Natalie Mahalla
Paige McHenry
Laurie McIlvenna
Lexi Moore
Isabella Parks
Ruth Peart
Anna Reichert
Samantha Sayer
Leigha Schumaker
Laura Zalewski
Alto
Ariel Alvarado
Liz Arteta
Caitlin Boyle
Aria Cadeau
Sarah Julien
Rebecca Lisi
Mo Majekodunmi
Kait Newcomb
Karenna Peterson
Anabella Petronsi
Abby Place
Delaney-Rose Ramsey
Gabriela Sanchez
Xin Su
Cece Vasey
Samantha Weiskind
Tenor
Grayson Abend
Ryan Armstrong
Jamie Boezi
Matt Burns
Brennan Harlow
Indigo London
Alex Ross
Nick Sanchez-Zarkos
Vincent Stepien
Colby van Gorp
Bram Wayman
Bass
Luke Bornhorst
Nick DeNino
Noah Friedman
Brandon Harvey
Tristan Hejl
Hayden Hostetler
Seiji Kawakami
Logan Keevins
Colin Knoth
Paul Kokora
Luke Peart
David Scott
Joe Spofforth
Jason Tisl
Roman Wentzel
Jared Yoder
GUEST CONDUCTOR
Amy Johnston Blosser is in her nineteenth year as choral director at Bexley High School. She conducts six choirs grades 7–12, has served as music director for high school musical productions, and is the Fine Arts Department Chair. Under Blosser’s direction, the Bexley High School Vocal Ensemble has performed at state conferences of ACDA in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2019 and at NAfME in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018 and February 2022. In March 2012, they performed at the ACDA Central Region Conference in Fort Wayne, February 2016 in Chicago, and March 2020 in Milwaukee as the only choir from Ohio. Her choirs have toured throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, performing in notable locations such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and St. Patrick’s Cathedral (New York City), St. Mark’s (Venice), St. Vitus Cathedral (Prague), St. Stephen's Basilica (Budapest), St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Vienna), Canterbury Cathedral (England) Notre Dame (Paris and Montreal), Berlin Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Dublin). Blosser will lead them on a performance tour of Portugal and Spain in June 2022. They have shared performances with ensembles from The Ohio State University, Capital University, Wooster, University of Akron, Ohio University and Baldwin Wallace.
Blosser has been a presenter, adjudicator and guest conductor throughout the United States. She was named Educator of the Year for Bexley Schools in 2011 and was selected to serve as a Conducting Fellow for the 2015 International Conductors Exchange Program to Sweden. As one of the 14 fellows, Blosser represented the United States by traveling to Sweden in October 2015 and hosting Swedish conductors in February 2015. She won second place in the Youth and High School Conducting category for the American Prize, a nationally recognized honor.
Blosser served as the National Chair for Repertoire and Resources for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) for nine years. As R&R Chair, Blosser has been active in planning Regional and National Conferences in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Kansas City. Blosser is a contributing editor for Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir, Volume V (2019).
Blosser holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and Bachelor of Music Education from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio where she studied with Hilary Apfelstadt and James Gallagher. She is the associate director of music at First Community Church and the artistic director of the Bexley Choral Society.
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