It is traditional during an anniversary year that a performing ensemble commissions a piece of music in commemoration of that milestone. Milwaukee Choral Artists went a step further by inviting ten composers to write new works for the ensemble - one for each of its ten years. Founded in 1998 as a chamber ensemble comprising professional solo singers, the Milwaukee Choral Artists is one of only a handful of professional women's vocal ensembles in the country. With its signature lush sound, MCA brings a distinctive and varied repertoire of choral and vocal masterworks to audiences throughout the region.

Sharon A. Hansen, Music Director

 

SKY-BORN MUSIC:

World Premieres in celebration of MCA’s 10^th Anniversary!

 

with

Jeffry Peterson, collaborative piano         Stefan Kartman, cello

 

1-Padmapani (2007)                                                                                                                        Paula Foley Tillen

Thich Nhat Hahn                                                                                                                Milwaukee, Wisconsin     

 

2-Potter’s Clay (2007)                                                                                                                       Paul Fowler

Naomi C. Rose                                                                                                                   Boulder, Colorado

 

3-A Prayer for Peace (2008)                                                                                Paula Foley Tillen

Thich Nhat Hahn                                                                                                                Milwaukee, Wisconsin     

 

4-Lake Song (2007)                                                                                                                           Paul Carey

Colette Inez                                                                                                                        Chicago, Illinois

               

5-Sigh No More, Ladies! (1961; 2008 premiere)                                                                       Kirke L. Mechem

William Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing, II,3                                            San Francisco, California

 

6-8 Three Emily Dickinson Songs (2007)                                                                                     George L. Mabry

                Emily Dickinson                                                                                                                  Clarksville, Tennessee

                6-Heart, We Will Forget Him!                                                        

                7-Going to Him!

                                8-Wild Nights!                                                                                                    

 

9-Sky-Born Music (2007)                                                                                                                 Paula Foley Tillen

Ralph Waldo Emerson                                                                                                      Milwaukee, Wisconsin                                                 

Leslie Fitzwater, soprano

 

10-Soft Voices, Sweet Violets, & Rose Leaves            (2007)                                                    Jackson Berkey

Percy Byssche Shelley                                                                                                       Omaha, Nebraska

Stefan Kartman, cello      Indra Brusubardis, soprano

 

11-Nahuatl Hymn to the All-Mother (2007)                                                                                Gilda Lyons

                   traditional Nahuatl prayer, adapted by the composer                                    New York, New York

 

12-Wade in the Water (2007)                                                                                                         Marion Verhaalen

                Trad. Spiritual, with additional words by Marion Verhaalen                                 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 

13-The Message (2008)                                                                                                                   James Quitman Mullholland 

Christopher Pearse Cranch                                                                                           Indianapolis, Indiana                                                       

14-How Can I Keep From Singing? (2007)                                                                                 David Bridges                    

Robert Wadsworth Lowry                                                                                               Nashville, Tennessee