CHRISTMAS CONCERT PROGRAM 2017-rev-4

PROGRAM

with the

PORTLAND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
YAACOV BERGMAN, MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR
The intimate symphony with the infinite imagination
Marylhurst Chamber Choir
Justin Smith, Director
Nicole Greenidge Joseph, Soprano
Hannah Penn, Mezo Soprano
Daniel Buchanan, Tenor
Charles Stanton, Baritone
Shabâvâ Ensemble
Hossein Salehi - Santoor
Bobak Salehi - Kamancheh, Tar, Voice
Nat Hulskamp - Oud, Flamenco Guitar
Lamiae Naki - Voice
Sina Dibay – Percussion

SEASON 2017 / 18

Spiritual

Nicole Greenidge Joseph, Soprano
Paul Greenidge, piano

Jan Sandstrom (1954 -)
Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming

Marylhurst Chamber Choir

G. F. Händel (1685-1759)
Sinfonia/Overture

Recitative: Comfort ye my people, Tenor
Air: Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, Tenor

Chorus: And the glory of the Lord

Reading:
Poem from Rumi’s (1204-1273) Mathnavi
Mathnavi, is an extensive poem written in Persian by Jalal al-Din
Muhammad Balkhi also known as Rumi, the celebrated Persian Sufi poet. A
series of six books of poetry that together amount to around 25,000 verses
or 50,000 lines. It is a spiritual text that teaches Sufis how to reach their goal

of being truly in love with God.

Morenika / Spanish/Ladino folk song

Shabâvâ Ensemble

From Messiah
Recitative: Thus saith the Lord, Bass
Air: But who may abide the day of his coming?, Alto

Chorus: And he shall purify
Recitative: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, Alto
Air and Chorus: 0 thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, Alto
Recitative: For behold darkness shall cover the earth, Bass
Air: The people that walked in darkness, Bass

Chorus: For unto us a child is born

Bir Demet Yasemen  / Jasmines Turkish song

Shabâvâ Ensemble with Portland Chamber Orchestra

From Messiah
Recitative: There were shepherds abiding in the field, Soprano
Recitative: And 10, the angel of the Lord came upon them, Soprano

Recitative: And the angel said unto them, Soprano
Recitative: And suddenly there was with the angel, Soprano

Chorus: Glory to God

INTERMISSION

Kurdish Medley

Shabâvâ Ensemble

Une Autre Chance / French/Moroccan

Shabâvâ Ensemble

From Messiah
Air: Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion, Soprano
Recitative: Then shall the eyes of the blind, Alto

Air: He shall feed His flock, Alto
Air: Come unto Him, Soprano
1001 Nights

Shabâvâ Ensemble

From Messiah
Chorus: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

Chorus: Hallelujah

END

TRANSLATIONS Light, light
Eric Whitacre Warm
And heavy
Lux Aurumque Pure
(Light and Gold) Pure like gold
Lux, Lux They sing and sing and sing
Calida To the newborn babe.
Gravis que
Pura
Pura velut aurum
Canunt et canunt et canunt
Modo natum.

Une Autre Chance  The tiresome search is over
Words by Lamiae Naki/Nat Hulskamp It is time for us to listen
(Translated from French and Arabic) And once we hear the word
Sometimes a single word can answer We are never alone again
All the questions in our hearts Suddenly life gives us
A single tree in the desert gives us Another chance
the shadow we seek desperately Another chance
We walk in the scorching heat
to finally find the refuge
We can now breath
and see the drawings of the golden
sand

Morenika Spanish/Ladino folk song

Morenika a mi me yaman Yo blanka The dark girl they call me my skin was
nasi I del sol del enverano Yo me pure white From the
hize ansi Morenika, graciozika sos fire of the summer sun I am dark
Morena yo graciozo I ojos pretos Dark girl, so very beautiful In your
tu Morenika a mi me yaman Los eyes - a burning fire my heart is all
marineros Si otra ves a mi me yaman yours The dark girl, they call me all
Me vo kon eyos Morenika, graciozika those who go down to the sea if again
sos Morena yo graciozo I ojos pretos they call me I will go with them Dark
tu girl, so very beautiful In your eyes - a
burning fire my heart is all yours

OUR MAESTRO

YAACOV BERGMAN, Music Director/Conductor has received consistent

rave notices for his interpretations of a highly varied repertoire, and has been
acclaimed world-wide as an intensely communicative musician.
Maestro Bergman is currently Music Director/Conductor of the Portland
Chamber Orchestra,  the Walla Walla Symphony, and the Siletz Bay Music
Festival in Lincoln City, OR. He is the former Music Director of the Colorado
Springs Symphony, The New York Heritage Symphony, the 92nd St. Y Orchestra
in New York City, and the McCall SummerFest, in McCall, ID. His versatility has
led to frequent guest appearances across the globe conducting the symphonic,
operatic, oratorio, balletic and pops repertoires.
Maestro Bergman’s interest in new music and multi-arts concepts is reflected
in his programming of many new works. Under his leadership, the Portland
Chamber Orchestra developed its distinctive timbre and a new focus on a fusion
of art forms, while briWnging to audiences World, American and Northwest
Premieres. Willamette Week’s annual Finder edition called the PCO “The Most
Ambitious Arts Organization in Portland” and, “Punching way above its weight,
under Music Director Yaacov Bergman, PCO has lately been the city’s most
innovative orchestra, combining music with visual arts, poetry, theater, even
science and sex.”
Maestro Bergman recently guest conducted the Denver Symphony in a
collaborative production with Colorado Central Opera and Ballet, a tour with
Israel’s Natanya-Kibbutz Orchestra, the New Russia State Philharmonic at
Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and the Belarusian State Chamber Orchestra in
Minsk. Other collaborative ventures include annual productions with Oregon’s
Eugene Ballet Company and the Walla Walla Symphony, and the Portland
Festival Ballet Company and the PCO.

OUR GUEST PERFORMERS

MARYLHURST CHAMBER CHOIR and JUSTIN SMITH,

Director and the University of Oregon
Hailed​​as an “accomplished, powerful, slick and tonally precise choir” by
international​juries, Marylhurst Chamber Choir is the​p​ remiere choral ensemble
at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon. A highly selective, thirty-two
voice mixed choir, it was founded in the fall of 2014​​by Dr. Justin Smith, Director
of Choral Activities.​Recipients of multiple international awards including Third​
Prize and the Peace Award in the Fleischmann International Competition at the​
Cork (Ireland) Choral Festival, and two gold medals at the Grand Prix of Nations​
at the 3rd European Choir Games in Latvia, the choir made their Carnegie
Hall​d​ ebut in February 2015.​Thrilled to collaborate this season with Portland
Chamber​Orchestra, and vocal ensembles Cappella Romana and​Cantus,
the choir will also perform by invitation at the OMEA All-State conference.
This summer they embark on their third​international tour, competing at the
Leonardo da Vinci International Choral​Festival in Florence, Italy.​Dr. Justin Smith
is the Director of Choral Activities and holder of the Joseph Naumes Endowed
Chair in Music at Marylhurst University.

NICOLE JOSEPH, Soprano, a native of Oregon, is equally at home on

both the operatic and concert stage. Ms. Joseph made her professional debut
as Beatrice in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers with Kentucky Opera, and has
recently performed with Opera Modo in Detroit as The Governess (Turn of the
Screw), Micaëla (Carmen), and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni). She is also featured
with Michigan Opera Theatre’s Community Outreach program as the Miller’s
Daughter (Rumpelstiltskin) and Voluptua (La Pizza con Funghi). Additional
roles include Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Papagena (The Magic Flute), Lauretta
(Gianni Schicchi), Susanna (Le Nozze de Figaro) and Musetta (La Boheme). In
great demand as a recitalist and soloist, Nicole performs frequently across the
United States. As a member of the widely acclaimed choral group, Conspirare,
Nicole was a featured soloist on their 2015 Grammy award-winning recording,
Sacred Spirit of Russia.

HANNAH PENN, Mezzo-soprano, enjoys a diverse career as a

performer of opera, oratorio, and recital literature. Frequently praised for
her musicality and the timbre of her voice, Ms. Penn has recently been
called “…a major talent”, “…an intelligent and wonderfully musical singer”
by Portland’s Willamette Week, and was praised for having “…intriguing
colors at both ends of her range” by The Oregonian. She has sung more
than twenty operatic roles with Glimmerglass Opera, Florida Grand Opera,
Portland Opera, Tacoma Opera, and other companies. As a past member
of Portland Opera’s studio artist program, Ms. Penn sang the roles of
Diana (La Calisto), Thisbe (La Cenerentola), Mercedes (Carmen), Flora
(La Traviata), and Nancy (Albert Herring). Her first Carmen with Portland
Opera garnered critical acclaim and resulted in a chance to reprise the role
following season with the Teatro National Sucre in Quito, Ecuador.

DANIEL BUCHANAN, Tenor made his European debut singing St. John

Passion with Finland’s Kuninkaantien Muusikot. For three years he performed
regularly with the Houston Grand Opera, including the roles of Tonio in The
Daughter of the Regiment, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville and The
Witch in Hansel and Gretel. Since 2005, he has sung with the internationally
acclaimed vocal ensemble Conspirare, based in Austin, Texas.
In recent years, his singing has brought him as far as Zimbabwe, Greece, Holland,
Denmark, England, and South Africa as well as the New Orleans French Quarter
Music Festival.

CHARLES STANTON, Baritone / Charles Stanton, is the Director of

Development at Our House of Portland, now celebrating 30 years providing
compassionate care for people living with HIV. An advocate for inspiring change
and empowering under-resourced or under-represented communities, Charles
is a social justice activist and enjoys leveraging the creative sector to highlight
community need and community pride by creating culturally-attuned creative
placemaking projects and concerts. Performing more than 70 debuts in addition
to well-known repertoire, highlights include Carmina Burana in Jordan, major
performances with Mannheim Staatsoper, serving as a founding member of
Boston Opera Collaborative, and being featured on the cover of Opera America
Magazine.

About Shabâvâ Ensemble:
Shabâvâ is an ensemble with members trained in Iran, Morocco, Spain and
North America.  They combine their backgrounds in classical Persian, Arabic,
Latin and Flamenco music to deliver fresh presentations of traditional
pieces and create original compositions with a unique voice. Persian music
and the complex music of Andalucía share common ancestry, though the
two regions appear geographically distant. It is through the collaborative
efforts of ensembles such as Shabâvâ that their respective similarities and
common ground is re-discovered, and promoted. Art-focused programs and
organizations such as the Portland Chamber Orchestra, are key supporters
of this caliber collaboration.  Tonight’s performance is the fruit of many years
of careful content curation, and great effort, combined with the support of
organizations such as the PCO and ArtMax Academy.

SHABÂVÂ ENSEMBLE is:
Maestro Hossein Salehi, Persian music specialist and Santoor.
Nat Hulskamp, specialist in Flamenco, Hungarian Csardas to Gypsy

swing and other international styles on oud and flamenco guitar.

Lamiae Naki, Moroccan, Sufi, Andalusian, Turkish, pop, jazz and hip-

hop vocalist.

Sina Dibay, Persian percussionist with extensive folk music ensemble

experience.

Reader: Ulises Zavaleta-Berdeja, 18

I am a student at Portland State University and a tenor in the International
Award winning Chamber Choir directed by Dr. Ethan Sperry. I have been
singing in choirs for 7 years now and have absolutely loved it. In my time in
highschool I was a student conductor of several award winning ensembles.
I arrived in the United States at the age of 3 and have no recollection of my
country of origin. Today, I am a Dreamer and a firm believer that music can
bring any group of people together to create something amazing.

This special holiday concert is made possible by the following sponsors

HELP US MAKE MUSIC!

The Portland Chamber Orchestra continues to make
beautiful music because of the generosity of our donors
and sponsors. Without you we would not be the oldest
chamber orchestra in the country.

Please help us plan for a successful 2018 by doing any
of the following:
Make a donation at: www.portlandchamberorchestra.org

Adopt a musician
Sponsor a concert
Partner with us to reach new audiences by
Hosting neighborhood gatherings
Have an intimate concert in your home or business

To learn more about these opportunities, please email
us at: [email protected]

OCP ORHCRAHTMLESABTNERDRA

portlandchamberorchestra.org
[email protected]

503-771-3250