The Mount Holyoke College Chorale and Chamber SingersMiguel Felipe, conductor

Saturday, April 24, 2010Abbey Chapel, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts

Sacred Voice

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The Mount Holyoke College Chamber Singers Miguel Felipe, Conductor

Amanda BistolfoErica Buchinski *Ruth Rowan Canter *Elise Croteau-ChonkaEmilie M. Heidel *

Grace HudkinsEleni KaragiannisEllen R. KujawaMeng Lu *

Beckie MarkarianAriel Markowitz-Shulman *Taylor MyersMeredith Peters *

Betsy ReifSaramaria A. RemmelLauren Robbins *Kelsey Schramma

* graduating seniors

Directed by Miguel Felipe, the Mount Holyoke College Chamber Singers is a highly select chamber choir of 12–18 voices drawn from the College’s Glee Club and Chorale. The group specializes in challenging repertory from the 20th and 21st centuries, but regularly performs works from varied musical periods and genres. The choir’s current repertoire includes works by Benja-min Britten, André Caplet, Rebecca Clarke, Palestrina, Vivaldi, Gabriel Fauré, and Sigfrid Karg-Elert. This year the chamber singers have also premiered pieces by Binsar Sitompul, Americ Ting-Wei Goh, and Michael Schachter. While the students in the Chamber Singers are talented and accomplished musicians, they major in a broad range of academic subjects including music, literature, biology, religion, and film studies.

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The Mount Holyoke College Chorale Miguel Felipe, Conductor Beckie Markarian, Choral Assistant Mark Gionfriddo, Accompanist

Anna BacceiJulia BloomAmy BradshawRuth Rowan Canter *Miriam Cantor-StoneBethany Clark *Caitlin ConnorStephanie CoulombreLara DayAnna DriftmierErin DrufvaEmily FalcesMargaret FrederiksenJac GentileYingxi GongEmilie M. Heidel *Grace Hudkins

Linn JenningsEleni KaragiannisElizabeth KingEmma KrishnaswamiChelsey KrolAllison LaneShicong (Ivy) LiKatherine A. MackBeckie MarkarianMaggie McAdam *Jenna McGowan *Emily MonerChina Moore *Chloe MortellitiAnna MuenchTaylor MyersThea M. Pope

Katharine PotterJennifer Richardson *Rachel RocaMarta M. SarandevaKelsey SchrammaJordan SetoAlisa SilverAaryn M. SmithJennifer SuchanLaura TomichConstance WardMartha WhitneyMargaret C. WilliamsFelicia Yu

* graduating seniors

Ensemble Leadership

Maggie McAdam, President

Ruth Rowan Canter, Manager

Anna Baccei, Treasurer

Miriam Cantor-Stone, Soprano Secretary

Constance Ward, Alto Secretary

Jenna McGowan, Vice President

Kelsey Schramma, Fundraising

Jennifer Suchan, Social Chair

Grace Hudkins, Publicist

Katherine A. Mack, Librarian

Lara Day, Historian

Directed by Miguel Felipe, the Mount Holyoke College Chorale performs a wide variety of litera-ture for women’s and mixed voices in different venues throughout the year. The Chorale is a diverse group of students representing all class years, departments and a variety of musical backgrounds. In addition to creating beautiful mu-sic, the Chorale strives to introduce new singers the art choral singing. Sight-reading and music theory are incorporated into rehearsals, balancing musical training with a performance-based curriculum. Each year the Chorale sings in a variety of languages and in a full range of styles.

In recent years the Chorale has performed works such as Verdi’s Requiem, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Hasse’s Miserere. This year, the Chorale has performed works by Ola Gjeilo, Zoltán Kodály, Keith Hampton, Felicia Sandler, and John Rutter. They are also premiering a commissioned work by Forrest Pierce.

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Sacred VoiceSaturday, April 24, 2010, 8:00PM

Abbey Memorial ChapelMount Holyoke College

South Hadley, Massachusetts

The Mount Holyoke College Chamber Singers

Kyrie plainchant

Fuge, Kanzone, und Epilog, Op. 85, No. 3 (1910) Sigfried Karg-Elert “Credo in vitam venturi” (1877–1933)

Linda Laderach, violinLarry Schipull, organ

Two Mantras, for equal voices Americ Ting-Wei Goh II. oṃ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā (2010) (1982—) Commissioned by Mount Holyoke College, premiere

Hodo al-Eretz (2006, rev. 2009) Michael Schachter Commissioned by Mount Holyoke College, premiere (1987—)

All I Was Doing Was Breathing (2008) David L. Brunner Saramaria A. Remmel and Kelsey Schramma, soloists (1953—) East Coast premiere

Kivie Cahn-Lipman, celloMark Gionfriddo, percussionLinda Laderach, percussionDavid Nelson, mrdangamMiguel Felipe, conductor

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—intermission—

The Mount Holyoke College Chorale

The All-Night Vigil of Rabi’a al-Adawiyya, part I Forrest Pierce Commissioned by Mount Holyoke College, premiere (1972—)

1. Surah al Fatiha

2. The Kings Have Locked Their Doors Katharine Potter and Alisa Silver, soloists

3. I Carry a Torch

4. I Have No Time Left

5. Pounding on an Open Door

6. The Dream of the Tree Emma Krishnaswami and Maggie McAdam, soloists

7. Sweet Sherbet

8. Burn Me in Hell

9. I Have Not Slept

10. The Song of the Thunder

11. The One Who Tastes, Knows Jennifer Suchan, soloist

12. It’s Spring, Rabi’a

13. O Captain of My Heart

Kivie Cahn-Lipman, amplified celloMiguel Felipe, conductor

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Texts and TranslationsKyrieFrom the Mass, traditional translation

Lord have mercy,Christ have mercy,Lord have mercy.

Although we know from their artworks and literature that the ancient Greeks, Hebrews, and Romans had a very active musical culture, we know next to nothing about what their music actually sounded like, as no system of notation has come down to us. Likewise with the ancient cultures of the East. The earliest music that we know with any degree of certainty how it actually sounded, therefore, remains the liturgical chant of the Roman Catho-lic Church, often called “Gregorian Plainchant” due to the probably inaccurate assumption that Pope Gregory the Great (reigned 590–604 AD) composed much of it. Roman Catholic monks in the 9th century first devised a system of notating pitch (i.e. the highness or lowness of a note), but not rhythm (i.e. how long a note lasts); and it was, of course, the chant of the church that they notated with their new system. Gregorian Plainchant remained the “official” music of the Roman Catholic Church for over 1000 years, until Vatican II in 1963. Heard tonight is one of the most famliar and common bits of chants. It comes from the Mass ordinary and is intended for use on ‘Sun-days throughout the year’. It’s simple, tripartite form begins with a short introduction—‘intonation’—followed by three repetitions of the Kyrie. The Christe then repeats three times. The final Kyrie, also repeated three times, includes a variant close at the end of its repetitions. Although simple in its aesthetic, plainchant is extremely popular today for its pure beauty of expression and it makes a perfect opening to this evening’s program.

— Timothy J. Krueger, adapted

CredoAs set in Fuge, Kanzone, und Epilog by Sigfried Karg-Elert, traditional translation

I believe in one God; I believe in the life of the world to come. Amen.

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877–1933) succeeded Max Reger as Professor of Composition at the Leipzig Conservato-rium in 1919. Years earlier, he had been a student there under Jadassohn and Reinecke, two very conservative masters with whom Frederick Delius also had studied. Like Delius, Karg-Elert had a natural gift for harmony and was encouraged to compose by Grieg. Although he left music for a variety of media, he is best remembered as a composer of organ music. His Three Symphonic Canzonas were composed in 1910. The basis of the third, which in its Epilogue adds violin and four-part female chorus to the organ, is the plainsong phrase “Credo in unum Deo; credo in vitam venturi saeculi.” In a self-revealing letter to his English friend Godfrey Sceats, Karg-Elert, son of a Catholic father and Protestant mother, wrote: ‘I love this piece tenderly; it was written, frankly, in a vein of exaltation, and savours of holy water and consecrated candles… that is the Catholic side of me, which cannot readily be recon-ciled with Lutheranism.’

The work is in F-sharp major, a favorite key of Karg-Elert’s. After a solemn presentation of the motto-theme, the Fugue begins, Sostenuto e misterioso, growing gradually in strength until the plainsong fragment, introduced at intervals like a choral above the fugal texture, builds up the main climax of the work. The central Canzona, based again on the motto-theme, also builds up to a powerful climax, and is linked to the Epilogue by the entry of the solo violin. After the voices have sung the phrase “Credo in vitam venturi saeculi” in unison, the violin plays

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an expressive melody in the high register, a self-quotation from an earlier work. This serves as a prelude to a poly-phonic four-part Amen sung by the distant chorus beneath the violin’s high held F-sharp. After one final “Credo in vitam venturi saeculi” by the choir, the organ steals in to support the final Amens, while the violin relinquishes its high inverted pedal point to wreath a final arabesque to the hushed ending.

—Felix Aprahamian

om∙ ta–re tutta– re ture sva– ha–

by Americ Goh (1982—)

om∙ ta–re tutta–re ture sva–ha– was written in 2010 in Graz, Austria, where Americ Goh has been a student at the University for Music and Dramatic Arts. The work sets one of the most well-known mantras, know as the mantra of Jetsun Dolma or Tara, the Mother of the Buddhas. Generally speaking, a manta is a set of syllables used in prayer or meditation by members of many faiths including Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism, the mantra is used during a typical sadhana or meditation practice. Such a sadhana could also include mudras (symbolic hand gestures) and a visualization of celestial beings along with the letters of the mantra.

In Goh’s setting of the mantra, the concept of ajapa—internalization of the mantra through uninterrupted inner repetition—is manifest in the singers’ parts. Indeed, throughout this movement, the singers are instructed to repeat the mantra in various ways exactly 108 times; 108 being a most common number of repetitions and the number of beads on a malas, or Hindu bead necklace.

In the 108 repetitions, Goh experiments with the slow evolution of pitch and density and a medium-sized form. As you listen and slowly allow the mantra to enter your consciousness, consider the slow shifts of pitch as each singer independently explores the mantra with the notes Goh has assigned. Note, also, the way the fabric of sound adjusts as each singer privately makes her way through the ‘cells’ of mantra repetition. Interestingly, of course, the performance of this work is aleatoric and unpredictable. The way each singer explores the mantra is only loosely guided by the composer and will also yield a rich, varied, and unpredictable texture of sound.

—Miguel Felipe

Hodo al-EretzTraditional translation

Hodo al-eretz v’shamayim.V’yarem keren l’amo,tehila l’chol chasidav,livnei Yisrael am k’rovo.Halleluyah!

God’s majesty is above the earth and heaven.And God is the strength of our people,making God’s faithful ones,Israel, a close people to the Eternal.Halleluyah!

Hodo Al-Eretz is a text from the Hebrew liturgy, a simple declaration of the majesty of the Almighty on this earth and beyond. I am not a particularly religious person except when it comes to music—my main connection to the Universe is through music, and I find that, in general, there is a strong correlation between Godliness and awesomeness in music, whether the composer or performer intends it explicitly or it comes through anyhow. In writing this piece, I drew on contrapuntal principles from hundreds of years of excellent music in the Christian tradition, and melodic principles from thousands of years of Jewish cantorial singing. It is intended to be direct and accessible for pedestrian and pundit alike. I hope you enjoy it!

—Michael Schachter

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All I Was Doing Was BreathingMirabai, (c1498–c1547), translation by Robert Bly

Something has reached out and taken in the beams of my eyes.There is a longing, it is for his body, for every hair of that dark body.All I was doing was being, and the Dancing Energy came by my house.His face looks curiously like the moon, I saw it from the side, smiling.My family says: “Don’t ever see him again!” And they imply things in a low voice.But my eyes have their own life; they laugh at rules and know whose they are.I believe I can bear on my shoulders whatever you want to say of me.Mira says: Without the energy that lifts mountains, how am I to live?

The songs of Mirabai (1498–1547) are startling in the power of their imagery—words at once mystical and religious, earthy and sensual. They are private and personal, words that nearly belong in a diary. Mira’s renun-ciation of worldly things and devotion to Krishna led her to express both intense desire and unfailing devotion in poetry and song, frequently entering into states of ecstasy and trance.

It came not of her own volition. “Something has reached out and taken in the beams of my eyes. All I was do-ing was being,” she says in hushed tones, “and the dancing energy came to my house. My family says ‘Don’t ever see him again!’ but my eyes have their own life.” Mira’s next statement is a turning point, personally and musi-cally, and is the beginning of her awareness of resolve and inner strength. Mira says, “I believe I can bear on my shoulders whatever you want to say of me.” This becomes a mantra and the bulk of the composition. Its insistence builds with repetition, suggesting a trance state, as her confidence and inner resolve strengthens—a strength expressed both as solo statement and communal solidarity. A slight hesitation at first, even tripping over her words, soon becomes a powerful statement, an affirmation of the strong female spirit. A single utterance—a cry of desperation—the music comes to a halt. Mira says: “Without the energy that lifts mountains, how am I to live?”

Sinuous and sensual solo lines, drones, embellishment, rhythmic ostinati and layering of voices and instru-ments characterize this movement. There is a strong presence of breath throughout the piece in the vocal falodds, sustained drones, long-breathed solo phrases and overtone singing. The voice of Mira is present in an ornate solo vocal line. The solo cello is a grounding presence and is perhaps the voice of Shiva, a shared presence in the duets—or is it another expression of Mira—her inner voice?

I have long felt a connection with the music and culture of Mira’s homeland. Other unexpected influences in-clude Thoth, a colorful performer in Angel tunnel in Central park whom I happened upon on a sunny spring day in April. His singing employs the full vocal spectrum from a throaty drone to a powerful falsetto. He accompanies himself on violin, at times forwground and background, and provides a grounding rhythmic presence in his feet, adorned with jangles. His is a sacred performance (or “prayformance” as he calls it), which is hypnotic for both performer and observer.… The strong image of Mira herself informed everything about the piece.

—David L. Brunner

The All-Night Vigil of Rabi’a al-Adawiyya, Part Iby Forrest Pierce (1972—)

These short fragments of Rabi’a al-Adawiyya (717–801), transmitted to us primarily through the Persian poet Attar, paint a portrait of a woman devoted to contemplative life. A member of a strong women’s chivalric movement in the vicinity of Basra, Iraq, Rabi’a was often to be found on her rooftop by night, keeping a vigil of prayer and ascetic practice.

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This is the All-Night Vigil of Rabi’a al-Adawiyya, then: a lonely night spent on a desert rooftop under the count-less stars of the Iraqi sky. The constellations spinning, the heavens humming, the planets chanting Allah’s beauti-ful names, with nothing but a pitcher of water and prayer beads for company. All the while, the will fights the mind for alertness, keeping the heart awake to the majesty of God’s presence within. All night long, Rabi’a seeks nothing less than union with her beloved, who is to her everything there ever was, is, and will be, and all that is beyond such knowing.

These settings try to capture that passionate love for God so richly presented in her poems, but not as a recre-ation of 8th-century Iraqi Sufi practice. Instead, I’ve tried to render them through the lens of 21st-century Sufism as it has been transmitted to America: in American English, with contemporary harmonic and melodic language.

In so doing, I’ve included numerous devotional zikr (remembrance) and wazifa (meditation) phrases and chants in the piece. It’s unclear whether Rabi’a would have practiced zikr or wazifa as we know them today, but she certainly would have recognized the key phrases, “la illaha il allah” (nothing exists but God), “subhanallah” (Glorious is God), and the opening surah of the Qu’ran, the surah al-Fatiha. The choir is also asked to chant many of the 99 beautiful names of God found in the Qu’ran, while Rabi’a sings her heartfelt prayers.

This work is dedicated to Miguel Felipe, the bravest conductor I know, and to Sheikha Majida Inayat Nelson, who put Rabi’a’s poems into my hands. My deep thanks are offered to these amazing women at Mt. Holyoke, who have brought Rabi’a to life tonight.

—Forrest Pierce

Surah al-FatihaThe Qur’an, Sura 1, traditional translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali

ميحرلا نـمحرلا هللا مسبيملاعلا بر هلل دمحلا

ميحرلا نـمحرلانيدلا موي كلاـم

يعتسن كايإو دبعن كايإميقتسملا طارصلا اــــندها

يلاضلا الو مهيلع بوضغملا ريغ مهيلع تمعنأ نيذلا طارص

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the world;Most Gracious, Most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment.Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.Show us the straight way,The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

The Kings Have Locked Their DoorsRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

O God, the stars are shining;All eyes have closed in sleep:the kings have locked their doors.Each lover is alone, in secret, with the one he loves.And I am here too: alone, hidden from all of them—With You.

Allah Allah Hu Allah estafer allah [“I am seeking forgiveness from Allah”]

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I Carry a TorchRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

Ya Qadir! Ya Muqtadir! [“O All-Capable!” “O All-Determining!”]

I carry a torch in one handAnd a bucket of water in the other:With these things I am going to set fire to HeavenAnd put out the flames of HellSo that voyagers to God can rip the veilsAnd see the real goal.

I Have No Time LeftRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

I love God: I have no time leftIn which to hate the devil.

Pounding on an Open DoorRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

How long will you keep pounding an open doorBegging for someone to open it?

Ya Fatah [“O Opener!”]

The Dream of the TreeRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

After an all-night vigil, I prayed to God at dawn, and slept.

In my dream I saw a Tree: green, bright, vast, of indescribable beauty; and on this tree were three kinds of fruit, such as I had never seen among all the fruits of this world. They shone like the breasts of maidens, red, white, and yellow; they shone like globes and living suns in the green hollows of the Tree. I marveled at them, and asked: “Whose Tree is this?”

A voice replied, “This is your Tree, sprung from the seed of your prayers.”

Sweet SherbetRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

Love came out of the former Eternity,Went away in to the Eternity to come,And didn’t see anyone in the eighteen-thousand worldsWorthy to eat even one spoonful of its sweet sherbet—And when Love reached Truth at last, only this word was left:He loves themThey also love Him.

‘Ishq’allâh Mah’bud lîllah. [“God is Love, Lover and Beloved”]

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Burn Me in HellRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

O God!If I adore You out of fear of Hell, burn me in Hell!If I adore You out of desire for Paradise,Lock me out of Paradise.But if I adore You for Yourself alone,Do not deny to me Your eternal beauty

Ya Allâh!

I Have Not SleptRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

Ishq Allah Mahbud lillah. [“God is Love, Lover, and Beloved.”]

O God,Another night is passing away,Another Day is rising—Tell me that I have spent the Night well so I can be at peace,Or that I have wasted it, so I can mourn for what is lost.I swear that ever since the first day You brought me back to life,The day You became my Friend,I have not slept—And even if You drive me from your door,I swear again that we will never be separated—Because you are alive in my heart.

The Song of the ThunderRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

Allahu Akbar! [“Allah is the Greatest!”]

O God,Whenever I listen to the voice of anything You have made—The rustling of the treesThe trickling of waterThe cries of birdsThe flickering of shadowThe roar of the windThe song of the thunder,I hear it saying: God is One! Nothing can be compared with God!

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The One Who Tastes, KnowsRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

In love, nothing exists between breast and Breast.Speech is born out of longing,True description from the real taste.The one who tastes, knows;The one who explains, lies.How can you describe the true form of SomethingIn whose presence you are blotted out?And in whose being you still exist?And who lives as a sign for your journey?

It’s Spring, Rabi’aRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

“It’s Spring, Rabi’a—Why not come outside,And look at all the beauty God has made!”

“Why not come inside instead, serving girlAnd see the One who made it all—Naked, without veil.”

Ya Ghânî! [“O Gardener!”]

O Captain of My HeartRabi’a al-’Adawiyya, translation by Charles Upton

My Joy—My Hunger—My shelter—My Friend—My Food for the Journey—My Journey’s End—You are my breath,My hope,My companion,My craving,My abundant wealth.Without You—My Life, my Love—I would never have wandered across these endless

countries.

You have poured out so much grace for me,Done me so many favors, given me so many gifts—I look everywhere for Your love—Then suddenly I am filled with it.O Captain of my Heart,Radiant Eye of Yearning in my breast,I will never be free from YouAs long as I live.Be satisfied with me, LoveAnd I am satisfied.

Ya Allâh. Amin.

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Miguel Felipe, ConductorMiguel Ángel Felipe was born and began his musical studies in Ann Arbor, Michi-

gan. Today, Dr. Felipe is Interim Choral Director and Visiting Lecturer in Music at Mt. Holyoke College, Associate Director of Choral Studies at The Boston Conservatory, Ar-tistic Director and Conductor of the Boston Choral Ensemble, and Assistant Conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum at Harvard University. He has conducted choirs at the University of Cincinnati, Boston University, The Boston Conservatory, Brown University, and Harvard University. He has led community choirs in Maine, Massachusetts, and Ohio, and has served as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the eastern US and in Southeast Asia.

Felipe studied at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy where earned a diplo-ma in piano. Felipe graduated from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he earned a Bachelor of Music, summa cum laude. After relocating to Boston, Felipe attended the Pierre Monteux School and studied conducting at Boston University where he earned his graduate degrees studying with Dr. Ann Howard Jones, David Hoose, Craig Smith, and Joseph Flummerfelt.

As a performer, Felipe advocates for new music and has commissioned and premiered dozens of works for chamber orchestra; wind ensemble; women’s, men’s, and mixed chorus. In 2007 Felipe established—and con-tinues to direct—the Boston Choral Ensemble Commission Competition: the Northeast’s largest choral commis-sioning project of its kind. As a researcher and teacher, Felipe’s research interests focus on choral innovations in Indonesia, choral societies’ influence in cultural development, and conducting pedagogy.

Mark Gionfriddo, AccompanistMark Gionfriddo is well known to Western Massachusetts concertgoers as an accomplished pianist, ac-

companist, composer, arranger, and musical director. His versatility and knowledge of many musical styles has brought him together with a wide range of popular and classical artists through the years, among them Mitzi Gaynor, Liberace, Al Martino, Anna Moffo, Samuel Baron and Garrison Keillor.

A native of Holyoke, MA, Mr. Gionfriddo started piano studies at the age of four, began performing at six, and directed his first musical project at twelve. He has since directed numerous area community, high school and prep school productions [Beehive and Some Enchanted Evening, Stage West/CityStage; Sweeney Todd, Williston Theatre; and Cabaret and Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well, MHC Theatre Arts are recent examples.] His adventures while as-sistant conductor on board Cunard’s MS Royal Viking Sun brought him around the world to 30 countries.

Mr. Gionfriddo received his Bachelor’s Degree in Piano from Skidmore College and Masters Degree in Ac-companying from UMASS/Amherst. He has been based at Mount Holyoke College since 1986 where he is a Senior Instructor in Jazz Piano, Director and Founder of the Mount Holyoke College Jazz Ensemble, and Music Depart-ment Staff Accompanist.

His classical and jazz arrangements, both vocal and instrumental, have been premiered in Boston, New York City, New Orleans, Nashville and Washington DC by the Mount Holyoke Glee Club, the Hampshire College Cho-rus, and the Hampshire Choral Society of Northampton MA. His two-piano arrangements of the orchestral suites from Bizet’s Carmen were featured on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today”.

Americ Goh, ComposerAmeric Goh, composer, began his compositional studies in Singapore under the tutelage of Dr. John Sharpley

and Goh Toh-Chai at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. He also received further instruction from renowned musicians Leong Yoon-Pin and Jennifer Tham. Goh is currently studying composition under Gerd Kühr at the

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University for Music and Dramatic Arts (Graz, Austria), where he also receives further instructions from Peter Ablinger, Clemens Gadenstätter, Florian Gessler and Johannes Kern.

He would like to express his utmost thanks to Miguel Felipe and the singers for this wonderful opportunity.

Beckie Markarian, Choral AssistantBeckie Markarian was appointed Assistant to the Director of Choral Ensembles at Mount Holyoke College in

2009. Markarian graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2007 as a Music and Psychology double major. She began her studies at Mount Holyoke as a flute/piccolo player studying under Adrianne Greenbaum, performing with the Orchestra (serving as the Social Chair, Manager, and President), Flute Choir, Klezmer Ensemble, and various wind quintets. She was selected to perform as a soloist with the MHC Orchestra for Doppler’s Andante and Allegro (2005) and Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto (2007) and performed in the debut of Five Things by Eve Beglarian (2005.) Markari-an also pursued vocal studies while at Mount Holyoke, performing with the Glee Club and Chamber Singers, and serving as the Alto 2 section leader. Markarian was the recipient of the Dorothy Chancellor Currey Scholarship, the Music Department Prize, and the Helen Blyth Hazen Music Prize II.

Since graduating from Mount Holyoke College, Markarian has continued to perform as a local musician, working with The Commonwealth Opera, The Exit 7 Players, the Amherst Choral Society, and the South Hadley Chorale. She has guest conducted with the Center Church choir, directed the Mount Holyoke Handbell Choir, and served as Choral Assistant to Catherine Melhorn with the South Hadley’s Children’s Choir in 2007.

Forrest Pierce, ComposerForrest Pierce composes genre-defying music steeped in Sufi mysticism and

contemporary virtuosity. Sincere, often triadic, and blatantly tuneful, it draws on both non-western and rock-era traditions to depict an authentic world of sacred unity and natural beauty. His works have been performed in sacred and concert settings around the world, on noteworthy concert series and by diverse ensembles such as Brave New Works, the Chamber Players of the Society of New Music/ISCM, the BMOP chamber series, DuoSolo, the Chamber Orchestras of Portland and Kansas City, the Indianapolis and Walla Walla Symphonies, the Concord Ensemble, the Seattle New Music Ensemble, the Oregon and Northwest Repertory Singers, the Boston Choral Ensemble, the Dublin and Canadian International Organ Competitions, Songfest, and by numerous distin-guished soloists in North America and abroad.

Pierce is the past resident composer of the Seattle New Music Ensemble and the founding artistic director of Portland’s Friends of Rain Contemporary Ensemble. His

catalog is led by over 50 works for voices, including operatic, choral, and solo vocal forces.

Upcoming works include settings of the Shir Hashirim for the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. Pierce teaches on the faculty of the University of Kansas School of Music, and was educated at the University of Puget Sound, the University of Minnesota, and Indiana University.

Michael Schachter, ComposerMichael Schachter was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1987. Among various musical interests, he has

studied piano with Faina Kofman and composition with Alla Elana Cohen, both of whom never ceased to remind him what music is really for. Michael graduated from Harvard University in June 2009. He has spent much of the past year in India, where he has been studying Carnatic music, the classical tradition of South India. He also enjoys racquet sports and good friends.

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above: Lippo d’Andrea (Italian, ca. 1370/71-1451) Virgin and Child Enthoned with Saints John the Baptist and Nicholas of Bari (detail) Tempera and gold on panel, ca. 1410, Middlebury College Museum of Art

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