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Recent Performances

“Lux Brumalis: A Collection of Secular Music Inspired by Winter’s Light” Sunday, January 28, 2024 2pm Ingram Hall, Blair School of Music

The VCC celebrates the mystery of the heart of winter, with the many sensations it evokes– solitude, darkness, cold, but also light, togetherness, and beauty. Our repertoire showcases works by many living composers, ending with a stirring arrangement of “Auld Lang Syne” as we toast the New Year together in song.

Friday, May 5, 2023 8pm Turner Hall, Blair School of Music “Mozart and Other Choral Works”  David Binns Williams, artistic director.  

The VCC performs some of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most beloved choral works with orchestra and organ, including the Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, the Solemn Vespers K. 339, and the unfogettable “Ave Verum Corpus.”

Sunday, November 13, 2022 2pm Ingram Hall “An Afternoon with Sondheim!”  David Binns Williams, artistic director,  Horacio Guendulain, pianist

For our post-COVID debut performance we celebrated the works of Stephen Sondheim, genius composer of many beloved musicals, with selections from “Sweeney Todd,” “Company,” “Into the Woods,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” and many others.

Sunday, February 23, 2020 2:30pm Ingram Hall “Brahms to Broadway: Love is in the Air!”  David Binns Williams, artistic director,  Horacio Guendulain, pianist

The Song That Goes Like This from Spamalot — John DuPrez & Eric Idle, Sam Cummins & MC Davidson, soloists

If Ever I Would Leave You — Alan Lerner & Fred Loewe from Camelot, Sam Cummins, solo

Night and Day — Cole Porter,  Becky Young, solo

When I Fall in Love — Victor Young & Edward Heyman,  Riley Crabtree, Erika Leicht, David Linn, Susan Wood, soloists

Stars and Moon — Jason Robert Brown from Songs for a New World,  Zarabeth Davis, solo

Let Me Call You Sweetheart — Leo Friedman & Beth Slater Whitson,  Riley Crabtree, Sam Cummins, David Linn, Brian Wilcox, soloists

Adelaide’s Lament –Frank Loesser from Guys and Dolls   Elaine Braun, solo

I’ve Got a Crush on You — George and Ira Gershwin, Zarabeth Davis, Emily Rich, Susan Wood, soloists

It Had to be You — Isham Jones & Gus Kahn,  Mike Coker, solo

At Last — Mack Gordon & Harry Warren, Natalie Boyd, solo

Liebeslieder Waltzer, Op. 52 Johannes Brahms

Horacio Guendulain & Nicholas Bergin, pianists Audrey Bounds & Dustin Derryberry, soloists Laura Powell & Hal Reid, Ballroom Dancers

Sunday, November 24, 2019 2:30pm Turner Hall “A Brief Fauré” Chorus and Orchestra David Binns Williams, dir. Horacio Guendulain, piano

Trois Chansons — Maurice Ravel  (1835-1937)

Cantique de Jean Racine — Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

Requiem Op. 48 — Gabriel Fauré   Ben Troxler, Baritone   Susan Wood, Soprano

Saturday, May 4, 2019 8pm Ingram Hall “Women in Artistry” David Binns Williams, dir. Horacio Guendulain, piano

Sing All Ye Joyful  [text: JRR Tolkein] — Ruth Watson Henderson (b. 1932)

My Cathedral [text: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow] — Christina Whitten Thomas (b. 1979)

Be Like the Bird [text: Victor Hugo] — Abbie Betinis (b. 1980)  Audrey Bounds, Natalie Boyd (solo), Zarabeth Davis, Alyson Graham, Emily Kimball

Three Selections based on sacred texts

Nada te Turbe [text: Saint Theresa of Avila] — Joan Szymko (b. 1957)  Emily Azzarito, cello

My Master from a Garden Rose [text: Gordon Young] — Eleanor Daley (b. 1955)

Non Nobis, Domine [biblical text] — Rosephanye Powell (b. 1962)

The Promise of Light [text: Len Schiff] — Georgia Stitt (b. 1972)

Emily Kimball, Alyson Graham, Elizabeth Powell, soprano

Zarabeth Davis, Sarah Loch, Laura Powell, alto

Cody Bartone, Harrison Hall, tenor

Riley Crabtree, John Lyons, Eric Wyse, bass

My Gentle Harp (“Londonderry Air”) [text: Thomas Moore] — arr. Alice Parker (b. 1925) Colleen Murray, harp

The Settling Years: Three Pioneer Texts — Libby Larsen (b. 1950)

Texts by Robert V. Carr and Vesta Pierce Crawford

  1. Comin’ to Town
  2. Beneath These Alien Stars
  3. A Hoopla

 

Saturday, December 15, 2018 8pm Turner Hall “Noel, Noel, Noel!”  Chorus and Baroque Ensemble.  David Binns Williams, dir., Jeffrey Williams, guest baritone, Nicholas Bergin, organ

Messe de Minuit pour Noel (Midnight Mass for Christmas) — Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1634?-1704)

Magnificat — Ruth Watson Henderson (b. 1932),  Elizabeth Powell, solo

Fantasia on Christmas Carols — Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), Jeffrey Williams, guest baritone, Christine Kim, cello

 

Saturday, May 5, 2018 8pm Turner Hall “Bernstein: A 100th Birthday Tribute” David Binns Williams, dir. Horacio Guendulain, piano

Warm-Up — Leonard Bernstein  (1918 – 1990)

Three Selections from Candide — Leonard Bernstein  arr. Robert Page

Life Is Happiness Indeed

The Best of All Possible Worlds

Make Our Garden Grow

Chichester Psalms — Leonard Bernstein

Patrick Dailey, Special Guest counter-tenor soloist

Nicholas Bergin, organ; Alan Fey, percussion; Kirsten Agresta Copely, harp

Vanessa Jackson, soprano; Zarabeth Davis, alto; Joshua McCluey, bass

 

Saturday, December 9, 2017 8pm Ingram Hall “The Sounds of Wintertide” David Binns Williams, dir. Horacio Guendulain, piano

O Magnum Mysterium  Giovanni Gabrieli  (1557 – 1612)

Jeffrey Keever, Allie Bridger, Peter Gair, trumpet; Samantha Hartsfield, Katie McMurray, French horn;  Matt Tuggle, Hiram Rodriguez & Evan Lyons, trombone

O Magnum Mysterium  Ivo Antognini  (b. 1963)

O Magnum Mysterium  Hyo-Won Woo  (b. 1974) Morgan Matchok & Greg Gunther, soloists

Hodie, Christus Natus Est   G.P. Palestrina   (1524 – 1594)

Hodie, Christus Natus Est  Kola Owolabi

Jeffrey Keever, & Allie Bridger, trumpet;  Samantha Hartsfield, French horn;  Matt Tuggle, trombone

Hodie, Christus Natus Est  Jonathan Adams  (b. 1962)  Josh McCluey, solo

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind (William Shakespeare)    John Rutter  (b. 1945)

Wintertide (Charles Anthony Silvestri)  Ola Gjeilo  (b. 1978)

Like Snow From Mid-Winter Songs (Robert Graves)  Morten Lauridsen  (b. 1943)

Alleluia   Ralph Manuel  (b. 1951)

 

Saturday, May 6, 2017, 8pm Turner Hall “Music of Life and Hope: A Concert of American Sacred Music” Chorus & Orchestra, David Binns Williams, dir. Caitlin Dowling, Organist

Have Ye Not Known? & Ye Shall Have a Song From The Peaceable Kingdom Randall Thompson (1899-1984)

O Nata Lux   From Lux Aeterna   Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943)

Pilgrim’s Hymn From The Three Hermits     Stephen Paulus (1949-2014)

Requiem for the Living Dan Forrest (b. 1978)

Cameron Ware, boy solo,   Becky Young, soprano solo,  Tucker Biddlecombe, tenor solo

Teče Voda, Teče (“Waters Ripple and Flow”)  Trad. Czecho-Slovak Folksong/Arr. Deems Taylor    Bethany Trainor, solo

           

Sunday, February 19, 2017, 2pm Ingram Hall “We Shall Have a Song: American Choral Music Through the Centuries”  David Binns Williams, dir. 

I Am the Rose of Sharon  William Billings (1746-1800)

At the River  arr.Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal arr. Alice Parker (b. 1925)  Susan Wood, solo

Shenandoah   arr. James Erb

How Can I Keep From Singing   arr. Ronald Staheli   Emily Kimball, solo

Sourwood Mountain   arr. John Rutter   Mike Coker & Riley Crabtree, solos

Ain’t Got Time to Die   Hall Johnson  Vanessa Jackson, solo

In His Care-O William Dawson

I’m Gonna Sing  Moses Hogan

Two Short Anthems    Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Sure on This Shining Night    Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

Three Madrigals  Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927)

  1. O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?
  2. Take, O take those lips away
  3. Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more!

The Promise of Living   Aaron Copland   Caitlin Dowling, Betty Polk, piano

To Sappho   Riley Crabtree (VCC member b. 1992)

The Word Was God    Rosephanye Powell  (b. 1962)

Astronaut Anthem   Meredith Monk (b. 1942)

Alleluia   Jake Runestad (b. 1986)

 

Tuesday, November 29, 2016, 7:30pm West End United Methodist “The American Choir: A Lecture Concert” with Vanderbilt Chorale/Symphonic/Community Choruses, Blair Collegium and Blair Children’s Chorus 

Beautiful Savior arr. F. Melius Christiansen (combined with all choirs)

How Lovely Are the Messengers  Felix Mendelssohn

Ave Verum Corpus (1791) W.A. Mozart

Hallelujah from The Mount of Olives (1803)  L. van Beethoven

In His Care-O (1961) William H, Dawson

Ain’t Got Time to Die (1956) arr. Hall Johnson  Vanessa Jackson, solo

Let the River Run (1989) Carly Simon arr. Craig Hella Johnson (combined with all choirs)

 

Saturday, May 14, 2016, 8pm Turner Hall “Duruflé” Chorus & Orchestra   David Binns Williams, dir.

Quatre Motets sur des Thèmes Grégoriens   Maurice Duruflé  (1902-1986)

Ubi caritas et amor

Tota pulchra es

Tu es Petrus

Tantum ergo

Requiem  Op. 9   Maurice Duruflé      Nicholas Bergin, Organist

 

 

Saturday, December 12, 2015, 8pm Ingram Hall “In Dulci Jubilo” Chorus & Orchestra, David Binns Williams, dir.

In Dulci Jubilo  Arr. R.L Pearsall (1795-1856)

Spring-2017-Concert-8×11Christmas Night   Arr. John Rutter  (b. 1945)

Once As I Remember   Arr. Charles Wood  (1866-1926)

I Wonder As I Wander   Arr. John Rutter    Rose Christian, solo

Cherry Tree Carol   Arr. David Willcocks   (1919-2015)

Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day  Arr. David Willcocks  Vanessa Jackson, solo

A Virgin Most Pure   Arr. Charles Wood

I Sing of a Maiden   Patrick Hadley (1899-1973)

O Little One Sweet   Old German melody harmonized by J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

Greensleeves  arr. Samuel Milligan   (b. 1932) Colleen Murray and Margot Revet, harp

There is a Flower   John Rutter    Susan Wood, solo

Rejoice and Sing  From the Christmas Oratorio   J.S. Bach

All My Heart this Night Rejoices   Johann Georg Ebeling   (1637-1676)

I Saw a Maiden    Old Basque Noel arr. Edgar Pittman  (1865-1943)

Nativity Carol   John Rutter