Choral Director Brenda Luggie leads the combined choruses in Faure’s Requiem and more in their season finale collaboration. The concert is part of our Penny4Arts programming offering FREE attendance for youths 18 and under.

Oak Ridge Civic Music Association

and Roane Choral Society 

present

Endings and New Beginnings

Brenda Luggie, Choral Director & Conductor

Melony Dodson, Chorus Accompanist

Featuring:

Guest instrumentalists

Josh Sumter, organ and Peggy Hinkle, harp

ORSO chamber orchestra

 

Sunday, May 1 at 3:00 pm

First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge

 

PROGRAM

 

Requiem by Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924), Ed. John Rutter (b. 1945)

1. Introit and Kyrie

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine	Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.	and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion,	A hymn befits thee, O God in Zion,
et tibi redetur	and to thee a vow shall be
votum in Jerusalem	fulfilled in Jerusalem.
exaudi orationem meam,	Hear my prayer,
ad te omnis caro veniet.	for unto thee all flesh shall come.
Kyrie eleison,	Lord have mercy,
Christe eleison	Christ have mercy,
Kyrie eleison.	Lord have mercy.

2. Offertory

O Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae,	O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory,
libera animas defunctorum	free the souls of the dead
de poenis inferni, et de profundo lacu	from infernal punishment, and the deep abyss.
libera animas defunctorum	Free the souls of the dead
de ore leonis,	from the mouth of the lion,
ne absorbeat tartarus,	do not let Hell swallow them up,
ne cadant in obscurum.	do not let them fall into the darkness.
Hostias et preces tibi,	Sacrifices and prayers of praise
Domine, laudis offerimus	we offer to you, O Lord.
tu suscipe pro animabus illis,	Receive them for the souls of those
quarum hodie memoriam facimus	whom we commemorate today.
fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam,	Lord, make them pass from death to life,
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti, et semini ejus.	as you once promised to Abraham and his seed.
Amen.	Amen.

3. Sanctus  

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,	Holy, Holy, Holy,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.	Lord God of Hosts.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra	Heaven and earth are full
Gloria tua.	of thy glory.
Hosanna in excelsis.	Hosanna in the highest.

 4. Pie Jesu  

Pie Jesu Domine,	Merciful Lord Jesus,
dona eis requiem,	grant them rest,
requiem sempiternam.	eternal rest.

 5. Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei,	Lamb of God,
qui tollis peccata mundi,	who takest away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem sempiternam.	grant them rest everlasting.
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine	May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord,
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum	in the company of thy saints forever and ever;
quia pius es.	for thou art merciful.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,	Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.	and let perpetual light shine upon them.

6. Libera Me   

Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna,	Deliver me, O Lord, from death eternal,
in die illa tremenda	on that dreadful day
Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra	when the heavens and the earth shall quake,
Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem.	when thou shalt come judge the world by fire.
Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo	I am seized by trembling, and I fear
dum discussio venerit,	until the judgment should come,
atque ventura ira.	and I also dread the coming wrath.
Dies illa, dies irae,	On that day, day of wrath,
calamitatis et miseriae,	day of calamity and misery,
Dies illa, dies magna	On that day, that momentous day,
et amara valde.	Exceedingly bitter day.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.	Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.	and let perpetual light shine upon them.

7. In Paradisum 

In paradisum deducant Angeli	May the angels lead you into paradise;
in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,	May Martyrs welcome you upon your arrival,
et perducant te	and lead you into
in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.	the holy city of Jerusalem.
Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat	May a choir of angels welcome you,
et cum Lazaro quondam pauper,	with poor Lazarus of old,
aeternam habeas requiem.	may you have eternal rest.

Combined Choirs
Clayton Scarborough, baritone
Robyn Maker, soprano
Josh Sumter, organ
Penny Hinkle, harp
Karen Kartal, solo violin
Members of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra

 

Weathered Days by Donald M. Skirvin (b. 1946)
Combined Choirs
Karen Kartal, violin
Sara Lee Cho, viola
Matt Wilkinson, cello
David Odegaard, bass

 

Fly Away Home by PINKZEBRA
Combined Choirs
Melony Dodson, piano
Karen Kartal, violin
Sara Lee Cho, viola
Rachel Loeseke, viola
Matt Wilkinson, cello
David Odegaard, bass

 

Seeking Light by Brandon Williams
Combined Choirs
Cindi Coan, solo
Melony Dodson, piano

 

Ute Sundance by Valerie D. Naranjo, Arr. Ethan Sperry
Combined Choirs
Amanda Peavyhouse, solo
Paul Davis III, drum

 

In Every Season by David Lanz III (b. 1950)
Combined Choirs
Melony Dodson, piano
Karen Kartal, violin

                                                                      

 

Program Notes by Mike Cates

Endings and New Beginnings

It is a sad but obvious truth of human existence that we all die. We each, as chief actor in our own lives, will eventually strut on the stage of life one last time. And the fact that we know of our mortality has had a powerful effect on the development of the human psyche and been an im­portant guide to our behavior, good or bad. But life itself and its ending should not be the goal and overriding concern of existence; otherwise, our creativity, joy, and interactive spon­taneity would fade away, taking away much of the fun of being alive. Maybe all these things blend together to tell us where music came from. For music is a language beyond words, beyond clear definition, and beyond wonderful when it's gotten right! Let us celebrate the endings of life by expressing its new beginnings, if not for our own specific life but for all life, all friendship, joy, wonder, and awe at being where and who we are.

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) Requiem
It has been said that if a person were to choose a requiem mass to listen to, that person would be tempted to listen to Mozart's, Berlioz's or Verdi's Requiem, or perhaps Brahms' German Requiem; but for that person's own funeral the choice would be Fauré. There is something comforting, inspiring and profound about this great work. It could be thought of as French art at its very best. There is balance, refinement, brilliance, and reverence all folded into the music.

Fauré's Requiem speaks to many separate emotions and manages to do this in a kind of unified form, so the whole work seems to express a complete idea of human life in all its aspects. Every note seems like it was made to be there, like Michelangelo's “freeing” of an image from a slab of marble. Its structure and style can be said to be simple or uncomplicated. If so, it is a wonderful example of what “simplicity” can do.

In general, Fauré followed the traditional format of the requiem mass established within the Roman Catholic Church over many generations. The beginning statement of “Requiem aeterna (Eternal rest)” takes us into the world of wonder that is associated with death, and the chorus enters softly as our guide for the rest of the work. Fauré had a gift of melody and within those memorable tones is music that is both tragic and hopeful. The Offertory begins with the strings before the altos and tenors come in unaccompanied. This is likely an homage to the old Renaissance traditional music heard in Europe's grand cathedrals for centuries.  This section leads into the entrance of the baritone soloist. When the chorus enters with the original solo line, the mode has changed to major. The last expression by the chorus is beyond beautiful.  The Sanctus is a kind of life celebration, complete with gentle tunes and a kind of conversation among the choral sections, building in intensity, then concluding softly.

 

 

Program Notes by Brenda Luggie

“Weathered Days” is based on five short poems by Gordon E. Abshire.  The composer, Donald M. Skirvin, is the administrator of Mr. Abshire’s poetry and set many of his poems to music before the author’s death in 2005.  These particular poems were written over a period of two decades, but collected and arranged by Mr. Skirvin, they tell a story of melancholy and languish that resolves in shimmering light.  It is originally composed as an a cappella work for choir, but the voice parts are doubled today by a string quartet of violin, viola, cello, and bass.

 

We get to hear piano accompaniment and orchestral musicians on our next selection, “Fly Away Home.”   I first came across this song and programmed it in a Roane State Alumni Concert.  Its pop-style simplicity allowed for quick learning and concert preparation, and the lyrics lent themselves to the sort of reunion those concerts became.  But it came back to mind when considering today’s theme and, like Jorge Variego’s work from our most recent concerts, a different interpretation of what “home” might be.

 

Our next selection, “Seeking Light,” is a contemporary, musical-theatre-style setting of a poem by Charles Anthony Silvestri that honors his uncle who passed in 2019.  It highlights the idea that “death is but another stage in the journey of our continued existence”.  We are happy to feature a new chorus member as the soloist at the beginning of this song.

 

“Ute Sundance” by Valerie Naranjo is a transcription and arrangement of a traditional Ute Tribe melody.  She originally wrote it for solo voices and marimba, and this choral arrangement by Ethan Sperry allows all voices to share in melodic strength and harmonic support.  It is a song of renewal sung at the beginning of the new year and accompanied by the young men enacting a difficult dance on behalf of their families.  This important rite of passage releases the community of pain from the past year and forgives debts, misunderstandings, and grudges so that all may start fresh.  Our performance features vocal and percussion soloists.

 

The ORCMA “Season of Healing” and the Roane Choral Society season of “The Human Experience” are both summed up in our last concert selection featuring violinist Karen Kartall.  “In every time, in every season, at the heart of everything, there is a need to keep unfolding with the change the seasons bring.  In each ending a beginning; in farewell, some new hello.  Life is calling us to open as the seasons come and go.”

 

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Oak Ridge Chorus Principal Singers are sponsored by Chuck Darling in memory of Dorothy Weight.  The Oak Ridge Chorus Accompanist Chair is sponsored by the Jay Muci Family in memory of Herbert Eckhoff.  Additional chorus funding is provided by Nancy Hardin, Penny Lukin, and Nancy Beth McNeill.

 

Roster

Oak Ridge Chorus, Roane Choral Society, Oak Ridge Symphony Members

Soprano Amy Cattran Cindi Coan Mary David Phyllis Gonzales Nancy Hardin Nancy Mathias Nancybeth McNeill Mary Palmer, section leader Carol Plasil Jackie Rylander Cheryl Scappaticci Linda Triolo Diana Turner Robyn Maker, principal singer Alto Krista Belding Sydney Bennett, Roane State student Becky Chatham, section leader Sharon Jackson Penny Lukin Priscilla McKenney Betsy Spooner Nancy Starr Melody Turner Nickie Wolf Tenor Joanne Hayden Roger Johnson, section leader Kara Raymond Michael Raymond Joshua Spurling, principal singer Duane Starr Bass Larry Boudon, section leader Paul Davis, principal singer Karl McHenry Gene Spejewski

Soprano Christy Bolling Georgia Dart Amanda Peavyhouse Sharon Roberts Peggy Shepard Karen Vacaliuc Laura Jones, Roane State student Alto Krista Belding Louanne Bennett Michele Callicoat Joy Goldberg Diana Knobloch Tenor Bruce Knobloch Clayton Scarborough Bass Matthew Rajkowski Violin I Karen Kartal, Concertmaster Viola I Sara Lee Cho Rachel Loeseke  Anna Dye Viola II Robyn James Julien Riviere Cello I Matt Wilkinson Kathryn York Cello II Alicia Randisi-Hooker Abbie Fields Bass David Odegaard  French Horn I Mark Harrell French Horn II Bill Schwenterly Timpani Clark Harrell