Program
Haec dies à 6 by William Byrd (1543-1623)
[text]
Ave Maris Stella by Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
[texts]
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987)
[text]
In the Bleak Midwinter arranged by Abbie Betinis (1980-)
Tune by Gustav Holst (1874-1934); Text by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), John Andrew Story (1935-), and Abbie Betinis (1980-)
Soloists: Alexandria Miller, Ellen DeGennaro, Chrissy Morgan
[text]
Lo, How a Rose / The Rose arranged by Craig Hella Johnson (1962-)
Lo, How a Rose by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621); The Rose by Amanda McBroom (1947-)
Soloist: Kayla Gautereaux
[text]
I Will Light Candles This Christmas by Kim André Arnesen (1980-)
Text by Howard Thurman (1899-1981)
[text]
Carol of the Stranger by Abbie Betinis (1980-)
Text by Michael Dennis Browne (1940-)
Soloist: Latisha Rosabelle; Descant: Jenny Wolahan
[text]
My Heart Be Brave by Marques L. A. Garrett (1984-)
Text by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)
[text]
Audience Carol: Ding Dong! Merrily on High arranged by Charles Wood (1866-1926)
Tune of “Branle de l’Official” from Thoinot Arbeau’s Orchésographie (1588)
Text by George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848-1934)
[text]
Cradle Hymn by Kim André Arnesen (1980-)
Text by Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
[text]
Silent Night arranged by Stephen Paulus (1949-2014)
Tune by Franz Gruber (1787-1863); Text by Joseph Mohr (1792-1848)
Soloists: Thao Nguyen, Xiao Shi
[text]
Our Thanks
We would like to thank the following people and organizations: our donors whose generosity makes our concerts possible; our ushers; Helen McCrady and everyone at Old South; and you, our audience.
Support BCE
We are so grateful to those people who have supported us financially. Please consider donating to BCE as part of your end-of-year giving, so we can continue presenting high-quality, accessible choral performances for Boston audiences.
Boston Choral Ensemble
Boston Choral Ensemble’s mission is to create, preserve, and promote engaging musical experiences. We envision a richer and more diverse choral scene in Greater Boston and beyond.
Katherine Chan, Artistic Director
Australian conductor Dr. Katherine Chan joined BCE as Artistic Director in fall 2022. She is known for her energy and enthusiasm on the podium. As Director of Choral Activities and Associate Teaching Professor of Music at Northeastern University, Chan conducts the Northeastern University Choral Society (Chorus), Chamber Singers, and Mosaic Advance Treble Ensemble, and teaches courses in conducting, music theory, and piano. A sought-after choral clinician, Chan also serves as the R & R Collegiate Chair for American Choral Directors Association’s (ACDA) Eastern Division.
Chan has presented and performed at prestigious international festivals and conventions, including: Australia National Choral Association (ANCA); Choralfest National Convention and state conventions; National Conductors’ Symposium; Canada, and ACDA National Conventions (graduate conducting masterclass with John Nelson, and placed among the top four finalists at the National Graduate Conducting Competition 2017); and All-State Honor Choir Clinician/Conductor. Chan has also been a conducting scholar with Maestro Helmuth Rilling, conducting at Oregon Bach Festival, Taipei Bach Festival, and Hong Kong SingFest. Other notable engagements include work with Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Minnesota Chorale, Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Cantata Singers & Ensemble, Back Bay Chorale, Xi’an Symphony Chorus (China), and selection as one of the top 12 finalists at the 2019 World Choral Conducting Competition, Hong Kong.
Prior to relocating to the United States, Chan was extensively involved in Australia’s choral community, serving on National Council and Queensland & Northern Territory State Committee for Australian National Choral Association (ANCA). She held numerous positions throughout Australia including as musical director of Choral Connection, choir director St Andrew’s Uniting Church, Brisbane, and musical director of the Queensland Chapter of Australia Youth Choir (a division of the National Institute of Youth Performing Arts Australia).
In addition to conducting, Chan also actively performs as a soprano and pianist/accompanist. As a soprano, she toured Italy with the Brisbane Concert Choir and performed as a core member of Fusion Vocal Ensemble, performing at the 10th World Choral Symposium in South Korea in 2014. As a pianist/accompanist, Chan has been a collaborator for Queensland Opera and The Queensland Pops orchestra.
Chan received her Bachelor of Music Performance and Pedagogy in piano from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University, and won numerous awards including the Brisbane Women’s Club and Yvonne Hayson Bursary, the Ruby C. Cooling Piano Bursary, and the M. K. Lassell Piano Scholarship. She received her Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Washington, and Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Minnesota (UMN) under the mentorship of Kathy Saltzman Romey and Matthew Mehaffey.
Leona Cheung, Collaborative Pianist
Leona Cheung is a Boston-based collaborative pianist. She is especially known for her musical leadership and responsiveness while collaborating with singers and conductors. Cheung accompanies ensembles such as the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Children’s Chorus, Boston Conservatory Choir, Northeastern University Choral Society, and MIT Women’s Chorale. In summer of 2022, Cheung worked closely with the GRAMMY® nominated vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire at the Aspen Music Festival. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Cheung earned her Master of Music and Graduate Diploma in Collaborative Piano from New England Conservatory. (www.leonacheung.com)
BCE Board of Directors
Cyndi Sacco & Vardit Samuels, Co-Presidents
Joanna Hamilton, Vice-President
Chris Haimendorf, Treasurer
Kate Melchior, Clerk
Julia Hanna & SarahEmily Pina, Membership Co-Chairs
Alexandria Miller, Auditions Chair
Ben Horkely & Arjun Mudan, Members-At-Large
Singers
Sopranos
Ellen DeGennaro
Julia Hanna
Shannon Hedrick
Ruthlyn Kohn
Siyang Liu
Kate Melchior
Chrissy Morgan
Lydia Narum
Thao Nguyen
SarahEmily Pina
Anna Schwartzberg
Jenny Wolahan
Altos
Kayla Gautereaux
Joanna Hamilton
Susannah Hatch
Joo Hyun Im
Sian Kleindienst
Abby Lebel
Alexandria Miller
Lauren Roller
Latisha Rosabelle
Vardit Samuels
Tenors
Spencer Brooks
Brian Burke
Danny Green
Chris Haimendorf
Ben Horkley
Tim Luo
Dan Shaw
Xiao Shi
Joseph Veneziano
Basses
Arjun Mudan
Ted Nichols
Chris Peters
Nicholas Petersen
Terumi Rafferty-Osaki
Richard Samuels
Sam Wiseman
Texts and Translations
Haec dies à 6 by William Byrd
This is the day which the Lord hath made:
let us be glad and rejoice therein.
Alleluia.
Haec dies quam fecit Dominus:
exultemus et laetemur in ea,
alleluia.
Ave Maris Stella by Edvard Grieg
Hail, star of the sea,
Nurturing Mother of God,
And ever Virgin
Happy gate of Heaven.
Loosen the chains of the guilty,
Send forth light to the blind,
Our evil do thou dispel,
Entreat for us all good things.
Bestow a pure life,
Prepare a safe way,
That seeing Jesus,
We may ever rejoice.
Praise be to God the Father,
To the Most High Christ be glory,
To the Holy Spirit:
Honor to the Three equally. Amen.
Ave, maris stella,
Dei Mater alma,
Atque semper Virgo,
Felix caeli porta.
Solve vincla reis,
Profer lumen caecis,
Mala nostra pelle,
Bona cuncta posce.
Vitam praesta puram,
Iter para tutum,
Ut videntes Jesum,
Semper collaetemur.
Sit laus Deo Patri,
Summo Christo decus
Spiritui Sancto:
Tribus honor unus. Amen.
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston
The tree of life my soul hath seen,
Laden with fruit, and always green;
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree.
His beauty doth all things excel:
By faith I know but ne'er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.
For happiness I long have sought,
And pleasure dearly I have bought:
I missed of all; but now I see
'Tis found in Christ the apple tree.
I'm weary with my former toil,
Here I will sit and rest awhile:
Under the shadow I will be,
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.
This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
It keeps my dying faith alive;
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.
In the Bleak Midwinter arranged by Abbie Betinis
Text by Christina Rossetti, John Andrew Story, and Abbie Betinis
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Christ a homeless stranger, so the gospels say,
Cradled in a manger and a bed of hay:
In the bleak midwinter, a stable place sufficed,
Mary and her baby, Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels may have thronged the air,
Shepherds, beasts and wise men may have gathered there.
But only his monther in her tender bliss
Blessed this new redeemer with a kiss.
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give you: give my heart.
I give my heart.
Lo, How a Rose / The Rose arranged by Craig Hella Johnson
Lo, How a Rose by Michael Praetorius; The Rose by Amanda McBroom
Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming,
From tender stem hath sprung.
Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed;
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
As men of old have sung.
Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed;
It came, a Flow’ret bright,
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need;
Amid the cold of winter
I say love, it is a flower, and you, its only seed.
When half spent was the night.
It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance;
It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance;
It's the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give;
And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.
This Flow’r, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long;
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness ev’rywhere.
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong;
True Man, yet very God,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snow;
From sin and death He saves us
Lies the seed that with the sun’s love, in the spring becomes the rose.
And lightens ev’ry load.
I Will Light Candles This Christmas by Kim André Arnesen
Text by Howard Thurman
I will light Candles this Christmas;
Candles of joy despite all the sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all year long.
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
Carol of the Stranger by Abbie Betinis
Text by Michael Dennis Browne
Peace and grace be to this house
Where all are welcomed in;
Receive the guest, receive this heart:
Tell the Stranger, tell.
Tell the Stranger what you cannot tell
Those who love you and desire your joy:
Tell.
Make tall your walls, make long these beams,
Who once believed alone;
Make wide the circle, feed the fire:
Tell the Silence, tell.
Tell the Silence what you cannot tell
Those who love you and desire your joy.
Tell.
Blessings be upon this place,
Let every wound be healed,
Let every secret, every dream:
Tell the Angel, tell.
Tell the Angel what you cannot tell
Those who love you and desire your joy.
Tell.
Peace and grace be to this house,
All will be returned;
Let every soul be called your own,
Tell the Mystery, tell.
Tell the Mystery what you long to tell
Those who love you and desire your joy.
Tell.
My Heart Be Brave by Marques L. A. Garrett
Text by James Weldon Johnson
My heart be brave, and do not falter so,
Nor utter more that deep, despairing wail.
Thy way is very dark and drear I know,
But do not let thy strength and courage fail;
For certain as the raven-winged night
Is followed by the bright and blushing morn,
Thy coming morrow will be clear and bright;
’Tis darkest when the night is furthest worn.
Look up, and out, beyond surrounding clouds,
And do not in thine own gross darkness grope,
Rise up, and casting off thy hind’ring shrouds,
Cling thou to this, and e’er inspiring hope:
Tho’ thick the battle and tho’ fierce the fight,
There is a power making for the right.
Audience Carol: Ding Dong! Merrily on High arranged by Charles Wood
Tune of “Branle de l’Official” from Thoinot Arbeau’s Orchésographie
Text by George Ratcliffe Woodward
Ding dong! merrily on high,
In heav'n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
E'en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen,
And io, io, io!
By priest and people sungen.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
Pray you, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers;
May you beautifully rime
Your evetime song, ye singers.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
Cradle Hymn by Kim André Arnesen
Text by Isaac Watts
Hush my dear, lie still and slumber,
Holy angels guard thy bed!
Heavenly blessings without number
Gently falling on thy head.
See the kindly shepherds round Him,
Telling wonders from the sky!
When they sought Him, there they found Him,
With His Virgin mother by.
See the lovely babe a-dressing;
Lovely infant, how He smiled!
When He wept, the mother’s blessing
Soothed and hush’d the holy child.
May'st thou learn to know and fear Him,
Trust and love Him all thy days;
Then go dwell forever near Him,
See His face , and sing His praise!
Silent Night arranged by Stephen Paulus
Tune by Franz Gruber; Text by Joseph Mohr
Silent night, holy night.
All is calm, all is bright;
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night.
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!
Silent night, holy night.
Son of God, love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.
Silent night, holy night.