PROGRAM
Conducted by Juan Carlos Acosta, Aaron Burgett, and Calieanne Grossheim*
Welcome
Intermission
Two Prayers for Peace*
Belle Prière à Faire Pendant la Messe (French Original)
Mahamrityunjay Lord Shiva’s Mantra
Tu Sangre en la Mía (My Blood)
Soloists: Aaron Burgett & Rebecca Ung
*World Premiere
Ola Gjeilo
Henry Purcell
arr. Arnold Sevier
Hyo-won Woo
Andrew Bearden
Shawn Kirchner
Ysaye Barnwell
arr. Kerry Marsh
Anders Edenroth
Eriks Esenvalds
PERFORMERS & LEADERSHIP
SOPRANOS
Calieanne Grossheim*
Jade Popper Loveless
Jessica Trost
Rebecca Ung
ALTOS
Sonja Brun
Jiachae McGee
Ellie Mout
Elly Roseberry
Michael Sakell
TENORS
Andrew Bearden
Aaron Burgett
Brad Fox
Sean McCormac
Gabriel Nelson
BASSES
Uriah Brown
Adam Davis
Jonathan Gonzales
Allen Pace
Chris Stephens
INSTRUMENTALISTS
Rachelle Butler
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Karl Bunker, President
Tori Haberman, Secretary
Eric Swanson, Treasurer
Leslie Conner
Linda Kewin
Mirabelle Kirkpatrick
Glenda McKibben
Krishan Oberoi
STAFF
Juan Carlos Acosta, Artistic Director
Aaron Burgett, Assistant Conductor
Rebecca Ung, Chorus Manager
Jessica Trost, Social Media
*Guest Conductor
SACRA/PROFANA
Founded in 2009 by Krishan Oberoi, SACRA/PROFANA quickly gained acclaim as “San Diego’s go-to choral ensemble” for their collaborations with the region’s top performing arts groups including the San Diego Symphony, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir of San Diego, the L.A. Choral Lab, Mainly Mozart, Malashock Dance, La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Opera, Bodhi Tree Concerts, and San Diego Dance Theater, among many others. Notably, the group gave the red carpet world premiere live performance of Michael Giacchino’s score for Star Trek: Beyond with the San Diego Symphony at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016, as well as Alan Menken’s and Stephen Schwartz’s stage adaptation of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2014.
Specialists in the work of living composers, SACRA/PROFANA have given world, national, and regional premieres by contemporary luminaries such as David Lang, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Shawn Kirchner, Saunder Choi, Brandon Waddles, Anthony Davis, Amy Gordon, Stephen Feigenbaum, Jason Carl Rosenberg, Stephen Sturk and many others. They have also embraced the challenging choral masterpieces of twentieth century icons Arnold Schoenberg, György Ligeti, Dominick Argento and Ernst Krenek.
The group released their first full length album Elegies & Ecstasies in 2012, followed by the world premiere recording of when we were children by David Lang in 2014. Since then, the group has produced numerous recordings and videos, most notably their socially distant pandemic cover of “Cars” by Gary Numan. SACRA/PROFANA recently released A Longing for Christmas with Grammy award winning producer Peter Rutenberg.
JUAN CARLOS ACOSTA, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Juan Carlos Acosta was appointed Associate Artistic Director and principal conductor of SACRA/PROFANA in 2015, and named Artistic Director in 2018. Under his direction, the group has continued its artistic excellence and commitment to contemporary choral music, while diversifying its repertoire and representation and engaging in socially relevant issues.
Juan Carlos has received critical praise for his interpretations, as well his refinement of the choral sound, with Ken Herman (San Diego Story) writing “The warm, superbly balanced sonority of Sacra/Profana persuasively communicated this work’s emotional depth. Kudos to Acosta for cultivating such a well-balanced, finely tuned ensemble sound that still retains the color and vitality we cherish in a great singer.”
In 2018 Juan Carlos conducted San Diego Opera’s collaborative performance of All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 for three sold out audiences and live broadcast on KPBS. The performances were hailed as “masterfully conducted” (San Diego Union-Tribune) and were awarded the 2018 Craig Noel Special Event award by the San Diego Theater Critics Circle.
Over a career that is approaching twenty years, Juan Carlos has been active nationally, regionally, and locally as speaker, presenter, and clinician for such groups as the Choristers Guild, the American Guild of Organists, the San Diego Arts Mega Conference, and California and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Together with composer Brandon Waddles, Juan Carlos and SACRA/PROFANA were awarded the inaugural Diverse Voices Collaborative Grant by the ACDA for a work based on the life and work of activist James Baldwin for double choir and jazz trio.
In addition to his work with SACRA/PROFANA, Juan Carlos Acosta also serves as the Director of Worship at the Village Community Presbyterian Church, where he directs the Chancel Choir, Youth Choir, Choral Scholars, and the Village Community Chorale. He has also conducted the Concert Choir and Choral Scholars of the University of San Diego, the Cuyamaca College Choir, and served as choral director for the Chula Vista School for the Creative and Performing Arts. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education, and a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from San Diego State University. Juan Carlos has done additional study with Charles Bruffy at the Westminster Conducting Institute, and Jon Washburn with the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
PROGRAM NOTES
The classical concert experience is full of pretense and tradition. Many of these expectations are born out of practices that are tried and true, but some of them are simply cultural constructs meant to appeal to only the cognoscenti. In this concert we are reconsidering what authenticity means to us. The music, selected in large part by the singers themselves, speaks to who we are as artists and what music is most authentic to us. It will range from historic polyphony to contemporary music from some of the biggest names in choral music, and beyond.
TEXTS
Unicornis Captivatur- Ola Gjeilo
Unicornis captivatur,
Aule regum presentatur
Venatorum laqueo,
Palo serpens est levatus,
Medicatur sauciatus
Veneno vipereo.
Alleluia canite,
Agno morienti,
Alleluia pangite,
Alleluia promite
Leoni vincenti.
Pellicano vulnerato
Vita redit pro peccato
Nece stratis misera,
Phos fenicis est exusta,
Concremanturque vetusta
Macrocosmi scelera.
Alleluia canite…
Idrus intrat crocodillum,
Extis privat, necat illum,
Vivus inde rediens;
Tris diebus dormitavit
Leo, quem resuscitavit
Basileus rugiens.
Alleluia canite…
______________________
The Unicorn is captured,
It´s presented to the royal court
In the hunters´ snare;
Creeping, it freed itself from the pole;
Because it´s wounded, it heals itself
With the viper´s venom.
Sing Alleluia
To the dying lamb;
Sing Alleluia,
Cry Alleluia
To the victorious Lion.
Life returns to the wounded Pelican
After miserable death
In its nest for the sins of the world.
The Phoenix´ light is burnt out,
The ancient sins of the world
Are utterly consumed by flame.
Sing Alleluia…
The Hydra enters the crocodile,
Deprives it of its entrails, kills it,
And comes back alive.
Three days long
the Lion slept till the King
Awakened it with a roar.
Sing Alleluia…
I Was Glad, Henry Purcell
I was glad when they said unto me: We will go into the house of the Lord.
For thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord: to testify unto Israel, and to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord.
For there is the seat of judgement: even the seat of the house of David.
O pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls: and plenteousness within thy palaces.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Precious Lord, arr. Arnold Sevier
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I'm weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand, precious Lord
Lead me home
When my way grows drear
Precious Lord, linger near
When my life is almost gone
At the river, Lord, I stand
Guide my feet and hold my hand:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
And lead me home.
Two Prayers for Peace, Andrew Bearden
Belle Prière à Faire Pendant la Messe French Original
Seigneur, faites de moi un instrument de votre paix.
Là où il y a de la haine, que je mette l'amour.
Là où il y a l'offense, que je mette le pardon.
Là où il y a la discorde, que je mette l'union.
Là où il y a l'erreur, que je mette la vérité.
Là où il y a le doute, que je mette la foi.
Là où il y a le désespoir, que je mette l'espérance.
Là où il y a les ténèbres, que je mette votre lumière.
Là où il y a la tristesse, que je mette la joie.
Ô Maître, que je ne cherche pas tant
à être consolé qu'à consoler,
à être compris qu'à comprendre,
à être aimé qu'à aimer,
car c'est en donnant qu'on reçoit,
c'est en s'oubliant qu'on trouve,
c'est en pardonnant qu'on est pardonné,
c'est en mourant qu'on ressuscite à l'éternelle vie.
Translation:
Beautiful prayer to say during Mass
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love,
For it is in giving that one receives,
It is in forgetting one’s self that one finds,
It is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
It is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.
Mahamrityunjay Lord Shiva’s Mantra
Original Sanskrit:
ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्मृत्योर्मुक्षीय माऽमृतात्
Transliteration:
Om
Tryambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushti Vardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanat
Mrytyor Muksheeya Mamritat
IPA:
om
tɾiyambəkam jedʒamahə
sugandhim puʃti vaɾdanam
uɾvaɾukəmivə bandanat
mɾütyoɾmukʃijə mamɾutat
Translation:
Om
We worship the beautiful Three-Eyed One
Who is fragrant, increasing our happiness.
Just like fruit is easily freed from the bondage of the tree,
Free us from the bondage of death.
Tu Sangre en la Mía (My Blood)
Text by Pablo Neruda
From Cien Sonetos de Amor
(One Hundred Love Sonnets)
Music and Translation by Shawn Kirchner
Aquí está el pan, el vino, la mesa, la morada:
el menester del hombre, la mujer y la vida:
a este sitio corría la paz vertiginosa,
por esta luz ardió la común quemadura.
Honor a tus dos manos que vuelan preparando
los blancos resultados del canto y la cocina,
salve! la integridad de tus pies corredores,
viva! la bailarina que baila con la escoba.
Aquellos bruscos ríos con aguas y amenazas,
aquel atormentado pabellón de la espuma,
aquellos incendiaron panales y arrecifes,
son hoy este reposo de tu sangre en la mía,
este cauce estrellado y azul como la noche
esta simplicidad sin fin de la ternura.
______________________
Here are the bread and wine, the table and the house:
the needs of a man, of a woman, of life.
To this place, peace rushed in, spinning round and round.
To make this light, a shared fire burned.
Hail to your two hands that fly, baking
the white creations of kitchen and song.
Hail! the virtue of your busy feet,
Long live the ballerina who dances with her broom!
Those rough rivers, with their currents and threats,
Those tormented pavilions of foam,
those hives and reefs aflame:
today they are this respite of your blood in mine,
this path, star-strewn and blue as night,
this endless simplicity of tenderness.
On Children, Ysaye Barnwell
Your children are not your children
They are the sons and the daughters of life’s longing for itself
They come through you, but they are not from you
And though they are with you, they belong not to you
You can give them your love, but not your thoughts
They have their own thoughts, they have their own thoughts
You can house their bodies but not their souls
For their souls dwell in a place of tomorrow
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams
You can strive to be like them
But you cannot make them just like you
Holocene, arr. Kerry Marsh
Some way, baby, it's part of me, apart from me
You're laying waste to Halloween
You flipped it, friend, it's on its head, it struck the street
You're in Milwaukee, off your feet
And at once, I knew
I was not magnificent
Strayed above the highway aisle
Jagged vacance, thick with ice
And I could see for miles, miles, miles
Third and Lake, it burnt away, the hallway
Was where we learned to celebrate
Automatic bought the years you'd talk for me
That night you played me "Lip Parade"
Not the needle, nor the thread, the lost decree
Saying nothing, that's enough for me
And at once, I knew
I was not magnificent
Hauled far from the highway aisle
Jagged vacance, thick with ice
And I could see for miles, miles, miles
Christmas night, it clutched the light, the hallow bright
Above my brother, I, and tangled spines
We smoked the screen to make it what it was to be
Now, to know it in my memory
And at once, I knew
I was not magnificent
High above the highway aisle
Jagged vacance, thick with ice
And I could see for miles, miles, miles
Words, Anders Edenroth
Words
A letter and a letter on a string
Will hold forever humanity spellbound
Words
Possession of the beggar and the king
Everybody, everyday
You and I, we all can say
Words
Regarded as a complicated tool
Created by man, implicated by mankind
Words
Obsession of the genius and the fool
Everybody, everyday,
Everywhere and everyway
Words!
Find them, you can use them
Say them, you can hear them
Write them, you can read them
Love them, fear them
Words
Transmitted as we're fitted from the start
Received by all and we're sentenced to a life with
Words
Impression of the stupid and the smart
Everybody, everyday
You and I, we all can say
Words
Inside your head can come alive as they're said
Softly, loudly, modestly or proudly
Words
Expression by the living and the dead
Everybody, everyday
Everywhere and everyway
Words!
Find them, you can use them
Say them, you can hear them
Write them, you can read them
Love them, fear them
Long Road, Eriks Esenvalds
Pauīne Bārda
English translation by
Elaine Singley Lloyd
I love, I love you night and day
As a star in the distant sky
And I mourn for this one thing alone
That to love, our lifetime was so short, so short
A long road to heaven's shining meadow
And never could I reach its end
But a longer road leads to your heart
Which to me seems distant as a star
I love, I love you night and day
As a star in the distant sky
And I mourn for this one thing alone
That to love, our lifetime was so short, so short
A long road to heaven's shining meadow
And never could I reach its end
But a longer road leads to your heart
Which to me seems distant as a star
Gloria, Hyo-won Woo
Domine, Deus Pater Omnipotens
Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe,
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris
Gloria in excelsis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te,
benedicimus te,
adoramus te,
glorificamus te,
gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam
______________________
Lord, God, Father almighty
Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father
Glory to God in the highest
And on Earth, peace to all of goodwill
We praise you
We bless you
We worship you
We glorify you
We thank you for your great glory
We are grateful to our supporters for their generous contributions! Please join us in thanking them for being an important part of what we do. Total donations October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. Please let us know if any info is listed incorrectly.
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS
Visionaries $10,000+
Sandra New
Underwriters $5,000-9,999
Tori & Aaron Haberman
Peter Rutenberg
Sustainers $2,500-4,999
Karl & Leslie Bunker
Susan Childs
Leslie Conner
Larry & Susan Gerling
Linda Kewin
Glenda McKibben
Susan & Douglas McLeod
Benefactors $1,000-2,499
Anonymous
Juan & Andrea Acosta
Clifford & Carolyn Colwell
Fusenot Foundation
David & Patricia Lokensgard
Krishan Oberoi
Eric & Rexanna Swanson
Greta & Stephen Treadgold
Advocates $500-999
Anonymous - In Memory of Father Xuan Acosta
Walter Baumhoff
Jan & Rick Farley
Alan & Pam Hay
Carol Manifold
Holly & Warren Otto
Deborah Rimkus
Friends $250-499
Anneke Doty
Supporters $100-249
David Bardwick
Steven Barkley
Jay & Mary Hanson
Mary Koto
Stacey Love
Elaine & Doug Muchmore
Joani Nelson
Mary Ellen O’Malley
Mary Ray
Bill & Georgiana Simmons
William Slack & Mark Malean
Kent Swedell
Acknowledgments
Thank You!
Wendy Naylor, Volunteer Coordinator
Maureen Miner (Assistance with French)
Clara Joy Welcome, Program Design
To Support SACRA/PROFANA
Donate online: www.sacraprofana.org/donate
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P.O. Box 712049, San Diego, CA 92171-2049
SACRA/PROFANA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 46-0549914. All donations to support SACRA/PROFANA are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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