THE TERRE HAUTE CHORAL SOCIETY

JUDITH CLOUD, DIRECTOR

Presents

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

THE CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

(Parts I, II, and III)

DONNA VEAHMAN, SOPRANO
MARSHA ROBERTS, MEZZO-SOPRANO
SCOTT McCOY, TENOR
MICHAEL SHASBERGER, BARITONE

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11,1988
3:30 P.M.
TILSON MUSIC HALL

 THE CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

		Part I

	No.
	1. Chorus			Christians be joyful
	2. Recitative (Tenor)		Now It came to pass In those days
	3. Recitative (Alto)		See now the Bridegroom
	4. Air (Alto)			Prepare thyself Zion
	5. Chorale			How shall I titly meet Thee
	6. Recitative (Tenor)		And she brought forth her first born Son
	7. Chorale (Sopranos)		For us to earth He cometh poor
	8. Aria (Bass)			Mighty Lord and King all glorious
	9. Chorale			Ah, dearest Jesus

		PART II
	10. Symphony
	11. Recitative (Tenor)		And there were shepherds
	12. Chorale			Break forth O beauteous heavenly light
	13. Recitative (Tenor, Soprano)	And the angel said to them
	14. Recitative (Bass)		What God to Abraham revealed
	15. Aria (Tenor)		Haste ye shepherds
	16. Recitative (Tenor)		And this Is the sign to you
	17. Chorale			Within yon gloomy manger
	18. Recitative (Bass)		O haste ye then
	19. Aria (Alto)			Slumber beloved
	20. Recitative (Tenor)		And suddenly there was with the angel
	21. Chorus			Glory to God in the highest
	22. Recitative (Bass)		Tis right that angels thus should sing
	23. Chorale			With all Thy hosts

		PART III
	24. Chorus			Hear King of angels
	25. Recitative (Tenor)		And when the angels
	26. Chorus			Let us even now go to Bethlehem
	27. Recitative (Bass)		He bids us comfort take
	28. Chorale			The Lord hath all these wonders wrought
	29. Duet (Soprano and Bass)	Lord, Thy mercy
	30. Recitative (Tenor)		And they came with haste
	31. Aria (Alto)			Keep O my spirit
	32. Recitative (Alto)		Yes yesl my heart
	33. Chorale			Thee with tender care
	34. Recitative (Tenor)		And the shepherds returned
	35. Chorale			Rejoice and sing
	24. Chorus			Hear King of angels

MEMBERS OF THE TERRE HAUTE CHORAL SOCIETY

DEDICATION

This performance is dedicated to Ralph and Ann Mason, long-time members and supporters of the Choral Society. Your voices and presence will be missed . . .good luck in Kentucky ! ! !

MARCIA ROBERTS

Marcia Roberts, mezzo soprano, has compiled an impressive concert and oratorio repertoire and a recipient of the National Federation of Music Clubs Wisconsin Young Artist Award. Ms. Roberts is a frequent permormer with orchestras, summer music festivals and recital/chamber music series. She has pedormed with the San Francisco ChamberOrchestra,theAmerican Symphony,the BachAriaFestival atStonyBrook, and the Aspen Music Festival.
Ms. Roberts received both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Wisconsin. She is a member of the music faculty at Depauw University.

DONNA VEAHMAN

Ms. Veahman is a senior voice student at Indiana State and a resident of Terre Haute, Indiana. In 1984 she began her vocal studies with Dr. Judith Cloud. In 1985 she attended Brevard Music Center in North Carolina where she was a featured soloist with the BMC orchestra in an orchestral and vocal salute to Gershwin.
In addition to performing solo recitals, Ms. Veahman performs with ISU's Madrigal Singers, University Singers, and the Opera Workshop.

SCOTT McCOY

Scott McCoy, lyric tenor, made his singing debut in 1966 with the title role in Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors''. His repertoire has since expanded to include most of the oratorios in the standard repertoire, all of the major works of J.S. Bach and more than a dozen operatic roles ranging from Rodolfo to Faust.
Scott, a native of Minnesota and a graduate of the University of Iowa, has appeared as soloist with the Bach Aria Festival in New York, the Classical Music Seminar in Vienna, the Aspen Music Festival,the Manhattan Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Lynchburg Symphony, Southwest Virginia Opera, Iowa Opera Theater and the Atlanta Repertory Opera Company.

MICHAEL SHASBERGER

Michael Shasberger is an assistant professor of music at Butler University's Jordan College of Fine Arts and director of the Butler Chorale. He has performed extensively in oratorio, opera and musical comedy, including such roles as Figaro, Dondini, Elijah, Billy Bigelow, El Capitan, and George Seurat. He has also pedormed numerous solos from the major works of J.S. Bach and Mahler.
Shasberger holds a doctoral degree in conducting from the University of Southern California and other degrees from the University of Redlands and St. Olaf College. He is also director of music at First Lutheran Church in Indianapolis.

JUDITH CLOUD

Judith Cloud, director of the Terre Haute Chora Society, is assistant professor of voice at Indiana State University, where she also directs the ISU chorale. In addition to her choral activities, Dr. Cloud is active as a mezzo-soprano soloist, most recently having recitals in Florida and Washington. D.C. This past summer she received an Indiana Arts Commission grant to perform in Aspen with the Chamber Choir. This is Dr. Cloud's fifth performance as conductor of theTerre Haute Choral Society.

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

Choral Society ready to Handel major works

By Judi Hazlett
Special to The Tribune-Star

Tackling big choral works has become second nature to the Terre Haute Choral Society. If it's not Handel, Haydn or Britten, it's Bach for this group of community singers. And Bach it is this season, as the choral society presents Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in Tilson Music Hall.

The choral society was formed in 1973 as a grassroots organization for people who enjoyed singing great choral works. The membership has varied over the years from 50 to 60 singers ages 18 to 80, many who come from communities surrounding Terre Haute.

Choral director Judith Cloud, now in her fifth season, says the 80 voices in this year's chorus include about 20-25 new members, augmented by a few chorale students from Indiana State University.

Cloud believes the quality of the chorus is as good as last year, if not better. She says 'The 80 singers are doing a terrific job with this Oratorio. It's devilishly difficult-a lot of notes and difficult rhythms - but it's just beautiful. Everyone's doing a wonderful job."

Bach's choral legacy represents his greatest artistic achievement. Most of his choral works were used in Lutheran churches for which he was expected to provide the music. It was during one Christmas season that "Bach gave the people of Leipzig a chance to hear much of the music from his secular festive cantatas in modified form, as the Christmas Oratorio, which was heard in six sections between Christmas day 1734 and Epiphany 1735 (and consisted predomunately of parodies of Cantatas No. 213 and 215)," Cloud said.

The work is more a series of Christmas meditations than a narration of the Christmas story. The choral society is doing the first three sections which will last one hour and 15 minutes without intermission. The text will be included in the program.

"This is the standard Christmas story people will recognize," Cloud said, and she added that besides familiar hymns, the work "portrays all the emotions from the joy of Christ's birth to the anticipation of the shepherds and even how Mary feels as she ponders these things in her heart. Then there's the beautiful alto lullaby. We're hoping this can be an experience for the audience this close to Christmas. It's almost like a church service. It can be verv moving."

Cloud also expressed hope that people "won't shy away from the fact that it's Bach. I think this is very accessible music," she said.

Besides the 24-piece ensemble from the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, four soloists will be featured in Sunday's performance.

Soprano Donna Hiter Veahman is a senior voice student studying with Cloud at ISU. In 1985, she attended Brevard Music Center in North Carolina and was a featured soloist with the center's orchestra. She has performed numerious works from operatic and oratorio repertoires, both in solo recitals and on the stage.

Mezzo-soprano Marcia Roberts' concert and oratorio repertoires include standard works by Bach, Beethoven, Copland, Elgar and others. She has performed with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the American Symphony and at the Bach Aria Festival at Stony Brook and the Aspen Music Festival. She is a member of the music faculty at DePauw University.

Tenor Scott McCoy made his singing debut in 1966 in the title role of Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors." His repertoire includes standard oratorios and operatic roles. He has appeared as soloist with music festivals in New York, Vienna and Aspen and performed with numerous opera companies in the United States.

Roberts and McCoy, husband and wife, are also featured guests at tonitht's THSO Holiday Pops concert at 8 in Tilson Music Hall.

Bass Michael Shasberger is on the music faculty at Butler University's Jordan College of Fine Arts. He directs the Butler Chorale. He has performed extensively in oratorio, opera and musical comedy. He has performed numerous solos from the major works of Bach, including those from "St. Matthew Passion," "B minor Mass," "Magnificat," and the bass solo cantata "Ich habe genug."

Tickets for the choral society performance are $6 for adults, $3 for children students and senior citizens. They will be on sale at the door.

PATRONS, CHRISTMAS 1988

NEXT PERFORMANCE

The Choral Society will present a concert of familiar sacred works in the late spring. "Be Still and Know that I am God" by Terre Haute composer, Vivian Bard, will be performed, as well as works by Liszt, Verdi, Bruckner and Beethoven.