Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

Heart: I’ve seen and felt it in every performance of Colla Voce that I’ve attended over the past 7 years. It’s expressed in the humanity of so many of the musical selections, in the appreciation of other art forms, in the persistent motivation to connect with Colla Voce’s larger community, and in the warmth expressed towards their audiences. One example is Colla Voce’s Music Docent Program that brings music appreciation to many primary grade children in the Auburn area. In the minutes before tonight’s concert began, a slide show was running on a screen above the church’s altar ― a presentation on the lasting value of music education in the lives of young children.

I attended the first of Colla Voce’s 2019 Christmas concerts ― The Heart of Christmas ― on this Thursday evening at Auburn’s Pioneer Methodist Church. I’ve attended many of Colla Voce’s concerts over the past 7 years, and I can say with confidence that there’s always something special, something unexpected about each concert. For this evening’s audience, the first surprise was the welcome (silence cellphones, restrooms in the back, etc.): it was sung (in rhyme) by co-host Leah Cole. Then the other co-host Randy Németh read a message from Artistic Director, Janine Dexter. You can read the 3-paragraph statement at the bottom of the linked program, but the words that grabbed my attention were the first words, a definition of a word I’d never heard of before: “Sonder ― n. The profound feeling of realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as one’s own. The understanding that everyone has a story.” Dexter goes on to say that she wants to “create a concert experience of serenity and peace.”

And what could be more peaceful than the sounds of a harp? So the concert started with an extended harp performance of the “Interlude” from Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols. Harpist Emily Mader was billed as a featured performer in the promotional material for this concert, and the reason was clear after this first piece. Ms. Mader went on to accompany many of the choral selections in the program and provide incidental music between songs.  Then she completely dazzled us later in the program with her performance of a piece called “La Source.”

(Click here to open the concert program in a new window. This beautifully laid out document was not handed out at the concert: instead we got a one-page summary of the music with the URL to the full program. During the concert, many audience members consulted the program on their smart phones and tablets to follow lyrics and program notes for each musical selection.)

The artistry of Artistic Director Janine Dexter begins with the way her programs are crafted. We saw this in the first 6 pieces of the program. There was no break for applause after the introductory harp performance. Instead, in near-total darkness the full chorus sang “Hymn to the Virgin” in the aisle to the right of the audience, their faces illuminated by the lights on their music scores. We might as well have been in a medieval cathedral. Then the chorus’s movement to the front of the church was covered by the playing of the harp, and they went on to perform the next 4 pieces without allowing for any break for applause ― which would have broken the mood of reverence and mystery. The last of these pieces (Ola Gjeilo’s “Ubi Caritas”) featured an accompaniment by pianist Angela Roland that prompted my seatmate to comment on the excellence of Roland’s performance. I agreed, and throughout this set of music I had also been noting the expressive singing, the beautiful harmonies, and the pure tone of the sopranos especially.  Then there was the exquisite choral entrance after the piano solo in “Ubi Caritas,” perfectly unified in timing, pitch and volume. I had also been watching Dexter’s expressive directing, full of nuance ― and authority.

At this point we were introduced to something else you don’t see in choral concerts ― storytelling. Colla Voce had invited past audience members to submit their favorite personal Christmas stories, and before eight of the following musical selections, a team of readers took turns reading these stories. The readers were Leah Cole and Randy Németh, whom we had seen introducing the concert. And they weren’t so much readers as actors, bringing out the humor, nostalgia and ― heart ― in each story.

Over the next several songs, I was impressed with both the good ensemble tone of the men and their balance with the women, as well as the precise cutoffs and harmonies of the full chorus. What helped me appreciate these refinements was the fact that the volume of the singing was generally subdued ― rarely reaching mezzo forte. That changed with the spirited “Sussex Carol,” which was accompanied by noticeably precise articulation of the lyrics.

“O Magnum Mysterium” was a highlight for me. It’s a piece I’ve sung and heard many times, and I’m sure this is a performance of which Morten Lauridsen would have approved: the perfect blend with voices rising and falling together as if they were a single organism, plus the precise pitch that brought out Lauridsen’s exquisite dissonances.

I’ve heard hundreds of choral concerts over the years, and it’s been too often the case that a good choral performance was marred by a weak soloists. No so with Colla Voce. Of course, I haven’t heard every one of them sing individually, but tonight more than half of the 29-member chorus performed at least an incidental solo, and each singer displayed an excellent solo voice.

The musical selections were a variety of familiar and unfamiliar songs. And I believe I can say that none of these arrangements were traditional: there were often familiar melodies, but each arrangement was concert-worthy. And whether comforting and lulling or energetic and exciting, each was attention-getting, thought-provoking and esthetically pleasing to this frequent concert-goer.

Some of these songs were profoundly moving. An example for me would be “The World for Christmas” by Anders Endenroth. The composer’s thought behind this song is summarized in the program. His lyrics take the perspective of a new-born baby, whose Christmas wish is for the same “blue, green forever turning world” that past generations have enjoyed. So the song poignantly ends with the line “Oh give me a present for the future.”

One of the many innovative elements of the program was “A Pentatonic Alleluia.” This composition by Ross Whitney is performed on one word, “Alleluia.” Each singer sings their part with their own timing, creating a cloud of sound. On this evening the Colla Voce singers began this piece at the front of the church, then processed slowly down all three aisles. After they assembled at the back of the church, Dexter directed them in a slow diminuendo to total silence, after which the harp solo, “La Source,” began. Remarkably, this lengthy, elaborate and beautiful composition was performed by Emily Mader from memory.

From this point on, the concert became a lot more spirited. Singers returned to the front of the church wearing scarves and various types of headgear. One person even brought a sled. A quintet performed “Where Are You Christmas?” from How the Grinch Stole Christmas in an arrangement that had pop music stylings. “Mary, Did You Know?” was performed in a similar style by a different quintet. Then the men gave a rousing, fast-paced performance of “The Sleigh á la Russe.” And twelve singers performed “Run, Toboggan, Run,” a novelty piece which we were told was composed by the neice of Alfred Burt who has resumed her father’s tradition of composing a Christmas song each year to send to family and friends.

With the concert drawing to a close, the full chorus returned to the front of the church to deliver a crisp performance of “Ding Dong! Merrily on High.” It was sung a cappella and without music, as were many of the songs on this evening’s program. To me, it was a perfect example of what you come to a choral concert to hear ― beautiful music, beautifully performed.

Then came “Christmas Memories.” The chorus took up seating positions around the front of the church. Then the lights went down as the chorus accompanied Randy Németh’s solo. Meanwhile snapshots of Christmases past were projected on a screen above the altar. They had been contributed by past audience members to represent the “heart of Christmas” that lives in each one of us.

Then in case you were under the false impression that the concert was going to end on a gentle, nostalgic note, we got another surprise. It was the fastest version I've heard of the otherwise venerable ancient Latin Christmas hymn, “Veni, Veni Emmanuel.” In an innovative, exuberant arrangement, the chorus performed again a cappella and without music, building to a truly exciting finale.

Then Dexter acknowledged each contributor to the program, including oboist Briana Maceda and percussionist Leigh Dexter, both of whom had contributed to several pieces in the concert. With that, she invited the audience to sing “Silent Night” with the chorus, who by now had dispersed throughout the church. This was followed by “Auld Lang Syne,” which Dexter directed to a conclusion with her 2-year-old grandson in her arms.

The concert having concluded, the singers reached out to individual audience members, most still seated, shaking their hands and thanking them for coming. It was a simple gesture, but it was so profoundly sincere that I’m sure it made all of us feel that we had been given a heart-felt gift. That’s certainly how I felt.

(Two of Colla Voce's subsequent concerts included performances by the Colla Voce Youth & Children’s Chorus.  Keep track of Colla Voce's activities in their website, www.collavoce.org.)