genius in the synagogue-chi a cappella

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1 Genius in the Synagogue Genius in the Synagogue: A Musical Portrait of Max Janowski Saturday, October 13, 2012, 8:00 pm K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Congregation 1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd., Chicago Sunday, October 14, 2012, 4:00 pm West Suburban Temple Har Zion 1040 N. Harlem Ave., River Forest Saturday, October 20, 2012, 8:00 pm Nichols Concert Hall 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston Sunday, October 21, 2012, 4:00 pm Wentz Concert Hall 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville Chicago a cappella Alexia Kruger, Soprano Cari Plachy, Soprano Elizabeth Grizzell, Mezzo-soprano Susan Schober, Mezzo-soprano Klaus Georg, Tenor Trevor Mitchell, Tenor Joe Labozetta, Bass Benjamin Rivera, Bass Brian Streem, Bass Music Director: Jonathan Miller, Founder and Artistic Director This program was made possible through the generosity of the Klaff Family Foundation Chicago a cappella is partially supported by the Klaff Family Foundation; the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development; Dr. Scholl Foundation; a CityArts Program 2 grant from the City of Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Villages of Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest; and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Season sponsors: Hyde Park Bank, The Homestead Hotel, and Merit School of Music. Media sponsors: Chicago Jewish News, JUF News, and The Naperville Sun.

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1Genius in the Synagogue

Genius in the Synagogue: A Musical Portrait of Max Janowski

Saturday, October 13, 2012, 8:00 pmK.A.M. Isaiah Israel Congregation1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd., Chicago

Sunday, October 14, 2012, 4:00 pmWest Suburban Temple Har Zion1040 N. Harlem Ave., River Forest

Saturday, October 20, 2012, 8:00 pmNichols Concert Hall

1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston

Sunday, October 21, 2012, 4:00 pmWentz Concert Hall

171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville

Chicago a cappellaAlexia Kruger, Soprano

Cari Plachy, SopranoElizabeth Grizzell, Mezzo-soprano

Susan Schober, Mezzo-sopranoKlaus Georg, Tenor

Trevor Mitchell, TenorJoe Labozetta, Bass

Benjamin Rivera, BassBrian Streem, Bass

Music Director: Jonathan Miller,Founder and Artistic Director

This program was made possible through the generosity of the Klaff Family Foundation

Chicago a cappella is partially supported by the Klaff Family Foundation; the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Arts Work Fund for

Organizational Development; Dr. Scholl Foundation; a CityArts Program 2 grant from the City of Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Villages of Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest; and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Season sponsors: Hyde Park Bank, The Homestead

Hotel, and Merit School of Music. Media sponsors: Chicago Jewish News, JUF News, and The Naperville Sun.

2 Chicago a cappella

ABOUT CHICAGO A CAPPELLA

An ensemble of professional singers founded in 1993 by Jonathan Miller, Chicago a cappella presents an annual Chicago-area subscription series, creates studio recordings as well as live and broadcast-media musical content, and gives performances on tour and in special engagements. Long recognized for vocal virtuosity and innovative programming, the ensemble enjoys a reputation as a leader in the choral field.

With more than 325 concerts to its credit, Chicago a cappella has produced more than 200 performances on its Chicago-based series. On tour, the group has appeared in 13 American states and in Mexico. The en-semble has been heard frequently on WFMT radio and through broadcasts distributed by American Public Media, including the highly-regarded Performance Today. The ensemble has produced eight CD recordings of music ranging from Renaissance masses to con-temporary works.

From its inception, Chicago a cappella has been a champion of living composers. Since 1993 the group has presented more than 100 works in their world, national, or local premiere. Chicago a cappella has commissioned new music from composers such as Joseph Jennings, Chen Yi, Stacy Garrop, Rollo Dilworth, Tania León, and Ezequiel Viñao.

As part of its work to give back to the community, Chicago a cappella has expanded its educational outreach programming. Current programs include an annual Youth Choral Festival, where small ensembles spend a day working directly with our singers and directors, and a High School Internship Program, a unique multi-faceted immersion for selected students in the world of both performance and arts administration.

Find us on Facebook for photos, audio clips and more: www.facebook.com/chicagoacappella

Read blogs and join the conversation at www.chicagoclassicalmusic.org

Board of DirectorsClaudia DivisMichelle Eppley (Secretary)William K. FlowersHelen C. GagelJoyce Grenis (President)Howard Hush

Murray Kopelow (Vice-President)

Leslie LauderdaleRobert B. LinnDavid PerlmanSteven Shaw (Treasurer)Maria T. Suarez

Committee MembersCarole Baumgart William Thomas Huyck Yvonne Owens Lisa ScottJohn Sterling

2936 N. Southport Ave., 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60657Phone: (773) 281-7820 | Fax: (773) 435-6453

www.chicagoacappella.org | [email protected]

Founder and Artistic Director ................................................................................................. Jonathan MillerExecutive Director ............................................................................................................. Matthew GreenbergBox Office & Concert Manager ....................................................................................................... Deb HobanMarketing & Operations Coordinator ...............................................................................Shaina FarwellEducation Outreach Coordinator ............................................................................................Susan SchoberIntern ................................................................................................................................................Cameron Lacy

3Genius in the Synagogue

CHICAGO A CAPPELLA CDS

Available in the lobby: $16 each (includes sales tax)Days of Awe and Rejoicing: Radiant Gems of Jewish MusicOur newest release is a treasury of unique and poignant Jewish music, from hallowed chants and High Holiday prayers to luminous, heartfelt works by today’s composers. Highlights include works by Pulitzer Prize-winner Shulamit Ran, Robert Applebaum, Max Janowski and Louis Lewandowski, as well as Stacy Garrop’s joyous “Hava Nagila,” commissioned by Chicago a cappella.

Shall I Compare Thee?Contemporary settings of Shakespeare’s

timeless words

Holidays a cappella LiveLive performances of Christmas spirituals, Chanukah songs and holiday music from

around the world

Mathurin Forestier: MassesWorld-premiere recording of breathtaking

Renaissance church music

EclectricNew works, familiar favorites, pop & jazz. “An overflowing cornucopia of choral delights”

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Go Down, MosesA stunning collection of spirituals

Palestrina: Music for the Christmas Season

Brilliant Renaissance polyphony by the Italian master Palestrina

Christmas a cappellaA celebration of the holiday season with Christmas songs from around the world

4 Chicago a cappella

LOCATION INFOR M ATION

Smoking is prohibited in all venues. Food and beverage are not permitted in the audience seating area. No photography or recording of any kind is permitted.

K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Congregation1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd., ChicagoRestrooms and drinking fountain: in the main lobby.

West Suburban Temple Har Zion1040 N. Harlem Ave., River ForestRestrooms and drinking fountain: in the main hallway between main entrance and entrance to Gottlieb Community Hall.

Nichols Concert HallMusic Institute of Chicago 1490 Chicago Avenue, EvanstonRestrooms and drinking fountain: On lower level; take stairs or elevator from lobby.

Wentz Concert Hall171 E. Chicago Ave., NapervilleRestrooms and drinking fountain: in the main lobby.

RESTAUR ANT SUGGESTIONS

Chicago

Cedar’s Mediterranean Kitchen1206 E. 53rd St., Hyde ParkHours: Saturday 11:30am - 11:00 pmSunday 11:30 am - 10:00 pm15% off Piccolo Mondo1642 E. 56th St. #1, Hyde ParkHours: Saturday 11:30 am - 9:30 pmSunday 11:30 am - 8:30 pm10% off

Oak Park/River Forest

Winberie’s151 N. Oak Park Ave.Hours: Sun. 1-9pm10% off

Cucina Paradiso814 North Blvd.Hours: Sunday 5-9:30 pm½ off wine bottles with purchase

of 2 entreesReservations needed

Maya Del Sol144 South Oak Park Ave.Hours: Sat. 4-11pmSun. dinner 4-9pm10% off

Evanston

Lulu’s Dim Sum & Then Sum804 Davis St. (two blocks from Nichols Hall)Hours: 11:30 am – 10:00 pm15% off (excludes Munch a Brunch and 8

after 8)

Prairie Moon1502 Sherman Ave.Evanston (one block west of Nichols Hall)Fri. & Sat. 4-11pm15% off

Naperville

Catch 3535 S. Washington St.Hours: Fri. & Sat. 5-10 pmSun. 4:30-8:30pm10% off food (not valid with other offers)

Quigley’s Irish Pub43 East. Jefferson Ave.Hours: Sat. until 2 amSun. until 1 am20% off food

Tango Argentinean Grill5 W. Jackson Ave.Hours: Sat. until 1 amSun. dinner 2:30 pm-10pm$10 off purchase of $25 or more

Show your ticket stub or program book to receive discounts at these area restaurants.

5Genius in the Synagogue

PROGR A M

Hariu (Psalm 100) ........................................................................... Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller

* * * * * * *

When the Sabbath, Peace Inviting .....................................................................................W. A. Mozart, anonymously arranged for the 1914 Union Hymnal (Reform)

The Sun Goes Down .............................................................................................................Max Janowski

* * * * * * *

Tsur Yisroeyl .............................................................................................................................Max Janowski

Hashkiveynu ............................................................................................................................Max Janowski

* * * * * * *

from the cantata And They Shall Not Learn War Any More:Sh’ma Yisraeyl ..................................................................................................................Max Janowski

Az Moshiach Vet Kumen .....................................................................................................Max Janowski

* * * * * * *

L’cha Dodi .................................................................................................................................Max Janowski

Adonai Roi (Psalm 23) ...................................................................................Max Janowski, arr. J. Miller

* * * * * * *

Avinu Malkeynu .............................................................................Max Janowski, arr. Patrick Sinozich

Yiboneh Hamikdosh ..................................................................................................Chassidic folk song, arr. Max Janowski / J. Miller

INTERMISSION

From Avodath Kodesh (Sacred Service):S’u sh’arim ..................................................................................................Max Janowski, arr. J. Miller

Sh’ma Koleynu .................................................................................................Max Janowski, arr. J. Miller

De ole ark’s a-moverin’ ................................................................................Spiritual, arr. Max Janowski

* * * * * * *

May The Words ................................................................................................Max Janowski, arr. J. Miller

Esa Eynai (Psalm 121) ....................................................................................Max Janowski, arr. J. Miller

L’koved Shabes ................................................................................................Max Janowski, arr. J. Miller

* * * * * * *

Sim Shalom .......................................................................................................Max Janowski, arr. J. Miller

Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the ushers. Unauthorized photography or sound recordingof any kind are strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation

6 Chicago a cappella

INTRODUCTION

This program is intensely personal for me. It springs from my personal relationship with the music—and the personality—of Max Janowski of blessed memory. I first met Max Janowski when I was ten years old, the year I began Sunday school and Hebrew school at KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation in Hyde Park. He was a rumpled, somewhat cranky guy, but everyone loved him; over the years I came to love him too, and not just because he was the first person who ever paid money for me to sing!

I was 17 when “Max” (as he is almost exclusively known) hired me for one of his many “satellite” high-holiday choirs. It has been one of the great honors of my life to continue that tradition of worship to this day. As the high-holiday cantor at Congregation Rodfei Zedek, down the street from KAMII, I now lead much the same liturgy that I first experienced as a young bass in 1979—beautiful, almost-all-sung services that last several hours, almost all in Hebrew, simply some of the most wonderful and hearfelt experiences of my entire life. That is a gift to me from Max.

* * * * * * *

Max’s music is a gift to us all. He emigrated here from Berlin (via Japan and New York) in 1938, having taught in Tokyo as his way out of Nazi Germany. He spent a year composing and traveling with a Jewish cantata in 1937, and then he got wind of the composing competition at KAM Temple in Chicago. Max won the competition, the prize for which was the music-director position at the shul! In 1938 he arrived here, and he served that congregation for 53 years until his death in 1991.

Along the way, Max self-published more than 150 works of Jewish music, and wrote several hundred more that are still in manuscript form. The work is uniformly terrific. He never compromised quality as a composer; in that sense he was like Beethoven, intensely critical of himself. He was also intensely critical of others, which made him fans as well as some enemies. He was a natural teacher, a charismatic figure, a complete showman, a virtuoso in every sense of the word; it has been said that he would have been another Vladimir Horowitz had Hitler’s rise to power not changed the landscape so severely.

* * * * * * *

Max made his virtuosity look easy. I was happy to have the task of arranging eight of his compostions – originally written for solo, choir, and organ – for the performing forces of Chicago a cappella. That means that I had to do something with the organ part! In most cases I followed the model provided by Patrick Sinozich in his brilliant arrangement of Avinu Malkeynu: Patrick simply put the organ part in a “Choir 2” for the most part. That approach helped me a great deal, though there were still some sticky moments.

The most delicious experience of all eight was Sh’ma Koleynu. What a great piece! I have sung it for 33 years in high-holiday services; however, I had never taken it apart and looked at its musical building blocks before. I was required to do this for the arranging process, and I found myself muttering in awe at my desk as I looked at the material that Max had provided. The counterpoint is exemplary, the texture and harmonies glorious, and the feeling spot on.

The more I have worked with Max’s music, the more I see it as one of the main models for my own composition. Max was never a slave to fashion; he created his own musical idiom. He was always willing to let the music go to a brand-new place, even if the next

7Genius in the Synagogue

INTRODUCTION c o n t.

passage was completely at odds with what he had just written, based on the emotional demands of the text. Like a great opera composer working with abrupt changes of events in a libretto, Max would take the meaning of words from the Torah or the Psalms or Prophets—and he would just run with it. If a huge mood change followed, then so be it; the words guided him there. If I can be guided by a similar principle when writing music, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the stronger for it.

* * * * * * *

Many other people have helped to bring us to this day. Cantors Julius Solomon , Miriam Eskenasy, Deborah Bard, Richard Cohn, and of course Cory Winter are among the many in the chazzan community who have championed Max Janowski’s music and who in particular have helped me to understand it better. Thanks to all of the singers, cantors, soloists, rabbis, choristers, congregants, audience members, instrumentalists, financial supporters, and fans who have helped to champion this great music over so many years. I would also like to thank Howard Gilbert, my dear friend and true champion of Janowski’s music and memory; Jayson Rodovsky, editor at Transcontinental Music in New York, who is publishing my new arrangements; and the talented and hard-working singers, staff, and board of Chicago a cappella who have brought this program to life. A hearty L’chayim to you all!

–Jonathan MillerFounder and Artistic Director

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8 Chicago a cappella

NOTES ON THE MUSIC

Hariu Ladonai kol ha’aretz;ivdu et-Adonai b’simcha;Refrain: Bo’u l’fanav birnanah.D’u ki Adonai Hu ElohimHu asanu v’lo anachnu,Amo v’tzon marito.Bo’u l’fanav birnanah.Bo’u sh’arav b’todahchatzeyrotav bit’hilahhodu Lo, bar’chu sh’mo;ki tov Adonai l’olam chasdov’ad dor vador emunato.Bo’u l’fanav birnanah.

When the Sabbath, peace inviting,Fills our hearts with sacred mirth,Then from heaven, soul-delighting,Manna raineth down on earth;Then to song all sorrow yieldeth,Loud to God rings up the strain,Heaven-born devotion wieldethO’er each soul her sway again.

Here, where worshippers assemble,Where God’s spirit ‘mongst us dwells,Where all lips, rejoicing, trembleAnd with thanks each bosom swells,Here the dust-born man perceivethHow to conquer fear and woe;Chosen when this earth he leaveth,Endless Sabbath bliss to know. –attrib. to Marcus Jastrow

W. A. Mozart (1757-1791), arr. for the Union Hymnal (Reform), 1914: When the Sabbath, Peace Inviting

When Max Janowski arrived in Chicago in 1938, most of what was being sung in Reform synagogues was music that we today might considered “watered down”: instrumental tunes or even Protestant hymns, with (vaguely) Judaic sentiments – and almost all in English. This tune is taken from a famous piano sonata of Mozart, arranged anonymously for four voice parts. The text, dripping with Victorian sentimentality, is attributed to the Talmudic scholar Marcus Jastrow, who emigrated from Prussia to Philadelphia in 1866.

Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller: Hariu

This jubilant setting of Psalm 100 has been performed around the world. Its joyous refrain, in a pulsing duple meter, contrasts with the freer, cantorial-style rhythm of the solo sections.

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particular expertise, a personal or professional network, and passion and commitment for our organization, we would love to discuss it with you further. Contact Matt Greenberg at (773)

281-7820 or [email protected].

Praise the Lord, all the earth;Serve the Lord with gladness;Refrain: Come before God’s presence with singing.Know ye that the Lord, He is God;[it is] He [that] made us, and not we;[we are] his flock and the sheep of his pasture.Come before His presence with singing.Come [into] His gates with thanksgiving[and into] His courts with praise;Give thanks to Him, bless His name;for the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting;And his faithfulness unto all generations.Come before His presence with singing.

9Genius in the Synagogue

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Max Janowski: The Sun Goes Down

This piece is a bit of a mystery. Published in 1948, before Janowski had really hit his stride with melodies inspired by cantorial nussach traditions, it seems to suggest that Janowski was seeking to find a style and what today we might call a “zone” for his composing. The piece was published by Clayton F. Summy, a prominent church-music publisher not known for Jewish composition. To our knowledge, Janowski was not yet working in a church set-ting, and the piece does not bear the description of any commissioning party. The text can be traced to a setting in The Sabbath School Hymnal (4th ed., Chicago, I. S. Moses, 1897). It seems likely that this hymnal would have been available to Janowski at K.A.M. Temple, pro-viding a text for him to use. Other than this, it bears no particularly Jewish traits. This seems indicative of the extent to which the Jewishness of Reform worship had been assimilated into the wider culture.

The sun goes down, the shadows rise,the day of God is near its close;the glowing orb now homeward flies,a gentle breeze foretells repose.Lord, crown our work before the night:in the eve let there be light;in the eve let there be light.While still in clouds the sun delays,let us soar up to heaven;that love may shed its peaceful rays,new hope to our souls, new hope be given.O may the parting hour be bright;in the eve let there be light.And when our sun of life retreats,when evening shadows round us hover,our restless heart no longer beats,and graveward sinks our earthly cover,we shall behold a glorious sight:in the eve let there be light. –Anonymous

* * * * * * *

Max Janowski: Tsur Yisroeyl

With this piece from 1958, Janowski hits his stride with his new musical style he was forging. His ongoing relationship with the congregation Beth El Ner Tamid, in Milwaukee, resulted in the commissioning of several important pieces in his catalogue. From the prefatory matter in the published score, it appears that the work may have been created in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Third Jewish Commonwealth (the present-day state of Israel). In any event, the work takes as its central inspiration the traditional cantorial melody from the Sabbath morning service. Listeners familiar with the Bloch Sacred Service will recognize this haunting melody, given here as in the Bloch to a baritone soloist in the role of cantor; Janowski’s treatment is about four times longer, lingering on and repeating the powerful melody and heartfelt words. Somewhat unusually, the musical setting repeats not only the entire text but also the final bracha (blessing) of “Baruch atoh Adonoi,” (Blessed art Thou, O Lord) although only at the work’s conclusion does the choir give the traditional response of “Baruch Hu uvaruch sh’mo” (Blessed be He and blessed be His name).

10 Chicago a cappella

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

While this work was not formally arranged in a new score for a cappella choir, as many oth-ers on this concert have been, the ensemble has worked for months to interpret the original organ part in a way that all of the beautiful original harmonies are preserved. We are retain-ing the original Ashkenazic pronunciation in this song, as it contributes to the power of evoking the German synagogue tradition from which this melody springs.

Tsur Yisroeyl, kumo b’ezras YisroeylGoaleynu Adonoi ts’voos sh’mo, K’dosh Yisroeyl;Boruch Atoh Adonoi,(Boruch Hu uvaruch sh’mo),Goal Yisroeyl. –trad. liturgy

Rock of Israel, rise up to help Israel;Our Redeemer, “Lord of Hosts” is God’s name;Holy One of Israel.Blessed art Thou, O Lord,(Blessed be God and blessed be God’s name),Who saved of Israel.

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11Genius in the Synagogue

Hashkiveynu Adonai Eloheinu l’shalom, v’ha-amideynu malkeynu l’chayim;Ufros aleynu sukat sh’lomecha,V’tak’neynu b’eitza tova mil’fanecha,V’hoshieynu l’ma-an sh’mecha.

V’hageyn ba-adeynu, v’haseyr mey-aleynu, oyeyv, dever, v’cherev, v’ra-av, v’yagon;V’haseyr satan mil’faneynu umey-achareynu,Uv’tzeyl k’nafecha tastireynu –Ki Eyl shom’reynu umatzileynu atah;Ki Eyl melech chanun v’rachum atah.

Ushmor tzeyteynu uvo-eynu – l’chayim ulshalom mey-ata v’ad olam.Ufros aleynu sukat shlomecha.Baruch atah Adonai, haporeys sukat shalom aleynu,V’al kol amo Yisraeyl v’al Y’rushalayim.

Lay us down to sleep, Lord our God, in peace, raise us to stand up, our King, to life;And spread over us the shelter of Your peace.Set us aright with good counsel from before Your presence,And save us for Your Name’s sake.

Shield us, remove from us foe, plague, sword, famine, and woe;And remove spiritual impediment from before us and behind us,And in the shadow of Your wings shelter us –For You are God Who protects and rescues us;For You are God, the Gracious and Compassionate King.

Safeguard our going and coming – for life and peace from now to eternity.And spread over us the shelter of Your peace.Blessed are you, God, Who spreads the shelter of peace upon us,Upon all of God’s people Israel and upon Jerusalem.

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Max Janowski: Hashkiveynu

In the Sabbath evening liturgy comes this beautiful prayer, with one of the loveliest and sweetest image of the divine spreading a canopy of shelter and protection over us humans. Many composers of Jewish music have created their most beautiful works specifically to this text; an analogy from outside Jewish music can be seen the way that composers of high-church music, writing a complete Mass setting, seem to put their best heart and soul into the Agnus Dei. The comforting text gives rise to a soaring yet gentle melody from Janowski at the opening. In the middle, as the prayer mentions the bad things from which we need protection, the music gets louder and more powerful. At the end, when the image of shelter returns, so does the opening melodic material, leading up to the final bracha. This setting, dating from 1959, was dedicated to Cantor Anshel Freeman, who had recently died. Freeman was a towering figure in the Chicago cantorate, and his daughter, the contralto Beatrice Horwitz, became over the years one of the foremost interpreters of Janowski’s works and one of his most trusted musical colleagues.

12 Chicago a cappella

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Max Janowski: Sh’ma Yisraeyl(from the cantata And They Shall Not Learn War Any More)

The year 1963 marked Max Janowski’s 25th anniversary as music director at K.A.M Temple in Chicago. He wrote this cantata for a celebration of his musical leadership. This is some of his most exquisite work, in musical idioms rarely found elsewhere in his output. The first movement is a setting of Psalm 98; the final movement sets Chapters 1-6 from the prophet Micah; and the middle movement, which is the one performed today, is a setting of the “watchword of our faith,” the Sh’ma (Hear, O Israel) and the V’ahavta (“and thou shalt love the Lord thy God…”).

Janowski takes a distinctly Middle-Eastern or Sephardic turn with this exquisite melody for the Sh’ma / V’ahavta text. The choir hums underneath in undulating chords, while the awe-inspiring soprano solo takes wing. There is even a sultriness to the melody, which although surprising makes the prayer both beautiful and unforgettable.

Sh’ma Yisraeyl Adonai Eloheynu Adonai echad.V’ahav’ta eyt Adonai Elohecha b’chol l’vav’cha uv’chol naf’sh’cha uv’chol m’odecha.V’hayu had’varim ha’eyleh asher anochi m’tzav’cha hayom al l’vavecha.V’shinan’tam l’vanecha v’dibar’ta bamb’shiv’t’cha b’veytecha uv’lech’t’cha vaderech uv’shach’b’cha uv’kumechaUk’shar’tam l’ot al yadecha v’hayu l’totafot beyn eynecha.Uch’tav’tam al m’zuzot beytecha uvish’arecha. –trad. liturgy

Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of themwhen you sit in your house, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Max Janowski: Az Moshiach Vet Kumen

Of course, Max Janowski was fluent in Yiddish as well as Hebrew, English, and German. It is said by Cantor Cory Winter that Max Janowski was influenced more powerfully by Beatrice Horwitz than by anyone else in the area of Yiddish song. There is a wonderful old recording of “Bea” singing this song, which was published in 1972. The song is full of excitement at the prospect of the coming of the Messiah, when the diligent and sincere lovers of Jewish tradi-tion will sit and study with “our teacher Moses” (“Moishe Rabeynu”) and will sing with King

13Genius in the Synagogue

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

David (“Dovid Hamelech”). Like many Janowski works, this one follows the text closely with constant changes of mood, dynamics and tempo, to showcase not only the eager anticipa-tion of the choir but the grandeur of the soloists’emotions.

Janowski was not above quoting himself musically. In fact, in a striking move, he pulls the “V’ahav’ta” melody from the “Sh’ma Yisraeyl” – the previous piece on our program – and inserts it here, right in the place where the text talks about studying! The audience would have understood implicitly the reference to the following lines about teaching one’s chil-dren these words and such. It is a deft move, done with humor and skill.

Vos vet zein az Moshiach vet kumen?Vos vet zein?Az Moshiach vet kumenVet Moishe Rabeynu lernen mit undz.

V’ahav’ta eyt Adonai Elohecha b’chol l’vav’cha uv’chol naf’sh’cha uv’chol m’odecha.

Az Moshiach vet kumenVet Moishe Rabeynu lernen mit undz.

Ah, vos vet zein?Vos vet zein az Moshiach vet kumen?Az Moshiach vet kumenVet Dovid Hamelech singen mit undz.Yababa bam… la la laSosen v’simche simchu na, ah.Az Moshiach vet kumenVet Dovid Hamelech singen mit undz.

Vos vet zein az Moshiach vet kumen?Vet sholem zein in der velt.Tenor solo:Sholom rov al Yisroeyl amchoTosim l’olom.All:Az Moshiach vet kumenVet zein sholem in der velt.

–compiled by Max Janowski from traditional sources

What will be when the Messiah will come?What will be?When the Messiah comes,Moses our Teacher will study with us.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

When the Messiah comes,Moses our Teacher will study with us.

Ah, what will be?What will be when the Messiah will come?King David will sing with us.Yababa bam… la la laLet us rejoice with joy and gladness, ah!What will be when the Messiah will come?King David will sing with us.

14 Chicago a cappella

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Refrain:L’cha dodi likrat kalaP’ney shabat n’kab’la.

Likrat Shabat l’chu v’neylchaKi hi m’kor habrachaMey-rosh mikedem n’suchaSof ma’aseh b’machshava t’chila.

RefrainHit’or’ri, hit’or’ri,Ki va orech kumi ori,Uri, uri shir daberiK’vod Adonai alayich niglah.

RefrainBo’i v’shalom ateret ba’alah,gam b’simchah uv’tzaholah,toch emunei am s’gulah,bo’i chalah, bo’i chalah.

What will be when the Messiah will come?There will be peace in the world.Tenor solo:Great peace to Israel Your peopleGrant forever.All:When the Messiah comesThere will be peace on earth.

Max Janowski: L’cha Dodi

Friday evening Shabbat services at K.A.M. (and later at K.A.M. Isaiah Israel) were infused with the joy and beauty of this simple refrain. Max would sit at the organ, and one of his talented solo-ists would intone the L’cha Dodi melody, and the whole congregation would reply with joy to welcome the Sabbath Queen, one of the enduring poetic images in Judaism. This setting, dating from 1957, was sponsored by yet another congregation with which Janowski was associated, Congregation Beth Sholom in the far-south suburb of Park Forest, Illinois.

This text has changed over the years in various prayerbooks and local and denominational practices.

Refrain:Come, my beloved, to meet the Bride,Let us welcome the Sabbath presence.

Come, let us go to welcome Shabbat,For it [she] is the source of blessing;From the beginning, from old, she was honored,Last in deed, but first in thought.

RefrainWake up! Wake up!For your light has come, rise up and shine!Awaken, awaken, proclaim a song;The glory of God has been revealed to you.

RefrainCome in peace, crown of your husband;Also enter in gladness and in joy.Come to the people that keeps its faith.Come, bride! Come, bride!

15Genius in the Synagogue

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16 Chicago a cappella

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Adonai ro-i, lo echsar. Bin’ot deshe yarbitseyni,Al mey m’nuchot y’nahaleyni,Naf’shi y’shovev,Yan’cheyni b’ma’agley tsedek,L’ma’an sh’mo.

Gam ki eylechB’gey tsalmavet,Lo ira ra,Ki Atah imadi.Shiv’t’cha umishan’techaHeymah y’nachamuni.

Ta’aroch l’fanai shulchanNeged tsor’raiDishanta vashemen roshiCosi r’vayah.Ach tov va-chesedYird’funi kol y’mey chayaiV’shav’ti b’veyt AdonaiL’orech yamim.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,He leadeth me beside the still waters,He restoreth my soul,He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness,For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walkThrough the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil,For Thou art with me.Thy rod and Thy staffThey comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before meIn the presence of mine enemies,Thou anointest my head with oil,My cup runneth over.Surely goodness and mercy Shall follow me all the days of my life,And I will dwell in the house of the LordForever.

Max Janowski, arr. Patrick Sinozich: Avinu Malkeynu

If there is one piece by which Max Janowski is known, this is it. Barbra Streisand recorded it for her 1997 album Higher Ground, and it had already been Janowski’s most famous work. The melody is, for many Jews, the tune that most fully represents the Days of Awe, espe-cially Yom Kippur, a day on which the prayer is included in many different services. Patrick Sinozich, music director emeritus of Chicago a cappella, originally created this beautiful setting for the group in 2007 for the first Days of Awe and Rejoicing concerts.

Avinu Malkeynu, sh’ma koleynu.Avinu Malkeynu, chatanu l’fanecha.Avinu Malkeynu, chamol aleynu v’al olaleynu v’tapeynu.Avinu Malkeynu, kaley dever v’cherev v’raav meyaleynu.Avinu Malkeynu, kaley chol tsar umastin meyaleynu.Avinu Malkeynu, kotveynu b’seyfer chayim tovim.Avinu Malkeynu, chadeysh aleynu shanah tovah. –Yom Kippur liturgy

Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller: Adonai Roi (Psalm 23)

Janowski’s setting of Psalm 23 has a sense of the pastoral. Its overwhelming sense is one of calm. The soloist’s melody has some qualities of nussach, but it is so gentle, with undulating motion, that one can easily forget that the tune does have a cantorial sort of flavor. In addition to its gentleness, the key of A-flat major is a bit unusual in Jewish music; Janowski uses it again in Esa Eynai later in our program, there with a more dramatic overall feel.

17Genius in the Synagogue

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Our Father, our King, hear our voice.Our Father, our King, we have sinned before Thee.Our Father, our King, have mercy upon us and upon our children.Our Father, our King, keep far from our country pestilence, war and famine.Our Father, our King, cause all hate and oppression to vanish from the earth.Our Father, our King, inscribe us for blessing in the book of life.Our Father, our King, grant unto us a year of happiness.

For the record: Patrick Sinozich’s arrangement of “Avinu Malkeynu” appears on our CD Days of Awe and Rejoicing.

Chassidic folk song, arr. Max Janowski / Jonathan Miller: Yiboneh Hamikdosh

Yes, one can have jubilation in a minor key! This Chassidic folk song was originally set for choir and piano by Janowski and published in 1972. The work was picked up by the Chicago Children’s Choir shortly thereafter and was part of the CCC’s tour and concert repertoire for many years. The boisterous piano part has been arranged for choral voices in Jonathan Miller’s setting, and the melody moves around the various voice parts with vigor.

Yiboneh hamikdosh;Ir Tziyon t’maley.

Let the Temple be restored;Let the city of Zion be renewed.

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INTERMISSION

S’u sh’arim rosheychemUs’u pitchey olam,V’yavo melech hakavod.Solo:Mi hu zeh melech hakavod?Tutti:Adonai tz’vaot,Hu melech hakavod.Selah

Lift up your heads, O ye gates,And be lifted up, ye everlasting doors,That the King of Glory may come in

Who is this King of Glory?

The Lord of Hosts,He is the King of Glory.Selah.

Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller: S’u sha’rim from Avodath Hakodesh

Early in his career, Janowski published a small booklet that had an entire setting of the main sung portions of the Reform service, including this charming short piece. The English transla-tion of the text may be familiar to choristers from a movement of Handel’s Messiah.

18 Chicago a cappella

Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller: Sh’ma Koleynu (Hear Our Voice)

In his 30th year with K.A.M. Temple, Max Janowski wrote this exquisite work for the High Holidays, on the traditional prayer “Hear Our Voice.” The prayer is part of the Yom Kippur liturgy, and one gets a preview of it during the S’lichot service in Conservative synagogues. This piece has it all: a phenomenal keyboard part (adapted here for choral forces); stunning solo passages; choral writing with the finest in carefully-wrought counterpoint; and, above all, a powerful, personal expression of the text.

Spiritual, arr. Max Janowski: De ole ark’s a-moverin’

On Sunday mornings, Max Janowski could be found – for decades – at the organ, lead-ing the music in the balcony at All Souls Universalist Fellowship in South Shore. This was a deliberately biracial congregation, founded in the last 1950s to be a place where black and white people could worship openly together and create an ecumenical community. The atmosphere there was welcoming and full of heart, and Janowski led his choir there in ev-erything from Bach to his own compositions to spirituals, pop songs, folk songs, and more. This spiritual was found in his church-music filing cabinet after he died, and it is a wonderful setting of a seldom-heard tune.

Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller: May The Words

There is a moment at the end of the Amidah – the silent prayer that forms the centerpiece of Jewish worship – where the prayers become more reflective than usual, and this text is found there. In Hebrew, the prayer begins with the words “Yih’yu l’ratzon…” Janowski took the traditional Reform-Jewish translation of this prayer and set it to simple, lovely music, which he would lead from the organ to create a beautiful moment of repose.

May the words of my mouthAnd the meditation of my heartBe acceptable in Thy sight,Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.Amen.

Sh’ma koleynu, Adonai Eloheynu.Chus v’racheym aleinu,v’kabeyl b’rachamim uv’ratzon et t’filateynu.Hashiveynu Adonai eylecha v’nashuvah;chadeysh yameynu k’kedem

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Hear our voice, O Lord our God;spare us, and have mercy upon us,and accept our prayers with compassion and favor,Return us, O God, unto Thee and we will return;Renew our days as of old.

19Genius in the Synagogue

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller: Esa Eynai (Psalm 121)

This is a sort of companion piece to Janowski’s setting of Psalm 23. The pieces are in the same key and have similar feel; however, Esa Eynai goes to more extroverted heights than Adonai Roi. This is generally felt to be one of the composer’s finest efforts. The solo melody is exquisitely written. Composer Bob Applebaum, a favorite of Chicago a cappella’s singers and audiences, says that it was this very piece—which he heard during a worship service—that made him want to write Jewish sacred music.

Esa eynai el heharim meyayin yavo ezriEzri meyim Adonai, osey shamayim vaaretsAl yiteyn lamot raglecha al yanum shomrechaHiney lo yanum v’lo yishan shomeyr Yisraeyl.Adonai shomrecha, Adonai tzilecha al yad y’minechaYomam hashemesh lo yakeka veyareyach balailaAdonai yishmorecha mikol rah, yishmor et nafshechaAdonai yishmor tseytcha u’voeycha meyatah v’ad olam.

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;from whence shall my help come?My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.He will not allow your foot to slip;He who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.The Lord is your keeper;The Lord is your shade on your right hand.The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.The Lord will protect you from all evil;He will keep your soul.The Lord will guard your going out and your coming infrom this time forth and forevermore.

Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller: L’Koved Shabes

Jewish wordless melodies are known as niggunim. They are often sung to get a Sabbath service started, much the way Ravi Shankar will slowly ramp up his sitar playing in keeping with the mood of the crowd. This catchy niggun is partly wordless and partly texted, with just enough words to give one the flavor of Shabbat. The syllables not shown below are just “bims” and “bams” and the like. Jonathan Miller has added some harmony to the simple, effective tune.

L’koved Shabes,L’koved den heylikn Shabes.

For the glory of Shabbat,For the glory of the holy Sabbath.

Hear our voice, O Lord our God;spare us, and have mercy upon us,and accept our prayers with compassion and favor,Return us, O God, unto Thee and we will return;Renew our days as of old.

20 Chicago a cappella

NOTES ON THE MUSIC c o n t.

Max Janowski, arr. Jonathan Miller: Sim Shalom

This is probably Song Number Two on the Janowski hit parade, if one might refer to his catalogue in that way. Sim Shalom is a prayer included in, among other places, the Musaf (additional) daytime service on both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It helps to form a powerful close to the long, intense worship experience of the Days of Awe. Janowski put his best musical self into this setting, with a beautiful refrain, poignant cantorial solos, and a momentum that keeps driving forward.

Refrain:Sim shalom tovah u’vrachaCheyn vachesed v’rachamim aleinu v’al kol yirei sh’mecha.Solo:Barcheynu Avinu kulanu ki echad b’or panechaKi v’or panecha natata lanu, Adonai EloheinuTorat chayim v’ahavat chesed, U’tzedaka u’v’racha v’rachamim v’chayim v’shalom.RefrainSolo:V’tov b’eynecha l’vareych et am’cha YisraelV’et kol ha-amim b’chol eyt u’v’chol sha’ah bishlomecha.Baruch ata Adonai, oseh ha-shalom. Ameyn.

Grant peace, goodness and blessing,Grace, lovingkindness and mercy to us and unto all Israel, Your people.Solo:Bless us, our Father, all of us as one with the light of Your face;For by the light of Your face You have given us, Adonai our God,The Torah of life, and love of kindness, and righteousness and blessing and mercy and life and peace;RefrainSolo:And may it be good in Your eyes to bless Your people Israel and all peopleat all times and in every hour with Your peace.Praised are You, Adonai, who blesses Your people Israel with peace. Ameyn.

—Notes by Jonathan Miller

21Genius in the Synagogue

THANK YOU

Chris BaerChicago Jewish News: Roberta ChaninEnid FrandzelBob Heitzinger, Northeastern Illinois UniversityBill HobanTom and Margaret HuyckHyde Park Herald: Carol CichockiEmily JaycoxJUF News: Robert FeigerK.A.M. Isaiah Israel Congregation: Tal RosenHersch KlaffJoan LevinMerit School of Music: Tom Bracy, Brian O’MalleyMusic Institute of Chicago: Fiona Queen, Jared ScottNorth Central College: Ken HannahCharlotte PodellPatrick SinozichWest Suburban Temple: Carol Serber and Cantor Stewart FigaCantor Cory Winter

Thanks also to The Saints, Volunteers for the Performing Arts, for providing our house staff. For information visit www.saintschicago.org or call 773-529-5510.

Very special thanksto outgoing board member Linda Mast

for her years of dedicated service

CHICAGO A CAPPELL A ARTIST ROSTER 2012-13

Jonathan Miller .................................................................................................................. Artistic DirectorJorge Córdoba Valencia .............................................................Music Director, Navidad en MéxicoWilliam Chin ................................................................................... Music Director, Spirit/Breath/VoiceJohn William Trotter................................... Music Director, The A Cappella American SongbookKlaus Georg ............................................................................................. tenor (Genius; Navidad; Spirit)Matt Greenberg .................................................................................bass (Navidad; Spirit; Songbook)Elizabeth Grizzell ................................................................................................... mezzo (entire season)Garrett Johannsen ..........................................................................tenor (Navidad; Spirit; Songbook)Kathryn Kamp ............................................................................. soprano (Navidad; Spirit; Songbook)Alexia Kruger .................................................................................................. soprano (Genius; Navidad)Joe Labozetta .................................................................................. bass (Genius; Navidad; Songbook)Cary Lovett ....................................................................................................................... tenor (Songbook)Trevor Mitchell ....................................................................................................................... tenor (Genius)Cari Plachy .......................................................................................soprano (Genius; Spirit; Songbook)Benjamin Rivera ....................................................................................... bass (Genius; Navidad; Spirit)Susan Schober ............................................................................mezzo (Genius; Navidad; Songbook)Brian Streem .......................................................................................... bass (Genius; Spirit; Songbook)

22 Chicago a cappella

B IOGR APHIES

Jonathan Miller, Founder and Artistic DirectorSince founding Chicago a cappella in 1993, Jonathan Miller has guided the ensemble through more than 130

concerts, seven commercial CD releases, and thirty choral-music demo CDs. His international accolades include the 2008 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America. His skills at presenting a wide spectrum of music are a combined product of his singer’s ear, scholar’s training, and composer’s temperament. He was fortunate to be exposed at an early age to a wide range of music by a remarkable group of mentors, including Christopher Moore, Lena McLin, Max Janowski, Joseph Brewer, Howard Mayer Brown, Richard Proulx, John Nygro, and Anne Heider. He was a founding member of His Majestie’s Clerkes (now Bella Voce) and for ten years was bass soloist with the Harwood Early Music Ensemble. Eager to learn research tools for repertoire, Jonathan pursued musicology, earning his doctorate at UNC-Chapel Hill while remaining an active performer. Since returning to the Chicago area, Jonathan has expanded his role as a conductor and composer. He has led the volunteer choir at Unity Temple and Heritage Chorale in Oak Park and has served several other choirs as clinician and coach. He has written more than fifty choral works in a variety of genres and languages; his music has been sung at venues including St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and the Pentagon. He conducted his piece The Lincoln Memorial at the Lincoln Memorial on the 200th anniversary weekend of Lincoln’s birth. Since 1998, Jonathan has taken a growing leadership role in Chicago-area Jewish music, leading the high-holiday choir and occasional Kabbalat Shabbat services at Congregation Rodfei Zedek in Hyde Park; he now serves there as high-holiday cantor. He is principal guest conductor of Kol Zimrah, the Jewish Community Chorus of Metro Chicago, and holds as a great honor his role as publisher of the late Max Janowski’s

catalogue. Jonathan enjoys the blessings of family and neighbors in the woods of Downers Grove, where he loves helping to maintain two shared vegetable gardens.

Matt Greenberg, Executive DirectorA founding ensemble member of Chicago a cappella, Matt has served as the organiza-tion’s Executive Director since 1995. Combining

a career in arts management with that of a professional singer, he has been an active member of the Chicago arts community for over 25 years. Matt has led workshops for Chorus America’s national conference and for the Arts and Business Council of Chicago. He has served as a panelist for the city of Chicago’s CityArts granting program and currently serves on the executive committee for the website ChicagoClassicalMusic.org. Matt has sung with Chicago a cappella since the group’s inception in 1993. He has also performed in musical theater and with many of Chicago’s other leading choral ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Music of the Baroque, William Ferris Chorale, and the Grant Park Chorus

Klaus Georg, tenorIn his second year with Chicago a cappella, Klaus Georg is an active tenor, conductor, and teacher in the Chicago area. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Voice at

Carthage College while pursuing doctoral studies at Northwestern University. Klaus has performed leading tenor roles in Mo-zart’s Zauberflöte, Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites, Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella, and Hoiby’s Summer and Smoke, as well as the tenor solos in Mozart’s Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, and Brahms’s Zigeunerlieder. Recently, he appeared as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem at the Music Institute of Chicago and as Chibiabos in Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast in Park Ridge. An accomplished choral

23Genius in the Synagogue

B IOGR APHIES c o n t.

singer, Klaus sings with the CSO Chorus and Music of the Baroque, and has appeared as a soloist with both groups. He also sings with the Grant Park Music Festival and is chorus director at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue.

Elizabeth Grizzell, mezzoMezzo-soprano Elizabeth Grizzell has performed with groups both in Chicago and abroad. She has appeared as soloist with the Tunbridge Wells

Opera, the Marlow Choral Society, and the Wooburn Singers of England. As a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, she has recorded the role of Apprentice with the late Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. Betsy is also a member of the Grant Park Chorus, and records regularly as a soloist for GIA Publications. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a vocal emphasis from DePaul University. This will be Betsy’s 12th

season with Chicago a cappella. She is proud to be programming this year’s All About the Women concert, and she previously programmed the ensemble’s 2009 concert, The Birds and the Bees. Of special note is her Betsy’s MusiKids program, a musical educa-tion experience designed for children ages 16 months to 9 years old. Her studio in Na-perville introduces more than 100 children each year to the fun and beauty of music. Find her on Facebook at “Betsy’s MusiKids”, or at www.grizzell.com.

Alexia Kruger, soprano Alexia Kruger enjoys performing a wide variety of music from the stage to the recital hall. A member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Grant Park Chorus,

Alexia has also been a soloist with such groups as the Chicago Chamber Orchestra (J.S. Bach’s Cantata 51), Chicago Sinfonietta at the Shedd and at Joffrey, Mantra Blue Free

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24 Chicago a cappella

B IOGR APHIES c o n t.

Orchestra, the Valparaiso University Symphony Orchestra (R. Strauss Beim Schlafengehen and Im Abendrot), and the University of Illinois Percussion Ensemble (Stravinsky’s Les Noces). She loves art song as well and has given recitals at such venues as the Chicago Cultural Center, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and several locations with VOX 3. Past roles have included Susanna and Contessa dAlmaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Giulietta (Les Contes dHoffmann), the title role in Suor Angelica, Lola (Gallantry), and Eve (Children of Eden). She is very excited to sing with Chicago a cappella this season!

Joe Labozetta, bassHailing from Northern California, Joe Labozetta moved to Chicago in 2003 to further his musi-cal studies at DePaul University’s School of Music. After finishing a

degree in Sound Recording Technology, he quickly immersed himself into a full-time career as a professional musician. Joe cur-rently holds the position of Director of Music at St. Josaphat Church, where he is kept busy with choirs, pipe organs, handbells and composing hymnody. His local choral activities have included Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Chorus, Bella Voce, and the William Ferris Chorale. Joe is also an award-winning baritone soloist, notably at the International Choral Kathaumixw in Powell River, B.C., Canada. Additionally, as an accomplished keyboardist, guitarist and bassist, Joe performs in venues other than churches and concert halls. In fact, Labozetta sightings have been reported in dive bars, hotel lounges and almost-but-not-yet foreclosed recording studios.

Trevor Mitchell, tenorAcclaimed as having “simply the most uniquely beautiful and easily pro-duced tenor instrument most people will ever hear,” Trevór Mitchell’s ca-reer has taken him across

the U.S. as well as to Austria, Italy, Ukraine, the

United Kingdom. Recently audiences heard him in Bach’s B-Minor Mass, Weihnachts-Orato-rium, St. Matthew Passion, and St. John Passion, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Ninth Sym-phony, Vivaldi’s Beatus Vir, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and several recitals, one being a recital for honored guest Paul, Duke of Oldenburg of Germany. Under the baton of the renowned John Rutter, Trevór performed Vaughn Wil-liams’ Serenade to Music. Recent performances also include Messiah with the Baroque Band and Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus. He also recorded Don Meyers’ Meditation in Three Reflections with the Millennium Symphony of Norfolk, VA. Upcoming engagements include Haydn’s Theresienmesse, Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, a recording of Christmas music and several solo recitals.

Cari Plachy, sopranoChicago native Cari Plachy is enjoying splitting her time between choral and opera singing. She has been seen throughout the Midwest with Opera for the Young, DuPage

Opera Theater, Light Opera Works and Bowen Park Opera. Her choral work includes singing with the Chicago Symphony Chorus. In 2008, she had an opportunity to step out from the chorus and sing a solo in Bruckner’s Psalm 150. The Chicago Sun-Times recognized it as being a “sparkling, and aggressively sung solo.” Cari received her Bachelor’s degree in music education from DePaul University. Since then, she has been working with the education department of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, bringing music to children all over Chicago. In addition to her work in Chicago, Cari is fortunate to bring her love of music to deaf children at Child’s Voice School in Wood Dale.

Benjamin Rivera, bassBass-baritone Benjamin Rivera appears often as a concert and oratorio soloist. Recent appear-ances include perfor-mances of Bach’s St.

25Genius in the Synagogue

B IOGR APHIES c o n t.

John Passion, several Haydn Masses and a local premiere of a song cycle for baritone and instrumental sextet by Stacy Garrop. He is a longtime member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he served in the position of section leader for several seasons. Benjamin also sings with the Grant Park Chorus during the summer. He recently completed his tenth season as conductor of the Chicago-area chamber choir Cantate, with whom he performs a wide range of mainly a cappella music. Benjamin holds the Master of Music degree in Music Theory from Roosevelt University and recently left a teaching position at St. Xavier University to pursue doctoral studies in conducting at North-western University.

Susan Schober, mezzoSusan Schober is a founding member of Chicago a cappella. A native Chicagoan, she sang for nine years with the Chicago Children’s Choir, and has per-

formed a wide variety of solo and choral music with Chicago-area ensembles. Most recently, she was a soloist at the 23rd International Kodály Festival in Kecskemét, Hungary. In addition to solo and choral music, Susan has performed leading roles in several theatrical produc-tions, including Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Britten’s Albert Herring, Herman’s La Cage Aux Folles, and Sullivan’s Utopia Limited. Susan received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in Music Education from Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. She is an accomplished music educator, specializing in the Kodály Method. She has taught students at every level, from preschool to graduate level teacher train-ing. Susan loves both singing and teach-ing, but her favorite job is being a new mom to twins Katherine and Andrew.

Brian Streem, bassA lover of choral music, Brian Streem has been a member of some of Chicago’s finest choral ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Chorus, the Grant Park

Symphony Chorus, Bella Voce, the William Ferris Chorale, and the Chicago Jazz En-semble. His theatrical credits have included Pippin (Pippin), Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar), Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls), Jack (Into the Woods), Philip (Lion in Winter) and the star of the one-man show All in the Timing. His recent work with Chicago a cappella was praised by critic Cathryn Wilkinson, who noted that he “pattered out a better maraca ostinato with his mouth than many drum-mers can with two hands.” Brian is a gradu-ate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, studying music theory with Dr. Rudy Marcozzi.

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EvanstonSaturday, Dec. 1, 8:00 pm

Nichols Concert Hall

Oak ParkSunday, Dec. 2, 4:00 pm

Pilgrim Congregational Church

ChicagoFriday, Dec. 7, 8:00 pm

Fourth Presbyterian Church

NapervilleSunday, Dec. 9, 4:00 pm

Wentz Concert Hall

SPIRIT/BREATH/VOICEAn inspiring concert about generosity, peace, and joy, with music ranging from

a Renaissance Mass to Shaker tunes and new works.

ChicagoSaturday, Feb. 9, 8:00 pm

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

Oak ParkSunday, Feb. 10, 4:00 pm

Pilgrim Congregational Church

EvanstonFriday, Feb. 15, 8:00 pm

Nichols Concert Hall

NapervilleSunday, Feb. 17, 4:00 pm

Wentz Concert Hall

THE A CAPPELLA AMERICAN SONGBOOK Charming and witty classics by Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, and others in new a cappella adaptations.

EvanstonSaturday, April 20, 8:00 pm

Nichols Concert Hall

Oak ParkSunday, April 21, 4:00 pm

Pilgrim Congregational Church

NapervilleFriday, April 26, 8:00 pm

Wentz Concert Hall

ChicagoSunday, April 28, 7:30 pm

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

SAVE THE DATEChicago a cappella presents

Sh-Boom: An a cappella evening of doo-wop classicsThursday, May 23, 2013, Salvage One

27Genius in the Synagogue

DONORS

We offer our deep gratitude to our contributors who made gifts and pledges to Chicago a cappella between July 1, 2011 and September 19, 2012. We regret that we are unable to list the many thoughtful contributors who made gifts under $50. If this list contains an error, please accept our apologies and kindly let us know so that we may correct it.

FOUNDATIONSUPPORTERSArts Work Fund for

Organizational Development

Dr. Scholl FoundationThe Gaylord and Dorothy

Donnelley FoundationKlaff Family FoundationThe MacArthur Fund for

Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation

GOVERNMENTSUPPORTERSIllinois Arts CouncilCity of Chicago Dept. of

Cultural Affairs and Special Events

Oak Park Area Arts Council

MEDIA SPONSORSChicago Jewish News (Days

of Awe; Genius)JUF News (Genius)Naperville Sun (concerts at

Wentz Hall, Naperville)

CORPORATE SUPPORT,MATCHING GIFTS, ANDOTHER SUPPORTAT&T FoundationAV ChicagoBank of AmericaFirst Bank and Trust

EvanstonHomestead HotelHouse Red VinotecaHyde Park BankJP Morgan Chase

FoundationMacy’s FoundationNorth Shore Community

Bank

UNDERWRITER($10,000 or more)Estate of Helen AsherSpecial gift in memory of

Florine M. Tippett, by her daughter, Joyce Tippett Grenis

Dee Dee Whipple ARCHANGEL ($2,500 or more)Joyce Grenis and Michael

KoenMurray Kopelow and Cathy

BachmanHoward and Jane HushKenneth Schug ANGEL ($1,000 or more)Claudia and Timothy DivisMichelle EppleyBill and Jeanetta FlowersHelen GagelAnn Hicks and Lawrence

HamiltonJay and Jackie LauderdaleLeslie LauderdaleBob and Fleury Linn

LoPrete Family FoundationAlice and David OsbergDavid and Carole PerlmanPriscilla and Steve ShawMaria Suarez

BENEFACTOR ($500 or more)Bonnie BensonAlex and Rosemary

CudzewiczMarina GilmanTim GoodsellJoan and Guy GunzbergHank and Becky HartmanTerri HemmertTom and Margaret HuyckDouglas and Christine

KelnerLindy Lauderdale, in honor

of Leslie LauderdaleRonna Lerner In recognition

of educational outreach programs

Linda Mast and Bard Schatzman

Mary MillerNora Bergman Fund

Ken NovakCarolyn SackstederLisa ScottSusan and Jason SchoberBette Sikes and Joan

PedersonSallie and Mark SmylieAnn StevensFrank VillellaJoanne WhitmoreDuain Wolfe

SPONSOR ($250 or more)AnonymousRobert Alpaugh and Rob

Waters in honor of Joan Gunzberg

Barbara and Harvey DershinFive K. Family Fund at The

Chicago Community TrustSanford Greenberg and

Betsy PerdueSandra GoldDon and Joanna GwinnAnne Heider and Steve

WarnerCharles KatzenmeyerDan and Cari Levin

INSTITUTIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS

Chicago a cappella Youth Programs

Chicago a cappella’s Educational Outreach programs aim to serve singers and students of all ages and levels of experience, promoting and improving the life-long performance, understanding, and appreciation of a cappella vocal music.

Current programs include:• The Youth Choral Festival, a day of workshops, singing, and performing for area

high school ensembles. The students work with Chicago a cappella’s artists, and the festival culminates in a concert featuring all the groups and Chicago a cappella. The second annual Youth Choral Festival will be held on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at First Unitarian Church in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, with the concert finale at Rockefeller Chapel.

• High School Internship Program, a unique and innovative program giving

talented high school students access to professional musicians, directors and arts administrators in a broad range of settings. In 2012-13 eight talented and motivated students are serving as Chicago a cappella High School Interns, gaining skills gaining skills to further their musical ambitions, including how to rehearse collaboratively, how to sing at a high level in a small a cappella ensemble, and how such activities are supported behind the scene by a nonprofit organization.

How you can be involved:• Help us identify corporate and business partners to support these projects.• Spread the word to schools and community organizations who may be interested

in working with us.• Use the envelope in this program to make your own gift today! Your contribution

will not only support our education programming. It will also nourish innovative new concerts and world-class CD recordings, and help establish an ever-stronger financial base for our future.

For more information about our education programs,

contact Susan Schober at [email protected].

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Matt Greenberg at [email protected] or 773-281-7820.

29Genius in the Synagogue

DONORS c o n t.

Jim and Lois HobartSandi and Mike MillerRobert and Lois MoellerVreni NaessDrs. Donald and Mary Ellen

NewsomCamilla NielsenDale and Donna PrestMarlene RichmanTom and Linda SpringHeather SteansGeri SztukLance and Stephanie

Wilkening

PATRON ($100 or more)Tom AndrewsWendy Anker and Edward

ReedSusan BealVivian BeckfordNorm and Mary Jo BowersIoanna and Robert ChaneyJudy ChernickEd and Barbara Collins in

honor of John VorrasiLaura and Gary CooperRosemary CorriganSusan EleuterioRon & Judy EshlemanAnne EvansJerry and Sue FalconSherry and Richard Frenzel

in honor of Joan GunzbergHoward and Judy GilbertMarvin and Muriel GlickEdmund GronkiewiczJudith Grubner and Craig

JobsonMargo Lynn HablutzelRobert HarrisAnn HewittMunn and Bonnie HeydornTroy HuberJean and Lester HuntMichael and Kathleen

JohnstonDr. Perry and Elena KamelSusan KampRae Kendrick

John and Karen KrugerHelen and John LauderdaleBarbara and Martin LetscherJoan LevinJay LytleMary and Steven MagnaniJennifer MarlingKristi McGonagle-French

and Paul FrenchCheryl and Tom McRobertsGlenn and Sandy MeadeAndrew MicheliJonathan Miller and Sandra

Siegel MillerNancy Mulcahu in honor of

John VorrasiCathy and Paul NewportJohn and Vicky PickettLarry and Judy PittsJohn and Gail PollesJane Ann PrestDoris RoskinPenelope Sachs in honor of

Joan GunzbergJennifer and Warren SchultzLaura SmithJulius and Alice SolomonJeni and David Spinney in

honor of Bob and Fleury Linn

Eileen SutterKris SwansonDavid and Mari TermanDave and Carolyn UtechBarbara VolinJohn Vorrasi In memory of Dr.

Joan M. FerrisGary and Beth WainerShirlene Ward and Kevin

KippBob and Sue WieseneckVirginia Witucke

FRIEND ($50 or more)AnonymousDavid and Patricia AgnewGary AgrestDiane AltkornFrank Brockway and Mimi

Brile

Rona and Ralph Brown in honor of Ronna Lerner

Arlene BunisRuth CrippenDeb CullenBernhard and Roslyn

Ebstein in honor of John Vorrasi

Jane and Joel ErkenswickNorma FelbingerGail Schaefer FuValerie and Stephen GarryEvelyn GaudutisCarolyn HayesAndy and Junia HedbergKathleen HigginsCharles Hoffman and

Tamara SchillerValerie HumowieckiJohn and Martha JureckoLinda KaplanLorraine KaplanIvan and Jasna LappinCarol LounsburyElene Cafasso Mahnken in

honor of Michelle EppleyScott and Kelly McClearyPatrice Michaels and Jim

GinsburgCarol MullinsBelverd and Marian NeedlesRichard and Cindy PardoShirley RonanDennis and Patricia SmithBarbara Steffensen in honor

of Dan McDanielGene and Mindy SteinTerrill L. StumpfJuan J. SuarezBernard SzeszolNancy Ellen TauchmanThe Rembrandt Chamber

Players, Inc.William WallaceJohn WashburnRobert and Barbara

WichmannScott WilliamsonRobert Wolff

30 Chicago a cappella

Keep track of Chicago a cappella with your

favorite social media!

“Like” us on Facebook at Chicago a cappella

Follow us on Twitter at chi_acappella

31Genius in the Synagogue

DONORS c o n t.

SUSTAINING DONORSBy joining our Sustaining Donor program, the following individuals support the work of Chicago a cappella while reducing our fundraising costs and saving resources. Sustaining donors choose the level and frequency of their automatic payment, and receive the benefits of annual tax deductions without the hassle of writing checks. For more information, see the envelope in this program, visit our website, or call (773) 281-7820.

A huge thank you to our Sustaining Donors:

Susan BealFrank BrockwayNorma FelbingerPatrice Michaels and Jim

GinsburgSanford Greenberg & Betsy

PerdueAnn Hewitt

Jean & Lester HuntTom and Margaret HuyckDoug & Christine KelnerVreni NaessDonald & Mary Ellen NewsomKen NovakAlice & David OsbergDavid & Carole Perlman

Carolyn SackstederWarren & Jennifer SchultzTom & Linda SpringAnn StevensDavid & Carolyn UtechFrank VillellaShirlene Ward & Kevin Kipp

IN -K IND CONTR IBUTIONS (S INCE JANUARY 1, 2012 )

93.1 WXRTAbout Face TheatreAdler PlanetariumThe Ambassador HotelArlington ParkAV ChicagoAvanti Skin Center ofChicagoBella VoceBlue Man Group – ChicagoHoss BrockCambridge Suites Hotel TorontoCedille RecordsChicago Architecture

FoundationChicago BlackhawksChicago Botanic GardenChicago Chamber MusiciansChicago DramatistsChicago FilmmakersChicago Gay Men’s ChorusChicago History MuseumChicago Human Rhythm ProjectChicago Opera TheaterChicago Shakespeare TheaterChicago SinfoniettaChicago SkyChicago Symphony OrchestraChicago Zoological SocietyCity Lit Theater CompanyThe Comedy Sportz TheatreCourt TheatreDePaul Merle Reskin TheatreDevon Seafood GrillThe Dance Center of Columbia

CollegeEast Bank ClubEclipse Theatre CompanyEmerald City TheatreEnerpace, Inc. Executive and

Personal Coaching

Facets/Facets Children’s Programs

Norma FelbingerFox Valley RepertoryThe French Pastry SchoolFulcrum Point New Music

ProjectGabriel’s RestaurantGene Siskel Film CenterGethsemane Garden CenterJennifer GirardGoodman TheatreGrant Park Music FestivalGymboree CorporationHarris Theater for Music and

DanceHedwig DancesTerri HemmertMunn HeydornHomestead HotelHotel FelixHouse RedHowl at the MoonJ&L CateringJaks Tap Restaurant and BarBrian Jordan, Chicago White

SoxKingston MinesLeslie LauderdaleLe Cordon Bleu College of

Culinary Arts in ChicagoThe Leigh GalleryDan Lerner, Crosstown

ProductionsLifeline TheatreLight Opera WorksLulu’s RestaurantMamma Mia! BroadwayMarriott LincolnshireMedieval Times

Metropolis Performing Arts Center

Michael KorsThe Morton ArboretumMuseum of Science and

IndustryMusic Box TheatreMusic of the BaroqueNext Theatre CompanyNortheastern Illinois UniversityNorthlight TheatreOak Park Festival TheatreOrion EnsemblePorter AirlinesRavinia FestivalThe Redhead Piano BarShedd AquariumNorbert ShimkusShiraleahShureSkylight Music TheatreSouthwest AirlinesSwedish American MuseumBrian StreemLindsay StreemMaria SuarezSwedish BakeryTimeLine Theatre CompanyTrader JoesTRUTwisted LizardUrban OasisVictory Gardens TheaterThe William Ferris ChoraleWinestyles in downtown

EvanstonCheryl WollinWriters’ TheatreZanies Comedy Nite Club

FOR TICKETS: 847-242-6000 | writerstheatre.org

HAMLETBY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

DIRECTED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL HALBERSTAM

FeaturingKAREEM BANDEALY*, MICHAEL CANAVAN*, SHANNON COCHRAN*, BILLY FENDERSON,

WITOLD HUZIOR, TIMOTHY EDWARD KANE*, ROSS LEHMAN*, LIESEL MATTHEWS*,

JULIAN PARKER, SCOTT PARKINSON* AND LARRY YANDO*

*Denotes Members of Actors’ Equity Association, theUnion of Professional Actors and Stage Managers

2012/13 Season Sponsor Corporate Sponsor Partner

BEGINS SEPTEMBER 4PERFORMED AT 325 TUDOR COURT, GLENCOE