singing ci. art thou weary (instrumental) xi. benediction xii. conclusion anne hess, soprano; jacy...

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Singing Citypresents

The Glaucoma Service Foundation to Prevent Blindness

Wills Eye Hospital840 Walnut Street, Suite 1130

Philadelphia, PA 19107215-928-3190

Board of Trustees: Maxine Colm, EdD, President • Leonard Rosenfeld, PhD, Vice President • George L. Spaeth, MD, Director of Medical

Research and Education • L. Jay Katz, MD, Secretary Marc Goodman, CPA, Treasurer

Karen Palestini, Esquire • Irvin Schorsch George Strimel • Katerina Simonetti, CFP

Charles Tressler, MD • Chris Urban • Joe Watson Jeremiah J. White, Jr. • Kenneth Wong

Honorary Trustees: Charlotte Bonmartini Steve Harmelin, Esquire • James Kim • Jonathan S. Myers, MD

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Singing CityJeffrey Brillhart, Artistic & Music Director

Parker Kitterman, Accompanist

presents

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The DePue Brothers BandWallace DepueJason DepueDavid Cullen

Kevin MacConnell& Mike Munford

Sunday, November 8, 2015, 3:00 p.m.

The Church of the Holy Trinity1904 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Cover: Melissa Graf-Evans, sopranoPhoto by Nick Antony

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Southern Grace Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962) Fiddlin’ Wildwood Flower Anne Hess and Susan Domingos, soprano Claire Huff and Jacy Ring, mezzo-soprano Brian Auerbach and William Lim, tenor Andrew McDermott and Andrew Westerhaus, bass Swing My True Love’s Hair The Fox Danielle Traitz, soprano; Jacy Ring, mezzo-soprano; William Lim, tenor; Rich Sobel, bass Riddle Song Michael Hogue, tenor Sourwood Mountain Amazing Grace Philadelphia Fanfare John Conahan (b. 1974)

Intermission

The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass Carol Barnett (b. 1949)

I. Ballad: Refrain II. Kyrie III. Ballad: First Verse IV. Gloria V. Ballad: Second Verse and Refrain VI. Credo VII. Sanctus VIII. Ballad: Third and Fourth Verses IX. Agnus Dei X. Art Thou Weary (Instrumental) XI. Benediction XII. Conclusion

Anne Hess, soprano; Jacy Ring, mezzo-soprano; Michael Hogue, tenor

During the concert, please feel free to tell everyone that you are present with us through Twitter and Facebook. All we ask is that your phone is in silent mode!

Photos during the first ten minutes of the concert are also welcome.

Program

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Post-concert talk with the artists.

Please join us in the Centennial Room for a reception following the concert.

Philadelphia Fanfare was commissioned by Singing City in memory of Dr. John K. Knorr, a descendant of three centuries of

Philadelphians, and his wife Elizabeth, a Philadelphian by marriage, and was made possible by a grant from the John K. and Elizabeth Knorr Foundation.

Program Notes & Texts

Jennifer Higdon

Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon is one of America’s most acclaimed and most frequently performed living composers. Higdon started late in music, teaching herself to play flute at the age of 15 and beginning formal musical studies at 18, with an even later start in composition at the age of 21. Despite this late beginning, she has become a major figure in contemporary Classical music and makes her living from commissions. These commissions represent a range of genres, including orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and wind ensemble. Jennifer Higdon maintains a full schedule of commissions and her music is known for its technical skill and audience appeal. Hailed by The Washington Post as “a savvy, sensitive composer with a keen ear, an innate sense of form and a generous dash of pure esprit,” she is one of America’s most frequently performed composers.

Her works have been recorded on over two dozen CDs. Her Percussion Concerto won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in January, 2010. Higdon also received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, with the committee citing Higdon’s work as “a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity.

Higdon’s most recent project is an opera based on the best-selling novel, Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier. It was premiered to all sold-out performances by the Santa Fe Opera in August of 2015 and will travel to

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Opera Philadelphia, Minnesota Opera and North Carolina Opera in the next two seasons.

Dr. Higdon currently holds the Milton L. Rock Chair in Composition Studies at The Curtis Institute of Music, where she has inspired a generation of young composers and musicians. Her music is published exclusively by Lawdon Press.

Southern Grace

Southern Grace is a sublime set of eight southern folk melodies. In these settings, Jennifer Higdon captures the essence of rural Southern America, with vivid settings of vibrant texts. Fiddlin’ is a kind of warm up to the suite, with the choir wildly dashing about on solfege syllables. Wildwood Flower speaks of a young woman’s love scorned by a cad. Swing has men calling women to dance. My True Love’s Hair again speaks of a handsome young lover. The Fox is a charming story about a fox upsetting a farmer and his wife. Riddle Song poses a series of riddles, then sweetly answers the questions. Sourwood Mountain is a vigorous dance for the gentlemen of the choir. Amazing Grace sets one of the America’s beloved melodies in series of variations that range from starkly haunting verses in two parts to the rich eight-part vocal writing. Southern Grace received its premiere in 1998 by The Philadelphia Singers.

Fiddlin’

Do, re, me fa, sol, la, ti, do

Wildwood Flower

I’ll twine with my ring, made of raven black hair,A rose so red, and a lily so fair,The myrtle so green, with its emerald hue, And pale ermeta with eyes of dark blue,He taught me to love him, he called me his flow’r,A blossom to cheer him, through life’s weary hour;I’ll wake from my dream, for my idol is clay, My passion for loving him has vanished away,He taught me to love him, he promised me to love,To cherish me always all others above,Another has won him I’m sorry to tell,He left me no warning no words of farewell,I’ll dance and I’ll sing and my life shall be gay,I’ll stop this wild weeping and drive my sorrow away,

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I’ll live yet to see him make right that dark hour,When he neglected his frail wildwood flow’r.

Swing

Way down low in the cedar swamp, waters deep and muddy,There I met a pretty little miss, there I kissed my honey.Refrain: Swing a lady up and down, swing a lady home, Swing a lady up and down, swing a lady home.

Built my love a big fine house, built it in the garden,Put her in and she jumped out, fare you well my darlin’,Refrain

Black-eyed girl is mad at me, blue-eyed girl won’t have me,If I can’t get the one I love I guess I’ll never marry.Refrain

The older she gets the prettier she gets, I tell you she’s my honey,Makes me work all through the week and get stove wood on Sunday.Refrain

Way low down in the cedar swamp, waters deep and muddy,There I met a pretty little miss, there I kissed my honey.Refrain

My True Love’s Hair

Black is the color of my true love’s hair,His face is something wondrous and fair,The prettiest eyes and the neatest hands,I love the ground whereon he stands,

I love my love and well he knows,I love the ground whereon he goes,If you on earth no more I see,I can’t serve you as you have me,

The winter’s past and the leaves are green,The time is past that we have seen,But still I hope the time will come,When you and I shall be as one,

My own true love, so fare you well, The time has come, but I wish you well,

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But still I hope, the time would come,When you and I shall be as one,

I go to Clyde for to weep, I go to weep,But satisfied I never sleep, I’ll write to you a few lines, write to you,I’ll suffer death ten thousand times.

Black is the color of my true love’s hair,His face is something wondrous and fair,The prettiest eyes and the neatest hands,I love the ground whereon he stands.

The Fox

The fox started out one moon-shiny night,He prayed for the Lord to give him light,For he had a mile to go that night Before he reached his den-e-o,Before he reached his den-e-o.

He came at last to the farmer’s yard,Where the ducks and chickens were plenty, “Oh, one of you will grease my beard,I’ll take you to my den-e-o,I’ll take you to my den-e-o.”

He grabbed an old black duck by the neck,And he threw her across his shoulder,The old black duck said, “Quack! Quack!” And its long legs hung down-e-o,And its long legs hung down-e-o.

Old Granny Slipper Slopper jumped out of her bed,And out the window poked her grey head,“John, John, the black duck’s gone,With the fox straight to his den-e-o, With the fox straight to his den-e-o, den-e-o.Johnny Slipper Slopper jumped out of bed, He fell against the table and he bumped his head,He fell over the cradle and thought he was deadAnd the fox got to his den-e-o,And the fox got to his den-e-o.

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Slipper Slopper ran to the top of the hill, And he blew his horn so loud and shrill,But the fox got the best of the music still,Safe home inside his den-e-oSafe home inside his dene-o, Ha! Ha!

Riddle Song

I gave my love a cherry that had no stone,I gave my love a chicken that had no bones,I gave my love a ring that had no end,I gave my love a baby with no cryin’,

How can there be a cherry with no stone?How can there be a chicken with no bones?How can there be a ring that has no end?How can there be a baby with no cryin’?

A cherry when it’s bloomin’ it has no stone,A chicken when it’s pippin’ it has no bones,A ring when it’s rollin’ it has no end,A baby when it’s sleepin’ has no cryin’.

Sourwood Mountain Chicken a-crowin’ on Sourwood MountainGet your dog and we’ll go hunting,I got a gal in the head of the hollow, She won’t come and I won’t call her,She sits up there with ole Si Hall,Me and Jim can’t go a’tall,One of these days and it won’t be longI’ll get that gal and home I’m goneOne of these days and it won’t be longI”ll get that girl and home I’m gone.

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace, how sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me,I once was lost but now I’m found,Was blind but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved,

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How precious did that grace appear,The hour I first believed.Through many dangers, toils and snares,I have already come,It is grace that brought me safe thus far,And grace will lead me home.How sweet the name of Jesus soundsIn a believer’s ear,It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,And drives away his fear.

When we’ve been there ten thousand year,Bright shining as the sun,We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,Than when we first begun.

John Conahan

John Conahan is a composer, conductor, performer, and educator. As a composer, John’s choral and orchestral works have received much acclaim and are performed frequently all over the world. His works have been premiered by Donald Nally & The Crossing, Lorin Maazel, Marin Alsop, Denyce Graves, Deborah Voigt, and Sir James Galway—at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kimmel Center, and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

John is a frequently featured Guest Conductor and visiting clinician for a number of ensembles, including State Music Education Festivals, Choral Unions, and numerous academic institutions.

In addition to his life as a composer and conductor, John is an active performer and recording artist, maintaining a number of albums as a singer/songwriter, as well as with an experimental improvisation trio, and as a solo pianist focusing on his spontaneous piano works. His recordings are featured both on television and in film.

John attended Ithaca College, the Manhattan School of Music, the University of the Arts, and the Juilliard School. You can find out more about John Conahan online at www.johnconahan.com.

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Philadelphia Fanfare

When Jeff and I began discussing a commission for Singing City, he mentioned that it might be fun to have a piece that in some manner focused on Philadelphia. I agreed straight away; from the moment that I permanently relocated to Philadelphia, I have found inspiration in so much of the city’s history, personality, and breadth of artistry—and knew that discovering a text for the piece would be a fun and quick process. So, happily, I went searching for a text. My first inclination was William Penn, a fascinating figure and writer, and one whom every Philadelphian knows is watching over us (literally) on a daily basis. As introspective and impressive (and direct) as Penn’s writings were, I had a difficult time finding something that immediately spoke to me. I read through a number of Founding Fathers’ letters and speeches, some resident poets of the past—and learned about some incredible works—but again, found nothing that resonated with me for this commission.

And then, I did something very 21st Century (although far from noble or scholarly): I threw my hands in the air and announced, “OK, Google” and typed ‘Philadelphia Poem’ —then hit return. And I will admit with shame and reticence that I was drawn to and immediately clicked on the very first result: Kipling. I like Kipling. And Kipling knew a Philadelphia during the late-19th and early-20th century, a brilliant and interesting time in the city’s history. And upon reading the poem, I was immediately drawn to it, heard a number of musical ideas, and was taken with the beauty and charming nature of the work. So, on a quiet day in beauti-ful Big Sky, Montana during a lovely week with Donald Nally and The Crossing, I sat down in an empty Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, pulled up to the gorgeous Bechstein Grand piano and wrote most of what has become the material for Philadelphia Fanfare. It didn’t take long to realize that I needed more than two hands on the piano in order to bring to fruition all of the colors I heard in the poem, and happily began writing the piece for SATB and four-hands piano.

I have a deep respect for Jeff Brillhart and Singing City. I have had the opportunity to work with them a few times in the past in association with the brilliant Lyric Fest, and I am a profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to write for them again. I am also thrilled to be included on a program with two luminous composers, Jennifer Higdon and Carol Barnett. —John Conahan

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“Philadelphia” from Rewards and FairiesBy Rudyard Kipling

If you’re off to Philadelphia in the morning, You mustn’t take my stories for a guide. There’s little left indeed of the city you will read of, And all the folk I write about have died. Now few will understand if you mention Talleyrand, Or remember what his cunning and his skill did. And the cabmen at the wharf do not know Count Zinzendorf, Nor the Church in Philadelphia he builded.

It is gone, gone, gone with lost Atlantis (Never say I didn’t give you warning). In Seventeen Ninety-three ‘twas there for all to see, But it’s not in Philadelphia this morning.

If you’re off to Philadelphia in the morning, You mustn’t go by everything I’ve said. Bob Bicknell’s Southern Stages have been laid aside for ages, But the Limited will take you there instead. Toby Hirte can’t be seen at One Hundred and Eighteen, North Second Street—no matter when you call; And I fear you’ll search in vain for the wash-house down the lane Where Pharaoh played the fiddle at the ball.

It is gone, gone, gone with Thebes the Golden (Never say I didn’t give you warning). In Seventeen Ninety-four ‘twas a famous dancing-floor— But it’s not in Philadelphia this morning. If you’re off to Philadelphia in the morning, You must telegraph for rooms at some Hotel. You needn’t try your luck at Epply’s or the ‘Buck,’ Though the Father of his Country liked them well. It is not the slightest use to inquire for Adam Goos, Or to ask where Pastor Meder has removed—so You must treat as out-of-date the story I relate Of the Church in Philadelphia he loved so.

He is gone, gone, gone with Martin Luther (Never say I didn’t give you warning). In Seventeen Ninety-five he was (rest his soul!) alive, But he’s not in Philadelphia this morning.

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If you’re off to Philadelphia this morning, And wish to prove the truth of what I say, I pledge my word you’ll find the pleasant land behind Unaltered since Red Jacket rode that way. Still the pine-woods scent the noon; still the cat-bird sings his tune; Still Autumn sets the maple-forest blazing. Still the grape-vine through the dusk flings her soul-compelling musk; Still the fire-flies in the corn make night amazing.

They are there, there, there with Earth immortal (Citizens, I give you friendly warning). The things that truly last when men and times have passed, They are all in Pennsylvania this morning!

Carol Barnett

Carol Barnett’s music has been called audacious and engaging. Her varied catalog includes works for solo voice, piano, chorus, diverse chamber ensembles, orchestra, and wind ensemble.

She was awarded the 2003 Nancy Van de Vate International Prize for Opera for her chamber opera, Snow, and Meeting at Seneca Falls was featured at the 2006 Diversity Festival in Red Wing, MN. The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass, commissioned in 2006 by VocalEssence and written with Marisha Chamberlain, had its Carnegie Hall debut in February 2013 and has become a favorite across the country. Recent works include March to Glory: ”Draw Me Nearer,” for the American Guild of Organists 2014 convention; Near Odessa, for Bella Voce and Jennifer Tibben; Coy Pond Suite, for the Gordon College Big Band; and Hyfrydol Meditations, for Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, MN. Other commissions include works for the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Harvard Glee Club, the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, and the Children’s Theatre of Minneapolis. She has received grants from the Jerome Foundation, the Camargo Foundation, the Inter-University Research Committee on Cyprus, and the McKnight Foundation.

A longtime presence on the Minnesota music scene, Barnett is a charter member of the American Composers Forum and a graduate of the

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University of Minnesota, where she studied composition with Dominick Argento and Paul Fetler, piano with Bernard Weiser, and flute with Emil J. Niosi. She was composer-in-residence with the Dale Warland Singers from 1992 to 2001, and was an adjunct faculty member at Augsburg College from 2000 to 2015.

The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass

To bring the solemnity of the classical choir-based mass together with the down home sparkle of bluegrass—now there’s an assignment. My highest hope is that listeners coming from one tradition—classical or bluegrass—and perhaps dubious about the other, might discover something new and wonderful in the combination, as I have. Composing the music for The World Beloved has given me the chance to write cheery sacred music—all too rare in a medium rife with staid and even lugubrious settings. And it’s brought me back to memories of music heard while visiting my grandparents, country music with a church flavor that told stories and came out of a scratchy old record player. Grandma would not have allowed dancing, but under the table I tapped my toes.

I. Ballad: Refrain They say God loved the world so dear

He set aside His crown And cloaked Himself in human shape;They say that He came down,And dwelt awhile among us here.He came on down.

II. KyrieMercy!Oh, Kyrie! Have mercy! Oh Christe! Mercy, oh mercy, eleison, eleison.Kyrie eleison, Christe eleisonKyrie eleison, have mercy on creation!Christe eleison, have mercy on our souls!

III. Ballad: First VerseA child walked forth on Eden’s way, A child stretched our her hand.O, may I taste the apple thereAnd take to understandThe fruit of knowledge in my mouth,And know of God firsthand?


IV. GloriaGlory be to God on high,Who launched the sunlight, loosed the rain,Who scattered stars across the sky,Who piled the mountains, rolled the plains,Who spilled the rivers and the seas.Oh Glory be, oh Glory be.

Glory be to God below,For feather, fur, for scale and fin,For vine uptwisting, blossom’s fire,For muscle, sinew, nerve and skinAnd every feature set aglowOh, Glory be to God below.

Oh, Glory be for peace on earth,And prayerful be the human heartThat has required a Savior’s birthTo make of earth heav’ns counterpart,So strife might stop and warring cease.Oh, Glory be for peace, oh, be for peace.

Oh, Glory be the generous Hand Who left us to our work, and care, Who gave us only few commands But that we help each other bear Life’s burdens. Pain and suffering ease. Oh, Glory be, oh, Glory be.

V. Ballad: Second Verse and RefrainAdam, he labored, Eve, she toiled,And many children bore,And sometimes all was fruitlessnessAnd sometimes seasons woreThem down to dust and emptinessAnd hunger at the door.

But they said God loved the world so dearHe set aside his crownAnd cloaked himself in human shape;They say that he came down, And dwelt awhile among us here.He came on down.

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VI. CredoOh, I do believe a place awaits us far across the Jordan,And when we reach those mossy banks, we’ll cast aside our oars.Row on, row on, we’re crossing River Jordan,Row on, row on, and no one goes alone.

Oh, I do believe a place awaits us high above the mountainsAnd when we reach that highest peak, we’ll spread our wings and soar.Climb on, climb on, we’re climbing Jacob’s Ladder,Climb on, climb on, and no one goes alone.

Oh, I do believe a resting place awaits us ’cross the Jordan.We’ll toss our coats, throw off our hats, and take the seat of ease.And it’s not the seat of riches and it’s not the seat of power.Row on, row on, and no one goes alone.

VII. SanctusSanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.Dominus Deus Sabaoth.pleni sunt caeli et terra Gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis

VIII. Ballad: Third and Fourth Verses and Refrain

The skies exploded, towers fell;The floods came rushing downAnd many souls were burned aliveAnd many souls were drownedAnd others set to marching, marchingFar from house and home.Where are you now, our Savior dear,When we are all undone?

They say God loved the world so dearHe set aside His crown And cloaked Himself in human shape;They say that He came down,And dwelt awhile among us here.He came on down.

Oh, I am here among you nowTho’ I must pass unseen,And cannot show why this must beNor how I walk between


Your souls and greater dangersThan you have ever known,To laugh with you and weep with you,My people, oh my own.

It’s true, I love the world so dearI cast aside my crownAnd cloak Myself in mysterySo I can come on downAnd dwell in and among you now,I come on down.

IX. Agnus DeiAgnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

X. Instrumental Interlude: Art Thou Weary?

XI. BenedictionBlessings be upon your heads.Bless the living, bless the dead.Blessings be upon you, my people.

Blessing so that you may goLightly through this world of woe.Blessings be upon you, my people.

Blessings, and may you embraceGod in guise of human grace.Blessings now and forever.

XII. ConclusionThey say God loved the World so dearShe set aside Her crownAnd cloaked Herself in human shape;They say that She came down,And dwelt awhile among us here. She came on down.

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Jeffrey Brillhart, Artistic & Music Director Appointed in 1999, Jeffrey Brillhart directs the Singing City Choir and oversees all aspects of Singing City’s musical initiatives. He provides artistic leadership for a rich program of formal concerts, choral music workshops as part of Singing City in the Schools, and outreach concerts in diverse communities in and around Philadelphia. Jeffrey is also Director of Music and Fine Arts at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr and is recognized as one of the foremost musicians working in the Presbyterian Church. He has won national recognition for his abili-ties in organ improvisation, organ performance, and conducting. Mr. Brillhart’s formal training was at Drake University, where he received his Bachelor of Church Music degree in 1977, and at the Eastman School of Music, where he received a Master of Performance and Literature Degree in 1979 and studied piano, organ, harpsichord, voice and conducting.

In addition to his position as Director of the Fine Arts Program at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, where he works with over 600 youth and adults, Jeffrey supervises nine choral and handbell ensembles, an art program and “Young-in-Arts,” a music and art school for children. He directs the 120-voice Senior Choir which sings for two services each week and prepares several special performances each season. Mr. Brillhart also directs the Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers, a 24-voice ensemble specializing in baroque and 20th century music. His church ensembles have performed for national conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the American Choral Directors Association. Mr. Brillhart has presented master classes at the Curtis Institute of Music, the University of Iowa, Drake University, and the Eastman School of Music. He served as chorus master for The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Martin Luther King Tribute Concert in January 2004. In January 2005, he joined the music faculty of Yale University to teach organ improvisation. He is the author of “Breaking Free,” an improvisation textbook, that is in wide use throughout the United States and Europe.


Parker Kitterman, accompanist

Parker Kitterman is Director of Music and Organist at historic Christ Church, Philadelphia, where he directs the Christ Church Choir and Children’s Choir in weekly choral services and monthly Evensong services, among other responsibilities.

A graduate of Duke University and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, he also studied organ at the Brussels Royal Conservatory on a Fulbright Grant. Parker was a finalist in international organ competitions in Tokyo and Toulouse, and remains active as a soloist, accompanist, conductor, teacher, clinician, and composer of choral and congregational music. His compositions and arrangements can be heard on a weekly basis at Christ Church.

The Depue Brothers Band

Dr. Wallace DePue Jr., violin/fiddle

Dr. Wallace DePue Jr. is a leading American figure in the development of “Grassical” music; which is the fusion of many different genres of American grass-roots music and traditional Western Art Music (classical music). He first coined the term Grassical in the late 1990s. The DePue Brothers, a professional musical ensemble in which

Dr. DePue has been a member for decades, has been the leading musical group to cultivate and develop Grassical music. One of his first compositional examples of Grassical music is a work titled: A Theme and Variations on a Little Brown Jug, which Dr. DePue composed in 2000.

Dr. DePue received a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. Before that, he received a Master of Musical Arts degree from Temple University (1995) and a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio (1993). It is interesting to note that his doctoral dissertation title was: The Fusion of Modern Twentieth Century Composition-

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al Techniques with Traditional American Fiddle Music in Lukas Foss’s “Central Park Reel”; a modern musical work for violin and piano composed by Dr. Lukas Foss in 1986 and analyzed by Dr. DePue in 2006. DePue argues that Lukas Foss’s Central Park Reel exemplifies exactly what Grassical music is even before the term describing this new genre of music ever existed. There are also several works composed by Dr. Wallace DePue Sr. (DePue’s father) that harken the origins of the Grassical sound/genre as far back as the 1970s. One of Dr. DePue’s proudest musical achievements was being awarded the 1989 Musical Family of the Year by President George H. W. Bush, accompanied by an official letter from The White House. As a child, DePue won many fiddle contests, including the 1985 Michigan State Fiddling Championship.

This will be Dr. DePue’s second performance as violinist/fiddler of The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass, composed by Carol Barnett with libretto by Marisha Chamberlain. In his opinion, this brilliant modern musical composition has many of the attributes that contribute greatly to the Grassical genre, especially in the realm of vocal music.

Jason Depue, violin/fiddle

Jason DePue is a member of the first violin section of The Philadelphia Orchestra. He was concertmaster of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland under James Levine (‘99), the New York String Seminar under Jamie Laredo (‘99), as well as the Curtis Symphony (‘98). He has performed live concerts of the complete Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin as well as the complete Paganini 24 Caprices—both concerts are available to view on Jason’s YouTube channel. Jason DePue is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music.

David Cullen, guitar

David Cullen has performed in a dazzling wide range of styles including Jazz, Classical and World Music. David Cullen is a Grammy Award Winning Guitarist for Best Pop Instrumental Recording. He has performed with Will Ackerman , Samite, Michael Manring, Victor Wooten, Tracy Silverman, Darol Anger, The Depue BrothersBand, The Jaco Big Band and The Philly Pops. He was a featured soloist in the New


York Guitar Festival presented at the 92nd St Y. He is currently an Artist-in-Residence at Elizabethtown College. He teaches Jazz, Classical and Contemporary Popular Styles at West Chester University and Millersville University.

David graduated from the Hartt School of Music with a BM, Magna Cum Laude, in Classical Guitar Performance. He is featured on the Windham Hill Guitar Sampler and other Windham Hill compilation recordings. He has released 2 books through Warner Brothers Publications: Jazz, Classical and Beyond and Grateful Guitar. His performance DVD, Jazz, Classical and Beyond features multi-camera angles and lessons. He has performed throughout North America for classical guitar societies, performing arts series and jazz festivals. David Cullen has released ten CD recordings on Solid Air Records. His recordings have been featured on NPR stations across the country. For more information please go to www.cullenguitar.com.

Kevin MacConnell, bass

Living in the Philadelphia area since 1982, Kevin has performed with jazz greats Mel Torme, Nancy Wilson, Billy Eckstine and Joe Williams, as well as a wide variety of other international performers such as Natalie Cole, Marilyn McCoo, Diahann Caroll, Merv Griffin and opera diva Denyce Graves. He has

performed and recorded with tenor saxophonist Earnie Watts and local jazz legends Larry McKenna and Tony Miceli, with whom he performs regularly. No stranger to the classical scene, Kevin has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and many classical ensembles in and around the area.

Kevin has also spent a significant amount of time in the theaters of Philadelphia, having done productions at the Walnut, Merriam and most notably the Prince Theater, where he had the opportunity to work with the late Cy Coleman on his last show, “The Great Ostrovsky”.He began performing with DePue Brothers Band in 2007, and performs on occasion with Mark Cosgrove’s band, Good Medicine.

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Mike Munford, banjo Mike is one of the hidden treasures of the five string banjo world. Mike grew up in the sixties and seventies in the bluegrass hotbed of Baltimore and D.C. and assimilated just about everything that all the great players in that area could offer but long ago developed his own style. His style can best be described as hard-driving melodic but such a description dimin-ishes what’s actually going on. When Mike Munford plays you hear all things that great banjo player strive to achieve: power, drive, impeccable timing, exquisite tone and jaw- dropping technique. Mike is a walking encyclopedia of banjo trivia. He is an inspiration to countless players in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

Born in St. Louis and raised in Baltimore, Mike started playing banjo at age 15. A professional bluegrass musician since 1976, Mike spent many years of experience developing his craft. His fluid style, both tasteful and driving, allows him to easily blend traditional and contemporary influences into his music. Mike currently tours with Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, a highly acclaimed contemporary bluegrass band whose 2014 album “Cold Spell” received a Grammy nomination. In 2013, Mike received the “Banjo Player of the Year” award from the I.B.M.A. (International Bluegrass Music Association).

Do you love to sing? Are you looking for a great community of singers?

Singing City is now auditioning experienced tenors and basses.

Auditions are held by appointment.Call the Singing City office, 267-519-5322, to schedule an audition or

e-mail Choir Administrator Ben Weissman, [email protected].

Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings from 7:20 to 9:50 p.m. at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102


ABOUT SINGING CITY

For over half a century, Singing City has been Philadelphia’s premier avocational chorus, committed to bringing people of diverse races, creeds and backgrounds together under the common purpose of music making. Singing City grew out of the Fellowship House movement, and has been deeply engaged not only in creating a community of mind and purpose in Philadelphia, but also in other civil rights and social justice movements since the 1950s.

In addition to its deep commitment to inclusion and community building, Singing City has consistently achieved the highest levels of performance practice and artistry. The chorus has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leningrad Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic, and has to its credit a number of critically acclaimed national and international concert tours and festival appearances. The 90-member strong chorus is led by Artistic & Music Director Jeffrey Brillhart and continues to fulfill its original mission, which today encompasses an educational program for youth, the Singing City Children’s Choir, and programs for under-served populations.

Through Performance, Arts Education, and Fellowship,

Singing City is a force for social impact, bringing people together

and lifting the human spirit through the artistry of choral music.

American Feast

Singing City Choir

Lauren AndersonSoryl AngelBrian AuerbachAlyssa BarlisJoyce BartonJamerica BevelPeter BoyerKathleen BradyWendy BrowderSara Harris BrownGloria Ruszkiewicz BrownLuke BrownTheresa CarterElizabeth ChildsDeb ClarkeLeslie ClearwaterSteve CrandallPeggy CurchackElaine Del VecchioTony Del VecchioFaith DickensKelly DolanSusan Domingos

Martha Fried-CassorlaJennifer GottschalkMelissa Graf-EvansMarlene GrahamAnne HessMichael HogueMark HollernRebecca HorowitzClaire HuffBarbara JenkinsAdam JohnsonAngela JonesLaura KellyRobert KidderRachel KleinmanFrancine LevinWilliam Lim, Jr.Kristen MaguireRobert MannJoyce MarshallYuko MartinAndrew McDermottKim Murphy

Rob MygattRosalyn OminskyElizabeth PlowmanLaura RandolphJacy RingMark RitterGili RonenM’Annette RuddellRajeev SachdevaPeter ScarpatoKen SchoenholzMatt SiverdRichard SobelBetty StockwellRobert ThuenerDanielle TraitzDavid WeaverAndrew WesterhausKerri WilliamsAmberly WilliamsBarbara WilligLaVerne WoodWilliam Young

Staff Jeffrey Brillhart, Artistic and Music DirectorLauren Anderson, Executive DirectorBen Weissman, Choir Administrator and Office ManagerParker Kitterman, AccompanistSteven Fisher, Director, Singing City Children’s ChoirAndrew Bleckner, Composer-in-Residence

Special ThanksFriends of Singing CityThe Church of the Holy TrinityProgram AdvertisersUshers, Box Office and Riser CrewTo everyone who provided food and drink and helped with this evening’s post-concert reception.


Diane Mallery PresidentBrian Auerbach, Vice-President Jane Gardner, TreasurerSteve Crandall, SecretaryPeter J. BoyerWendy BrowderPeggy CurchackPeggy C. Gregg, ex-officioJackie LesserJane MurphyBarbara RittenhouseArt Stewart

Advisory Board Anton E. ArmstrongJack AsherJeffrey CorneliusJoseph FlummerfeltR. Thomas FriedmanDeVonne Gardner Elizabeth L. HaslamRobert H. HolmesScott JenkinsWalter JohnsonMary Tryon LedwithClaire McKinleyWeston Noble Helmuth RillingSandra StoufferAndre J. ThomasRadclyffe Thompson

Season Subscribers

BenefactorsMr. and Mrs. James R. Affleck, Jr.Lauren AndersonDeb Clarke and Cheryl BruttomessoRichard and Ruth HorowitzClare and Jim MackieKim and Jane MurphyRajeev SachdevaRichard and Dorothy StevensBill and Betty Stockwell

PatronsPeter J. BoyerWendy BrowderPeggy and Mark CurchackStuart DonaldsonJim and Martha GrantRon and Peggy GreggElizabeth L. HaslamWarren and Claire HuffBeth JohnsonMary Tryon LedwithBarbara Rittenhouse

SponsorsJeffrey Brillhart and Joacy MendoncaJessica R. BrownMaguerite P. HarrisDavid Sachs

Singing City Board of Directors

American Feast

$1,000 and aboveLauren AndersonPeggy and Mark CurchackNancy and Roy FairmanNancy R. FrandsenRobert KidderMary Tryon LedwithJonathan E. LehmanDiane MalleryCharles and Jane MurphyJudy R. NeilsonBarbara RittenhouseRajeev SachdevaVirginia A. Smith

$500 to $999AnonymousPeter BoyerJeffrey Brillhart and Joacy MendoncaWendy BrowderJeffrey CorneliusJane GardnerJim and Martha GrantSue Anne GrierElizabeth HaslamHerbert HeinemanRichard and Ruth HorowitzC. Stewart PatrickDavid L. RawleCheryl SlipskiBill and Betty StockwellLaura Ward

$250 to $499Brian and Sarah AuerbachRebecca Bien and David PollAlice ChaseDeb Clarke and Cheryl BruttomessoRebecca CoyneEllen and Bill DohmenPeggy GreggRobert H. Holmes, M. D.Beth E. JohnsonClare and Jim MackieBonnie MotelEstate of George E. RimbyMark and Sandy RitterAngela Scully and George ElserElaine B. ShafferJohn and Sandra StoufferBarbara Willig

$100 to $249Aminda BairdKenneth and Betty BarrowElizabeth W. BartleGloria Ruszkiewicz BrownCharlotte E. CadyAnthony P. ChecchiaHarris R. and Louise ClearfieldSharon and Bruce Cundiff

Olena Roma DockhornDana FieroHelen GilmoreMr. and Mrs. Robert GirondiMelissa Graf-EvansCarol GreyMarguerite HarrisMargot and Ellis HorwitzDon and Laila Nada IsaacsonWalter H. JohnsonJeffrey W. KnightlyRobert and Lisa LandleyRosalinda R. MadaraRobert MannJohn McNicholMichael MerinBrenda J. OliphantRosalyn OminskyBarbara PollJeffrey RocciaJack and Roberta RubinlichtFranna RuddellDavid SachsKen SchoenholzRichard and Rachel SobelWilliam W. Van StoneCarol TashjianKaren TeelLinda ThompsonSteven H. TyreEleanor B WarderElizabeth Weigle

SINGING CITY SUPPORTERS 2014-15Annual contributions to Singing City are of crucial importance because they are used to support the operating budget of the Choir. Annual Friends Drive gifts are spent throughout the year on operating needs such as our formal concert series, community concerts at care facilities and retirement homes, the SC Children’s Choir, and to support our small but dedicated staff. Our thanks go out to all those who have so generously supported the mission and work of Singing City.

The 2015-16 campaign is underway. Please help us reach our goal of raising $60,000 by June 30, 2016. Visit www.singingcity.org/support for more information.


Up to $100Soryl AngelAnton ArmstrongElaine AxelmanEmily BabiashElaine W. BaerJoyce BartonSara Harris BrownJeanne BurdJohn ConnellDave and Cyndi DetwilerFrank DomingosMona FeldmanJayne FieroMarylouise FinchMartha Fried-CassorlaCarol FriederAndrew FullerSonya C. GarfinkleWarren and Claire HuffJohn R. Immerwahr and Kathleen Jean ByrnesSue KettellBeth KrickFrancine and Bruce LevinDorothy MarshallGenevieve PerloffMatthew PointEdith RobertsGili RonenFrances and Harold S. RosenbluthJohn RossheimFrances B. RubinsohnHenry RubnerPeter Scarpato and Paula WeissLinda H. WeaverLaVerne WoodJanet M. Yamron

Foundation & Government SupportArchie W. and Grace Berry Foundation

The Connelly FoundationSamuel S. Fels Fund

Ann and Gordon Getty FoundationJohn K. and Elizabeth W. Knorr Foundation

The Philadelphia Cultural FundThe Philadelphia Foundation

The Pennsylvania Council on the ArtsThe Presser Foundation

Henrietta Tower Wurts MemorialWells Fargo Foundation

Legacy Fund DonorsDouglas and Deborah Faulkner

Julie FriedmanSue Anne Grier

Elizabeth L. HaslamCarolyn LoweryJudith R. NeilsonRosalyn Ominsky

Barbara RittenhouseM’Annette RuddellMary Ann Sullivan

Jean S. WeissJohn H. Wood

A Simple Gift-The Legacy Fund

A bequest or deferred gift to Singing City will support the Choir’s endowment, which in turn will help strengthen the Choir’s ability to retain and attract the very best staff, provide ongoing support for the Singing City Children’s Choir, stabilize the operating budget and establish a financial aid fund so that prospective singers have an opportunity to be a part of Singing City. Keep it simple—make a bequest to Singing City. If you would like to include Singing City in your planning, please contact Executive Director Lauren Anderson at 267-519-5321 or by e-mail at [email protected].

American Feast

Intimate, Affordable,World-Class Music

15 16

Order tickets today at pcmsconcerts.org

PH IL ADELPH IA CHAMB ER M U S IC SOCIE T Y


MOUNT AIRY FAMILY PRACTICE

Congratulates Singing City on their 68th SeasonDeborah A. Clarke, MD Linda W. Good, MDSusan J. Leath, MD David W. Lewis, MD

Thomas F. Lyon, MD Vincent Tyson, CRNP

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760 Carpenter Lane at Wayne AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19119

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We are proud to supportSinging City.

American Feast

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The Businesses of Keswick Village & Greater Glenside Community

Congratulate Singing Cityon its 2015-16 Season!

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215-517-8466 (Glenside)

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American Feast


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American Feast

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American Feast

SINGING CITY 2015-2016 Concert Season

Jeffrey Brillhart, Artistic & Music Director

Fall Concert—American FeastSunday, November 8, 2015, 3 p.m.The Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA Singing City opens the season with Carol Barnett’s The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass, a dazzling work combining the sacred classical choral tradition with the sparkling down home sound of banjo, mandolin and fiddle, featuring the DePue Brothers Band; Philadelphia Fanfare, a newly commissioned work by John Conahan (with John at the podium) and Jennifer Higdon’s Southern Grace.Post-concert talk with the artists and reception.Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 at the door ($10 for students)

Holiday Concert—Christmas by CandlelightSaturday, December 19, 2015, 7:00 p.m.The Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

With the Philadelphia Brass A festive program of traditional and popular Christmas carols from Britain and beyond. The audience will join in, too! Post-concert reception.

Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 at the door ($10 for students)

Spring Concert—Beethoven Choral Fantasy & Mozart Mass in C MinorSunday, May 1, 2016, 3 p.m.The Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PAWith the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia The Choral Fantasy is probably best known as a precursor to the last movement of the Ninth Symphony. The work builds, through a series of variations, to a rousing chorus—praising the power of music. No Western composer demonstrated a more Shakespearean range of emotion than Mozart. His most ravishing music looks inside the soul as deeply as art can.Post-concert reception. Tickets: $25 ($10 for students)

For tickets and more information: www.singingcity.org or 267-519-5322


William J. McLeer, CFP®, ChFC®

Financial Advisor

Certified finanCial Planner™ practitioner

An American PlatinumFinancial Services® practiceAn Ameriprise Financial Franchise

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Office Hours by Appointment

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1999 Route 70 East, Suite 1Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Telephone: (856) 424-3186Fax: (856) 424-7923

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Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble

Presents Our Holiday Concertsfeaturing

New Jersey Chamber Singers

Saturday, December 12 @ 7:00The Church of St. Luke and the Ephiphany

220 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA

Satruday, December 19 @ 7:00Doylestown Presbyterian Church

127 East Court Street, Doylestown, PA

Tickets available at the door or at phillybells.orgBe sure and check back for our Springconcert schedule at phillybells.org

American Feast

Congratulations and Best Wishes to the

SINGING CITY CHOIR

ON YOUR

2015-16 SEASON


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American Feast

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I’ll Make Me A World

Join Singing City on its tour to South Africa in the summer of

2016 where we will perform in Johannesburg, Garden Route and Cape Town. Singers and non-singers welcome!

The $4,500 cost of the trip includes:

Airfare from Philadelphia to Johannesburg and ground and air transportation within South Africa; 6 performances, including concerts, informal recitals and outreach participation; 11 nights accommodation in

superior tourist class hotels, sharing twin-bedded rooms with private bathrooms; Continental breakfast plus 7 group dinners; land transportation

by private deluxe motor coach; guided sightseeing tours of Soweto, Johannesburg, and Cape Town, and visits to a penguin colony, Featherbed

Nature Reserve, and an open vehicle game drive in Pilanesberg National Park. If you are interested in participating and would like to receive more information, please contact Executive Director Lauren Anderson,

[email protected] or 267-519-5321 or visit our website:www.singingcity.org

SINGING CITYTour to South AfricaJune 30-July 13, 2016

American Feast

Singing City is all about uniting people. Whether in one of our two singing ensembles or as members of an audience, we are committed to exploring what it means to be in community. We believe that people in a community are stronger people, better able to be a transformational part of

our city. Your gift to Singing City’s annual Friends Drive has a direct impact on our work—from an outstanding concert series to outreach concerts in Philadelphia neighborhoods, collaborations with area arts organizations and the Singing City Children’s Choir.

Send your gift to: Singing City, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102,

or give online at www.singingcity.org.

Thank you for your support!

Singing City Friends Drive

Singing City

1501 Cherry Street • Philadelphia, PA 19102 www.singingcity.org | [email protected]

267-519-5321

singing ci. art thou weary (instrumental) xi. benediction xii. conclusion anne hess, soprano; jacy...

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