Program Notes
'Tis the Season
December 2, 2023 | 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Christ United Methodist Church, Plano Texas
Plano Civic Chorus
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming by Michael Praetorious (1571-1621) and Arranged by Jan Sandström (b. 1954)
This German carol possibly dates back to the 15th century. The carol combines the stories of Luke 1-2 and Matthew 2 with Isaiah’s prophecies about the “rose” from the “stem of Jesse.”
Jan Sandström studied at the University School of Music in Pitea and the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. He began his musical career as a chorister, and his works list includes a large part of vocal, opera and choral music. His setting of the Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming gained him widespread international success. His choral music underlines Catholicism and seems to “form a link with an inner, gentle world, the emotional abstract.”
Personent Hodie from Behold New Joy by Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970)
Personent Hodie is a Christmas carol originally published in 1582 in a volume of 74 medieval songs with Latin texts. The most common English translation of the text is by “James M. Joseph,” a pseudonym of the composer Jane M. Joseph (1894-1929). The carol became more prominent in England after being arranged for unison voices and orchestra in 1916 by Gustav Holst.
Shawn Kirchner is based in Los Angeles where he was the composer-in-residence for the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 2012-2015. His music “finds a middle ground between classical choral and instrumental traditions and the inheritance of the folk, carol, and hymn traditions.”
Jingle Bells (4:00 Concert)
Audience Sing-a-long
Reading from the Children’s Day by T.G. Crippen (7:30 Concert)
Read by Kyra White
Plano Civic Chorus and Wylie High School A Cappella Choir
Three Mystical Carols by Conrad Susa (1935-2013)
David Anderson and Donna Bailey, duet
Let us gather hand in hand is a setting of the anonymous text dating from the 14th century. It is one of the earliest English carols discovered. This endrys night is a setting of an anonymous text from the 15th century found in the Bodleian manuscripts in England. This English carol is often praised for its unusual delicacy and lyrical flourish for a poem of the period. The shepherds sing is a setting of a poem by George Herbert (1593-1633), poet and Church of England clergyman.
Conrad Susa was an American composer who studied music at Carnegie Institute of Technology and Julliard School where he studied with Vincent Persichetti. From 1959-1994, he was composer-in-residence for the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, California where he wrote incidental music for over 200 productions. In 1988 he joined the faculty of San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he remained as a professor of composition until his death. He is particularly known for his five operas.
Frosty The Snowman (4:00 Concert)
Audience Sing-a-long
Reading from “The First Tree” from The Tale of Three Trees- Ukrainian Folklore (7:30 Concert)
Read by Kristyn Smith
Wylie High School Chamber Singers
Let it Snow arr. Michelle Weir
White Christmas arr. Mark Hummel
Santa Claus is Coming to Town arr. Michelle Weir
The Wylie High School Chamber Singers is an auditioned choir specializing in a cappella choral music and vocal jazz. Its members are also members of A Cappella Choir, the varsity mixed choir at WHS. This December the Chamber Singers will have performances at Parc Place Retirement Community, North Park Center, and the Dallas Arboretum.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (4:00 Concert)
Audience Sing-a-long
Reading “Open Heart” from Christmas without a Price by Victoria Lincoln (7:30 Concert)
Read by Donna Bailey
Plano Civic Chorus and string orchestra (7:30 concert only)
Seowon Lee, Carina Parker, Christopher Mattaliano,
Rigo Murillo, Brittany Barrows, Charissa Gault, violin
Monica Rodriguez, Salomon Bautista, viola
Brianne Sargent, Creed Miller, cello Gabe Ramon, double bass
He Comes at Christmastide by Robert Young (1923-2011) and Stephen Heyde
Robert Young is renowned for his a cappella choral writing. Retired Baylor University Orchestra conductor, Stephen Heyde, orchestrated some of Dr. Young’s most beloved a cappella Christmas and Advent settings, creating He Comes at Christmastide scored for string orchestra and choir.
Robert Young, originally from Santa Cruz, California, earned degrees from Otterbein College, Northwestern University and the University of Southern California. He joined the faculty of Baylor University in 1962 where he remained until his retirement in 1993. During his thirty-year tenure at Baylor, he was interim Chairman of Church Music, Chairman of Vocal Studies, Chairman of Graduate Studies and conductor of the Baylor Chamber Singers, an ensemble he founded in 1962.
Reading Adapted from The Meaning of Life by Maya Angelou (7:30 Concert)
Read by Ilyena Metzger
Plano Chamber Chorus
Haec Dies by William Byrd (1543-1623)
This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice exceedingly and be glad in it. Alleluia!
Let us give thanks to the Lord for he is good:
Because his mercy endures forever.
William Byrd was an English Renaissance composer who is considered among the greatest composers of his time. He had a profound influence on composers from England and on the European Continent. He wrote in many of the forms current in England during the Renaissance, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard and consort music. He wrote sacred music for the Anglican Church, but during the 1570s he became a Roman Catholic, and focused mainly on sacred music for the Catholic Church.
Ave Maria by Debra Scroggins
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen
Debra Scroggins has enjoyed a long career as a teacher, professional mezzo-soprano soloist and chorister. She has sung with prestigious choral groups such as Conspirare’s Company of Singers, Robert Shaw’s Festival Singers, the Kansas City Chorale and the Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival. Since 2005, she has served as the composer-in-residence for the Texas Voices, a Dallas area professional chamber choir, and since 2013 she has served in the same capacity for Plano Civic Chorus. Her music has been performed by choirs throughout the US, Canada, Europe, South America, Russia, and Thailand. She is frequently commissioned to create new choral works for churches, schools, universities, professional ensembles and community choirs.
Dormi, Jesu! By Mark Sirett (b. 1952)
Sleep, Jesus, while your mother,
Smiles to see you quietly sleep,
Sleep, Jesus, on her knee.
If you don’t sleep, your mother laments,
Singing as she spins her wheel:
Come, sleep peacefully.
Dormi, Jesu! was awarded first prize in the a cappella division of the Christmas Carol and Hanukkah Song Writing Competition sponsored by the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto. The text is taken from Des knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth’s Magical Horn), a collection of German folk poems edited from 1805-1808.
Mark Siertt, a conductor, pianist and organist, is the Founding Artistic Director of the award-winning Cantabile Choirs of Kingston in Ontario, Canada. He holds degrees from the University of Iowa and taught at the University of Alberta, Western University and Queen’s University.
Let it Snow (4:00 Concert)
Audience Sing-a-long
Reading from In Tune with the World by Josef Pieper (7:00 Concert)
Read by Mike Barnard
Wylie High School A Cappella Choir
O Magnum Mysterium by Edoardo Materassi
O great mystery,
and wondrous sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord
lying in their manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy
to bear the Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!
O Lord, I heard your oracle
and I was afraid;
I considered your works,
and I trembled
in the midst of the two animals.
Edoardo Materassi is a guitarist, composer, arranger and choral conductor. He conducts the choirs, Animae Voces, Mulieris Voces, Sesto in Canto, the youth choir Menura Vocal Ensemble, the children’s choir Na’ Ara Vocal Ensemble and others. Over the years he has been awarded prizes at various national and international competitions.
Jingle Bells Gordon Langford (1930-2017)
Gordon Langford was an English composer, arranger and performer. He is well known for his brass band compositions and arrangements. He was also a composer of choral and orchestral music, winning an Ivor Novello award.
Here Comes Santa Claus (4:00 Concert)
Audience sing-along
Reading A Toast to Santa Claus by John Kendrick Bangs (7:30 Concert)
Read by Jason Irish
Plano Civic Chorus
O Magnum Mysterium by Kevin A. Memley
O great mystery,
and wondrous sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord
lying in their manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy
to bear the Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!
O Lord, I heard your oracle
and I was afraid;
I considered your works,
and I trembled
in the midst of the two animals.
As written by the composer, “It is my greatest hope as you perform this setting of O Magnum Mysterium that you experience my understanding of the indescribable mystery of the birth of Jesus Christ; that you may achieve a deeper understanding and reverence for its meaning to humanity and to ourselves. The Alleluia section is the culmination of gratitude and the ultimate expression of the text.”
Kevin Memley is an accomplished pianist and composer. His unique blend of contemporary harmonies and intricate rhythms provide an unmistakable experience for the listener. Kevin is an instructor of Music Theory and Technology at Clovis East High School in Fresno, CA. He conducts the Kingsburg Community Choir and accompanies several choirs in the area.
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High arr. by Mack Wilberg (b.1955)
Ding Dong Merrily on High is a popular Christmas carol that first appeared as a secular dance tune in the 16th century. The carol was first published in 1924 with the text written by George Ratcliff Woodward.
Mack Wilberg is an American composer, arranger and conductor and has been the music director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square since 2008.
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming by Michael Praetorious (1571-1621) and Arranged by Jan Sandström (b. 1954)
This German carol possibly dates back to the 15th century. The carol combines the stories of Luke 1-2 and Matthew 2 with Isaiah’s prophecies about the “rose” from the “stem of Jesse.”
Jan Sandström studied at the University School of Music in Pitea and the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. He began his musical career as a chorister, and his works list includes a large part of vocal, opera and choral music. His setting of the Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming gained him widespread international success. His choral music underlines Catholicism and seems to “form a link with an inner, gentle world, the emotional abstract.”
Personent Hodie from Behold New Joy by Shawn Kirchner (b. 1970)
Personent Hodie is a Christmas carol originally published in 1582 in a volume of 74 medieval songs with Latin texts. The most common English translation of the text is by “James M. Joseph,” a pseudonym of the composer Jane M. Joseph (1894-1929). The carol became more prominent in England after being arranged for unison voices and orchestra in 1916 by Gustav Holst.
Shawn Kirchner is based in Los Angeles where he was the composer-in-residence for the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 2012-2015. His music “finds a middle ground between classical choral and instrumental traditions and the inheritance of the folk, carol, and hymn traditions.”
Jingle Bells (4:00 Concert)
Audience Sing-a-long
Reading from the Children’s Day by T.G. Crippen (7:30 Concert)
Read by Kyra White
Plano Civic Chorus and Wylie High School A Cappella Choir
Three Mystical Carols by Conrad Susa (1935-2013)
David Anderson and Donna Bailey, duet
Let us gather hand in hand is a setting of the anonymous text dating from the 14th century. It is one of the earliest English carols discovered. This endrys night is a setting of an anonymous text from the 15th century found in the Bodleian manuscripts in England. This English carol is often praised for its unusual delicacy and lyrical flourish for a poem of the period. The shepherds sing is a setting of a poem by George Herbert (1593-1633), poet and Church of England clergyman.
Conrad Susa was an American composer who studied music at Carnegie Institute of Technology and Julliard School where he studied with Vincent Persichetti. From 1959-1994, he was composer-in-residence for the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, California where he wrote incidental music for over 200 productions. In 1988 he joined the faculty of San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he remained as a professor of composition until his death. He is particularly known for his five operas.
Frosty The Snowman (4:00 Concert)
Audience Sing-a-long
Reading from “The First Tree” from The Tale of Three Trees- Ukrainian Folklore (7:30 Concert)
Read by Kristyn Smith
Wylie High School Chamber Singers
Let it Snow arr. Michelle Weir
White Christmas arr. Mark Hummel
Santa Claus is Coming to Town arr. Michelle Weir
The Wylie High School Chamber Singers is an auditioned choir specializing in a cappella choral music and vocal jazz. Its members are also members of A Cappella Choir, the varsity mixed choir at WHS. This December the Chamber Singers will have performances at Parc Place Retirement Community, North Park Center, and the Dallas Arboretum.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (4:00 Concert)
Audience Sing-a-long
Reading “Open Heart” from Christmas without a Price by Victoria Lincoln (7:30 Concert)
Read by Donna Bailey
Plano Civic Chorus and string orchestra (7:30 concert only)
Seowon Lee, Carina Parker, Christopher Mattaliano,
Rigo Murillo, Brittany Barrows, Charissa Gault, violin
Monica Rodriguez, Salomon Bautista, viola
Brianne Sargent, Creed Miller, cello Gabe Ramon, double bass
He Comes at Christmastide by Robert Young (1923-2011) and Stephen Heyde
Robert Young is renowned for his a cappella choral writing. Retired Baylor University Orchestra conductor, Stephen Heyde, orchestrated some of Dr. Young’s most beloved a cappella Christmas and Advent settings, creating He Comes at Christmastide scored for string orchestra and choir.
Robert Young, originally from Santa Cruz, California, earned degrees from Otterbein College, Northwestern University and the University of Southern California. He joined the faculty of Baylor University in 1962 where he remained until his retirement in 1993. During his thirty-year tenure at Baylor, he was interim Chairman of Church Music, Chairman of Vocal Studies, Chairman of Graduate Studies and conductor of the Baylor Chamber Singers, an ensemble he founded in 1962.
Reading Adapted from The Meaning of Life by Maya Angelou (7:30 Concert)
Read by Ilyena Metzger
Plano Chamber Chorus
Haec Dies by William Byrd (1543-1623)
This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice exceedingly and be glad in it. Alleluia!
Let us give thanks to the Lord for he is good:
Because his mercy endures forever.
William Byrd was an English Renaissance composer who is considered among the greatest composers of his time. He had a profound influence on composers from England and on the European Continent. He wrote in many of the forms current in England during the Renaissance, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard and consort music. He wrote sacred music for the Anglican Church, but during the 1570s he became a Roman Catholic, and focused mainly on sacred music for the Catholic Church.
Ave Maria by Debra Scroggins
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen
Debra Scroggins has enjoyed a long career as a teacher, professional mezzo-soprano soloist and chorister. She has sung with prestigious choral groups such as Conspirare’s Company of Singers, Robert Shaw’s Festival Singers, the Kansas City Chorale and the Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival. Since 2005, she has served as the composer-in-residence for the Texas Voices, a Dallas area professional chamber choir, and since 2013 she has served in the same capacity for Plano Civic Chorus. Her music has been performed by choirs throughout the US, Canada, Europe, South America, Russia, and Thailand. She is frequently commissioned to create new choral works for churches, schools, universities, professional ensembles and community choirs.
Dormi, Jesu! By Mark Sirett (b. 1952)
Sleep, Jesus, while your mother,
Smiles to see you quietly sleep,
Sleep, Jesus, on her knee.
If you don’t sleep, your mother laments,
Singing as she spins her wheel:
Come, sleep peacefully.
Dormi, Jesu! was awarded first prize in the a cappella division of the Christmas Carol and Hanukkah Song Writing Competition sponsored by the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto. The text is taken from Des knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth’s Magical Horn), a collection of German folk poems edited from 1805-1808.
Mark Siertt, a conductor, pianist and organist, is the Founding Artistic Director of the award-winning Cantabile Choirs of Kingston in Ontario, Canada. He holds degrees from the University of Iowa and taught at the University of Alberta, Western University and Queen’s University.
Let it Snow (4:00 Concert)
Audience Sing-a-long
Reading from In Tune with the World by Josef Pieper (7:00 Concert)
Read by Mike Barnard
Wylie High School A Cappella Choir
O Magnum Mysterium by Edoardo Materassi
O great mystery,
and wondrous sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord
lying in their manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy
to bear the Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!
O Lord, I heard your oracle
and I was afraid;
I considered your works,
and I trembled
in the midst of the two animals.
Edoardo Materassi is a guitarist, composer, arranger and choral conductor. He conducts the choirs, Animae Voces, Mulieris Voces, Sesto in Canto, the youth choir Menura Vocal Ensemble, the children’s choir Na’ Ara Vocal Ensemble and others. Over the years he has been awarded prizes at various national and international competitions.
Jingle Bells Gordon Langford (1930-2017)
Gordon Langford was an English composer, arranger and performer. He is well known for his brass band compositions and arrangements. He was also a composer of choral and orchestral music, winning an Ivor Novello award.
Here Comes Santa Claus (4:00 Concert)
Audience sing-along
Reading A Toast to Santa Claus by John Kendrick Bangs (7:30 Concert)
Read by Jason Irish
Plano Civic Chorus
O Magnum Mysterium by Kevin A. Memley
O great mystery,
and wondrous sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord
lying in their manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy
to bear the Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!
O Lord, I heard your oracle
and I was afraid;
I considered your works,
and I trembled
in the midst of the two animals.
As written by the composer, “It is my greatest hope as you perform this setting of O Magnum Mysterium that you experience my understanding of the indescribable mystery of the birth of Jesus Christ; that you may achieve a deeper understanding and reverence for its meaning to humanity and to ourselves. The Alleluia section is the culmination of gratitude and the ultimate expression of the text.”
Kevin Memley is an accomplished pianist and composer. His unique blend of contemporary harmonies and intricate rhythms provide an unmistakable experience for the listener. Kevin is an instructor of Music Theory and Technology at Clovis East High School in Fresno, CA. He conducts the Kingsburg Community Choir and accompanies several choirs in the area.
Ding! Dong! Merrily on High arr. by Mack Wilberg (b.1955)
Ding Dong Merrily on High is a popular Christmas carol that first appeared as a secular dance tune in the 16th century. The carol was first published in 1924 with the text written by George Ratcliff Woodward.
Mack Wilberg is an American composer, arranger and conductor and has been the music director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square since 2008.