Dear friends of the Binghamton Downtown Singers,
We hope you plan to enjoy our 2025 Spring Concert, Glory and Light! Concert titles and themes are a little funny. Sometimes the theme comes first, and you work to find music that fits within that idea. Sometimes you find music you love and build a theme around that. The Downtown Singers has a mission to perform classical masterworks, but within that mission there is some flexibility. With a shift in leadership comes new perspectives and ideas; among them, featuring works in the classical oratorio style by composers that belong to groups that are typically under recognized, including women and minorities. With that idea in mind, this program seemed to name itself once the works were chosen. The spring concert is built around the work Illuminare by Elaine Hagenberg and the images and feelings it evokes. Joined by Vivaldi's Gloria and the Two Psalms by Holst, a vision of a bright future emerges.
The Downtown Singers have truly enjoyed bringing these works to life. Our membership this spring is one of the largest choirs we've featured in many years for a spring concert. Our shared belief that music can heal, can transform, and can bring peace unites us in a common goal of sharing high quality choral music. Just as Illuminare speaks to finding the light through the darkness, the choir hopes our performance will give you a moment of brightness in whatever darkness you find surrounding you.
The Downtown Singers has been blessed with increased concert attendance over the last couple of years, but we cannot continue to survive without the support of our friends. You can also support our advertisers that so generously help fund our program. We appreciate our audience, friends, advertisers and grant sponsors for keeping the arts thriving in Binghamton! Finally, please consider joining us in the fall when we resume rehearsals for The Messiah. Details can be found at www.downtownsingers.org
Sincerely,
Julie Drozdowski and Faith White
DTS Co-Presidents
Table of Contents
Dear Friends of the Downtown Singers,
When I joined this choir in 2010, I never could have imagined I'd end up here, penning letters to friends and fans. It's hard to believe I've been part of such a special family for over 14 years. When I began singing with Alan, it was an experience unlike any I’d had previously, but I slowly made friends and found my comfort zone. Eventually I was asked to join the Board (imagine their surprise when I told them I had both music and non-profit backgrounds!) and eventually was asked to step in as co-president. I have sung with the choir under the baton of nearly every conductor we've had, including permanent and guest, and have used the same Messiah score for all of those 14 years.
Every fall when I open my score, I see notes of Messiah's past. Reminders of previous interpretations, musical context, things I need to practice, and so much more. And every fall I am amazed by this group and the growth it has shown in the last decade, plus. To know that the Downtown Singers is a non-audition, community choir is to truly appreciate the work that goes into our annual performances. Somewhere around 100 singers, coming together every week with the sole purpose of making beautiful music together. Some are classically trained singers and some can't read music, but everyone lifts their voice with the same passion. Through the work of our three permanent artistic directors, the Singers have refined their sound, stretched their abilities, and shared new experiences. With Mr. Manners, our newly appointed Artistic Director, we have continued to work on the smallest details to bring you a constantly improving experience. This year we have fresh, new interpretations of some movements while staying true to our past. We've invited back some of our most beloved soloists and are prepared to wow you with our performance. I do hope you will join us on December 14th for an evening of music and fellowship to kick off the holiday season. We can't wait to sing for you and share our passion and family.
Yours in song,
Julie Drozdowski
Co-president, Binghamton Downtown Singers
Table of Contents
Dear friends of the Binghamton Downtown Singers,
We would like to cordially invite you to our 2024 Spring Concert to share in the Love, Harmony, and Spirit we offer. Our program, featuring two works that are completely new to the Singers as well as an old favorite, is as uplifting as it is emotional; and as inspiring as it is beautiful.
It is a goal of the Downtown Singers to always challenge ourselves with our Spring Concert music. Sometimes this challenge comes in the form of singing in a foreign language or with a unique instrumentation in the orchestra. This year our challenge came in the form of new styles of music and the strong feelings that accompany singing about a disease like breast cancer. The second half of this year’s program is a modern, oratorio style work titled Sing for the Cure: A Proclamation of Hope. This piece, which utilizes the stories of real people dealing with breast cancer, takes us on a journey from diagnosis through treatment as told through the eyes of those diagnosed and those closest to them. Sing for the Cure will include narration by Tracy Davidson and will highlight members of the choir through solos and small ensembles throughout the work. There is not one member of our choir that hasn't been touched by some kind of cancer, and we honor those loved ones tonight in our program, both the survivors and those lost.
Our concert tonight is not without its moments of joy, however. We will open with The Chariot Jubilee, R. Nathaniel Dett’s arrangement of the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, which celebrates life through its text and exuberant orchestration and features tenor soloist Tshombe Selby. This piece has quickly become a favorite of the Downtown Singers and we can’t wait to share it with you. Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, featuring baritone Timothy LeFebvre, concludes our first half and ends with the choir singing a triumphant hymn of praise. This work, performed by the choir in both 2005 and 2014 consists of 5 poems set to music by the composer.
As you may know, the Downtown Singers have been in a period of transition this year that includes working with our Interim Artistic Director for a full cycle to prepare his second concert. We and the whole Board are so proud of the dedication and perseverance the choir has shown. As a choir, we have added new members, stretched our abilities, trusted the process and given our hearts to the music we have prepared for you.
The Downtown Singers would not survive without the support of our friends. We are so thankful to our audience, friends, advertisers and grant sponsors for keeping the arts thriving in Binghamton! We do hope you’ll join us on June 8th for our concert, but also consider joining us in the fall when we resume rehearsals for The Messiah. Details can be found at www.downtownsingers.org
Sincerely,
Julie Drozdowski and Faith White
DTS Co-Presidents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents