THE ALCHEMY OF HOPE
As a global civilization, we’ve pretty much given up on the idea of alchemy. Turning iron into gold and seeking immortality through a “Philosopher’s Stone” are pursuits we’ve relegated to the wizarding world, the stuff of fiction. But for centuries, in every corner of the ancient world, from Asia to Byzantium to the British Isles, alchemists worked through the night. They believed—they persisted—even in the face of failure. What does this say about us? As humans?
For one: we’re optimistic. We can imagine beauty where none exists. The music we compose and sing into life is tangible proof of our conviction. And the works in tonight’s program offer a variety of meditations on this exact brand of idealism. You will hear about courage being forged, beacons in the darkness, paths through the woods, and dreams of hope.
The major works presented this evening play on similar themes. Andrea Ramsey’s Suffrage Cantata is a journey that begins with “degradation” and concludes in triumph with the phrase “moving forward into light.” She views historical sexism through an audacious lens: Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History. Likewise, Herschel Garfein and Robert Cohen’s Alzheimer’s Stories lays bare the fact that night will surely fall, but implores us to sing into the void: “Sing anything. Love and music are the last things to go.”
The ancient alchemists never found a way to forge their own stockpiles of magic gold. Nor did they concoct an elixir to cure every ailment. But their work led to countless advances in chemistry and medicine… making their collective effort worthwhile, in a practical sense. But maybe their greatest contribution was giving us permission to dream of the impossible. Of turning despair into joy. As we bear witness this evening, why not open our hearts to the idea that any of us are capable of transformation?
PROGRAM
MT. SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE CHAMBER SINGERS
Bruce Rogers, Director
LEVENTE GYONGYOSI Laudate Dominum
ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK Crucifixion
KYLE PEDERSEN Soon We Will Be Done
Soloists: Estelle Ocegueda, Tania Romero, Kory Vasquez, Matthew Feger
NATIONAL CONCERT CHORUS
Jeffery Redding, Co-Guest Conductor
Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, Co-Guest Conductor
Andria Fennig, Collaborative pianist
Melanie Wade Cometa, Projection Designer
ROSEPHANYE POWELL I Dream a World
STEPHEN SONDHEIM, arr. MARK BYMER No One is Alone
MELISSA DUNPHY Eight of Swords (World Premiere)
ALYSON REIGH arr. JENNIFER McMILLAN Don’t Be Afraid
LISSA SCHNECKENBURGER arr. ANDREA RAMSEY Hope Lingers On
ARON ACCURSO You Are Enough
Participating Ensembles
Central Connecticut State University Chorale; Gaylon Robinson, Director; New Britain, CT
Edward R. Murrow Senior Chorus; Jaymes Welsh, Director; Brooklyn, NY
Ledyard High School Choirs; Melanie Wade Cometa, Director; Ledyard, CT
Members of the Louisiana State University A Cappella Choir, Chorale, and Tiger Glee Club; Trey Davis, Director; Baton Rouge, LA
Monta Vista High School Variations; Amy Young, Director; Cupertino, CA
Monta Vista High School Bella Voce; Amy Young, Director; Cupertino, CA
Shattuck-St. Mary School Treble Choir; Peter Schleif, Director; Faribault, MN
Shattuck-St. Mary School Chamber Choir; Peter Schleif, Director; Faribault, MN
University of Central Florida University Singers; Jeffery Redding, Director; Orlando, FL
NATIONAL CONCERT TREBLE CHORUS
Sandra Snow, Guest Conductor
N’Kenge, Soprano, narrator
Casey Cook, collaborative pianist
Susan Gaukel, projection designer
ANDREA RAMSEY Suffrage Cantata
- It is Coming - Early Women’s Rights Perspectives
Texts by Lydia Maria Child, Sarah Grimké, Ernestine Rose, Lucy Stone, and Sojourner Truth
- Failure is Impossible - Illegal Voting, Arrest, & Trial of Susan B. Anthony
Texts by Susan B. Anthony
- A Woman’s Place - Ida B. Wells-Barnett and the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Procession in Washington D.C.
Texts by Ida B. Wells-Barnett, with adapted usage of historic slogans and banners from the 1913 Official Women’s Suffrage Procession, and additional lyrics by Andrea Ramsey
- Shall Not Be Denied - The Silent Sentinels, Arrest, Imprisonment & Abuse
Texts by Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, Alice Paul, Inez Millholland, Daisy Elizabeth Adams Lampkin, National Women’s Party banner messages, and firsthand accounts from imprisoned suffragists (1917-1919)
- Forward Into Light - Ratification and the Journey Forward
Texts by Mary Church Terrell, Jovita Idár, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Mrs. J.L. Burn, Carrie Chapman Catt and messages of National Women’s Party banners Adapted by Andrea Ramsey
Participating Ensembles
Bella Lumina; Michelle Gehrz, Director; MN
Capital Harmonia; Mary Ann East, Director; Centreville, VA
Levana (FSU Women’s Glee); Kari Adams, Director; Tallahassee, FL
Members of the Louisiana State University A Cappella Choir, Chorale, and Tiger Glee Club; Trey Davis, Director; Baton Rouge, LA
Monta Vista High School Bella Voce; Amy Young, Director; Cupertino, CA
Members of Mosaic Ensemble; Sandra Snow, Director; East Lansing, MI
Texas Tech Scarlet Voce; Carolyn Cruse, Director; Lubbock, TX
UCF SoAl Chorus; Kelly Miller, DIrector; Orlando, FL
Valley Vocal Ensemble; Danya Tiller, Director; Phoenix, AZ
Vox Grata Women’s Choir; Jeanette MacCallum; Nashville, TN
Individual Singers from the University of North Texas; Kristina MacMullen, Director Denton, TX
NATIONAL MASTERWORK CHORUS
Bruce Rogers, Guest Conductor
Heather Johnson, Mezzo-soprano
Keith Phares, Baritone
Brian Gaukel, projection designer
ROBERT COHEN Alzheimer’s Stories
Herschel Garfein, librettist
Part I: The Numbers
Part II: The Stories
Part III: For the Caregivers
Participating Ensembles
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus; Adam Luebke, Director; Buffalo, NY
Deer Creek Chorale; Martha Banghart, Artistic Director; White Hall, MD
Members of the Mountainside Master Chorale; Irene Messoloras, Director; Claremont, CA
Mt. San Antonio College Chamber Singers; Bruce Rogers, Director; Walnut, CA
University of La Verne Choirs; Irene Messoloras, Director; La Verne, CA
Individual Singers from New York and Illinois
Saturday Evening, April 9, 2022 at 8:00PM
Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage