The Music Department at Connecticut College presents:

Chamber Choir and Orchestra

George Frideric Handel

Saturday, November 15, 2014

7:00 pm – Evans Hall

Cummings Arts Center

Messiah

Connecticut College Chamber Choir and Orchestra

Wendy K. Moy, conductor

Linda Skernick, harpsichord

Messiah George Frideric Handel

(1685-1759)

Sinfony

Overture

Comfort Ye

Tenor Recitative, Tyler Wood ‘17 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,

that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the

wilderness: prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:1-3

Every Valley

Tenor Aria, Tyler Wood ‘17 Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight and the rough

places plain.

Isaiah 40:4

And the Glory of the Lord

Chorus And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord

hath spoken it.

Isaiah 40:5

Thus Saith the Lord

Bass Recitative, Connor Wu ‘17 Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts: Yet once a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth,

the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come.

Haggai 2:7

The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple; even the messenger of the covenant, whom

you delight in, behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

Malachi 3:1

But Who May Abide?

Alto Aria, Lauren Stubbs ‘17 But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a

refiner's fire.

Malachi 3:2

And He Shall Purify

Chorus And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Malachi 3:3

Behold A Virgin Shall Conceive

Alto Recitative, Hallie Grossman ‘16 Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us.

Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23

O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings

Alto Aria, Hallie Grossman ‘16 & Chorus O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; lift up thy voice with strength;

lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Isaiah 40:9

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

Isaiah 60:1

For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth

Bass Recitative, Connor Wu ‘17 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon

thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the

brightness of thy rising.

Isaiah 60:2-3

The People That Walked In Darkness

Bass Aria The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow

of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Isaiah 9:2

For Unto Us A Child Is Born

Chorus For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and

His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of

Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Pifa

Pastoral Symphony

There Were Shepherds Abiding In The Fields

Soprano Recitative, Maya Belgrade ‘15 There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Luke 2:8

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and

they were sore afraid.

Luke 2:9

And the Angel Said Unto Them

Soprano Recitative, Maya Belgrade ‘15 And the angel said unto them: "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be

to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11

And Suddenly There Was With The Angel

Soprano Recitative, Maya Belgrade ‘15

And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying:

Luke 2:13

Glory to God

Chorus

"Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men."

Luke 2:14

Rejoice Greatly

Soprano Aria, Katherine McDonald ‘16 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee.

He is the righteous Savior, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.

Zechariah 9:9-10

Then Shall The Eyes of the Blind Be Open’d

Soprano Recitative, Ashley Pacelli ‘15 Then shall the eyes of the blind be open’d, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man

leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

Isaiah 35:5-6

He Shall Feed His Flock

Soprano Aria, Ashley Pacelli ‘15 He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His

bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:11

Come unto Him, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take his yoke upon you,

and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29

His Yoke Is Easy

Chorus His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

Matthew 11:30

Hallelujah

Chorus Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Revelation 19:6

The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign

forever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Revelation 11:15

Worthy is the Lamb

Chorus

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

Revelation 5:12

and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and

honor, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the

throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen

Revelation 5:12-14

Chamber Choir Personnel

Soprano

Maya Belgrade ‘15

Molly Brown ‘18

Stephanie Foster ‘18

Olivia Giuliano ‘17

Katherine McDonald## ‘16

MaryClare McDonough ‘18

Lizzy Moreno ‘18

Ashley Pacelli# ‘15

Amanda Pratt ‘17

Lauren Stubbs ‘17

Alto

Emily Becker ‘15

Hanako Brais ‘17

Rebecca Brill Weitz ‘17

Jessica Craig ‘16

Kate Goldberg ‘18

Hannah Johnston ‘18

Lauren Marazzi ‘16

Jessica Ober ‘17

Roopa Ramkuma ‘15

Augie Sherman ‘18

Kristina Toro ‘17

Emily Verschoor-Kirss ‘15

Keira Vollandt ‘17

Sophie Xue ‘18

Kiwi Zhang ‘17

Tenor

Brendan Burns ‘15

Kevin Reyes ‘17

Tyler Wood ‘17

Ruy Zambrano ‘17

Bass

Elias Aquino ‘16

Mitch Paro ‘16

Justin Winokur ‘18

Henry Van Vuuren ‘18

Connor Wu ‘17

Rehearsal Pianist

Lauren Marazzi ‘16

##Choir President

#Choir Vice President

Orchestra Personnel

Oboe

Chloe Ocain* ‘18

Libby Ryan^

Bassoon

Carl Chuddy+

Mark Wainston+

Trumpet

John Hushaw+

Stanley Walczyk+

Timpani

Wyatt Delomba ‘15

Harpsichord

Linda Skernick

Violin I

Jesse Gutermann** ‘16

Ben Jiang ‘14

Jessica Spencer ‘17

Violin II

Susanna Dolan* ‘17

Alex DeCresce-Lawson* ‘18

Tim Norris+

Geoff Sewell+

Audrey Wayman ‘15

Viola

Nam Hoang ‘17*

Lydia Morneault ‘18

Cello

Claire Raizen* ‘18

Selena Adams ‘18

Kali Guise ‘18

Kris Meyer+

Allegra Neely-Wilson ‘18

Bass

Sam McKeown ‘16

**Concertmaster *Principal

+Community Member

^Thames Valley Music School

Welcome to Connecticut College’s presentation of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. Composed in only

three to four weeks time, this two-and-a-half hour oratorio was premiered in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742.

The performing forces consisted of a male chorus of 26 members (men, boys, and two countertenors), 3 female

soloists, and an orchestra of 30 members. Most of the soloists were chosen from within the chorus, as does

today’s performance. Handel had the privilege of being at the premiere and 26 subsequent performances, giving

notes and edits when necessary. Messiah was originally performed in a secular performance hall for the purpose

of entertainment. In 1918, the Boston Handel and Haydn Society started performing Messiah during the holiday

season, a tradition that still continues today.

Tonight’s performance features all of part one (Advent and Nativity), the last movement (Hallelujah) of part two,

and the last movement (Worthy is the Lamb) of part three. Handel liberally used text painting to bring out the

meaning of the text in this work. It is not an accident that there are melodic leaps on the word “crooked” in

contrast to the long tones on “straight” in the tenor aria, Every Valley. As you watch and listen, seek to find the

drama that is woven into both the vocal and orchestral lines. Be sure not to miss the angels departing at the end of

“Glory to God!” Whether this is your first or 99th performance of Messiah, we hope that you enjoy the beauty and

majesty of Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah.

Enjoy!

Wendy Moy Conductor

Performer Bios Maya Belgrade ‘15, soprano is a senior, majoring in music with a concentration on voice performance. She

has been studying voice with Jurate Švedaite Waller here in Connecticut College since her freshman year. She

also sings with the Connecticut College Chamber Choir. In her junior year, she studied abroad in Arrezo, Italy,

and attended Accademia dell' Arte, where she studied voice with Jill Feldman. In her free time she also enjoys

composing and performing her original songs.

Hallie Grossman ‘16, mezzo-soprano student of Jurate Švedaite Waller, is a junior Government major with a

Gender & Women’s Studies minor. Outside of music, her interests lie in the field of human rights. She began

studying classical voice in 2008 at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in

New York City. During her senior year, she was featured as the alto member of the solo quartet in Mozart’s Missa

Solemnis in C Major and originated a role in the operetta Life of the Party by Lawrence O’Keefe and Nell

Benjamin. At Connecticut College, Hallie is the pitch of co-ed a cappella group Vox Cameli, which released their

second album this past Fall Weekend. She is also a choral scholar at St. James Episcopal Church in New London.

During her first year at Conn, she traveled to New York with Cappella Cantorum, a chorus from Old Saybrook,

for a performance of Verdi’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, conducted by renowned composer John Rutter. The

following summer, she traveled to northern Italy to attend the Schlern International Music Festival where she

participated in various solo performance opportunities as well as a master class with acclaimed Russian baritone

Vladimir Chernov. This is her fifth time soloing with the Chamber Choir.

Katherine McDonald ‘16, soprano is a junior majoring in Music and Psychology. She has been singing since

she could talk and is involved in nearly every aspect of musical life on campus. She has studied classical singing

with her voice teacher, Samantha Talmadge, for the past three years and has transformed into a confident soloist.

Katherine is Vice President of Chamber Choir and has earned six solos in her college career including Ralph

Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, Dolly Parton’s Light of Clear Blue Morning, and Leonard Bernstein’s

Make Our Garden Grow for President Bergeron’s Inauguration. She is the proud Music Director of her a cappella

group, The ConnArtists, and lead vocalist in her student band, Canopy. She takes piano lessons and is a member

of the Music Student Advisory Board. She has had the unique opportunity of singing with President Katherine

Bergeron in the New Music Ensemble last spring. Katherine has recently begun to record her own music and

collaborate with other student musicians for her SoundCloud. She has traveled to Memphis, Denver, New

Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago, and Scotland with past ensembles. She hopes to attend graduate school to study

music and neuroscience.

Conductor Wendy Moy is currently the Director of Choral Activities and Music Education at Connecticut

College. Equally at home in the orchestral world, she held the positions of chamber music coordinator and

assistant conductor with the Cascade Youth Symphony Organization. A doctoral candidate in the University of

Washington Conducting Program, her research focuses on the culture of singing communities and the factors that

contribute to successful choral organizations. Ms. Moy also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from

Seattle Pacific University and a Master of Music Education from Westminster Choir College. She was selected to

participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities Bach Institute in Germany, the Conductors Retreat at

Medomak with Dr. Ken Kiesler, the Westminster Chamber Choir with Dr. Joe Miller, the Norfolk Chamber Choir

with Simon Carrington, and the Tallis Scholar Summer School with Peter Phillips. In February 2012, Ms. Moy

traveled to New York City to be a conducting associate in the Carnegie Hall Choral Institute/Transient Glory

Symposium with MacArthur Fellow, Francisco Nunez. Ms. Moy is currently serving on the Connecticut

American Choral Directors Association Board and is also the President/Co-founder of Chorosynthesis, a national

nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform the culture of American choral music through collaboration,

sustainability, innovation, and excellence.

Ashley Pacelli ‘15, soprano is thrilled to be singing Handel's Messiah this semester! As a senior Neuroscience

major and Theater minor, she has been a member of the Connecticut College Chamber Choir for the past four

years. She is both the president of the Chamber Choir and musical director of the ConnChords acapella group.

Ashley also takes voice lessons with Jurate Švedaite Waller.

Harpsichordist Linda Skernick has given recitals at the Los Angeles Harpsichord Center, Washington DC's

Phillips Collection, the Cleveland, OH and Birmingham, AL, Museums of Art, and at New York's Lincoln Center,

Wesleyan University, and at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, Russia. She has also performed with

Alexander Schneider's Brandenburg Ensemble, Mostly Mozart, and was a member of New York's Tafelmusik

Ensemble and the New York Baroque Consort. She has appeared often at the CT Early Music Festival, was a

member of the Hanoverian Ensemble, and played on the Essex Winter Series last spring. She has performed many

times as soloist, in chamber music, and with orchestra, on these concerts at Connecticut College. Skernick is

currently Adjunct Professor of Music at Connecticut College, and on the faculty of the Thames Valley Music

School.

Lauren Stubbs ‘17, mezzo-soprano is a sophomore from Cambridge, Massachusetts with an intended double

major in French and either Human Development or Sociology. She takes voice lessons with Maksim Ivanov

Zhdanovskikh. This year, she is a member of the Williams Street Mix acapella group and the Traditional Jazz

Band. This is her third semester as a member of the Chamber Choir as well as Camel Heard. She has enjoyed

working on Handel's Messiah and seeing it all come together after everyone's hard work.

Tyler Wood ‘17, tenor is a sophomore at Connecticut College from Bar Harbor, ME. Throughout his school

years, Tyler has been highly involved in music. In high school he participated in musical theater, show choir, and

his school chorus. Tyler has also represented his high school in both the Classical and Jazz All-State Choirs. At

Connecticut College Tyler is a member of the Chamber Choir Choral Board, ‘Camel Heard,’ and is the treasurer for

the co-ed a cappella group, Vox Cameli. Tyler currently studies voice under Maksim Ivanov Zhdanovskikh.

Although undeclared, Tyler is intending to double major in Computer Science and Economics.

Connor Wu ‘17, bass is a sophomore voice student at Connecticut College. This is his third semester taking

voice lessons as well as his third semester performing in the Connecticut College Chamber Choir. Music has been

an important part of his life since 1st grade. He started with piano lessons but soon changed his instrumental focus

to flute and piccolo 4 years later. Connor continued to study the flute throughout high school and performed in the

high school concert and symphonic bands. He was also a tenor in the mixed chorus. In his junior year of high

school he transferred to Lexington Christian Academy where instead of joining the band, he made the decision to

audition for the school Chamber Choir. He quickly earned his spot in the choir and was appointed the bass section

leader. The choir conductor took him under her wing and taught him how to arrange and compose music, as well

as basic conducting. For his senior internship he was put in charge of the middle school choir for the second half

of the last semester of school. Connor is currently undeclared, but he fully intends to join the music major family.

Acknowledgements and Special Thanks John Anthony-Music Department Chair

Jurate Švedaite-Waller, Samantha Talmadge, Maksim Ivanov Zhdanovskikh, Voice Faculty

Terry Wisniewski-Music Department Administrative Assistant

Connecticut College Sound, Lighting, and Recording Departments

Thames Valley Music School

Whitehall Foundation

About the Music Department Our department of music seeks to distinguish itself among liberal arts college music departments in the

United States. Our curriculum is modeled on the best features of a music conservatory, but we are small

enough to offer personal attention. For more information, please visit www.music.conncoll.edu.

To be notified about upcoming events, please join our mailing list

by emailing Wendy Moy at wmoy@conncoll.edu.

Upcoming Music Department Events

“December Winds with a Touch of Samba”

Concert Band and Coast Guard Academy Band Concert

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Evans Hall ~ 7:00 pm

“H & M” Orchestra Concert

Featuring the music of Handel and Mozart

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Evans Hall ~ 7:00 pm

College Vespers

Featuring the Chamber Choir and Camel Heard

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Harkness Chapel ~ 4:00 pm

“Peer Gynt and the Essence of Ellington”

Jazz Ensemble and Traditional Jazz Band Concert

Monday, December 8, 2014

Evans Hall ~ 7:00 pm

Percussion and New Music Concert

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Evans Hall ~ 7:00 pm

Charles Shackford Memorial Student Composer’s Concert

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Evans Hall ~ 7:00 pm