- Handel’s Messiah – December 20 and 21, 2011
- Bach Family Notebook – February 23, 2012
- Songs and Romances – April 23, 2012
- Non-Subscription Concerts
- Past Performances
- Baroque Gems – October 23, 2010
- Handel’s Messiah – December 21 & 22, 2010
- Handel’s Israel in Egypt – February 23, 2011
- Messages to Myself – May 13, 2011
- Christopher Theofanidis – Messages to Myself
- Michael Gilbertson – Three Madrigals After Dowland
- Behzad Ranjbaran – We Are One
- Christina Whitten Thomas – Choral de Bêtes
- Daniel Brewbaker – Mother, Father
- Robert Convery – The Lamb
- Zachary Patten – Magnificat, Amen.
- Aaron Jay Kernis – Effortlessly Love Flows
- Elliot Z. Levine – i thank You God
Listen to sound clips of Choral de Bêtes:
Christina Whitten Thomas‘s works have been performed by such organizations as Voices of Ascension, Pasadena Pro Musica, Vanguard Voices, the Freudig Singers of Western NY, and the USC Thornton Symphony and Chamber Singers. Her recent awards include the Esoteric’s 2011 POLYPHONOS choral commission, 1st place in the 2010 Park Avenue Christian Church competition for The Lord is King, 1st place in the 2011 Los Robles Master Chorale composition competition for My Cathedral, and 2nd place in the 2010 NATS Art Song Composition Award for her song cycle In the Garret. As a finalist in the 2007 Sorel Medallion competition, her choral work Choral de Bêtes was premiered by Voices of Ascension, under the direction of Dennis Keene in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. She was invited back to Zankel Hall in October of 2008 to hear Voices of Ascension perform Take Peace. Ms. Whitten Thomas’s commissions include Mornings With You for Melodia Women’s Choir of NYC scheduled for performance in April, 2011. She has also been commissioned by the USC Apollo Men’s Choir (Three Songs of Life, 2009) and the First Baptist Church of Worcester (The Raising of Lazarus, 2006). She received her B.A. in music from Middlebury College in 2002 and her M.M. in composition from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music in 2005. She currently resides in Pasadena, California where she is also an active vocalist and teacher. For more information, visit www.christinawhitten.com.
About Choral de Bêtes:
This collection of poems by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold is a series of prayers offered by the animals of God’s Kingdom. As each animal contemplates the trials and joys they face in life, they reveal strengths and weaknesses to which we, as human beings, can discover a surprising connection. I have set four of these poems: Prière du Lion (Prayer of the Lion), Prière de l’Agneau (Prayer of the Lamb), Prière de la Baleine (Prayer of the Whale), and Prière de la Gazelle (Prayer of the Gazelle).
In the lion’s prayer, the lion asks God to understand his position as one who must govern by strength, and not love, in order to gain the respect of the other animals. The piece opens with a mighty roar followed by driving rhythms and edgy harmonies. The lamb’s prayer is a gentle plea to God for comfort and protection. I set this prayer as a lullaby, creating a soft, soothing texture through a series of overlapping, imitative entrances. The music for the whale’s prayer opens with the altos, tenors, and basses singing a repetitive, wave-like gesture. The sopranos commence the prayer in a contemplative duet that floats gracefully over the other voices. The music picks up in intensity and rhythmic urgency as the whale laments being hunted. The sopranos take the lead in the lively and energetic prayer of the gazelle. Opening with a rhythmic, multimetric canon, the movement matches the pace of this light-footed animal as she dashes across the plain.