By Jeremy Jefferson, Graduate Music Fellow
Introduction
It’s been around five months since I’ve started my Fellowship with The Presser Foundation, and I cannot express how thankful I am for this time. I’ve learned so much about philanthropy, grantmaking, and above all, how much work, dedication, and effort it is to run a Foundation such as this one. I have immense respect and admiration for the efforts of the staff and Board, as well as the grantees that make this work possible.
I wanted to use this blog post as an opportunity to talk about the performances I’ve been to and how they all relate. There’s a very clear theme that exists within the ones I’ve attended: it’s joy, human connection, and happiness through music.
Mosaic Youth Chorus – Our Journey of Hope and Peace
Mosaic Youth Chorus (MYC) is based in Lehigh Valley, and their performance on November 22nd – “Our Journey of Hope and Peace” – was truly joyful. You can just tell how much passion is brimming from the youth choristers’ performance. The first thing I noticed was their confidence. As a performer, it’s something I tend to notice from other performers: how do they command the stage? It’s important because it sets the mood for the entire performance.
Another thing I noticed is that the entire program was memorized. It’s typical for soloists to have their works memorized across instruments, but for the entire choir to have all the works memorized is impressive!
Speaking of the works, my favorite was “A Chain is Broken” by Dominic DiOrio, Artistic Director for another Foundation grantee, the Mendelssohn Chorus. I adored this piece because it ties together the theme of my introduction: joy, human connection, and happiness through music.
It focuses on the experience of poet Khashayar Tonekaboni, who moved to the U. S. knowing no English. As MYC explained, DiOrio sought to paint the ambiguity one would experience if you are in a foreign land and can’t understand the language. This is done through the lyrics, the use of dissonant harmony, and the violin that accompanies the singers. Overall, these elements sought to help color the beauty, harshness, and realness of moving to a country where everything and everyone is new. The piece ends in unity, and as MYC puts it, “this piece concludes with a joyous D Major cluster meant to represent the joining of all of our voices into a wondrous harmony.”
Mendelssohn Chorus – Unity in the Vigil of Love
Another performance that focused on joy was by grantee Mendelssohn Chorus. I mentioned its Artistic Director DiOrio earlier, and I want to highlight his work, “Vigil of Love.” This piece was dedicated to the previous Artistic Director, Charlotte Sibley, and it exemplifies the spirit of human joy through collaboration. In particular, the solo piano movement, written between the pianist Ting Ting and DiOrio, expresses the tranquility between how tumultuous the world can be. In other words, it highlights the importance of happiness. I would describe it as soft snow, and this movement popped into my mind after the delicate snowstorm that happened in Philadelphia late last year.
Ambler Station Singers – Community Engagement Performance
I had a lot of fun listening to the Ambler Station Singers. They hosted a community engagement concert at The Pinnacle, a senior living center, in Plymouth Meeting. Lisa VanHeldorf, the Artistic Director, is such a charismatic, engaging conductor and host. You can clearly tell she enjoys what she does.
During this performance, I felt the same sense of human connection that is so very cherished during the holiday seasons. Doing a free concert at a retirement home made it even more special, and Ambler Station Singers did such a great job. I particularly enjoyed “Cartoon Christmas,” a famous compilation of holiday songs. There was one section with Mr. Heat Miser that featured one of the singers popping out from the audience to sing his famous theme song. It was funny, creative, and I couldn’t help but smile while listening to it.
Conclusion
I wanted to feature many more of our grantees in this blog post, but if I did, I’d have to write a small novel! From Delaware Valley Opera Company to MIWA at Journey Arts, to Branford Marsalis at Penn Live Arts, there’s so much hope in the world of music. These organizations and the music they share provide us with such a wonderful escape from the woes of day-to-day life. It’s so wonderful to see what people do together, and it’s wonderful to see their heart on display in their craft. More to come this year!
