Program Notes

Sacred Places The beautiful poise of lightness, The heavy world pushing toward it. These lines from the first and last movements of Sacred Place provide the subtitle for this concert. Despite the heaviness and discouragement that may beset us, whether from current events, painful situations affecting family and friends, or our own inner fears and sorrows, we…

Musicians rarely have the privilege of sharing, with audiences or each other, a work as profound and intimate as The Sacred Veil. In twelve movements, composer Eric Whitacre (b. 1970) and poet Charles Anthony “Tony” Silvestri (b. 1965) unflinchingly explore the porous boundary between life and death, leading us through the grief journey of Tony and…

This concert marks the first full collaboration of the Choral Arts Ensemble (CAE) and the Pacific Youth Choir (PYC), but, we trust, not the last, as we explore the choral repertoire and learn new ways of experiencing it with each other. The music offers a feast for the senses—not just sounds, but also vivid images…

Timeless Inspirations While the earliest composition in our holiday concert dates from less than 40 years ago, nearly all of them present texts that go back centuries, all the way to medieval ballads, the early Church Fathers, and the Bible itself. The ancient texts have inspired composers to find unexpected rhythms and harmonies, even as…

Thanks to an inspired idea by David Hill, musical director of the Bach Choir of London (which is currently celebrating its 150th season), the Choral Arts Ensemble is excited to present Verdi’s powerful Requiem as few have ever heard it. In 2020, Hill commissioned English composer Richard Blackford (b. 1954) to create a new setting of…

The roots of polychoral music, with two or more choirs having distinct but complementary roles, may stretch back to the Psalms, since many of them use a form of call and response. Not coincidentally, the Psalms often provide the texts for compositions that feature “mirrored voices,” whether they answer each other antiphonally, imitate each other’s…

From roughly 1920 to 1960, the “Golden Age of American Song” drew on music from Broadway shows, Hollywood musicals, and Tin Pan Alley. Those years also saw the transformation of America’s entertainment landscape. Phonograph records and broadcast radio became available around 1920. Jazz records allowed people anywhere in the country to hear such music for…

Gloria in excelsis What better way to celebrate the holiday season than with “a joyful noise”- resounding voices, shimmering brasses, sonorous organ, thrilling percussion, and also the warmth of a lone cello and piano – all helping to express the glory and mystery of the season.  Along with our wonderful instrumentalists, including members of Portland’s Big…

I Believe: Music of a Long Struggle Program Notes We have all heard the famous words of Martin Luther King that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Yes, the arc does bend, but not without great effort and faith in the possibility of building a better world, however…

This season’s final concerts highlight the work of composers with special ties to the Pacific Northwest. Some were born and grew up here, while others settled here after living in other states or countries. Several responded to an invitation for submissions with our long-time collaborator, Cascadia Composers, the largest regional chapter of the National Association…

A Feast of Sacred Music Welcome to our first collaboration with the Sunnyside Symphony Orchestra. We are delighted at this opportunity to join together to present Beethoven’s inspiring Mass in C Major.  In addition, the chorus and orchestra will each perform works on our own, with music inspired by ancient texts and different religious traditions, written by…

Welcome, Yule! The holidays can mingle experiences in unexpected ways. Our concert does the same, bringing together music by composers from around the world and from right here in the “upper left corner,” with special contributions from our longtime collaborators, Cascadia Composers. With inspiring new arrangements of carols dating back centuries and meditations on winter,…