Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Da Vinci’s Simple Gifts in Review
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.
