A Yuletide Carol
Choral Music
chorus with solo instrument
work detail
instrumentation: SATB, tambourine
completion date: october 2021
duration: 4 minutes
texts: An original commissioned poem by Kyle Conner
events
A FEAST OF CAROLS
Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia - Dominick DiOrio
St. Paul's Chestnut Hill - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4:00 pm
Seek the healing light, share your songs of hope
In the darkest time of the year, cultures and traditions all over the world sing to celebrate and remember. To end an absence as long as a winter’s night, Mendelssohn Chorus is happy to announce that our first concert back in person will be our treasured program: A Feast of Carols. A longtime tradition for Philadelphia families and an exciting celebration for newcomers too, young and old alike gather as we sing music of winter’s dawn and rebirth.
Featuring Timberdale Brass, Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, the world premiere of Texu Kim’s The New Year’s Magpie Song, and a new carol by MCP Artistic Director Dominick DiOrio. Music of Joan Szymko, Rex Isenberg, Joshua Fishbein, André J. Thomas, Moses Hogan, and Diane L. White-Clayton, plus carols warmly familiar and some newly discovered gems. Learn more and buy tickets.
A FEAST OF CAROLS
Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia - Dominick DiOrio
St. Paul's Chestnut Hill - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7:30 pm
Seek the healing light, share your songs of hope
In the darkest time of the year, cultures and traditions all over the world sing to celebrate and remember. To end an absence as long as a winter’s night, Mendelssohn Chorus is happy to announce that our first concert back in person will be our treasured program: A Feast of Carols. A longtime tradition for Philadelphia families and an exciting celebration for newcomers too, young and old alike gather as we sing music of winter’s dawn and rebirth.
Featuring Timberdale Brass, Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, the world premiere of Texu Kim’s The New Year’s Magpie Song, and a new carol by MCP Artistic Director Dominick DiOrio. Music of Joan Szymko, Rex Isenberg, Joshua Fishbein, André J. Thomas, Moses Hogan, and Diane L. White-Clayton, plus carols warmly familiar and some newly discovered gems. Learn more and buy tickets.
CHIMES OF CHRISTMAS
The Singing Hoosiers and Chris Albanese, director
IU Auditorium - Bloomington, Indiana
2:00 pm
The holiday tradition continues with the jolliest family-friendly event of the season, Chimes of Christmas. The Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers return to the IU Auditorium stage for their annual concert, presenting a mix of well-known carols, contemporary hits, and classical choral arrangements. The performances will also feature special guests from various Jacobs School of Music ensembles: including the IU African American Choral Ensemble (Raymond Wise, director) and NOTUS (Dominick DiOrio, director).
Directed by Dr. Chris Albanese, The Singing Hoosiers are a Bloomington favorite with over 70 years of tradition in contemporary vocal performance. They have entertained audiences across the United States and in more than 25 countries spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Caribbean. The ensemble has enjoyed collaborations with Duke Ellington, Bob Hope, Mel Tormé, Sandi Patty, Sylvia McNair, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the Cincinnati Pops under the direction of Erich Kunzel.
CHIMES OF CHRISTMAS
The Singing Hoosiers and Chris Albanese, director
IU Auditorium - Bloomington, Indiana
7:30 pm
The holiday tradition continues with the jolliest family-friendly event of the season, Chimes of Christmas. The Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers return to the IU Auditorium stage for their annual concert, presenting a mix of well-known carols, contemporary hits, and classical choral arrangements. The performances will also feature special guests from various Jacobs School of Music ensembles: including the IU African American Choral Ensemble (Raymond Wise, director) and NOTUS (Dominick DiOrio, director).
Directed by Dr. Chris Albanese, The Singing Hoosiers are a Bloomington favorite with over 70 years of tradition in contemporary vocal performance. They have entertained audiences across the United States and in more than 25 countries spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Caribbean. The ensemble has enjoyed collaborations with Duke Ellington, Bob Hope, Mel Tormé, Sandi Patty, Sylvia McNair, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the Cincinnati Pops under the direction of Erich Kunzel.
audio
A Yuletide Carol
performances
Premiere performance by Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia Dominick DiOrio, conductor; James Lamb, tambourine St. Paul's Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA December 11, 2021 - 4pm and 7:30pm
Chimes of Christmas * NOTUS, Dominick DiOrio * IU Auditorium, Bloomington, IN
Chimes of Christmas * NOTUS, Dominick DiOrio * IU Auditorium, Bloomington, IN
original text
Original poem by Kyle Conner
Yule Carol An Ancient Celebration of Dance and Divination In 6/8
(Opens with convocation of ululations, greetings, and ghostly calls)
Good tidings! Light the candles! Raise the spirits! OOOoooooOOOoo!! Shed a light! Spirit bright! Don’t wander far! Peace be upon you! And your ken! Stay close to the fire! Let us celebrate! Precious light! (ululations taper off to silence…)
(accompanied by chords of great mystery) YULE! Y-U-L-E ! ! ! Y—U—L—E !!!
(Verses beginning quiet & intense, slowly building in volume and intensity, and ultimately, joy. Verses are spoken-sung in chant-like fashion.)
We-sing-Yule-to-night Watch-the-log-burn-bright Spi-rits-walk-up-right Sha-ding-death-with-life
Yule is the joy of the All-As-One Stoking the revelry just begun Offering songs to the setting sun Calling the past into momentum
Y-U-L-E ! !
(every iteration of “YULE” should have slight upward release akin to women’s Bulgarian folk singing)
See-er-tell-us-true Fu-tures-that-you-view What-rid-dles-can-you Spell-for-our-com-mune?
Seer (solo or chorus, in guttural voice, as if possessed): Now ancestor’s spirits walk hand in hand Sowing the air of the dormant land Inhaling night and exhaling day What is the magical seed? We say: Y-U-L-E !
Mys-t’ries-we-behold Now-til-time-un-told Cir-cle-round-the-fire Lift-our-vi-sion-high’r
A sacred vigil this longest night Clarifies vision of second sight Holding realities side by side This is the wonder we call Yuletide!
Y-U-L-E!
Join-us-in-this-dance Find-our-in-ner-trance Make-we-in-this-place Joy-un-to-our-grace
Unblinking eye of Eternal Time Fixes the mystery in its rime In frozen moment revealèd all Ten thousand mysteries in our thrall
Y-U-L-E ! Nature slumbers deep Seasons in its sleep We dream greenest fields For our crops to yield
Spirits-move-about Nat’ral-law-they-flout! We-wield-ancient-wyrd Come, Sun, quell our fear!
Fire the image of light divine Sparking together in dance and wine Joy is our answer to darkest hour Dancing the circle we call our power:
YULE-BEING!-Thee-we-praise For-green-shoots-to-raise! Ma-gic-let’s-us-see Pos-si-bi-li-ty!
Spirits now to rest At Time’s grave request Sunlight scatters all Spectral caterwauls
YULE! Y-U-L-E ! !
We-take-plea-sure-now Toast-ing-gods-and-plough Sing-ing-praise-to-thou Na-ture’s-green-est-bough
Yule-brings-spe-cial-sight To-this-long-est-night May-you-live-in-peace Joy-and-love-in-crease!
(Calls of “Yule!” race like flickering flames among the chorus fading to whispers no less intense. Chorus raises arms in final salutation to the rising sun as the celebration ends.)
program note
By Michael Moore: "When Dominick DiOrio (b. 1984) agreed to write a new work for this concert, he turned to poet and Mendelssohn Chorus member Kyle Conner to provide a text, giving him wide latitude in subject and format. Conner explains that “immediately the concept of Yule starting racing around my brain – Yuletide carols, Yule logs, Yule feasts. Attributed to Germanic tribes, the Yule tradition is very old and precedes Christianity by several hundred years. Yule in its earliest Norse form Jolnir was one of the many names of the Norse god Odin. Yule originated as a celebration of Odin and the winter solstice. With the spread of Christianity, it was gradually subsumed into the celebration of Christmas. I knew that this would be a celebratory piece, so it had to be a dance. I constructed the poetry in 6/8 meter with two dactyls (DEE-da-da) followed by three trochees (DEE-da), a rhythm reinforced by beats of the tambourine. Otherwise, the music is sung entirely a cappella, which is likely how singing began.”
information
events
A FEAST OF CAROLS
Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia - Dominick DiOrio
St. Paul's Chestnut Hill - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4:00 pm
Seek the healing light, share your songs of hope
In the darkest time of the year, cultures and traditions all over the world sing to celebrate and remember. To end an absence as long as a winter’s night, Mendelssohn Chorus is happy to announce that our first concert back in person will be our treasured program: A Feast of Carols. A longtime tradition for Philadelphia families and an exciting celebration for newcomers too, young and old alike gather as we sing music of winter’s dawn and rebirth.
Featuring Timberdale Brass, Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, the world premiere of Texu Kim’s The New Year’s Magpie Song, and a new carol by MCP Artistic Director Dominick DiOrio. Music of Joan Szymko, Rex Isenberg, Joshua Fishbein, André J. Thomas, Moses Hogan, and Diane L. White-Clayton, plus carols warmly familiar and some newly discovered gems. Learn more and buy tickets.
A FEAST OF CAROLS
Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia - Dominick DiOrio
St. Paul's Chestnut Hill - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7:30 pm
Seek the healing light, share your songs of hope
In the darkest time of the year, cultures and traditions all over the world sing to celebrate and remember. To end an absence as long as a winter’s night, Mendelssohn Chorus is happy to announce that our first concert back in person will be our treasured program: A Feast of Carols. A longtime tradition for Philadelphia families and an exciting celebration for newcomers too, young and old alike gather as we sing music of winter’s dawn and rebirth.
Featuring Timberdale Brass, Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata, the world premiere of Texu Kim’s The New Year’s Magpie Song, and a new carol by MCP Artistic Director Dominick DiOrio. Music of Joan Szymko, Rex Isenberg, Joshua Fishbein, André J. Thomas, Moses Hogan, and Diane L. White-Clayton, plus carols warmly familiar and some newly discovered gems. Learn more and buy tickets.
CHIMES OF CHRISTMAS
The Singing Hoosiers and Chris Albanese, director
IU Auditorium - Bloomington, Indiana
2:00 pm
The holiday tradition continues with the jolliest family-friendly event of the season, Chimes of Christmas. The Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers return to the IU Auditorium stage for their annual concert, presenting a mix of well-known carols, contemporary hits, and classical choral arrangements. The performances will also feature special guests from various Jacobs School of Music ensembles: including the IU African American Choral Ensemble (Raymond Wise, director) and NOTUS (Dominick DiOrio, director).
Directed by Dr. Chris Albanese, The Singing Hoosiers are a Bloomington favorite with over 70 years of tradition in contemporary vocal performance. They have entertained audiences across the United States and in more than 25 countries spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Caribbean. The ensemble has enjoyed collaborations with Duke Ellington, Bob Hope, Mel Tormé, Sandi Patty, Sylvia McNair, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the Cincinnati Pops under the direction of Erich Kunzel.
CHIMES OF CHRISTMAS
The Singing Hoosiers and Chris Albanese, director
IU Auditorium - Bloomington, Indiana
7:30 pm
The holiday tradition continues with the jolliest family-friendly event of the season, Chimes of Christmas. The Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers return to the IU Auditorium stage for their annual concert, presenting a mix of well-known carols, contemporary hits, and classical choral arrangements. The performances will also feature special guests from various Jacobs School of Music ensembles: including the IU African American Choral Ensemble (Raymond Wise, director) and NOTUS (Dominick DiOrio, director).
Directed by Dr. Chris Albanese, The Singing Hoosiers are a Bloomington favorite with over 70 years of tradition in contemporary vocal performance. They have entertained audiences across the United States and in more than 25 countries spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Caribbean. The ensemble has enjoyed collaborations with Duke Ellington, Bob Hope, Mel Tormé, Sandi Patty, Sylvia McNair, the Indianapolis Symphony, and the Cincinnati Pops under the direction of Erich Kunzel.
audio
A Yuletide Carol
performances
Premiere performance by Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia Dominick DiOrio, conductor; James Lamb, tambourine St. Paul's Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA December 11, 2021 - 4pm and 7:30pm
Chimes of Christmas * NOTUS, Dominick DiOrio * IU Auditorium, Bloomington, IN
Chimes of Christmas * NOTUS, Dominick DiOrio * IU Auditorium, Bloomington, IN
press
original text
Original poem by Kyle Conner
Yule Carol An Ancient Celebration of Dance and Divination In 6/8
(Opens with convocation of ululations, greetings, and ghostly calls)
Good tidings! Light the candles! Raise the spirits! OOOoooooOOOoo!! Shed a light! Spirit bright! Don’t wander far! Peace be upon you! And your ken! Stay close to the fire! Let us celebrate! Precious light! (ululations taper off to silence…)
(accompanied by chords of great mystery) YULE! Y-U-L-E ! ! ! Y—U—L—E !!!
(Verses beginning quiet & intense, slowly building in volume and intensity, and ultimately, joy. Verses are spoken-sung in chant-like fashion.)
We-sing-Yule-to-night Watch-the-log-burn-bright Spi-rits-walk-up-right Sha-ding-death-with-life
Yule is the joy of the All-As-One Stoking the revelry just begun Offering songs to the setting sun Calling the past into momentum
Y-U-L-E ! !
(every iteration of “YULE” should have slight upward release akin to women’s Bulgarian folk singing)
See-er-tell-us-true Fu-tures-that-you-view What-rid-dles-can-you Spell-for-our-com-mune?
Seer (solo or chorus, in guttural voice, as if possessed): Now ancestor’s spirits walk hand in hand Sowing the air of the dormant land Inhaling night and exhaling day What is the magical seed? We say: Y-U-L-E !
Mys-t’ries-we-behold Now-til-time-un-told Cir-cle-round-the-fire Lift-our-vi-sion-high’r
A sacred vigil this longest night Clarifies vision of second sight Holding realities side by side This is the wonder we call Yuletide!
Y-U-L-E!
Join-us-in-this-dance Find-our-in-ner-trance Make-we-in-this-place Joy-un-to-our-grace
Unblinking eye of Eternal Time Fixes the mystery in its rime In frozen moment revealèd all Ten thousand mysteries in our thrall
Y-U-L-E ! Nature slumbers deep Seasons in its sleep We dream greenest fields For our crops to yield
Spirits-move-about Nat’ral-law-they-flout! We-wield-ancient-wyrd Come, Sun, quell our fear!
Fire the image of light divine Sparking together in dance and wine Joy is our answer to darkest hour Dancing the circle we call our power:
YULE-BEING!-Thee-we-praise For-green-shoots-to-raise! Ma-gic-let’s-us-see Pos-si-bi-li-ty!
Spirits now to rest At Time’s grave request Sunlight scatters all Spectral caterwauls
YULE! Y-U-L-E ! !
We-take-plea-sure-now Toast-ing-gods-and-plough Sing-ing-praise-to-thou Na-ture’s-green-est-bough
Yule-brings-spe-cial-sight To-this-long-est-night May-you-live-in-peace Joy-and-love-in-crease!
(Calls of “Yule!” race like flickering flames among the chorus fading to whispers no less intense. Chorus raises arms in final salutation to the rising sun as the celebration ends.)
program note
By Michael Moore: "When Dominick DiOrio (b. 1984) agreed to write a new work for this concert, he turned to poet and Mendelssohn Chorus member Kyle Conner to provide a text, giving him wide latitude in subject and format. Conner explains that “immediately the concept of Yule starting racing around my brain – Yuletide carols, Yule logs, Yule feasts. Attributed to Germanic tribes, the Yule tradition is very old and precedes Christianity by several hundred years. Yule in its earliest Norse form Jolnir was one of the many names of the Norse god Odin. Yule originated as a celebration of Odin and the winter solstice. With the spread of Christianity, it was gradually subsumed into the celebration of Christmas. I knew that this would be a celebratory piece, so it had to be a dance. I constructed the poetry in 6/8 meter with two dactyls (DEE-da-da) followed by three trochees (DEE-da), a rhythm reinforced by beats of the tambourine. Otherwise, the music is sung entirely a cappella, which is likely how singing began.”
