News...Greenville Choral Society presents Christmas portion of ‘Messiah’ Dec. 6 The Greenville Choral Society will present a two-part “Winter Choral Festival,” including the Christmas portion of Handel’s “Messiah,” Dec. 6 at Memorial Baptist Church, 1510 SE Greenville Blvd. Both programs are open to the public free of charge as the Choral Society’s gift to the community through a grant from the Mildred Sheffield Wells Charitable Trust. The “Messiah” selections, along with the popular “Hallelujah” chorus, make up the evening part of the festival, which will begin with performances by three children’s and youth ensembles at 3 p.m. The children’s and youth ensembles will perform seasonal music from around the world. The Youth Chorale will sing two Estonian songs, “Skating” and “Over Snowy Roads,” for example, along with Johann Michael Haydn’s “Ave Maria,” among other works. The Children’s Chorus will sing such music as “The Path to the Moon” and a festive arrangement of “Jingle Bells,” and Bella Voce, a smaller select ensemble, will sing Leonard Bernstein’s “Gloria Tibi,” “I Come Unto You” by North Carolina composer Constance Hill and other pieces. The evening program, which starts at 7 p.m., will begin with seasonal selections by the Choral Society’s Chamber Chorale, including Javier Busto’s “Ave Maria,” Craig Courtney’s arrangement of “Silent Night,” Donna Schultz’s arrangement of “He Is Born” and “Suo-gan,” a Welsh lullaby arranged by Barlow Bradford. The “Messiah” selections, which will consist of performances by soloists and the full Concert Choir, will be accompanied by the New Carolina Sinfonia. Donations of new or gently used stuffed animals will be collected at both programs for the “TEDI” Bear Children’s Advocacy Group. The Greenville Choral Society, which will mark its 40th anniversary in 2009, has as its main goal providing fine choral music for residents of Pitt County and beyond. This program is the second in the 2008-09 season. For information on the society and on the Dec. 6 performances, call 252-353-5495, or www.greenvillechoralsociety.com. | | Greenville Choral Society by Richard Parsons November 2, 2008, Winterville, NC: "North Carolina's Classical Music — The Moravians" was the advertised title of this concert by the Greenville Choral Society, Jeffrey Ward and Lisa Stockard, directors. That title sounds like somebody's unpublished thesis. So did the concert, which consisted of twenty, count 'em, twenty lovely little Sunday morning anthems, all accompanied in this concert by a well-played but miserable little upright piano in the Peace Presbyterian Church. With a concert time of 80 minutes, that averages just four minutes from the start of one to the start of the next. Along with the clatter of a church upright, maybe it sounded more like choir practice than a thesis. (The church choir I sing in doesn't rehearse in dinner suits with black tie nor handsome black formal dresses, and our director doesn't wear white tie and tailcoat, so maybe I am stretching the parallel just a little.) The chorus was handsomely turned out. Research suggests that most Moravian choir lofts usually contained a variety of wind and string instruments that would be used with the organ to accompany choral music. And while the three-minute Sunday morning anthem is a wonderful thing for Sunday morning, to take twenty of them out of liturgical context, and to strip them of their proper accompaniment, too, is a cruel thing to do to both these bijou little pieces and the audience as well.
A different tack that needs to be taken about this concert is to tell how very, very good the singing was — there is no doubt about that! The chorus was as well-prepared for this concert as they were for their excellent performance of Haydn's Creation in May of this year. My notes from the performance say things like "careful and focused," "good attack," "excellent blend," "precise cut-offs," "good development of the long lines," "lovely quartet; good balance and voice matching!" That was true throughout the performance. The singing and conducting were superb. Peace Presbyterian Church, a new building of brick and wood, with a high ceiling and lots of corners to break up the sound, was an acoustically superb place to hear the Concert Choir and the Chamber Chorale. (There will always be serious stage-management problems in any church. Sunday was no exception.) There is no doubt that putting on a piece like The Creation, with orchestra, taxed the Greenville Choral Society to the limit; still on Sunday it was a shame to see so much effort expended so unevenly. It impresses me about like calling in Yo-Yo Ma to start your iPod. The music begs to be sent back to the choir loft and reserved for Sunday morning, and then with proper accompaniment. But who has the funds to hire musicians for three minutes? I am grateful to the Greenville Choral Society for their discipline and professionalism and for the lovely music that they make. And the music certainly was lovely; I hope all these musicians sing in church choirs and that they all take these pieces back to their choirs and ask them to sing them often on Sunday morning. And I really do look forward to hearing the Greenville Choral Society again soon. For their fine work, bravo!
| | Greenville Choral Society opens 2008-09 season with ‘NC’s Classical Music—the Moravians’ The Greenville Choral Society will begin its 2008-09 season with a program of Moravian hymns, anthems and chorales Sunday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m. at Peace Presbyterian Church, 301 Guinness Drive in Winterville. “North Carolina’s Classical Music—The Moravians” will consist of 20 short works by composers who lived in Europe and America during the mid-18th century to early 20th century. The society’s Concert Choir and Chamber Choir will perform. Some of the American music comes from Bethlehem, Lititz and Lancaster, Pa., and some comes from Old Salem, N.C. Among the composers represented will be Johannes Herbst (1735-1812), who came to Pennsylvania in 1785 and moved to Salem in 1811; Johann Christian Bechler (1784-1857), who was a minister, teacher and composer in both Northern and Southern provinces of the Moravian Church; Francis Florentine Hagen (1815-1907), who was born and grew up in Salem; and Edward W. Leinbach (1823-1901), who also wrote music for military band during the Civil War while living in Salem. The concert is the first to be conducted by the new director of the choral society’s Concert Choir, Dr. Jeffrey Ward, who has arranged the program generally according to a liturgical calendar, beginning with Advent music and concluding with Easter music. Lisa Stockard will conduct the Chamber Chorale. The choral society’s second program will be a “Holiday Choral Festival” Dec. 6, when the children and youth ensembles will present seasonal music at 3 p.m., and the Chamber Chorale and Concert Choir will present seasonal music and the Christmas portion of Handel’s “Messiah” at 7 p.m. This program will take place at Memorial Baptist Church, 1510 SE Greenville Blvd. The Greenville Choral Society, which will mark its 40th anniversary in 2009, has as its main goal providing fine choral music for residents of Pitt County and beyond. For information on the society and on tickets to the Nov. 2 performance, call 252-353-5495, or www.greenvillechoralsociety.com. Sunday November 2 - Greenville
Greenville Choral Society Concert Choir and chamber Chorale, Jeffrey Ward, Lisa Stockard, directors
Program: “North Carolina’s Classical Music — The Moravians”
Peace Presbyterian Church, 301 Guinness Drive, Winterville. 3:00 p.m.
$10. 252/353-5495 or http://www.greenvillechoralsociety.com/ Saturday December 6 – Greenville
Greenville Choral Society Children’s & Youth Chorales, Paul Flowers, Eddie Adams, Blair Chadwick, directors
Program: Holiday Choral Festival
Memorial Baptist Church, 1510 SE Greenville Boulevard, Greenville. 3:00 p.m.
Free. 252/353-5495 or http://www.greenvillechoralsociety.com/ Saturday December 6 – Greenville
Greenville Choral Society Concert Choir and Chamber Chorale, Jeffrey Ward, Lisa Stockard, directors
Program: Handel: Messiah (Christmas portion); & other seasonal music
Memorial Baptist Church, 1510 SE Greenville Boulevard, Greenville. 7:00 p.m.
Free. 252/353-5495 or http://www.greenvillechoralsociety.com/ Saturday February 28 – Greenville
Greenville Choral Society, Jeffrey Ward, director
Program: 7th Annual Black-Tie Fund Raising Gala - program to be set.
Hilton Hotel Greenville, 207 SW Greenville Boulevard, Greenville. 7:00 p.m.
$65 (tentative). 252/353-5495 or http://www.greenvillechoralsociety.com/ Saturday May 2 – Greenville
Greenville Choral Society Children’s and Youth Chorales, Paul Flowers, Eddie Adams, Blair Chadwick, directors
Memorial Baptist Church, 1510 SE Greenville Boulevard, Greenville. 7:00 p.m.
$10. 252/353-5495 or http://www.greenvillechoralsociety.com/ Thursday May 7 – Greenville
Greenville Choral Society Chamber Chorale, Lisa Stockard, director
Peace Presbyterian Church, 301 Guinness Drive, Winterville. 7:00 p.m.
$10. 252/353-5495 or http://www.greenvillechoralsociety.com/ Saturday May 16 – Greenville
Greenville Choral Society Concert Choir and New Carolina Sinfonia, Jeffrey Ward, director
Program: “The Viennese Mass — Schubert: Mass in F; & Beethoven: Mass in C”
Memorial Baptist Church, 1510 SE Greenville Boulevard, Greenville. 7:00 p.m.
$15. 252/353-5495 or http://www.greenvillechoralsociety.com/ | | 2008-2009 Membership News
Hope everyone is having a lovely Labor Day and will be ready for the beginning of rehearsals tomorrow night at Peace. The Moravian Music Foundation has graciously offered to lend us most of the music we will need for the November concert. We have had to purchase only 5 pieces for this one. We will be using the G. Schirmer edition of Handel's "Messiah" for the Dec. concert, and I imagine that most of us own one. For those who do not, Jeff will be happy to lend copies from St. James. I'll have a sign-up sheet at the rehearsal if you want to borrow. All things considered, this will be an economical semester for us. Dues are $40 for general members and $20 for students. The music for the Concert Choir will be $10. I don't have the final figures for Chamber Chorale yet. Again, the Moravian music will be borrowed, but there may be some charges for copying and shipping for this group, The only other charge will be for the Christmas music. I should have a total by next week. Hope to see everyone tomorrow. Elizabeth | | Haydn, The Creation: Greenville Choral
Society and New Carolina Sinfonia by Richard Parsons May 17, 2008, Greenville, NC: In the performer’s worst nightmare, even the walls are carpeted. While the walls at Oakmont Baptist Church are not carpeted, there is full thick plush luxurious carpet, on a thick pad, and the pew cushions are the thickest and deadliest I’ve ever seen. This is typical of many new Southern Baptist churches. These structures are now frequently of the highest, if most dubious tech for music performance. They favor another kind of performance, with everyone body-miked, controlled by a techie at a sound board and blared out in stentorian fashion over myriad speakers, in order to overcome the cushions and carpet. Such was the case today. Working hard against the sponge effect, both the singers and the orchestra acquitted themselves very well. Balance was generally excellent in every way, with the exception of the harpsichord, a “Revival-style” instrument with lots of pedals and complicated trapwork, a music desk as big as a sewer grate, and no volume to speak of, further choked down by a lid only six or eight inches open. It was probably nice to have been spared the tone quality. There was a further something going on with the acoustics in addition to the lack of reverberation, something that made a lot of the orchestral tone not as clear in the large pieces as they were capable of in the soft passages. This is intended as a review primarily of the Greenville Choral Society chorus. If the intention were different, one could write a strong review entitled “An Evening with Jon Shaw, soprano, and her back-up band.” Which is not meant to slight Carolyn Myers, soprano (Gabriel); Pablo Bustos, tenor (Uriel); and John Kramar, bass, (Raphael and Adam); all first rate!, nor the chorus, nor the New Carolina Sinfonia. Over the last 25 months, I’ve had the privilege of reviewing three different groups performing Haydn’s The Creation; it is definitely music that I love to hate (so to speak); the composition is on such a lofty plane and is so devoid of anything like evil, sex, or fun, that I find it seriously lacking in dramatic tension. I’ve also come to appreciate how very careful and clear the playing needs to be to succeed in “The Representation of Chaos.” This one movement was the one serious weak point of the Greenville performance. But once Raphael opened his mouth and sang, “In the beginning,” everybody, both singers and players, nailed it every time thereafter! John Kramar’s tone is warm; he has a fat voice running with marinara sauce, vino rosso, and good cheer, his diction is incredible. Every syllable of every word he sang was completely intelligible. He also had the volume necessary to stand up to the room. Carolyn Myers was equal to him in every way. These two were an interesting contrast in singing style, Kramar singing with a very closed mouth and Myers with her mouth wide open. Pablo Bustos was equal to him in every way save balance; he has not the volume to match Kramar or to cope with the room. His is a voice of pure silver by moonlight, with a very carefully controlled vibrato. His is a name to look for, especially if he finds venues and pieces better suited to his voice than The Creation. The effortless, beautiful, precise voice of Jon Shaw, who sang Eve, is in a special category by itself. Of special note was the excellent clarinet playing in Gabriel’s aria “On mighty pens uplifted” (No. 26). This aria also enjoyed the best orchestral playing of the evening, crisp and clear. In the recitative “And God created great whales,” (No. 17) the wonderful walking bass must have been lost in the room. The violins were strong and nice in the Trio and Chorus “Most beautiful appear” (No. 19); Kramar’s leviathan voice was perfect for singing of Leviathan. In Part Three, Barra’s interpretation of No. 28, the Duet with Chorus “By thee with bliss” made the structure clearer than I’ve ever heard! The chorus had a fine youthful sound and a little barefoot angel on the front row danced the whole movement. I could not have agreed with her more! | | Greenville Choral Society names Ward new director; Bara takes over St. Paul’s Episcopal Church choir GREENVILLE—Dr. Jeffrey Ward, an assistant professor of choral music education in the East Carolina University School of Music, has been named director of the Greenville Choral Society’s concert choir. He succeeds Dr. Daniel Bara, director of choral music activities at ECU, who in addition to his ECU responsibilities is assuming a new position as interim choir director at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Greenville. Ward joined the ECU faculty at the beginning of the 2007-08 year and heads the choral music education program. During the Choral Society’s 2007-08 season, Ward also directed the Youth Chorale. Before coming to Greenville, he taught at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Va. He also was artistic director of the Norfolk, Va., Cantata Chorus, director of music ministries at Monumental United Methodist Church in Portsmouth, Va., and associate conductor of the Virginia Children’s Chorus. He has conducted the Beaufort County Choral Society in Washington, N.C; First United Methodist Church of Winter Park, Fla.; and the Bach Children’s Choir of the Winter Park Bach Festival. Ward earned a bachelor’s degree from Rollins College in Florida and a master of music degree from ECU in 1999. He later earned his doctor of musical arts degree from Shenandoah University in Virginia. He has been active in the National Association of Music Education, the American Choral Directors Association and Chorus America. The Choral Society also has announced that Kathryn C. Holley, a 2008 graduate of D.H. Conley High School, is the winner of this year’s Fleming Scholarship, a $1,000 award to an outstanding participant in choral society youth programs. A member of the society’s children’s and youth groups since third grade and accomplished flutist, she intends to study music at Appalachian State University. The society also has a new president for 2008-09, Nancy Sturgis, who teaches music at St. Peter’s School, and three new directors: Robert Gennings, Etsil Mason and Amber Honeycutt. Gerry Arakelian is the new secretary of the society. The Greenville Choral Society, which will mark its 40th anniversary in 2009, has as its main goal providing fine choral music for residents of Pitt County and beyond. In all, about 200 singers ranging in age from 8 to nearly 80 perform in the five adult and children’s groups within the society. The Concert Choir consists of more than 90 adults, including some college students, while the Chamber Chorale consists of more than 20 singers drawn from the Concert Choir. The Children’s Chorus is composed of middle school and older elementary school-age children, and Bella Voce Singers is a select group of students drawn mainly from the choral society’s high school-age Youth Chorale and advanced singers in the Children’s Chorus. For information on the choral society, call 252-353-5495, or www.greenvillechoralsociety.com. | | At the Greenville Choral Society’s Winter Choral Celebration, over 100 stuffed teddy bears were collected from attendees and donated to TEDI BEAR Children's Advocacy Center.
755 Johns Hopkins Dr. Greenville, NC 27834, (252) 758-1200 "This organization serves children that have been physically and sexually abused and/or neglected as well as non-offending family members. Provides "nurturance" parenting programs and educational outreach. A team of physicians, nurse practitioner, social worker and therapist work to provide medical exams, counseling and referrals." |  L to R: Julie Ocker, Executive Director of TEDI Bear, Rebecca Powers, GCS President. | | | | | |
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