Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents We Sing! We Rise! We Soar!: The Music of Christopher Tin and Greg Gilpin in Review
Greg Gilpin, composer/conductor; Christopher Tin, composer/conductor
Holly Sedillos, soprano; Jimmer Bolden, tenor
Distinguished Concerts Orchestra; Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
June 9, 2024
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) ended its 2023-2024 series with a concert entitled “We Sing! We Rise! We Soar!: The Music of Christopher Tin.” The first half featured Greg Gilpin, conducting his own works and arrangements of folk songs. The second half featured Christopher Tin conducting his own works. The Distinguished Concerts Singers came from Maine, Virginia, Oregon, New Mexico, Florida, Nevada, Texas, California, Canada, United Kingdom, and individual singers from around the globe. They were supported by a large audience who cheered for their stars from start to finish with unabashed enthusiasm, something even this occasionally jaded reviewer finds to be heartening.
Greg Gilpin took the stage for the first half. He is a DCINY favorite (this being his eighth appearance with DCINY), and he is a dynamo with a special talent for working with young singers. I have witnessed Mr. Gilpin at work on many occasions, and have written that he is “‘all in’ – cajoling, gyrating, singing along, whatever it takes to coax these youngsters to heights they probably never imagined possible.” He radiates such positivity and optimism that one cannot help but be pulled into the spirit.
For the sake of completeness, Mr. Gilpin’s works were Gloria in Excelsis Deo (obviously his arrangement of the Latin), We Sing! We Rise! We Soar!, and Hope Is a Waking Dream. The other works were two folk songs, one a Hebrew folk song, and the other from Torres Straits Island, Jacob Arcadelt’s a cappella setting of Ave Maria, and Dance! by Robert Gibson.
It is true that a reviewer who has been assigned to many such choral performances can tire of certain recurring features (the obligatory handclapping, for instance; today it was a clap and stomp “dance” that resembled a haka); nonetheless, I am not going to do the usual “critic” thing and fuss about this and that, but rather focus on the love of music that is alive and well in these kids. As Mr. Gilpin said, “they (these youngsters) are the future,” and knowing that should give us all hope. Whatever these young singers end up doing in the future, they all can be proud of standing on the stage of one of the most famous music venues in the world and singing their hearts out. Their fans gave them a standing ovation.
After intermission, Christopher Tin took the podium to conduct selections from his own works. Soprano Holly Sedillos, and tenor Jimmer Bolden were the featured soloists. This was Mr. Tin’s second appearance as a conductor with DCINY. As a bit of background, Mr. Tin is a two-time Grammy winner whose song Baba Yetu, originally written for the video game Civilization IV, holds the distinction of being the first piece of music written for a video game ever to win a Grammy Award. His Calling All Dawns was the 2011 Best Classical Crossover Grammy winner.
I’m not going to cover this half in linear style, but rather group the selections that come from larger works together. Sogno di Volare is an adaptation of Leonardo da Vinci’s writings on flight. It was originally composed as the theme song for the video game Civilization VI. It is a four-minute soaring journey of the celebration of the human spirit, and it was played and sung with exuberance. It was a great start to this half.
Baba Yetu (from Calling All Dawns), which put Mr. Tin on the worldwide map, had to be a part of this concert, of course. I’ve heard it performed live several times, and many more on recordings and videos. I was not expecting anything revolutionary, but when Jimmer Bolden launched into his solo, it struck me that “this is the way it is supposed to be!” – something I was not at all prepared for.
The Saddest Noise (text by Emily Dickinson), Wild Swans (text by Edna St. Vincent Millay), and Hope is the Thing with Feathers (text by Emily Dickinson) are all from The Lost Birds. Mr. Tin collaborated with VOCES8 in a recording of The Lost Birds. These three selections are all poignant in their own way, with heartbreak, impassioned cries, and meditative, almost fragile melodies. I have previously heard the VOCES8 recording, and it is ridiculously hard to have to compete with those heavenly voices, but the large forces did a wonderful job in projecting all that emotion. The Saddest Noise is a favorite of this listener, and it was very sensitively done.
Iza Ngomso (a Xhosa translation of Longfellow’s Kerabos) and Waloyo Yamoni (“We Overcome the Wind,” a Lango rainmaking litany) come from The Drop that Contained the Sea. Mr. Bolden was again dynamic in Iza Ngomso, but his work in Waloyo Yamoni was the highlight of the evening for this listener. He has a regal bearing and a voice to match! I don’t wish to overlook Holly Sedillos, who was a force to reckon with in her own right. Waloyo Yamoni is a thirteen-minute showstopper overflowing with passion that brought the house down. The last notes had barely sounded before the crowd leapt to their feet in a standing ovation. As seems to be customary for Mr. Tin, his fans attempted to raise the cheering decibel bar to new highs, and they might have succeeded on this occasion. Congratulations to all!
