Glee Club

The choral singers draw on their ever-expanding repertory for an uplifting performance.

Winter 2023

Program

The Project

Hopkins Center for the Arts
at Dartmouth

presents

Dartmouth College Glee Club
Seasons of Song

Filippo Ciabatti, conductor

and

Erma Mellinger, assistant conductor and vocal coach
Henry Danaher, accompanist

with soloists

Julia Battle ’23
Breanna Boland ’23
Colby Lish ’25
Christopher Smith ’25

Sunday, February 19, 2 pm • Church of Christ • Dartmouth College • 2023

Generously supported by the Glick Family Student Ensemble Fund, the Leo J. Malavasic 1942 Memorial Fund, the Isaacs Family Fund, the Bruce F. Bundy 1916 Memorial Fund, the Susan J. Marshall 1980 Memorial Fund, the David P. Smith 1935 Fund, the Student Ensembles Fund, the Paul R. Zeller Glee Club Fund and Friends of the Glee Club.

Program

Approximate duration: 75 minutes
Titles will be announced from the stage.

Translations

Frühlingsglaube Faith in Spring

Die Linden Lüfte sind erwacht, The gentle breezes awake,
Sie säuseln und weben Tag und Nacht, They rustle and blow day and night,
Sie schaffen an allen Enden. They work in all directions.
O frischer Duft, o neuer Klang! Oh fresh scent, oh new sound!
Nun, armes Herze, sei nicht bang! Now, poor heart, be not afraid!
Nun muss sich alles wenden. Now must everything change.

Die Welt wird schöner The world grows more beautiful
Mit jedem Tag, With each day,
Man weiss nicht, was noch werden mag, One does not know what is to come,
Das Blühen will nicht enden. The blooming will not end.
Es blüht das fernste, tiefste Tal: It blooms in the far, deep valley:
Nun armes Herz, Now poor heart,
Vergiss der Qual! Forget your torment!
Nun muss sich alles wenden. Now must everything change.

Frühlingstraum Dream of Spring

Ich träumte von bunten Blumen, I dreamt of colored flowers,
So wie sie wohl blühen im Mai; Such as bloom in May;
Ich träumte von grünen Wiesen I dreamt of green meadows
Von lustigem Vogelgeschrei. Of merry birdsong.

Und als die Hähne krähten, And at the rooster’s crow,
Da ward mein Auge wach; My eyes awoke;
Da war es kalt und finster, It was cold and dark,
Es schrien die Raben vom Dach. The ravens cried from the roof.

Doch an den Fensterscheiben, But on the window-panes,
Wer malte die Blätter da? Who painted the leaves there?
Ihr lacht wohl über denTräumer, Are you laughing at the dreamer,
Der Blumen im Winter sah? Who saw flowers in Winter?
Ich träumte von Lieb’ um Liebe, I dreamt of requited love,
Von einer schönen Maid, Of a beautiful girl,
Von Herzen und von Küssen, Of caressing and kissing,
Von Wonne und Seligkeit. Of joy and bliss.

Und als die Hähne krähten, And when the rooster crowed,
Da ward mein Herze wach; My heart awoke;
Nun sitz ich hier alleine Now I sit here alone
Und denke dem Traume nach. And think of the dream.

Die Augen schliess’ ich wieder, I close my eyes again,
Noch schlägt das Herz so warm. My heart still beats so warmly.
Wann grünt ihr Blätter, When will the leaves turn green,
Am Fenster? At the window?
Wann halt’ ich When will I hold
Mein Liebchen im Arm? My beloved in my arms?

About the Artists

The recipient of the 2020 American Prize in Conducting (college/university division), Filippo Ciabatti, a native of Florence, Italy, is the Director of Orchestral and Choral Programs at the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, and the Artistic Director of the Upper Valley Baroque Ensemble. Additionally, in 2022, he will serve as Interim Music Director of Opera Company Middlebury.

As guest conductor, Mr. Ciabatti has appeared with numerous opera companies and orchestras in Europe and North and South America, including Opera North (New Hampshire), Lyric Theatre at Illinois, Aurora Festival Orchestra (Sweden), Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Toscana dei Conservatori (Italy), Park ICM Orchestra (Missouri), Universidad Central Orchestra (Colombia), and the Concord Orchestra (Massachusetts). In 2020, he served as cover conductor for the Music Director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra (Maine). At the Hopkins Center, he conducted members of the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra in a collaboration with the Martha Graham Dance Company.

As a conductor, Mr. Ciabatti has collaborated with artists including Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster David Kim, baritone Nathan Gunn, cellist Gabriel Cabezas, pianist Sally Pinkas, flutist Luciano Tristaino, and mandolinist Carlo Aonzo. An advocate for contemporary music and collaborations between musical genres, he premiered a secular oratorio composed by renowned jazz composer Taylor Ho Bynum and commissioned a cello concerto by composer Noah Luna, aired during the NPR show From the Top. In 2018, he led a Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra tour to Italy, performing Mahler’s Fifth Symphony in prominent venues and festivals, in collaboration with the Orchestra Toscana dei Conservatori.

In 2018, he was invited to be a Conducting Fellow at the Aurora Music Festival (Sweden), under the direction of Jukka-Pekka Saraste. During the festival, he conducted Hannah Kendall’s 2017 composition, The Spark Catchers, in the Konserthuset Stockholm.

As a collaborative pianist and vocal coach, Mr. Ciabatti is on the faculty of Camerata de’ Bardi, the Young Artists Program of Teatro Grattacielo in New York City, and the summer opera programs “Opera Viva!” in Verona (Italy) and “Scuola Italia per Giovani Cantanti Lirici” in Sant’Angelo in Vado (Italy). In 2021-2022, he served as Music Director of the Young Artists Program of Opera Middlebury. He has played for masterclasses of Renée Fleming, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard, William Matteuzzi and Donald George. In Italy, he worked as vocal coach for the Cherubini Conservatory, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Florence Opera Academy.

Mr. Ciabatti holds advanced degrees in piano, choral conducting and orchestral conducting from Italy and the United States.

Henry Danaher serves as the Director of Music at The Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, and he is a Dartmouth College alumnus with a degree in Mathematics, belonging to the class of 2008. As an undergraduate, he sang with the Glee Club under the direction of Louis Burkot, won the Mark L. Lebowitz 1977 Memorial Prize in the Performing Arts (2008), earned citations for coursework in Counterpoint and the Psychology of Learning, and was awarded an American Mathematical Society scholarship to study Mathematics in Moscow, Russia in 2005. Besides accompanying the Dartmouth College Glee Club this term, his recent musical work at the College includes collaborations with the Barbary Coast, accompanying the Joseph Keckler masterclass with the Dartmouth Opera Lab, performing during the Hop’s Explore the Arts event, providing music for alumni memorial services, and assisting with musical direction and piano accompaniment for the First-Year Project with the Department of Theater. He is an Associate of the American Guild of Organists, attaining professional certification with them in 2019.

Mezzo-soprano Erma Mellinger has been a principal artist with many opera companies across the United States including the Cleveland Opera, the Florida Grand Opera, the Dallas Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera Theater, the Fresno International Grand Opera, Opera Maine and the Chautauqua Opera. Her roles, in over 30 operas include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea and Preziosilla in La forza del destino. She has performed with Sherrill Milnes, James Morris and Diana Soviero and has sung Master Classes with Frederica Von Stade and Mignon Dunn. Conductors with whom she has worked include: Harry Bicket, Stephen Lord, John DeMain and Willie Waters.

Hailed for her “rich, vibrant, creamy voice,” Ms. Mellinger is also at home on the concert stage appearing as soloist with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Monterey Symphony and the Florida Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Mellinger appeared as soloist with the Handel Society of Dartmouth College in tours of England, France, Germany and Italy, performing in venues including Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Ms. Mellinger has been a member of the Dartmouth College faculty since 1996. In addition to her duties as voice instructor (Senior Lecturer), she serves as the Assistant Director and Vocal Coach of the Handel Society and the Glee Club. Ms. Mellinger presents solo recitals and chamber music concerts on campus through the ChamberWorks Series. Ms. Mellinger is a former director of Cantabile, a Women’s Chorus based in Vermont and New Hampshire. In addition, Ms. Mellinger has directed church choirs and has served as both Stage Director and Music Director for numerous community theater productions. She is a sought-after clinician in the field of vocal production, having most recently worked with the University Chorus and Chamber singers of Brandeis University.

Ms. Mellinger earned her Bachelor of Music Degree with Highest Distinction (First in Class) from Northwestern University. She received the Performer’s and the Opera Certificates as well as a Teaching Excellence Award while at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester where she earned her Master of Music Degree and began her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree before embarking on her singing career.

Dartmouth College Glee Club Winter 2023

Filippo Ciabatti, director
Erma Mellinger, assistant conductor and vocal coach
Henry Danaher, accompanist

Soprano
Jennifer Bates
Julia Battle ’23
Breanna Boland ’23
Mikaela Browning ’26
Catherine Chu ’26
Mary Gerbi
Marisa Natarajan ’23
Danielle Tamkin ’23

Alto
Ora Cullen ’24
Jennifer Hansen
Melissa Herman
Erma Mellinger
Jules Reed ’23
Maansey Rishi ’24
Arianna Steadman ’26

Tenor
Jairo Cabrera-Najarro ’25
Brian Clancy
Thaddeus Goratowski ’23
Sam Halfpenny ’26
Nicolás Macri ’24

Bass
Victor Balbino ’24
Matthew Dempsey ’23
Daniel Fridley
Colby Lish ’25
Christopher Smith ’25

The Ritual of Breath Is the Rite to Resist

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Box Office

Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 12-5 pm
Saturday: 2-5 pm
Open one hour prior to all ticketed events at the venue of the performance.

603.646.2422 hop.box@dartmouth.edu

Visiting Information

40 College St, Hanover, NH 03755

Directions to Venue

Other Information

Parking can be found along College Street.
There are 4 handicapped parking spaces in the church parking lot.
For wheelchair access and information, please contact the Box Office at 603.646.2422.