The use of cameras or recording equipment during the 

performance is not allowed. Please be sure that cell phones,

pagers, and other electronic devices are turned off.

Please note that late entry or reentry ofthe 

West Building after 6:30 pm is not permitted.

For the convenience of concertgoers, 

the Garden Cafe remains open for light refreshments

until 6:00 pm on Sundays.

Music Department

National Gallery ofArt

Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue nw

Washington, DC

wuw.ngfl.gov

Concerts are made possible in part through the generosity of donors 

to the National Gallery of Art through The Circle. Reserved seating is

available in recognition oftheir support. Please contact the development 

office at (202) 842-6450 or circk@nga.gov for more information.

COVER: National Gallery ofArt Orchestra with Richard Bales conducting, undated photo

All images courtesy Gallery Archives, National Gallery ofArt, Washington.

The Seventy-first Season of

The William Nelson Cromwell and F. Lammot Belin

Concerts

National Gallery ofArt

2,913th Concert

The Festival Choir ofthe Lutheran Church ofthe Reformation

Paul Leavitt, director

Celebrating Seventy Years of Concerts

at the National Gallery ofArt

December 2, 2012

Sunday, 6:30 pm

West Building, West Garden Court

Admissionfree
Program

Paul Leavitt (b. 1963)

Madrigal (1995)

Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)

Christmas Oratorio (1863)

Prelude

Recitative: Et pastores erant (Tenor, contralto, soprano, baritone)

Chorus: Gloria in altissimis Deo

Air: Expectans, expectavi Dominum (Mezzo-soprano)

Air and chorus: Domine, ego credidi (Tenor)

Duo: Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini (Soprano, baritone)

Chorus: Quare fremuerunt gentes?

Trio: Tecum principium (Tenor, soprano, baritone)

Quartet: Alleluia, laudate, coeli (Soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone)

Quintet and chorus: Consurge, filia Sion

Chorus: Tollite hostias

INTERMISSION

Paul Leavitt

Magnificat (2012)

Ave Maria/Magnificat anima mea

Quia respexit humilitatem

Ecce enim ex hoc beatam

Fecit potentiam

Esurientes

Suscepit Israel

Gloria Patri

World premiere performance

The Musicians

THE FESTIVAL CHOIR OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REFORMATION

As the guest vocal ensemble of choice ofNational Gallery ofArt music director

Richard Bales in the 1950s and 1960s, the choir ofthe Lutheran Church ofthe

Reformation in Washington, DC, has performed more often at the Gallery

than any other guest ensemble. Its record oftwenty-six concerts in a span

ofless than twenty years is surpassed only by the National Gallery ofArt’s

resident orchestra and vocal ensemble. Known at that time as the Church of

the Reformation Cantata Choir, the group sang repertoire ranging from Bach

cantatas to the Mozart Requiem to the cantatas written by Bales himself—

The Republic, The Union, and The Confederacy. Under the direction ofthe

husband-and-wife team Jule and Peggy Zabawa, the ensemble performed on

auspicious occasions, such as the concerts in honor ofpresidential inaugurations and the 500th concert in the series, which took place on November 9,

1952. In recent seasons, performing as the Festival Choir ofthe Lutheran

Church ofthe Reformation, the ensemble has undertaken three concert tours

of Europe and collaborated with the New York City Master Chorale in three

concerts commemorating the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

PAUL LEAVITT

Composer, organist, and conductor Paul Leavitt has served as the full-time 

director ofmusic and the arts at the Lutheran Church ofthe Reformation

since 2003. The holder of a bachelor’s degree from the State University of

New York at Purchase and a master’s degree in piano performance from the

Juilliard School of Music, he was a laureate ofthe 1989 Steinway and Sons

International Youth Piano Competition held in Paris, France. In February

2009, his first major work for double chorus, Requiem, received its premiere

performances in New York, Paris, and Washington, DC, and was recorded and

released a few months later. In November 2009, in honor ofthe seventy-fifth

anniversary of Reformation Lutheran Church, he wrote and conducted the

premiere of Cantata Emmanuel, a work for chorus, soloists, and orchestra

inspired by the church’s stained-glass windows. Paul Leavitt maintains a

website at www.paulleavitt.com.

3
Program Notes

The first director ofthe National Gallery ofArt, David E. Finley, decided to

augment the Gallery’s service to the public with music shortly after the

United States entered World War n in December 1941. He was inspired by

reports he had received ofthe recitals presented in 1940-1941 by the great

English pianist Myra Hess, who remained in London during the Blitz and

entertained the troops and the public with evening recitals in the National

Gallery ofthat city. By May 1942, Finley was ready to do for Washington what

Hess had done for London. He arranged for the Gallery to remain open until

10:00 pm on Sundays and for a performance by the Budapest String Quartet

to take place on May 31 ofthat year.

Concerts continued on a weekly basis throughout the summer of 1942, presenting an orchestral

ensemble made up ofmembers ofthe National 

Symphony Orchestra. The early concerts enjoyed 

generous support from two philanthropists,

Chester Dale and Gertmde Clarke Whittall, whose

later gifts to the National Gallery and the Library

ofCongress, respectively, are legendary. From 

October through December 1942, concerts were

funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Educational and

Charitable Trust.

As the series continued, locally available soloists and ensembles were

engaged, some resident in Washington because oftheir military service. This

concert marks the seventieth anniversary ofthe first choral concert at the

Gallery, sung on December 6,1942, by the United States Navy Music School

Chorus. Among the performers from the United States Armed Forces who 

played at the Gallery during World War n and subsequently went on to

international fame were pianists Gyorgy Sandor and Earl Wild; violinist Oscar

Shumsky; violist Emanuel Vardi; cellists Bernard Greenhouse and Howard

Mitchell; and organist Virgil Fox, who performed on the piano.

Chester Dale in the West Garden

Court, National Gallery ofArt, c. 1943

4

In 1943 Richard Bales was placed in charge ofmusic programs at the

Gallery. In the course of his forty-two year tenure, he organized 1,760

performances, some ofwhich contained his own compositions, and many

ofwhich were orchestra concerts that he conducted.

Under Bales’ direction, the National Gallery of

Art Orchestra grew from a self-described “sinfonietta” oftwenty players to an orchestra that could 

undertake the full range ofsymphonic repertoire. It 

has frequently presented first performances of

works by American composers, most notably the

i953 premiere ofCharles Ives' First Symphony

(which had waited fifty-one years to receive its first

public hearing). The concerts were broadcast live

on radio station wgms from 1950 to 1992, and each

broadcast between 1950 and 1985 featured an intermission feature consisting

ofrecorded commentary on the music by Bales and information about current

exhibitions at the Gallery.

ABOVE: Richard Bales, 

undated photo

LEFT: National Gallery

ofArt Orchestra

with Richard Bales 

conducting, East

Garden Court,

November 11,1943

5
From 1985 to 2003, the concerts at the National

Gallery were under the direction of composer,

conductor, and pianist George Manos. He added

three new formations to the Gallery’s roster of

resident ensembles: the National Gallery ofArt 

Vocal Ensemble, the National Gallery ofArt String

Quartet, and the National Gallery ofArt Wind

Quintet. He also initiated jazz concerts at the

Gallery, inviting George Shearing, Dizzy Gillespie,

and the Modern Jazz Quartet, among many other

jazz luminaries. On March 17,1991, Manos had the honor of conducting

the concert that was the culminating event in a day of celebrations ofthe

Gallery’s fiftieth anniversary. That concert, which included Beethoven’s

Consecration ofthe House overture and Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs, was

by sheer coincidence the 2,000th in the gallery’s numbered series.

Since January 2004 the concerts have been directed by Stephen Ackert, 

who was named to head the music department after seventeen years as the

Gallery’s music program specialist. He continued the process ofincorporating the work ofresident ensembles into the concerts, adding the National

Gallery ofArt Chamber Players for early music and the National Gallery of

Art New Music Ensemble for contemporary music. His lectures and gallery 

talks on the crosscurrents between art and music in various periods and

cultures are a regular feature ofthe Gallery’s educational offerings. In 2004

he generated the first festival of art education and music at the Gallery, in

connection with the exhibition Gerard ter Borch. Festivals ofthis type have

continued under his direction, and include the recent Celebration of Italian

Art, Film, and Music, which ran from October 10 through November 1, 2012.

Concerts in honor of exhibitions and installations at the Gallery have 

become more numerous during his tenure, now averaging approximately

one third of each season’s offerings. Ackert also collaborated in the creation

and premiere performance at the Gallery oftwo operas— Later the Same

Evening: An opera inspired byfive paintings ofEdward Hopper by John Musto

George Manos, May 5,1986

6

(2008), and Max and Moritz: A Cartoon Opera in Seven Pranks by Gisle 

Kverndolck (2010). Under Aclcert’s guidance, the Gallery music department

took the lead in a September 2012 city-wide celebration ofthe 100th birth

anniversary of composer and printmalcer John Cage. The five-day festival, 

which began and ended with concerts at the Gallery, proved to be the most

extensive and complete of all observations ofCage’s centenary.

Upcoming Concerts at the National Gallery ofArt

Great Noise Ensemble

Armando Bayolo, director

Music by Bayolo, Gorecki, and Part

December 9, 2012

Sunday, 6:30 pm

East Building Atrium

Joseph Smith, pianist

Music by Chopin, Gershwin, and Korngold

December 12, 2012

Wednesday, 12:10 pm

West Building Lecture Hall
2,913th Concert

National Gallery of Art

December 2, 2012

Festival Choir of the Lutheran Church ofthe Reformation

Celebrating seventy years of concerts at the National Gallery

Soloists

Performing in tonight’s concert in both the Christmas Oratorio and the Magnificat,

soprano Madalaine Vander-Linden is a native ofAlexandria, Virginia, where she

attended St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes’ School. A graduate ofRandolph Macon University

in Lynchburg, Virginia, she has sung with the Aldersgate Church Community Theater, 

Lazy Susan Dinner Theater, Little Theater ofAlexandria, Providence Players, and the 

Washington Savoyards. Nominated for a Washington Area Theatre Community Honors 

(WATCH) award for her portrayal ofMs. Hannigan in Annie, she has also directed 

children’s theater productions in the Washington, DC, metro area.

Performing in the Christmas Oratorio, soprano Adriana Gonzalez was bom in Mexico 

City and raised in Austin, Texas. The recipient of a bachelor ofmusic degree in vocal

performance from the University ofTexas at Austin and a master ofmusic in vocal

performance and pedagogy from the Peabody Conservatory, she sings with Concert 

Artists ofBaltimore and the Washington Master Chorale. She has also sung with 

Washington’s Choral Arts Society and Cathedral Choral Society. She made her operatic 

debut as Angelica in Suor Angelica at the 2008 Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Vietri sul

Mare, Italy. More recent opera roles include the First Witch in Purcell’s Dido and

Aeneas the War Widow in Mozart’s Idomeneo.

Mezzo-soprano Erica Joan Haman is an active performer in the Washington area,

singing La Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, The Sorceress in Purcell’s Dido and

Aeneas, Mum (Mrs. Herring) in Britten’s Albert Herring, Ma Moss in Copland’s The

Tender Land, and Mrs. Lovett in Sondheim’s Sweeny Todd. Haman was a featured 

soloist for the premiere performances ofPaul Leavitt’s Requiem. A professional singer 

and section leader with the Washington Master Chorale, Haman debuted as a soloist at

WolfTrap for the symphonic concert Distant Worlds with the National Symphony 

Orchestra. A former pupil ofJane Christeson, Elizabeth Daniels, Mollie Rich, and Bard 

Suverkrop, she holds a bachelor’s degree from Stetson University and a master’s degree 

from Shenandoah University Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia.

A resident ofthe Washington area since 1995, tenor Chris M. Burch has performed as a

choir member and soloist with the Cathedral Choral Society, Carroll County Choral Art 

Society, Georgetown University Symphony Chorus, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute 

Choral Society, Rock Creek Singers, Washington Bach Consort, and Washington Chorus.

Among the major works in which he has been featured as tenor soloist are Brubeck’s

Pange Lingua Variations, Dubois’ The Seven Last Words ofChrist, Handel’s Messiah,

Haydn’s Mass in Time ofWar, Orffs Carmina burana, and Verdi’s Requiem. A graduate 

ofTulane University and Touro University International, Burch served for eleven years
as an active duty officer in the United States Air Force, winning first prize in the male 

vocalist category ofthe 1998 Air Force Worldwide Talent Competition.

In addition to performing as soloist in the premieres ofPaul Leavitt’s Requiem and

Cantata Emmanuel, bass Gregory Stuart has sung solos in Schubert’s Mass in G,

Durufle’s Messe cumjubilo, and the requiem masses ofBiber, Faure, and Mozart. This 

season he sings Danilo in The Merry Widow, performs on Symphony ofArlington’s

Broadway Favorites concert, and gives a recital for the concert series of Society ofthe 

Cincinnati. In previous seasons, he sang Marcello in La Boheme with Repertory Opera 

Theatre ofWashington and roles with the Colorado Gilbert & Sullivan Festival, Ithaca 

Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh Opera. An actor as well as a singer,

he has appeared at the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Franklin Park Summer Theatre, 

and Studio Theatre as well as in dramatic productions at the Smithsonian Museum of

American History.
Roster of performers

Festival Choir of the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Washington, DC

Allmond, Tim

Benoit, Evan

Boylan, Larry 

Bruno, Carol

Burch, Chris

Clewett, John 

Coda, Karen

Dalton, Marc

Davis, Cory

Deyton, Bopper 

Dibbem, Sharon

Finkenstadt, Ivy

Gonzalez, Adriana

Gordon, Elke

Gordon, Joe 

Gruschus, Jim 

Hagood, John 

Haman, Erica 

Hart, Jeffery 

Heckman, Flossie 

Hilton, Michael

Hinson, Karen 

Hunsberger, Holly

Hyder, Marie 

Jones, Julie 

Kefferstan, John 

Keith, Michael

Korman, Jon 

Larsen, Kevin

Leidich, Susan 

Levy, Jeffrey

Manty, Dale

Maripuu, Anna

Molinaro, Peggy

Ochmanek, David 

O’Hanlan, Michael (Misha) 

Peters, Ellen 

Pfahl, Nancy Lloyd

Pfahl, Rebecca

Platz, Valerie 

Purdy, Bruce 

Roberts, Steve

Snodgrass, Drew 

Snodgrass, Maria

Speas, Cynthia 

Steel, Candida

Stuart, Gregory

Suyderhoud, Warren 

Tankersley, Lizabeth 

Tobias, Kathryn

Tucker, Scott 

Valtin, Alison

Vander-Linden, Madalaine 

Wood, Bob

Orchestra

Ackert, Stephen

Ament, Anne 

Battey, Robert 

Carson, Mark 

Christianson, Mark 

Dirksen, Eric

Jacko, Michael

Kelly, James 

Lee, Rick

Mott, Jonathan

Nasta, Bruno 

Ohlson, George 

Malaga, Ed

Milner, Constance 

Oppelt, Nicolette

Rundlett, Simon 

Schultz, Paul
Texts and Translations

Oratorio de Noel

Camille Saint-Saens

(Prelude)

Recitative: Et pastores erant

Et pastores errant in regione eadem 

vigilantes, et custodiantes vigilas noctis 

super gregem suum. Et ecce angelus 

Domini stetit juxta illos, et claritas Dei

circumfulsit illos, et timuerunt timore

magno. Et dixit illis angelus: “Nollite

temere, ecce enim evangelizo vobis 

gaudium magnum quod erit omni 

populo: quia natus est vobis hodie

Christus Dominus in civitate David. Et

hoc vobis signum: invenietis infantem 

pannis involutum, et positum in

praesepio.” Et subito facta est cum 

angelo multitudo militiae caelestis 

laudantium Deum, et dicentium:

Chorus: Gloria in altissimis Deo

“Gloria in altissimis Deo et in terra pax 

hominibus bonae voluntatis.”

Air: Exspectans exspectavi

Expectans expectavi Dominum est 

intendit mihi.

Air and chorus: Domine, ego credidi

Domine, ego credidi quia tu es Christus 

filius Dei vivi, qui in hunc mundum

venisti.

Christmas Oratorio

(Prelude)

And There Were Shepherds

Luke 2: 8-13

And there were shepherds in the same 

region, keeping vigil and watching their

flocks by night. And behold, an angel of

the Lord stood beside them, and the 

glory ofthe Lord shone around them, 

and they were filled with great fear. And

the angel said to them: “Have no fear,

for behold, I bring you good tidings of

great joy that shall be for all people. For 

unto you is bom today Christ the Lord in

the city ofDavid. And this will be a sign

unto you: you shall find a babe wrapped 

in bonds of cloth and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a

multitude ofthe heavenly host, praising

God and saying:

Glory to God in the Highest

Luke 2: 14

“Glory to God in the highest, and on

earth peace to those of good will.”

Patiently I Waited

Psalm 39: 1

Patiently I waited for the Lord, and he 

has turned to me.

Lord, I Believe

John 11:27

Lord, I believe that you are the Christ,

the son ofthe living God, who has come 

into this world.
Duet: Benedictus qui venit

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

Deus Dominus est illuxit nobis. Deus

meus es tu, et confitebur tibi. Deus meus 

es tu et exaltabo te.

Chorus: Quare fremuerunt gentes

Quare fremuerunt gentes et populi 

meditate sunt inania? Gloria Patri, gloria 

Filio, gloria Spiritui Sancto; sicut erat in

principio, et nunc, et semper, et in

saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Trio: Tecum principium

Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae, in

splendoribus sanctorum.

Quartet: Laudate coeli

Alleluia. Laudate coeli, et exulta terra,

quia consolatus est Dominus populum 

suum, et pauperum suorum miserebitur.

Quintet and Chorus: Consurge, Filia

Sion

Consurge, Filia Sion, lauda in nocte in 

principio vigiliarum. Alleluia. Egrediatur 

ut splendorjustus Sion, et salvator ejus

est lampas accendatur.

Chorus: Tollite hostias

Tollite hostias et adorate Domi-num in

atrio sancto ejus. Laetentur coeli et

exultet terra a facie Domine quoniam 

venit. Alleluia.

Blessed is He Who Comes

Psalm 117: 26-28

Blessed is he who comes in the name of

the Lord. God the Lord shines on us.

You are my God and I trust in you. You 

are my God, and I praise you.

Why Do the Nations Rage

Psalm 2: 1

Why do the nations rage, and the people

think vain things? Glory to the Father, 

and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as

it was in the beginning, is now, and ever

shall be, world without end. Amen.

Yours Is the Princely Power

Psalm 109: 3

Yours is the princely power on your day

ofstrength, in the splendor ofthe saints.

Praise, You Heavens

Isaiah 49: 13

Alleluia. Praise, you heavens, and 

rejoice, you earth, for the Lord has

comforted his people and will have

mercy on his poor.

Arise, Daughter of Zion

Lamentations 2: 19; Isaiah 62: 1

Arise, Daughter ofZion, praise at night

at the beginning ofthe night watch. 

Alleluia. The righteous one shall go

forth from Zion in splendor, and his

savior shines like a lamp.

Raise Offerings

Psalm 95: 8-9, 11, 13

Raise offerings and worship the Lord in

his holy court. Let the heavens rejoice,

and let the earth be glad in the presence

ofthe Lord who comes. Alleluia.
Magnificat

Paul Leavitt

Duet and Chorus: Ave Maria and

Magnificat

Ave Maria Theokos, gratia plena. Dominus 

tecum. Benedicta tua mulieribus, et

benedictus fructus ventris tui Jesus. Sancta

Maria, Theokos.

Magnificat anima mea Dominum, et

exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore 

meo.

Soprano and Chorus: Ecce enim ex hoc

beatam

Ecce enim ex hoc beatam, me dicent omnes 

generationes. Quia fecit mihi magna qui

potens est, et sanctum nomen eius. Et

misericordia eius a progenie in progenies 

timentibus eum et sanctum nomen eum.

Duet and Chorus: Fecit potentiam

Fecit potentiam in brachio suo; dispersit 

superbos mente cordis sui. Deposuit

potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles.

Esurientes implevit bonis

Esurientes implevit bonis

et divites dimisit inanes.

Bass and Chorus: Suscepit Israel

Suscepit Israel puerum suum recordatus

misericoriae suae. Sicut locutus est ad patres 

nostros, Abraham et sernini eius in saecula.

Chorus: Gloria Patri

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto; sicut

erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in

saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Hail Mary and Magnificat

Hail Mary, mother of God, full of grace, the 

Lord is with you. Blessed are you among 

women, and blessed is the fruit of your 

womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit

exults in God, my savior.

For Behold, from Henceforth

For behold, from henceforth all generations 

shall call me blessed. For he who is mighty 

has done great things for me, and holy is his

name. And his mercy is on those who fear 

him from generation to generation.

He Has Showed Strength

He has showed strength with his arm; he has

scattered the proud in the imagination of

their hearts; he has put down the mighty 

from their seats and has exalted the humble.

He Has Given the Hungry Good Things

He has given the hungry good things, and

the rich he has sent away empty.

He Has Helped Israel

He has helped Israel, his servant,

remembering his mercy. As he promised to

our forefathers, Abraham and his seed,

forever.

Glory to the Father

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the 

Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is

now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen
Text ofA Christmas Madrigal (1995)

Music by Paul Leavitt

O Blessed virgin, sweet and mild, 

wake from your peaceful sleep, my child.

A message oftidings glad I bring.

Chosen are you to birth a king.

Then in a stable bleak and bare,

the mother bore a child so fair,

amidst ox and ass a wondrous sight 

on a dark cold winter’s night.

High in the sky a brilliant star 

over the manger hovering far,

far up above the glorious babe.

Angels on high all sing his praise.

Let all the earth and heaven above 

proclaim his name, for he is love.

Make this nativity a prayer

for everyone on earth to share.

A child in Bethlehem is bom

to conquer death forevermore.

Before the shepherds cold with fright 

appeared the angel, wondrous, bright.

“Fear not”, he said, “good news I bring.

To you this day is bom the King!”

Gold, myrrh, and frankincense, 

brought from the distant orient,

of ancient reign the wisemen three,

who come to pray on bended knee,

before the cradle gladly fall

to worship the king who loves us all.

Since distant times the day foretold, 

written in sacred texts ofold,

a Savior to whom all men shall bow 

is come to live among us now!