2022 WMC HOLIDAY CONCERT (Live Performance & Virtual)

Welcome to the 2022 Willamette Master Chorus Holiday Concert and greetings of the season to you. The nuts and bolts behind the mission of the Willamette Master Chorus are to perform, collaborate and educate. This performance features a collaboration with the Trail Band Sextet.
These six musicians were part of the beloved Trail Band, an iconic performing group that shared its vast talent with audiences throughout the state of Oregon for over twenty-five years. We are thrilled to welcome this dedicated group of musicians to the stage. You'll also hear special arrangements written just for this program by band member Phil Neuman.

This afternoon we welcome a special honor choir of elementary and middle school children from all over the Willamette Valley. These singers were recommended by Chorus members and teachers within the Willamette Master Chorus. They took the time to learn the music on their own and bring it ready to perform! It is an important part of our educational outreach to give young people an opportunity to sing with experienced adult singers and collaborate with first-rate professional instrumentalists. Welcome to the WMC Youth Honor Choir!

Our concert begins with an acknowledgment of Chorus member, Chris Jones. If you have attended WMC concerts in the past, you have seen Chris's name as arranger and composer at almost every concert. This afternoon we honor the huge commitment that Chris has made to the ensemble over the past many years.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is based on the 15th century plainsong chant and is a premier performance of this arrangement. Chris employs a four-part variation form that includes a trio of high voices and a surprise ending!

The original composition, Blessed Jesu, was written in 2011 and has been a favorite of the Chorus ever since. The words and music are all from Chris's pen.

There's a Song in the Air is also receiving its premier performance this afternoon. Chris has a fantastic talent for writing in jazz style, as well as the more conventional classical choral genre.

The Trail Band Sextet offers two tunes from their Christmas collection in this program. The anonymous hymn Es ist ein Ros entsprungen first appeared in print in 1599 and their version is based on the harmonization published by Michael Praetorius in 1609. I Saw Three Ships dates from the 17th century and was printed by William Sandys in 1833. The arrangement combines two traditional, related versions of the melody.

The melody of Deck the Hall comes from a Welsh winter carol, Nos Galan, and the famil iar lyrics were written by Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant in 1862.

Carol of the Bells was arranged for the chorus by Chris Jones and premiered in 2016. The melody is a Ukrainian folk tune called Shchedryk, which in Ukrainian means “bountiful.” Composed by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1916.With this performance we acknowledge our solidarity with the people of Ukraine and pray for the end of conflict in that region.
Another Chorus member who has written for the WMC is soprano, Madison Hall. “Home” is an original composition that is part of three movement work titled Winter Suite. “Home” is an extended metaphor that uses seasonal imagery to capture human emotions like fear, hope, and companionship.

David Schmidt is yet another Chorus member who has written extensively for the Chorus. David's arrangement of Do You Hear What I Hear, was released as a virtual performance on our channel on Thanksgiving Day.

The final set of carols employs the Willamette Master Chorus with the Youth Honor Choir and Trail Band Sextet. Phil Neuman has arranged each of the carols for this one-hundred-member ensemble!

In dulci jubilo translates to In Sweet Rejoicing.

The greeting "a merry Christmas and a happy New Year" is recorded from the early eighteenth century; however, the history of the carol, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, itself is unclear. Bristol-based composer Arthur Warrell popularized the carol in 1935 with a harmonized version. Phil Neuman takes the tune further and composes a round for the Honor Choir, handing the text back and forth between the adults and the youth. Enjoy!

We leave you with greetings for the holidays and good wishes for a prosperous new year. I look forward to having you become a part of the WMC family as we continue to navigate our post- pandemic lives. One thing is clear: we need to lift one another up through the gift of music and community. The Willamette Master Chorus is committed to being a part of the community by offering concerts that bring people together in performance and educational offerings. We appreciate your support in our ongoing endeavors. Please come back!

In gratitude and appreciation,
Paul Klemme
Artistic Director/Conductor