It seems likely that music has been performed about love as long as music has existed. I imagine cave dwellers singing adoringly to one another as they painted the walls of the caves in Lascaux. In the modern era, it seems fitting that ritual celebrations of love - weddings – often sanctify those occasions with musical performances or congregational music-making.

Tonight’s program consists of music about blessed unions – finding them, creating them, and relishing them. In the tradition of Resonance Ensemble, we also have created some blessed unions ourselves: between the spectacular singers of Resonance and some of Portland’s finest instrumentalists, and between the art forms of music and dance.
The program begins with selections from Johannes Brahms’s Opus 52 Liebeslieder Walzer, or Love Song Waltzes. Composed in 1868-9 for four-part choral ensemble and piano duet, these waltzes demonstrate Brahms’s remarkable ability to take a seemingly light text and reveal its hidden depths. In fact, Brahms once wrote a friend that he preferred not to set poems by masters like Goethe, as Goethe's poems seemed to him “so perfect in themselves that no music can improve them.” He must have felt that these texts, settings of folk poetry translated or written by the poet and philosopher Georg Friedrich Daumer, had musical enhancements to be made. While these beautiful songs may seem like cousins to the effervescent champagne-toasting Viennese waltzes, they offer harmonic excitement that mirrors the eagerness, anxiety, and hopefulness of the new lover.

You may have heard each of the second set of a cappella songs at wedding ceremonies you have attended. Maurice Duruflé’s “Ubi caritas,” from his 1960 set of Four Motets on Gregorian Themes, op. 10, uses the beautiful Gregorian chant melody to the text “Where there is charity and love, God is there,” in an intimate setting. Benjamin Britten’s “Concord” is the second of the Gloriana Dances, a set of choral dances from his 1953 opera in honor of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and it celebrates the idea that two people in love can accomplish more than one. (I like the fact that, today, Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating the marriage of her eldest grandson. Prince William and Kate Middleton chose their wedding date after we had already chosen this concert date. Coincidence?) Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Bogoroditse Devo,” from the All-Night Vigil, op. 37, is a sacred Russian Orthodox work in Church Slavonic, “Rejoice, O Virgin” (Hail Mary). While its text does not celebrate marriage directly, this work has been used in countless weddings, including (I am embarrassed to note) on the soundtrack of “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”

The final work of the first half, Daniel Pinkham’s 1956 Wedding Cantata, was composed as a present for the wedding of two of Pinkham’s friends. Using texts from the Biblical Song of Solomon, the work’s four movements range from comforting to adamant to playful. The first movement, “Rise up, my love” has a gently rocking accompaniment that soothes with its assurance that the “winter has past.” The second movement, “Many waters cannot part love,” uses a canon to illustrate the steadfast determination of the text. The third movement, “Awake, O north wind,” is the most erotically charged of the work, with the rollicking accompaniment, the sensual text, and the seeming competition between the men and women. The final movement, “Set me as a seal,” provides a gentle final benediction on the pair and on the work.

Our major work of the second half of the program is Stravinksy’s Les Noces, which depicts a ritualized Russian village wedding. Stravinsky first conceived of the work in 1913 and worked on it until its premiere as a staged work in 1923, a gestation period unheard of in the rest of Stravinsky’s output. Stravinsky chose authentic folk texts assembled by the nineteenth-century ethnographer Piotr Kireyevsky, setting them to folk-like melodies (mostly invented by Stravinsky himself, though at least two are thought to have been existing folk melodies). The work, for pianos, percussion, chorus, and four soloists, was originally conceived of as a ballet, with dancers taking the roles of the Bride (Nastasia Timofeevna) and the Groom (Fetis Pamfilievitch), their families, and the townspeople. The soloists interchange roles fluidly, with the same person representing multiple characters at different points in time. For tonight’s performance, the dancer Diana Schultz will mirror the music, representing different characters at different points in the narrative. The way you will see this performance, with the musicians and dancer sharing the stage, mirrors Stravinsky’s original intention for the work, with all participants onstage in a show of equality and interplay between music and dance.

The first scene depicts the bride preparing for the wedding at her home. Her mother and her friends braid her hair in preparation for the ceremony – a centuries-old ritual that still exists today in parts of Russia and Eastern Europe. The bride bewails her engagement, though this bewailing is part of the tradition. In the parallel second scene, the groom prepares for the wedding, along with his family and friends. The third scene shows the bride and bridegroom leaving for the actual wedding ceremony. It ends with the two mothers sighing over the feeling of loss of their children. The final scene at the uproarious wedding feast allows us to overhear snippets of conversation, including, most breathtakingly, the final statement of the groom to the bride. He assures her, “Dearest flower and treasure of mine, fairest flower, sweetest wife, let us live in happiness so that all men may envy us and be amazed.” The chime tolls repeatedly, as if sanctifying the promise being made, or reminding us of the timelessness and wonder of that promise being made, generation after generation, surrounded by a loving community.

- Katherine FitzGibbon

A soprano with very eclectic tastes in music, Maria Karlin has sung for a variety of sacred and secular choral and opera ensembles such as Cappella Romana, Viriditas, Trinity Consort, Portland Symphonic Choir, Portland Vocal Consort, Portland Opera Chorus, and Opera Theater Oregon just to name a few. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Oregon where she studied under Dr. Anne Tedards. Maria is also a seasoned recording artist, lending her talents to Oregon Catholic Press and Revolver Records as a soloist and ensemble singer. Ms. Karlin has also been expanding her experience by crossing genres. She is a member of the Roxy Consort, a vocal ensemble which has worked with such local talent as Rachel Taylor Brown, the Portland Cello Project, and the Ahs. She is a member of the Portland based Spaghetti-Western band, Federale which toured west coast several times in 2010 promoting their second album, "Devil in a Boot", playing such historic venues as the Fillmore in San Francisco and the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. They are currently recording their third album, due out in summer 2011. A founding member of Portland's newest ensemble The Julians, she not only showed off her genre-crossing vocal abilities at their February 2011 show, "7-Deadly Sins" as part of First Presbyterian Church Celebration Works Series, but she also premiered her original arrangements (as well as old favorites) of songs by Lykke Li and Lily Allen. Maria is ecstatic to lend her talents to further expand Portland's amazing and indescribable musical scene.

Cecily Kiester has her Master of Education as well as her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Portland State University. While at Portland State Cecily performed and soloed with the internationally award-winning PSU Chamber Choir under the direction of Bruce Browne. In addition to multiple musical theater and opera chorus roles during her undergraduate studies, Cecily participated in Bel Canto Northwest for two consecutive years singing the role of Miss Silverpeal in Mozart's "The Impresario" and soprano solos in J.S. Bach's "Mass in B Minor". More recently, Cecily has performed as a soprano soloist in various productions of Handel's " Messiah" as well as the role of Humility in Hildegard Von Bingen's "Ordo Virtutum" for the Coulter Concert Series. Cecily also enjoys ensemble singing and she has performed with the Portland Vocal Consort for the last four seasons. Cecily is delighted to sing with Resonance Ensemble for "Blessed Unions".

Cahen Taylor, tenor, has been performing in the Portland Metro area since 2007. Originally from Missouri, he spent a number of years in Los Angeles where he studied voice at the University of Southern California with Professor Shigemi Matsumoto. While in LA he had the opportunity to perform professionally as a chorister and as a soloist with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Pacific Chorale, the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra, the L.A Chamber Orchestra, the USC Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, and numerous small ensembles. He has performed in recitals and international competitions in France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Bulgaria and Greece, and hopes to repeat those experiences. Since moving to Portland he has been thrilled to collaborate with many local ensembles including the Portland Opera, Cappella Romana, Trinity Consort, Cantores in Ecclesia, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Columbia Chorale of Oregon, Resonance Ensemble, and the Portland Vocal Consort. He has recorded two albums with Cappella Romana as well as collaborating on a track for the latest release from Pink Martini. His film work includes the soundtracks for the Warner Bros pictures “Lady in the Water” and “License to Wed”. Recent engagements include a chorus role in Portland Opera's spring production of Turandot, and a tour of the Pacific Northwest in with Portland Baroque Orchestra and Les Voix Baroques as a ripieno singer in Bach's St. John Passion

Erik Hundtoft lives and works in Oregon as a singer and performer. He has worked with Portland Opera, Obsidian Opera, Opera Theater Oregon, Opera Theater Corvallis, Portland Summerfest, Cappella Romana, Rogue Opera, and Portland State University where he completed his schooling. He has been with the Portland Opera Chorus for the last three seasons and recently completed a tour with POGO, Portland Opera's educational outreach program.

A native of Portland, Oregon, pianist Susan DeWitt Smith has an active career as both a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, and on subscription series with the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Palomar Symphony and the Dartmouth Symphony. A co-founder of the Nelson Chamber Music Festival in New Zealand, Dr. Smith is highly regarded as a chamber musician and has performed at festivals throughout the country, with musicians who include members of the Juilliard, Kronos and Philadelphia string quartets. She has performed at the Bloch, Cascade Head and the Cascade music festivals in Oregon, as well as the Grand Teton, Hot Springs and Olympic music festivals. An enthusiastic and committed proponent of music education, she co-founded the innovative and highly successful Music in Context series in 2005. A graduate of Dartmouth College, she earned her MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music. She is a member of Portland’s Third Angle New Music Ensemble, and teaches at Lewis and Clark College. Dr. Smith has recorded extensively on the KOCH International Classics label.


Since 2002, Jon Stuber has served as Organist/Choirmaster of First Presbyterian Church in Portland. He earned his DMA and MM degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and his BM degree from Baylor University. At FPC, he conducts the Chamber and Chancel Choirs as well as the Handbell Choir. As a highly sought after musician, Jon is the staff accompanist for the Oregon Repertory Singers Youth Choir, the University of Portland Women’s Choir and has performed locally with the Consonare Chorale, The Julians, Oregon Repertory Singers, Portland Vocal Consort, Columbia Chorale and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. Recently, he served as guest conductor for the 10th Anniversary Season of Belle Voci Women’s Ensemble.

While completing his doctoral program, Dr. Stuber made his European debut at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England. Jon has shared his passion for organ in concert throughout Oregon, Washington, California, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Percussionist, Brett EE Paschal, joined the faculty of Lewis & Clark College in August 2002. Paschal has earned degrees from Eastern Washington University (B.A. Music Composition, B.M. Percussion Performance), the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (M.M. Percussion Performance and Pedagogy), and has completed coursework towards his D.M.A. from the University of Iowa.

Paschal is an active soloist, composer, chamber musician, and contemporary music practitioner. He has performed with numerous Symphonic Orchestras throughout the United States including the Oregon Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Spokane Symphony, Oakridge Symphony, Kingsport Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Percussion Pops Orchestra 2000, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and is currently Principal Timpanist with the Portland Chamber Orchestra. Paschal is also an active performer and conductor of the Lewis & Clark College Friends of Rain new music ensemble.

Off campus, Paschal has given many solo performances throughout the United States including: Marimba Soloist with the Spokane Symphony, Duo Soloist with the North Idaho Symphony, guest artist/soloist and clinician at the Western Colorado Percussion Festival, and a faculty soloist at the Northwest Percussion Festival. He is a frequent adjudicator in the Northwest, judging regularly on the local, state and regional levels. In 2007, Paschal released his first solo CD entitled About Time, available at www.honeyrock.net.

Diana Schultz studied theatre arts, performance and dance at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in LA and NYC. She’s proud to have received movement instruction from Amanda Ellis, Jamie Benson, and Vic DiMonda (The Ailey School.) Diana teaches dance at Polaris Contemporary Dance Studio and LA Fitness. She co-founded The Forgery Theatre Co. (forgery.weebly.com) a company known for highly physical storytelling. She was recently seen onstage in Elsewhere as part of the Fertile Ground Festival. Diana has never danced to Stravinsky or with a choral group, but is thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with Resonance Ensemble and the challenge of choreographing this solo.