Tag Archives: medieval women’s choir

Arts & Entertainment, Music

What We’re Hearing This Holiday Season: Classical Music Picks For Christmas

Northwest Boychoir’s “A Festival of Lessons & Carols” (Photo: Northwest Choirs)

The holiday concert season may already be in full swing, but there’s still a full calendar of festive musical events set to spread Christmas cheer all around the Seattle area. Our list is just a small sampling of the vast seasonal offerings at this time of year, but we guarantee that you’ll find something here for everyone, from grandma to your hipster cousin. Christmas overload? We’ve included a few non-holiday-themed offerings for yuletide-weary souls.

Dec. 13 — The perfect gift for an avid early music fan! The Tudor Choir celebrates Advent with a program of Renaissance carols and motets at the intimate Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church chapel. This is a busy month for the ensemble. On December 28, they’ll perform a hearty mix of English Christmas carols and classics at the University District’s Blessed Sacrament Church.

Dec. 13 – 14 — As the winter chill sets in, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons provides a timely reminder that the cold and grey won’t last forever. The Seattle Symphony presents two performances of this audience favorite, one on December 13 as part of the casual “Symphony Untuxed” series, and another on December 14 with regularly-tuxedoed orchestra.

Dec. 13 – 22 — Handbell ensemble Bells of the Sound performs holiday favorites at a series of concerts hosted by churches around the Puget Sound region. The 15-member group will travel from Bellingham to Poulsbo on their December tour, with stops in Seattle, Renton, Bellevue, and Lynnwood.

Dec. 13 – 23 — The Northwest Boychoir‘s annual Christmas concert combines holiday readings with favorite yuletide songs. Hear “A Festival of Lessons and Carols” at some of Seattle’s best musical venues, including St. Mark’s Cathedral and West Seattle’s Holy Rosary Church, as well as a special performance at Benaroya Hall with the Northwest Sinfonietta.

Dec 13 – 29 — Of course, the big ticket in town this holiday season is Pacific Northwest Ballet‘s Nutcracker. Each year, PNB’s production charms audiences of all ages with Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, Maurice Sendak’s gorgeous sets, and breathtaking performances from a cast of over 200 dancers. Read Pippa’s review of this year’s PNB Nutcracker production for more details about this Seattle tradition.

Dec. 14 — This year, Seattle Pro Musica‘s annual holiday concert honors Benjamin Britten. The English composer, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year, penned several Christmas-themed choral works, including his beloved Ceremony of Carols. The singers of Seattle Pro Musica perform this holiday favorite alongside festive pieces by contemporary composers inspired by Britten.

Dec. 14 – 15 — Take a break from the whirlwind of shopping, cooking, and decorating with Choral Arts‘ Christmas program. Boasting the motto “Not Your Typical Holiday Concert,” the performance aims to help audiences relax and unwind with a medley of ancient chant, traditional carols, and contemporary works. Guitarist Bob McCaffery-Lent performs instrumental interludes between choral pieces.

Dec. 15 — The annual performance of Handel’s Messiah is a holiday tradition for many local ensembles. But for true Handel fans, Orchestra Seattle & Seattle Chamber Singers presents Seattle’s must-see Messiah. Thought many Messiah concerts trim Handel’s lengthy score to fit into a typical two-hour program, OSSCS’ Messiah is an afternoon-long event that features the work in its entirety, ensuring that you won’t miss a note of this Christmas favorite.

Dec. 15 — For a slightly different take on Handel’s Messiah, drop by Green Lake United Methodist Church for Seattle Mandolin Orchestra‘s “Mandolin Messiah.” Hear an abbreviated version of Handel’s masterpiece performed by an all-mandolin ensemble. They’ll be joined by four vocal soloists in this unusual homage to the holiday classic.

Dec. 21 — Part public sound sculpture, part flash-mob, Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night is an annual tradition that brings a wintry soundscape to neighborhoods around the country. Each participant downloads one of Kline’s four musical tracks onto an audio device of their choosing, then gathers with the group for a musical stroll through the city streets. Beginning at Wallingford’s Good Shepherd Center, Seattle’s performance of Unsilent Night is free, open to the public, and a unique way to get into the holiday spirit..

Dec. 21 — The Medieval Women’s Choir performs a program of 12th century sacred works originating from abbeys in France, Germany, and Spain. Experience the same music that medieval legends Hildegard of Bingen and Héloise d’Argenteuil may have heard during their time as nuns at these abbeys.

Dec. 24 — Join one of Seattle’s newest orchestras for a Christmas Eve celebration. Ensign Symphony & Chorus presents the second concert of their inaugural season at Benaroya Hall, where they’ll treat audiences to a medley of sacred and secular holiday favorites.

Dec. 28 – Jan. 4 — Ring in the new year with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the good tidings of “Ode To Joy.” This year, Seattle Symphony & Chorale pairs the Ninth with another classic, Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn.

Dec. 29 — After a month of Christmas carols, there’s nothing like chamber music to celebrate the end of another joyous holiday season. The Byron Schenkman & Friends concert series continues with a collection of Vivaldi concertos. Harpsichordist Schenkman will be joined by a chamber orchestra of baroque winds and strings for this performance at Benaroya Hall’s cozy Nordstrom Recital Hall.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

The Medieval Women’s Choir Fills St. James Cathedral With Ethereal Song

As a Seattle native, I feel a little sheepish admitting that I paid my first visit to St. James Cathedral only last Saturday. One of the city’s grandest landmarks, the cathedral’s twin spires have adorned First Hill since 1907. In 2002, St. James famously hosted Conan O’Brien’s wedding to Seattle native Liza Powel.

Celebrity marriages aside, the cathedral is an important space for Seattle’s choral and early music communities, and for a good reason — the building’s echoing acoustics bring the sound of vocal music to life. St. James did not disappoint during my first visit. From my seat on a pew in the cathedral’s grand nave, the voices of the Medieval Women’s Choir transported me back to the ancient churches of Renaissance Europe, where choirs of nuns sung Gregorian chant in the candlelight.

Margriet Tindemans (Photo: William Stickney)

Nearly fifty members strong, the Medieval Women’s Choir was created in 1990 by Margriet Tindemans. A local powerhouse for the early music community, Tindemans does it all. In addition to her position as artistic director of the Medieval Women’s Choir, she plays the vielle (an ancient cousin of the violin), composes, and researches the musical traditions of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The choir performs three times a year, bringing the timeless simplicity and beauty of the vocal music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance to Seattle’s grand old churches and cathedrals. To complete the package, they’re accompanied by musicians playing on period instruments.

This season, the choir explored the life and work of St. Hildegard of Bingen with three concerts devoted to the medieval mystic. Last Saturday’s performance brought together a collection of songs and antiphons — responsive Gregorian chants — that Hildegard may have heard during her lifetime.

Born in 1098, Hildegard stands out not only as a fascinating historical figure, but as a powerful, educated woman during an age where men ruled the roost. A “Renaissance woman” in both the literal and figurative sense, she established herself as an abbess, theologian, poet, composer, and healer. However, it was her religious visions that brought Hildegard fame, gaining her such a following that she struck out on her own, moving to Bingen in Germany to start her own abbey at Rubertsberg.

St. Hildegard receiving a vision (Rupertsberger Codex des Liber Scivias / Wikipedia)

Many songs were written to commemorate the completion of Hildegard’s abbey. One of these was O Jerusalem, an extended chant sequence that was the centerpiece of Saturday’s program. Alternating between the full choir and solo passages sung by soprano Marian Seibert, the song praises the beauty of the holy city of Jerusalem, comparing its splendor to the abbey at Rupertsberg. Seibert dug into the rich imagery of the Latin text, her buoyant voice outlining the dips and soars in the melodic line.

It’s a delight to watch Tindemans direct her ensemble. Conducting with a smile on her face, her gestures and expressions communicate a passion for the music the choir performs. The expanse of St. James is ideal for this ethereal chorus of female voices. The antiphons O Virtus Sapientie (“O Virtue of Wisdom”) and Laus Trinitati (“Praise to the Trinity”) showcased the choir’s soothing sound, with winding melodies that floated up to the ceiling. Tindemans savored brief pauses between phrases, allowing the choir’s words to echo throughout the space, hanging in the air.

Instrumental interludes provided musical contrast between sets of antiphons. Joined by Bill McJohn on the hand-held medieval harp and Peggy Monroe on the bells and rota (a spinning wheel with bells affixed around the rim), Tindemans left the podium and picked up her vielle. Together, the trio created an atmospheric mood that complemented the cathedral surroundings. Vielle and harp mimicked the rising and falling melodic lines of the chants while shimmering tones from Monroe’s bells accented pivotal moments.

The ensemble moved around the cathedral throughout the concert, giving a dynamic feel to the event. Though most works were performed around St. James’s central dais, the choir circled the platform, singing different sections of the program from various locations around the stage. During the antiphon Alleluiah, O Virga Mediatrix, soprano Seibert, harpist McJohn, and a small group of singers clustered in the cathedral’s central aisle amidst the audience. The massive space suddenly took on the feel of a small, intimate chamber as the tiny circle of singers wound their way through a melodious ode praising the Virgin Mary.

Though Saturday’s concert was the final performance of the season for the Medieval Women’s Choir, Tindemans and the ensemble have an exciting lineup in store for the 2013-14 season. March 2014 brings world premieres by Tindemans and noted early music scholar Shira Kammen. In May 2014, the choir performs a tribute to colorful Middle Ages figure Eleanor of Aquitaine and her daughters, a high-powered family of leading ladies from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

What We’re Hearing This Month: Classical Music Picks for May

As the weather gets warmer, things are starting to heat up in the local classical music scene. Catch world premiere performances from today’s hottest composers and choreographers. Explore great works of the 20th century with Shostakovich at Benaroya Hall and a Charles Ives festival at the University of Washington. Or travel further back in time with the Medieval Women’s Choir as they transport audiences to 12th century Germany.

May 3 — The Oregon Symphony rolls into town for a performance at Benaroya Hall. Our orchestral neighbors from the south bring along a diversity of musical treats. Hear Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony alongside music by Ravel and Kurt Weill (of “Mack the Knife” fame). A special performance of a work by Thai composer Narong Prangcharoen rounds off the evening.

Who’s there? Soprano Nuccia Focile in La Voix Humaine (Photo: Tristram Kenton)

May 4 – 18 — Seattle Opera brings two unusual tales of damsels in distress to the McCaw Hall stage. The operatic double bill begins with Francis Poulenc’s The Human Voice. Based on a 1930 play by Jean Cocteau, the one-woman opera captures one side of the conversation as a despairing Parisian woman is dumped via telephone. After intermission, Puccini’s Sister Angelica transports the audience to 17th century Italian convent, where a young nun struggles with hidden secrets from her past.

May 6 – 8 — The University of Washington School of Music explores the strange world of American composer Charles Ives with three days of lectures and performances. An insurance agent by day and composer by night, Ives was fond of quoting American patriotic songs and familiar classical works in his compositions. Hear Ives’ orchestral works on May 6, his devilishly difficult “Concord” Piano Sonata on May 7, and a collection of songs and chamber music on May 8.

May 8 — Pianist Jon Kimura Parker shows off his chops at the UW’s Meany Hall with his own solo piano arrangement of Stravinsky’s infamous ballet Rite of Spring. As if a full-length performance of Rite isn’t enough, Parker also throws in Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and works by Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff.

May 11 — Soprano Marian Seibert joins the Medieval Women’s Choir for “Music of the Spheres,” a tribute to 12th-century abbess and religious mystic Hildegard of Bingen. A renowned healer, poet, and composer, Hildegard is most famous for her multi-sensory “visions” that affected her throughout her lifetime. Travel back in time to Hildegard’s Middle Ages with this choral performance, accompanied by period instruments.

May 14 — Learn about the astounding life of poet Krystyna Zywulska, member of the Polish Resistance and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Music of Remembrance presents the world premiere performance of Jake Heggie’s Farewell, Auschwitz!, which brings Zywulska’s poetry to life through music and song.

May 16 – 17 — The Seattle Symphony celebrates Shostakovich with two concerts of the composer’s most beloved works. On May 16, the orchestra performs the dramatic Symphony No. 5 along with Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring guest soloist Ignat Solzhenitsyn. The next evening, May 17, hear Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 performed by 21-year-old Julian Schwarz, son of SSO Conductor Laureate Gerard Schwarz.

May 18 – 19 — With the long, sunny days of summer quickly approaching, it’s the perfect time to pay tribute to sunshine and light. Seattle Pro Musica‘s “Lucis” celebrates the season with a program of contemporary choral works devoted to the theme of light. The concert features several composers who herald from Scandinavia and the Baltics, including Finnish composer Jaakko Mantyjarvi, whose Canticum calamitatis maritimae honors those who perished in the tragic MS Estonia shipwreck of 1994.

May 31 – Jun. 9 — Who says Pacific Northwest Ballet doesn’t do modern? The company’s annual “Director’s Choice” production brings together short masterpieces by the great choreographers of the 20th century and today. This year’s show pairs Balanchine favorites with a world premiere by Christopher Wheeldon, one of contemporary ballet’s shining stars.