Reflections

Sometimes,
when the mountains
reflect on rivers,
you can find out things
you never knew before.
There are flowers up there,
rocks like clouds,
a little snow becomes a creek
and grows into a river.

— Lindsay Ryder

The foundation of this year’s YIY project is Lindsay Ryder’s poem Reflections, which expresses her love for nature. According to Ryder, “Some people like the ocean, some like the desert, I am in love with the mountains — they take my breath away. I find peace and connect with God the strongest when I am surrounded by nature.” Considering that Ryder grew up in Bend, Oregon, it’s no surprise that she finds spiritual peace and inspiration in the mountains (see the photo above): ”I think it is a beautiful thing how the world takes care of itself — the snow on the mountains becomes the rivers and streams that support our lives.”

In light of Ryder’s comments, it’s perhaps no coincidence that Dale Trumbore’s SSA composition, Reflections, places a clear emphasis on the last two lines of the poem: “A little snow becomes a creek and grows into a river.” During the creative process, Trumbore and WomenSing’s director Martín Benvento had an interesting email exchange regarding the music at the end of the piece. Benvenuto writes: “[I] wonder if being anticlimactic here would work dramatically, i.e. resist the more obvious “grows into a river” image, and let it all gradually trickle down, reflecting more the organic flow of things that the poem describes.“ In response Trumbore writes: “I’d been debating what to do with the ending…; I very much like your suggestion … which will likely serve the piece better than a big, climactic chord at that moment.” In the end, Trumbore followed her instinct and concluded the piece with a beautiful, but understated piano solo.

While Anastasia Pahos uses the text of the poem Reflections throughout her piece, she renamed the composition Isle of the Bless’d. This name distinguishes her composition from Trumbore’s and piques our curiosity about the decision. When asked about the new title, Pahos mentions “heavenly souls/celestial beings which dwell in (or haunt) a beautiful valley,” perhaps encouraging a more mythological interpretation of the poem. Written for four treble voices (SSAA) as well as two soloists, the piece often divides further into six voices for the chorus, resulting in a texture that Benvenuto described to singers as “highly imaginative” and “tricky, but cool.” Pahos herself describes the piece as a “cross between Gregorian chant, requiem, cultural dance and film.” During the first rehearsals singers also noticed an interesting technique Pahos uses with the lyrics, giving one voice the first syllable of a word to sing and a different voice the second syllable.

Throughout the rehearsal process, the singers are sure to develop a better understanding and appreciation for the different musical and artistic choices Trumbore and Pahos made. Will there be a favorite? Will one piece more clearly reflect the original inspiration of the poem? Will this choice be completely dependent on the musical taste of the listener or the singer? Decide for yourself by attending the composer workshop on April 28 with Libby Larsen and Sandra Milliken and the spring concert, Full Circle, on June 3 and 6 where WomenSing will present the world premieres of both pieces.

In its 46th year, WomenSing’s 2011-12 season Songlines continues to explore the world and its connections through both traditional and unexpected music. In early June we will come Full Circle, featuring Sarah Hopkin’s Past Life Melodies, along with music by Mechem, Brahms, featured Australian composer Sandra Milliken’s Fanfare of Praise, and a world premiere to celebrate Martín Benvenuto’s 10th anniversary as artistic director of WomenSing! Acalanes High School Bella Voce and the Contra Costa Children’s Chorus Honors Ensemble will join us in unveiling our fourth-year Youth Inspiring Youth commissions. Scholarships are available for qualified singers.

WomenSing is holding auditions on January 10, 2012 and by appointment for experienced singers. All voice parts are welcome. Contact us by email at audition@womensing.org, call our voice mail 925.974.9169, or read the Audition page for more information.

Check out our new Singer Spotlight feature to learn more about the women who enjoy singing with WomenSing.

Descends the Snow includes two pieces by internationally acclaimed Australian composer Sandra Milliken, the featured composer throughout WomenSing’s 2011-2012 concert season. Ms. Milliken’s composition, Snowflakes, is an evocative and haunting musical interpretation of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem. WomenSing is pleased to be one of the first choruses to perform Ms. Milliken’s lively Hodie Christus Natus Est, just composed and published within the past year. Also on the program is Five Hebrew Love Songs by well-known American composer, Eric Whitacre. Composed while Whitacre was living in the Swiss Alps, the piece is a sentimental setting of several Hebrew love poems written by Whitacre’s wife, Hila Plitmann, and features stunning harmonies for violin and choir. Along with other beautiful pieces depicting a winter landscape, WomenSing will present David Conte’s delightful Christmas Intrada, a festive medley of carols for treble chorus and four-hand piano.

Order your tickets online now! $25 for premium seats, $20 for general admission, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students/youth 18 and under.

Tickets are available online, by email, or through the singer of your choice.

Where in the World is WomenSing?

WomenSing’s annual fundraiser is fast approaching on Sunday, October 16. Our theme this year is Where in the World is WomenSing? The event features both live and silent auctions as well as entertainment and, of course, delicious food and drink.

This year WomenSing is very excited to present SoVoSó, a highly visual and imaginative a cappella vocal band that sings a compelling mix of rhythm and blues, world-jazz, pop, gospel, and improvisational music. Culturally diverse, each member of the quintet is a skilled soloist and composer in his or her own right, trained in widely varying musical genres that equally enrich and strengthen the group as a whole.

SoVoSó

Originally assembled in 1986 by renowned vocalist Bobby McFerrin, members of SoVoSó performed with McFerrin in his a cappella group Voicestra until 1993. Two members of SoVoSó sang on the 1997 McFerrin release “Circlesongs” and continue to tour with Mcferrrin as part of this ensemble. The group has evolved and shaped its own musical style since then, renaming themselves SoVoSó (from the “Soul to the Voice to the Song”) in 1994. The ensemble’s foundation is rooted in the art of circle singing, in which ensemble support for improvised solos is created through inter-locking patterns that are spontaneously composed. In addition to its own style of free-form, collective improvisation. In concert, SoVoSó captivates audiences with their natural playfulness, humor, and unpredictability.

Join us for a unique musical evening and help WomenSing raise funds for the 2011-20112 season of Songlines and Youth Inspiring Youth. Get tickets and details now!

Get to know WomenSing by listening online and reviewing our recent repertoire. We recommend that prospective singers attend a rehearsal or concert before requesting an audition. If you feel you are a good fit with WomenSing and are interested in auditioning, just fill out the online form. As soon as we receive your information, we will send you our season schedule for your review before setting up an audition appointment. Or, you can contact us by email at audition@womensing.org or call our voice mail at 925-974-9169. Learn more about the audition process.

Our featured composer this year is Sandra Milliken. Her music is fresh and imaginative, written with the sound of expressive voices in mind; Milliken is a composer whose skills as a choral conductor are clearly apparent. Descends the Snow in December will feature a broad range of seasonal music celebrating the mystery and beauty of winter landscapes. Snowflakes by Milliken is an evocative and beautiful setting of a Longfellow poem (listen to this soundbite), and her lively Hodie Christus natus est for SSAA, triangle and tambour, is fresh off the press (just composed in 2011). You will feel the flame of love with the stunning harmonies of Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs, we will bring back the spacious Christine Donkin Magnificat, and traditional works by Duruflé and Elgar will complement. We will close with snow-related festive holiday fare, and David Conte’s Christmas Intrada, a delightful potpourri of carols for SSAA chorus and four-hand piano.

In early June we will come Full Circle, which will be our concert theme. We will feature Sarah Hopkin’s Past Life Melodies, the Australian piece that has taken the choral world by storm. Its open-throat singing, earthy drones, and aboriginally inspired overtone singing will definitely be the unexpected (check out Chanticleer performing this piece). Along with that we will travel three continents with music by Mechem, Brahms, and Milliken’s Fanfare of Praise, and a world premiere of Bright Stars are Rising, commissioned to celebrate Martín Benvenuto’s 10th anniversary as artistic director of WomenSing! Acalanes High School Bella Voce and the Contra Costa Children’s Chorus Honors Ensemble will join us in unveiling our fourth-year YIY commissions by Anastasia Pahos (Australia) and Dale Trumbore (U.S.), both writing a setting of the beautiful River of Words poem Reflections.

For a complete list of concert dates and locations, check out the Current Season page.

WomenSing has also added an international component to this year’s Youth Inspiring Youth project. We actively recruited young composers from both Australia and the U.S., selecting one winner from each country. We invited noted Australian composer Sandra Millliken to mentor the competition winners alongside Libby Larsen, our teaching artist from the past three years. With an expanded creative team and the new one poem/two composers variation we expect this year’s YIY program to be a memorable one!

Learn more about the composers and their mentors.

We are extremely proud of our Youth Inspiring Youth program and thrilled that local organizations such as the Lafayette Community Foundation along with the Arts Commission of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors have recognized our outreach efforts within the local community to encourage the composition of new music for treble voices. Read more about our YIY program or, better yet, attend Stepping Westward, WomenSing’s spring concert, to hear the premieres of two new YIY compositions, A Precious Pearl by Lauren McLaren and Moon Songs by Nick Norton.