Beethoven to Bernstein Program Notes

Fidelio Overture (7’) Ludwig Van Beethoven

Though he composed nine symphonies, Fidelio is Beethoven’s only opera. Fidelio is about a woman named Leonore who sets out to rescue her husband from prison. She must disguise herself as a man and face great danger to achieve her goal. Composing the opera was an arduous process for Beethoven, and it took years to complete the final revision. The overture went through four versions. The first editions of the overture were titled “Leonore” (Nos. 1, 2, and 3).Beethoven struggled to find the right tone for the overture; for example, “Leonore No. 3” was so dramatic, it upstaged the performance. In 1814, Beethoven finally settled on Fidelio Overture, which excites without overpowering.

Pictures at an Exhibition (33’) Modest Mussorgsky, orch. Maurice Ravel

Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) was first composed for solo piano by Modest Mussorgsky. It was a tribute to his artist friend, Victor Hartmann, who died unexpectedly at the age of 39. Pictures depicts ten of Hartmann’s drawings and watercolors. The recurring “Promenade” theme portrays a viewer walking from canvas to canvas. Unfortunately, Pictures was never published or publicly performed in Mussorgsky’s lifetime. In 1922, Ravel reorchestrated Pictures at an Exhibition for the symphony, bringing the piece to a wider audience. Ravel used many different tone colors, even including the saxophone, an instrument traditionally excluded from orchestral scores.

Serenade to Music (14’) Ralph Vaughan Williams

“Serenade to Music” by Ralph Vaughan Williams was composed in 1938 and dedicated to Sir Henry Wood in honor of his jubilee concert. The composition was originally written for sixteen hand-picked British soloists, and the music was designed to highlight each singer’s unique strengths. The text comes from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, where Lorenzo gives a speech about music in Portia’s garden. “Serenade to Music” was later reorchestrated for chorus, soloists, and orchestra, and also for solo violin and orchestra.

Chichester Psalms(20’) Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms is a setting of Hebrew psalms. It was commissioned in 1965 by Dr. Walter Hussey, Dean of Chichester Cathedral in Sussex, England. Dr. Hussey requested that the work include a setting of Psalm 2 and a “touch of West Side Story.” This work uses all or part of several Hebrew psalms. Notably, the second movement opens with Psalm 23, which is sung by a boy soloist (or countertenor) and accompanied by harp, alluding to King David. Other psalms include Psalm 100, Psalm 108, Psalm 2, Psalm 131, and Psalm 133.

Dr. Jill Burgett is the Director of Choral Activities at University of Northern Colorado, where she has taught for 15 years. Prior to her tenure at UNC, she was Associate Director of Choral Activities at Ball State University. In her position at UNC she conducts the UNC Concert Choir and Chamber Choir and teaches graduate choral methods and conducting coursework. She has been active in vocal music-teacher preparation for K-12 schools in Colorado and Indiana. Her doctorate is in choral conducting, with a cognate area of study in music education from Ball State University, where she was the Don Neuen fellowship recipient. She holds a Master of Music degree (choral conducting/voice secondary area) from Ball State and a Bachelor of Music in music education - vocal emphasis (magna cum laude) from Heidelberg University. For over a decade, Burgett conducted choirs in the Indiana public schools. She has served on the Indiana and Colorado American Choral Directors boards and Central Division board as Student Activities R&S Chair. She currently serves on the National Collegiate Choral Organization board, and was President, and now Past President of Colorado ACDA. She has also served on the National ACDA Arts Equity Taskforce and Colorado CMEA Collegiate Council. Burgett is an active festival clinician, conference speaker, and All-State Choir conductor. Having maintained a voice and piano studio for more than 20 years, she has served as a staff voice teacher for the Denver School of the Arts (6-12) where she taught in classic, music theater, and vocal jazz styles. She has been a featured mezzo-soprano soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Toledo Philharmonic. Burgett is published in the Choral Journal and New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Her conducting venues included Varna (Bulgaria), Beijing, Barcelona, Montserrat, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, London, Paris, and Rome. She made her Carnegie Hall debut conducting Carmina Burana with UNC Choirs and Alumni in May 2023. She has led conducting and choral masterclasses in Rome, Bangkok, Beijing and Barcelona. Workshop topics have included Arts Leadership Development, Building Choral Tone, and Preparing Masterworks. Burgett’s research and publications have included the following topics: The Sacred Choral Music of Villa-Lobos, The Choral Treasures of Catalonia(Spain), and a current focus on The Sacred Choral Music of Colonial Mexico. Dr. Burgett is experienced in working with students and community singers of all age-levels, with a student-centered approach to learning that is engaging, focused on musical excellence and student success.

Dr. Clelyn Chapin serves as the Associate Director of Choirs at the University of Northern Colorado, where she leads choral ensembles and teaches courses in choral music education. As a frequent presenter and clinician throughout the country, Clelyn focuses on non-hierarchical rehearsal practices and making individual vocal technique accessible and efficient in the choral rehearsal. She continues to serve Colorado public schools as a frequent clinician in schools and honor choirs, including the 2024 Colorado Middle School All-State festival. Her scholarly work centers on creating collaborative rehearsal spaces and amplifying the work of women composers.

In addition to her work in schools, Clelyn is committed to expanding arts access for the community. In 2024, Clelyn was recognized with the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) Next Wave Leadership Award for her work with the Denver Women’s Chorus. Under her leadership, the chorus expanded from 100 to 180 active singers and has partnered with many nonprofits to amplify the voices of organizations that promote mental health, housing access, and care for the environment.

Before joining the faculty at UNC, Clelyn spent 14 years teaching and conducting secondary, collegiate, and community ensembles in Texas, Colorado, and Michigan. During that time, her choirs were invited to perform at state conferences, and she developed a reputation for her engaging and inclusive approach to choral rehearsal. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at Michigan State University, studying under Dr. David Rayl and Dr. Sandra Snow, and holds a Master of Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado where she studied under Galen Darrough.

Jeff Talley is a Colorado native with a distinguished career in choral music education spanning more than three decades. He earned both his Bachelor of Music Education (1986) and Master of Music Education (1998) from the University of Northern Colorado. Mr. Talley began his teaching career in 1987 with Jeffco Public Schools, where he served as a high school choral director for 33 years at Arvada High School, Jefferson High School, and Standley Lake High School. He retired in June 2020 from Ralston Valley High School, where he was a founding staff member and served for 20 years as Choral Director, Music Department Chair, and Assistant Marching Band Director.

Throughout his career, Mr. Talley directed or music directed more than 30 theatrical productions, ranging from Once Upon a Mattress to Spamalot. His choirs earned numerous accolades, including performances at the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) Clinic/Conference in 2012 and 2020, and a national festival in New York City in 2005.

In addition to his work in schools, Mr. Talley has been a dedicated leader in the broader music education community. He served on the boards of the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Colorado Chapter, and the Colorado All-State Choir Governing Board—holding several leadership roles, including Chair-Elect and Chair of the All-State Board.

Beyond the classroom, Mr. Talley has worked as a freelance singer and conductor with numerous churches and synagogues across the Denver area and continues to be active as a clinician for high school choirs throughout Colorado.

Paulino M. Rivera-Torres is 13 years old and lives in Santa Fe, NM. He began stage appearances at the age of five in the role of “Trouble” in the Santa Fe Opera 2018 production of Madame Butterfly and in subsequent years has sung with the Santa Fe Operain La Boheme(2025),Der Rosenkavalier(2024), Tosca(2023), and Thirteenth Child(2019). He performed as boy soprano soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra in 2024, and sings with the youth choir at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Apart from singing, Paulino is an apprentice to a clockmaker, enjoys building rockets, learning to play the bagpipes, and traveling with his family.

CHOIRS PERSONNEL

Concert Choir

Soprano

Trynica Haines
Monica Matlick Cummins
Jordyn Schild
Andrea Watson
Shen Whitten
Hannah Brown
Kayla Crittenden
Celine Gutierrez
Grace Howell
Samara Sanchez

Alto

Kat Blackburn
Micah Healy
Ashlee Jimmerson
Lily Johnson
Rosie O’Connor
Sarah Rich
Emily Wasden
Citlalli Gonzalez Del Valle
Tara Kessner
Amelia Stidolph
Grace Moses

Tenor

Adrian Bolton
Arrow Jones
Noah Osuna
Dominick Rodriguez
Kylan Scott
Luis Valencia
Hunter Crow
Kelby Eisenman
Dylan Paredes
Arthur Pedroza
Joshua Rudnik

Bass

Orion Bennett
Sergio Castro-Medina
Samantha Leeper
Caleb Perry
Dallas Van
Michael Stadler
Eli Cone
Evan Crosser
Owen Kingham
Alex Tishkowski

Voces Poderosas

Soprano 1

Mercedes Chauncey
Trynica Haines
Abigail Johnson
Sage Kulp
Nicole Lague
Lilly Robinson
Emerson Smith
Jordyn Schild
Samantha Workman

Soprano 2

Hannah Brown
Kayla Crittenden
Junhee Graf
Celine Gutierrez
Abby Lincoln
Samara Sanchez
Brooklyn Stephenson
Abbey Stream
Elissa Biehl
Magz Estudian

Alto 1

Kelsey Anderson
Carly Calhoun
Moss Firth
Alexis Kron
Grace Thamert
Jillian Creamer
Anna Kadavy
Rosie O’Connor

Alto 2

Lilly Curtis
Grace Moses
Leah Norton
Amelia Stidolph
Emily Wasden
Madi Holshouser
Sarah Rich
Emilee Smith

Coro Polaris

Tenor 1

Marco Armijo
Adrian Bolton
Blake Herrman
Tagan Garcia
Dominick Rodriguez

Tenor 2

Daven Calkins
Kelby Eisenman
Kory Powell
Joshua Rudnik
Cassian Wesley

Bass 1

Strider Dolfi
Owen Kingham

Bass 2

Oliver Conard
Cade Sauer

Chamber Choir

Soprano 1

Meri Barber
Abigail Johnson
Monica Matlick Cummins
Jordan Rife
Shen Whitten

Soprano 2

Elissa Biehl
Mari Christensen
Jillian Creamer
Junhee Graf
Emilee Smith

Alto 1

Weijia Chen
Anna Kadavy
Julianna Kramer
Rosie O’Connor

Alto 2

Linden Brown
Citlalli Del Valle
Madi Holshouser
Ashlee Jimmerson
Abbey Stream

Tenor 1

Marco Armijo
Ryan Ostlund
Noah Osuna
Dominick Rodriguez
Isaac Sutton

Tenor 2

Travis Kornegay
Jacob Palmer
Jonah Stadtmueller

Bass 1

Jake Austin
Orion Bennett
Sergio Castro
David Hoffman
Deven Warren

Bass 2

Oliver Conard
Tagan Garcia
Ryan LaTourette
Thomas Neal