Our ARTISTIC Director
Madelyn Mensen, Artistic Director, has been active in music for over 35 years. Originally from Plum Hollow, she most enjoyed participating in the Brockville Lions Music Festival as a child, performing with the Brockville Operatic Society, school bands, and studying organ at St. Lawrence Church. After completing a degree in music at Carleton University, she pursued a career in funeral services. Today she is an established business owner, member of the Brockville Lions Music Festival committee, church musician, and devoted wife and mother. She looks forward to supporting performing arts in the community for years to come.
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Thoughts on the Spring 2025 Program
This program aims to use choral music to represent a complete rotation of the Earth, referencing the shifting nuances of the day as we continue down the path of the spacetime continuum. The topic of the sidereal day appealed to me for its potential for exploring tropes that describe change/uniformity, light/dark, birth/death, marvel/expectation; a few of many antithesis that occurs (often simultaneously) every day. Admittedly anthropocentric, I hope that our performance inspires gratitude, sonder, and celebration, and serves as a reminder that we all have purpose and value within a complex celestial sphere of shared responsibility.
In the first song, Sunrise by Arden Beckett, we experience a sunrise using a segment of a poem by Emily Dickinson called "I'll tell you how the Sun rose". You can hear the call and answer of the black-capped chickadees, the upwards chromatic movement of chords and the quickening of the words as the sun “casts it's light” over the horizon.
After the sunrise, we have Rise Up My Love, My Fair One, words by King Solomon; this passage from Song of Solomon paints a glorious picture of new life and awakening. Set to energetic music by composer Healey Willan, it is as uplifting as it is motivating and is a well-suited selection to represent the earliest light of day.
The following work is Z. Randall Stroope's Hodie; it is accompanied by brass and percussion. This particular edition is a revised version of it's original, with a brand new first movement and new material throughout the second and third movements; a new day! The title's translation is "This Day" and is our featured work of the program. All three movements are steeped in fanfare, grandeur, and glory. The text is both secular and non-secular, lending it a quality that is appropriate at any time of the year.
After Hodie is Psalm of Praise by David Brunner. It has a more laid-back, ‘jazzy’ feeling to it in both rhythm and harmony. The soulful nature of the music, with text from Psalm 104 speaks to the late-morning with it’s imagery of light as a garment; stretching out the heavens like a curtain.
This brings us to the slowest piece of the first half, Noon, by Cecil Effinger with his spot-on depiction of the title in both music and text (by Colorado’s first poet laureate, Thomas Hornsby Ferril). We can hear the heat of the day in the slow moving choir parts, the imagery of midday slumber and fragrant wafts of sage, combined with the cicada-esque intercessions by the oboe, this piece brings the listener to a place under the garish sun on the prairie at high noon!
>Heading into the afternoon, the program is livened up again with an arrangement of Golden Afternoon, from Walt Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’; a post-siesta tune with lyrics based on Alice’s adventures in the garden of live flowers. It puts you in the mood for tea and jam pennies :)
Following an afternoon stroll in the garden comes Afternoon on a Hill by David Dickau. This joyful and positive choral piece is set to a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which expresses an appreciation for life, a reverence for nature, with an understanding that in all the splendour that unfolds around us, we are welcome but to a humble place within it.
To close the ‘day’ portion of our program, we are called Westward with the piece, Prairie Greyhounds by Jeff Smallman. This work opens with the words “I swing to the sunset land”, and serves to foretell what is to come. The piece is upbeat, with quick passages of text that tell of the railway opening the West to the world. With a toe-tapping fiddle and snare, it is as energizing as it is fun, and rounds out the themes of land, expanse, and light that have been the focus of our daytime half as we follow the path of the sun, and aptly end our first half with the words “I am the homeward bound”.
~ Intermission ~
The second half begins with the sundown, as represented by Samuel Barber’s Let Down the Bars O Death. Here, we have the reemergence of text by Emily Dickinson (re; “I’ll tell you how the sun rose”). The sombre pace and falling lines at the words “let down the bars..” and “the tired flocks...” evoke a sense of settling, while the lines between have minimal movement, suggesting a kind of suspension in time until the progression into the night can commence.
L’Heure Exquise by Ronaldo Hahn is a masterclass in imagery, both in song and text. The translation of the title is “The Exquisite Hour”; which for all intent and purposes could be placed in multiple places in the second half of this program. I chose to put it in the ‘early evening’, interpreting the moon as being high in the sky (described as ‘white’) and setting in the early evening as a waxing crescent (it will be on May 4th). This work is a reflective, lyrical moment that the audience will love.
In thinking about thematic material for ‘nighttime’, I kept coming back to nautical imagery and musical content. Therefore, the next three songs bring us further into the evening with a nautical theme. The first is Away from the Roll of the Sea by Allister McGillivray, a fluid folk-like tune that tells of boats resting in the harbour; their daytime adventures have been left on the sea. It is thought-provoking; who and what are our truest selves and how is that revealed when we are alone? What do we bring home with us, and what do we leave behind in our daily grind?
The following piece is Hunker Down by Tobin Stokes; a riveting sea shanty-esque work that sings of an approaching storm, urging the listener to “hunker down for the night”. The idea of incorporating a ‘tempest’ number in the night half was too good to pass up!
To bring it back full-circle we have Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre. This represents the calm after the storm, and a progression into the time of deep sleep. The lyrics are from a poem by Rudyard Kipling, in which a mother seal is singing to her baby, assuring its safety and describing a place where it will always find love.
Now that we are lulled to sleep, the next segment of the program looks to the stars! Our first glimpse is Sure on this Shining Night by Samuel Barber, text by James Agee, that speaks of star-made shadows; a brilliant afterlife, where in loss there are full hearts and healing.
We then move to Lightly Stepped a Yellow Star by Dan Forrest (text, again, by Emily Dickinson), where the brilliance of the stars is heard in the accompanying glocks, celeste, vibes, and various percussion instruments. I particularly like how this work ties in the reference to the Copernican celestial orbs in the Hodie through words like “lofty”, “Astral Hall”, and Forrest’s use of chords to create a ‘vastness’ using parallel octaves and fifths. It is a piece that radiates.
The third salute to the stars is Falling Stars by Kevin Padworski, using the poem of the same title by Rainer Maria Rilke; it is a dazzling piece of which the composer writes, “The poet poignantly reflects on the transient nature of existence and the importance of living in the present moment”, as well of his intention to compose meaningful and intricate music for both choir and “musician at the keys”. This piece contains a lot of star-power, where everyone shines.
Following the eleven o’clock number, we come to midnight. The selection for this is When Midnight Mists are Creeping by Greg Gilpin; a gorgeous setting of the poem “Dreamland” by Lewis Carroll. This particular work recapitulates much of what we have sung about to this point, and encases the material in a neat package that showcases our musicality and blend.
Whereas midnight is often thought of as the ‘end’ of night, I wanted our program to continue its exploration into the early hours of the morning; when it is dark, still, and yet stirring. Noche Serena felt like the perfect fit; it evokes drama and boldness. I liken the dance between night and the impending dawn to be heard in the dance between the accompaniment and choir. The text, “What it is, what it shall be, and all that was?” suggests a beautiful surrender to the night, and perhaps finding a serenity within ourselves?
To close out the program, I chose a piece with the ever larger-than-life composition-style of Ralph Vaughan Williams; Let All the World In Every Corner Sing. Our arrangement includes the addition of brass quintet with the organ. It is overflowing with exuberance and feelings of progression; looking on to what lies ahead. Tomorrow is a new day!
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Thoughts on the Fall 2024 Program
As I was searching for inspiration for this season’s concerts, I was struck with the idea of veering away from the ‘Christmas Concert’ circuit and focusing on Remembrance Day instead. It would call for an earlier calendar date than what we’ve aimed for over the past few years, however, I had no doubt that, with the right program, we would be able to put together a beautiful, poignant dedication to our fallen ancestors that doubles as a call to peace in the world today.
Requiem: One of the most popular choral works to date, the Fauré Requiem continues to inspire the world with its ethereal beauty. I associated this Requiem, in particular, with a dedication to the memory of those who died in war due to Fauré’s inclusion of In Paradisum at the end; the text is from the Burial Service following the Funeral Mass rather than the liturgical Requiem, thereby ending with a sense of peace and eternal rest.
In Remembrance: To follow the last movement of the Requiem, I have chosen In Remembrance by Eleanor Daley. The text, suitably, is that of a popular anonymous/untitled funeral poem that starts with the line, “Do not stand by my grave and weep”. Sung a cappella, it captures the numb bewilderment of committing a loved one to the earth, but not without offering consolation through the last line, “I am not there, I did not die”. Through those words we affirm that our remembering the fallen is not done in vain, but preserves the integrity of their sacrifice.
O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem;:This piece was written by Herbert Howells in 1941, during what is known today as “The Darkest Hour” of WW2 (mid 1940 - mid 1941); a fitting end to the first half. It is from a larger set of four anthems titled “In Time of War” and is set to the text of a portion of Psalm 122. It also serves as a not-so-subtle nod to the current state of unrest in the Middle East today.
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Let The River Run: After a first half that focuses on Remembrance Day as a commemoration of death and sacrifice, the second half has been designed to bring those who have fallen to life again. Our aim is to create a kind of looking glass that showcases their frivolity in youth, their dreams and innocence. Let the River Run serves as a segue with its references to the “New Jerusalem” – although the lyrics weren’t written by Simon with any specific religious or political intent, “The New Jerusalem” can be interpreted as a kind of promised land for the working class, which made up the bulk of those who served in the world wars. Whether by choice or conscription, those who served were swept up in a conflict they couldn’t escape until it had run its course.
It’s A Long Way to Tipperary: This was sung as a marching song by the soldiers in the first world war and is remembered as a song of that war. What I love the most about it is how it concentrates on the longing for home, which is more relevant to the lives of the soldiers, rather than a boisterous commentary on glorious deeds and hero-culture.
Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts for Soldiers: This song is meant to highlight the many ways that people came together to help in the war efforts throughout both world wars, in a fun and interactive way. The tongue-twisting taglines in the song can be used to engage the audience, thereby applying the ideals of the subject matter (comraderie and participation) to the concert in real time.
In Flanders Fields: this piece is meant to be a segue between the pieces from WW1 and WW2 – lest we forget that at the end of the first world war over 9.7 million personnel were dead along with 10 million civilians. John McCrea had penned his iconic poem that has become an everlasting part of the oral tradition of the western world and a staple in Remembrance Day tributes.
As Time Goes By: After singing the words of In Flanders Fields, I needed a reverent way to move into the music from World War 2, so a slightly quicker song in the swing style of “As Time Goes By” felt right. The song was originally composed in 1931, but made famous by its appearance in the film, “Casablanca” in 1942. The lyrics of “no matter what the future brings” and “the world will always welcome lovers” has an undertone of cynicism from the viewpoint that conflict is seemingly always brewing. Does time really heal all?
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy: This iconic WW2 song made popular by the Andrew Sisters entertained the troops and kept toes tapping, all while the lights were being turned off across Western Europe. It reveres the youth and vitality of the very soldiers we remember and astutely captures the soundscape of the era. In another subtle nod, we remember the tremendous contributions of our nation’s women and enjoy this number featuring the soprano and alto sections.
In The Mood: To continue the energy of the second half, we have a piece derived from a popular piece by the Glen Miller Orchestra, which includes the tenor and bass sections. Our WW2 selections serve to superimpose a modern-day practice to the bygone era of WW2; that of the Celebration of Life. Such a term would have been inconceivable to the public at that time and in subsequent years, until the turn of the 20th century.
After The War: The last two pieces bring us back to the aftermath of conflict and are a call for reflection. This piece is probably the most moving and emotionally draining one in the concert. It can be heard as a song between a woman and her lover/husband, but can also be a dialogue between a mother and a son, a father and a son, etc. As a frequenter of many wakes, I realized in my twenties that as a child born after 1980 my perception of veterans was a bit skewed compared to older generations; to me (as a kid), a veteran was an old, wrinkly, grey person from the Legion who wore a suit jacket, medals, and shiny shoes. It wasn’t until I worked in funeral homes that I realized that it was young, handsome, wide-eyed men in uniform, that we often saw in picture frames beside caskets and urns, that were the original casualties of the great world wars; the massive cemeteries across Europe are filled with the young – not the old. When I read the lyrics, “my love, please forgive me, I never planned to die” I think of a client I sat with who told me stories of lying about his age to get into the Navy and all the debauchery these young teenagers got up to in the North Atlantic Ocean. It would seem that dying was never on the radar because they hadn’t yet reached an age where they could realize their own mortality.
Lord Make Me An Instrument of Thy Peace: The final piece the words of the Prayer of Saint Francis and a summary of the intention of this concert – with war persisting in the world today, Remembrance Day is (unfortunately) a fluid occasion that has been added to over the decades since the great world wars. Although it is a slower selection, the phrasing is uplifting musically, as well as lyrically, thereby leaving us with a glimmer of hope, a kind of surrender to goodness and faith in humanity.
