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we sing radianceJ u n e 9 , 2 0 1 2

Handel & PärtB r i l l i a n t B a r o q u e , S u B l i m e S i l e n c e S

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Handel & Pärt Br i l l iant Baroque,

SuBl ime S i l enceS

Saturday, June 9, 20125:30 pm and 9:00 pm

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church

Pre-concert talk by Margaret Perry one hour before each performance

Craig Hella Johnson, Artistic Director & Conductor

Company of Voices & String Orchestra

Season Sustaining Underwriter

2011-2012 SeaSon SuStaining underwriter of ConSPirare

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Program Program Notes

Dixit DominusGeorge Frideric Handel (1685-1759) had begun to establish himself as an opera composer in Hamburg when he decided on a complete change of scene and journeyed to Italy, reaching Rome in 1707. Surprisingly, for an unwavering Lutheran, he quickly secured the patronage of three cardinals, gave a wildly successful performance on the organ of the Church of St. John Lateran, and was soon composing church music. Although he apparently kept composing operas during his Italian period, these were not performed in Rome, since all opera performances had been strictly forbidden by Pope Clement XI.

The psalm setting Dixit Dominus (Ps. 110) was probably composed under the patronage of Cardinal Carlo Colonna, as one of a large set of probably eight pieces, including five psalms, for Vespers celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Church of St. Maria di Monte Santo, one of the “twin churches” in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo. The psalm text seems just the thing to flatter a patron from one of Rome’s old, powerful families like the Colonnas, with its assurance of a ruler’s victory over his enemies. It can be interpreted as a confirmation of the power of an earthly ruler like King David. Also, the mention of Melchizedek (the priest who appears in Genesis to bless Abraham) has been taken as a reference to the Messiah, the high priest chosen specifically by God, and thus of a higher order than those who simply inherited the priesthood as members of the priestly tribe.

The 22-year-old Handel, having already proven himself a master of counterpoint during his North German “apprenticeship,” added a facility for expressive melody and lively Corelli-style instrumental writing during this Italian “journeyman” phase of his career. During his final, “master” period, he re-used music from the Dixit Dominus in several of his well-known operas and oratorios. The brilliant Italian concerto style is displayed from the very beginning of Dixit Dominus with the repeated, energetic declamation of the word Dixit, like rapid sword thrusts; and in the use of five solo voices set in contrast against the choral background. There are particularly dramatic word paintings, notably the repeated conquassabit in the seventh movement, illustrating the smashing of enemy heads. The choral writing is virtuosic throughout, described by H. C. Robbins Landon as “of staggering technical difficulty, displaying immediately the excellence of Roman choirs at the beginning of the century.”

Dixit Dominus, HWV 232 (1707)................ George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

1. Dixit Dominus Domino meo (Choir with soprano, alto and tenor solos)EstElí GomEz, soprano, CECilia KittlEy shinn, alto, traCy shirK, tenor

2. Virgam virtutis tuae (Alto solo)CECilia KittlEy shinn, alto

3. Tecum principium (Soprano solo)sonja tEnGblad, soprano

4. Juravit Dominus (Choir)

5. Tue es sacerdos (Choir)

6. Dominus a dextris tuis (Choir with soprano, alto, tenor, and bass solos)stEfaniE moorE and Gitanjali mathur, sopranos, Pam Elrod huffman, alto, jos milton, tenor, david farwiG, bass

7. De torrente in via bibet (Tenor and bass choir with soprano solos)EstElí GomEz and KathlEnE ritCh, sopranos

8. Gloria Patri (Choir)

+ + + + + IntermIssIon + + + + +

On the Beach at Night (1949) ................................... Andrew Imbrie (1921-2007)

Berliner Messe (1990, rev. 2002) ............................................. Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)

KyrieGloriaErster Alleluiavers zum Pfingstfest

sCott mEllo, tenor

Zweiter Alleluiavers zum PfingstfestrobErt harlan, bass

Veni Sancte SpiritusCredo (Matzelsdorfer Fassung)SanctusAgnus Dei

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“On the Beach at Night”Andrew Imbrie (1921-2007) was born in New York City and reared in Princeton, New Jersey, where during his teens he became a composition pupil of Roger Sessions. After service in World War II, he continued studying with Sessions at the University of California at Berkeley. Imbrie was a fellow at the American Academy in Rome 1947-49, then returned to teach at Berkeley until his retirement in 1991.

Imbrie’s music is atonal and not composed with a particular method, although influenced by the “long line” or “large gesture” advocated by Sessions. As Imbrie described it in CD liner notes from 1993, his music “… is neither experimental nor conventional … The composer must constantly resort to innovation—yet he is influenced by the other music that he loves, both old and new. Without such participation he would be powerless. Originality, if indeed present at all, is the style with which the composer characteristically chooses, weighs, shapes, and distorts.”

“On the Beach at Night,” with a text by American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892), was published in 1961. It is a highly descriptive and dramatic depiction of the sunset scene of father and child, with the brief earthly-celestial drama painted in subtle and highly detailed choral and orchestral effects.

Berliner Messe (Berlin Mass)Arvo Pärt was born in Paide, Estonia in 1935, and graduated from the Tallinn Conservatory in 1963. He worked in Estonia as a film composer before emigrating to Vienna, then to Berlin, in 1981. His earliest compositions were tonal, and showed the influence of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Later he switched to a strict serial style based on Schönberg’s, then again back to a tonal music based on old polyphonic forms and Gregorian chant. Later he developed the tintinnabuli style used in the Berlin mass, derived from the sound of bells. As Richard Kostelanetz wrote, “Pärt’s creative career can be viewed as dialectical, moving from thesis through a serialist antithesis to the current synthesis.”

The Berlin mass was composed in 1990 for four soloists and organ, and later revised for chorus and string orchestra. It is comprised of the five traditional mass movements, plus First Alleluia, second Alleluia, and Veni sancte spiritus movements which make it suitable for its intended use at the Feast of Pentecost (with Christmas and Easter, one of the three major feast days of the Christian Church and celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit). Pärt’s use of chant-like declamation and slow tempos gives the piece a stately serenity reminiscent of

Renaissance choral music, while his careful attention to the nuances of the language give the Latin words a familiar, almost conversational tone.

Pärt’s style has been described as “minimalist,” but it is a minimalism completely different from that of composers like John Adams or Philip Glass, who compose music that is rhythmically-driven, with only intermittent changes in harmony. In contrast, Pärt’s music never has what American Bandstand fans used to call “a good beat.” There is no palpable pulse except that of the words themselves; instead there is constant harmonic variety in the different combinations of pitches and of vocal and instrumental timbres. There is little explanation of this from Pärt himself—Richard Kostelanetz quotes him as saying, concerning other contemporary composers, “There is no music; there is only explanations,” and “Everything I ever said about music I wanted to forget.”

The tintinnabuli method is displayed clearly in the Kyrie, Gloria, and Alleluias of the Berliner mass: the sopranos and tenors sing only notes of a triad chord, and so their lines move only by leaps. The altos and tenors start each phrase on a note not in the triad, and their lines move only stepwise. There is only one word per measure, with a constantly-changing meter. After the chorus sings each line of the text, there is a punctuating “period” from the orchestra.

The Veni sancte spiritus is a sequence, a hymn proper to a specific day in the church calendar, here Pentecost. Also known as the Golden Sequence, it is one of the few sequences that still remain in the official Roman Catholic liturgy. The text is by an unknown 13th century author, in rhyming seven-syllable lines. Pärt seems to emphasize the special nature of the sequence by abandoning the strict tintinnabuli method, using a prevailing triple meter, and spreading the words over multiple measures, with each three-line stanza punctuated by a triple-long measure of sustained final syllables.

The Credo is composed in harmony that could almost be by some other 20th-century choral composer—but still in an unhurried, one-word-per-measure declamation, ending with a uniquely consonant “Amen.” The sanctus returns to the tintinnabuli style, and the Agnus Dei brings still another formula, with mostly-stepwise lines repeated by widely-leaping echoes from other voices until the steps are abandoned altogether and all voices conclude with intervals of perfect fourths and perfect fifths.

– EriC lEibroCK

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Dixit Dominus, HWV 232 (1707)

1. Dixit Dominus Domino meo: the Lord said unto my Lord:Sede a dextris meis, sit at my right handdonec ponam inimicos tuos until I make your enemiesscabellum pedum tuorum. your footstool.

2. Virgam virtutis tuae the sceptre of your poweremittet Dominus ex Sion: the Lord shall send forth from Zion:dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. rule thou in the midst of your enemies.

3. Tecum principatus in die virtutis tuae, the power to rule is with you on the day of your strength,

In splendoribus sanctorum: in the splendor of the holy ones:

ex utero ante luciferum genui te. I have begotten you from the womb before the rising of the day-star.

4. Juravit Dominus, the Lord has sworn an oath,et non poenitebit eum: and will not repent of it:

5. Tu es sacerdos in aeternum You are a priest forever,secundum ordinem Melchisedech. after the order of melchisedech.

6. Dominus a dextris tuis, the Lord at your right handconfregit in die irae suae reges. destroys kings on the day of his wrath;Judicabit in nationibus, He shall judge among the heathen;Implebit ruinas, He shall pile up ruinsconquassabit capita in terra multorum. and scatter skulls on many lands.

7. De torrente in via bibet, He shall drink of the torrent in His way;propterea exaltabit caput. therefore He shall lift up His head.

8. Gloria Patri, et Filio, Glory be to the Father, and to the son,et Spiritui Sancto. and to the Holy spirit.Sicut erat in principio, As it was in the beginning,et nunc, et semper, is now, and ever shall be,et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. world without end. Amen.

– Psalm 109 & lEssEr doxoloGy

on tHe BeacH at nigHt (1949)

On the beach at night,Stands a child with her father, Watching the east, the autumn sky

Up through the darkness, While ravening clouds, the burial clouds, in black masses spreading, Lower sullen and fast athwart and down the sky,Amid a transparent clear belt of ether yet left in the east,Ascends large and calm the lord-star Jupiter,And nigh at hand, only a very little above,Swim the delicate sisters the Pleiades.

From the beach, the child, holding the hand of her father,Those burial clouds that lower victorious, soon to devour all,Watching, silently weeps.

Weep not, child,Weep not, my darling,With these kisses let me remove your tears,The ravening clouds shall not long be victorious;They shall not long possess the sky, they devour the stars only in apparition,Jupiter shall emerge, be patient, watch again another night, the Pleiades shall emerge,They are immortal, all those stars both silvery and golden shall shine out again,The great stars and the little ones shall shine out again, they endure,The vast immortal suns and the long-enduring pensive moons shall again shine.

Then, dearest child, mournest thou only for Jupiter?Considerest thou alone the burial of the stars?

Something there is,(With my lips soothing thee, adding I whisper,I give thee the first suggestion, the problem and indirection,)Something there is more immortal even than the stars,(Many the burials, many the days and nights, passing away,)Something that shall endure longer even than lustrous Jupiter,Longer than sun or any revolving satellite,Or the radiant sisters the Pleiades.

– walt whitman

Texts & Translations

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Berliner messe (1990, reV. 2002)

KyrieKyrie eleison, Lord, have mercy.Christe eleison, Christ, have mercy.Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy.

GloriaGloria in excelsis Deo Glory to God in the highestet in terra pax and on earth peacehominibus bonae voluntatis. to men of good will.Laudamus te, benedicimus te, We praise you, we bless you,adoramus te, glorificamus te, we adore you, we glorify you,gratias agimus tibi we give you thankspropter magnam gloriam tuam, for your great glory,Domine Deus Rex caelestis, Lord God, king of heaven,Deus Pater omnipotens. God the Father almighty,Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, Lord, only begotten son, Jesus Christ,Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Lord God, Lamb of God,Filius Patris, son of the Father,Qui tollis peccata mundi, you who take away the sins of the world,Miserere nobis: have mercy on us:qui tollis peccata mundi, you who take away the sins of the world,suscipe deprecationem nostrum. receive our prayer;Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, you who sit at the right hand of the Father,miserere nobis. have mercy on us.Quoniam tu solus sanctus, For you only are holyTu solus Dominus. You only are LordTu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, You only are most high, Jesus Christ,Cum Sancto Spiritu: with the Holy spirit,in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Erster Alleluiavers zum Pfingstfest (First Alleluia for Pentecost)Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia, Alleluia.Emitte Spiritum tuum et creabuntur: send out your spirit and they shall be createdet renovabis faciem terrae. Alleluia. and you shall renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.

Zweiter Alleluiavers zum Pfingstfest (Second Alleluia for Pentecost)Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia, Alleluia.Veni Sancte Spiritus reple tuorum corda fidelium: Come, Holy spirit fill the hearts of your faithful:et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Alleluia. and ignite the fire of your love within them. Alleluia.

Veni Sancte SpiritusVeni, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte Come, Holy spirit, and give outcoelitus lucis tuae radium. the heavenly radiance of your light.Veni, pater pauperum, Come, father of the poor,Veni, dator munerum, Come, giver of gifts,Veni lumen cordium. come, light of all hearts.

Consolator optime, thou best of Consolers,dulcis hospes animae, sweet guest of the soul,dulce refrigerium. sweet refreshment.In labore requies, In labor, thou art rest,in aestu temperies, in heat, the tempering,in fletu solatium. in grief, the consolation.

O lux beatissima, o light most blessed,reple cordis intima fill the inmost hearttuorum fidelium. of all thy faithful.Sine tuo numine, Without your grace,nihil est in homine, there is nothing in us,nihil est innoxium. nothing that is not harmful.

Lava quod est sordidum, Cleanse what is sordid,riga quod est aridum, moisten what is arid,sana quod est saucium. heal what is hurt.Flecte quod est rigidum, Flex what it is rigid,fove quod est frigidum, fire what is frigid,rege quod est devium. Correct what goes astray.

Da tuis fidelibus, Grant to thy faithful,in te confidentibus, those trusting in thee,sacrum septenarium. thy sacred seven-fold gifts.da virtutis meritum, grant the reward of virtue,da salutis exitum, grant the deliverance of salvation,da perenne gaudium. Amen. Alleluia. grant everlasting joy. Amen. Alleluia.

CredoCredo in unum Deum, I believe in one God,Patrem ommipotentem, the Father Almighty,factorem coeli et terrae, maker of Heaven and earth,visibilium omnium, et invisibilium. and of all things visible and invisible.Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, And I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,Filium Dei unigenitum, the only begotten son of God,Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. born of the Father before all ages.Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, God from God, Light from Light,Deum verum de Deo vero. true God from true God.

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Genitum, non factum, Begotten, not made,consubstantialem Patri, of one substance with the Father,per quem omnia facta sunt. by whom all things were made.Qui propter nos homines, Who for us men,et propter nostrum salutem and for our salvation descendit de coelis. came down from heaven.Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto And was incarnate of the Holy spiritex Maria virgine, et homo factus est. of the Virgin mary, and was made man.Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato. Crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate,passus, et sepultus est. he suffered, and was buried.Et resurrexit tertia die, And on the third day he rose again,secundum scripturas. according to the scriptures.Et ascendit in coelum: He ascended into heaven,sedet ad dexteram Patris. and he sits at the right hand of the Father.Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, He shall come again with gloryjudicare vivos et mortuos: to judge the living and the dead; cujus regni non erit finis. and of His kingdom there will be no end.Et in Spiritum Sanctum And I believe in the Holy spirit,Dominum, et vivificantem: the Lord and Giver of life,qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. who proceeds from the Father and the sonQui cum Patre et Filio who together with the Father and the sonsimul adoratur et conglorificatur: is adored and glorified,qui locutus est per Prophetas. who spoke to us through the Prophets.Et unam, sanctam, catholicam And I believe in one, holy, catholicet apostolicam ecclesiam. and Apostolic Church.Confiteor unum baptisma I confess one baptismin remissionem peccatorum. for the remission of sins.Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, I await the resurrection of the dead.Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen. and the life of the world to come. Amen.

SanctusSanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Holy, Holy, Holy,Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Lord God of Hosts.Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest.

Benedictus qui venit Blessed is He who comesin nomine Domini. in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest.

Agnus DeiAgnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi dona nobis pacem. Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

– thE ordinary of thE mass

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Resources used in preparation of Handel and Pärt texts include translations and Annotations of Choral repertoire, Volume I: sacred Latin texts, compiled and annotated by Ron Jeffers, published by earthsongs (1988), Corvallis, Oregon; and www.arvopart.org. Special thanks to Roland Barrera for text preparation.

Performing NoteConspirare 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 our performing venues may represent specific traditions and the 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.

Conspirare respects and celebrates the great diversity of religious, artistic, and human experiences represented among our singers and audience members. 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.

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Artistic PersonnelCraig Hella Johnson Artistic Director & Conductor

COMPANy Of VOiCESsoprano

Estelí Gomez Julie Keim Gitanjali Mathur Stefanie Moore Kathlene Ritch^ Sonja DuToit Tengblad Kirsten Watson Janeene Williams

alto

Janet Carlsen CampbellStella Hastings Pam Elrod Huffman^ Emily Lodine Linda Blair Ramsey Cecilia Kittley Shinn

tenor

Paul D’Arcy Scott Mello Jos Milton Wilson Nichols Tracy Shirk^ Matt Tresler

Bass

David Farwig Rick Gabrillo^ Robert Harlan Harris Ipock John Proft Lawrence Speakman Paul Max Tipton

Ekaterina Tangarova, rehearsal pianist^section Leader

OrCHEStrA Violin iStephen Redfield, ConcertmasterBruce ColsonSusan DoeringJuan JaramilloRichard KilmerCaroline SlackCorinne Stillwell

Violin iiKaren Clarke, PrincipalJoan CarlsonMolly EmermanBoel GidholmGesa KordesAnna LuceNina Mavrinac

Viola

Bruce Williams, PrincipalAmes AsbellMelissa BrewerSuzanna Giordano-GignacGreg Luce

cello

Douglas Harvey, PrincipalBarbara GeorgeChristopher HaritatosDieter Wulfhorst

DouBle Bass

Melanie Punter, PrincipalJessica Gilliam-Valls

organ

Faith Debow

About Conspirare

the word “conspirare” derives from the Latin “con” and “spirare” translated as “to breathe together.”

Founded in 1991 to present a summer classical music festival in Austin, Texas, Conspirare has rapidly grown to become an internationally recognized, professional choral organization. Led by founder and artistic director Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare is comprised of two performing ensembles and an educational program. A professional chamber choir (“Conspirare” or “Company of Voices”) of extraordinarily talented singers from around the country is presented in an annual concert series in Austin, other Texas communities, and locations in the U.S. and abroad. The Conspirare Symphonic Choir of both professional and volunteer singers performs one or more large choral/orchestral works annually. The Conspirare Youth Choirs is an educational program for singers ages 9-18, who learn and perform in two separate ensembles, Kantorei and the Conspirare Children’s Choir.

Conspirare produced its first commercial recording, through the green fuse, in 2004 on the Clarion Records label. A second CD, requiem, also on Clarion and since reissued by Harmonia Mundi, was released in 2006 and received two Grammy® nominations (Best Choral Performance and Best Engineered Album, Classical). Harmonia

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Mundi also released requiem in Europe in 2009, and it received the Netherlands’ prestigious 2010 Edison Award in the Choral Music category. The Edison is the Dutch equivalent of the U.S. Grammy.

A third recording, threshold of night, was released worldwide in September 2008 on the Harmonia Mundi label, Conspirare’s first title for the distinguished recording company. threshold of night received two Grammy nominations, Best Choral Performance and Best Classical Album. In October 2008, in cooperation with Austin’s public television station KLRU, Conspirare filmed a PBS television special, “A Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert,” that was broadcast nationally in March 2009 and is available on both CD and DVD. A Company of Voices received a Grammy nomination as Best Classical Crossover Album. Conspirare’s latest CD sing Freedom! African American spirituals was released in September 2011, and its next recording samuel Barber: An American romantic will be released in late summer 2012.

In 2005 Conspirare received the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, given by national service organization Chorus America. In 2007, as one of the select choruses to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts under its American Masterpieces initiative, Conspirare presented a four-day festival that featured a distinguished gathering of composers and conductors, performances of three world premieres, and a gala closing concert with a choir of 600 singers. In July 2008 Conspirare represented the United States at the Eighth World Symposium on Choral Music in Copenhagen, joining invited choirs from nearly forty countries. In February 2010 Conspirare was an invited, featured choir at the annual convention of the American Choral Directors Association/Eastern Division in Philadelphia. Conspirare received the 2010 Dale Warland Singers Commission Award from Chorus America to support the commission of a new work by Seattle composer Eric Banks. In February 2011 Conspirare gave three invited performances in New York City under auspices of the Weill Music Institute of Carnegie Hall. In March 2012 the ensemble toured several Midwestern states, including an invited concert in Fort Wayne at the ACDA/Central Division annual convention.

About Craig Hella JohnsonRenowned as one of the most influential voices in choral conducting in the United States, Craig Hella Johnson brings a depth of knowledge, artistic sensitivity, and imagination to his programs. As founder and artistic director of Conspirare, Johnson assembles some of the finest singers in the country to form a world-class, award-winning ensemble committed to creating dynamic choral art.

In addition to his work with Conspirare, Johnson also serves as Artistic Director of the Victoria Bach Festival, an annual event that draws musicians and critical praise from around the country. Of Johnson’s performance of Beethoven’s missa solemnis, Mike Greenberg of the San Antonio express-news wrote: “Through all the amazing ebbs and flows of dynamics, the radiant balances, the seamless connection of episodes, the theatrically astute tempo relations, the unified structural arc, the music shone forth with organic naturalness. Nothing sounded fussed over. Everything just sounded right.”

Johnson served as Director of Choral Activities (1990-2001) at the University of Texas in Austin where he led the graduate program in

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conducting. He was artistic director of San Francisco-based Chanticleer (1998-1999) and has served as guest conductor with the Austin Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, Oregon Bach Festival, Taipei Male Choir, and Berkshire Choral Festival, where he will conduct missa solemnis in summer 2012.

Praised by audiences and critics, Johnson’s programs are hailed as thought-provoking musical journeys. A unique aspect of Johnson’s programming is his signature “collage” style: through-composed programs that marry music and poetry to blend sacred and secular, classical and contemporary, classical and popular styles. In 2006 he was engaged to create a special peace-themed collage program for the North Central ACDA convention. He was also engaged by the famed St. Olaf Choir to create and conduct a collage program during a five-week residency with the choir in spring 2007.

A composer and arranger, Johnson works with G. Schirmer Publishing on the Craig Hella Johnson Choral Series, featuring specially selected composers as well as some of his original compositions and arrangements. His works are also published by Alliance Music Publications. Also an accomplished vocalist and pianist, he released his first solo CD “Thorns on the Rose” in 2008 on the Booker Music label.

Johnson’s distinctive style and commitment to the choral art have led him to be honored with several awards, including 2008 induction into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame and the 2009 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal, given by Chorus America. Most recently he received the 2011 Citation of Merit from international professional music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon, the organization’s highest honor for a non-member.

A native of Minnesota, Johnson studied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, and the University of Illinois and earned his doctorate at Yale University. As the recipient of a National Arts Fellowship, Johnson studied with Helmuth Rilling at the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart, Germany.

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Board of DirectorsRobert J. Karli, ChairDavid Clark, Vice ChairLarry Collmann, treasurerMary Stephenson, secretaryDoug Bain Ken BeckWilliam C. BednarFran CollmannMary Anne ConnollyPatrick L. DeLauneToya Cirica HaleyRobert HarlanRichard Hartgrove Lou Ann LasherEric LeibrockHope MorganLouise MorseE. Stuart PhillipsRebecca PowersHon. Bea Ann SmithMarion Lear SwaybillCatherine WildermuthSheila WojcikSheila Youngblood

Advisory BoardStephen AechternachtJohn AielliSue BarnesMark BiernerRay BrimbleDavid BurgerDavid ClaflinVirginia DupuyMaydelle FasonJoLynn FreeBilly GammonVance GeorgeHelen HaysDan HerdWilliam B. HilgersWayne HoltzmanCassandra JamesJudith JellisonBob MurphyLynn MurphyGayle Glass RocheNancy ScanlanAngela SmithBernadette Tasher Louann TempleEva Womack

Artistic & Administrative StaffCraig Hella JohnsonArtistic Director

Ann Hume Wilsonexecutive Director

Tamara Blankenonline services manager

Melissa J. EddyCommunications & Grants manager

Rick GabrilloAssociate Conductor, Production manager

Wravan Godsoeoffice manager

David HammondDirector of Patron relations

Robert Harlanstage manager

Meri KruegerArtist relations

Kristie McCuneBusiness manager

Ann McNairexecutive Assistant to the Artistic Director

Nina ReveringDirector, Conspirare Youth Choirs

Nicki TurmanHouse manager

Jennifer Tynanmanager, Conspirare Youth Choirs

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Watch for the release of Samuel Barber: An American Romantic on CD in Fall 2012!Conspirare returned last September to Sauder Hall in Goshen, Indiana, to record samuel Barber: An American romantic for release this fall on the Harmonia Mundi label, marking our fifth collaboration with this distinguished international record company. Recordings allow us to share Conspirare’s unforgettable artistry with a worldwide audience, and to create a permanent record for future generations of music lovers. The recording of samuel Barber: An American romantic is lovingly dedicated to Fran Collmann in recognition of her twelve years of service as Chair of Conspirare’s board of directors. We acknowledge with gratitude the following patrons whose support has helped make this project possible.

FrIenDsKatie AppleTamara BlankenRobert and Pat BrueckJoe and Cynthia CainMary Anne ConnollyWravan Godsoe and Paul BakerGwen FloryToya Cirica Haley and Stephen BellDavid and Karon HammondKristie McCuneCraig Hella Johnson and Phil Overbaugh

Lou Ann and Bill LasherLouise MorseE. Stuart PhillipsRebecca & Phil PowersMax and Gene Alice ShermanThe Honorable Bea Ann SmithMary Stephenson and David MinterBernadette TasherCatherine and David WildermuthEvan and Ann Hume Wilson

HonorArY ProDuCers

Collmann FamilyDavid and Nathasha Collmann • Dean & Gwen Collmann • Larry Collmann

Karen Kibler & Tom Grimes • Ruth & Bob McGregor • Debe & Kevin McKeand Dennis & Julie Van Roekel • Marie Van Roekel • Joyce Zehr & Marvin Burke

Crutch and Danna Crutchfield The Kodosky Foundation

Sheila and Ryan Youngblood

unDerWrItersJoe and Cynthia Cain

David and Catherine ClarkRobert and Trish Karli

Eric Leibrock and Ellen JusticeMax and Gene Alice Sherman

Catherine and David WildermuthJeanie and Bill Wyatt

enclosed is my tax-deductible gift in the amount of $

-or- i pledge a gift of $ to be paid in full by june 30, 2012.

choose one:

please charge my credit card $ per month for # months, begininning / / date

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need a different pledge plan? please call us at (512) 476-5775 to arrange.

Payment Information❑ check payable to conspirare

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signature must be signature of cardholder

name as you wish to be acknowledged in conspirare publications

address

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Does your employer support the arts with matching gifts? If so, please enclose the completed form along with your payment.

Mail to Conspirare, 1033 La Posada Drive, Suite 130, Austin, TX 78752. Conspirare is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Thank you for your generous support of Conspirare.

Leadership CircleMaestro Circle ....................................$25,000+Impresario Circle ...............$15,000 — $24,999Benefactor Circle ...............$10,000 — $14,999Platinum Baton Circle ...........$5,000 — $9,999Golden Baton Circle ..............$2,500 — $4,999Silver Baton Circle .................$1,000 — $2,499

Circle of FriendsSponsors.......................................$500 — $999Patrons .........................................$250 — $499Sustainers .....................................$100 — $249Donors ...............................................Up to $99

Support ConspirareConspirare invites you to join our family of donors. Your contribution supports our gift of music through performances of the highest artistic quality and through educational and outreach programs, including the Conspirare Youth Choirs.

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This project is funded and supported in part by a grant from the

Texas Commission on the Arts and the City of Austin through the

Cultural Arts Division, believing an investment in the arts is an

investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.

com. This project is also supported in part by an award from the

National Endowment for the Arts. Art Works.

Supporters

Media Sponsors

Business & Foundation Supporters

Public Funding Agencies

Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts

The Mattsson-McHale

Foundation

The Rachael & Ben Vaughan Foundation

Season Sustaining Underwriter

The Meadows Foundation

The Kodosky Foundation

Maestro CircleCity of Austin Cultural Arts DivisionFran & Larry CollmannThe Kodosky Foundation, Jeff & Gail KodoskyThe Mattsson McHale FoundationNational Endowment for the ArtsSouth Texas Money ManagementStill Water FoundationSheila & Ryan Youngblood

impresario CircleAnonymousRobert & Lara HarlanThe Keating Family FoundationMichael & Jeanne KleinWendi & Brian KushnerGayle Glass Roche & Mike RocheMarc & Carolyn Seriff

Benefactor CircleKen & Joyce BeckCrutch & Danna CrutchfieldHelen & Bob HaysEric LeibrockTesCom, Inc.

Platinum Baton CircleBain ConsultingWilliam C. Bednar & Flo Ann RandleDavid & Catherine ClarkJeri DeAngelisThomas Driscoll & Nancy QuinnRobert & Trish KarliLou Ann & Bill LasherCharles MartinBob & Ruth McGregorLouise MorseRebecca & Phil PowersLouise N. ReeserDick & Lynn RewRussell Hill Rogers Fund for the ArtsSusanne Tetzlaff & Eric TiblierTexas Commission on the ArtsThe Rachael & Ben F. Vaughan FoundationCatherine & David WildermuthJeanie & Bill Wyatt

Golden Baton CircleDan Bullock & Annette Carlozzi

in honor of Ann Hume Wilson & Craig Hella Johnson

Dean & Gwen CollmannMary Anne ConnollyWilliam R. DicksonThe Fetzer InstituteSusanna & Richard FinnellMary Nell FrucellaAnn & Gordon Getty FoundationCynthia KeeverJoan & Tom KobayashiJerele & Elizabeth NeeldStu PhillipsScott & Pam ReichardtPeter Schram & Harry UllmannMax & Gene Alice ShermanThe Honorable Bea Ann SmithDian & Harlan StaiMary Stephenson & David MinterSandi & Bob TomlinsonSheila WojcikEva & Marvin Womack

Silver Baton CircleAnonymous (2)Becky Beaver & John DuncanKatherine BrooksRobert & Pat BrueckDr. & Mrs. Paul BurnsErnest & Sarah ButlerJoe & Cynthia CainChris & J. Dennis CavnerMike ChesserDavid & Janis ClaflinJerry CraftMarie CranePatrick DeLaune & Sadaf KhanMelissa Eddy & Tracy SchiemenzLot EnseyRev. Dr. Ann FieldsFischer & Wieser Specialty Foods, Inc.R. John & Susan FoxRick & Evelyn GabrilloBilly & Regan GammonSusan & Jerry GatlinToya Cirica Haley & Stephen BellRichard Hartgrove & Gary Cooper

DonorsGifts to Conspirare provide financial support for concerts, recordings, tours, educational programs, and outreach activities. The following roster of donors includes cash and in-kind gifts received from individuals, family and private foundations, businesses, and government agencies between May 1, 2011 and May 15, 2012. We express our gratitude to each and every one of our donors.

The Keating Family Foundation

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Impact Austin in honor of Craig Hella JohnsonMorris & Marge JohnsonTimothy KoockEva & Chris LaskarisKati LewisPeter Scott LewisThomas LukensSheila LummisDebe & Kevin McKeandJohn & Marcy MelansonJanet MillerMilton D. Miller IILinda MonkHope Morgan & Mike TabornPaul MowryAndy MurphyDoug & Suzi NelsonWilliam NemirCarlisle PearsonLinda & Robert RamseyForest & Susan ReesAndy & Sally RitchPeter & Alice RoseNancy ScanlanWilliam Schleuse & Virginia McDermottJohn & Suzanne ShoreAngela & Charles SmithDavid C. Smith in honor of Craig Hella JohnsonDr. Anna Sorensen & Mr. Don SorensenJames StolpaBernadette TasherBen & Daphne VaughanWilliam & Anne WagnerKathleen WicoffAnn Hume Wilson & Evan WilsonMarc & Suzanne Winkelman

SponsorsAnonymousRobert & Cynthia Vance AbramsMaureen AlexanderEva King AndriesRobert & Patricia AyresKlaus Bichteler & Mary ParseAnn & Jeff BomerKyle BrysonPablo CardenasDavid & Nathasha CollmannRobert F. DaileyStuart & Paula DamoreDorothy Drummer & Greg EdenVirginia & Robert DupuyMaydelle F. FasonDaniel FinchGwen & Bruce FloryCheryl FullerBarbara Gibbs & John DriggersKim & Steve GilbertSusan Gregerson

Jane HilferJeanne & Van HoisingtonDiane IresonJulie KeimDavid KendrickEllen Key in honor of Chris CavnerLawrence LawverMark & Lauren LevyNora LiebermanCarolyn & W. Jackson LongKelly Loudenslager & Christopher GoodpastorMary Matus & Carole TaxisPhil & Sue MaxwellIvan Milman & Janie KeysAnn MoodyEvan MorganJack & Karen O’QuinGraydon ParrishDan & Kim PetersonForrest Preece & Linda BallK.C. PtomeyLouis RenaudHamilton & Joanne RichardsJack & Susan RobertsonMichal RosenbergerAmy ShipherdHenley SimsJulie & Shawn SmithMargo SmithMichael & Virginia SmithMarion Lear SwaybillVirgil & LaFern SwiftLois VanLaninghamBen WearSusie Wilson

PatronsMolly AndersonDr. Jacque AngersteinFrank Bean & Carolyn BoydCindy & Pat BehlingAnne BertholfPat Fatter BlackGrace Blair in honor of Craig Hella JohnsonCasey BoyterPeggy BrunnerRichard CampbellNathaniel & Elizabeth ChapinPatricia ChericoJo Anne ChristianJanie Cook in honor of My Healing PlaceEric & Lisa CravenCina CrisaraPaula D’ArcyDr. Paul DlabalRena & Richard D’SouzaSusan Duncan

in honor of Sara Ann & Milton Duncan

Bobby & June DunnCliff & Martha ErnstJuli Fellows in honor of Sylvia GalloCarol FlakePatricia & Fred FlorenceMary Anne FlournoyCarolyn FritzWilliam & Marlene GladeDavid & Martha HarringtonWalter & Ann HerbstCarr Hornbuckle & Jack LeiferDebbie HorneMelissa HuebschBobbie Kaye Jones & David GilliamMary M. KevorkianGreg & Cynthia KozmetskyDina KuntzJon-Michael LeesEmily LittleSheila Lummis in honor of Craig Hella Johnson

& Phil OverbaughDrs. Krzysztof & Teresa LysonPeter MartinoAnn McNair in honor of Jacob PermannBert & Phyllis McNellySusan Nash FeketyCynthia NorvellRamon RamirezFlo Ann RandleBev & Milbrey RaneyJean G. RatherJoanne & Jerome RavelDaniel RennerDan SeriffJackie & Bob ShapiroCord & Anne ShifletKirk SmithThe Honorable Bea Ann Smith in memory of Betty S. SmithJames T. SotirosElizabeth StewartBruce Todd & Elizabeth ChristianDon & Faith TrappNicki & Scott TurmanLinda & Nick Van BavelMary Smith & Walter StewartSteffen & Elisabeth Waltz in honor of Wendi & Brian KushnerDoreen WheelerJimmy WilliamsBill Wood & Elsa VorwerkNancy & Brown Word

SustainersAnonymous (2)Stephen & Claudia AechternachtHillary AndersonJoy AndersonErnest & Jeanette Auerbach

Patti AustinBob & Marcia BaileyScott BallewJanette BarlowKevin J. & Barbara BarryRoss & Kristin BassingerSusan BeckermanDr. & Mrs. Craig & Holly BerentBill & Carolyn BinghamAndrea Black in honor of Marion SwaybillKaren BlizzardRoslyn & Sean Breen in honor of James PattersonKaren Brinkmann & Fred JohnsenBillye BrownGeorge BrownNeil BubkeAnne BusquetJames CampbellNancy Campbell Cise HanchettJulie CartersonHarvey CaugheySandy ChaseRebecca ClarkMichael & Kathryn CoffeyMary Anne Connolly in honor of Col. & Mrs. John M. Connolly, Jr.Dwayne & Barbara CooperKarel DahmenPeter Bay & Mela Sarajane DaileyRichard J. Davis in honor of Charles HillMary Alice & Michael J. DebowLory & Fred DensonKarl & Robin DentNina & Jeffrey Di LeoCharles DickersonSusan Doering & Dieter Wulfhorst in honor & memory of Joseph J.

& Vivian N. DoeringSharon DuboiseSandy Dunn & Paul HarfordPaul & Patricia DurhamCarl & Kathryn EhlertBert & Elaine EnriquezSally EstesJohn & Barbara FibigerKyle FielekeCarol FlemingBetty Sue FlowersClaire & Chris FlynnWilliam G. GamelRobert & Anneliese GeisElliot GersonMary GiffordVivian & Bob GlickWravan Godsoe & Paul BakerGlenda Goehrs in honor of Al & Kay StowellJoan GoldfieldLoel Graber

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Lawrence & Jane GrahamJim & Jo GreenGary GreenblumJames & Mary Louise GwynnRandy & Suzie HarrimanCarolyn Harris-HynsonJane HembreeLewis HoffackerDr. & Mrs. Wayne HoltzmanCeleste Hubert in honor of Phil Overbaugh

& Craig Hella JohnsonJeffrey Hudson & Robert BlodgettLauren HughesBobby & Nancy InmanTodd JermstadCraig Hella Johnson & Phil OverbaughBeth & Greg JuddMarguerite & Hugh KellyBonnie & Sidney LanierGary & Carol LazarusSam & Kendra LipmanEmily Lodine & Gary OvergaardSteve & Diane LoeschenKathryn & Don LougheedLinton & Donna LuetjeCynthia LuxJyoti & Aditya MathurBradley & Elizabeth MaximMartha McAllisterDr. Marsha D. McCaryKaren McLaughlinConnie McMillanTed & Carol MiddelbergPhyllis MillerElizabeth Hansing MoonNancy MooreSean & Beverly MooreLuis MoralesSusan MorganRobert MorrellChip & Jan MorrisFran & Steven MossDiana Mullin in honor of Deborah RuppBob & Lynn MurphyHilary OlsonRichard OrtonMargaret H. OverbaughThomas OverbaughJim & Joyce ParrishCathie ParsleyRobert Patterson & Diana SellersThomas PavlechkoAnn Phipps & Michael CannattiEdward PierceKaren PopeDiane PostMary PozorskiGary & Cheryl PyleElaine Salazar & Edwin RamosRandalls

Aimee & Greg RandleElaine RathgeberEllen W. RienstraLeilani RoseAugustin RubioCynthia RuffDeborah RuppMary SangerJudy SargentDennis SchafferClaudia & Thomas SchurrDavid SchwarzApril SchweighartMarilyn SharrattMary SimonJare & Jim SmithJeffrey & Sandra SmithJeffrey SmithJohn & Bess SommerJohn SpenceDon & Nancy SpencerBryan & Cindy SperryBarbara & Bruce StevensonPaul & Alyson StoneVirginia Stotts in honor of Pam Elrod & Rick HuffmanRebecca StuckyMrs. Louis StumbergRobert & Eileen SudelaRosera TateosianJohn C. R. Taylor III & Peter Flagg MaxsonMartha Faye TerryEmily Tracy & Berthold HaasSusan TrautmannBen & Barb TruskoskiWilliam TwilleyJohn UglumCarla Umlauf & Cass CheesarCharles VannFred & Shirley ViehwegWillis WaldronDebra Watkins in memory of Jack & Evelyn YewellDeborah WattmanValerie WengerGeoff & Ginny WilligRoselyn WitherspoonNeile & Jan Wolfe

Conspirare also thanks all donors of gifts under $100 and regrets that space does not permit the listing of each name. Your support is equally appreciated.

We strive to publish an accurate donor list. If an error or omission is noticed, please let us know.

Thank YouDeshon Aaron

Julie Adams

Aha! Communications – Deborah Pfluger

Helen Altobello

Austin American statesman

Austin Chronicle

Austin Woman magazine

Roland Barrera

Cameron & Beth Beauchamp*

William Bednar*

Bruce Biermann

Pat Black

Blanton Museum of Art

Linda Buehlman*

Ann Byrd

Chris Cavner

Terry & Barbara Collier*

Fran & Larry Collmann*

Alicia Denney

James Elrod

Michelle Fisher

Mary Gifford

Glenda Goehrs*

Kathryn Govier

Cyndi Griesser

Tom & Daris Hale*

Helen Hays

Hornaday Design

Rod Howard

Virginia Hyde

Stan & Biruta Kearl*

Ben King

KMFA-FM

Meri Krueger & Yasser Farra*

Kurant Events

KUT-FM

Kathy Leighton

Lynn Lindsay

Long Center for the Performing Arts

Joy & Lew Lucke

Charles Martin

Gitanjali Mathur & Ciji Isen*

Nancy Michalewicz

William Nemir*

Christopher Novosad, Tiki2.com

Trish O’Day

Philip Overbaugh

Jane Parsons

Betsy Pharis

Diana Phillips

Karen Sachar Photography

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church

– Jean Farris Fuller, Dave Bowman

Bea Ann Smith*

South Texas Money Management

– Jeanie Wyatt, Josie Dorris

Mary Stephenson*

Bernadette Tasher*

TesCom, Inc.

Texas Performing Arts at UT-Austin

Victoria Bach Festival – Nina Di Leo

Carol Walker

Sheila & Ryan Youngblood*

*special thanks to Artist Hospitality Volunteers

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Johannus Organs of Texas

johannustx.com

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Calibration Services• Certified Metrologists

• Local Pickup & Delivery

• Expedite Service Available

• Accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 & ANSI/NCSL Z540.1.1994

• Repair Depot

• Sale of New & Refurbished Equipment

•

Since 1999

Signature ConSpirareSeptember 27, GeorgetownSeptember 28-30, Austin

Audience favorites from past years – spirituals, popular songs, and classical works – and the world premiere of magnificat by 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Puts.

ConSpirare ChriStmaSDecember 6, VictoriaDecember 7, San AntonioDecember 8-10, Austin

Popular “collage” concert with featured artists Kathlene Ritch and Charles Wesley Evans.

the SaCred Spirit of ruSSiaJanuary 31, FredericksburgFebruary 1-3, Austin

Vibrant music by Rachmaninoff, Chesnikov, Grechaninov, and more from the richly evocative Russian choral tradition.

ConSpirare SlamApril 27-28, Austin

An innovative evening of choral music re-defined: three slam poets and a Conspirare ensemble interweave musical magic with the spoken word.

SongS of the SoulMay 31, AustinJune 1, Victoria

Reprise of the hugely successful Robert Kyr com-position premiered in January 2011 and world premiere of his new work the Cloud of unknow-ing, with Victoria Bach Festival strings.

Beethoven: miSSa SolemniSJune 8, VictoriaJune 9, Austin

Grand finale! Conspirare Symphonic Choir, Conspirare, Texas State University singers, and the Victoria Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus perform Beethoven’s monumental masterwork.

TickeTs on sale in laTe July! Visit consPirare.org for uPdates

announcing consPirare’s 2012-13 twentietH anniVersary season!

ConSpirare Youth ChoirSDecember 14-15 and May 3-4, Austin

Holiday concert includes the exciting sir Christemas by Derek Holman; spring concert features all-American spirituals, folk songs, and Jazz.

Big SingSeptember 6, December 18, and May 16, Austin

Where the audience is the choir!

holidaY galaDecember 10, Austin

An enchanted evening of dinner, music, and mingling with holiday concert artists.

wondernightMarch 2, Austin

A unique and exciting evening to celebrate Conspirare’s 20th anniversary.

polYfollia feStivalNovember 2012, Saint Lô, France

Conspirare gives six invited performances at this prestigious international festival, plus a concert in the heart of Paris.

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