On Tuesday morning, July 23, thirty-two choristers from the Transfiguration Choir, ten family members, assistant organist Glenn Stroh, and I will meet at London’s Heathrow airport to begin our England Tour 2013. This choir tour is really a pilgrimage to the home of Anglicanism – England – and to the country which has given us six centuries of rich choral music for our worship according to the Book of Common Prayer. Not only are we on a pilgrimage to visit places about which we have long heard, but we will give praise to God and minister to Christ’s church by the services we will sing in the place of the regular choirs of the cathedrals and parishes. We will also be able to make music in some of the glorious Gothic cathedrals of the British Isles, with their rich acoustics made for carrying and enriching the sounds of the human voice like nothing we have in North Texas. Our journey will end at St. George’s Church, Hanover Square, London, home of our sister organ, Opus 18, where will sing the morning Eucharist, and later an evensong in honor of our feast of title – The Transfiguration of Our Lord. Thus, we will bring a portion of our own, unique Transfiguration-Dallas tradition to the source of our Anglican tradition.
From the first rehearsals for our traditional opener of the Transfigured Nights season – A Solemn Evensong for Holy Cross Day – the Transfiguration Choir’s fifty-five choristers have been busy preparing for this tour. Over the course of the 2012-2013 season, we have undertaken three projects which have been intended, in part, to raise funds for this adventure. The two Transfigured Nights programs – the November evening of musical song and desserts and the April Gala of classical music – were first and foremost creations of major offerings of our collective talents to enrich the lives of our parishioners and friends. In a similar way, our new choir recording answered the frequent requests of Fr. Godwin, bookstore manager Carolyn Georges and countless parishioners for us to make a CD of music for the Christmas season. The byproduct of all three endeavors was to raise funds towards defraying the costs of the tour for the singers.
For those who may have missed these parish events, here follows a brief recap as a fitting lead-in to this summer’s tour:
November 3 – A Night in the West End
This event was cabaret evening named for London’s theatre district. Over 150 guests seated at festively-decorated tables in Roper Hall savored a selection of wines and home-made desserts while enjoying music from musicals and song-writers of the 20th century. Choir members Meghan Mazur and Ted Clarkson headed up the entertainment. Highlights included opening and closing numbers sung by the entire choir, “I’m Getting Married in the Morning” by Ted and the men, and two selections from works based on the Cinderella story sung by our own “princesses” Melissa Bunzendahl and Evan Black. A great time was had by all, and a wide array of treasures and trips were won at the silent auction which accompanied the event.
December Launch of New Christmas CD
Four recording sessions in early October produced the Transfiguration Choir’s second compact disc – Love Came Down at Christmas – which was launched at the Advent Lessons & Carols reception on December 2nd. Parishioner George Gilliam donated his time to record and produce the CD. Both this recording of music for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, and the first CD – Tune Me, O Lord – with music for Lent, Easter and other times of the church year, will continue to be available for purchase in the Kay Andrews Bookstore.
April 21 Gala – Tea & Tallis
An afternoon of music for choir, voice, and a wide array of instruments was enjoyed by 120 Transfigured Nights attendees on a beautiful April afternoon. The two program halves were separated by English High Tea in Roper Hall, again richly decorated for the occasion by Transfiguration’s Flower Guild. The choir members’ work was amply displayed in their singing, their cooking, and their serving. At one point while sitting on the side of the nave listening to a performance, I myself was overwhelmed by the musical talent of our Transfiguration community. I know that those who attended felt the same, by all the comments, emails and notes which have come my way.
June 23 – Bon Voyage Concert
Please join the members of the England 2013 Tour Choir for a Bon Voyage concert on Sunday, June 23, at 7:00 p.m. It will include the world premiere of my new setting of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis entitled Evening Service for the Transfiguration, commissioned by Robert and Laurel Brewster in honor of the Stephen Ministry of Transfiguration. Champaign toasts will follow this free event. England, here we come!
by Joel Martinson