In a dazzling display of vocal harmony and musical brilliance, the Georgia State University Singers embarked on an extraordinary journey to Istanbul, Turkey, to perform at the prestigious 2023 World Symposium of Choral Music this past April.
The World Symposium of Choral Music, or WSCM for short, is a highly anticipated event that brings together the finest choirs and choral leaders for performances, seminars, workshops, exhibitions and reading sessions. In addition to the symposium, the event included a choir festival of 80 concerts given by international and national choirs in a multitude of venues, which took place simultaneously, going on all day and concluded with Gala concerts. This year, Istanbul had the honor of hosting the symposium and the Georgia State University Singers were selected to represent the United States.
Led by their renowned conductor, Dr. Deanna Joseph, the University Singers embarked on their journey across the globe. For months, the choir members dedicated countless hours to refining their repertoire and perfecting their vocal techniques. As the day of their first performance finally arrived, the ensemble took to the stage at the magnificent AKM Türk Telekom Opera Hall performing their program titled "From Torment to Triumph." The repertoire included the premiere of the piece, "Istanbul’u Dinliyorum", commissioned for the group by the WSCM and written by Özkan Manav who was present at the performance.
"This program showcased Jake Runestad’s dramatic rumination on Beethoven’s Heiligenstadt Testament in which the great composer expresses his tortured anguish and near-suicidal despair at his increasing deafness. The piece, A Silence Haunts Me, sets the stage for the emotional journey from torment to triumph, as elucidated in the program featuring poignant and stylistically diverse pieces. Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw’s "Her beacon-hand beckons" from her multi-movement cantata To the Hands, follows with original text inspired by the Emma Lazarus’ 1883 sonnet “The New Colossus” which is mounted on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The evocative text and recitative-like musical setting remind us of the high ideals of our country’s founding as well as the sobering realization that they remain out of reach to so many. The earnest urgency of Stephen Foster’s Hard Times Come Again No More offers the final plea for relief. Shawn Kirchner’s setting of a traditional African American Spiritual, arranged with gospel influences, offers a jubilant picture of a symbolic city of perfection that is arguably the most familiar genre to our local, Atlanta-based audiences and offers rousing affirmation of the theme of triumph from despair – whether it be through determination, community activism, or religious faith." Program notes by Dr. Deanna Joseph.
Their second performance took place on April 27th and was held in the Grand Pera hall. The program, titled "Toward a New Day" featured two soloists, Prof. Tania Maxwell Clements (violin) and undergraduate clarinetist, Jack Lloyd.
"Toward a New Day juxtaposes musical styles (German baroque, American Shape-Note, modern western classical, Southern Hymnody, blues, and a jazz-inspired spiritual arrangement) indiscriminately, while offering meditation on a textual/poetic through-line on themes celebrating the renewal of Time’s cyclical passage and offering hope in the new and unknown. The musical styles represent the cultural backgrounds and professional musical pursuits of Georgia State University’s student singers. As an urban university in the heart of Atlanta, our students reflect the cultural diversity of both the Old and New American South. Atlanta is the home to important historic and current civil rights initiatives and is the cultural hub in which the many styles of music associated with America’s historic Deep South co-mingle with thriving popular music idioms and the study and performance Western Classical Music. Our goal as an ensemble is to both celebrate and blur the stylistic boundaries of musical genre in our singing, in a broader effort to explore and highlight themes of our common humanity with our audiences through the performance of choral music. Like our country’s motto as seen on the dollar bill, “e pluribus unum”, so our choir and our repertoire seeks to simultaneously relish both our unity and commonality, and our personal and cultural individuality." Program notes by Dr. Deanna Joseph.
Dr. Joseph, beaming with pride, expressed her delight at the choir's achievement. "Performing as one of ten invited choirs from across the globe at the International Federation for Choral Music’s World Symposium on Choral Music in Istanbul, Turkey was a great honor for the GSU University Singers. The conference was particularly poignant as it was the first world gathering of the choral community since the Covid-19 pandemic and it followed such devastation from the earthquakes in Turkey earlier this year. The students and audiences were moved by the singing and we had an experience that will stay with us for the rest of our lives." Dr. Jennifer Sengin, who had the pleasure of joining the group in Turkey, added, "I’m so proud of the students and how well they sang at both concerts! It was truly an honor for GSU to be accepted to attend such a prestigious event!”
Furthermore, amidst the resounding success of the University Singers’ performances at the 2023 WSCM, one individual stood out as a rising star in the field of choral conducting. José Alberto Azurdia Lamadrid, a graduate choral conducting student, received a prestigious invitation to participate in the highly competitive conducting masterclass held as part of the conference. Renowned conductor Ragnar Rasmussen led the masterclass, providing an unparalleled opportunity for José to refine his craft under the guidance of a maestro.
Following their mesmerizing performances at the 2023 World Symposium of Choral Music, the future of the University Singers and the choral area at Georgia State is filled with promise and excitement. As the ensemble returns to Atlanta, they eagerly anticipate what lies ahead. Building on their achievements, the University Singers have recently released their highly anticipated third full album, titled "Requiem," under the masterful direction of Dr. Joseph.
For an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse of the trip, led by graduate conducting student Rontray Miller, make sure to check out the School of Music's Instagram highlight titled "23 WSCM."
About the Ensemble: The international award-winning Georgia State University Singers is the School of Music’s premier vocal ensemble. Selected by competitive audition, the choir represents the diverse population of Georgia State. In May of 2017, the University Singers won first place in the renowned Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition during a tour of Austria and Germany. In May of 2013, the University Singers competed in La Florilège Vocal de Tours where they placed second overall in the mixed choir category.
To learn more about the choral area at Georgia State, visit https://music.gsu.edu/choir.
