American University Chamber Singers
Parallel Universes:
Scientific Discovery & Musical Thought
A choral-multimedia performance exploring millennia of intersections
between great science and its musical counterparts
Daniel Abraham, conductor & director of choral activities
November 16, 2013, at 8 p.m.
November 17, 2013, at 3 p.m.
Abramson Family Recital Hall, Katzen Arts Center
program
Albert Einstein on Religion, Art, and Science
FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH
The Spheres from Sunrise Mass [2010]
SIR ISAAC NEWTON (1642-1727)
Sound All Ye Spheres from Welcome, glorious morn [1691]
On Newton
Ring Out Ye Crystal Spheres
SUNSPOTS
On Sunspots
Immortal Bach [1998]
Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
William Crotch (1775-1847)
J.S. Bach (1685-1750) adapted by Knut Nystedt (b. 1915)
GALILEO GALILEI (1564-1642)
The Young Galileo [1977] (text: Ray Bradbury)
Mark Gresham (b. 1956)
TIME & RELATIVITY
Zeno’s Paradox
Time Pieces, No. 1 “Tempus” [2003]
Stephen Chatman (b. 1950)
(text: Auctoritates Aristotelis)
William Shakespeare, Sonnet XIX
“Quantum Lyric Montage: Einstein Ruminates on Relativity” from Quantum Lyrics by
A. Van Jordan
The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.
Please turn off cell phones and pagers.
program
LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519)
Ave Maria...virgo serena [c. 1480]
Leonardo on Flight
Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machines [2002]
(text: Charles Anthony Silvestri) Josquin des Pres (c. 1450/5-1521)
Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)
INTERMISSION
IONIZATION
Northern Lights [2010] (text: Song of Solomon 6:3-4a)
Gjeilo
“The Truth About Northern Lights” from Alaskaphrenia (2004) by Christina Hume
PROPORTION & DESIGN
DuFay, Proportion, and Brunelleschi’s Dome
Nuper rosarum flores [1436]
Guillaume DuFay (?1397-1474)
QUANTUM MECHANICS
Particle Detectors as Cathedrals to Science and Quantum Mechanics
“Kondalilla” from Great Southern Spirit [1991]
Stephen Leek (b. 1959)
VISIONS OF SPACE
Madrigals for the Space Age [1972] (text: Ray Bradbury)
I. I walk in Space (narrator)
II. Dark rock on flint and stone (chorus & piano)
III. We search and find (narrator)
IV. The rocket bursts in Space (chorus & piano)
Excerpt from Cosmos by (1980) Carl Sagan
Astronaut Anthem [1985]
THE MEANING OF STARS
Frost and Mind Over Matter
Choose Something Like a Star [1959]
(text: Robert Frost)
Herbert Spencer and Albert Einstein on Beauty
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Lalo Schifrin (b. 1932)
Meredith Monk (b. 1942)
Randall Thompson (1899-1984)
foreign text translations
The Spheres from Sunrise Mass
Kyrie eléison
Christe eléison
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Immortal Bach
Komm, süsser Tod.
Komm, sel’ ger Ruh’.
Komm führe mich in Friede.
Come sweet death.
Come blessed rest.
Come lead me to peace.
Tempus
Tempus est mensura motus rerum
mobilium.
Time is the means of measuring moving
things.
—Auctoritates Aristotelis
Ave Maria...virgo serena
Ave maria, gratia plena: tio,
Ave cuius conceptio,
Hail Mary, full of grace
Hail, whose conception,
Solemni plena gaudio,
Coelestia, terrestria
Nova replet laetitia.
full of great jubilation,
fills Heaven and Earth
with new joy.
Ave cuius nativitas
Nostra fuit solemnitas,
Ut lucifer lux oriens
Verum solem praeveniens.
Hail, whose birth
brought us joy,
as Lucifer, the morning star,
went before the true sun.
Ave pia humilitas,
Sine viro fecunditas,
Cuius annunciatio,
Nostra fuit salvatio.
Hail, pious humility,
fruitful without a man,
whose Annunciation
brought us salvation.
Ave vera virginitas,
Immaclata castitas,
Cuius purificatio
Nostra fuit purgatio.
Hail, true virginity,
immaculate chastity,
whose purification
brought our cleansing.
Ave praeclara omnibus
Angelicis virtutibus,
Cuius fuit assumptio
Nostra glorificatio
Hail, glorious one
in all angelic virtues,
whose Assumption
was our glorification.
O Mater Dei,
memento mei. Amen.
O Mother of God,
remember me. Amen.
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foreign text translations
Northern Lights
Pulchra es amica mea,
suavis et decora sicut Jerusalem,
terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata.
Averte oculos tuos a me
quia ipsi me avolare fecerunt
Thou art beautiful, O my love,
sweet and comely as Jerusalem,
terrible as an army set in array.
Turn away thy eyes from me,
for they have made me flee away.
—Song of Solomon 6:3-4a
Nuper rosarum flores
Nuper rosarum flores
Ex dono pontificis
Hieme licet horrida
Tibi, virgo coelica,
Pie et sancte deditum
Grandis templum machinae
Condecorarunt perpetim.
Recently garlands of roses
A gift of the Pope
Although in a terrible winter
Decorate this church
Forever dedicated to you
Heavenly virgin, pious and holy—
This church with its great dome.
Hodie vicarius
Jesu Christi et Petri
Successor Eugenius
Hoc idem amplissimum
Sacris templum manibus
Sanctisque liquoribus
Consecrare dignatus est.
Today the vicar
Of Jesus Christ and
The successor of Peter, Eugenius,
Is honoured to consecrate
This same vast
Church with his holy hands
And with holy libations.
Igitur, alma parens
Nati tui et filia,
Mundo quicquam exorarit
Therefore dear mother
Of your son, and his daughter at the same
time,
Virgin the honour of virgins,
Your devoted people
Of Florence pray to you
That anyone tortured by sickness, in mind
or body,
Who should ask anything of you,
Oratione tua
Cruciatus et meritis
tui secundum carnem
Nati domini sui
Grata beneficia
Veniamque reatum
Accipere mereatur. Amen.
By your prayer
And your merits
Should be deserving to receive
By the flesh
Of your Son our Lord
His gracious blessing
And the forgiveness of sins. Amen.
Virgo decus virginum,
Tuus te Florentiae
Devotus orat populus,
Ut qui mente et corpore
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american university chamber singers
Daniel Abraham, director of choral activities
Matthew Van Hoose, chambers singer accompanist
Natasha Maskaly, choral manager
Sopranos
Cienna Breen*
Carrollton, Texas
BA International Studies,
BA Sociology ’14
Nicole Cherecwich
Barrington, Illinois
BA Anthropology,
BA Music ’17
Caroline Duchin
Sharon, Massachusetts
MA Latin American Studies,
MA Spanish ’15
Colleen Evans
St. Louis, Missouri
BA Music (Vocal Performance),
BS Business Administration ’14
Arielle Finegold
Centennial, Colorado
BA Philosophy ’14
Asha Kelton
Waldorf, Maryland
BA Psychology ’16
Lindsay Kemp
Honolulu, Hawaii
BA Music
(Vocal Performance) ’16
Sarah Wirshup
Glenmoore, Pennsylvania
BA Music (Vocal Performance),
BA Psychology ’15
Tenors
Nick Bohmann
Houghton, Michigan
BA International Relations ’16
Gregory Borowski
Annandale, New Jersey
BA Political Science ’16
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Vincent Kovach
Clearfield, Pennsylvania
BA International Studies ’17
Robert Sheehan*
Germantown, Tennessee
BA Music (Vocal Performance),
BA Arts Administration ’14
Ian C. Urriola
Rochester, New York
BA Music
(Vocal Performance) ’14
Christopher Waldron
Atlanta, Georgia
BS Biochemistry ’17
Altos
Charlotte Bergmann
Norwalk, Connecticut
BA Broadcast Journalism,
BA Spanish Studies ’16
Annika Bergstrom
Denver, Colorado
BS Public Health ’15
Catie DeLiso
San Francisco, California
BA Business,
BA Music ’16
Rachael Grubbs
Dallas, Texas
BA Sociology ’15
Emily Morgan
South Russell, Ohio
BA International Studies,
BA Music
(Vocal Performance) ’17
Hilary Morrow*
Angier, North Carolina
BA Musical Theatre ’14
Rebekah Revello
Chicago, Illinois
BA Public
Communications ’16
Tessa Youngs
Santa Monica, California
BA International
Relations ’17
Bass
Keegan Amrine
Gig Harbor, Washington
BA International Studies ’15
David D’Auria
Hebron, Connecticut
BS Economics,
BS Mathematics ’16
Riordan Frost*
St. Paul, Minnesota
PhD Public
Administration ’17
Anthony Nimmo
Bellmawr, New Jersey
BS Biology ’17
Robert Patterson
Pittstown, New Jersey
MPA Public
Administration ’15
Daniel Sepulveda
Visalia, California
BA Political Science ’17
Travis Volz
Whitehall, Montana
BS Physics,
BS Mathematics ’14
* Section Leader
biographies
Daniel Abraham (conductor) is associate professor of music and director of choral
activities in the Department of Performing Arts at American University. He has garnered
praise for his performances from many noteworthy sources, including Gramophone, The
Washington Post, Choral Journal, BBC Magazine, Fanfare, BBC Radio 3, American Record
Review, and Early Music America. The late critic Joseph McLellan once remarked that
as a conductor and musicologist, “Abraham blends those skills marvelously in programs
that combine learning with enjoyment in ideal proportions. The Washington Post has
praised his performances as having “uncommon precision and exuberant vitality,” being
“bright, energetic, and lovingly shaped,” and showing “keen insight and coherence.”
As a conductor and scholar, he has often sought out works previously unknown to
present-day audiences and has been responsible for numerous international, North
American, and regional early music premieres with many performances using materials
edited from primary manuscript sources. He has conducted two performances before
the national meeting of the American Musicological Society and has been broadcast
nationally on NPR’s Performance Today, Sunday Baroque, Great Sacred Music, and across
the FM, satellite, and Sirius spectrums. He has conducted at the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts, the Music Center at Strathmore, the National Women’s
Museum of the Arts, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the Arts Club of
Washington, Cosmos Club, and many other major venues in the eastern United States.
He has prepared choruses for national television broadcasts including the Kennedy
Center Honors Gala and Christmas in Washington, and has appeared on the nationally
syndicated series History Detectives during its initial season.
With various ensembles, he has presented concerts abroad in Canada, Germany, Spain,
Portugal, Hungary, Romania, the Russian Federation, and Egypt. He is a sought-after
clinician who has given master classes and clinics throughout the United States, Canada,
and Europe. Abraham’s five commercial recordings with the Bach Sinfonia appear on the
Dorian & Sono Luminus labels.
Hailed by the Baltimore Sun for his “spirited and polished playing,” Matthew Van
Hoose (chamber singers accompanist and collaborative pianist) has established himself
as one of the most sought-after pianists in the Baltimore-Washington area, demonstrating
an extraordinary ability to perform both as a soloist and a collaborative artist.
Van Hoose has performed in numerous solo and chamber recitals in the United States
and Canada. He has performed with members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
as part of the Candlelight Concert Series and with the Post-Classical Ensemble. He
has appeared as concerto soloist with the Virginia Symphony, the NIH Philharmonia,
the Virginia Beach Pops Orchestra, the Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra,
and the Indiana University Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with many worldrenowned artists, including flutist Jonathan Snowden and clarinetist Loren Kitt, and
has performed at many venues in the Baltimore-Washington area, such as the Kennedy
Center, the Mansion at Strathmore, and the Lyceum. Van Hoose has won prizes at
several competitions, including an honorable mention in the 2002 Bartok-KabalevskyProkofiev International Piano Competition.
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biographies
He earned a bachelor’s of music in piano performance and a bachelor’s in economics
from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, and he received a doctorate of music
in piano performance and a master’s of music from Indiana University. He has studied
and performed at such prestigious music festivals as Chautauqua, Sarasota, and KentBlossom. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Van Hoose is also on the faculty of Sidwell
Friends School and is also the ballpark organist for the Washington Nationals.
Founded by James McLain, the Choral Ensembles of American University have
flourished under the outstanding leadership of many of the region’s most celebrated
directors, including Paul Calloway, Norman Scribner, Vito Mason, Paul Hill, Sondra
Proctor, and Elise Eisenhower. Under the direction of Daniel Abraham since 2000, the
American University choral program continues to prosper and sustain its tradition of
excellence in music performance in the liberal arts setting.
The American University Chamber Singers is a select ensemble open to music
majors, as well as those with a significant music background from across the campus and
students studying music within American University. Chosen by audition, the ensemble
is known for its wide repertoire of music featuring different musical styles and periods,
including choral-orchestral literature with a particular emphasis on early music and a
cappella works, as well as renissance motets, Romantic anthems and part songs, folk
arrangements, spirituals, and highly challenging contemporary composition. Recent
notable engagements include an appearance as the invited select ensemble for the 2006
Washington, D.C., Choral Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts, performances for both the 25th and 30th anniversaries of Mothers Against Drunk
Driving’s “Celebration of Life” at the Ronald Reagan Center, and performances with the
National Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to domestic touring, the AU Chamber
Singers have a long tradition of cultural diplomacy through international performance,
including concert tours to South America and Mexico and, most recently, to Hungary
and Romania (2009), Spain and Portugal (2011), and the Russian Federation (2013),
where they presented 11 concerts including an a cappella program and concerts with
three Russian regional orchestras.
program credits
Program Concept and Design: Daniel Abraham
Audio Design and Visual Support: Ethan Hicks
Science and Literary Assistance:
Nathan Harshman, chair, Department of Physics
Richard Sha, professor, Department of Literature
Readings:
Nathan Harshman, chair, Department of Physics
Caleen Jennings, professor, Department of Performing Arts
Richard Sha, professor, Department of Literature
Ulysses J. Sofia, associate dean of research and department chair, Department of
Computer Science
Jeffrey Tarr, voice faculty, Department of Performing Arts
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we applaud you
This list includes gifts made to the Department of Performing Arts by individuals, estates, foundations, corporations, and other organizations during the fiscal year ending April 30, 2013.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list. Please report inadvertent errors or
omissions to Amanda Riddle at riddle@american.edu or 202-885-6607.
Johanna T. Aldrich ’92
Freddie Mac
Denise M. McDaniel P and Carolyn S. Alper ’68 G ov
Eula George P
Denis S. McDaniel P
Apogee Productions
Jean R. Glover MA ’89
Diane McDonald
Susanne R. Baker MA ’72
James S. Grant MA ’70 and Clarence McFerren « MA ’05
Alison Martyn and James T. Martha Grant v
Carl Menninger «
Banks v
John W. Hancock MA ’89 v
Bridget G. Miskell ’11
Mary A. Bever and Peter J. Maureen A. Hannigan P and Angela B. Moon ’76 and James Bever
Robert M. Hannigan P
M. Moon ’75
Suanne D. Beyda and C.
Gisela B. Huberman JD ’80 and Valerie B. Morris ’68 and Boris Richard Beyda
Benjamin Huberman o
Bohun-Chudyniv MA ’76
Jennifer M. Bognar MA ’96 v Melissa A. Hungerford ’79
John S. Patton PhD ’63 and Marla Boren « MA ’99 and Paul Ronne Jacobs ’60 and A. C. Mary Miller Patton « ov
W. Boren v
Jacobs
Pearl R. Rance-Reardon MFA Vera Borkovec « MA ’66 v
Janet K. Jarvis
’96 and Michael J. Reardon
Randee F. Breiter ’88 and
Caleen Jennings « and Carl Julia T. Richie
Russell A. Breiter ’88
Jennings «
Markley Roberts MA ’60,
Colette A. Christie P and Gary Jayson A. Johnson « MA ’03
PhD ’70
D. Christie P
Gregory S. Kellner ’05
Vincent A. Russo ’02
Citydance Ensemble
Marjorie M. Kellner ’66 and Yvonne M. Sabine ’66
Mary Ellen Condon ’66 v
John Kellner
Maureen J. Salamack P and Delna K. Dastur MFA ’78 and Kathleen M. Kennedy-Corey « Donald J. Salamack P v
Kersy B. Dastur
’73, MBA ’80 and Chadwick Heidi Schimpf « MA ’01
Diane Y. Defries ’79
E. Wyatt v
Audrey Ricketts Schinkel Elliot P. Denniberg ’59 and Joy Cornelius M. Kerwin « ’71 P ’55, MA ’59 and Norman H. S. Denniberg
and Ann L. Kerwin ’71 P ov
Schinkel v
Sandra H. Dewey « P and John Marie P. Kissick and Ralph L. Michael H. Schwartz
C. Dewey v
Kissick v
Bernard Shire P
Deborah Dranove P and David Zachary S. Kopin «
Lily Shuman
S. Dranove P
Ryan L. Korn ’10
Jeff Stern
Michael Draungue
Jane S. Kornblut ’64 and Arthur Katrina S. Toews « MA ’00
Joanna M. Driggs ’60 and John T. Kornblut *
Gail P. Tompkins ’60 and A. Driggs o
Anne L. Krueger P and Anthony Charles H. Tompkins v
Driggs Foundation
Corapi P
Steven Varon « ’00
Doreen M. Duarte-Zebdi MA ’95 Therese B. Leasburg
Helen Wachs and Martin Wachs
Alycia B. Ebbinghaus « ’05,
Sandre Lustine
Ellen Wilmarth ’85 v
MA ’07
Judith W. Maxfield ’55 and Ruth L. Zetlin ’79
David W. Maxfield
v The 1893 Society recognizes the commitment of loyal donors with five or more consecutive years of giving and the
significant role they play in sustaining university life.
o Individuals who have made cumulative contributions totaling $100,000 or more are lifetime members of the
President’s Circle.
* Deceased
« Current or former faculty or staff
P AU parent
G AU grandparent
H Honorary degree recipient
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