The Poet SINGS

February 2, 2018

The Poet SINGS

Dashon Burton, bass-baritoneCraig Hella Johnson, piano

How deeply hurt is my heartThey would be weeping with me,

To heal my pain.And if the nightingales knew it,

How sad I am and ill, They would ring out in joyful sound,

From out of ancient fairy talesThere beckons a white hand,

There’s a singing and a ringingOf an enchanted land;Where many-hued flowers are

In the golden evening light.

How deeply hurt is my heartThey would be weeping with me,

To heal my pain.And if the nightingales knew it,

How sad I am and ill, They would ring out in joyful sound,

From out of ancient fairy talesThere beckons a white hand,

There’s a singing and a ringingOf an enchanted land;Where many-hued flowers are

In the golden evening light.

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®

The Poet SINGS

Dashon Burton, bass-baritoneCraig Hella Johnson, piano

Friday, February 2, 20188pm

Jessen AuditoriumHomer Rainey Hall, The University of Texas at Austin

Saturday February 3, 2018Private encore performance, San Antonio

Supported by Jeanie Wyatt, South Texas Money Management

With special guests from the Conspirare Symphonic Choir

Season Sustaining Underwriter

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A NOTE FROM THE ARTIST

I love the idea of The Poet Sings because of the myriad opportunity in that. The body of work is so massive in poetry and song, and the combination of them is as old as humanity. I want to dig my hands in the deep earth that brought us these shared feelings, these experiences, all conveyed to us from those who wrote before we were here. I hope we can find repertoire that bursts off the page and out of our hearts with enough passion to invigorate us. Schumann’s Dichterliebe does this for me every time, and especially Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s pristine versions. The urgency, the raw anticipation of a response when he confesses his longing in the first song, hits me every time.

We will invite the audience into our world in the same way that Schumann and many other great souls since have done. In their chamber rooms, they filled the air and the hearts of so many with an affect, ripped from a page. In our great technological age, we have so many opportunities to be amazed, and I love to imagine what the impact would be, if we went back before times when these sounds were easily reproduced, when you didn’t know that you could easily hear that exact moment again. In that space is what we and our audience will, simply, play. And even in that play, we will choose works of other devoted masters who gave us lots of fun along with amazement. It helps me stay grounded when writing about the effervescent beauty of art.

I would tell anyone who is a first time listener to first of all enjoy the open hearted music that will be playing in this hall...to join in the history of this piece from those instantly recognizable first two bars, so full of longing and promise, is a special thing. I envy anyone who gets to hear that for the first time! And if you are here for the first time in any classical setting, no worry! Just sit back, relax, breathe, and know that everyone in this room is happy to be here, all enjoying in our own special and personal way. There is no right way to enjoy classical music!

Conspirare was founded with the idea of bringing solo vocal artists together to present the highest caliber choral performances and share a love of singing.From time to time we present a program that showcases the depth of the solo talent of our roster. In tonight’s program we are pleased to present bass-baritone Dashon Burton. Many of you may know him from his riveting performance in Considering Matthew Shepard. Tonight we are excited to include works representing a range of styles and timeframes, showcasing his incredible versatility.

This concert is the fourth in our regular series The Poet Sings. Previous programs featured works by Pablo Neruda, Emily Dickinson, and the anonymous authors of Afghan Landays. This series brings focus to the works of poets and highlights the poems and poets who write them; and exploring the intersection of words, meter and sound. Tonight we experience the exchange between several authors and poets.

We are delighted to be together with you this evening for shared song created by artists and listeners.

Gratefully,

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A NOTE FROM THE ARTIST (cont’d)I first heard the Fischer Dieskau recording in college, and it was a part of my “required listening.” We all know how so many of these classic and beautiful works have so much more competition today for our attention than they did when they were first written. What I wish I had known then is that I only get one chance to listen to this whole piece for the first time; to experience the same exuberance that I do in real life when thinking of someone I love, and the same crushing agony I do in real life when thinking of someone I’ve lost. Gratefully, I can, with greater wisdom, know that every time I sing this, every time I hear this, every time we share this experience is cherished and special. There are always new things to notice, there are always new sounds to discover, and new feelings to connect to our own lives outside of this room.

To work with Craig and his amazing family of friends always gives me a truly open view into what art, and the arts, can be. If I had to describe Conspirare in one word, it would be unmissable.

Dashon BurtonPraised for his “nobility and rich tone,” (New York Times), bass-baritone Dashon Burton is passionately dedicated to the message that classical music is for all ears, right now. After winning multiple prizes in vocal competitions staged in Germany and Holland he stands apart in this generation of singers as a sought after collaborator in opera, orchestral works, chamber music, and art song.

This season, Dashon sings Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 with the Cleveland Orchestra, Handel & Haydn Society in Boston, in Sweden with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and with the Orlando Philharmonic. He joined forces with Cleveland and Welser-Möst again for reprise performances of their groundbreaking production of Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen and appears twice at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of NY for Handel’s Messiah and in the world premiere of Paul Moravec’s Sanctuary Road, as well as performing in David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dashon revisits the role of Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte on tour with Opera de Dijon in Limoges and Caen. Throughout the season he continues to tour with the Grammy-winning contemporary vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth with visits to London and Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, and ends the season at Grant Park Music Festival singing Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.

He is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and Yale University, where he worked with James Taylor.

PROGRAM NOTETonight, Conspirare continues its inspired series “The Poet Sings” with a cornucopia of composers displaying the fruits of poetic imagination from the groves of the Shakespearean era through the tangled forests of contemporary art.

Elizabethan composer John Dowland, was known for his morose demeanor. In fact, it was quipped that semper Dowlands semper dolens [Dowland is always downhearted]. A Pilgrimes Solace, his final work, is a set of twenty-one rather somber songs to poems he himself wrote. Yet, part of the text of tonight’s song, “Musicke all thy sweetnesse lend, while of his high power I speake” reflects Dowland’s positive philosophy of the importance of poetry to music, declaring that:

a far higher authoritie and power hath been ever worthily attributed to that kinde of Musicke, which to the sweetness of the instrument applies the lively voice of man, expressing some worthy sentence or excellent Poeme.

From the same era of Dowland and John Donne, in whose elegant poetry the phrase “no man is an island” was coined, English nationalist composer Ralph Vaughan Williams chose the poems of Anglican priest George Herbert for his Mystical Songs. Like Dowland, Herbert extolls the spiritual force of voice and instrument using the word “consort” which, at that time, was doubly used as a noun and as a verb for a group of musicians performing together: “Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song/Pleasant and long.”

Singer-composer Scott Perkins explores an ancient maze of witticisms by setting Anglo-Saxon riddles found in the tenth-century Exeter manuscript for his Riddle Songs series. Anticipating the twelfth-century humor of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, many of these attractive poetic puzzles have challenged scholars for years. Fortunately, the two on this program have been solved.

Nineteenth-century American slave spirituals show common connections of human nature with the Anglo-Saxon riddles of nine centuries before, but they served a far more perilous mission, cleverly using biblical stories to hide escape plans. Impassioned songs like “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child” exemplify the “double consciousness” W.E.B. DuBois identified where the outward spirituality of the poetry obscures its inward practicality. Those enslaved could use the light of music to find a path through the thicket of dutiful servility while courageously plotting liberation. Like Dowland, tonight’s spirituals speak of pilgrimage: “I don’t know which way I can run” and of being alone in the journey, feeling “a long way from home.” But Gospel songs like “Precious Lord” by Thomas A. Dorsey (no relation to the Jazz trombonist), represent the age of Emancipation.

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Overwhelming interest in traveling to a city called heaven—a metaphor for North which, in turn, is a metaphor for freedom—was supplanted by focus on the here and now, using first-person dialogue with God: “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on.” These can also deal with pilgrimage, but on the road of life, not the path to freedom.

Grammy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer William Bolcom walks side by side with poet Arnold Weinstein on his musical journey, proclaiming his respect for poetry’s role in music by giving Weinstein equal billing on the definitive recording of his massive multi-volume Cabaret Songs: “He had such a gift for writing words that were singable, and that gave character.” Weinstein traced cabaret songs’ history, those redolent of the urban jungle often associated with Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf: “It is in Germany that the rhinestone mantle of cabaret is worn most comfortably...the spare loose quality of revue.” The song “Blue” is true to its title with its American blue notes (flat thirds and sixths), relaxed tempos, and the use of casual language—music married to the right partner.

This program’s focal point is German writer Heinrich Heine, poet of choice for Robert Schumann. Heine’s Lyrisches Intermezzo consists of sixty-five poems with a prose prologue. Schumann used sixteen for A Poet’s Love. Heine, acquainted with Karl Marx, was unconvinced by Communist goals, even though Marx published Heine verses in his newspaper Vorwärts [Forwards]. Heine’s satirical perspective on current events resulted in social and political enemies, but this perspective provided prime inspiration for Schumann’s own satirical attitude. Like Bolcom and Weinstein, Schumann and Heine are perfect partners. They met in 1828 Munich, as slaves in America were creating their own musical legacy.

Scholars like Robert H. Schauffler consider that in Dichterliebe, Schumann “was the first composer to appreciate and reflect Heine’s bitter irony.” In “Ich grolle nicht,” for example, the poet protests too much, mocking Romantic sentiment by repeating the title statement five times in only eleven lines. Schumann adds additional repeats. Like American spirituals, Heine’s meanings are initially hidden, but Schumann unlocks the secret garden. He, along with the other composers on this program, savor the rich scents of these poems through understanding expressed in sometimes floral, sometimes astringent, notes of music. A fruitful endeavor, indeed.

G. Yvonne Kendall Dr. Kendall is a Stanford-educated musicologist and program annotator who has written for Houston Grand Opera, EMI, the National Gallery in Washington DC, among others. She has published internationally, most recently with entries in Oxford University’s Grove Music, the most prominent English language encyclopedia devoted to music. She has recently earned an MFA in nonfiction writing and literary translation from Columbia University, studying there with writers for the New York Times.

CONCERT PROGRAM to be selected from:

In This Trembling Shadow John Dowland (1563-1626) No. 12 from A Pilgrimes Solace (1612)

Dichterliebe, (A Poet’s Love), Opus 48 (1840) Robert Schumann (1810-1856)1. Im wunderschönen Monat Mai2. Aus meinen Tränen spriessen3. Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube4. Wenn ich in deine Augen seh’5. Ich will meine Seele tauchen6. Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome7. Ich grolle nicht8. Und wüssten’s die Blumen9. Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen10. Hör’ ich das Liedchen klingen11. Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen12. Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen13. Ich hab’ in Traum geweinet14. Allnächtlich in Traume15. Aus alten Märchen winkt es16. Die alten, bösen Lieder

Short Pause

Riddle Songs (2008) Scott Perkins (b. 1980) No. 24 (Solution: jay) No. 47 (Solution: bookworm)

Five Mystical Songs (1911) Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958) Easter The Call Love bade me welcome

SPIRITUALS AND GOSPEL SONGSCity Called Heaven Traditional SpiritualMotherless Child Traditional Spiritual

Precious Lord Take My Hand Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993)We Shall Overcome Traditional

Over My Head Traditional Spiritual

Blue William Bolcolm (b. 1938) from Cabaret Songs, Volume 4, No. 6

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TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS

In This Trembling ShadowIn this trembling shadow, castfrom those boughes which thy winds shake,Farre from humane troubles plac’d,Songs to the Lord would I make,Darknesse from my minde then take,For thy rites none may begin,Till they feele thy light within.

As I sing, sweete flowers Ile strow,from the fruitfull vallies brought:Praising him by whom they grow,him that heaven and earth hath wrought,him that all things framde of nought,Him that all for man did make,But made man for his owne sake.

Musicke all thy sweetnesse lend,while of his high power I speake,On whom all powers else depend,but my brest is now too weake,trumpets shrill the ayre should breake,All in vaine my sounds I raise,Boundlesse power askes boundlesse praise.

Dichterliebe (Poet’s Love)

1. Im wunderschönen Monat Mai

Im wunderschönen Monat Mai,

Als alle Knospen sprangen,Da ist in meinem Herzen Die Liebe aufgegangenIm wunderschönen Monat Mai,

Als alle Vögel sangen,Da hab ich ihr gestanden Mein Sehnen und Verlangen.

2. Aus meinen Tränen spriessenAus meinen Tränen spriessen, Viel blühende Blumen hervor, Und meine Seufzer werden Ein Nachtigallenchor.Und wenn du mich lieb hast, Kindchen, Schenk’ ich dir die Blumen all’,Und vor deinem Fenster soll klingen Das Lied der Nachtigall.

3. Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die SonneDie Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne, Die liebt’ ich einst alle in Liebeswonne.

Ich lieb sie nicht mehr, ich liebe alleine Die Kleine, die Feine, die Reine, die Eine; Sie selber, aller Liebe Wonne,Ist Rose und Lilie und Taube und Sonne.Ich liebe alleine die Kleine,Die Feine, die Reine, die Eine, die Eine!

4. Wenn ich in deine Augen seh’Wenn ich in deine Augen seh’,So schwindet all mein Leid und Weh; Doch wenn ich küsse deinen Mund, So werd ich ganz und gar gesund.Wenn ich mich lehn’ an deine Brust, Kommt’s über mich wie Himmelslust; Doch wenn du sprichst: Ich liebe dich!So muss ich weinen bitterlich.

5. Ich will meine Seele tauchenIch will meine Seele tauchen, In den Kelch der Lilie hinein; Die Lilie soll klingend hauchenEin Lied von der Liebsten mein.Das Lied soll schauern und beben,Wie der Kuss von ihrem Mund,Den sie mir einst gegebenIn wunderbar süsser Stund’.

In the wondrously beautiful month of MayIn the wondrously beautiful month of May,When all the buds were burst open,Then in my heart Love unfolded too. In the wonderously beautiful month of May, When all the birds were sang, Then I confessed to herMy longing and my desire.

From my tears will springOut of my tears go forthMany flowers in bloom. And my sighs become A choir of nightingales.And if you are fond of me, little one,I will give you all the flowers,And at your window shall ring The song of the nightingale.

The rose, the lily, the dove, the sun

The rose, the lily, the dove, the sunI loved them once all with the rapture of love. I love them no more, I love aloneThe little one, the fine, the pure, the only one.She herself, the well of all loveIs rose and lily and dove and sun,I love alone the little one,The fine, the pure, the only one!

When I look into your eyesWhen I look into your eyes,Then all my grief and sorrow vanish; But when I kiss your lips,I become all well again.When I lean on your breastI feel the joy of heaven descending;But when you say: I love you! Then I must weep bitterly.

I want to plunge my soulI want to plunge my soulInto the cup of the lily,The lily shall breathe resoundinglyA song of my beloved,The song shall shiver and tremble,Like the kiss from her lips,That she has given me onceIn a wonderfully sweet hour.

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6. Im Rhein, im heiligen StromeIm Rhein, im heiligen Strome, Da spiegelt sich in den Well’n Mit seinem grossen Dome,Das grosse, heilige Cöln.Im Dom da steht ein Bildnis, Auf goldenem Leder gemalt; In meines Lebens WildnisHat’s freundlich hineingestrahlt.Es schweben Blumen und Eng’lein,Um unsre liebe Frau;Die Augen, die Lippen, die Wänglein, Die gleichen der Liebsten genau.

7. Ich grolle nichtIch grolle nicht, und wenn das Herz auch bricht,Ewig verlor’nes Lieb! ich grolle nicht.Wie du auch strahlst in Diamantenpracht,

Es fällt kein Strahl in deines Herzens Nacht, Das weiss ich längst. Ich grolle nicht, und wenn das Herz auch bricht.Ich sah dich ja im Traume,Und sah die Nacht in deines Herzens Raume,Und sah die Schlang’, Die dir am Herzen frisst,Ich sah, mein Lieb, wie sehr du elend bist.

Ich grolle nicht, ich grolle nicht.

8. Und wüssten’s die BlumenUnd wüssten’s die Blumen, die kleinen Wie tief verwundet mein Herz,Sie würden mit mir weinen, Zu heilen meinen Schmerz.Und wüssten’s die Nachtigallen, Wie ich so traurig und krank, Sie liessen frölich erschallenErquickenden Gesang.Und wüssten sie mein Wehe, die goldenen Sternelein,Sie kämen aus ihrer Höhe,

Und sprächen Trost mir ein.Die alle können’s nicht wissen, Nur Eine kennt meinen Schmerz; Sie hat ja selbst zerrissen, Zerrissen mir das Herz.

9. Das ist ein Flöten und GeigenDas ist ein Flöten und Geigen, Trompeten schmettern darein; Da tanzt wohl den HochzeitreigenDie Herzallerliebste mein.Das ist ein Klingen und Dröhnen,Ein Pauken und ein Schalmei’n; Dazwischen schluchzen und stöhnen, Die lieblichen Engelein.

10. Hör’ ich das Liedchen klingenHör’ ich das Liedchen klingen, Das einst die Liebste sang,So will mir die Brust zerspringen Von wildem Schmerzendrang.Es treibt mich ein dunkles Sehnen Hinauf zur Waldeshöh’,Dort löst sich auf in TränenMein übergrosses Weh.

In the Rhine, by the holy streamIn the Rhine, by the holy stream, There is mirrored in the waves, With its great Cathedral,The great, holy Cologne.In the cathedral there is a picture, Painted on golden leather;Into my life’s wildernessIt has sent its friendly radiance.Flowers and little angelsFloat around our Blessed Virgin; Her eyes, her lips, her sweet cheeks,Resemble my sweetheart’s exactly.

I bear no grudgeI bear no grudge, even though my heart may break,Eternally lost love! I bear no grudge.Though you are shining in your diamond’s splendour, No ray falls into the darkness of your heart,I’ve known it well for a long time.I bear no grudge, even though my heart may break.For I saw you in my dream. And I saw the darkness in your heart,

And saw the snake that fees upon your heart,I saw, my love, how utterly wretched you are.I bear no grudge, I bear no grudge.

If the little flowersIf the little flowers but knew itHow deeply hurt is my heartThey would be weeping with me,To heal my pain.And if the nightingales knew it,How sad I am and ill,They would ring out in joyful sound,A refreshing melody.And if they knew my sorrow, The little golden stars,They would come down from their heightTo bring me consolation.They all cannot know it,Only one is aware of my pain,For she herself has torn,Has torn my heart in twain.

Flutes and violins are heardFlutes and violins are heard,And trumpets shrilly blaze,There dances her wedding danceThe beloved of my heart.There is a ringing and roaring,A drumming and sounding of shawms;In between are sobbing and moaningThe lovely little angels.

When I hear the little songWhen I hear the little song,That once my sweetheart sang,I feel as if my heart would burstFrom the wild surge of pain.A dark longing the sends meUp into the wooded heights,And there dissovles in tearsMy all to great torment.

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11. Ein Jüngling liebt ein MädchenEin Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen, Die hat einen andern ewählt; Der andere liebt eine and’re, Und hat sich mit dieser vermählt.Das Mädchen nimmt aus Ärger Den ersten, besten Mann,Der ihr in den Weg gelaufen;Der Jüngling ist übel d’ran.Es ist eine alte Geschichte, Doch bleibt sie immer neu;Und wem sie just passieret, Dem bricht das Herz entzwei.

12. Am leuchtenden SommermorgenAm leuchtenden SommermorgenGe’ ich im Garten herum.Es flüstern und sprechen die Blumen,

Ich aber wandle stumm.Es flüstern und sprechen die Blumen,

Und schaun mitleidig mich an:Sei unsrer Schwester nicht böse, Du trauriger, blasser Mann.

13. Ich hab’ in Traum geweinetIch hab’ in Traum geweinet, Mir Träumte du lägest im Grab. Ich wachte auf, und die TräneFloss noch von der Wange herab.Ich hab im Traum geweinet, Mir träumt’, du verliessest mich. Ich wachte auf, und ich weinte Noch lange bitterlich.Ich hab im Traum geweinet,Mir träumte, du wärst mir noch gut. Ich wachte auf, und noch immer Strömt meine Tränenflut.

14. Allnächtlich in TraumeAllnächtlich in Traume seh’ ich dich, Und sehe dich freundlich grüssen, Und laut aufweinend stürz’ ich mich Zu deinen süssen Füssen.Du siehest mich an wehmütiglichUnd schüttelst das blonde Köpfchen; Aus deinen Augen schleichen sich Die Perlen Tränentröpfchen.Du sagst mir heimlich ein leises Wort, Und gibst mir den Strauss von Cypressen. Ich wache auf, und der Strauss ist fort, Und’s Wort hab’ ich vergessen.

15. Aus alten Märchen winkt esAus alten Märchen winkt es Hervor mit weisser Hand, Da singt es, und da klingt es Von einem Zauberland;Wo bunte Blumen blühen,In goldnen Abendlicht,Und lieblich duftend glühen Mit bräuchtlichem Gesicht;Und grüne Bäume singen Uralte Melodei’n,Die Lüfte heimlich klingen,Und Vögel schmettern drein;Und Nebelbilder steigen Wohl aus der Erd’ hervor, Und tanzen luft’gen Reigen Im wunderlichen Chor;Und blaue Funken brennenAn jedem Blatt und Reis, Und rote Lichter rennen Im irren, wirren Kreis;Und laute Quellen brechenAus wildem Marmorstein, Und seltsam in den Bächen Strahlt fort der Wilderschein.Ach, könnt’ ich dorthin kommen Und dort mein Herz erfreu’n,Und aller Qual entnommenUnd frei und selig sein!Ach! jenes Land der Wonne,Das seh’ ich oft im Traum; Doch kommt die Morgensonne, Zerfliesst’s wie eitel Schaum.

A youth loves a maidenA youth loves a maidenWho has chosen another one,The other one loves another,And has wed with this one.The maiden takes in angerThe very first manWho happened to come her way;The youth is badly off.It is quite an old story,Yet it remains ever new; And he to whom it happens, It breaks his heart in two.

On a shining summer morningOn a shining summer morning I walk around the garden.There whisper the and speak the flowers, But I walk silently.There whisper the and speak the flowers, And look with pity on me:Be not angry with our sister,You sorrowful, pale man.

I have wept in my dreamI have wept in my dream,I dreamed you lay in your grave. I awakened, and the tearsStill flowed from my cheeks.I have wept in my dream,I dreamt you had forsaken me. I awakened, and I weptStill a long time bitterly.I have wept in my dream,I dreamed you were still fond of me.I awakened, and unceasingStill rushes the flood of my tears..

Every night in my dreamEvery night in my dream I see you,And see you friendly, friendly greet me. And loudly weeping I fling myself At your sweet feet.You look at me with pityAnd shake your little blonde head; From your eyes steal silentlyThe little pearly tear drops.You tell me in secret a gentle word,And give me a bouquet, a bouquetI waken up and the bouquet is gone,And the word I have forgotten.

From out of ancient fairy talesFrom out of ancient fairy talesThere beckons a white hand,There’s a singing and a ringingOf an enchanted land;Where many-hued flowers are bloomingIn the golden evening light,And glow in the lovely fragranceWith a bridal countenance;And where green trees are singingPrimeval melodies,The breezes whisper furtivelyRent by the warbling of birds;And misty shapes are risingFrom out of the earth,And dance an airy roundelayIn a bizarre chorus;And blue sparks are burningOn every leaf and twig,And red lights are runningIn a circle mad and confused;And noisy springs are breakingOut of wild marble stone,And strangely in the brooksThe reflection is shining forth.Oh, could I only go there,And there rejoice in my heart,Released from all my tormentBe free and filled with bliss!Oh! that land of delightsI often see in my dream,But with the morning sunIt melts like empty foam.

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16. Die alten, bösen LiederDie alten, bösen Lieder, Die Träume bös’ und arg,Die lasst uns jetzt begraben; Holt einen grossen Sarg.Hinein leg’ ich gar manches, Doch sag’ ich noch nicht was; Der Sarg muss sein noch grösser Wie’s Heidelberger Fass.Und holt eine TotenbahreUnd Bretter fest und dick; Auch muss sie sein noch länger, Als wie zu Mainz die Brück’.Und holt mir auch zwölf Riesen, Die müssen noch stärker sein, Als wie der starke Christoph,Im Dom zu Köln am Rhein.

Die sollen den Sarg forttragen Und senken ins Meer hinab, Denn solchem grossen Sarge Gebührt ein grosses Grab.Wisst ihr, warum der Sarg wohl So gross und schwer mag sein? Ich senkt’ auch meine LiebeUnd meinen Schmerz hinein. – Heinrich Heine

The old, wicked songsThe old, wicked songs,The dreams wicked and bad,Let us now bury them now, Fetch a large coffin.Therein I shall put many things,But I will not yet say what;The coffin must be larger stillThen the great tun at Heidelberg.And fetch also a bier,And planks hard and thick;It must be even longerThan at Mayence the bridge.And also fetch twelve giants,They must be even strongerThan the powerful Christopher,In the Cathedral at Cologne on the Rhine.They shall bear away the coffinAnd lower it into the sea;For such a large coffinA large grave is due.Do you know why the coffinSo large and heave must be?I also sunk my loveAnd my pain therein. – translated Edith Braun and Waldo Lyman

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Selections from Five Mystical Songs

EasterRise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praiseWithout delays,Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewiseWith him may’st rise;That, as his death calcined thee to dust,His life may make thee gold, and much more, Just.

Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy partWith all thy art. The cross taught all wood to resound his nameWho bore the same. His stretched sinews taught all strings, what keyIs best to celebrate this most high day.

Consort both heart and lute, and twist a songPleasant and long:Or since all music is but three parts vied,And multiplied;O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,And make up our defects with his sweet art.Rise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praiseWithout delays,Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewiseWith him may’st rise;That, as his death calcined thee to dust,His life may make thee gold, and much more, Just. – George Herbert

The CallCome, my Way, my Truth, my Life:Such a Way, as gives us breath:Such a Truth, as ends all strife:Such a Life, as killeth death.

Come, My Light, my Feast, my Strength:Such a Light, as shows a feast:Such a Feast, as mends in length:Such a Strength, as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:Such a Joy, as none can move:Such a Love, as none can part:Such a Heart, as joys in love – George Herbert

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Love Bade Me WelcomeLove bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,Guilty of dust and sin. But quick-ey’d Love, observing me grow slackFrom my first entrance in,Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,If I lack’d anything.

A guest, I answer’d, worthy to be here:Love said, You shall be he. I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,I cannot look on thee. Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,Who made the eyes but I? Truth, Lord, but I have marr’d them: let my shameGo where it doth deserve. And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame? My dear, then I will serve. You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:So I did sit and eat. – George Herbert

Riddle Songs

– Exeter Book

I am a wondrous creature, I can change my voice,Sometimes I bark like a dog, sometimes I bleat like a goat,Sometimes I honk like a goose, sometimes I shriek like a hawk,Sometimes I mimic the dark eagle,The war-bird’s cry, sometimes I imitate the voice of the kiteWith my mouth, sometimes the song of the seamew,as I sit here proudly. X [= G, gift] names me,along with Æ [ash] and R [journey/road], O [god] assists it,H [hail] and I [ice]. Now I am named,as these six letters clearly indicate.

– Exeter Book

A moth ate words. I thought thatTo be a strange fate, when I learned of that wonder,that some worm swallowed up someone’s poem,a thief in the darkness, a mighty sayingand the strong material on which it was written.The thief was none the wiser, when he swallowed those words.

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SPIRITUALS AND GOSPEL SONGS

City Called HeavenI am a poor pilgrim of sorrowI’m tossed in this wide world aloneNo hope I have for tomorrowI’ve started to heav’n my home

Sometimes I am tossed and driven, Lord,Sometimes I don’t know where to roamI’ve heard of a city called heavenI’ve started to make it my home

My mother reached that pure gloryMy father’s still walkin’ in sinMy brothers and sisters won’t own meBecause I am tryin’ to get in – Traditional Spiritual

Motherless ChildSometimes I feel like a motherless chileA long ways from home

Sometimes I feel like I’m almos’ gone A long ways from home – Traditional Spiritual

Precious Lord Take My HandPrecious Lord, take my hand,Lead me on, let me stand,I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;Through the storm, through the night,Lead me on to the light:

RefrainTake my hand, precious Lord,Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,Precious Lord, linger near,When my life is almost gone,Hear my cry, hear my call,Hold my hand lest I fall:

RefrainWhen the darkness appearsAnd the night draws near,And the day is past and gone,At the river I stand,Guide my feet, hold my hand:

Refrain – Thomas A. Dorsey

We Shall OvercomeWe shall overcome, we shall overcomeWe shall overcome some dayOh, deep in my heart, I do believeWe shall overcome some day

We are not afraid, we are not afraidWe are not afraid todayOh, deep in my heart, I do believeWe are not afraid today

The Lord will see us through…(today)…

We’ll walk hand in hand…(today)…

The truth shall make us free…(some day)… – Inspired by African American Gospel Singing, members of the Food and Tobacco Workers Union, Charleston, SC, and the southern Civil Rights movement. Lyric adaptation by Zilphia Hart., Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan and Pete Seeger

Over My HeadRefrain Over my head, I see freedom in the air,Over my head, I see freedom in the air,Over my head, I see freedom in the air,There must be a God somewhere.

Over my head, I see justice in the air,Over my head, Oh Lord, I see justice in the air,Over my head, I see justice in the air,There must be a God somewhere.

Over my head, I see victory in the air,Over my head, Oh Lord, I see victory in the air,Over my head, I see victory in the air,There must be a God somewhere. – Traditional

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BlueThis is what I want to do my heart is sit real still with you.After all that cruising in around and out of town,Put them down who dare refuse me and the the same old line I threw ah but up up up I grewAnd now all I want to do my heart is sit real still with you.After all that screeching talking fast and slowing downOnly now and then to reach you when you let me know I knew that what I preach is none too trueThat’s why all I want to do my heart is sit real still with you.(Cause I do know this about people and I DON’T mean some:Awf’ly smart people are often awful dumb!Aren’t we?We just don’t realize that behind the eyes, behind the mind, you find the sweetest brilliance and a stillness of such blue that --)That’s why all I want to do my soul is sit real still with you.Ah so sweetly down the hillThat is what I want to do sweet soul is sit real still with you. – Arnold Weinstein

Performing Note Conspirare has the privilege of performing in a variety of beautiful venues. We seek out acoustical and aesthetic environments that can best enhance choral performances and we are deeply grateful to our hosts. While some of our performing venues may represent specific traditions, and texts of some of our repertoire may also be representative of specific traditions, it is in no way intended to be exclusive of any individual whose experience or set of beliefs is not represented. Our shared musical experiences are intended to bring us together as we all seek to be inspired by the power of great choral music. The audience creates the space in which the music is held.

SopranoKari McDonald Margaret Henderson Michel Kennell Jennifer Wang

AltoWravan Godsoe Linda Blair Ramsey Deborah Rupp Andrea Pobanz

TenorTodd BrennanRobbie LaBancaEli SalazarTrevor Shaw

BassRoland BarreraRobert Harlan Dionsysus HendersonDe’Evin J. JohnsonJohn Proft

The Conspirare Symphonic Choir, established in 2000, is an auditioned chorus of both professional and volunteer singers. Most reside in the Austin area, though several commute to rehearsals and performances from as far away as the Hill Country, San Antonio, and Victoria. All are highly skilled singers with significant previous choral experience.

Led by Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson, the ensemble carries on the great oratorio tradition of epic choral storytelling. The dedicated Symphonic Choir singers are collaborative artists who sing the greatest choral masterworks with orchestra as well as new works for voices and instruments. They participate regularly in Conspirare outreach programs and serve as singing hosts for Conspirare’s popular Big Sings. Symphonic choral forces range from 50 to over 100 singers depending on the work performed.

The Symphonic Choir performs large choral-orchestral works annually in Austin and other cities as part of the Conspirare season, and collaborates frequently with other major arts organizations such as the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Austin, and Victoria Bach Festival. The choir has won several Austin Critics Table Awards, most recently for the 2012 performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Austin Symphony.

Tonight’s performance includes a special guest appearance by the following members of Conspirare Symphonic Choir:

John Proft, rehearsal conductor

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Johnson is known for crafting musical journeys that create deep connections between performer and listener.

As Conspirare’s founder and Artistic Director, Johnson assembles some of today’s finest singers to form a world-class ensemble. Johnson is also music director of the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble and conductor emeritus of the Victoria Bach Festival. He has served as guest conductor with Austin Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Oregon Bach Festival, Harvard University and many others in Texas, the U.S., and abroad. Through these activities, as well as Conspirare’s many recordings on the internationally distributed [PIAS] harmonia mundi label, Johnson brings national and international recognition to the Texas musical community.

Beloved by audiences, lauded by critics and composers, and revered by musicians, Johnson is known for crafting musical journeys that create deep connections between performer and listener. Johnson is recognized for his distinctive programming, drawing on a broad spectrum of musical styles to create vibrant concert experiences. The Wall Street Journal has praised Johnson’s ability to “find the emotional essence other performers often miss.” Composer and collaborator Robert Kyr has observed that “Craig’s attitude toward creating a community of artists...goes beyond technical mastery into that emotional depth and spiritual life of the music.”

Johnson was Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas at Austin from 1990-2001 and remains an active educator, teaching workshops and clinics statewide, nationally, and internationally. In fall 2012 he became the first Artist-in-Residence at Texas State University School of Music.

A composer and arranger, Johnson is an editor for the Craig Hella Johnson Choral Series, featuring specially selected composers as well as some of his own original compositions and arrangements. His music is also published by Alliance Music Publications. Johnson’s pieces are in high demand by choirs across the United States who also commission his work.

Johnson’s first concert-length composition Considering Matthew Shepard was premiered and recorded by Conspirare for a 2016 CD release. The Bay Area Reporter wrote: “…it has the richness, depth and complexity to compel repeated hearing...for all the musical styles Johnson employs...it has a unity of conception and voice that is all Johnson’s. Considering Matthew Shepard is a deeply American piece, performed with utter dedication by performers for whom it was composed. But its universality lies in the fact that it could be performed by many others – and must be, for all our sakes.”

Johnson’s accomplishments have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. Notably among them, he and Conspirare won a 2014 Grammy® for Best Choral Performance, Chorus America granted him the Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art in 2015, and the Texas State Legislature named him Texas State Musician for 2013. Other honors have included 2008 induction into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame, Chorus America’s 2009 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal, and the 2011 Citation of Merit from international professional music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon. Johnson studied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, and the University of Illinois, and earned his doctorate at Yale University.

The Wall Street Journal has praised Johnson’s ability to “find the emotional essence other performers often miss.”

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Considering Matthew Shepard went straight to number four on the Billboard Traditional Classic chart in its first week and received a Grammy nomination for Best Surround Sound. In Europe, [PIAS] harmonia mundi’s international re-release of Requiem in 2009 won the Netherlands’ prestigious 2010 Edison Award, the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy. Path of Miracles, 2015, was awarded the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, a highly respected German CD award.

Conspirare received the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence from the national service organization Chorus America in 2005, and in 2007 a grant was received from the National Endowment for the Arts under its American Masterpieces initiative. In 2010 the organization received the Dale Warland Singers Commission Award from Chorus America to fund and premiere a new work by Eric Banks.

Conspirare represented the U.S. at the Eighth World Symposium on Choral Music in Copenhagen in 2008, joining invited choirs from nearly 40 countries. In fall 2012, the group traveled to France for six invited performances at the Polyfollia Festival and a public concert in Paris. And in July 2016, Olavfestdagene presented the group to premiere a new work at the annual festival in Trondheim, Norway.

Conspirare has performed in New York City, San Francisco, Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, and many other U.S. cities, including appearances as a featured choir at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) annual conference and regional ACDA conventions.

Established in Austin, TX in 1991 as New Texas Music Festival, Conspirare now performs a full annual season in Austin and Central Texas where it has received ongoing recognition from local organizations and critics, including Austin Critic’s Table. Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson was named Texas State Musician for 2013. In addition to offering concerts, the group is also committed to an ongoing outreach program which includes free community Big Sings and performances at the Travis County Correctional Facility. Conspirare became a Resident Company of the Long Center for the Performing Arts in 2013.

Conspirare is an internationally recognized, professional choral organization now in its 25th season.Led by founder and artistic director Craig Hella Johnson, the flagship ensemble Conspirare is a Grammy® award-winning chamber choir of extraordinarily talented soloists from around the country who come together to perform an annual concert series in Texas and to tour in the U.S. and abroad. Also comprising the organization are the Conspirare Symphonic Choir, a large ensemble that performs works for chorus, often with an instrumental ensemble, and Conspirare Youth Choirs, an educational program including Prelude, Kantorei, and Allegro under the direction of Nina Revering.

Conspirare has an international recording presence. The group’s 2014 album The Sacred Spirit of Russia, released on the [PIAS] harmonia mundi label, won the Grammy for Best Choral Performance. The ensemble’s complete discography to date includes 12 commercial albums and 16 self-produced live recordings of its popular holiday concerts.

The group’s first commercial recording, through the green fuse, was released in 2004 and was followed in 2006 by Requiem which received two Grammy nominations. In 2008 Threshold of Night (music by Tarik O’Regan) also received two nominations, including Best Classical Album. The 2009 PBS television special “A Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert” received the Grammy nomination for Best Classical Crossover, and Pablo Neruda: The Poet Sings was nominated for Best Choral Performance in 2016. The group’s recent release of Craig Hella Johnson’s

In addition to offering concerts, the group is also

committed to an ongoing outreach program which

includes free community Big Sings and performances

at the Travis County Correctional Complex.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nancy Lesch, Chair Robert Harlan, Vice Chair Tricia Yost, Treasurer William C. Bednar, Secretary Mark W. BiernerKen Beck Mary Anne Connolly Susanna Finnell Sandy FivecoatJerele D. NeeldOzden OchoaJoni Wallace Patrick Willis

ADVISORY BOARD Stephen Aechternacht John Aielli Sue Barnes Mark Bierner Ray Brimble David Claflin Tom Driskoll Virginia Dupuy Maydelle Fason JoLynn Free Billy Gammon Vance George Helen Hays Dan Herd William B. Hilgers Wayne Holtzman Judith Jellison Bob Murphy Lynn Murphy Cliff Redd Gayle Glass Roche Nancy Scanlan Angela Smith Bernadette Tasher Louann Temple Eva Womack Midge Woolsey

ARTISTIC & ADMINISTRATIVE STAFFCraig Hella Johnson Artistic Director Ann McNair Managing Director Roland Barrera Conspirare Concierge Marianne DeLeon Chief Development Officer Rick GabrilloAssociate Conductor Robert Harlan Production Consultant Natalie HowardConspirare Youth Choirs Manager Ben R. King Production Assistant Meri Krueger Artist Relations Jaime Leighton Production Administrator Kathy Leighton House Manager

Rachel McGinnis Meissner Media Coordinator

Jane Ramirez Business Manager Nina Revering Conspirare Youth Choirs Director

Outreach Partners

In-Kind Sponsors

Media Sponsor

Season Sustaining Underwriter

Foundation Supporters

Restaurant Partners

Public Agency SponsorsThis project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

CityJewell

2017/18 Corporate Sponsors Sustainers

Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation The Burdine Johnson Foundation Keating Family Foundation Kodosky Foundation

One Skye Foundation Red Bird Foundation Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts Shield-Ayres Foundation

Still Water Foundation Rachael & Ben Vaughan Foundation Eva & Marvin Womack Foundation Lola Wright Foundation

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Carolyn J. Keating*Mary Kevorkian & Tom Holzbach*Cheline Jaidar*Karen Kibler & Tom GrimesKathleen Kinney+David & Tina Knobel*+Angie & Steve Larned+Kathy & Henry LeightonSusan & Craig LubinThomas Lukens+Marcia ManhartAnn McNair*Michele MorrisonMargaret Murray-Miller & Carl Caricari*+Rebecca & Phil PowersTeresa Ringness*Daniel SeriffBrenda & Larry SmithElizabeth & Duff Stewart+Marion Lear SwaybillBernadette Tasher*John C. R. Taylor & Peter Flagg MaxsonHettie Tetzlaff & Don GunnSandra & Bob Tomlinson+Toyota U.S.A., Corey Proffitt+Julia & Patrick Willis*+Patricia & Chris Yost*

$1,000-$2,499Ameriprise FinancialAnonymous (3)Shannon ArmstrongMargaret & Robert AyresBeverly BarrLaurie & Britt BarrBonnie BaskinSuzanne & Eric BatchelderBecky Beaver & John DuncanMargaret & Robert BerdahlVictoria & Robert Bergin*Anne Bertholf*Ann & Jeff BomerVera Ayres BowenMarvin Brittman*Kathleen & Paul Brown*Kay BrumleyShirley BurgerSarah & Ernest ButlerJames & Greg BryantJanet Carlsen CampbellRichard CampbellAnnette Carlozzi & Dan BullockAlice & Gary ChildressNathasha & David CollmannCAS ConsultingMary Lockwood CrouchMichael DiLeoRena & Richard D’Souza

Gregory Cash Durham & Bob GutermuthAnn B. FieldsKhris FordSusan & John FoxFrost Bank, Laura PintoMary Nell Frucella+Evelyn & Rick Gabrillo+Carlo Gavino & Andy SnyderMary GiffordKim & Steve GilbertKendal & Ken GladishGlenda Goehrs*+Maria & Eric GrotenGusto Italian KitchenCarol & Bob Hayden*Jordan Herman+Joan & Paul Hudson*Pam & Rick HuffmanIBM Matching Grants ProgramKaren & Gerald JacknowDaniel JacksonFrances JohnsJulie KeimAllison KellyMichael KentorStephanie & Robert KincheloeTimothy KoockClaire KoriothJeanne Langston & Donald GranthamLou Ann & Bill LasherCindy Libera+Emily Little+Alaire & Thomas Lowry+Mim Luetje & Garrett BeauvaisSheila Lummis*Melissa Marse & Andy HopwoodCatherine Mauzy & Hans MagnussonSue & Phil MaxwellJoyce MayerLeigh McAlisterRuth & Bob McGregor+Sara McIntosh+Debe & Kevin McKeandVance McMahan+Milton MillerBonnie MillsSuzi & Douglas NelsonWilliam NemirEric NeuvilleCynthia & Lip NorvellSylvia NotewareMonica & John Per O’SullivanDian Graves Owen FoundationLinda & Paul Parrish*+Delisa & Ron PettitCarol Ann Pevehouse*Cat & Rudy PrinceJane Ramirez*

We thank each individual, foundation, business, government & city agency for your investment in Conspirare and in our mission to change lives through the power of music. This list represents gifts made from March 1, 2016 through January 5, 2018. When we make music, we make it together.

* Denotes Hella Circle Member+ Denotes Considering Matthew Shepard donor $50,000 +AnonymousCity of Austin – Cultural Arts DivisionFran & Larry Collmann*+Lynne Dobson & Greg Wooldridge*Carol & Chris Elms*+H-E-B Tournament of ChampionsThe Kodosky Foundation, Gail & Jeff KodoskyNational Endowment for the Arts+South Texas Money ManagementStill Water Foundation

$20,000-$49,999Anonymous (2)++Patti Troth & Richard Black*Pat & Robert BrueckDixie CampAnn & Gordon Getty FoundationWendi & Brian KushnerLee Manford & Casey Blass*+One Skye Foundation, Karen & Ray Brimble & Family+Texas Commission on the ArtsRachael & Ben F. Vaughan FoundationKathleen & Jim Wicoff*+Jeanie & Bill Wyatt

$10,000-$19,999Austin Community Foundation+Joyce & Ken Beck*+Bill Bednar*Eric Copper+Jim Ferguson & Art Sansone+Finkelstein FoundationSusanna & Richard Finnell*+Dee Garcia+Lara & Robert Harlan*+Richard Hartgrove & Gary Cooper+Jeanne & Van HoisingtonEstate of Lewis HoffackerThe Burdine Johnson FoundationCraig Hella Johnson & Phil Overbaugh*+Trish & Robert Karli*Eric Leibrock*+Nancy Quinn & Thomas Driscoll+Susan & Jack Robertson*+Gayle & Mike Roche*Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the ArtsNancy Scanlan+Per Stirling GroupShield-Ayres FoundationJoni Wallace*+Eva & Marvin Womack

$5,000-$9999James Arth+Nancy & Randy Baden*Linda & Nick van BavelNancy Lesch & Janet Bezner*+Mark Bierner*+Red Bird Foundation, Paula D’ArcyGinger & Michael Blair*+Janis & David Claflin*Catherine Clark+Mary Anne Connolly*+Robin & Malcolm CooperBeverly Dale+Mary & Phil DelkJoanne & John EarlsSandy & Bill Fivecoat*+Jolynn & Gregory Free*Karen & Paul Galindo+Cynthia Gonzales & Bill Guajardo*+Helen & Bob HaysDanny Hamilton & Paul Hilliard+Sherry & Gary Jacobson*+Keating Family FoundationCarol & Jack McGuireBecky & Ted Mercado*Suzanne Mitchell & Richard Zansitis*Stefanie Moore & Todd Keister+Elizabeth & Jerele Neeld*Ozden OchoaStu Phillips*Daphne & Steve PyhrrLinda & Robert Ramsey+Duane Roth*Cyndee & David Rust, Quartz FinancialSusanne Tetzlaff & Eric TiblierJohanna & Mitch Vernick+Julia & Stephen WilkinsonLola Wright Foundation

$2,500-$4,999Anonymous (2) Claudia & Stephen AechternachtDavid BeilharzShelley CarterFleur ChristensenDanna & John Crutchfield+Janice & Rowland Curry*Marianne DeLeon*Dell Giving ProgramCarr Hornbuckle & Jack Leifer+Marjorie Johnson*

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Aurelia PalubeckasDixie & John PaulosDee Anne & Steven PaulsonSonny PayneSherie PfisterKaren & Allen PopeBrian PowellLinda Ball & Forrest PreeceJoel QuadeJoanne & Jerome RavelKarin Richmond*Michal RosenbergerHannah Temple & Chris SandersLaura & Arnie SandersMary & Jo-Michael ScheibeJan & Harold SchneiderBarbara SchutzOliver Scofield & Michael Clohesy+Carole & Charles SikesSilicon Valley Community FoundationHolly SmythMae StollCason SwindleKay Taylor & Charles SingletaryColleen & Tom TerkelJennifer & Scott TillerFaith & Don Trapp+Twin Liquors, Sandra SpaldingJane & John Valenstein+Anne & Tony VanceMary Walker-ChyleAmy WelshAndrew WestPeite WhiteShari Wilson & Jason ShestokKarla & James WintleLynda Young & Harris Kaffie

$250-$499 Carol & Chris Adams Amazon Smile CampaignAnton ArmstrongRobbie & Tom AusleyDeanna BadgettMarcia & Bob BaileyRoland Barrera*Ingrid & Nathan BickPat BlackKelly & John BrownleeBeth Ann BryanEve BryantKyle & Amy BrysonNeil BubkeCarla BurzykViera BuzgovaAnne & Samuel ByarsCandyce Byrne & Tom Sears*James Callahan

Paul CarapetyanMike ChesserKathryn & Michael CoffeyJanie CookLisa CowanKarel DahmenRobert DaileyMela Sarajane Dailey & Peter Bay+Louie & Suzanne DanuserTynan DavisJo Scurlock & Rick DillardKathryn DoaneDorothy Drummer & Greg EdenDoree Dutoit & Tim TengbladMelissa Eddy & Tracy Schiemenz*Johnathan EdwardsBruce EldridgeGeorge EllimanGwen & Bruce FloryMelinda & Robert FloydKim FordJill & Terry FrisbieJudy & Frank GordonMelissa GrayDesi Koome & Gary GreenblumJulie HageyCharlotte HaleWest HansenMartha & David HarringtonKaren & Leroy HaverlahRoxie & Jim HayneBenjamin HellerJane HembreeMargaret HendersonKelli & Van Jr. HoisingtonJudith HortonHouston Masterworks ChorusBrian & Amy HuberMelissa Huebsch-StroudMeta Butler Hunt & Trent MillerRoyce HunterCarolyn HynsonSylvia & David JabourPrerna JainKaren & Peter JakesDe’Evin Johnson*Eric JohnsonNahid & Ali KhatawLynn & David KindlerLynda & Randy KirkGretchen Olson KoppDaryl KunikCharles LandgrafRoberta & Richard LangHillary LarsonDell LawheadGomer LeschKati Lewis

Flo Ann Randle*Susan & Forest ReesLouise ReeserLouis RenaudKimberly & Dan RennerDean ReveringLynn & Dick RewJudy & Douglas RhodesCandy RogersRoseann & Ben RothAugustin RubioJeanmarie & Scott RustBobbye & Allan SawatzkyVirginia McDermott & William SchleuseTony SessiMarilyn SharrattJohn ShoreJare & Jim SmithDebbie & William StassenJames StolpaKerry Tate+Ingrid & James TaylorMichelle TobiasPatricia TollisonAnne & William WagnerWayzata High School ChoirDavid WebberSteve WilsonPeggy Howard & Bill Wood*James Wood+Young & PrattJoyce Zehr & Marvin Burke

$500-$999 Apple Inc.Barbara & Kevin BarryPat & Cindy BehlingJeremy Bencken+Mary Parse & Klaus BichtelerK’Andrea BickerstaffBirdsong InsuranceJennifer & Charles BotchwayPhyllis Bourque & Shelley TaylorJennifer BrahamGeorge BrennanCarmine Salvucci & Steve Brister+Linda & George Brown+Lisa McLean & Michael Dennis BrowneBrad BuchholzDenise & Timothy BurkeJudy & John BushChris & Bill Bussell+Shawna ButlerPatricia ChericoArne ChristensonBob Clagett*Lisa & Eric Craven

Cina CrisaraCatherine Crutchfield LightMargaret & Marc Curtis*Nancy CurtisSandra DerbyNina & Jeffrey DiLeoRena DsouzaSharon DuboiseKerry EdwardsClifford ErnstConstance & Rex EsauMaydelle & Sam FasonSylvia FatzerSusan Nash FeketyConstance & Thomas FosterCheryl Fuller*Henry GeneczkoJoan & David GeorgeRob & Liz GilbertDean GoodermoteDenise & Robert GomezCarol Anne Graham & Jerry LlewellynDeena Graham+Richard GrayPeggy GreenawaltJonathan GuytonKaren Hale & Al LindseyGlenn HaluskaCynthia HarknessJim & Mary Hornbuckle+David HuntJudith Jellison & Robert DukeBeth & Greg Judd+Vonciel & Larry KeisterPatricia KellamAbby KenigsbergKaren & Donald KirmisDonna KnoxDina KuntzAl LambertJJ LangstonRonald JerniganBonnie & Sidney LanierDana MacLarenAditya P. MathurSuzanne McAllisterJanet McCullar+Kay & Tom McHorseKaren McLaughlinJanie Keys & Ivan MilmanLinda MonkFran & Steven MossChandra Muller & William BecknerRebecca MunizBeverly NewsomGenie & Randy NorrisSally Fly & John Nyfeler

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Karoline LiuCameron Lockley*Teresa & Krzysztof LysonLeslie & Les MashburnGitanjali Mathur & Ciji IsenNick Mayo & Michael HartmannMarsha McCaryJulie & Jerry McCoyKari McDonaldHeather McElhaneyEverett McKinleyM.J. McReynoldsMarcy & John MelansonGlenn MillerPhyllis MillerRebecca MillerMike MitchellTonya MixsonAnn MoodyEvan MorganMelanie & Peter MullanToni & Joseph MurgoSamantha MurrayWilliam NicholsChristopher NovosadKaren OlsonSara OrtizPatricia PaulusAndrea PeckJean PermannEileen & Michael PestoriusAnn Phipps & Michael CannattiDouglas Plummer+Paula PriourLisa & Robert RadebaughKeely RhodesChris RichterSally & Andy RitchSara RobertsonLeilani RoseDeborah & Ed Rupp*Sondra & Robert RyanKirsten & John RydenSafeway Inc.Senaida San MiguelApril SchweighartTerry & Jennifer ScogginValerie SericeJackie & Bob ShapiroKay SherrillBea Ann SmithDebi SmithJudy Leatherwood SmithAnna & Don SorensenKate SullivanPatrice SullivanAlexis Stokes

Amy SwartzMary & Rusty TallyLinda & John ThomasMeredith ThomasDale & Roy TruittTrudy Waters & John BennettRohani WegerJoseph Weir & Carl BradenKatherine & Steve WhiteGinny & Geoff WilligSusan WillisCynthia WilsonKira WinterJosephine WolferKatherine WrightTim Young+

Conspirare also thanks all donors of gifts under $250 and regrets that space does not permit listing of each name. Your support is equally appreciated. We strive to publish an accurate donor list. If an error or omission is noted, please let us know.

DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Eric Copper Eric began his commitment to Conspirare by being part of an extraordinary group of people who have given Considering Matthew Shepard wings. Not only did he invest substantially in the success of the work, he also introduced the music to his network of friends, and engaged them in conversations about love and acceptance. With his help, Considering Matthew Shepard will begin the second leg of its tour on Feb 21, 2018 in Dallas, Texas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Oxford and

Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Growing up in a family of realtors, real estate is part of Eric’s DNA. Gary Keller, founder of Keller Williams Realty International, quickly recognized Eric’s leadership and emergence into the Austin market, hiring Eric in 2006 as the broker for his flagship offices. Eric led over 1600 agents and was responsible for over 7,000 transactions and $1B in sales annually. Since 2012, Eric was recognized as the #1 Top-Selling Agent in his company of over 800 agents and ranked #5 by the Austin Business Journal. Eric is a member of the Platinum Top 50 and Elite 25™ organizations.

Born and raised in Chicago, Eric relocated to Austin in 2000. He is actively involved in the community serving as a major contributor, and volunteering his time and leadership, to several non-profit organizations that he is passionate about. In his free time, Eric enjoys traveling, riding his bike, boating, and skiing. He is a member of the Conspirare Symphonic Choir, and periodically performs in Austin musicals. Eric is an active member of the Boards of Trustees for The Long Center for the Performing Arts and Zach Theatre. His most treasured time is with family and friends.

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Conspirare AmbassadorsJulie AdamsTaja BeekleyEllen BlairGay BullardAmy CookStephanie FosterBarbara GrajskiHenry LeightonBeverly McCunePat ReedCynthia ReynoldsPeach ReynoldsLauren VickCarol Walker

Our ambassadors are critical for welcoming audiences, promoting upcoming concerts, and housing out-of-town artists. Your skills and hospitality would be welcomed additions to our community, and we invite you to engage in the following roles: front-of-house: ushers, merchandise retailers, reception hosts, administration: music librarians, press archivists, administrative assistants, hospitality, short-term housing hosts

We welcome music lovers of all ages to participate. If you’re interested in giving back to Conspirare and enjoying a free performance as our thank you, please visit conspire.org or email Kathy Leighton at [email protected]

Production Team Christy Butler, Printed Program Content DirectorJennifer Braham, Program DesignViera Buzgova, Stage ManagerDr. Cynthia Gonzales, TranscriptionRobert Harlan, Stage ManagerThe University of Texas Butler School of Music

Friends & Supporters Brink CreativeChez Zee CityJewellMelissa GivensGusto Italian Kitchen + Wine BarJessen AuditoriumKick Butt Coffee, Thomas Gohring KLRUKMFAKUT/KUTXJoey Martin, Texas State UniversityLa FolliaMarqueeMcCarthy PrintPhillip OverbaughSala & BettyTexas Performing ArtsTiki2Travis County Correctional ComplexUniversity Federal Credit UnionThe University of Texas Butler School of Music

FEATURED AMBASSODOR Barbara Grajski The Conspirare Christmas concert in 2016 sparked my interest in becoming an Ambassador. I had moved to Georgetown, and a friend invited me to join a group that has attended the Christmas concerts for many years. I had never seen or heard a choral group that blended so many types of music together so seamlessly – it was love at first listen! Shortly afterward, I mentioned to a friend how much I was impressed

by Conspirare and, as luck would have it, she is the sister of Kathy Leighton, Conspirare’s House Manager and Ambassador Coordinator. She put me in touch with Kathy, and the rest is history in the making! My first experience as an Ambassador was the Considering Matthew Shepard performance. It was one of the most moving pieces of music I have ever experienced and touched me deeply. I really enjoyed interacting with the patrons; Kathy and the other Ambassadors made me feel welcome right away.

I retired to Texas, my home state, after many years of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a career in legal recruiting. I love music of all kinds, from classical to jazz to rock to world music. One of my goals in retirement is to give back to the community, and I am sure that participating in Conspirare will be an important part of those efforts.

Conspirare Cares: Conspirare Youth ChoirsFounded in 2005 as an educational outreach program of the Grammy® award–winning ensemble Conspirare, the Conspirare Youth Choirs seek out and train young musicians who share a love for, and commitment to, creating music at a high level of excellence. Through thematic programming,

high production values, and intensive sight–singing/music theory curriculum, CYC follows in Conspirare’s footsteps in crafting profound and meaningful performances in Austin as well as regionally and internationally. Collaborators include Austin Symphony, Ballet Austin, Austin City Limits (with the Oscar® award–winning band Swell Season, and Grammy® award winner Christopher Cross), La Follia Austin Baroque, and Austin Opera. CYC singers were honored to perform for the Texas Music Educators Association conference in 2009 and Southwestern American Choral Directors Association (SWACDA) in 2014. They will return to SWACDA for an invited performance as a headliner on March 8 in Oklahoma City’s Civic Center Music Hall. The choir is directed by founding Artistic Director Nina Revering.

For audition information visit conspirare.org/youth-choirs

The Conspirare Youth Choirs seek out and train young musicians who share a love for and commitment to creating music at a high level of excellence.

. .

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Considering Matthew Shepard Encore Performances FEBRUARY 2018

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25th | Lincoln, NELied Center for the Performing Arts

27th | Oxford, MS Ford Center for the Performing Arts

28th | Hattiesburg, MS Mannoni Performing Arts Center

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All scratch bakery; daily fish specials, happy hour, weekend brunch.

Fresh, local ingredients. Many Gluten Free options.

Lunch & Dinner

Drive Thru & Saturday Brunch

512 • 645 • 0214

5210 Airport Blvd. Austin, Texas 78751

www.salaandbettyatx.com

proud supporter of the arts in austin

Hella Circle is a community of supporters who believe in the transformative power of music. Inspired by the visionary performances, recordings, and special projects

of Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare, Hella Circle members are joined by their commitment to sustained support of Conspirare’s next 25 years and beyond.

Contact Marianne DeLeon at 512.476.5775 or [email protected] sign up today: www.conspirare.org/HellaCircle

Launched to Celebrate 25 Years of Conspirare’s Artistry

Text SONG to 243725

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243725

SONG

Receive/click on text link

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SONG

Enter amount of your gift

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$75,000

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$75,000

through Song!

Engagethe Heart DANCE.

CHAMBER. VOICE. JAZZ.

DRAGONS.FILM.

texasperformingarts.org

The 2017-18 Essential Series

Philip Glass Ensemble KOYAANISQATSI

FEB 23

Godfrey Reggio’s 1982 “environmental

masterpiece,” KOYAANISQATSI, will be

accompanied by a live film score.

43

Conspirare Christmas available now!

Purchase tonight in the lobby, or online at conspirare.org

Sing with CYC

Mid-season auditions for Spring 2018 will be held until February 11. . Submit a request at conspirare.org/youth-choirs/join-us/audition/

Second date coming soon.

Check our upcoming events online and be the first to know.

conspirare.org

where the audience is the choir coming to a venue near you twice this spring!

May 3, 6pm at Redeemer Presbyterian

TO BENEFITGalaApril 19, 2018

B R A Z O S H A L L

Delight the heart and awaken the soul with members of Grammy® award-winning Conspirare and Symphonic Choirs, featuring Lauren Snouffer and Craig Hella Johnson. Join us for Hidden Music in the “garden of spirit” as we begin a retrospective look into Conspirare’s past and create the foundation for a visionary future.

For tickets and sponsorships, please visit: https://conspirare.org/event/hidden-music-2018/ or call 512.476.5775

Save the Date!Conspirare Youth Choirs

DREAMCATCHERMay 12, 2018 7:30

St. Martin’s Lutheran Church