The American Boychoir

 David R. White, Artistic Director and Conductor
with special guests
The American Boychoir
Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, conductor
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Festival Concert 7:00 pm
Peachtree Road United Methodist Church
Establishing a Legacy of Excellence
PROGRAM
Fanfare For a Festival
Ron Nelson
The Festival Choir
All praise! All praise to music! Heaven sent.
The voice that lifts all hearts in perfect melody,
And leaves the soul fulfilled with joy and peace.
All praise! All praise to music! Heaven sent.
In open song!
~ Walter Rodby
T HE G E O R G I A B O Y C H O I R
The Word Was God
Rosephanye Powell
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made
that have been made. Nothing was made, He has not made. All things
were made by Him.
~ John 1:1-3
Jesus Paid It All
John T. Grape
arr. Joan Pinkston
I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.” Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim. I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calvary’s Lamb. And when before the throne I stand in Him complete, “Jesus died my soul to save,” My lips shall still repeat. ~ Elvina Hall Sicut Locutus Est from Magnificat
Johann Sebastian Bach
Translation: Thus it was spoken to our forefathers, Abraham and his
descendants, unto eternity.
Weep No More
David N. Childs
Shed no tear, O shed no tear! The flow’r will bloom another year. Weep no
more, O weep no more! Dry your eyes, O dry your eyes, For I was taught in
paradise To ease my breast of melodies.
~based on John Keats
Pärismaalase Lauluke An Aboriginal Song
Veljo Tormis
The single word of this song, “Tabu” is a Polynesian word that means Holy
or Holiness. It is the word from which we derive the term, “Taboo.”
THE AMERICAN BOYCHOIR
Please See Inserted Program
Omnia Sol (Let Your Heart Be Staid)
Z. Randall Stroope
Somewhere far from nowhere, I grew both strong and tall,
Longing to become, but knowing not the path at all.
But the footprints of the winter melted to fields of spring;
One last embrace before I cross the threshold; To Life we sing!
O stay your soul and leave my heart its song,
O stay your hand, the journey may be long.
And when we part and sorrow can’t be sway’d,
Remember when and let your heart be staid.
~Z. Randall Stroope
THE GEORGIA BOY CHOIR FESTIVAL CHOIR
Alleluia Kanon
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Alleluia. Amen
This Little Light of Mine
arr. Ken Berg
This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.
Ev’ry where I go, I’m going to let it shine.
All through the night, I’m going to let it shine.
~Anonymous
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burnin’
arr. Greg Gilpin
Keep your lamps trimmed and burnin’, for the time is drawin’ nigh.
Soon I will be done with the trouble of the world, the time is drawin’ nigh.
Children don’t get weary till your work is done.
~Anonymous
Vive L’Amour
arr. Alice Parker and Robert Shaw
Let every good fellow now join in a song,
Success to each other and pass it along,
Vive l’amour, Vive la compagnie!
(Long live love, Long live the brotherhood)
Come all you good fellows and join in with me,
And raise up your voices in close harmony.
Should time or occasion compel us to part,
These days shall forever enlighten the heart.
Let every old bachelor fill up his glass,
And drink to the health of his favorite lass.
Let every old married man drink to his wife,
The joy of his bosom and comfort of life.
~ Anonymous
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Paul Simon
arr. Kirby Shaw
I’ll be your bridge o’er troubled water, when you’re down, I will carry
you like a bridge o’er troubled water, I will lay me down.
When you’re weary, feelin’ small, when tears are in your eyes I will dry
them all; I’m on your side. Oh, when times get rough and friends just can’t
be found, like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down. When
you’re down and out, when you’re on the street, my lord, when evening
falls so hard I will comfort you. I’ll take your part Oh, when darkness
comes and pain is all around, Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay
me down. Sail on silver girl, sail on by. Your time has come to shine All
your dreams are on their way. See how they shine Oh, if you ever need a
friend, look around, I’m sailing right behind. Like a bridge over troubled
water, I will ease your mind.
~ Paul Simon
The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune
arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams
All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell, Come ye before Him and rejoice.
The Lord, ye know, is God indeed, Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed, And for His sheep He doth us take.
O enter then His gates with praise, Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His name always, For it is seemly so to do.
For why? The Lord our God is good: His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood, And shall from age to age endure.
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, The God Whom heaven and earth adore,
From men and from the angel host be praise and glory evermore. Amen.
~ William Keith
The Bent Strings
Guest Conductor Fernando Malvar-Ruiz was appointed Litton-Lodal Music Director of The
American Boychoir in July 2004. Since then, he has toured with the Choir to 30 states and
Canada. He prepared the Choir for performances at the YouthAIDS Benefit Gala, the 77th Annual
Academy Awards Ceremony and the Tanglewood Music Festival. He also conducted the Choir at
the nationally televised U.S. Open Tennis Tournament Women’s Finals and prepared it for
performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Prior to his
current position, Mr. Malvar-Ruiz served for four years as the Associate Music Director of the
Choir, under James Litton and Vincent Metallo, respectively. During this tenure, Mr. MalvarRuiz toured with the Choir to 44 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. He also traveled
with and prepared the Choir for its appearances at the 2001 Bermuda Festival and 2000 Des
Moines International Children’s Choral Festival. In addition, he primed the Choir for two
Christmas programs for broadcast on Public Radio International, and one of the Choir’s selfreleased CDs, Lullaby: music for the quiet times. He brings extensive experience in the field of
choral music to The American Boychoir, having previously directed the Columbus (Ohio) Youth
Choir, the Central Illinois Children’s Choir and choirs in Spain and Hungary.
Artistic Director and Conductor, David R. White has been training boys and young men to
sing for more than two decades. In 1994, he founded the Boy Choir of the Carolinas in Greenville,
South Carolina. In 1998 he became the Music Director of Florida’s Singing Sons Boychoir in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. From 2001 to 2009, Mr. White was the Artistic Director and Conductor of
the Atlanta Boy Choir in Atlanta, Georgia. Under his direction, choirs have participated in
numerous festivals throughout the world including the Prague International Choral Festival, the
Pacific International Children’s Choir Festival, the Anchorage Choral Festival, the Cultural
Olympiad in Greece, the Baltimore Boychoir Festival, the Southeast Festival of Song, and the
Choral Olympics in Linz, Austria. He has been a conductor on the faculty at the Interlochen
Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan as well as the Csehy Summer School of Music in
Philadelphia. Mr. White holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Georgia
College and is active as a lecturer, adjudicator, and conductor for choral and vocal competitions,
workshops, and festivals. He currently holds the position of Repertoire and Standards Chair for
the Georgia Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.
Associate Conductor and Organist, Scott Hamilton Atchison currently serves as director
of music and organist at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where he
administers a program including nine choirs. Under his leadership, the choirs have performed in
some of the most venerable cathedrals and halls around the world. In the United States, the Choir
of Peachtree Road has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., and
the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The Peachtree Road Choir has toured
internationally for many years. Notably, the choir has appeared at St. Paul’s and Wells Cathedral
in the United Kingdom and Notre Dame, Chartres, and Reims Cathedral in France. In 2002, Mr.
Atchison began the design and installation of the 106-stop Mander Organ in the church’s new
sanctuary. In November of that year, he was the featured soloist in the premiere of the Concerto
for Organ, Orchestra and Chorus by renowned composer Stephen Paulus with the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mr. Robert Spano. The music program at Peachtree
Road United Methodist Church includes a full-scale concert series which draws music lovers from
across the city. The series includes at least two major choral works each season with members of
the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Atchison’s schedule keeps him busy as an organ recitalist
and choral clinician across the country. Mr. Atchison received his training in organ performance
and choral conducting from Furman University as well as Georgia State University where his
teachers included Lindsay Smith and Robert L. Simpson. Professional memberships include the
American Guild of Organists, American Choral Directors Association, and the Royal School of
Church Music.
Establishing a Legacy of Excellence