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=========================== Letter to the editor following the Chorale's 1998 tour of Italy Proud of Chorale While vacationing in Italy, we arrived in Florence and saw notices for a concert by the Rogue Valley Chorale at St. Maria Ricci Church. We made it a point to attend that night, and along with many Italians, were very pleased and impressed by the quality and professionalism of the Chorale. Small-world-itus, we even knew one of the singers who had to return home prematurely because of an injury. We would like to say how proud we were of the Rogue Valley Chorale, and Oregon in general, for being beautifully represented in the arts at the birthplace of the Renaissance. And those of you in Medford and the Rogue Valley should be equally proud of these fine singers. Bravi tutti! Richard and Sandra of Gresham =============================== The Mail Tribune, Sunday, Feb. 16, 1997, Guest Opinion The long road to performance Preparing for Craterian concert, RV Chorale does it again, and again, and again... By Karen Foster The sopranos are trying their darnedest to attack a high A cleanly. "Don't swoop up to it!" shouts our director, Lynn Sjolund. "Think ABOVE it, not below. And if you can't get it, DON'T SING IT!" It's Monday night and most of Medford is home watching Monday Night Football. Not me. I'm sitting in a pew at the First Presbyterian Church in Medford, huddled in the chilly sanctuary with 80 fellow singers. The atmosphere is tense. We don't want to miss a note, but the music is very demanding and so is the director. We know that this is a very important concert that we're preparing to do. We are the Rogue Valley Chorale and we are rehearsing for The Passion According To St. John by J. S. Bach. We have only a few more weeks until performances on March 1 and 2 in the newly rebuilt Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre. We want them to be worthy. Ours will be the first concerts in what promises to be a central part of the life of downtown Medford. Excitement about the theater is growing in the community and we are proud to be the first group to take the stage. We are all aware that the new Craterian is the result of years of planning on the part of hundreds of community members whose dream for a performing arts center in Medford is about to come true. We've watched workers swarm over and around the building for the last year, and each week our director gives us new details about the seating, dressing rooms, or restrooms. He tells us that there are approximately 80,000 feet of electrical wire just for stage lighting! But usually, our director is intent on convincing us that we are the soldiers, priests and citizens of Roman Jerusalem and we must attempt to make our anger ugly. It's not an easy. "Crucify him!" we yell. We're spitting the words, enunciating so that all will understand our passion. "Away with him, away!" We try to sound wrathful and virulent while maintaining musical integrity. "Never louder than lovely," Sjolund reminds us. The music before us is a work that moves from fanatic anger to forgiveness. For 273 years, Bach's grief has moved millions of listeners. It is a huge work and a great undertaking for the chorale. It is an even greater task for conductor/music director Lynn Sjolund. He has spent moths doing historical research into the baroque period. He has hired soloists from New York, Seattle, San Francisco and the Rogue Valley. He has lined up the chamber orchestra, negotiated contracts and followed airline fare wars to secure the best prices for the guest artists. He has submitted successful grant proposals to help fund the project. Now we are actually immersed in the roiling emotions that the Passion evokes. "This is nasty!" shouts Sjolund as we try to be sneering and sarcastic in "Lo, we hail the, dearest King of Jewry." We sit forward in our seats, shucking our coats as we heat up. Heavy scores are jostled and there are sighs of fatigue as we strain to stay on pitch. Shock hits us as Sjolund suddenly stops us mid-phrase. "Make it mocking but DON'T make it ugly! Now, do it again!" he says. "And then we'll do it again!" Bach's Passion According to St. John is the story of Christ's arrest, trial and crucifixion. We as the crowd are called upon to react, to heckle, to deride. We sneer, we clamor, we revel in the rhythm and speed of the music - in its manic moods. We contemplate during its slow chorales. "Bases, you're a whole beat slow. My arms are about to fall off!" blasts Sjolund. The men shift uneasily. We begin again. We know that all this hard work will pay off with a presentation of a work that is rarely performed in towns such as Medford. We know that the audiences will experience a roller coaster of emotions as they hear the story of Christ's final struggles. We sill be the "mob, not a chorus," as Sjolund says we must be. We try hard to be gloating and pompous as we sing "We have a sacred law, and who breaks that law will perish." It's difficult to play all these roles but we try hard to really be the congregation of believers, voicing thoughts and emotions as the story unfolds. I don't know a lot about many of the people who come to sing each week. I don't know what Keith is doing now that he's retired from teaching music. I don't know how many kids Darlene has. But in that room I feel as though I know them. At performance, with our sore throats and aching shoulders, we will know an exhilaration that comes from moving together. In the end we will share a profound accomplishment and we will be forever changed. (Karen Foster of Medford is a founding member of the Rogue Valley Chorale and has been a part of the group for all of its 24 years.) ============================= The Mail Tribune, March 7, 1999 Chorale sings spirited 'Seasons' Show deserves larger audience The promise of springtime... a summer thunderstorm... the toil of an autumn harvest... winter fog. They're a part of "The Seasons," and a good deal more. The notable, two-hour oratorio by Franz Josef Haydn has come to life this weekend on the stage of the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in Medford. The Rogue Valley Chorale, close to 80 voices strong, gave "The Seasons" its first-ever Rogue Valley performance Saturday night. The concert repeats today. It's a worthy project, one deserving of a larger audience than the 175 or so who attended Saturday night. Saturday's audience was treated to a spirited performance with many highlights. Joining the chorale, under the direction of Lynn Sjolund, were four soloists, a pianist, an organist and a six-member woodwind section. Particularly outstanding was David Gustafson, guest artist from the San Francisco Bay area, whose beautiful, strong tenor voice was a joy to hear. Also in fine voice was soprano Linda Fountain, who makes her home in the Rogue Valley and has performed with the Rogue Valley Opera and the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers as well as the chorale. Michael Wing, director of music at St. Mary's School in Medford, was scheduled to be the baritone soloist but could not appear due to illness. He was replaced by two chorale members, Eric Smith and Doug Wisely, who took turns filling in. Lending instrumental support were Andrea Brock, piano; Lind Borecki, organ; Kenton Gould, oboe; Lori Calhoun, clarinet; Kirsten M. Boldt, bassoon; Janet Bruno and Cynthia Martinich, French horn; and Shelly Atkins, flute. Bruno also played an unusual, large instrument, the alphorn, at times during the first half of the program. Haydn (1732-1809) composed "The Seasons" late in his career, not long after his notable work "The Creation." "The Seasons" is considered a sequel to "The Creation" and was first performed in 1801. The arrangement presented by the Chorale is a new translation by Robert Shaw and Alice Parker. The piece consists of 35 selections, in four individual cantatas, one for each season. It beings and ends with the transition of winter into spring - "Behold the blust'ry winter flies" - so a performance in March is good timing. Springtime passages speak of "From heav'ns vault, now shines" and "O, how lovely is the morning of this welcome Spring." Summer speaks of "fields alive with colorful crowds" and the drama of thunder clouds. Autumn is depicted as a time of "satisfaction at the abundant harvest" and a beautiful piece called "Hark! Hear the sound of the horn." And then winter - "The year, now dying, sings to rest," and "By icy chains the sea is held." The evening ends with the soloists and double chorus singing the triumphant, "The glorious morning dawns at last; from heaven sounds the trumpet call." It's an impressive work, impressively performed. If you'd like to know more about "The Seasons" before hearing it, plan to attend a pre-concert lecture by Russ Levin, development director for the Britt Festivals. He will speak in the Sabroso Forum, an upstairs room in the theater, at 2 p.m. today. =========================== The Mail Tribune, Sunday, May 16, 1999 Cleve Twitchell Chorale combines fun and education Program strikes a Western tune - Don't Miss It "Under the direction of Chorale founder Lynn Sjolund, it's an enjoyable concert as well as an education" Click here for more excerpts from this review. ============================ Arts Council newsletter (before March, 2000 Carnegie Hall trip) Rogue Valley Chorale Invited to Perform at Carnegie Hall The Rogue Valley Chorale has been invited to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 26, 2000, where it will perform with seven other selected choral groups from Alabama, California, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Japan. The Chorale will perform two concerts of music by Vaughn Williams, Rachmaninoff, Gibbons, Morley, Blebi, Sametz and Clausen. They will be heard both under the direction of its own artistic director Lynn Sjolund and under world-renowned conductor and composer John Rutter. The Rutter program will be accompanied by the American Symphony Orchestra and will include soloists from the New York City Opera. Included in the program entitled "Pomp and Pageantry" are selections by Walton, Parry, Handel and Rutter. Don't miss the chance to enjoy the music of "Pomp & Pageantry, Music from the British Isles" right here in the Rogue Valley before the Chorale departs for Carnegie Hall. This program under the direction of its founder Lynn Sjolund, will be presented to Medford audiences on March 4th at 8pm and March 5th at 3pm at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater. Tickets are available at the Craterian Box Office in Medford, 779-3000. General admission $12, students $5. ============================= The Mail Tribune, December 14, 1997 Concert fetes voices, venue Rogue Valley Chorale presents stirring Christmas music program Review by Cleve Twitchell A venue to showcase local talent in a classy setting: That was one of the purposes behind creating the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in downtown Medford. A concert by the Rogue Valley Chorale Saturday night helped to demonstrate what a valuable resource the renovated former movie theater has become as a performing arts center. The Chorale, 98 voices strong, presented the world premiere of "Visions," a Christmas cantata, and part one of Handel's "Messiah," accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra. The result was a first-class performance of stirring, joyful choral and orchestral music appropriate to the Christmas season. The program will be repeated at 3 p.m. today. "Visions" was composed by Charles Cassey, orchestrator and conductor in the television industry for several decades, who moved to Ashland in 1995. With text by Julia Cooper, it tells the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Christ. Under the direction of Chorale founder Lynn Sjolund, the Chorale and orchestra gave a spirited performance of this 25-minute work. Narration by Donald Dolan added to the overall effect. With the women dressed in pink, the men in black, the Chorale also presented a visually pleasing picture on the stage, complete with a blue backdrop. Christmas trees on either side, each decorated in white, helped frame the picture. Cassey's music is beautiful, often stirring, even soaring. The composer worked in radio and television in New York from the mid-1950s, specializing in choral direction. His emphasis turned to instrumental after moving to Southern California in 1977. He composed for a wide range of projects, from "The Garry Moore Show" and "The Jimmy Dean Show," to "Kojak" and "Matlock." "Visions" is interesting in that it sounds a bit like something from a TV show or movie, yet also expresses the dignity of a serious work celebrating the birth of Christ. Cassey attended the premiere of his work Saturday night and was loudly applauded by audience and performers alike. The concert opened with selections from "Messiah" by George F. Handel, mainly "Part One: The Annunciation and Birth of Christ." This major work features nearly 25 segments, some featuring soloists, some the Chorale as a whole, and two with just the orchestra. The eight soloists, in order of appearance, were Joseph Byrd, tenor; Douglas Wisely, bass; Anita Caster, mezzo soprano; Eric Smith, bass; Virginia VanNortwick, soprano; Susan Olson, soprano; Jean Tyndall, mezzo soprano, and Linda Fountain, soprano. All were fine, although Byrd, VanNortwick, Olson and Fountain were especially outstanding. In the early part of the program, the Chorale was at its best in the stirring chorus "for unto us a child is born." The "Messiah" portion concluded with a section titled "special choruses of rejoicing," four of them. The finale, of course, was the rousing, joyous "Hallelujah." Chances are most audiences have heard this work many times, but there is something extra special about witnessing a performance with some 125 performers on stage. Spectacular. ============================ The Mail Tribune Letter to the Editor 12/1999 Fine performance Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! I was one of the many people fortunate enough to attend the Rogue Valley Chorale's splendid performance of Bach's Mass in B Minor last Sunday (Nov. 21). What an extraordinary evening! From start to finish it was a polished affair of profound artistry, eloquence and exultation. The chorale's performance was superb, the orchestra was outstanding, the soloists were excellent and Conductor Lynn Sjolund's interpretation was fresh, vital and exuded a thoughtful optimism that made the formidable work a celebration of joy. The B Minor Mass is so vast in scope, so deep in its exploration of faith and so difficult that community groups seldom attempt it. An effort at such a piece by a typical community group usually results in a flawed, somber, workmanlike performance that lies on the ears like a dusty blanket. The Rogue Valley Chorale, delightfully, is no typical community choir, for Sjolund and his singers gave me an experience filled with fire, joy and passion. The chorale's excellence allowed me to sit back and revel in what may be the greatest piece of music ever written. A production of the B Minor Mass is a huge project requiring months of planning and incredible organization. Everyone involved in the chorale's performance had to work long hours to make sure this was a very special performance. I congratulate them all. I am sure they feel good about their work. They should; it was a night to remember. Sean of Medford |
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