Concert Program
This Bright Morning
December 2023
Bronwyn W. Kortge, Director
Colin Graebert, Accompanist
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High
Traditional French Carol
Arr: Howard Helvey, Orch: B.W. Kortge
featuring Megan Howell, piano
On this Silent Night
Sarah Quartel
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Sarah Quartel, Text William Shakespeare
Sunrise Mass
Ola Gjeilo
The Spheres
Sunrise
The City
Heather Ford, Amy van Meteren, Jenn Ryan, Pamela Smith, demi-chorus
Identity
INTERMISSION
Christmas Day
Choral Fantasy on Old Carols
Gustav Holst
Amy van Meteren, soprano
Frank Bachman, baritone
Heather Ford, soprano
Tim Ensworth, tenor
Geoffrey Knowles, baritone
The Boar’s Head Carol
Traditional English Carol
Arr: B.W.Kortge
featuring The Three Baritones:
Richard Shute, Geoffrey Knowles and Frank Bachman
The 12 Days of Christmas
Traditional English Song
Arr: Eric Siday
Transcribed for Chorus: Lara Hoggard
Orch: B.W.Kortge
Heather Ford, partridge
Amy van Meteren, dove
Jenn Ryan, hen
Linda Soukup, mockingbird
Pamela Smith, jewelry display salesperson
Frank Bachman, swan
Tim Ensworth, maid admirer
Richard Shute, lady administrator
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Ken Darby
Arr: Harry Simeone and B.W.Kortge
His eyes, how they twinkled
Saphrona Stetson, soprano
He spoke not a word
Frank Bachman, tenor
Feauring George Deans, down east narrator
Joy To the World
Music: Lowell Mason
Lyric: Isaac Watts
Arr: Dan Forrest
Audience:
V1: Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
And Heav’n and nature sing!
V4: He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.
This Christmastide
Jessye’s Carol
Music: Donald Fraser
Lyric: Jane McCulloch
Benediction
The Lord Bless You and Keep You
Peter C. Lutkin
The Players:
Richard Hsu and Anna Clement, violin
Emily Stodola, viola
Steven Whitkin, cello
Megan Howell
flute, clarinet, piano, sleigh bells
Loren Fields,horn
Janet Higgins,trombone
With a special guest appearances in Joy to the World
Linda Soukup, violin
Lynn Seibel, piano
December 2023
Bronwyn W. Kortge, Director
Colin Graebert, Accompanist
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High
Traditional French Carol
Arr: Howard Helvey, Orch: B.W. Kortge
featuring Megan Howell, piano
On this Silent Night
Sarah Quartel
Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Sarah Quartel, Text William Shakespeare
Sunrise Mass
Ola Gjeilo
The Spheres
Sunrise
The City
Heather Ford, Amy van Meteren, Jenn Ryan, Pamela Smith, demi-chorus
Identity
INTERMISSION
Christmas Day
Choral Fantasy on Old Carols
Gustav Holst
Amy van Meteren, soprano
Frank Bachman, baritone
Heather Ford, soprano
Tim Ensworth, tenor
Geoffrey Knowles, baritone
The Boar’s Head Carol
Traditional English Carol
Arr: B.W.Kortge
featuring The Three Baritones:
Richard Shute, Geoffrey Knowles and Frank Bachman
The 12 Days of Christmas
Traditional English Song
Arr: Eric Siday
Transcribed for Chorus: Lara Hoggard
Orch: B.W.Kortge
Heather Ford, partridge
Amy van Meteren, dove
Jenn Ryan, hen
Linda Soukup, mockingbird
Pamela Smith, jewelry display salesperson
Frank Bachman, swan
Tim Ensworth, maid admirer
Richard Shute, lady administrator
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Ken Darby
Arr: Harry Simeone and B.W.Kortge
His eyes, how they twinkled
Saphrona Stetson, soprano
He spoke not a word
Frank Bachman, tenor
Feauring George Deans, down east narrator
Joy To the World
Music: Lowell Mason
Lyric: Isaac Watts
Arr: Dan Forrest
Audience:
V1: Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare him room,
And Heav’n and nature sing!
V4: He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.
This Christmastide
Jessye’s Carol
Music: Donald Fraser
Lyric: Jane McCulloch
Benediction
The Lord Bless You and Keep You
Peter C. Lutkin
The Players:
Richard Hsu and Anna Clement, violin
Emily Stodola, viola
Steven Whitkin, cello
Megan Howell
flute, clarinet, piano, sleigh bells
Loren Fields,horn
Janet Higgins,trombone
With a special guest appearances in Joy to the World
Linda Soukup, violin
Lynn Seibel, piano
From The Director
Ola Gjeilo’s 2010 Sunrise Mass is a work I have wanted to bring to our chorale and audiences from the moment I first heard it. It has never been on my “to do” list because it calls for a minimum (or as Gjeilo says “ideally more”) 24 piece string orchestra. Considering the budget and space constraints of a small community choir, for years it seemed out of reach. What you will hear in our presentation is my vision for “I love this work so much that I want to do it anyway.” And I hope it will speak to you, as it does to me.
Sunrise Mass’s texts are the traditional sacred Latin writings used in masses, but his concept for meaning is only loosely related to the texts, and he expresses his story through the music. The movement titles are in English and convey his intent to create a metaphorical journey telescoping from the expansive universe, to earth, to human civilization, and to the soul of each individual. It begins by floating in the otherworldly luminescence of the heavens (The Spheres) then travels into the more earthly realm of Sunrise, where day begins quietly, and slowly grows into the joy-filled arrival of light and warmth. In The City the journey takes an increasingly intimate turn. The longest, most dynamic movement is full of drama, introspection and fierce energy representing oppositional forces, and is ultimately hopeful of humanity’s potential.
The final movement, Identity and the Ground revisits the first movement’s celestial vibrations now representing the universe within the human soul. The solo violin, according to Gjeilo, symbolizes the individual and the emergence of a conscious ‘self,’ implying that the individual’s place in the great scheme of things is at once humble and magnificent. This reality is celebrated with lush harmonies and expansive wonder in the section aptly subtitled The Ground, concluding that at the end of the journey the human soul is prepared to be at one with all it has endured.
Canadian composer Sarah Quartel (Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind, and On This Silent Night) is one of my favorite new composers. Her works are so stunning, as she molds her music to the beautiful texts, almost as if they grew organically, side by side.
No concert at this time of year would be complete without some seasonal sentiments such as Dan Forrest’s spirited Celtic-inspired arrangement of Joy to the World – expect to sing! – and Gustav Holst’s iconic fantasia on In Dulci Jubilo, or Good Christian Men Rejoice. We will top it all off with a bit of frivolity including the 15th century Boar’s Head Carol and The 12 Days of Christmas. There may even be a visit by St. Nick!
Friends, this season I am most grateful for the opportunity to be together with a group of truly wonderful people. As a chorus it almost feels as if we are ”back” after the strange journey of the last few years; and to me that is this concert’s true gift. That and your presence! Thank you for joining us for this celebration. May your nights reveal a star-filled universe. May your days dawn bright and warm. May your music either tell your story or passionately enhance your lyric, and may you sing it all from your heart!
–Bronwyn Kortge Dec. 2023
Sunrise Mass’s texts are the traditional sacred Latin writings used in masses, but his concept for meaning is only loosely related to the texts, and he expresses his story through the music. The movement titles are in English and convey his intent to create a metaphorical journey telescoping from the expansive universe, to earth, to human civilization, and to the soul of each individual. It begins by floating in the otherworldly luminescence of the heavens (The Spheres) then travels into the more earthly realm of Sunrise, where day begins quietly, and slowly grows into the joy-filled arrival of light and warmth. In The City the journey takes an increasingly intimate turn. The longest, most dynamic movement is full of drama, introspection and fierce energy representing oppositional forces, and is ultimately hopeful of humanity’s potential.
The final movement, Identity and the Ground revisits the first movement’s celestial vibrations now representing the universe within the human soul. The solo violin, according to Gjeilo, symbolizes the individual and the emergence of a conscious ‘self,’ implying that the individual’s place in the great scheme of things is at once humble and magnificent. This reality is celebrated with lush harmonies and expansive wonder in the section aptly subtitled The Ground, concluding that at the end of the journey the human soul is prepared to be at one with all it has endured.
Canadian composer Sarah Quartel (Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind, and On This Silent Night) is one of my favorite new composers. Her works are so stunning, as she molds her music to the beautiful texts, almost as if they grew organically, side by side.
No concert at this time of year would be complete without some seasonal sentiments such as Dan Forrest’s spirited Celtic-inspired arrangement of Joy to the World – expect to sing! – and Gustav Holst’s iconic fantasia on In Dulci Jubilo, or Good Christian Men Rejoice. We will top it all off with a bit of frivolity including the 15th century Boar’s Head Carol and The 12 Days of Christmas. There may even be a visit by St. Nick!
Friends, this season I am most grateful for the opportunity to be together with a group of truly wonderful people. As a chorus it almost feels as if we are ”back” after the strange journey of the last few years; and to me that is this concert’s true gift. That and your presence! Thank you for joining us for this celebration. May your nights reveal a star-filled universe. May your days dawn bright and warm. May your music either tell your story or passionately enhance your lyric, and may you sing it all from your heart!
–Bronwyn Kortge Dec. 2023
Selected Lyrics
“Blow, blow, thou winter wind”
By William Shakespeare
Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remembered not.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly...
On This Silent Night
By Sarah Quartel
Frosty fields are laid to rest.
In the air, an arctic breath brings snow, snow, snow, snow
Snow, snow blowing snow is drifting deep.
Frozen trees, protectors, see me safe in sleep, wrapped in dreams while the cold winds blow.
Cloaked in slumber with firelight dancing, and all is calm on this silent night.
Frosty fields, frozen trees, sleep in heavenly peace.
Cloaked in slumber with firelight dancing,
Yet all is calm while the storm blows on.
Cloak in slumber with firelight dancing,
Wrapped in sleep with dreams enchanting, yet all is calm while the storm blow son, on this silent night.
JOY TO THE WORLD
Isaac Watts
Joy to the world, the Lord has come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing
No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love
Joy!
This Christmastide
Donald Fraser
Green and silver, red and gold, and a story born of old.
Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Holly, ivy, mistletoe, and the gently falling snow Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
From a simple ox's stall came the greatest gift of all.
Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Children sing of hope and joy at the birth of one small boy.
Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Let the bells ring loud and clear, ring out now for all to hear.
Truth (truth and) and love (love and) and hope (hope) abide (bide) this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Trumpets sound and voices raises in an endless stream of praise.
Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Green and silver, red and gold, and a story born of old.
Peace and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
By William Shakespeare
Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remembered not.
Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly...
On This Silent Night
By Sarah Quartel
Frosty fields are laid to rest.
In the air, an arctic breath brings snow, snow, snow, snow
Snow, snow blowing snow is drifting deep.
Frozen trees, protectors, see me safe in sleep, wrapped in dreams while the cold winds blow.
Cloaked in slumber with firelight dancing, and all is calm on this silent night.
Frosty fields, frozen trees, sleep in heavenly peace.
Cloaked in slumber with firelight dancing,
Yet all is calm while the storm blows on.
Cloak in slumber with firelight dancing,
Wrapped in sleep with dreams enchanting, yet all is calm while the storm blow son, on this silent night.
JOY TO THE WORLD
Isaac Watts
Joy to the world, the Lord has come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing
No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love
Joy!
This Christmastide
Donald Fraser
Green and silver, red and gold, and a story born of old.
Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Holly, ivy, mistletoe, and the gently falling snow Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
From a simple ox's stall came the greatest gift of all.
Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Children sing of hope and joy at the birth of one small boy.
Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Let the bells ring loud and clear, ring out now for all to hear.
Truth (truth and) and love (love and) and hope (hope) abide (bide) this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Trumpets sound and voices raises in an endless stream of praise.
Truth and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.
Green and silver, red and gold, and a story born of old.
Peace and love and hope abide this Christmastide, this Christmastide.