Sigma Alpha Iota

2015 National Convention St. Louis Voices of Experience, Voices of the Future sai-national.org • FALL 2015 • PAN PIPES 25 C D E H I J K N O P S T U X Y Z By Jayne I. Hanlin ere are a lot of sixes for the professional a cappella Saint Louis Chamber Chorus (SLCC) during the celebration of its 60 th anniversary this season: six concerts in six venues, six reprised commissions from earlier seasons, six Renaissance masterpieces, and six modern masterworks. And for Sigma Alpha Iota members who were in town to "meet me (and others) in St. Louis" at the triennial National Convention this summer, there was yet another six: the number of our fraternity members — sopranos Juliet Jackson (Iota Beta), Caroline Kra-Ibnabdeljalil (Delta Epsilon), Holley Sherwood (eta Lambda), and Samantha Wagner (Iota Lambda) as well as altos Amanda Meinen (Beta Epsilon) and Brook Bisaillon (Sigma Alpha) — singing in concert on July 24 under the direction of Assistant Conductor Mary Ongjoco Chapman (Nu Chapter). Included on the program was the winning composition, Salve Regina by Timothy Roy, selected by this year's Inter-American Music Award composer-judges and National Arts Associates, Tania León and Daniel Brewbaker, both of whom also had a work on the program. According to SLCC's mission statement, "programs are devised to match music to venue." Unlike virtually all other musical groups, SLCC changes the location of its performances for each concert every year. Committed not only to the choral canon repertoire, the chorus — like Sigma Alpha Iota — also promotes new music. Artistic Director Philip Barnes is proud that the organization makes a specific effort to be inclusive and gender-blind when it comes to composers and repertoire. Concert Five this year features a commissioned work by American composer Steven Stucky, another member of the Composers Bureau. Paired with Stucky's piece is Invocation to Pan, a modern masterwork by Sir Granville Bantock (1868-1946). It is interesting to note that Jean Sibelius's third symphony and the Edward Elgar's second Pomp and Circumstance march are dedicated to Bantock. According to Barnes, no other North American choir has performed the large-scale Invocation to Pan. Written for unaccompanied mixed voices, it consists of two parts, e Great God Pan and Pan in Arcady. e second one is incomplete, however, and only the first has been performed much in the last century. Although Barnes did not conduct the SLCC at this year's convention, he does have a connection to two previous ones in Denver (1997) and Detroit (2003) when I presented workshops about Pan and the Muses in art, literature, and music. He acquainted me with and gave me the scores for Franz Schubert's Der Musensohn (words by Goethe) and Frank Bridge's Pan's Holiday (words by James Shirley). It is not surprising that he is familiar with songs about mythological topics; he is a member of the Classics Department at John Burroughs School in suburban St. Louis. Vocalists from SAI collegiate and alumnae chapters might enjoy singing these melodic works at their musicales and meetings. eir new CD is available beginning in November on the Regent label, St. Louis Firsts. Why not purchase a half a dozen copies and add another six to this diamond jubilee! 1. The IAMA concert was presented by members of the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus was led by Nu initiate Mary Ongjoco Chapman. 2. The choir performed works by IAMA composer-judges and National Arts Associates Dr. Tania León (third from left) and Dr. Daniel Brewbaker (at right,) and IAMA competition winner Timothy Roy, second from left with IAMA Director Sara Bong. Diamond Jubilee for St. Louis Chamber Chorus FOR MORE INFORMATION about the chorus, visit chamberchorus.org 1 2

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