to be close Westminster Choir Tyrone Clinton, Jr., conductor Dr. Akiko Hosaki, accompanist Jihye Park, accompanist Matthew Smith, organ Tyler Miller, graduate assistant Sarah Vawdrey, graduate assistant
Sunday, October 25th at 5 p.m. All Saints’ Episcopal Church 16 All Saints’ Rd., Princeton, NJ Please note the unauthorized use of any recording device, either audio or video is prohibited by law. Out of courtesy to the performers and everyone in the audience, please refrain from using cell phones and electronic devices.
"To be close is knowing that He is the source in all things. It is then that one shall have true peace." ~ T. Alexander
Program Requiem in D minor, op. 48 Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) I. Introït et Kyrie II. Offertoire Liam Cummings, baritone III. Sanctus IV. Pie Jesu Samantha Murphy, soprano V. Agnus Dei Daniel Piver, graduate student conductor VI. Libera me Liam Cummings, baritone VII. In paradisum Sarah Vawdrey, graduate student conductor Cantique de Jean Racine Tyler Miller, graduate student conductor
Fauré
Intermission and the swallow
Caroline Shaw (b. 1982)
Seek Him that Maketh the Seven Stars
Jonathan Dove (b. 1959)
God be in my head Prairie Smoke Love Bade Me Welcome from Two Human Hymns O sacrum convivium!
Alexander L’Estrange (b. 1974) Ayanna Woods (b. 1992) Judith Weir (b. 1954) Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Program Notes, Text & Translations In 19th-century France, the Franco-Prussian war induced Requiem settings that expressed drama, finality and the horrors of judgment. Fauré disbanded from this tradition entirely. Instead, he navigated rest, serenity, and release. Having served in the war, Gabriel Fauré made a conscious decision to center his beliefs about death. He stated: "It has been said that my Requiem does not express the fear of death and someone has called it a lullaby of death. But it is thus that I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness on high, rather than as a painful experience." At just nineteen years old, Fauré wrote Cantique de Jean Racine nearing the end of his studies at École Niedermeyer de Paris. Though written before the Requiem, this piece echoes its values, drawing oneself closer to the divine through kindness and peace. The latter portion of the program navigates longing, searching and love as avenues toward the divine. and the swallow, Seek Him that Maketh and God Be in My Head are declamatory efforts to find security in what the divine can offer, while Prairie Smoke unpacks the importance and power in protecting one’s sanctuary. The program concludes with Love Bade Me Welcome, which presents love as the gateway to true peace, followed by Messian’s O Sacrum Convivium, a Eucharistic celebration that proclaims the glory to come. Requiem I. Introït et Kyrie Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. Exaudi orationem meam: ad te omnis caro veniet.
Give them eternal rest, Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon them. A hymn becomes you, God, in Sion, and a vow shall be paid to you in Jerusalem. Hear my prayer: to you all flesh shall come.
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
II. Offertoire O Domine Jesu Christe, rex gloriae, libera animas defunctorum de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu. O Domine Jesu Christe, rex gloriae, libera animas defunctorum de ore leonis, ne absorbeat Tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum.
O Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory, deliver the souls of the departed from the punishments of hell and from the deep lake. O Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory, deliver the souls of the departed from the mouth of the lion, lest Tartarus swallow them up, lest they fall into darkness.
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus: tu suscipe pro animabus illis
We offer prayers and sacrifices of praise to you, Lord: you receive them on behalf of those souls
Gabriel Fauré
quarum hodie memoriam facimus. Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eius. Amen.
whose memory we recall today. Cause them, Lord, to pass from death to the life which you once promised to Abraham and his seed. Amen.
III. Sanctus Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth: pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts: heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
IV. Pie Jesu Pie Jesu, Domine, dona eis requiem. Pie Jesu, Domine, dona eis sempiternam requiem.
Blessed Jesus, Lord, give them rest. Blessed Jesus, Lord, give them eternal rest.
V. Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis sempiternam requiem. Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, give them rest. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, give them eternal rest. May eternal light shine on them, Lord, with your saints for ever, for you are good.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Give them eternal rest, Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon them.
VI. Libera me Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, in die illa tremenda: quando coeli movendi sunt et terra; dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo, dum discussio venerit, atque ventura ira.
Deliver me, Lord, from eternal death, on that terrible day: when the heavens and earth will be shaken; when you will come to judge the age with fire. I am made to tremble, and I am afraid, since trial and anger are coming.
Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis et miseriae, Dies illa, dies magna et amara valde. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.
That day, a day of anger, disaster and sorrow, That day, a mighty day, and one exceedingly bitter. Give them eternal rest, Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon them.
VII. In paradisum In paradisum deducant angeli: in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.
May the angels lead you into paradise: may the martyrs receive you as you arrive, and bring you into the holy city of Jerusalem.
Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere, aeternam habeas requiem.
May the choir of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, once a beggar, may you have eternal rest.
Cantique de Jean Racine
Fauré Poem by Jean Racine Verbe égal au Très-Haut, notre unique Word of the Highest, our only espérance, hope, Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux, Eternal day of earth and the heavens, De la paisible nuit nous rompons le silence: We break the silence of the peaceful night; Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux. Saviour Divine, cast your eyes upon us! Répands sur nous le feu de Ta grâce puissante; Que tout l'enfer fuie au son de Ta voix; Dissipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante Qui la conduit à l'oubli de Tes lois!
Pour on us the fire of your powerful grace, That all hell may flee at the sound of your voice; Banish the slumber of a weary soul, That brings forgetfulness of your laws!
Ô Christ! sois favorable à ce peuple fidèle, Pour Te bénir maintenant rassemblé; Reçois les chants qu'il offre à Ta gloire immortelle, Et de Tes dons qu'il retourne comblé.
O Christ, look with favour upon your faithful people Now gathered here to praise you; Receive their hymns offered to your immortal glory; May they go forth filled with your gifts.
and the swallow
Psalm 84
Caroline Shaw
how beloved is your dwelling place, o lord of hosts my soul yearns, faints my heart and my flesh cry the sparrow found a house, And the swallow her nest, where she may raise her young they pass through the Valley of Bakka, they make it a place of springs the autumn rains cover it with pools
Seek Him that Maketh the Seven Stars Jonathan Dove Book of Amos Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the morning. Alleluia, yea, the darkness shineth as the day, and the night is light about me. Amen.
God be in my head God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in mine eyes, and in my looking; God by in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at mine end, and at my departing.
Text from The Book of Hours
Prairie Smoke you have to get close— underground bees sleep in root cradles millennia made flowers burst into endless Sky
Alexander L’Estrange
Ayanna Woods
you have to get close— life explodes again again again when we set a Fire weave this web entire tallgrass thread and time rising slope and sky Prairie Smoke and fire and fire and fire we have to set fire Love Bade Me Welcome Text by George Herbert (1593-1633) Love bade me welcome: but my soul drew back, Guilty of dust and sin. But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack From my first entrance in, Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning, If I lacked anything. ‘A guest’, I answered, ‘worthy to be here:’ Love said, ‘You shall be he.’ ‘I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear, I cannot look on thee.’ Love took my hand, and smiling did reply, ‘Who made the eyes but I?’
Judith Weir
‘Truth, Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame Go where it doth deserve.” ‘And know you not’ says Love, ‘who bore the blame?’ ‘My dear, then will I serve.’ ‘You must sit down’, says Love, ‘and taste my meat:’ So I did sit and eat. O sacrum convivium!
Olivier Messiaen Text attributed to Saint Thomas Aquinas O sacrum convivum! in quo Christus sumitur: recolitur memoria passionis eius: mens impletur gratia: et futurae gloriae nobis pigus datur, Alleluia. O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and pledge of future glory is given to us. Alleluia.
About the Artists WESTMINSTER CHOIR
“The Gold standard...”- American Record Guide Setting the standard for choral excellence since 1920, the Westminster Choir is composed of undergraduate and graduate students at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Founded by John Finley Williamson in Dayton, OH, the choir has thrilled audiences around the world and in American concert halls with its singularly unique sound and artistry. The legendary conductor Joseph Flummerfelt led the ensemble from 1971-2004, bringing it to a remarkable international reputation and renown. Westminster Choir has toured extensively in the US and abroad and was for many years the resident choir of Il Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy and Spoleto USA, in Charleston, S.C., and has performed at the Festival International de Colmar in France, and around the globe as ambassadors for the US State Department in the mid-20th century. The choir can be heard in numerous recordings of American folk songs, hymn tunes, church anthems, and both sacred and secular choral masterworks of the last five centuries. The choir can also be heard on the soundtrack to Disney’s Fantasia, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Today, it continues such collaborations with new directions, pairing with such diverse ensembles as the International Contemporary Ensemble and The Sebastians. Praised by The New York Times for its “full-bodied, incisive singing,” the Westminster Choir is hailed as one of the nation’s finest collegiate choral ensembles. For graduate students in choral conducting, it is the central experience which has molded generations of the nation’s most influential conductors. Music-making and compelling artistry at the highest levels are the hallmark of this 100-year musical legacy. This season, Westminster Choir is conducted by Westminster’s Interim Director of Choral Studies, Tyrone Clinton. Tyrone serves as a clinician, educator, conductor and director of the New York Philharmonic Youth Choir.
••• Tyrone Clinton, Jr., conductor Akiko Hosaki and Jihye Park, accompanists Tyler Miller and Sarah Vawdrey, graduate assistant conductors Joshua D. Bacomo, West Babylon, NY Kaitlyn P. Baird, Anthem, AZ Connor Bowden, Washington Crossing, PA Esther Brodsky, Baltimore, MD Carlo Stephen Ciliberti, III, Lumberton, NJ Natalie Cook, Hackettstown, NJ Liam P. Cummings, Lewisburg, PA Chloe Adrian Davis, Lawrence, NJ Casey Decker, Edison, NJ
Xavier Desrosiers, Southampton, PA Jonah DeVinney, Boca Raton, FL Katya Ermolaeva, Ph.D., Princeton, NJ Mikayla Filetto, Manorville, NY Ronan Flynn, West Babylon, NY Julia N. Gerst, West Milford, NJ Ben Glick, Lancaster, PA Haley Goodfellow, Mineola, NY Lauren Gregorovic, Hamilton, NJ Aaron Junsheng Hong, Wenzhou, China
Oliver Hu, Doylestown, PA Braden J. Jarosz, Schaghticoke, NY Ana Klarmann, Waldorf, MD Katherine Kovács, Rochester, NY Kole Lawrence, Lancaster, PA Aaron M. Lynch, Rochester, NY Anna Maher, Ipswich, MA Samuel Messenger, Bellmawr, NJ Tyler Miller, Frederick, MD Briseis Muñoz, Phoenix, AZ Samantha Murphy, Washington Township, NJ Alivia Nawrocki, Marlton, NJ Genesys Perez-Berrios, Lansdale, PA
Cendny Pierre, East Orange, NJ Daniel J. Piver, East Hampton, NY Nadia Rego, Westfield, NJ Makiah S. Robinson, Elizabeth, NJ Ariel Roycroft, Cochecton, NY Dari Russoniello, Somerset, NJ Lena Santore, Buena, NJ Bailey Shay, Matamoras, PA Lloyd P. Silikovitz, Randolph, NJ Elena Trapasso, West Milford, NJ Jameson Van Horn, Ivyland, PA Sarah Vawdrey, Bloomsburg, PA Shaye Walker, Old Bridge, NJ
ORCHESTRA Musicians of the orchestra are members of Symphony in C. We are grateful to collaborate with them, Noam Aviel, Music Director and Joseph Hart, Vice President of Artistic Operations and Education from this esteemed musical organization. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Dean Department Chair Interim Director of Choral Studies Director of Performance Management
Jason Vodicka Sharon Mirchandani Tyrone T. Clinton Jr. Leandra Acosta
Rider University gratefully acknowledges the generous support of: Michael T. '89 & Susana Santaguida '89 Gummel for their support of our Rider Friend of the Arts patron program.
About Rider University & Westminster Choir College Located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Rider University is a private co-educational, student-centered university that emphasizes purposeful connections between academic study and real-world learning experience. Rider prepares graduates to thrive professionally, to be lifelong independent learners, and to be responsible citizens who embrace diversity, support the common good, and contribute meaningfully to the changing world in which they live and work. Westminster College of Media and Performing Arts is dedicated to educating students for engaged citizenship, career success, and personal growth in a diverse and complex world. The college cultivates intellectual reflection, artistic creativity, and academic maturity by promoting both broad academic inquiry and in-depth disciplinary study, while nurturing effective and ethical applications of transferable critical skills. The College consists of two schools: the School of Communication, Media, and Performing Arts and Westminster Choir College. Culturally vibrant and historically rich, Westminster Choir College has a legacy of preparing students for thriving careers as well-rounded performers and musical leaders on concert stages, in schools, universities, and churches, and in professional and community organizations worldwide. Renowned for its tradition of choral excellence, the college is home to internationally recognized ensembles, including the Westminster Symphonic Choir, which has performed and recorded with virtually all of the major orchestras and conductors of our time. In addition to its choral legacy, Westminster is known as a center for excellence in musical pedagogy and performance.
Upcoming Performances & Events WESTMINSTER CHAPEL CHOIR: I AM/WE ARE Friday, October 30, 7:30 p.m. Gill Chapel EXPANDING BOUNDARIES EXPLORING CHORAL CULTURES AND TRADITIONS Saturday, November 7, 7:30 p.m. Cavalla Room, Bart Luedeke Center WESTMINSTER COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA: NEW HORIZONS Sunday, November 8, 3 p.m. Gill Chapel POP, ROCK, HIP-HOP ENSEMBLE CONCERT Thursday, November 12, 7:30 p.m. Bart Luedeke Center Theatre WESTMINSTER JUBILEE SINGERS: GRATEFUL HALLELUJAHS Sunday, November 15, 5 p.m. Gill Chapel WESTMINSTER CONSERVATORY AT NASSAU Thursday, November 19, 12:15 p.m. Nassau Presbyterian Church 61 Nassau St, Princeton, NJ 08542 THE THREEPENNY OPERA Friday, November 20, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 21, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Sunday, November 22, 2 p.m. Yvonne Theater RIDER UNIVERSITY CHORALE IN CONCERT Sunday, November 22, 7 p.m. Gill Chapel FOR MORE INFORMATION ON UPCOMING PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS, SUBSCRIPTION AND PATRON PROGRAM OPTIONS, VISIT RIDER.EDU/ARTS.