Salley Koo, violin

Dawn Dongeun Wohn, violin

Daniel McDonough, cello

Alexander Solomon, piano

Bargemusic, Brooklyn, NY

May 17, 2025

Dari means “bridge” in Korean; this is what Salley Koo, a Korean-American violinist and Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told us during her recent performance at Bargemusic. Ms. Koo, using funding from the Campus Research Board of the said University, commissioned six Korean composers to write new works for her and her friends (violinist Dawn Dongeun Wohn, cellist Daniel McDonough, and pianist Alexander Solomon) to perform. In fact, as Ms. Koo kindly explained to us, each composer was asked to write two works: one for the performers I’ve mentioned (either solo, or in different combinations) and a companion piece, less challenging musically and technically, for Ms. Koo’s students to learn and hopefully present in concert, alone or side by side with their mentor. This project was meant to “bridge the gap” between Ms. Koo’s self-proclaimed enthusiasm in promoting new music (especially reflecting her heritage) and her students’ reluctance to tackle contemporary repertoire, both in the classroom and on stage. Sadly, on Saturday afternoon – when two performances took place, one at 2:00 pm and another at 4:00 pm – the relatively small audience was treated only to the first category of works (those written for Ms. Koo and her colleagues) while the second category (the pieces written for the students, which presumably had a much more evident educational purpose) were nowhere to be heard. I would have liked to see (and listen to) Ms. Koo perform along with one or two of her disciples these newly commissioned works, and perhaps then I could have better understood the educational value of this project. As it was, the result felt more like a vanity project for Ms. Koo rather than a much-needed and interesting foray into the rewards of exposing the younger generation to fresh and exciting new works.

The audience could find a piece of paper on each seat, prompting us to use a QR code if we wanted more information about the concert, the artists, and the works to be performed. I did so diligently, and the code sent me to the Bargemusic website where, after a bit of online fumbling, I was directed to the calendar of concerts. There I could see the names of the performers and the titles of the works, but nothing else; however, there was a link (which I had to copy and paste into my browser) which sent me to Ms. Koo’s site, where more details could be found about the Dari project. Alas, still no detailed program of the concert! After more research done with a certain amount of embarrassment, since I am a strong advocate of the “no cellphone use” policy at LIVE concerts, I finally found a link which sent me to a .pdf file in which all the information I was looking for could be found. So, from this moment on, every time I wanted to look up something in connection to what was being played on stage, I had to check my phone and possibly look (to the outside observer) as if I were texting or browsing the Internet instead on listening attentively- and I thought that we were making concentrated efforts to encourage people to disconnect from devices and give their full attention to the performance!

And now on to the pieces on the program- first came a solo violin work by Leo Chang, titled 78924, which was about as exciting as the title. Ms. Koo, accompanied by sound effects recorded on tape, produced long, sustained notes which eventually – through a series of waves of crescendos and decrescendos – became louder and more ominous. 

The second piece, by Texu Kim, was called Lots of As and a bunch of Bs – and it was exactly that! Still, the two performers (Ms. Koo was joined here by Dawn Dongeun Wohn) did their best and made reference, for the only time during the concert, to the raison’d’être of the project: the piece evoked a professor-student “in class” exploration of techniques, sonorities, and modes of expression. 

The first concert ended with Juri Seo’s piano trio July Mountain, which offered a fairly traditional soundscape along with beautiful teamwork between the three performers. This piece had more substance than the previous works and was very enjoyable to listen to. I spotted some influences from Michael Nyman’s movie soundtracks, heavy on atmosphere, but I found the acoustic of the place too resonant (frankly, loud) for the intimate effects that the music required.

For the 4:00 pm concert, Ms. Koo was back in her lovely traditional Korean outfit, matched by her usual cheer and sparkle, and started with Matthew Jihoon Pellegrino’s Sanjo Sonata. She played many notes, with obvious prowess and control, but the meaning of the music remained strangely opaque to my ears. While I am a strong advocate for using sheet music during a performance, I did wonder if perhaps memorizing the piece would have given Ms. Koo a wider perspective on the meaning of this work and help her rise above the technicalities in order to shape the content better. One of the characteristics of the work – as described in the program notes I was reading on my phone – is to increase speed from one section to the next. I very much enjoyed this concept, but I didn’t find that the tempo acceleration was matched by progress in intensity or drama.

At the heart of the second program was The unreal never lived by Kyong Mee Choi, a work for piano and violin. This work felt a bit long, but it was played with true commitment by both artists who seemed more emotionally invested here than in the other pieces on the program. The many dynamic contrasts were fully persuasive, and you could feel the energy emanating from these two talented musicians. 

Hee Yun Kim’s piano trio Reboot closed the concert and transported us to a different era, in which melody and harmony still reigned supreme. I admit it was lovely to listen to tango-like rhythms and phrases of luscious lyricism, which are rarer and rarer in today’s musical language. I enjoyed listening to each musician – and they all had their moments to shine! By the end of the piece, I did feel that its intentions were not fully realized, and by trying to be more accessible it became somewhat aimless and facile; but I still applaud Ms. Kim’s courage to use older tools in crafting a work for our times!

Since these two concerts were presumably meant to bridge a gap of understanding and appreciation between two generations of artists and encourage the younger ones to open up spiritually and professionally to new ways of making music, I wondered – again – if by commissioning such an ample project Ms. Koo is any closer to her declared goal. I sincerely hope so. On the other hand, there were so few young(er) people present on Saturday, and I’m sorry to report that a young man of 14 or 15, who was sitting directly behind me during the first concert, was fast asleep by the time the last note was played. The applause did wake him up, though, and perhaps that is suggestive of the fact that, even if we don’t necessarily understand something right away, being able to experience it (and witnessing other people’s enthusiasm about it) could be enough to spark one’s interest! And that is already an accomplishment.

by Matei Varga  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

BlackBox Ensemble; Dice Trio

DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York, NY

May 10, 2025

On a beautiful afternoon in New York City, a small but dedicated group of supporters of contemporary music gathered at the DiMenna Center to listen to a prize winners’ concert. The Dwight & Ursula Mamlok Prize is awarded every year to a soloist and/or an ensemble making a significant contribution to the performance of contemporary music, with a special focus on Ursula Mamlok’s compositions; the presentation of the prize alternates between New York and Berlin.

We were treated to the performances of two groups of talented musicians: the BlackBox Ensemble (who performed in the first half of the concert) and the Dice Trio (who closed the evening, after the award giving ceremony took place in the middle).

BlackBox Ensemble is a group of ten performers: soprano Amber Evans, flutist Annie Nikunen, clarinetist Tyler Neidermayer, violinists Lauren Conroy and Teagan Faran, cellist Jordan Bartow, pianist Yifei Xu, percussionist J Clancy,  double bassist Sam Zagnit, and conductor Leonard Bopp, who sometimes does double-duty as a trumpeter. They play in perfect synchrony of sound and musical intention, as if they have been working together their entire lives. They produce a fascinating palette of colors and timbres which help them create a dream-like atmosphere, particularly effective in the intimate concert space at DiMenna. 

The first piece on the program was Ursula Mamlok’s Die Laterne, in which Ms. Evans’ beautiful German diction was a pleasure to listen to, and Mr. Bopp led all performers with exceptional precision and grace. The work, though quite short, makes highly effective use of many different techniques of sound production, and my only quibble was that I would have liked to have an English translation of the text (some of the pieces on the program did have one, but not all).

Didi Gu’s Where Quiet Lives Gather is filled with whispers and squeaky sound effects, evocative of the small living creatures it depicts. With absolute clarity and a seemingly infinite array of shades, the ensemble yet again created a magical sound world brought to life with extraordinary vividness. While I enjoyed the ability to “get intimate” with this music in such a small space, I couldn’t help wondering how it must feel to listen to it on a larger stage, with more generous acoustic, where the mysterious and mystical quality of Ms. Gu’s language could have made an even greater impact.

BlackBox finished their set with Arcades by George Lewis which was – or at least seemed to be – the longest piece on their program. To my ears its structure seemed almost cacophonous, maze-like, and vertigo-inducing. Perhaps a few program notes about the work would have helped identify its meaning, or at least offer a starting point for understanding it better. I felt that – yet again – the performers did their best (Ms. Xu’s repeated notes and trills a particular standout!) but after the first two works, Mr. Lewis’ effort felt a bit like a letdown.

Much as I enjoyed the BlackBox ensemble, I can’t quite get rid of the feeling that they still represent a somewhat established version of the “classical musician,” anchored more in the past tradition than gazing forward towards innovation. They look and sound exceedingly professional and the way they approach music is with reverence and minute attention to detail – all of which is meant to be high praise! However, if we are looking to be surprised, intrigued, perhaps even a little shocked, we should direct our listening gaze towards the second group featured on this program: the Dice Trio.

Adeline DeBella (flute & others), Grace Pressley (saxophone & others) and Sam Friedman (trumpet) seem very, very young. They are dressed in (chic) street clothes, suggesting more a “Sunday-afternoon in Central Park” performance group than a “serious” classical music ensemble. Their choice of repertoire is also quite different in tone and style, the Mamlok piece notwithstanding. They seem to enjoy creating sound effects more than shaping melodies and harmonies. When I glimpsed at one of the performers’ iPad, I almost couldn’t recognize any traditional musical notation; to my “middle-aged” eyes the score looked more like an MRI than sheet music. More than once during their performance I was wondering if I were listening to music, or rather to extremely well organized noises. And yet, unsure as I might have felt about my own level of enjoyment, I can’t help but feel that, with the Dice Trio, we actually did cross into the 21st century – musically and artistically.

Meiling Wu’s Ebb and Flow sounded to me like a “Jurassic Park” soundtrack: exciting, noisy, sometimes scary, always suspenseful, and a tad too long. Mamlok’s Haiku Settings (arranged from the original soprano and alto flute version) is a group of short musical sketches which act as dialogue pieces between two or three instruments. Highly dissonant and eerily atmospheric, the set showcased Ms. DeBella’s and Ms. Pressley’s great versatility in switching between different instruments.

Luis McDougal’s I acknowledge no master is meant to be a musical commentary on some of the questions asked by philosopher Peter Abelard in his work Sic et non. I confess I failed to see how Mr. McDougal’s musical choices illustrate or offer any deeper understanding of these existential questions, in spite of the usual prowess and enthusiasm displayed by the players, who once again showed the highest level of communication and artistic communion between them. I found the composer’s language all too similar with Wu’s Ebb and Flow, and I wonder if that is a result of the writing or perhaps an interpretive choice on the part of the performers?

The last piece on the program was To Build a Fire by Sam Friedman (yes, the same Sam Friedman who is the trumpet player of the group!). House lights were dimmed, an electric light bulb was placed between the three performers who gathered and sat “around the fire,” several light strobe effects were used and a pre-recorded tape of voices and electronic sounds accompanied the experience. Mr. Friedman took a very literal approach to the title, but also a highly original one for a concert stage. Yes, it did sound more like a chilling horror movie soundtrack than a piece of music and I’m not sure I would want to listen to it again, but I certainly felt that we are exploring new territory and that the creative power of this young group of artists is intoxicating (for better or worse). 

As I was leaving the concert hall, I felt puzzled by the effect the Dice Trio had on me: on one hand, I still sense a certain predilection (not uncommon among my younger colleagues) to find exceptionally clever ways to say nothing much; I genuinely question whether anyone would like to re-visit a piece such as To Build a Fire a second or third time (perhaps listening to a recording might still prove interesting, even after several plays). And yet, how could I not give in to their youthful enthusiasm, and how can I not respect and admire their courage to depart from the established norms, and to break free from the many constraints placed for centuries on the shoulders of “classical” music?…

by Matei Varga  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

José Maldonado, guitar

Weiwei Zhai, piano

David Greer Recital Hall, Bloomingdale School of Music, New York, NY

May 2, 2025

One of the great joys of New York is the abundance of music, often in small, lesser-known venues, and often free. Such was the case this past Friday as pianist Weiwei Zhai and guitarist José Maldonado performed at David Greer Recital Hall in the Bloomingdale School of Music. In tribute to their respective roots in China and Latin America, their unusual program offered around an hour of fairly short, generally accessible solos and duos from China, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Costa Rica – with a short Bach movement added as an opener. The Latin American composers included Mexican Manuel María Ponce Cuéllar, usually known as Manuel Ponce (1882-1949), Puerto Ricans William Ortiz Alvarado (b. 1947) and Rafael Hernández Marîn (1892-1965), and Costa Rican Alonso Torres Matarrita (b. 1980). The Chinese composers were Shiguang Cui (b. 1948), Jianzhong Wang (1933-2016), and Qing Liu (b. 1956) – all writing in the twentieth century – plus one traditional Chinese folk song arranged by Peter Schindler (b. 1960).

As well as offering colorful music, the duo offered a friendly salon-type feeling. Both artists are also experienced teachers, and sharing their knowledge about the music in a personable way seemed quite natural for them. José Maldonado in fact shared his brief oral “program notes” in both English and Spanish. Dr. Zhai and Dr. Maldonado both have doctorates, and both have amassed credentials that the reader can find online at the following websites:  

Weiwei Zhai and José Maldonado.

I must confess to some sadness learning that we would not hear the program as listed on the website, so would miss the Cinco Preludios of Ernesto Cordero (b. 1946) and the movement from his Concierto Evocativo. These are very special pieces from a much-loved Puerto Rican composer from whom I’d like to hear more in live concert (though recordings abound); there was still, however, plenty of variety in the revised program. Other changes included the addition of pieces by Shiguang Cui, William Ortiz Alvarado, Rafael Hernández Marín, the Schindler arrangement, and, as mentioned, a Bach piece.

One rarely needs to explain to this listener the addition of Bach – especially an arrangement of the uplifting Sonata in C, BWV 529, originally for organ – but here, as Mr. Maldonado explained, it was a nod to the Baroque era to preface Ponce’s “tease of new and old” in his Prélude for guitar and harpsichord. The Bach made for a joyful nod, and the Ponce that followed exuded a similarly ebullient spirit, leading the duo into remarkable exchanges and dovetailing. They played with rhythmic precision, good articulation, and energy. Where the two performers had a massive challenge was in the inevitable dominance of the hall’s bright Steinway piano over a guitar’s more delicate sound. This would, of course, have been less of a problem with harpsichord (as the Bach could have been as well), but one plays on what is available. Short of bringing in a harpsichord or the precarious miking of the guitar, there were few options. The lid of the piano was already down, but perhaps closing the front of the lid under the music rack (even with some heavy cloth) could have helped.

Matching became moot as Weiwei Zhai continued the program with three Chinese solos, first Jasmine Flower, arranged by Peter Schindler. As Dr. Zhai commented, the folk song itself is extremely famous (as this reviewer knew, having reviewed a violin version of it at Carnegie Hall during which the largely Chinese audience sang along to it). In this Schindler transcription, the melody was set amid disparate styles, from a dreamy Broadway-ish introduction to more salonish variation and florid, virtuosic treatment. Octave tremolos that perhaps were meant to evoke Chinese pipa techniques resulted in a Liberace-esque glitz, but Dr. Zhai played with sincere involvement. Ditty from Shandong Folk Suite by Shiguang Cui followed, refreshingly in a style that was free of Western cliché, and Dr. Zhai played it with pure sparkle and spirit. She concluded her solo group with Liuyang River by Jianzhong Wang, whom she described as partly influenced by Ravel and Debussy, with its pentatonic runs suggesting the river’s waters. Indeed, one heard plenty of pentatonic – as one had in the prior two pieces – but she showed a flair for its impressionistic washes of sound.

Dr. Zhai then introduced the Song of the Yue Boatman (Ancient Chinese Song) by Qing Liu, arranged for piano and guitar by the two performers themselves. It worked well – with the guitar feeling naturally suited to its folkish simplicity. It was quite touching, and somehow the balance worked better than it had in prior selections.

The duo then moved on to a more sobering work by William Ortiz Alvarado entitled HY-1-4175 (the phone number of the composer while living in New York as a self-described Nuyorican). Composed in 1987, it was the most ponderous and elusive piece on the program, fraught with the emotions of being both a New Yorker and a Puerto Rican. One could hear the dreaming, the sense of longing, and the fragments like flashes of memory (at one point punctuated by percussive guitar tapping). At times the piece seemed disjunct, but such an impression served to underscore the piece’s theme of displacement.

More immediately moving was the same composer’s solo Pavana played heartbreakingly by Dr. Maldonado. Even in its moments of extreme softness, his sound was always soulfully present. Perfume de gardenias by Rafael Hernández Marín followed as a healing balm, and Recordando un Bolero by Alonso Torres Matarrita brought the duo together for a sentimental finale with seductive Piazzolla-esque tinges, closing the program with a glow. For those who wanted further glow, there was a reception afterwards in the yard. Though this reviewer could not stay, many in the audience were headed there joyfully. What a gift to the community!

by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Sirena Huang, violin

Chih-Yi Chen, piano

Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

April 26, 2025

The Zankel Hall recital debut of violinist Sirena Huang this weekend was an occasion for cheering from the moment she walked onstage with pianist Chih-Yi Chen. As 2022 Gold Medalist of The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (IVCI), Ms. Huang has been busy performing across three continents as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with numerous orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and Baltimore and Indianapolis symphony orchestras – but this recital, presented by the IVCI, was to mark, three years after the fact, the 2022 victory of a competition some may recall as quite dramatic. Ms. Huang had fallen ill, testing positive for Covid soon after her arrival in Indianapolis; however, thanks to some schedule changes, she was able to recover partially for several days, performing last and sweeping just about every prize offered. Ms. Huang is clearly a survivor, with a resilience that will probably be needed just as much for an international career as for that 2022 ordeal. Her playing shows (unsurprisingly) that she has already conquered just about every violin challenge there is – but with grace and an open mind, she seems poised to take on still more.

The program offered an interesting variety of familiar and lesser-known works. The first half included Stravinsky’s ever-popular Suite Italienne and Poulenc’s somewhat underappreciated Violin Sonata. After intermission came Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12, followed by music from the early twentieth century on, particularly from a group of “marginalized composers” as Ms. Huang describes in her program notes. From African-American composer Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004) we heard Blue/s Forms, and then from the composer he was named for, British-Sierra Leonean Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), we heard Deep River. Finally, from Chinese composer Chen Gang (b. 1935), we heard the showpiece Sunshine on Tashkurgan.

Opening with Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne was a wise choice, establishing a neo-Baroque framework from which to dance into the program. It may be, as Ms. Huang describes in her notes  “witty and satirical” –  but, through Stravinsky’s gaze across the centuries back to Pergolesi, the six dance movements are also sincerely expressive, from the regal Introduzione to the more pensive Serenata and feverish Tarantella. The duo captured their beauty and uplifted their audience from the first notes. The pianist Chih-Yi Chen was one hundred percent with Ms. Huang in each phrase – which is not as simple as it may sound (bringing to mind the Ginger Rogers quip about doing all that Fred Astaire did – but “backwards in high heels”). When Ms. Huang took an extremely soft echo in the repeat of the Gavotte, for example, one wondered how Ms. Chen could further soften the bass accompaniment with such a very live hall piano, but she did. Ms. Huang was exemplary in all ways, from intonation to bowing and phrasing.

Poulenc’s Violin Sonata (1942-43), dedicated to Federico García Lorca, was refreshing to see on a program, as it is still relatively underplayed, decades after its less than welcoming initial reception. Coming shortly after Poulenc’s second conscription (World Wars I and II), it is full of a dark intensity that seems to have more kinship with Shostakovich than with Poulenc’s prior works. Poulenc was also breaking out of a stylistic mold in a sense (having written that “the violin prima donna over the piano arpeggio makes me vomit”), but his end result in this sonata was a profound work of collaborative expressiveness – and equal challenge for both instruments. The Huang-Chen duo lit into the stormy first movement with intense drive. Ms. Huang’s tone was ravishing in its lyrical sections (especially the slower theme in 12/8), and the duo felt its passionate outpourings exactly together. The central Intermezzo (prefaced by García Lorca’s line, “the guitar makes dreams cry”) was movingly melancholic, shaded with otherworldly hues and sur la touche timbres. The violin part at times served chiefly to react to the piano part via poignant pizzicato (again, Poulenc’s break from the typical virtuoso role) but when it had long lines, Ms. Huang let it sing magnificently. Again, in every moment, the duo played as if they were of one mind. They concluded the tragico last movement brilliantly, projecting its rather abrupt ending with meaning and intensity.

Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12 opened the second half in a brighter spirit. Composed in 1798, the sonata already reflects some of the innovation heard in some his most beloved creations (such as the amazing Op. 10 for piano from around the same time), and the two players dove into it with vigor. There was much to love about this duo’s interpretation of the work, including the especially jauntily placed offbeats and sforzandi in the Rondo. Occasionally, though, to this listener there seemed to be some eccentric anomalies, such as very early in the first movement, where a sudden piano after the first crescendo was prefaced with what seemed an excessive pause each time; all in all, though, their reading was a joy.

Following the Beethoven, the stage personnel came on to remove the violinist’s stand (which had held alternately paper or digital scores for the entire recital) in advance of three solo violin pieces entitled Blue/s Forms by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004). Playing from memory, Ms. Huang showed complete immersion in these pieces, reflecting what she described in her notes as “a personal mission to center the voices of those excluded from the traditional Eurocentric canon.” Perkinson’s music is experiencing something of a rediscovery of late, but there is a considerable way to go, so kudos to Ms. Huang for acting on her commitment to these pieces. Plain Blue/s announced its blues inspiration with major-minor alternations, slides, and syncopation, and Ms. Huang seemed to savor it all. Just Blue/s descended into a more plaintive rumination and was hypnotic in Ms. Huang’s hands. Jettin’ Blue/s brought the set to an exciting close with a driving perpetual motion.

Continuing to the inspiration behind Mr. Perkinson’s first name, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor himself, Ms. Huang rejoined Ms. Chen for Deep River (from 24 Negro Melodies, arranged from the solo piano version by Maud Powell). A concert version of one of the best-known spirituals, it was lavished with rolls and slides and given soulful performance by both performers.

For the finale of the concert, we heard the showpiece Sunshine on Tashkurgan by Chen Gang (b. 1935). Inspired we are told by Tajik music, the basic material reminded this listener of some of the folk music Franz Liszt enjoyed elaborating on – as did Sarasate, Monti, and others in the violin world. From its improvisatory introduction to its dance of frenzied speed, Ms. Huang gave it a high-voltage run with Ms. Chen, in dazzling pyrotechnical display. The piece seemed made for them, though we know it was composed in 1976 (and quite popular since then in China).

After a standing ovation came two unannounced encores – first Tchaikovsky’s well-known Mélodie from Op. 42, a sentimental farewell, and then Black Gypsy by Eddie South (1904-1962) – played winningly. The Eddie South piece eluded me at first, with its expressive classical-jazz blend and fiddle-like riffs. What was this vaguely familiar gem? (We reviewers may retain a lot, but we’re not infallible.) A quick review of some Augustin Hadelich performances jogged the memory, and there it was, Eddie South. One couldn’t help thinking though  – even though many feel encores are a fun surprise unannounced –  that it could help still further the mission to “amplify marginalized voices” if their names were announced!

Incidentally, as the name Augustin Hadelich sprang to mind, so did the recollection that he was also a winner of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis back in 2006 – a reminder of just how stellar this competition’s laureates have been and what a launching pad this competition has been. As we celebrate Ms. Huang, the most recent of their stars, we look forward similarly to following her adventures and explorations for years to come.

by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Ian Hobson, Pianist

Tenri Institute, New York, NY

April 25, 2025

Ian Hobson returned to the Tenri Institute on April 25^th for the latest installment in his Schumann works cycle, entitled Love and Nature III. This was one of the briefer programs in his multi-year endeavor, with only three works on the program – Gesänge der Frühe, Op. 133 (Songs of the Morning), Thema mit Variationen in Es Dur WoO 24 , better known as Geistervariationen (Ghost Variations), and Waldszenen, Op. 82 (Forest Scenes). Mr. Hobson has developed a following for his Schumann programs – there were several audience members talking about having attended many of these programs and already enthusiastically looking forward to the next installment in September.

I’m not going to repeat all of Mr. Hobson’s credentials, as they have appeared in his past reviews. Any new readers or interested persons can read about Mr. Hobson by clicking on this link: Ian Hobson .

Before beginning the program, Mr. Hobson spoke about the first two works, Gesänge der Frühe, Op. 133 (Songs of the Morning), and the Geistervariationen (Ghost Variations). About the Gesänge der Frühe, he mentioned several interesting observations he had made in his studies of the work:  Schumann’s love of music cryptograms (using letters from the titles of the individual pieces as musical notes),  his wife Clara’s uneasy relationship with the work (she thought it “so very strange”), and the Wagnerian influence on the third song, Lebhaft. As Mr. Hobson shared, in spite of Schumann telling Mendelssohn (after a hearing of Tannhäuser) that he had serious reservations about Wagner, it seems that Schumann had a change of mind. Though one could hear a superficial similarity in the Lebhaft, his listener is not entirely convinced of the Wagnerian influence. Nonethless such thought-proving ideas are part of what make this series so stimulating. As for the Geistervariationen (Ghost Variations), Mr. Hobson reminded us that this music was probably the last that Schumann ever wrote. More about this later.

Mr. Hobson opened with Gesänge der Frühe. One must admit that Clara was on to something – this work has some seemingly random dissonances,  sudden arbitrary outbursts from nowhere that disappear as suddenly as they appear, and awkward hesitations that make the performer sound as if they are groping for the right notes, amongst other things. If one were unaware of these pitfalls, one would probably think that the pianist is making mistakes or has not prepared properly – not exactly an ideal situation for the performer. Mr. Hobson took no notice of these challenges as he made the very most of the divine moments with true sensitivity and careful attention to voicing, while dealing with the “strange” aspects with equal attention and care. Mr. Hobson deserves praise for taking a thankless task and fashioning something memorable.

The Geistervariationen followed Gesänge der Frühe. Again, these Geistervariationen constitute the last work that Schumann completed. It was not published until 1939, and both Clara Schumann and Brahms had thought it unworthy of publication. The variations mirror Schumann’s mental state, with the final variation revealing a composer who is losing his sanity. If one were not aware of Schumann’s declining mental health, the variations might just be considered the less than masterful work of a very ill man, with flashes of his genius intermingled with disturbing moments; knowing the history, however, one hears the heartbreak. Schumann was in the throes of aural hallucinations, with horrible sounds filling his ears, while desperately seeking relief from his anguished mental state. A respite was brought with a sudden inspiration of a heavenly sort. Schumann claimed the theme was dictated to him by an angel (though he did not recognize that he had already used this same theme material several times in earlier compositions). He then added variations, but the torment was too strong, and he threw himself into the Rhine. Very soon after his rescue, he was committed to an asylum from which he would never leave. We don’t know whether Schumann intended to write more variations, but it is a reasonable assumption that he would have been unable to do so.

Mr. Hobson played the theme with a simple steadiness, bringing its heavenly beauty forward without any self-indulgence, letting the sublime beauty of the music speak for itself. This was his overriding approach – Mr. Hobson did not feel any compunction to place his own “stamp” on the music. He is the servant of the composer (as it should be) – every note and phrase has been studied, considered, and played accordingly. If I had any quibble, it would have been wanting more of the left hand brought out in the fourth variation. The disconcerting fifth variation ended this journey with an unsettling feeling that was hauntingly appropriate. Thankfully, Mr. Hobson had altered the order of the program, as the Geistervariationen were originally intended to be the final work of the evening.

After a brief intermission, Mr. Hobson returned for the final work of his program, Waldszenen, Op. 82 (Forest Scenes). After the “strangeness” of the first half, this was a delightful reminder of how masterful Schumann was with small pieces that evoke scenes or scenarios. Waldszenen is a set of nine short pieces that depict a hunting outing of some less than fearsome hunters. The forest creatures have little to fear from these fellows, but the hunt is really just a means to enjoy nature and camaraderie. Our hunters find themselves unnerved by some frightening scenery and an ominous sounding bird song, but seek shelter in an inn, where they drink and brag to each other about their adventures, before leaving the forest and heading back home.

Mr. Hobson was most successful at capturing the ineptitude of the hunters, as when they are scurrying about in Hunters on the Lookout. The Lonely Flowers and Friendly Landscape were as pastoral sounding as their names suggest. The Bird as Prophet had an eerie, quirky quality. Mr. Hobson may have not completely formed his conceptions of all these pieces – as there were moments when Schumann’s “surprises” seemed to have surprised him as well. There were some smudges here and there, but these were infrequent. All in all, it was a “fun trip,” and one this listener greatly enjoyed. The audience enjoyed it as well, giving Mr. Hobson enthusiastic  applause.

Mr. Hobson’s next Schumann installment is on September 26, 2025.

by Jeffrey Williams  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Eric Whitacre, Composer/Conductor

Kelly Yu-Chieh Lin, Piano

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, NY

April 14, 2025

It was a high-voltage weekend for Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) with several extravaganzas, but the fun just kept going on Monday at David Geffen Hall with another mega-choral  concert, this one presenting “an entire evening of the music of Eric Whitacre” (as the composer himself was in the awkward  position to announce in his introduction). With mock embarrassment, he quipped, “if that’s not your cup of tea, you may want to slip out soon”  – but of course, no one did. There, in that self-deprecating moment, you have a hint of his magic. He embodies – and shares through his music – such a range of human experience, from feet on the ground to head in the clouds, and all kinds of humor and complexity in between, that in order to dislike everything he’s written you’d have to be without a pulse.

The evening’s opener was With a Lily in Your Hand, composed in 1992 (when Whitacre was still a student) to a text of Federico Garcia Lorca (tr. Rothenberg). Like much of Whitacre’s music it evoked a feeling of wonder through his earnest responses to text and his expressive, tonality-based harmonies, but within a concise framework that never wore out its welcome. The Seal Lullaby (in a change of program order), followed with a dreamy setting of words by Rudyard Kipling. Composed originally in 2005 for DreamWorks (for a proposed film, The White Seal), it could have remained in the figurative “trunk” when the film was nixed in favor of Kung Fu Panda, but Mr. Whitacre, ever resourceful, kept the music alive (as he did also with a reworked setting of a Robert Frost poem, upon clashing with the Frost estate). Hinting, after the song received hearty applause, that the music could still make for a good film – and receiving audible approval from the audience – Mr. Whitacre then joked, “anyone who has 200,000,000 dollars, please meet me outside.” Luckily no one needs that in order to hear the music, but we’ve had a lot of the Panda – so how about a seal?

On the subject of animals, the program moved on to two sets of Animal Crackers, Mr. Whitacre’s supremely witty settings of Ogden Nash poems. He reminded us that, in his more than twenty concerts with DCINY over the last fifteen or so years, DCINY had commissioned these pieces. What a coup for DCINY. We heard Volume I (The Panther, The Cow, and The Firefly) and Volume II (The Canary, The Eel, and The Kangaroo), each one matching the terse brilliance of Nash with musical hilarity. If there are some more animal “contenders” left in Nash’s menagerie, I’ll add my pitch for more, please. The chorus, which we were told converged only 48 hours before curtain time, was superb in it all – around 350 of them – led by the dynamic composer himself and bolstered by the ever-supportive Kelly Yu-Chieh Lin at the piano.

On a side note, if such little gems seems facile, they are not. The timing of deadpan verses before musical “punchlines” is a tricky task, requiring mastery from composer and choir alike. The roaring beginning of The Panther could have been from Carmina Burana or any  similarly imposing choral work, setting up its comical close perfectly. The chorus has to be irritatingly robotic in the canaries’ song that “never varies” – and it was (and though we can’t envision “irritatingly robotic” quoted in the chorus’s next promo materials, it is a compliment here).

Next we heard verses from Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon, the children’s book remembered so nostalgically by many, set and sung with tenderness. Once again, Mr. Whitacre’s embrace of everyday moments hit the bull’s-eye. The chorus navigated its tricky heights with only the occasional strain, and its challenging leaping intervals were handled bravely, with success all in all.

Moving on to text of Octavio Paz (tr. M. Rukeyser) from 2002, a song called A Boy and a Girl expressed musically the poem’s message about the power of silence. Very little could follow such a song, but the ubiquitous Cloudburst, with its remarkable percussive simulations of rain, was a spectacular and ecstatic close to the first half.

Mr. Whitacre hardly needs this reviewer’s affirmation (or any reviewer’s for that matter), as his appeal has reached all corners of the earth, through live concerts and with his Virtual Choirs uniting well over 100,000 singers from over 145 countries. Among the many choruses combined in DCINY’s forces at this concert, one was even named for him – the Whitachords. Others hailed from California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. Like every Whitacre concert, it was a two-way lovefest, and the composer expressed his deep gratitude to the singers.

One of Mr. Whitacre’s most famous pieces Lux Aurumque opened the second half, and I’m happy to report that even after many hearings, it never wears thin. The silvery high notes were stunning, and one was sent into meditations over the miracle of sound.

The week’s second tribute to Leonardo Da Vinci followed in Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine (the first tribute on Sunday being Jocelyn Hagen’s piece reviewed here: DCINY Da Vinci’s Simple Gifts ). It lived up to Mr. Whitacre’s introduction of it as “an acid-warped dream” of the music of Leonardo’s day, and the choirs surpassed themselves. One could hardly imagine they had only had two days to put it (and all else) together.

Home (from The Sacred Veil) set to text by Charles Anthony Silvestri, combined the beauty of early love with notes of heartbreak, having been composed in remembrance of Mr. Silvestri’s late wife. It was deeply moving, and one has to  credit much of its expressiveness to its opening and concluding harmonies, played here by Ms. Lin at the piano. Her voicing of each chord was perfection. One was prompted to dry one’s tears with All Seems Beautiful to Me, set to Walt Whitman, and with the performance of the five marvelous E.E. Cummings settings in The City and the Sea. The finale of it, little man in a hurry never ceases to tickle one’s funny bone, particularly given Mr. Whitacre’s expressive conducting style.

Sing Gently closed the concert, with text and music written both by Mr. Whitacre in reaction to the Covid epidemic and premiered in July of 2020. Radiating prayerfulness and compassion, it was an inspiring close, eliciting an encore of one more song – called Sleep (2000).

by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Greg Gilpin, Conductor and Composer, Rachel Fogarty, Piano
The Sloan Canyon Wind Ensemble; Jordan Mathisen, Conductor;

Charles A. Maguire, David Maccabee, and Monica Guido, Guest Conductors

Cabrillo Choirs; Cheryl Anderson, Conductor

Jocelyn Hagen. Composer and Artistic Director

Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

April 13, 2025

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented yet another one of their trademark extravaganzas this weekend, and the title of it – Da Vinci’s Simple Gifts – only hinted at some of the content. The program was divided into three segments, including (before intermission) an array of choral works (including the famous tune Simple Gifts) performed by Distinguished Concerts Singers International, and then a group of instrumental works performed by Sloan Canyon Wind Ensemble. The third segment (after intermission)  was devoted to a multimedia piece entitled The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci by Jocelyn Hagen, sung by the Cabrillo Choirs (along with their own chamber ensemble, with visual projections on the stage wall). There was indeed something for everyone.

The first choral segment of the program, under the direction of composer/conductor Greg Gilpin, had its own title – “For the Beauty of Life” – a broad enough title to include all their selections. The first, For the Beauty of the Earth, composed by Mr. Gilpin, had a hymn-like simplicity that made it a perfect opener. Rachel Fogarty set the mood with her piano introduction, and Vanessa Tarter Rhodes wove her flute lines through it. The singers sounded well-prepared, and unity was no issue, despite their choruses converging from Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, along with individual singers from around the world. In addition to their regular choral directors (who took a bow at the end), much credit goes to Mr. Gilpin, who clearly has a way of writing for and leading young singers. In 2012 for New York Concert Review, I wrote, “Mr. Gilpin seems destined for ever-widening popular appeal” – and not to say “told ya’ so” but he is fulfilling that prediction.

Balancing styles, the singers then broke into African rhythms with the Liberian folk song Kokoleoko (arr. Victor C. Johnson) about a rooster’s morning call. Percussionists Anthony Guerin, Kyle Hayden Dayrit, and Andrew Dix, were joined by hand-clapping and stomping choristers in a spirited performance. Returning to a more lyrical vein, The Bowl of Light by Penny Rodriguezfollowed as an uplifting songful plea to focus on what is positive. The singers projected its spirit, and the composer was present in the audience to receive a well-deserved ovation.

The two next selections were paired on a theme of water, first the famous Shenandoah, harmonized movingly here by Mark Patterson and featuring several youngsters from the chorus, and then an arrangement by Greg Gilpin of The Water is Wide, given subtle rhythmic undercurrents.

In a change from the printed program, Greg Gilpin’s own uplifting song followed, May You Love and Be Loved, inspired by L. Frank Baum’s words, featuring two intrepid young soloists from the chorus for the first lines. All the children gave their all, and they finished their segment of the concert with the traditional Shaker hymn Simple Gifts, arranged by Ryan Murphy with a livelier than usual piano figuration in the accompaniment. All the songs in this segment were tonal and accessible.

It is a lot to ask of an audience to sit in their seats for ten minutes while a stage is reset up for a different ensemble, but this seems to come with the DCINY territory. Most likely the families of participants don’t mind, but if a broader audience is to be courted – which much of this music deserves – there should be attention to such issues by those programming the concerts. Apart from these logistics, the second segment of the program was a joy, bringing the Sloan Canyon Wind Ensemble (Nevada) to the stage, with Jordan Mathisen and three guest conductors.

It was refreshing to hear such an exceptional ensemble consisting only of high school students, and as they took on the Midway March, by John Williams (from the 1976 film Midway) one marveled at how capably they handled it. May there be more schools cultivating such musicianship! David Maccabee, guest conductor, drew a driving heroic spirit from the group, with brass and percussion naturally dominating and winds holding their own superbly.

John Mackey’s tour-de-force Strange Humors followed, with Charles A. Maguire, guest conducting. The blend of djembe rhythms and exotic saxophone lines was mesmerizing. It was a hard act to follow, but the Shostakovich Folk Festival from The Gadfly Suite (trans. Donald Hunsberger) kept the energy up under conductor Jordan Mathisen.

George Gershwin’s Second Prelude followed in a clever arrangement by John Krance. Though originally for piano, the fact is that practically every ensemble combination that exists has an arrangement of it (and this reviewer has reviewed it in recent years for eight clarinets as well as for four cellos). It prospered in this wind arrangement, and guest conductor Monica Guido maximized the bluesiness of it. The slides were particularly delicious. The middle section seemed a bit fast (a point of some confusion, because Gershwin writes Largamente con moto, a seemingly mixed message – but Gershwin was recorded playing it rather broadly himself). Overall, it was a pleasure. A closer to the first half was the well-loved Symphonic Dance No. 3, Fiesta, by Clifton Williams, conducted with gusto by Jordan  Mathisen.

After intermission, a whole new concert seemed to emerge. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci by Jocelyn Hagen constituted the program’s second half, and an all new chorus – the Cabrillo Choirs of California – came onstage with their own fourteen-member chamber ensemble (including one of practically each orchestral instrument, but two percussionists). Cheryl Anderson was the skillful conductor for it all.

About the piece, it is a nine-text piece of around thirty minutes, centering on the sketches and writings of Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519 – and with a birthday this week, April 15). The piece was premiered in 2019, and since then has been widely performed with synchronized visuals, including many of Leonardo’s famous paintings and drawings (as well as some modern footage of nature, the human physique, etc.), with credit given in part to Isaac Gale, Joseph Midthun, and Justin Schell. The nine movements span a wide range of the master’s interests, from Painting and Drawing, to Practice, Ripples, The Greatest Good, The Vitruvian Man, Invention, Nature, Perception, and Look at the Stars.

As the composer writes in her program notes, “Rivers of ink have been dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci, whose genius bridged art, science, and design.” Lest I add to these rivers of ink, I’ll be very brief and say simply that this work is infinitely fascinating. From the inviting flute lines of the introduction, to the probing lines that subsequently interweave and build to powerful choruses, it captures a sense of the amazing mind of Leonardo, from the dreaming imagination in Painting and Drawing to the industrious rigors of Practice. The visuals were particularly effective in the third movement, in which the music mirrors the water’s rippling magic through a central percussive “drop” of water and the ensuing oscillations. The Vitruvian Man movement was also engaging, as one meditated on visual proportions within musical proportions. Invention and Nature made a good segue, as images of birds followed those of Leonardo’s famous flying machine, inviting some dot-connecting.

All of this fascination would be perhaps moot if the music were not compelling in and of itself –  but fortunately it was. Ms. Hagen has a strong lyrical gift, and her music touches the soul as well as stimulating the mind. One will look forward to more from her. There is a project afoot with VOCES8, and one looks forward to that.

Big kudos are due to the Cabrillo choirs, who did an excellent job, with the only momentary reservation being some iffy intonation in upper registers during the eighth movement. All in all, though, this concert was a triumph. Big congratulations are in order to all involved.

by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Deke Sharon, Conductor, Arranger, & Creative Director

Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Special Guests: Shelley Regner, Backtrack Vocals, Michael Criso & Filip Rušin, Vocal Percussion

David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, NY

April 12, 2025

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Total Vocal with Deke Sharon in Review

Deke Sharon, Conductor, Arranger, & Creative Director

Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Special Guests: Shelley Regner, Backtrack Vocals, Michael Criso & Filip Rušin, Vocal Percussion

David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, NY

April 12, 2025

Lovers of a cappella flooded David Geffen Hall this weekend, as Total Vocal with Deke Sharon drew crowds both onstage and in the audience to celebrate their 10th anniversary. The presenters, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), blended multiple choruses into their Distinguished Concerts Singers International – and with the addition of guest groups their numbers easily topped 400 performers.

The forces were divided roughly in half, with a larger contingent of young children in the first half (as young as age eight, we were told), and it was awe-inspiring; nothing was quite as inspiring, though, as watching the leader of the a cappella revolution, Deke Sharon, bounding onto the stage, as if with a pogo stick made of pure musical energy. For those unfamiliar with the name Deke Sharon (is there anyone?), he has been a driving force behind the craze for a cappella singing here in the US and around the world for the past few decades. He is an arranger, conductor, singer, producer, and all-around Pied Piper, drawing new generations back into the time-honored a cappella tradition through concerts, movies, and television, particularly The Sing Off on NBC and the three Pitch Perfect movies.

The first chorus launched into a welcoming opener with Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast (Alan Menken), and it abounded with spirit, complete with showy leg kicks toward the end. As ever, Mr. Sharon gave illuminating commentary between works (which, synchronized with any shifts of staging, made the transitions feel seamless), and to introduce the next song, Flowers by Miley Cyrus, he announced that it they would sing it in tribute to the group Sweet Honey in the Rock, which has performed with sign language since the 1970’s – “decades ahead of their time” as he noted. Sure enough, this chorus signed while singing Flowers, and it was moving to behold.

A more rap-like feel was up next with Purple Reign, the featured ensemble for My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark/All I Do Is Win (Fall Out Boy, DJ Khaled), from Pitch Perfect 2. Their singing and movement had a primal energy that matched their bright red costumes (and they won my unofficial “best group title” award for the pun on Purple Rain).

More sensitive harmonizations came next from The Overtones from Illinois. In a departure from the printed program, we next heard Jim Steinman’s Total Eclipse of the Heart. As the evening boasted so many soloists, including many unannounced but very worthy ones, it would be a daunting prospect to single out all individuals within the groups – and this one listed ten – but suffice it to say that it was an “all for one, one for all” kind of evening.

As a surprise addition to the printed program, we then heard Run to You (a song by the Pentatonix, a group having much history with Deke Sharon), sung winningly here by Squad Harmonix from California (originally scheduled to sing Bridge Over Troubled Water, which was omitted). Squad Harmonix achieved a hallowed tone in the close-harmony introduction and gave it just the sensitive coloring I look for in a cappella singing.

The 1980’s hit Jessie’s Girl (Rick Springfield) followed, bringing out a group of young male singers from high school. It added a coming-of-age spark of fun. On a more serious note, Blackbird (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, 1968) came next, hearkening back with feeling to the Civil Rights era.

Mr. Sharon then introduced their special guest ensemble, New York’s own Backtrack Vocals, as a group in which each member “is a superstar in their own right” – and we got a good display of why. They are all strong singers with plenty of flair. They first sang Beethoven Medley (arr. Andrew John Kim), and the sound reminded this listener a bit of the days when the Swingle Singers were popular doing entire classical works with scat syllables. Here we had only excerpts, but they were in a clever mashup of the Fifth Symphony, Für Elise,  and the “Moonlight” Sonata –  with a reggaeton beat. They will surely be part of the inspiration for the next generation of a cappella youngsters. They continued with This Is Me from The Greatest Showman (Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, arr. Andrew John Kim & Nicky Brenner), given particularly haunting harmonizing in the introduction before breaking out into a rousing beat.

The full choral forces closed the first half with Be Kind byZac Abel, and it was prefaced with Mr. Sharon’s words on the importance in life of kindness and respect. He added that the beauty of a cappella singing is “show, don’t tell” what people can do when they work together – and they did just that. The youngest members truly shone in this song, taking some terrific solo turns. It should be mentioned that a lot of what gave much of the first half rhythmic life was the beatboxing of Michael Criso, who did a superb job. Equally stellar in this role for the second half was Filip Rušin.

The second half got off to a fun start with the second chorus blasting out Music for a Sushi Restaurant by Harry Stiles, almost as delightful as the hilarious program notes on it (among others) by Mr. Sharon, saying that it is about “flirting and falling in love over a plate of sushi. Or at least I think it is. If not, it makes absolutely zero sense.” The Stiles song was followed by another guest group, Googapella (from California), singing Guy I Used To Be (Lawrence, arr. Graham Toben), and the soloist Ricky Jacobson must be mentioned here, as he really carried the song – along with vocal percussionist Divya Mouli Jacobson. Still more fine singers came on to give performance of Bob Dylan’s Forever Young, a moving song that they did very sensitively.

Another warm introduction from Mr. Sharon was made for the next special guest, Shelley Regner, who gave a passionate showstopping rendition of Somebody to Love (Freddie Mercury); the show, however, did not stop! SoundCrowd from Canada came on to sing a swinging version of Friend Like Me from Aladdin (Alan Menken) – one of highlights of the evening – and on its heels was I Could Write a Book (Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart), with none other than Deke Sharon himself as soloist. He dedicated it to his wife and gave it a knockout performance, complete with dazzling mouth trumpeting.

The fuller chorus took on Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb), which segued well to Just the Way You Are/Just A Dream from Pitch Perfect (Bruno Mars, Nelly) before the final guest ensemble, A.K.A. Crescendo from Croatia, came on for Rain On Me (Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, arr. Dora Štefković Kanjer). They’ve been in other Total Vocal concerts and were excellent here, as expected.

To close the program, we heard the infectious refrains of I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (U2), and many in the audience clapped along. Speaking of participation, Deke Sharon invited anyone interested in joining the a cappella troops to email him. It seems he won’t rest until the entire world is singing in harmony, and he may very well succeed. He listed from the stage all the ways to contact him, including his email: deke@dekesharon.com. If this concert couldn’t recruit the masses, what could? It was simply a perfect pitch (or is that Pitch Perfect?).

A winning encore of The Lion Sleeps Tonight sent many in the audience dancing and singing together. It was hard to fight back tears, being reminded once again how miraculously music can bring complete strangers together, where so much else fails.

In addition to all the abovementioned performers, the chorus included the Nashville Community High School Senior Jazz Choir, Williston High School Vocal Jazz, Ram Voices Of Hillcrest High, Baton Rouge Chorus Of Sweet Adelines, International, Lakehouse Music Academy Singers, Keiki Kani Choir, Pop Chorus, My Pop Choir Canada, Affinity Female Voice Choir, Revv52, Vocal Synergy, Vocal Academy@ St. James, The Iona University NightinGAELs, and RJR A Cappella. Happy 10th anniversary to Total Vocal with Deke Sharon!

by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Cantala Choir

Nancy Singla, director

Asal Iranmehr, piano

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

April 11, 2025

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is well-known for its “big show” concerts, with several hundred performers filling the stages of such venues as David Geffen Hall and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. What is not as well-known is DCINY’s presentation of much smaller forces in more intimate settings. Tonight’s performance, featuring the Cantala Choir at Carnegie’s Weill Hall, was the latest offering in this vein. The title of the program, Songbird, is also the name of Cantala’s recent release of their 4^th recording, as well as the name of a work from that recording. It features works by Canadian composers, and is available for listening on all major streaming providers.

Founded in 2008 by Nancy Singla, Cantala is a Toronto-based choral ensemble. Cantala is a “musical home” for singers who both love choral music and are seeking excellence in performance. Nineteen vocalists took the stage under the direction of Ms. Singla. Cantala offered fourteen works. Most (nine) were sung a cappella. Asal Iranmehr was the pianist for the other five works (for the sake of not having to continually state which was a cappella and which was not, those five works were Lost Words, In The Days of Beauty, Cantique de Jean Racine, All the Little Rivers of Canada, and Blue Skies).

Before going any further, I would like to get some issues out of the way, As the majority of the works on the program were by Canadians, it would have been nice to have some basic biographical information about the composers. I would have liked to see texts for all the works as well instead of just a few. Lastly, and while this may seem extremely nitpicky, the printed program was marred with errors and typos – Ola Gjeilo was misspelled twice in the program,  Marie-Claire Saindon was listed as Claire-Marie Saindon (and Saidon), and Hamlet was listed as Sonnet LXXXVII. Mind you, these issues are not criticisms of the performers, but details do matter.

Opening with Songbird, by Sarah Quartel, the Cantala Choir, brought forth qualities that would be a recurring theme for the evening – excellent ensemble balance, clear diction (in four different languages), and precise intonation. One would think that all these qualities should be expected (and of course, they should be), but this was something above the norm, and it made a favorable impression on this listener. It was apparent that Ms. Singla had prepared Cantala to a highly polished level in what was an auspicious start.

Selections from Lost Words, using poetry from Robert Macfarlane, followed Songbird. The “lost words” refer to once commonly used words that have been removed from the Children’s Oxford English Dictionary. Cantala offered six selections of the set of twenty (each “word” set by a different composer). They were Dandelion (composer – Nicholas Tyan Kelly),  Ivy (Katerina Gimon),  Kingfisher (Marie-Claire Saindon), Lark (Carmen Braden), Willow (Monica Pearce), and Wren (Don Macdonald). While all were performed well, Kingfisher, whichwas colorful and suggestive of the water acrobatics of the Kingfisher catching its prey, Willow, with soaring high voices, and the clever “now you do, now you don’t”  lyric motif of Wren were favorites for this listener.

Five Shakespeare Songs (2018), by Bev Lewis was next. The texts were from Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, and Sonnet 87. It would have been interesting to know why the composer chose these particular texts. In any case, the settings were sensitively and skillfully done. While I admired the entire set, it was the Take, Oh Take Those Lips Away (from Measure for Measure) that stood out in capturing the bittersweet melancholy of Shakespeare’s words. Cantala brought these qualities forth with subtlety, which made it impactful rather than overwrought in display of immature angst.

Yi Chin O, (by Quebec composer Cui Wei), and Yeux D’enfant (Marie-Claire Saindon), the final works on the first half, showcased Cantala’s multilingual talents, the first sung in Chinese, and the second in French.

After intermission, Cantala added yet another language to the evening, Estonian, with Muusika by Pärt Uusberg. Estonian is a difficult language for English speakers, and I can’t really claim to knowing more than a few words, but the diction sounded precise to my ears. Well done! Two works by one of the “big names” in choral music, Ola Gjeilo followed – Northern Lights and In Days of Beauty. In many of Gjeilo’s works, there is a simple, but fresh beauty that is abundant and which makes his pieces a favorite for listeners and performers alike. Cantala’s approach was flawless – there is no need to do anything “fancy,” but just let the music speak for itself. The effect was exquisite.

Samuel Barber’s To be Sung on the Water followed the Gjeilo selections. The text (a poem by Louise Bogan) is a mourning of the loss of love  (which had real life meaning to Barber when he composed this work), and Barber’s setting takes the listener on this emotional journey. Cantala took the listener on this journey with care and attention to Barber’s very evocative writing. After this, a cathartically energetic Cantique de Jean Racine (Gabriel Fauré, arr. John Rutter) was just right.

The final four works were a step away from the “serious” towards more “fun and light.” Cantala had already given plenty of proof that they were on-point with the heavier fare, so now it was time to have a little fun – and fun it was! A charming Waltzing Matilda (arr. Ruth McCall), some drumming and whistles in Woodsmoke and Oranges (Ian Tamblyn, arr. Rebecca Campbell), and a whimsical Canadian “river rollcall” in All the Little Rivers of Canada (Larry Nickel), led into a stylish Blue Skies (Irving Berlin, arr. Roger Emerson), which ended the evening. The audience responded enthusiastically.

All in all, for those of you who like hearing a choir without being subjected to the hackneyed handclapping and stilted “choreography,” in favor of one who makes it all about the music, bringing considerable musical excellence as well, the Cantala Choir is a group you would enjoy immensely.

by Jeffrey Williams  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY