Building Bridges
January 28, 29, and 30, 2005
Sundin Hall, Hamline University
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Our Building Bridges concert series explored the connection between choral music and dance through a collaboration with Kairos Dance Theatre. Kairos is an intergenerational dance company founded in 1999 by Artistic Director Maria Genné. Kairos performers span four generations, ranging in age from 4 to 90 years old--making Kairos an excellent fit with our community chorus. Kairos' work is informed by modern dance, folk dance traditions from around the world, and movement and storytelling improvisation techniques and we are excited to partner with them for this concert.
One Voice sings with pure joy and is pure joy to experience. The group truly has the ability to bring people together - accomplishing the most important and noble of musical goals.
--Libby Larsen, founder of the American Composer's Forum
Program
SET ONE
Bridging
Poem by Marge Piercy
Reader: Allan Warrior
The Dream Keeper
Text by Langston Hughes
Music by Dave Brubeck
Solo: Eileen Klenner
Dave Brubeck’s contributions to the jazz world are numerous. He had the first million-selling jazz record in modern jazz history, reawakening public interest in jazz after World War II. Mostly a self-taught musician, Brubeck studied music at California’s College of the Pacific, but managed to graduate without learning to read music.
Let Us Be United & We Are The Mirror
Music by Christopher Gable
Texts from the Rig Veda (approximately c. 300-c. 415) and the poetry of Rumi (13th century)
These pieces are part of a larger choral cantata called From the Reeds, originally composed for chorus and chamber orchestra. Minneapolis composer Chris Gable arranged them for this concert and we were honored to work with him in the rehearsal process.
Reflections on Building Bridges
Cheryl Winch & Sam Bullington
King for a Day
Words & music by Jason Shelton
Solos: Angie Galik, Eileen Klenner, Darcy Juhl, Jennifer Andrade
Ensemble: Michael Dodson, Kevin Reardon
Inspired by the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Shelton’s composition inspires us to work for justice and make King’s dream a reality.
Will You Harbor Me?
By Ysaye Barnwell
Performed by OVation: Jennifer Andrade, Chris Dart, Spencer Putney, Jim Slater, Kristin Schweiloch, John Sorlien, Cheryl Winch
Teacher, vocal clinician, producer and composer, Ysaye Barnwell has performed with Sweet Honey in the Rock since 1979. She has composed and arranged music on more than fourteen recordings and for 20 years has offered workshops throughout the U.S. on singing in the African American tradition.
Reflections on Building Bridges
Jane Ramseyer Miller
Seize the Day
Lyrics by Jack Feldman
Music by Alan Menken
Arranged by Roger Emerson
Assistant Director: Joy MacArthur
The Disney movie Newsies tells the story of newsboys in 1899 who strike against their publisher for better wages. The story offers a captivating illustration of the weak and oppressed challenging those in power by banding together.
I Do
By Eric Lane Barnes
One Voice first heard this song at the GALA Festival in Montreal last July. It was a huge hit on our greater Minnesota tour, which occurred three days after the November elections and the passage of constitutional amendments banning gay marriage in 11 states.
I Dream a World
Words by Langston Hughes
Music by Rosephanye Powell
Reader: Spencer Putney
Rosephanye Powell is a composer and a professor of voice at Auburn College in Alabama. She was featured as one of five African American women composers in a panel discussion at the University of Minnesota last Spring, and recommended this composition for One Voice.
INTERMISSION
SET TWO with Kairos Dance Theatre
Dance has been an important component of One Voice performance for all of our 17 year history. We are particularly thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with Kairos Dance Theatre, a group which shares our commitment to diversity and personal expression.
Po Polyu
Traditional, Russian
Translation: A young grey dove flew over a field calling to his love-dove, “come here, little dove of mine. I love the way you walk through the yard. You are like a swan swimming. I love the things you say. Your voice is music to my ears.”
Thank you to Gabriella Sweet and Jana Stow, from Mila vocal ensemble, who assisted with the music transcription and Russian transliteration for this piece and coached our singers on style and pronunciation. A traditional folksong, this percussive arrangement is based on a recording by the vocal ensemble, Kitka.
Dancers: Emily Fischer, Elinor Anderson-Genné, Ira Gordon, James Hamilton, Alisha Houston, Alletta Jervey, Matteo Kelli-Halbesleben, Dennis Kearney, Louann Lanning, Lynne Larsen, Bernadette Murphy, Billy Perkiss, Peter Podulke, Lisette Schlosser
Bridges
Music and lyrics by Bill Staines
Arranged by Jane Ramseyer Miller
Kairos introduced this song to One Voice as a piece they choreographed last year. In fact, Bridges is partly responsible for inspiring our collaboration together.
Dancers: Full Company
Reflections on Building Bridges
AP Hopper & Eileen Klenner
Chindia
By Alexandru Pascanu
This song is perhaps Pas¸canu’s most famous composition. Based on a vigorous and athletic Romanian folk dance, the composer uses nonsensical syllables to create an instrumental sound for voices.
Três Cantos Nativos dos Indios Kraó
By Marcos Leite
Brazilian composer Leite based this composition on melodies sung by the Kraó tribe of the Amazônia forest. The meaning of this text is not known; the words were treated by the composer as a group of phonemes.
Dancers: Full Company
Bridge Over Troubled Water
By Paul Simon
Arranged by Kirby Shaw
Childhood friends Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were born in 1941 in Queens, NY and have enjoyed performing careers as soloists and as a duo. Simon’s beloved Bridge Over Troubled Water won him a Grammy and was seated at the top of the charts for ten weeks.
Words from the Alabama State Capital, March 25, 1965
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Reader: Sam Bullington
We Rise Again
Words and music by Leon Dubinsky
Arranged by Lydia Adams
Solos:
Britt Abel & Steve Garrigan (Fri)
Joy MacArthur & Kevin Wojahn (Sat)
Chad Knutson & Bernadette Murphy (Sun)
We dedicate our closing song to children and youth in each of the schools where One Voice performs this year. May they discover tools to build their own bridges within this diverse world.
Dancers: Ocie Mae Young, Maria Genné, Elinor Anderson-Genné, Jenna Courtney and Full Company
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