Michigan Festival of sacred Music

10
th
Anniversary
Michigan
Festival
of
Sacred
Music
music …
celebrating
many faiths
November 10–20, 2011
2011 Holiday Concerts
Saturday 3 December | 4 and 7:30 p.m.
A CHORAL CHRISTMAS
First Presbyterian Church | Kalamazoo
Sunday 4 December | 3 p.m.
JAZZ FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Miller Auditorium | Western Michigan University
Sunday 18 December | 3 p.m.
A BRASS CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS
Dalton Center Recital Hall | Western Michigan University
tickets Adult = $15 | Student = $5 | Senior = $12
available from www.millerauditorium.com/som
Table of Contents
Please consider
becoming a supporter
of the Festival.
All donations are
tax-deductible.
The Michigan Festival
of Sacred Music is a
nonprofit 501(c)(3)
corporation.
A Note from the Festival President . . . . . . . . . .
5
A Welcome from the Executive Director . . . . .
6
MFSM Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7
Festival Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
Future Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9
Festival Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10
Special Festival Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
MusicAEterna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Le Bon Vent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Vocal Workshop with Tapesty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
P.O. Box 50566
Kalamazoo, MI
49005-0566
Ali Akbar Moradi Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
(269) 382-2910
Tapestry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
www.mfsm.us
Find us on Facebook!
Yale Strom Lecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
KSO Burdick-Thorne String Quartet
with Yale Strom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22
Festival Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Birds on a Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Michigan Festival of Sacred
Music follows an Equal Employment
Opportunity Policy and employs
personnel and provides programs
and services without regard to
gender (including pregnancy), gender
identification, sexual orientation, race,
color, ethnic or religious background,
descent or nationality, disability
(including past, present, or future
physical, intellectual or psychiatric
disability, learning disorders or
disease), marital status, age, height
and weight.
This EEO policy applies to employment,
internal promotions, training,
opportunities for advancement,
terminations, relationships with
outside vendors and customers, use
of contractors and consultants and in
dealing with the general public.
27
Rahim AlHaj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Edith Hines and John Chappell Stowe;
Ensemble SDG with Christopher Kantner
and the WMU Collegium Musicum . . . . . 32
Michael Chikuzen Gould . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Ravikiran and Krishnamurthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Richard Webster Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The Briner Lecture
Don and Emily Saliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Juan Cruz and Michael Chikuzen Gould . . . . . 40
Emily and Don Saliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Richard Webster Hymn-fest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Deanna Witkowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
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Michigan
Festival
of
Sacred
Music
Offering events
which represent
Early Music Michigan presents
Winter, Fire and Snow:
A Celtic and Appalachian
Christmas Celebration
with special guest EMBARR
Saturday,
December 3, 8 p.m.
Holy Family Chapel at Nazareth,
3427 Gull Road
Tickets:
Adults $15, Students $5
Miller Box Office: 387-2300
or at the door
diverse religious traditions,
promoting mutual respect
and understanding
through sharing the music
treasured by these
traditions.
A n o t e f r o m t h e f e s t i va l p r e s i d e n t
The Harmony of the Spheres is an idea that mirrors
the mission of the Michigan Festival of Sacred
Music. This concept was given to us by the Greek
mystic Pythagorus, who was the first man to call
himself a philosopher, or lover of wisdom. Central
to his teachings is the idea that the heavenly
bodies are separated from one another by intervals
corresponding to the harmonic lengths of strings.
The movement of these spheres gives rise to a
musical sound — the “harmony of the spheres.”
Today, our global experience does not evoke a
sense of harmony. There is so much discord in our
world. Maybe the length of strings that will bring
us harmony can be found in the sacred music
of the many faiths we celebrate in this year’s
festival. Maybe by stringing together the music of
many sacred traditions, we can help our diverse
community discover the ties that bind, the chords
that provide relief from discord. Maybe together
we can share our music, and dedicate ourselves to
bringing harmony to our sphere.
Robert Graham Small, President
Michigan Festival of Sacred Music
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W e l c o m e f r o m t h e f e s t i va l D i r e c t o r
Thank you
for attending the 10th anniversary festival of
the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music! We are celebrating 10 years
of enriching Kalamazoo’s arts & culture scene and are very excited
about our line-up this year, which includes a special evening of jazz
at the Union Cabaret and Grille to close the festival!
This year we feature many new artists as well as audience favorites
returning with new programs. We also feature Kalamazoo resident
artists, Kalamazoo native artists returning for a visit after moving
on in their careers, and artists coming to us from many national
and international locations.
Please note our upcoming collaborations to present, after the
“end” of this festival, the Messiah Sing on November 27th, and the
Harlem Gospel Choir at Miller Auditorium on January 27th. We are
also working on a concert of Tanzanian and Israeli choral music for
next March.
As the Michigan Festival of Sacred Music has grown over the years,
we find that many more people are becoming aware of us: locally,
nationally, and internationally. We are grateful for our local support
and thank the many area organizations with which we collaborate,
from schools to churches to other arts and human services
organizations. They help us with everything from venue space, to
opportunities for outreach, to artistic partnerships.
As we continue to plan and present events, we continue to enjoy
more connections with and within our rich, vibrant community.
We are proud to celebrate our 10th year and hope you are able to
enjoy many of our ticketed and free events!
Elizabeth Start, Executive Director
Photo © Tom Hansen
Michigan Festival of Sacred Music
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M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
B oa r d
|
council
|
s ta f f
Executive Director
Dr. Elizabeth Start
2011-2012 Board
of Directors
Robert Graham Small
President
Dr. Stacy Nowicki
Vice President
Betsy Meagher, CSJ
Secretary
Shaghil Husain
Treasurer
Graeme Cowen
R.J. DeLong
Marilyn Feinberg
Dr. Gurnam Singh Gill
John Hemmer
Dr. Janet Hill
LaMont McCoy
Alfrelynn Roberts
Honorary Member
Dr. Wen Chao Chen
Advisory Council
Nasim Ansari
Cantor Larry I. Charson
Dr. Jeffrey Harkins
Raymond Harvey
Joy Light
Betty Lee Ongley
Nancy Owen
Denise L. Posie
David Reilly
Rabbi Harvey Spivak
Kathleen Tosco
National Advisor
Ellen Kushner
Executive Committee
Robert Graham Small
Stacy Nowicki
Sister Betsy Meagher
Shaghil Husain
Marilyn Feinberg, Chair Emeritus
Elizabeth Start, ex officio
Finance Committee
John Hemmer, Chair
John Emilio
Marilyn Feinberg
Shaghil Husain
Robert Graham Small
Elizabeth Start, ex officio
Marketing & PR Committee
Sister Betsy Meagher, Chair
R.J. DeLong
John Hemmer
Shaghil Husain
Stacy Nowicki
Alfrelynn Roberts
Elizabeth Start, ex officio
Programming Committee
Eric Strand, Chair
Graeme Cowen
Gurnam Gill
Janet Hill
LaMont McCoy
Sister Betsy Meagher
Elizabeth Start, ex officio
Staff
Kathy Jennings
Marketing Consultant
Michael Krischer
Festival Assistant and
Volunteer Coordinator
The Michigan
Festival of Sacred
Music continues
in its efforts to
contribute to the
sacred music
repertoire by
commissioning a
new work from
David Colson. The
MFSM welcomes
inquiries from
donors interested
in commissioning
works for future
festivals.
Volunteers
Needed
If you enjoy
inspirational
music, like to
meet new people
and receive free
admission to
concerts when you
volunteer, contact
the MFSM office
at (269) 382-2910
or by email at
[email protected].
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
7
2011 Sponsors
Grants
Arts Fund through Arts Council of
Greater Kalamazoo
Arts Midwest Performing Arts Fund
Burdick-Thorne Foundation
Dorothy U. Dalton Foundation
Constantin & Ruth Butiu, John E.
Fetzer Institute Fund, and
Good Neighbor Grant through
Kalamazoo Community
Foundation
Irving S. Gilmore Foundation
Michigan Council for Arts and
Cultural Affairs
Michigan Nonprofit Association
Recover Michigan SubAward
(ARRA-Strengthening
Communities Fund)
Monroe-Brown Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Harold & Grace Upjohn Foundation
Event co-sponsors
Bach Festival Society of
Kalamazoo
Briner Lectureship
Kalamazoo Public Library
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Miller Auditorium
NAEA GospelFest Choir
Southwest Michigan Chapter,
American Guild of Organists
Transformations Spirituality
Center
Western Michigan University
School of Music
Western Michigan University
Soga Japan Center
Silver
Congregation of Moses
Congregation of St. Joseph
The Episcopal Diocese of Western
Michigan
Ladies Library Association
Supporting
Shenandoah International
Playwrights, Inc., Robert
Graham Small, Artistic Director
Gurdwara Singh Sabha Kalamazoo
Pfizer Foundation Matching Gifts
Program
Support for this program was provided
by a grant from the Kalamazoo
Community Foundation.
This activity is supported in part by an
award from the Michigan Council for Arts
and Cultural Affairs and the National
Endowment for the Arts.
8
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Future Events
Include these upcoming events
on your calendar!
Sunday, November 27, 2011, 4 pm
First Congregational Church, 129 S. Park St.
Messiah Sing
We invite all who want to sing the great choruses in Part 1, the
Christmas portion, of Händel’s immortal oratorio, MESSIAH.
Those who wish to simply listen to this great work are welcome
to attend, as well.
Free
Friday, January 27, 2012, 8 pm
Miller Auditorium, WMU
Harlem Gospel Choir &
Kalamazoo GospelFest Choir
If you want to sing with the GospelFest Choir in this concert,
rehearsals, held at Hillside Middle School, start in November.
Visit mfsm.us or call 269-382-2910 for details.
Please obtain your tickets for this event through
Miller Auditorium’s Concert Series.
Early March, 2012
Location TBA
Tanzanian & Israeli Choral Music
In the works: a concert of Tanzanian and Israeli choral music,
presented by the Northern Illinois University chamber choir in
early March, as they return from their performance at a regional
choral conference — watch our website and arts calendars for
details.
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
9
10
2011 in-kind Donors
2011 individual Donors
Congregation of Moses
Congregation of St. Joseph,
Holy Family Chapel
Anders Dahlberg
Discover Kalamazoo
First Baptist Church
First Congregational Church
First Presbyterian Church
First United Methodist Church
Thomas Hansen Family Portrait
Susan Iervolina Dance students
Kalamazoo Public Library
Kalamazoo Symphony
Orchestra
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
Carolyn Koebel
Radisson Plaza Hotel
Saffron Restaurant
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Shawarma House and Shawarma
King on Drake Rd.
Transformations Spirituality
Center
Union Cabaret and Grille
Western Michigan University
Zooroona Restaurant
Festival Sponsor
Lilia & W.C. Chen
Arthur & Marilyn Feinberg
Timothy & Joy Light
Clarice W. Start
Elizabeth J. Start
Benefactor
Pete Koenig
Patron
Janice & Dennis Burke
Randall & Diane Eberts
Dr. Anne Arbetter Fischell
Graeme Cowen
John Hemmer
Janet & Kent Hill
Thomas & Gail Kasdorf
Paul Smithson
Harvey & Natalie Spivak
Joseph & Holly Walls
Supporter
Dr. Tahir & Mrs. Huda Alvi
Carol & Bernard Baker
Stacy Nowicki & Anders J.
Dahlberg
Mark & Diane Donovan
Keith & Peg Edmondson
Gurnam S. Gill
Linda & Charles Hall
Shaghil & Gulnar Husain
Barbro & Norman Jung
Dr. & Mrs. Azzam Kanaan
Helen McCauslin & Gene Radtke
Tom Nehil & Gail Walter
George Nielsen
Carolyn Nycum
Betty Lee Ongley
Ann Paulson & Bill Pierce
John & Joyce Petro
Phyllis Rappeport
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
David & Mary Jo Reilly
David & Janet Scarrow
Prince & Shelly Sidhu
Robert Graham Small & Kathleen
Tosco
Robert & Carol Payne Smith
Carole G. Snyder
LaVonne & Richard Stavig
John Stites/Arcadia Recording
Dr. Aijaz & Mrs. Aisha Turk
James vanWestrienen
Bill & Carrie Venema
Mike & Peggy Warlick
Roger & Molly Williams
Friend
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Ione B. & Haydn Ambrose
Amy L. Anderson
Ahmed & Humaira Aqeel
Muhammad Arif & Azra Jabeen
William E. Borst
James T. Brown & Charles R.
Tomlinson
Ruth L. Collins
Clifford Davidson
Carl Doubleday
Stuart & Karen Eddy
Ejaz Iqbal & Mrs. Mariya Ejaz
Kay Ensfield
Grace Field
Joan M. Foley
James & Sharon Froom
Dorothy A. Giovannini
Stephanie Groshko Grathwol
In Memory of my father,
Stephen Groshko
Caroline Ham
Mohammad Zahir & Shakila
Hassan
Conrad Hilberry
Martha & Jim Hilboldt
Sarah Husain
Dr. Sajid & Mrs. Farhana Hussain
Kathy Jennings
Howard & Hildy Kerney
Patricia & Richard Kirschner
Marlena & Kenneth Kirton
A. Pieter & Jessica Kiwiet
Robert & Nancy Klesert
Michael Krischer & Janet Heller
Dr. Musjtaq & Mrs. Zahida
Luqmani
Keith & Hope Marotti
Chalmer & Alice Mastin
Margaret & John Merrion
Ahmed and Shahida Mohiuddin
Nadeem Mirza & Sidratul M.
Nadeem
Rosalie & Joe Novara
Dennis & Cecelia Nowicki
Alfrelynn Roberts
Rebecca Schrock-Herdeck
Chris & Kathy Shook
Barbara B. Smith
Michael & Marie Stoline
Paul K. & Che-Shen Chiu Tomich
Dr. Mohammed J. Zafar
Middle Eastern Cuisine
Lunch&Dinner
Located in Tiffany’s Village Plaza
www.zooroonarestaurant.com
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
11
12
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
special Festival Events
Wednesday, November 9, 2011, 7 pm
Transformations Spirituality Center
3427 Gull Rd.
Special Event with Aenea M. Keyes
A special presentation and discussion with Aenea
on how her musical meditation Life Circle is an
expression of thanksgiving for her survival with
cancer. This music also addresses the universal
inner journey toward compassion and selfunderstanding. Audience members will have an
opportunity to talk about how creativity uncovers
how you feel when surviving serious illness as well as
aiding the healing process.
This is a free-will offering event.
Monday, November 14, 2011, 6 pm
Enjoy wonderful food and music at a special
Preview dinner at Zooroona
with Rahim AlHaj
$50.00 for dinner; cash bar. Proceeds go to Iraqi
Health Now, a project of Healing the Children.
Call Kathy at (269) 657-5266 to make your
reservation. Limited seating: reservations secured
when check is received.
Visit www.mfsm.us for more details.
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
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F estival Sc he d ul e
Thursday, November 10, 2011, 7:30 pm
First Baptist Church of Kalamazoo, 315 W. Michigan
MusicAEterna
(Aenea M. Keyes, violin; Michael Graham, cello; Miles Graber, piano.
Due to scheduling complications, cellist Elizabeth Start substitutes
for Michael Graham.)
Full Circle: Archetypes for the Modern
World explores the relationship between
sacred music, sacred sites, visual art and
the creative process. Works by J.S. Bach,
Joaquín Turina, Astor Piazzolla and Pablo
Casals are paired with the premiere of
Aenea Mizushima Keyes’ “Life Circle,”
a Zen-inspired meditation addressing
the universal inner journey toward
compassion and self-understanding.
Visual art for “Life Circle” by Kazuaki
Tanahashi.
Aenea Mizushima Keyes, violinistcomposer and founder of MusicAEterna,
has toured in Europe, Japan, Russia
and the United States and performed
in Carnegie Hall and at Lincoln Center.
At Sarah Lawrence College (USA), she
studied with Dorothy DeLay, violin,
and Meyer Kupferman, composition, and continued her musical
training in Europe at the National Academy of Music (BGR) and the
International Musicians Seminar (UK). Working across musical and
artistic genres, she collaborates with dance, theater, film and visual
art. Her recordings as a violinist-composer include MusicAEterna’s
newly released CD, At the Museum; the Picasso Suite with interview,
an Artcast sponsored by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art;
and Prayers of the Earth, Places of the Heart, for solo violin. Ms. Keyes
serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
**Michael Graham, cello, studied at the Eastman School of Music
and Yale University, and with members of the Juilliard, Amadeus,
Emerson, Tokyo and Cleveland String Quartets. He is a former
member of San Francisco-based Adorno Ensemble and the Chagall
String Quartet, winner of a National Endowment for the Arts
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M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
rural residency grant. He is currently a member of the Oakland
Symphony, and appears regularly with such ensembles as the
Grammy-nominated New Century Chamber Orchestra and the San
Francisco Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Graham is committed to exploring
music within and beyond the classical genre, and has performed
and recorded with artists including Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Van
Morrison, and John Densmore of the Doors.
**Graciously subbing for Mr. Graham:
Elizabeth (a.k.a. Betsy) Start, cello, has degrees in mathematics
and cello from Oberlin, master’s degrees from Northern Illinois
University, and a PhD in composition from the University of Chicago.
She spent 10 years as a Chicago freelancer before returning to her
hometown of Kalamazoo, Mich. She is executive director of the
Michigan Festival of Sacred Music, which celebrates diverse faiths.
She performs with the Kalamazoo Symphony, Elgin Symphony (IL),
Chicago Philharmonic, and is a member of the Chicago Composers’
Consortium. As a performer, she has premiered over 90 works. As a
composer she has had numerous commissions and grants, and over
150 performances of over 70 works in the US and abroad.
Miles Graber, piano, received his musical training at
the Juilliard School. He has performed with numerous
artists, including Sarah Chang, Cho-Liang Lin, Camilla
Wicks and Axel Strauss; has accompanied master classes
given by artists such as Midori, Joseph Silverstein, Nadja
Salerno-Sonnenberg, Pamela Frank, James Galway,
Lynn Harrell, and Yo-Yo Ma; and is currently the pianist
for Trio Concertino, MusicAEterna, Eos Ensemble, MMM
Ensemble, and the Sor Ensemble. He has also been
associated with such organizations as the New Century
Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Chamber Soloists, Midsummer
Mozart, Berkeley Symphony and Opera San Jose. He is on the
faculties of The Crowden School, San Domenico Conservatory, and
the Preparatory Division of San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Visual art for “Life Circle” by Kazuaki Tanahashi. Mr. Tanahashi
was born and trained in Japan and is artistically based in the
United Sates. He is active with international solo exhibitions of his
calligraphic paintings since 1977 and has also taught East Asian
calligraphy at eight international conferences of calligraphy and
lettering arts. A peace and environmental worker for decades, Mr.
Tanahashi is also a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science.
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
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F estival Sc he d ul e
Friday, November 11, 2011, 8 pm
Holy Family Chapel, Nazareth, 3427 Gull Rd.
Le Bon Vent
Le Bon Vent, the good wind, is a celebration of music of France
and the lands touched by French culture. When this wind blows,
a song in Medieval French or Occitan dialect might mingle with
a New England dance tune, a rootsy Mazurka from the Limousin
region may be accompanied by instruments from North Africa and
the Middle East, or songs from the medieval courts could find their
way into a jazzy Parisian Waltz. With an ear for improvisation and
experimentation, the music of Le Bon Vent is both traditional and
contemporary, described by Radio Espace Musique of Montreal
as “a fresh spring breeze that pleasantly ruffles our feathers.” The
members of the group, all celebrated musicians in folk, classical,
and jazz idioms, come from across the United States to bring their
collective breath to this ensemble.
This evening’s program explores cross currents in French and Arabic
music starting with the muwasha. Muwashahs are strophic love songs
that originated in Cabra, near Cordoba, in the 9th century. These
songs became very popular in Muslim-occupied Spain in the 11th
century and eventually spread throughout the Arabic world where
they survive in oral tradition. These songs influenced both trouvères
of northern France and troubadours in the south. We open our
program with devotional Marian Trouvere songs from 13th century
northern France moving into a muwasha and an Arabic instrumental.
The Trouvere songs are written in praise of the Virgin Mary and are
personal requests for her prayers and assistance. The poetry of these
songs are lush with vivid and symbolic imagery. In the courtly “Rose
cui nois ne gelee,” Mary is “a rose which neither snow nor ice can
destroy” and is described in terms of precious gems symbolizing
hope, faith, healing and illumination. In the more pastoral “Quant voi
la flor novelle,” the poet compares his soul to a musical instrument
and asks Mary to tune the string so that it may never be discordant.
James Falzone has created two pieces for this program that weave
together Arabic influenced instrumentals with medieval French
texts. “Chef” is known in English as “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,”
“… a fresh spring breeze that pleasantly
ruffles our feathers.” — Radio Espace Musique of Montreal
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M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Jeremiah McLane, accordion, piano; Cristi Catt, vocals; Taki Masuko, percussion; James Falzone,
clarinet, tin whistle; Ruthie Dornfeld, violin; Adam Larrabee, guitar, mandolin, mandocello
and the text is attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, c. 1153. The text
for “Attente” is one of the earliest French love songs and is related
to both Gallego-Portuguese cantigas and Mozarabic muwashahs.
We also include James’ arrangement of the Andalusian muwasha,
“Arjeaa Ya Alf Laila.”
The remainder of the program is a mosaic of music mingling a wide
variety of styles and influences ranging from a movement from
Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time to folk songs of the French
countryside and Louisianna bayous. We offer a clarinet solo from
the quartet, which is a meditation on the end of time as expressed
in Revelation of St. John. The tune of “J’ai vu le loup” first appears
as the 13th-century hymn “Dies Irae.” Somewhere along the way, the
tune took off in a different direction, taking form as a folksong about
a wolf, rabbit and badger dancing in the moonlight. This folksong
made its way to the New World and we now have French, Quebecois
and Cajun versions. “Rossignolet des Bois” is an aubaude or dawn
song from Provence. Our version of this ancient song is one of many
and seems to be a fragment of a longer song. The melody lives in
oral tradition and has been captured in arrangements by early 20thcentury composers including Joseph Cantaloube and Hungarian
composer Matyas Seiber. The folk songs are deeply rooted in nature,
invoking imagery of woods, fields and mountains that are deeply
connected to the human spirit.
Presentation of Le Bon Vent is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest,
funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Michigan
Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.
17
F estival Sc he d ul e
Saturday
November 12, 2011
2 pm
Saturday, November 12, 2011, 8 pm
St Luke’s Episcopal Church
247 W. Lovell St.
Dalton Theatre
K-College
1200 Academy St.
Ali Akbar Moradi
Ensemble
Free
Vocal Workshop
with
Tapestry
All singers welcome
for this workshop
in vocal and vocal
ensemble techniques.
Presented in
collaboration
with the Bach
Festival Society
of Kalamazoo.
Please turn to
page 20 for
biographical information
about Tapestry.
18
This performance will feature a series
of sacred and secular pieces that
demonstrate the unending beauty
of ancient Persia, telling a story of
an ancient land with roots deep and
vast. Meditative improvisation blends
with centuries-old compositions in
this collection of pre-Islamic Yarsan
religious music, thought to be one of
the most ancient, deep-rooted musical
traditions in the world. The tanbur
has always been considered a sacred
instrument associated with the Kurdish
Sufi music of Western Iran.
Ali Akbar Moradi Ali Akbar Moradi is
the master of the Tanbur, a kind of longnecked lute of Persia that originates
from Kurdistan known to be a sacred
instrument of the Sufis. This threestringed instrument is thought to be
one of the oldest in the world, having
a documented 5000-year-old history.
Moradi’s mastery of the tanbur and
his commanding vocals make him one
of the leading masters of traditional
Persian music in the world today. Born
in Guran, Iran, Ali Akbar Moradi began
to study tanbur at age seven, eventually
mastering the entire Kurdish magham
repertoire. His incomparable style
has afforded him performances
throughout the world representing the
top mastery of this region and the music
of Kurdish Iranians. He currently resides
in Kurdistan, Iran, where he teaches
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
tanbur and
continues to
develop the
legacy of the
instrument and
the music as he
builds a center
for learning and
musicianship.
He also is the leader of the family legacy of the Moradi family.
Kourosh Moradi In addition to studying tanbur with his father Ali
Akbar Moradi, Kourosh Moradi studied daf with master Sufis of
the Yarsan order and tombak with Master Hamid Moghadam while
growing up in Kurdistan. Coming from a musical family, Kourosh has
recorded and performed around the world continuing the family
legacy of the tanbur with many esteemed masters of Kurdish/Iranian
music. He now lives and teaches in Southern California, continuing the
family legacy of performance and instruction of this deeply rooted
traditional music and sharing it with new audiences from around the
world. He continues to perform in conjunction with his father and the
continuation of the tanbur to the next generation.
Pezhham Akhavass Percussionist Pezhham Akhavass is known as a
virtuoso percussionist of the tombak and daf percussive instruments. He
has a degree in music from the University in Tehran and has recorded
and performed around the world with the leading masters of Persian
music. He now lives in San Francisco, where he teaches and performs.
Pezhham’s unique approach to rhythm has defined him as one of
the leading figures in his generation for his ability to create new and
innovative techniques in tombak, creating a new dimension in sound.
Mehdi Bagheri Mehdi Bagheri, born in 1980, is one of the most
talented musicians of kamancheh from his generation. As a well-known
Kurdish Iranian musician, he began serious study of music at the age
of 12. After exploring many different instruments including tombak
and setar, he found his true love in the kamancheh. Mehdi received his
master’s degree from the Arak University in 2004 and was a student
of masters of Kurdish music including Ardeshir Kamkar. Mehdi has
performed around the world and recorded with the masters of Persian
music. Since 2010 he resides in Southern California where he is sharing
his music through concerts and teaching.
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
19
F estival Sc he d ul e
Sunday
November 13, 2011
11 am
Sunday, November 13, 2011, 3 pm
Holy Family Chapel, Nazareth
3427 Gull Rd.
Congregation
of Moses
2501 Stadium Dr.
Tapestry
Free
Yale Strom
presents a lecture/
performance about
his recent research in
Jewish music, covering
his new string quartet
in particular.
Please turn to
page 22 for biographical
information about
Yale Strom.
20
(Cristi Catt, Laurie Monahan, Diana
Brewer and Daniela Tosic with Takaaki
Matsuko, percussion)
This popular MFSM guest ensemble
returns to present a new cantata,
The White Rooster, by Sheila Silver,
based on Tibetan folklore and themes,
and works by Hildegard von Bingen and
Patricia Van Ness.
Tapestry, a Boston based ensemble of
women’s voices, made its debut in 1995
with the performance of Steve Reich’s
Tehillim at Jordan Hall in Boston which The
Boston Globe deemed “a knockout”. The
trademark of the ensemble is combining
medieval repertory and contemporary
compositions in bold, conceptual
programming. Critics hail their rich
distinctive voices, their “technically spot-on
singing” and their emotionally charged
performances. The LA Times writes of their
performance of Hildegard’s O Vos Angeli:
“... as radiant and exciting as any singing
I’ve heard all season.”
Laurie Monahan, mezzo-soprano,
co-founded Ensemble Project Ars Nova
(PAN), and also appeared with Sequentia
for many years. She recently performed
and recorded the Messegerio and Musica
roles in Monteverdi’s Orfeo with Aston
Magna. Laurie worked with the Studio
der fruehen Musik of Schola Cantorum
in Basel, Switzerland and teaches in the
Early Music Department at the Longy
School of Music in Cambridge, Mass.
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Cristi Catt, soprano, has performed with leading early music groups
including Ensemble PAN, Revels, Boston Camerata and La Donne
Musicale. As a result of her interest in the meeting points between
medieval and folk traditions, she is a co-founder of medieval/world music
ensemble HourGlass, and also appears with Le Bon Vent and Balmus.
She also teaches at the Longy School of Music.
“… an ensemble
that plants
haunting
vibrations,
old and new,
in our ears.”
Photo © Susan Wilson
— The Cleveland
Plain Dealer
Daniela ToŠic, mezzo-soprano, a native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, toured
with the Belgrade-based ensemble Renaissance throughout the former
Yugoslavia. In the Boston area she has worked with Ensemble PAN,
Revels, Zamir, Jubal’s Lyre, La Donna Musicale, Balmus and The Blue Heron
Renaissance Choir. She is a founding member of medieval world-fusion
ensemble HourGlass and guest teacher for Longy’s Medieval Institute.
Diana Brewer performs regularly as a singer and baroque string
player, appearing with the Arcadia Players, Boston’s Handel and Haydn
Society, Amor Artis Baroque Orchestra of New York, and Schola
Cantorum of Boston. She is a founding member of Ensemble Ecclesia
and Foundling, a Baroque orchestra and women’s advocacy group
based in Providence, Rhode Island.
Takaaki Masuko, percussionist, has performed with a diverse group
of music ensembles including Les Miserables Brass Band, and The
Horse Flies. He collaborates regularly with various dance, theatre and
multimedia projects and is a co-founder of Sabana Blanca, a group
specializing in silent-film accompaniment. He is a co-founder of
HourGlass and serves on the faculty of the Longy School of Music.
Presentation of Tapestry is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest,
funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Michigan
Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.
21
F estival Sc he d ul e
Sunday, November 13, 2011, 7 pm
Congregation of Moses, 2501 Stadium Dr.
Kalamazoo Symphony
Orchestra Burdick-Thorne
String Quartet and Yale Strom
(Julia Stoltie Neckermann, Lisa A. Williams, Grace Byrd, David Peshlakai)
The quartet performs a new work, In The Memory Of…, by Yale Strom,
based on music he discovered in an abandoned synagogue, and
Hovhaness Quartet #4: “The Ancient Tree”. Strom talks about his
piece, plays and sings originals.
Yale Strom is one of the world’s leading ethnographer-artists of klezmer
& Rom music and history. His klezmer research was instrumental in
forming the repertoire of his klezmer band, Hot Pstromi, based in New
York and San Diego. Since his first trip to the Eastern Bloc in 1981, Strom
has conducted over 75 ethnographic research treks. He has personally
contributed to the revival of Jewish culture in countries like Poland, and
has inspired a generation of fellow artist-researchers. Strom’s prodigious
body of work includes 12 books, his new release being Dave Tarras: The
King of Klezmer (Or-Tav), 13 recordings, 7 documentary films, many
photo exhibitions and 3 dramas. His latest play is a radio drama called
The Witches of Lublin, about Jewish women’s lives in 18th-century
Poland. In addition to his art, Strom is artist-in-residence in the Jewish
Studies Program at San Diego State University.
KSO Burdick-Thorne String Quartet As part of the 75th anniversary
celebration of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, a commitment
was made to develop four full-time positions that would both enable
the orchestra to create community service and education programs
and strengthen the orchestra ensemble. To this end, the KSO String
Quartet was born. The quartet was named the Burdick-Thorne String
Quartet (BTSQ) in honor and memory of Mary Burdick Thorne and
James Thorne — long-time symphony supporters and lovers of music.
Today, the BTSQ performs on the Epic Evenings Series as well as over 75
community service and education events per season.
Julia Stoltie Neckermann, Violin Ms. Neckermann is currently the
associate concertmaster in the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and
plays first violin in the Burdick-Thorne String Quartet. Previously the
principal second violin and associate concertmaster for the Louisville
Orchestra, she was active in that orchestra’s Educational Chamber
22
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Program and played with the Louisville
Piano Trio. Other positions include the Bach
Society, National Repertory, Houston Grand
Opera, Galveston and Heidelberg Opera
Festival orchestras. Solo appearances
include performances with the Louisville
Orchestra and National Repertory
Orchestra. Ms. Neckermann holds degrees
from Eastman School of Music and Rice
University/Sheperd School of Music.
Lisa A. Williams, Violin Ms. Williams is
currently artist-in-residence and principal
second violin in the Kalamazoo Symphony
Orchestra. As a dedicated chamber musician, she has performed
throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Her
performances include recitals at the Garth Newel Music Center in Hot
Springs, Virginia; the International Festival Institute of Chamber Music
at Round Top, Texas; the Fontana Festival of Music and Art, Shelbyville,
Mich.; the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck, Mich.; as well as
performances in New York City’s Lincoln Center. Ms. Williams has also
performed with many symphony and chamber orchestras throughout
the United States and the United Kingdom.
Grace Byrd, Viola Ms. Byrd is currently the assistant principal viola in
the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. She earned her undergraduate
and graduate degrees from the Eastman School of Music where she
studied with George Taylor and also taught secondary viola from 1994
to 1996. She studied with Kim Kashkashian at the Hochschule für Musik
“Hanns Eisler” — Berlin, and was violist-in-residence with the Rogue
Valley Chamber Players of Southern Oregon. She has performed with
the Eastman Virtuosi, Kilbourn Concert Series “Bright Lights and
Rising Stars,” the Heidelberg Schlossfestspiele Orchestra and chamber
ensemble, and the Ohio Light Opera Company.
David Peshlakai, Cello David Peshlakai is principal cellist of the
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Previously he was a section cellist
with the Grand Rapids Symphony and has performed as principal
cellist of Jackson, Lansing, Flint and Battle Creek Symphonies. He
performed thirty concerts in a four week tour of England with the
Arlington String Quartet, and toured Germany with the American
Sinfonietta. He has been a soloist with the Jackson, Battle Creek, and
Michigan State University Symphony Orchestras, the Hillsdale College/
Community Orchestra, the Albion College Orchestra, the University
(continued on page 26)
23
Festival Sch e dule
Wednesday, Nov. 9†
7 pm
Thursday, Nov. 10*
7:30 pmMusicAEterna
Friday, Nov. 11*
8 pm
Saturday, Nov. 12
2 pmVocal workshop with TapestryD
Saturday, Nov. 12*
8 pm
Sunday, Nov. 13
11 amYale Strom lecture/performance
Sunday, Nov. 13*
3 pm TapestryH
Sunday, Nov. 13*
7 pm
Monday, Nov. 14
8:15 pmBirds on a WireD
Tuesday, Nov. 15*
7:30 pmRahim AlHaj
Wednesday, Nov. 16
1 pmEdith Hines and John Chappell StoweD
Wednesday, Nov. 16*
7:30 pmHines, Stowe, Kantner, WMU Collegium M
Thursday, Nov. 17
8:15 pmHines, Stowe, WMU Collegium MusicumD
Friday, Nov. 18
2 pmMichael Chikuzen Gould
Friday, Nov. 18*
8 pm
Saturday, Nov. 19
9:30 amRichard Webster choral workshop
Saturday, Nov. 19
1 pmRichard Webster choral rehearsal
Saturday, Nov. 19
1 pmBriner Lecture: Don Saliers and Emily S
Saturday, Nov. 19
2 pm
Saturday, Nov. 19*
8 pmDon Saliers and Emily Saliers
Sunday, Nov. 20†
3 pmRichard Webster concert/hymn-fest
Sunday, Nov. 20*
6:30 pmDeanna Witkowski
* Indicates a ticketed event.
24
Preview event with Aenea M. KeyesT
Le Bon VentH
Ali Akbar Moradi EnsembleS
KSO–Burdick-Thorne String Quartet/Yal
Chitravina N. Ravikiran and Rohan Krish
Juan Cruz and Michael Chikuzen Gould
† Indicates a free-will donation event.
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
All ot
Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Rd.
First Baptist Church of Kalamazoo, 315 W. Michigan Ave.
Holy Family Chapel, Nazareth, 3427 Gull Rd.
Dalton Theatre, K-College, 1200 Academy St.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 247 W. Lovell St.
Congregation of Moses, 2501 Stadium Dr.
Holy Family Chapel, Nazareth, 3427 Gull Rd.
le Strom
Congregation of Moses, 2501 Stadium Dr.
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
First Congregational Church, 129 S. Park St.
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
MusicumDalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
WMU Dalton #1110
hnamurthySt. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 247 W. Lovell St.
Saliers
First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St.
First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St.
First Presbyterian Church, 321 W. South St.
Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S. Rose St.
First Presbyterian Church, 321 W. South St.
First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St.
Union Caberet & Grille, 125 S. Kalamazoo Mall
ther events are free.
Schedule and venues subject to change.
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
25
F estival Sc he d ul e • BTSQ w it h Ya l e St ro m
of Wisconsin – LaCrosse Symphony Orchestra, and Central Iowa
Symphony. David currently teaches at Hillsdale College. He received his
bachelor of music degree from Michigan State University in 1990 and
his master of music from the University of Michigan in 1993 where he
studied with Owen Carman and Erling Blondal Bengtsson, respectively.
Alan Hovhannes was born in Massachusetts. He found his own musical
voice, in part, through his studies of many world music traditions,
including the Armenian musical elements of his own heritage, Indian
music (he studied Karnatic music in India under a Fulbright Scholarship),
as well as spiritual and mystic interests. Professional recognition
came somewhat late in his career, with two Guggenheim Foundation
fellowships and a growing number of commissions. In the 1950s,
Hovhannes saw the success of his symphonic work Mysterious Mountain,
recorded by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony. He continues to be
seen as an important voice in American music of the 20th century.
String Quartet No. 4, Op. 208, No. 2 “The Ancient Tree” (Under the
Ancient Maple Tree) is a touching memorial to a beautiful tree that grew
on his uncle’s New Hampshire farm. Hovhaness recalls the spectacular
views and vistas extending in every direction. Lightning destroyed the
tree, but this work endures as its requiem.
The opening adagio casts a modal shadow of melancholy — of times
past and gone forever. The fugue recalls days of dancing exuberance and
playfulness, a spirit which is quelled by the plaintive opening of the third
movement. A quiet joy slowly reappears, and the piece closes with an
effusive celebration.
IN THE MEMORY OF… is based upon melodies from a 1931 cantor’s book
Strom found in the abandoned “Mare” synagogue during his invitation
to participate in the world music festival in Satu Mare in 2008. This
composition is dedicated to the Jews of Romania and Hungary that
perished in the Holocaust.
Strom composed “Ben Avrameni” in honor of Rom violinist Ion Roman
who lives in Avrameni which is located in Moldavia, in northeastern
Romania near the Ukrainian border. He played klezmer music before and
after the war with his father’s band. But by the late 1980s there were very
few Jews left in the region. Strom performs the piece in the Moldavian
fiddle style and dedicates the piece to all the Rom who maintained some
aspect of Jewish culture (specifically the folk music) after the Holocaust.
The title is a play on the village’s name Avrameni. Ben Avram means “Son
of Abraham” in Hebrew.
26
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Monday, November 14, 2011, 8:15 pm
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU Free
Birds on a Wire play Colson, List and Pärt
Premiere of new work commissioned by MFSM from WMU Music
School director David Colson. Also solo cello works by Tiutiunnik,
Zelenaia, and Start performed by Elizabeth Start.
Birds On A Wire is the new music ensemble at Western Michigan
University’s School of Music. Members include both undergraduate
and graduate students: Jory King, flute and piccolo; Erik Johnson,
clarinet and bass clarinet; Abderrahman Anzaldua, violin; Daniel
Cortes, viola; Zachary Boyt, ’cello; Cassandra Kaczor, piano; Skye
Hookham, percussion; Andrew Maxbauer, percussion; David Colson,
conductor.
The Michigan Festival of Sacred Music is proud to commission a
new work from David Colson, premiered on this program.
David J. Colson is professor of music at Western Michigan
University, where he serves as director of the School
of Music. He came to WMU from California State
University–Chico. Colson received the bachelor of
27
F estival Sc he d ul e • B i r ds o n a w i r e
music degree from the University of Michigan where he studied
percussion with Charles Owen and composition with Curtis
Curtis-Smith, George Balch Wilson, William Bolcom, and William
Albright; the master of arts degree from the University of Iowa
where he studied composition with William Hibbard and received
the University’s Philip Greely Clapp Composition Award; and a
doctor of musical arts degree in composition from Rice University
where he was awarded the Sallie Shepard Perkins Prize for “highest
achievement in music.” Colson’s compositions have been performed
and recorded in Europe and the United States. His works are
released on MMC Recordings Ltd. and Red Mark, and are published
by Avera Music Press. Colson is a fellow of the MacDowell Colony
and is invited each summer as a composer to The Colorado College
New Music Symposium. Colson has also performed extensively as
both a conductor and percussionist.
“‘Flying Backwards’ is music about searching. Searching not in the
sense of being lost or looking for something. But rather the mode in
which I believe one must be to follow a sacred life. I don’t like flying
in airplanes. And I especially don’t like facing the back of a plane
while flying. It’s somewhat like falling and is terribly uncomfortable
for me. ‘Flying Backwards’ is about a kind of searching that is
frequently discomforting and uneasy, but a very natural part of what
I believe is reaching for grace.”
Katia Tiutiunnik is currently an honorary research affiliate at the
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Sydney, Sydney,
Australia. Her music has been performed in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria,
China, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Russia, Serbia, the UK and the USA.
“‘Who is like God?’ was inspired by the archangel Michael, whose
name, in Hebrew and Aramaic, signifies ‘Who is like God?’.
‘Embracing Dumuzi’ is a musical portrayal of my spiritual embrace
and invocation of the Sumerian god, Dumuzi, the most ancient
personification of the eternal cycle of life, death, destruction and
renewal. ‘White Night’ was inspired by various transcendent states
of ecstasy I experienced during the many ‘White Nights’ (Beliye
Nochi) spent on the rivers and canals of Saint Petersburg, Russia.”
28
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Andrew List (Professor of Composition at Berklee College of
Music, Boston, MA) is a graduate of New England Conservatory of
Music, with BA and MA degrees in music composition. He received
his doctorate in music composition from Boston University. Mr.
List has received numerous commissions and performances from
professional music ensembles and solo artists in the United States
and Europe.
Estonian Arvo Pärt (born 1935) is a prominent living composer of
sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist
style that employs his self-made compositional technique, tintinnabuli.
His music also finds its inspiration and influence from chant.
“Spiegel im Spiegel” is in the tintinnabular style, where a diatonic
melodic voice and triadic tintinnabular voice accompany each other.
“Spiegel im Spiegel” can mean “mirrors in the mirror”, referring to
the infinity of images, visual and aural, produced by parallel mirrors.
In 2011 the piece was featured in a BBC Radio program which
examined pieces of music “with a powerful emotional impact”.
Elizabeth Start (see page 15 for biography)
All three pieces were written in 2010: “Meditation” for a Jubilee
service for the Sisters of St. Joseph in Nazareth, Mich.; “Prayer”
for a benefit concert for Pakistani flood victims; “Pastorale” for a
Christmas Eve service at Holy Family Chapel in Nazareth, Mich.
The music of Russian-born composer Margarita Zelenaia received
its Lincoln Center premiere in 1997 and its Carnegie Hall premiere
in 2001. In 2008, for creation of the “Byzantine Chants”, a sacred
concerto for a Solo Cello, Ms. Zelenaia was awarded the Lower
Manhattan Cultural Council and the Northern Manhattan Arts
Alliance (NoMAA) grants.
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
29
F estival Sc he d ul e
Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 7:30 pm
First Congregational Church, 129 S. Park St.
Rahim AlHaj oud, with Issa Malluf percussion
Rahim AlHaj, Iraqi oud player and composer, performs music from
the Iraqi Sufi tradition as well as original compositions exploring the
spirituality of place, loss, hope and redemption. Some of the pieces
that will be offered include the traditional Sufi selections “Habib
Allah” and “Musafar Wahdekh” alongside Rahim’s own “Dream” and
“Dance of the Palms”, both of which contain Sufi musical elements
in their refrain. Rahim will also perform “Home Again”, a piece
written upon the composer’s return to Iraq and his embracing of his
new home in New Mexico.
Rahim AlHaj was born in Baghdad, Iraq and began playing the oud
(the grandfather of all stringed instruments) at age nine. Early on,
it was evident that he had a remarkable talent for playing the oud.
Mr. Alhaj studied under the renowned Munir Bashir, considered
by many to be the greatest oud player ever, and Salim Abdul
30
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
“Unique combination of traditional and innovative
performance techniques. AlHaj’s spontaneous
inventions are constantly fascinating.”
— Los Angeles Times
Kareem, at the Institute of Music
in Baghdad, Iraq. Mr. AlHaj won
various awards at the Conservatory
and graduated in 1990 with a
diploma in composition. He holds
a degree in Arabic Literature
from Mustunsariya University in
Baghdad. In 1991, after the first Gulf
War, Mr. AlHaj was forced to leave
Iraq due to his activism against the Saddam Hussein regime and
began his life in Jordan and Syria. He moved to the US in 2000 as a
political refugee and has resided in Albuquerque, New Mexico ever
since. Rahim became a US citizen on August 15, 2008.
Rahim has performed around the world and is considered one of
the finest oud players in the world. He has won many accolades and
awards including a Grammy nomination. Rahim has recorded and
performed with other master musicians of varied backgrounds and
styles including genre-busting American guitarist Bill Frisell, modern
accordion innovator Guy Klucevsek, Indian sarod maestro Amjad Ali
Khan and indy-rock pioneers REM. He has composed pieces for solo
oud, string quartet, symphony and beyond. Rahim’s music delicately
combines traditional Iraqi maqams with contemporary styling and
influence. His compositions evoke the experience of exile from his
homeland and of new beginnings in his adopted country. His pieces
establish new concepts without altering the foundation of the
traditional “Iraqi School of Oud”.
Issa Malluf was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, and moved to
Albuquerque, New Mexico at an early age. He has performed with
the belly dance troupes Las Gitanas, Zahara Al-Jinan, and Pishkesh,
and soloists Leyla Najma, Amaya and Rozana Al-Jinan. In 2007 he
simultaneously joined the musical ensemble Sadaqah, The Baghdad
Ensemble with Rahim AlHaj, and the Slavic gypsy waltz band
The Zoltan Orkestar.
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
31
F estival Sc he d ul e
Wednesday, November 16, 1 pm
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU Free
Ensemble SDG
Edith Hines and John Chappell Stowe
WMU School of Music Convocation Series
Ensemble SDG, a violin and keyboard duo formed in 2009,
performs music spanning the entire Baroque period, with a
particular focus on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. The duo
has presented works by German, French and Italian composers of
the 17th and 18th-centuries in recitals from the Midwest to the East
Coast. They are currently recording Bach’s complete works for violin
and keyboard.
Ensemble SDG takes its name from the epigraph used by Bach to
sign many of his sacred works. Soli Deo gloria (“to God alone the
glory”) represents its members’ common approach to music and to
life, and it is with this grounding that they approach their technique,
choice of repertoire, and interpretive decisions.
A founding member of Ensemble SDG, violinist Edith Hines also
performs with the Madison Bach Musicians, Ensemble Musical
Offering, and Bach Collegium Fort Wayne and directs an early
music ensemble through the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Division of Continuing Studies. She has been adjunct
instructor of violin and viola at Ripon College and currently
holds the position of assistant editor at A-R Editions as well
as assistant program director of the Madison Early Music
Festival. Edith has studied modern violin
with David Updegraff, Donald Weilerstein,
and David Perry, and has had coaching
in historical performance from Julie
Andrijeski, Robert Mealy and others.
She holds degrees from the Cleveland
Institute of Music, New England
Conservatory, Case Western Reserve
University, and UW-Madison.
John Chappell Stowe is professor
of organ and harpsichord at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison,
where he also co-directs the
Collegium Musicum. He has
32
served two terms as national vice president of the American Guild
of Organists and has held the separate posts of associate director
and director of graduate studies of UW-Madison’s School of Music.
Dr. Stowe completed degrees in organ performance and business
administration from Southern Methodist University, then earned
the doctor of musical arts degree in organ performance from the
Eastman School of Music. His recorded performances include
Fenster with UW-Madison trumpet professor John Aley and a
compact disc of the historic 1863 Wadsworth organ at St. James
Church in Madison on the Ethereal label.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 7:30 pm
Pre-Concert Conversations, 7 pm
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
Edith Hines baroque violin
John Chappell Stowe organ, harpsichord
Christopher Kantner flute; and
WMU Collegium Musicum,
Matthew Steel, Director
A collaboration with WMU’s Bullock Performance Institute
featuring Kalamazoo native Edith Hines. Program includes Bach
5th Brandenburg Concerto, selected Biber “Mystery Sonatas” and
Buxtehude Cantata “Alles was ihr tut”.
The Collegium Musicum of WMU, comprised of voices and
instruments, performs music from the Medieval, Renaissance and
Baroque eras. Period instruments are provided.
Christopher Kantner joined the Grand Rapids Symphony as
Principal Flute in 1976. In addition to his frequent
solo appearances with the Symphony, Mr. Kantner
is well known to Michigan audiences through his
long association with the Fontana Ensemble, his
appearances at the Saugatuck and Manitou Festival,
and as a member of ensemble Montage.
A Naumburg finalist, Mr. Kantner was a fellow of the Aspen and
Bach Aria Festivals. He has appeared with the Bach Aria Group in a
(continued on next page)
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
33
F estival Sc he d ul e • H i ne s , Stow e , Ka nt ne r
cycle of the complete Brandenburg Concertos, as principal flutist
and soloist with the Colorado Music Festival, and as soloist with the
Lansing and Ann Arbor Symphonies.
Mr. Kantner studied at the Peabody Conservatory, the University of
Michigan, and SUNY Stonybrook. He has held appointments on the
faculties of Interlochen, Grand Valley State University and Michigan
State University.
Thursday, November 17, 2011, 8:15 pm
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU Free
Edith Hines baroque violin
John Chappell Stowe organ, harpsichord
WMU Collegium Musicum,
Matthew Steel, Director
This collaboration with WMU’s Collegium Musicum includes
Biber Sonata I a 6 in D, more Biber “Mystery Sonatas”, two Biber
Vesperae: “Laudate Dominum” and “Laudate pueri”, and the
premiere of “Revivals” written by Elizabeth Start for the viol consort
of the WMU Collegium Musicum.
Matthew Steel, Director
His areas of special interest include medieval,
renaissance, early 20th-century, and non-western
music. He studied with scholars such as Gwynn
McPeek, Leo Treitler, Hendrik van der Werf, David
Crawford, Glenn Watkins and William Malm. He has
presented papers at state, national and international
conferences. His publication record includes essays, articles and
reviews in various newspapers and professional periodicals and
books. A scholar of the National Endowment for the Humanities
Medieval Lyric Institute, he has been involved in Institute projects
and publications. He has taught at the University of Michigan and
University of Michigan-Dearborn. Fellowships and grants have
helped support research in France, Italy, Britain, Switzerland and
Austria. Early music performance teachers include Enid Sutherland
(viol), Michael Lynn (recorder), Bruce Dickey (ornamentation), and
Edward Parmentier and Philip Brett (orchestral and choral).
34
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Friday, November 18, 2011, 2 pm
WMU Dalton #1110 Free
Michael Chikuzen Gould
Gould performs on the Shakuhachi, a Japanese flute that has been
called a link or bridge between the essential nature, the soul of
human beings, and the spirit of the cosmos.
Co-sponsored by the WMU Soga Japan Center
Michael Chikuzen Gould lived
in Japan from 1980 to 1997
and studied shakuhachi under
renowned masters Taniguchi
Yoshinobu and Yokoyama
Katsuya. Gould earned a
“Shihan” (Master of Shakuhachi)
in 1987 and was given the name
“Chikuzen.” In 1994, he became
one of only a handful of nonJapanese to hold the title of
“Dai Shihan” (Grand Master of
Shakuhachi). After returning
to the US, Chikuzen taught
Zen Buddhism and Shakuhachi
at the University of Michigan,
Oberlin College, and Wittenberg
University.
One of the most prolific
performers outside of Japan,
Chikuzen has presented over
500 solo concerts and has also
played with traditional Japanese music ensembles, Taiko drumming
groups, Chinese harp and pipe organ. He appeared in the world
premiere of the opera Madame Butterfly using Japanese instruments,
performed Karl Jenkins’ Requiem with the Metropolitan Detroit
Chorale, and provided the music for the prestigious Dance Company
of Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan in a presentation of the
works of Mary Cassatte. Chikuzen is also a shakuhachi instructor at
the annual Shakuhachi Camp of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado.
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35
F estival Sc he d ul e
Friday, November 18, 2011, 8 pm
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 247 W. Lovell St.
Chitravina N. Ravikiran
and Rohan Krishnamurthy
Pre-concert program at 7:30 features local Indian dance students
from Susan Seilheimer Iervolina’s studio.
Chitravina N. Ravikiran is one of the most
sought-after musicians and composers
in the world today. He made headlines as
the world’s youngest prodigy at the age
of two (in 1969). Tested by the likes of Pt
Ravi Shankar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
and M S Subbulakshmi, he identified and
demonstrated 325 ragas, 175 talas and
answered numerous other music-related
questions. He debuted as a vocalist at
the age of five and
Bharata Natyam Dancers
presented his maiden
Pavitra Attanayake, Kathleen D’Souza,
concert on the
Alyssa D’Souza
21-stringed fretless
slide chitravina at age
Bharata Natyam principles and
12. He set a trend with
techniques were systematized about
a record non-stop
2,000 years ago, and it is considered the
most ancient and technically purest form recital for 24 hours
when he was 18. Since
of classical dance in India.
then, “Ravikiran has consistently extended on
Dances performed (dances one and two
the musical traditions of India” (MSN.com).
are performed without pause):
Pushpanjali — Invocation prayer seeking Ravikiran is one of those few composers who
are active in both classical and world music
the blessings of Lord Brahma, Lord
arenas. His most significant contribution to
Vishnu, Lord Shiva and their guru.
world music is the concept Melharmony, a novel
Alarippu — In tamil, alar means “to
approach to compositions — creating harmony
bloom”. The body appears like a bud
blooming into a flower, then returning to with an emphasis on melodic rules. Melharmony
soon won critical acclaim worldwide, leading
the closed lotus position.
to a paper on the subject by noted composer,
Tillana — Based on a North Indian
Prof. Robert Morris in the annual conference of
musical form, “Tarana,” this represents
Society for Music Theory in Boston (Nov 2005).
the fusion of North and South Indian
musical traditions. In the last phrase, the Ravikiran premiered Melharmony in collaboration
dancers also perform expressional dance with artistes of the BBC Philharmonic orchestra
during the Millennium Festival in UK.
in praise of Lord Rama.
36
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Rohan Krishnamurthy is considered a young musical ambassador
in the Indian music scene. Rohan has performed in hundreds of
concerts in North America and India
since the age of nine with leading artists.
He has presented Indian percussion
summer camps, workshops, and
academic lecture-demonstrations at
several institutions and is the recipient
of national and international awards.
Rohan’s multifaceted accomplishments
as a performer, composer, educator,
researcher and entrepreneur earned him
a one-on-one meeting and performance
for the President of India, Dr. Abdul
Kalam, at the presidential office and
estate in New Delhi.
South Indian classical Carnatic music is an ancient tradition that is
historically and culturally linked to the sacred institutions and beliefs
of Hinduism. With origins that can be traced to two contrasting
cultures — the Vedic Sanskrit culture as well as the Dravidian Tamil
culture — Carnatic music balances complexity and energy with
meditation and spirituality. Like the Vedas, Carnatic music is a largely
oral tradition that has been passed down for countless generations in
the revered guru-shisya or master-apprentice system. For centuries,
Carnatic music was performed in the great Hindu temples of South
India as an offering to both human devotees and the Gods. Even
today, as a well-established concert music tradition, Carnatic music
remains an integral component of religious ceremonies and sonically
marks auspicious beginnings. It would be no exaggeration to say that
Carnatic music is one of the few performing traditions in the world
that is not markedly divorced from devotional or spiritual practices.
In today’s concert, Ravikiran and Krishnamurthy will present several
pieces from the traditional repertoire. An internationally acclaimed
instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and guru, Ravikiran will perform the
pieces on the rare 21-stringed fretless slide instrument, the chitravina,
which was first mentioned in Bharata’s treatise, Natya Shastra (2–5th
century BCE). Ravikiran will also sing some sections in order to
communicate the lyrics. Rohan will join Ravikiran on the mridangam,
an ancient, pitched drum thought to have originated with Nandhi,
Shiva’s cosmic drummer. All pieces will be personally introduced by
Ravikiran onstage.
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37
F estival Sc he d ul e
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 9:30-11:30 am
First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St. Free
Richard Webster
Choral workshop, of special interest to choral directors — come join
in singing or listen.
Co-sponsored by the Southwest Michigan Chapter of the American
Guild of Organists
Saturday, November 19, 2011
1 to 3:30 pm
Rehearsal/workshop for treble voices
from area children’s choirs with Richard
Webster in preparation for Sunday’s
concert.
Richard Webster is a composer, church
musician, choral conductor and organist
of wide renown. In June 2010 he was
appointed Director of Music and Organist
at Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston.
As a composer he is in demand for
commissioned anthems, organ and
instrumental works, liturgical music and
hymn tunes. He travels extensively to
direct hymn festivals, choral workshops
and perform organ recitals. His hymn
arrangements for brass, percussion,
organ and congregation are performed
in churches and concert halls throughout
the English-speaking world. The Canadian Broadcasting Company
perennially features these hymns on their Easter and Christmas
broadcasts. His settings have also been televised on BBC’s “Songs of
Praise,” the most widely viewed religious music program in the world.
Webster was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal
School of Church Music (RSCM) in May, 2011. Richard is among only
15 Americans to receive the FRSCM since the awards began in 1936.
Other English and American recipients include Benjamin Britten,
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Herbert Howells, Leo Sowerby, Gerre
Hancock and Bruce Neswick.
38
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 1 pm
First Presbyterian Church, 321 W. South St. Free
The Briner Lecture
Emily Saliers and Don Saliers
Emily (half of the popular duo the Indigo Girls) and her father,
noted church musician and theologian Don Saliers, discuss text,
poetry, and music.
Co-sponsored by the Briner Lectureship of First Presbyterian Church
Please turn to page 41 for biographical information
about Don Saliers and Emily Saliers.
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
39
F estival Sc he d ul e
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 2 pm
Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S. Rose St. Free
Juan Cruz and
Michael Chikuzen Gould
Native American flutist Juan Cruz and Shakuhachi master
Michael Chikuzen Gould share the program.
Co-sponsored by Kalamazoo Public Library
Juan Manuel Cruz, of the Mixtec tribe of Oxaxac, Oxaxaca, Mexico,
was born in Larado, Texas. Mr. Cruz began playing the Native
American flute in 1994 and was ordained as a flute maker in 1995
by Tunbuot Toki of the Kiowa Nation. With 6 CDs released, he is
planning on 3 new releases in the coming months and is presently
traveling the US, attending Native American Pow Wows with his
crafts and goods.
Please turn to page 35 for biographical information about Michael
Chikuzen Gould
Juan Cruz
40
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Michael Chikuzen
Gould
Saturday, November 19, 2011, 8 pm
First Presbyterian Church, 321 W. South St.
Emily Saliers and Don Saliers
Emily and Don Saliers, in a program called “Saturday Night and
Sunday Morning”.
Dr. Don E. Saliers recently retired from his position as the William R.
Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship at Emory
University in Atlanta, Georgia. Professor Saliers received his BA from
Ohio Wesleyan University, and both his BD (bachelor of divinity) and
his PhD from Yale University.
An accomplished musician, theologian and scholar of liturgics,
Professor Saliers is the author of numerous books on the relationship
between theology and worship practices, including Worship Come to
Its Senses, Worship & Spirituality, and most recently edited A Precious
Fountain: Music in the Worship of an African-American Catholic
Community, by Mary McGann. He co-authored A Song to Sing, a Life to
Live with his daughter Emily Saliers, a member of the Indigo Girls.
Emily Saliers is a singer-songwriter and member of the Indigo Girls, a
well-known American folk rock duo. Saliers plays lead guitar as well as
banjo, piano, mandolin, ukelele and many other instruments.
Saliers began her college education at Tulane University, but
transferred to Emory University, graduating in 1985 with a degree
in English. In 2004, Saliers composed her first film score for the
independent short film, “One Weekend A Month.” She has a passion
for wine collecting, and is the co-owner of Watershed Restaurant in
Decatur, Georgia. Emily also co-founded the Flying Biscuit Cafe in
Atlanta, Georgia.
Both Don and Emily often do book signings and church appearances
around the country.
MFSM artists appearing in worship services • Sunday, Nov. 20
10:00 amRichard Webster at St. Thomas
16 E. Van Buren St., Battle Creek
10:30 amDon Saliers at First Presbyterian Church
321 W. South St., Kalamazoo
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
41
F estival Sc he d ul e
Sunday, November 20, 2011, 3 pm
First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St.
Richard Webster
The Art of the Sacred: Hymns and Readings in Honor of Sacred
Music and Musicians
Composer, arranger, organist,
clinician Richard Webster
presents a concert/hymn-fest
honed in Saturday workshop
with brass octet, timpani, and
members of area children’s choirs.
Some audience participation will
be encouraged.
A free-will donation will benefit
Kalamazoo area charities.
A gathered choir of children
and adults from area choirs
including the churches around
Bronson Park and The Kalamazoo
Children’s Choir accompanied by
brass octet and organ will lead
the singing of choir and audience in festive hymns arranged by
Richard Webster.
A brass octet contracted by Scott Thornburg, trumpet, with Mark
Guthrie, timpani and Eric Strand, organ.
The music for choirs is composed by Webster, Goodenough, Lee
and Alstott.
Readings by Hildegard of Bingen, St. Basil, Richard Rolle, John
Dryden and Jeffrey Rowthorn will explore and amplify the sacred
art of musicians.
Please turn to page 38 for biographical information about Richard
Webster.
42
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Sunday, November 20, 2011, 6:30 pm
Union Cabaret & Grille, 125 S. Kalamazoo Mall
Doors open at 5:30 pm for dinner and drinks
Deanna Witkowski
Winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition and a past
guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, New York-based pianist/
composer/vocalist Deanna Witkowski has been heralded for her
“consistently thrilling” playing and her “boundless imagination”
(All Music Guide). Moving with remarkable ease between Brazilian,
jazz, Afro-Cuban and classical music, Witkowski approaches her
work with the heart and technique of a daring improviser. Her most
current release, From This Place, features her liturgical jazz with
musicians including John Patitucci and Donny McCaslin and led to
a second appearance on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition
43
F estival Sc he d ul e • D e a n n a Wi t kows ki
Sunday. Her upcoming solo recording, featuring arrangements that
blend Chopin nocturnes with Brazilian and jazz standards, will be
released in 2012.
Witkowski’s earlier three releases, Length of Days (2005),
Wide Open Window (2003), and Having to Ask (2000) clearly
demonstrate her prowess as “one of the best of the new generation
of jazz pianists” (Jazz Journal International) and showcase her rich
fusions of jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban music. One JazzTimes
reviewer remarked, “If Brad Mehldau and Bill Charlap represent
the gold standard among contemporary pianists, then Deanna
Witkowski deservedly ranks as their sterling sister.”
An active composer, Witkowski’s congregational music appears
in the hymnals Singing the New Testament (Faith Alive) and
Swing a New Song to the Lord (Presbybop). In 2010, she led 6000
conference attendees in singing her commissioned piece for the
quadrennial United Methodist Women’s Assembly in St. Louis.
As a researcher, Witkowski’s trio presentation, Moving with the
Spirit: The Sacred Jazz of Mary Lou Williams has been presented
at the Kennedy Center, Duke University, and the College Music
Society conference. In September 2011, Witkowski was the opening
presenter at the 2011–12 William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic
Studies lecture series at Nazareth College.
Witkowski also embodies a love of Brazilian culture. Fluent in
Portuguese, she has toured three times in Brazil, appearing at the
Recife Jazz Festival and Modern Sound in Rio de Janeiro. In October
2010, she performed with São Paulo-based guitarist/vocalist
Filó Machado in a week long East Coast tour. As a sideperson,
she performs with the Jennifer Leitham Trio, Vanderlei Pereira’s
“Blindfold Test,” and the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra. Witkowski
holds an MA in jazz piano performance from the City College of
New York and a BM in classical piano performance from Wheaton
College (IL).
Witkowski’s recordings and sacred music songbook are available for
purchase following the concert as well as at deannajazz.com.
44
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
Michael O’Brien, bass
Michael O’Brien holds a BA from the University of Minnesota with
a major in the Spanish language. He studied bass under Anthony
Cox, and West African and Haitian percussion under Marc Anderson.
He has been performing and composing internationally for over
a decade with such notables as Harry Connick Jr., Ruben Blades,
The Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Gene Pitney, Dave King,
Matt Wilson, Ted Nash, Sandro Albert, Joshua Breakstone, Elliot
Zigmund, Ron Afiff, Todd Reynolds, Wessel Anderson, David Binney,
Ari Hoenig, The Jazz Mandolin Project, Joel Harrison, Christian
Howes, Peter Apfelbaum, Viviana Pintado, Dan Weiss, Marc Giuliana,
Luba Mason, Paul Bollenback and Mary Ellen Childs. O’Brien has
performed in festivals such as the Lincoln Center Festival, IAJE
(International Association of Jazz Education) conference, PASIC
(Percussive Arts Societies International Convention), and the
American Composers Forums’ Sonic Circuits Festival. His string
quartet arrangement of “Pine” was performed at the Kennedy
Center by the acclaimed string quartet Ethel. O’Brien has taught
clinics and performed master classes throughout the United States
and in Europe.
Vince Cherico, drums
Grammy award-winning drummer Vince Cherico has toured and
recorded with a diverse roster of artists in a variety of music styles.
From 1995–2006 he was the drummer for Ray Barretto & New
World Spirit and The Ray Barretto Sextet. With Barretto, Cherico
developed his reputation in Latin Jazz, recording six albums,
earning two Grammy nominations, and touring the world. Cherico
also began touring with vibraphonist Dave Samuel’s group, The
Caribbean Jazz Project, in 2003. In 2004, Cherico was selected
to be the drummer for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Afro-Latin Jazz
Orchestra, with whom he recorded two albums: Una Noche
Inolvidable (2006 Grammy-nominated) and Song For Chico (2008
Grammy award winner for “Best Latin Jazz Album”). Around this
time Cherico also joined The Chico O’Farrill Latin Jazz Big Band,
performing the repertoire of the late Chico O’Farrill.
In 2009, Cherico was featured with jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater,
performing in venues including Carnegie Hall, the Monterey Jazz
Festival, and the Kennedy Center. Cherico is also featured with the
ground-breaking vocal jazz group, Manhattan Transfer, on their 2009
release, The Chick Corea Songbook. Additional artists with whom
1 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y • N ov e m b e r 1 0 – 2 0 , 2 0 1 1
45
F estival Sc he d ul e • D e a n n a Wi t kows ki
Cherico has recorded and performed include Claudia Acuña, Eric
Alexander, Paquito D’Rivera, The Jon Faddis Big Band, Jerry Gonzalez,
Hilary Kole, Joe Lovano, Eddie Palmieri, David Sanchez, Diane Schuur
and Miguel Zenón. Every Sunday night in New York, you can find
Cherico at Birdland Jazz Club, where he performs with Arturo O’Farrill
& The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra.
Mary Lou’s Sacred Jazz
by Deanna Witkowski — Excerpted
Note: This article was originally written for UrbanFaith.com and is
used by permission. The entire article (along with clickable links to
Williams’ recordings) is available online at http://deannajazz.com/
sacred.shtml.
May 8, 2011 marked the centennial of the birth of the brilliant
jazz pianist/composer Mary Lou Williams (1910–1981). In
the 1960s, Williams, who often stated that she wanted
to be a force for emotional healing through her music,
began focusing on liturgical music composition. Her
service music inspired Duke Ellington to write his own
Sacred Concerts, yet differed from Ellington’s work in that
her pieces were conceived for use in actual church services,
rather than solely in concert settings. From 1963 until 1970 she
composed a number of hymns and three Mass settings that
garnered attention within the American Catholic church as
well as from the Vatican.
My own journey with Mary Lou Williams began over a decade ago.
In 2000, Dr. Billy Taylor asked me to lead my group at the Mary
Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center … The revelation about
Williams’ sacred output was specifically of interest to me … Like
Williams, I feel passionately that jazz has much to offer the church …
Like Williams, I converted to Catholicism … While my decision to
convert was not because of Williams, Williams’ courage to follow
her heart — both in music and in faith — provided a constant
encouragement, [and] comfort … This amazing, strong, musical,
sensitive, bold, passionate woman has laid down the groundwork
for me ….
Tonight’s program will include works by Deanna Witkowski and
Mary Lou Williams.
46
M i c h i ga n F e s t i val o f Sac r e d Mu s i c • 2 0 1 1
LISZT BICENTENNIAL
Adam Neiman, piano | Lina Tetriani, soprano
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011 · 8 PM
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
$35, $25, $15 ADVANCE STUDENT
WHITE NIGHTS
Mark Kosower, cello | Jee-Won Oh, piano
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011 · 7:30 PM
Wellspring Theater, Epic Center
$30, $15 ADVANCE STUDENT
FOR MORE INFORMATION & TICKETS:
FONTANACHAMBERARTS.ORG
269.382.7774
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Saturday, December 17 at 8:00 pm
Chenery Auditorium
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
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Rachele Schmiege, Soprano
Elizabeth Mumford-Cowan, Alto
Benjamin Bunsold, Tenor
Mark Doss, Bass
Raymond Harvey, Conductor
TICKETS 269.387.2300
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