It is my pleasure to congratulate the Cal State Fullerton Concert Choir’s opportunity to perform at the American Choral Directors Association’s Western Division Conference in San Jose on March 6. Being selected is a significant honor, and it demonstrates that our choirs are among the finest in the West.
The invitation is especially meaningful since it marks the Concert Choir’s first appearance at an ACDA conference. By earning a place among elite ensembles from Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah, the CSUF Concert Choir is part of a legacy of outstanding choirs whose singers exemplify the impressive depth of talent within the College of Arts. The CSUF University Singers also shares that legacy because of their outstanding performances over decades at national and division ACDA conferences. I am also proud that both of our choirs gave outstanding concert performances this past fall at the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO) conference, which we hosted at Cal State Fullerton.
I am also thrilled to have learned that for the upcoming conference, the CSUF Concert Choir will present two premieres: Kevin Memley’s “Make Me Know,” written for the Concert Choir for this ACDA performance, and Ethan Soledad’s “In effect it is this: that I love you,” specifically selected as a first-place winner in the ACDA Brock Commission Student Competition. These pieces demonstrate the confidence that leading composers and the ACDA have placed in our students’ musicianship and performing ability.
Our choirs are outstanding ambassadors for our university. I thank them for their dedication, the discipline with which they pursue musical excellence, and the distinction they have brought to our campus. With their Titan spirit and talented voices, our students rise above the rest.
Warm regards,
Ronald S. Rochon CSU Fullerton President
Welcome
from Dean Arnold Holland
On behalf of the College of the Arts at Cal State Fullerton, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to this year’s American Choral Directors Association Western Regional Conference (WACDA). We are delighted to once again be a part of this distinguished gathering of choral artists, educators, and scholars.
Choral music embodies the very essence of collaboration. It demands close listening, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to artistic excellence. For over 50 years, Cal State Fullerton’s choral ensembles have epitomized this ethos – a legacy established under the renowned batons of David Thorsen and John Alexander and now expertly guided by Dr. Robert Istad (University Singers) and Dr. Christopher Peterson (Concert Choir).
This year marks our Concert Choir’s first appearance on the WACDA conference stage, which speaks to the skill, artistry, and depth of our choral program. Not many universities can claim the distinction of sending two of their choirs to perform – first University Singers, and now Concert Choir – but today, we proudly join the ranks of the esteemed.
Thank you, ACDA members, for your continued dedication to advancing choral music in education through teaching, performance, composition, and advocacy. Your work is vital to the continued importance of the arts in higher education. We appreciate your support of our students and the opportunity for Concert Choir to perform for you today. Through shared breath and unified voice, they remind us that music is not merely performed – it is experienced collectively, resonating far beyond the concert hall.
Titans, this incredible journey is in your hands. I stand in awe of your talent, and I am thrilled to witness the ways in which it will shape the future of choral music.
Thank you and be well.
Arnold Holland, Ed.D.
CSU Fullerton
Dean,
College of the Arts
In effect it is this: that I love you
Ethan Soledad
For SATB choir and piano
This piece is inspired by a love letter written by renowned WWI poet Wilfred Owen to his colonel, mentor, and fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon. Both literary legends were known for their raw depictions of the war in their poetry with Sassoon serving as a major influence to Owen’s own work. Both were also closeted homosexuals in a time and place where it was criminalized. Even so, the incredible bond the two formed during their time together is so evident in the unrelenting love and admiration that Owen exemplifies in this letter. Sadly, their relationship came to a tragic end when Owen was killed in battle a week before the end of the war. Siegfried was left with severe survivor’s guilt as a result and was never truly able to move on. This piece seeks to portray the unrelenting, tumultuous love between the two but also the grief and painful guilt experienced after a loved one’s death.
Excerpt of Wilfred Owen’s letter to Siegfried Sassoon. 27 November 1917. Public domain.
“Know that since mid-September, when you still regarded me as a tiresome little knocker on your door, I held you as Keats + Christ + Elijah + my Colonel + my father-confessor + Amenophis IV in profile.
What’s that mathematically?
In effect it is this: that I love you, dispassionately, so much, so very much, dear Fellow, that the blasting little smile you wear on reading this can’t hurt me in the least. If you consider what the above Names have severally done for me, you will know what you are doing. And you have fixed my Life – however short. You did not light me: I was always a mad comet; but you have fixed me. I spun round you a satellite for a month, but I shall swing out soon, a dark star in the orbit where you will blaze. It is some consolation to know that Jupiter himself sometimes swims out of Ken!”
Concert Choir
Christopher Peterson conductor
Alan Garcia graduate assistant conductor David Bergstedt collaborative pianist
ALL FOR LOVE
Tonight’s Concert Choir program is entitled “All for Love.” Each piece was selected to explore some of the many aspects of love as it is expressed through the human condition and experience.
I Am Loved ........................................................................
Antonio Lotti (c. 1667–1740) CPDL, SATB divsi, a cappella
Alleluia, Laus Et Gloria .................................................................
Tarik O’Regan (b. 1978)
Hal Leonard (HL00238322) SATB, a cappella
To Sit and Dream ................................................................ Rosephanye Powell (b. 1962)
Hal Leonard (HL08711521) SATB, piano
Dúlamán
Alan Garcia, tenor
Traditional Irish Folk Song arr. Desmond Earley
Seolta Music Limited (SM-CCS-013) SATB, Bodhrán, tenor solo
Make Me Know ..........................................................................
Kevin A. Memley (b. 1971) (ACDA World Premiere) Now available at Pavane Publishing (P1828), SATB div., piano
Hearts Beat Together .......................................................
Emilio Solé-Sempere (b. 1952)
Kaitlin Chheng, Annie Guzman, Isaiah Mawien, Jack Nisbet, Edgar Sanchez, percussion Gentry Publications (00138953) SATB, piano, percussion
PROGRAM NOTES
Christopher H. Harris
I Am Loved
This piece explores a basic human need: to love and be loved in return. Drawing upon Sara Teasdale’s poem “Joy,” I Am Loved is a triumphant and joyous expression of having love and being loved. After an urgent and emphatic piano opening, we hear “I am wild, I will sing to the trees” boldly proclaimed by the choir in a sonorous unison before driving into lush chords. Harris ends the first section with the words “I am loved, now at last I can die,” expressing our common need to be deeply loved. In the slower middle section Harris sets Teasdale’s poetry with moments of quiet self-actualization and empowerment in the words “I am sandaled with wind and with flame, I have heart-fire and singing to give.” As the opening theme returns Harris drives the composition to a hopeful and celebratory finish concluding with the words “I am loved, now at last I can live!”
Antonio Lotti
Crucifixus
Love as sacrifice is a theme that we explore in relationships. We must sometimes give up parts of our self-centered life to embrace a selfless connection to another person in love and relationship. Crucifixus explores Christ’s sacrifice on the cross as he was crucified by Pontious Pilate, suffered, and was buried in an expression of unconditional love through a Christian, sacred lens. Antonio Lotti was a Venetian composer from the late Baroque period, having spent much of his career in the esteemed St. Mark’s Basilica. A prolific writer of sacred music, Crucifixus is one of his most famous motets. The work originated as a segment from his Credo in F. The piece opens with each line of text entering in polyphonic imitation, beginning with the basses and moving all the way to the sopranos. The suspensions create a dramatic languishing effect, which reflects the text. As the piece concludes, the choir quietly relaxes into a quiet, but peaceful resolution.
Tarik O’Regan
Alleluia, Laus et Gloria
In California composer Tarik O’Regan’s Alleluia, Laus et Gloria we express love for God and forces greater than ourselves. Originally commissioned by the BBC for the Pro Musica Girls’ Choir of Hungary, Alleluia Laus et Gloria begins with a fanfare proclamation of praise and love for God in D Mixolydian. In a dance-like chant, the altos and tenors repeat the phrase “Alleluia, Laus et Gloria” in percussive interlocked rhythms, creating a driving modal accompaniment for the rest of the text sung by the sopranos and basses. The remaining words of “Quia vera et justa sunt judicia ejus,” which translate to “and virtue to God, for his judgments are true and just,” perfectly express the rest of the prayer which is sung triumphantly and exuberantly.
Rosephanye Powell
To Sit and Dream
In Rosephanye Powell’s beautiful To Sit and Dream we explore love as an expression of desired connection…an intentional reaching out to the world in search of something better. Known for his powerful writings on social justice and a need for human equality and dignity, Langston Hughes’ poem “To You” is representative of these perspectives, highlighting the “problem world” as our reality and our need to imagine a more loving world that must be envisioned to make it into reality. Hughes was one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance, an artistic and cultural explosion of African American art, literature, music, and theater. Rosephanye Powell sets a dream-like work rooted in rich, jazz-inspired chords that perfectly express the tension of the text penned by Hughes. Powell uses more open sonorities and unisons as a way to communicate the overall hopeful message. The choir repeats the words “I reach out my hand to you” in a meditative fashion, searching for connection in a sometimes very dark and loveless world. This beautiful work is a contemplative reflection on the state of the world and the hope for a better and more loving tomorrow.
Traditional Irish Folk Song arr. Desmond Earley
Dúlaman
In Dúlamán we explore love as courtship and romance. Dúlamán is a famous and well-known traditional Irish folk song sung in the Gaelic language. While Dúlamán directly translates to “Seaweed,” the song is often considered a love song due to its lyrics telling a story of courtship and vying for a hand in marriage. Desmond Earley’s arrangement features a tenor soloist as the primary narrator of the story, while the choir joins in call and response during its refrain. The framework of the piece is held together by a bodhrán, an Irish frame drum that adds a rhythmic ostinato beneath the flowing harmonies. While the song is about love and its rebellious nature, it is also a celebratory representation of Irish heritage.
Kevin A. Memley
Make Me Know
Make Me Know explores love in terms of finding safe harbor, expressing powerful emotions, and belonging in a group of people that protect, love, and care for you. California native Kevin Memley is a highly-accomplished choral composer, pianist, and conductor known for his lush compositions and sensitive scoring of texts. Much of his music has served as premieres for national and regional ACDA conventions. Make Me Know was commissioned for Dr. Christopher Peterson and the Cal State Fullerton Concert Choir for their performances at the 2025 NCCO Conference in Fullerton, CA and 2026 ACDA Western Division Regional Conference in San Jose, CA. Drawing upon a newly-written poem by librettist Euan Tait, the text speaks to the choral singer and their love for singing. For many, singing in choir is a special expression that gives meaning both to the singer as well as to the audience. In this text, the narrator assures, “We heard you; we bring your hidden suffering from your exile home to this place.” The text acknowledges that a love for choral singing comes from both the unity of voices, but also from the ability to feel a sense of communal belonging in a safe space with other singers.
Emilio Sole-Sempere
Hearts Beat Together
Hearts Beat Together is a celebration of love as connection through music and singing together in community. Research shows that people’s hearts can synchronize when they experience music together, whether they are singers in a choir, instrumentalists in an ensemble, or even audience members at a concert. This synchrony is linked to the synchronized breathing patterns created by singing or listening to music, which can have a calming effect on the cardiovascular system. This upbeat and fun piece was originally commissioned by Dr. Cristian Grases for the 2015 College/University/Community Latin American Honor Choir. Premiered at the ACDA National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, Hearts Beat Together derives its rhythmic and dance-like style from Caribbean Calypso. The texts were written by the composer, Emilio Sole Sempere, and derive from the many experiences he had at choral festivals, and the joy that comes from singing together for extended times and experiences. We feel the love of singing together, and we don’t want it to end.
SOPRANO 1
Kaitlin Chheng* (BA Choral Music Education)
Tabetha Mora (BM Vocal Performance)
Sarah Raber (BA Pre-Business; Choral Music Education)
Rey Riney (BA Choral Music Education)
Nicole Rodriguez (BM Vocal Performance)
Peyton Slaven (BM Vocal Performance)
Hannah Weisman (BA Psychology)
Zoe Wolfsen (BM Vocal Performance)
SOPRANO 2
Ashleigh Buck (BA Choral Music Education)
Rachel Delmastro (BM Vocal Performance)
Kaitlyn Gooding (BA Choral Music Education)
Anna Grozdanov (BA Choral Music Education)
Daphne Master (BA Choral Music Education)
Kelsey Rhebergen* (BA Choral Music Education)
Yesenia Vasquez (BA Choral Music Education)
Inaya Zaki (BA Choral Music Education)
ALTO 1
Carisa Espinosa (BA Choral Music Education)
Chloe Konoske (BM Vocal Performance)
Kady Lin (BM Vocal Performance)
Jessica Orozco (BA Choral Music Education)
Minerva Padilla Nguyen (BM Vocal Performance)
Concert Choir
Brianna Perez (BM Vocal Performance)
Veronica Torres Diaz (BA Choral Music Education)
Sidney Wu (BM Vocal Performance)
ALTO
2
Grace Finley (BM Vocal Performance)
Annie Guzman* (BA Choral Music Education)
Georgina Hernandez (BA Choral Music Education)
Valentina Manco (BM Jazz/Commercial Music)
Vea Stone (BA Choral Music Education)
Krysta Tillett (BM Vocal Performance)
Jordan Watkins* (BA Choral Music Education)
TENOR
1
Michael Eskovitz (BA Choral Music Education)
Alan Garcia (MM Choral Conducting)
Mathew Garcia (BA Choral Music Education)
Alejandro Munoz (BM Vocal Performance)
Justin Parron (BA Choral Music Education)
Edgar Sanchez (BM Vocal Performance)
John Nguyen* (BA Choral Music Education)
Lissandra Tong (BA Choral Music Education)
TENOR 2
Peter Alunan (BA Choral Music Education)
Juan De Leon (BA Choral Music Education)
Jacob Ellis (BA Choral Music Education)
Hector Esteva* (BA Choral Music Education)
Steve Moreno (BA Choral Music Education)
Tung Tran (BA Music Liberal Arts)
Santiago Zumaya (BA Choral Music Education)
BASS 1
Brendan Baxter* (BM Jazz/Commercial Music)
Brennan Bastanchury (BA Choral Music Education)
Alex Galvan (BM Vocal Performance)
Jacob Gomez (BA Choral Music Education)
Jason Magallanes (BA Choral Music Education)
Isaiah Mawien (BA Choral Music Education)
Jack Nisbet (BA Music Education)
Cristian Polo (MM Composition and Theory)
BASS 2
Derrick (Kro) DeAndrade (BM Vocal Performance)
Scott Freeman (BA Music Education and Composition)
Jack Kendig (BA Music Liberal Arts)
Cooper Koerner (BM Music Composition)
Ben Reyes (BA Pre-Business)
Jason Salcido (BM Vocal Performance)
Mason Schoenfeld* (BA Choral Music Education)
Chris Sun (BA Choral Music Education)
ABOUT CONCERT CHOIR
TheCalifornia State University, Fullerton Concert Choir, directed by Christopher Peterson, is a 62-voice auditioned, mixed ensemble comprised primarily of students studying voice in the School of Music. The Concert Choir gives a number of performances in Southern California every year, and has also toured in Canada, Hawaii, Europe, and the United States. The Concert Choir performs a variety of accompanied and unaccompanied repertoire, and collaborates annually with the CSUF University Singers to present performances of choral-orchestral masterworks. They have joined the University Singers in performances with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. The Concert Choir regularly represents CSUF at the Pacific Southwest Intercollegiate Choral Association (PSICA) Festival of Choirs. A major mission of the Concert Choir is to sing and perform traditional as well as new choral music at the highest artistic levels, and to communicate to their audiences through compelling and musical performances.
Christopher Peterson Concert Choir
Christopher Peterson is a teacher, conductor, choral clinician, author, editor, and choral arranger of music and books published in the United States and around the world. In his over thirty years as a music educator he has taught in elementary, middle school, high school, church, community, festival, and collegiate settings. He earned the Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Southern Maine in choral and instrumental music education and taught music for nine years in the public schools of Maine. He earned the Master of Music in Choral Conducting degree at the University of Maine, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education and Choral Conducting at Florida State University.
CSUF Peterson trains and mentors undergraduate and graduate choral music educators and conductors and directs the Concert Choir and the Singing Titans Chorus. In May of 2019 he was honored as the University-wide recipient of the CSUF Carol Barnes Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has served as State Choral Representative and Southern Section President for the California Music Educators Association (CMEA), as well as the Western Division Representative for the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) Council for Choral Education. He has also served the California Choral Directors Association in various offices, including CCDA President and is the current Vice President. His collegiate textbook “RESONANCE: The ART of the Choral Music Educator” is published by Pavane and is being used across the United States to train future choral music teachers and conductors.
Peterson has been invited to teach, judge, and conduct choirs in more than thirty US states, five Canadian Provinces, and nine countries including China, England, Sweden, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, and Holland, and has conducted All-State Choirs across the nation including Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin, and California. He also holds the position of Director of Music at Irvine United Congregational Church in Irvine, CA. His “hobby” for many decades has been enjoying singing barbershop harmony, and he is a BHS District Quartet Champion baritone, a top-5 medalist chorus director, and a four-time gold medalist with the Masters of Harmony, nine-time International Men’s Chorus Champions of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
David Bergstedt
David Bergstedt is a versatile Southern California pianist who is currently on staff in the vocal area of Cal State Fullerton’s School of Music. In that role, he accompanies and coaches in the choral and opera programs. He has worked as a collaborative pianist and organist around the region for many years, and he has had past positions at Villa Park High School and the Village Community Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe.
David completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance at CSUF, studying with Eduardo Delgado and Ning An and performing in jazz and new music ensembles. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Dr. Baruch Meir at Arizona State University and has participated in piano and chamber music festivals in Italy, Germany, and Hungary.
Brightwork newmusic: Ring of Fire
March 4, 2026
Meng Concert Hall
Once Upon a Mattress
March 5–14, 2026
Little Theatre
Advanced Vocal Workshop
March 9, 2026, at 8 PM
Recital Hall
19th Annual Collage Concert & Benefit
March 14, 2026, at 3 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Sarah Cahill, piano*
March 18, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Rhinoceros
March 19–28, 2026
Young Theatre
University Singers & Concert Choir
March 21, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Paul Galbraith, guitar
March 22, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Fullerton Jazz Chamber Ensemble
feat. Ralph Alessi Quartet
March 24, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Talich Quartet
March 27, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Fullerton Jazz Orchestra
feat. Joe La Barbera, drums
March 28, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
University Symphony Orchestra with Talich Quartet
March 29, 2026, at 3 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Nicholas Isherwood, bass/baritone*
April 7, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
X-out
April 9–18, 2026
Hallberg Theatre
High School Honor Band &
CSUF Wind Chamber Ensembles
April 11, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Albert Herring
April 10–12, 2026
Recital Hall
CSU Brass Exchange: CSUF/SDSU
April 20, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Fullerton Jazz Chamber Ensemble & Fullerton Latin Ensemble
April 21, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Cello Choir
April 22, 2026, at 6 PM
Recital Hall
Woodwind Chamber Recital
April 24, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
University Symphonic Winds & University Wind Symphony
April 26, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Mariachi Titans
April 28 at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
University Band
April 29, 2026, at 8 PM
Meng Concert Hall
Spring Dance Theatre
April 30 – May 9, 2026
Little Theatre
Fullerton Jazz Orchestra feat. Dave Binney, saxophone
