EXPLORE MARIA AND WILL’S CONCERTS FOR YOUR VENUE

(lots of “desserts” for the ears!)

Christmas Memories

MARIA FERRANTE, Soprano    Will Sherwood, piano/organ/keyboard/arranger

(CLICK ON UNDERSCORED TITLES BELOW TO LISTEN TO EXCERPTS)

In the Bleak Midwinter • Gustav Holst(1874-1934) / arr. Sherwood
Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

El Cant dels Ocells (Carol of the Birds) • Trad. Catalonian / arr. Sherwood
Sergey Antonov, cello • Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano & organ

Sweet Little Jesus Boy • Robert MacGimsey(1898-1979) / arr. Sherwood
Elzbieta Brandys, flute • Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

A Child is Born • Thaddeus Jones(1923-1986) / arr. Sherwood
Sergey Antonov, cello • Bob Gordon, percussion • Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

The Holy Boy • John Ireland(1879-1962)
Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

Canon in D • Johann Pachelbel(1653-1706) / arr. Sherwood
Will Sherwood, piano

Domine Deus from Gloria, RV 589, Antonio Vivaldi(1678-1741) / arr. Sherwood
John Hanulik, oboe • Sergey Antonov, cello • Maria Ferrante, Soprano • Will Sherwood, organ

Mary Had a Baby • Trad. Spiritual / arr. Sherwood
Maria Ferrante, Soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

Go Tell It on the Mountain • Trad. Spiritual / arr. Sherwood
Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

Die Hirten (The Shepherds) from Weihnachtslieder Op. 8 No. 2 • Peter Cornelius(1824-1874)
Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

La Vierge à la Crêche (The Virgin at the Manger) • Trad. French / arr. Sherwood
Sergey Antonov, cello • Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

What Songs Were Sung • John Jacob Niles(1892-1980) / arr. Sherwood
John Hanulik, oboe • Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

Ave Maria • Giulio Caccini(1551-1681) / arr. Sherwood
Sergey Antonov, cello • Maria Ferrante, soprano • Will Sherwood, piano

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Recorded in Sterling, MA 2009-2010; Steinway D piano; Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ

EXPLORE MARIA AND WILL’S CONCERTS FOR YOUR VENUE

Ferrante and Sherwood premiere new repertoire gems and present an array of fresh musical arrangements, along with Christmas favorites.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

MARIA FERRANTE, soprano, of Worcester, Massachusetts, and winner of the Mario Lanza Vocal Competition, has been acclaimed by reviewers from the Washington Post to The Boston Globe for her glorious voice, excellent interpretations and delightful presence.  She performs numerous operatic roles including Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Mimi and Musetta in La Boheme and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro among others and she founded the Opera Theatre Ensemble at Clark University where she is on the faculty. She is also a frequent soloist with orchestra in oratorio, and has sung in recital on many of the major concert stages of New England as well as in Japan and the United Kingdom.

For thirty years, Will Sherwood’s day job was in the corporate world as a Sr. Engineering Manager at Intel (formerly Digital, then Compaq) where he managed the Microprocessor Validation Group, and has been Organist-Choirmaster at First Unitarian Worcester for more than 25 years. He has appeared as guest soloist with the Boston Pops and concertized in the US and Europe. He has BSEE and MSEE degrees in computer engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University, and has Choirmaster and Associate degrees from the American Guild of Organists. Outside interests include volunteering for non-profits, graphic arts, running, organic gardening, and preparing gourmet vegetarian cuisine. His business endeavors are described at www.SherwoodWeb.com.

In his early 20’s Sergey Antonov was hailed as “a brilliant cellist” by the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich and he went on to prove his mentor’s proclamation by garnering top honors in numerous soloist and chamber competitions, ultimately landing the most coveted prize of them all, the Gold Medal at the world’s premier musical Olympiad, the quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2007. Born into a musical family in Moscow in 1983, Antonov was one of the youngest recipients of the Tchaikovsky award. His subsequent performances have taken him round the globe, from the Moscow Conservatory’s Great Hall to Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and as a repeat guest artist at the Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island, where he made his American debut in 2007. He has collaborated with such maestros and classical artists as Yuri Simonov, Maxim Vengerov, David Geringas, Michiyoshi Inoue, Mikhail Pletnev and Yuri Bashmet among others, and has appeared on Russian National Television in performance with the Moscow Philharmonic in their “Stars of the 21st Century” series, and in live concert on Boston’s NPR radio station WGBH. Antonov now calls Boston, Massachusetts his home.

John Hanulik, a native of Westport, Conn. attended both the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and The Juilliard School in New York graduating from the later with a masters degree in performance in 1982. He is active in the Fairfield County area as an orchestra performer, chamber music player and soloist. Mr. Hanulik has his own chamber ensemble (Connecticut Chamber Soloists) and has appeared with the Bridgeport, Norwalk, Greenwich and Bermuda Symphonies as well as various vocal and church groups. He plays the oboe, English horn and oboe d’Amore.

A native of Poland, Elzbieta Brandys is a Doctoral candidate in Flute Performance at Boston University, College of Fine Arts School of Music. Ms. Brandys has been awarded numerous scholarships including the Presidential Award (2004) and Marillyn Zacharis Scholarship (2005) from The Boston Conservatory. With Three Colors Trio ensemble, Elzbieta was a first prize winner in the CMFoNE International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition and performed in Carnegie Hall in May, 2005. In 2006, Elzbieta was a Semi-Finalist at Myrna W. Brown Artist Competition, Texas Flute Society in Denton, Texas. Elzbieta was awarded with 2008 Emerging Artist Award by The Saint Botolph Club Foundation. In 2009 the Boston University College of Fine Arts school of Music awarded Elzbieta for her outstanding achievement in Woodwind Performance. While studying at Boston University, Ms. Brandys appears as a soloist giving solo and chamber recitals. Performing and teaching is something she has dedicated her life to and is incredibly passionate about it. For more information about Ms. Brandys, please go to www.elzbietabrandys.com

LYRICS/TRANSLATIONS

In the Bleak Midwinter

1. In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

2. Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed,
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

3. Enough for him whom cherubim worship night and day,
A breastful of milk and a manger full of hay,
Enough for him whom angels fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

4. What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him: give my heart.

El Cant dels Ocells

1. As you see the shining major light in the most joyful night,
The little birds sing to celebrate it with their honeyed voices.

2. Sang the sparrow,” Oh How beautiful is the Infant of Maria.”
And says the happy thrush, “Vanquished is death, now my life is born.”

3. Bird, king of space, goes through the sky flying, singing with melody!
Saying, “A babe is born in order to save us from sin, and to us joy.”

Sweet Little Jesus Boy

Sweet little Jesus boy
They made you be born in a manger
Sweet little holy child
We didn’t know who you were
Didn’t know you’d come to save us Lord
To take our sins away
Our eyes were blind, we could not see
We didn’t know who you were

You done told us how
We are trying
Master you have shown us how
Even when you were dying
Just seems like we can’t do right
Look how we treated you
But please Sir forgive us Lord
We didn’t know it was you

Sweet little Jesus boy
Born a long time ago
Sweet little holy child
We didn’t know who you were

A Child is Born

Now, out of the night;
New as the dawn,
Into the light,
This Child,
Innocent Child,
Soft as a fawn,
This Child is born.

One small heart;
One pair of eyes;
One work of art,
Here in my arms,
Here he lies,
Trusting and warm,
Blessed this morn
A Child is born.

The Holy Boy

Lowly laid in a manger with oxen brewing by
The heavenly babe is lying, his maiden mother by
Lo, the wayfaring sages who journey far through the wild
Now worship silent adoring, the boy, the heavenly child, the heavenly child
Leave your work and your playtime and kneel in homage and prayer
The Prince of God is smiling asleep in his cradle there
Bend your heart to the wonder, the birth, the mystery child
And worship silent adoring the boy, the heavenly child, the heavenly child
Dim the light of the lantern and bare the knee the bone
Yet gold and myrrh and incense proclaim the Son of God
Lowly laid in a manager by virgin undefiled
Come worship silent adoringly the boy the heavenly child,
The heavenly Child.

Canon in D

Metamorphonics™ compilation of the following familiar tunes:
Joy to the World, Jingle Bells, Trumpet Voluntary in D, Bringing in the Sheaves,
Adeste Fidelis, Columbia Gem of the Ocean, Ode to Joy, (Ukranian) Carol of the Bells,
French Noel (after Dacquin), Auld Lang Syne

Domine Deus from Gloria, RV 589

Domine Deus Deus Rex celestis ,Deus Pater, omnipotens.

Lord, God heavenly King God the Father all-powerful.

Mary Had a Baby

Mary had a baby, My Lord
What did she name him, My Lord?
She named him King Jesus, My Lord
Where was he born, My Lord?
Born in a manger, My Lord

Go Tell It on the Mountain

Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere,
Go tell it on the mountain,
Our Jesus Christ is born.

When I was a seeker
I sought both night and day,
I asked the Lord to help me,
And he showed me the way.
Down in a lowly manger,
The humble Christ was born.

And God sent us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn.
Go tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere,
Go tell it on the mountain,
Our Jesus Christ is born.

Die Hirten (The Shepherds) from Weihnachtslieder Op. 8 No. 2

Die Hirten wachen nachts im Feld;
so still und dunkel liegt die Welt,
die Menschen alle sclafen:
Aber die Hirten, die armen Hirten
halten Wacht bei den Schafen.

Und sieh! ein Engel licht und schön
hernieder schwebt von Himmelshöhn,
Ein Bote auserkoren:
“Freuet euch, Hirten,Ihr guten Hirten,
der Heiland der Welt ist geboren.”

Und Engel singen ringsumher:
“Sei Gott im Himmel Ruhm und Ehr,
den Menschen Frieden werde!”
Aber die Hirten, die frommen Hirten
knieten nieder zur Erde.

Dann eilten sie zum heil’gen Ort,
Maria und Joseph sahn sie dort,
den Sohn gehüllt in Windlein.
Selige Hirten, die guten Hirten
beteten an das Kindlein.

La Vierge à la Crêche (The Virgin at the Manger)

In His swaddling clothes, newly sewn
The Virgin lulled the infant Jesus.
He cooed like a bird.
She rocked, and sang very softly,
That which we sing to little angels,
But the infant Child did not fall asleep.

Surprised, overjoyed with what He hears
And smiles in His crib and sings
As a saint and as a chorister
He beats time with his two arms
And the Blessed Virgin is sad
To see that Jesus is not sleeping.

And then Mary
Sadly leans over her son,
“You do not sleep,
Your mother is crying,
My beautiful friend.”
The tears flowed
And the little Jesus sleeps.

What Songs Were Sung

1.We cannot tell, we do not know,
What stars shone down so long ago,
When Mary birthed her own sweet Son,
And peace on earth became as one.

2. The Son of God, As Scripture said,
Was Virgin born in a tiny shed,
Where simple shepherds stood hard by,
While heav’nly sound filled up the sky.

3. Now let us stand uncovered all,
Before this crèche in a lowly stall,
Where kings and angels dignify,
God’s gift, his Son, in humility.

4. We do not know, we cannot tell,
What songs were sung, What starlight fell,
Or why the holy mystery stands,
For so many years, In so many lands.

Ave Maria

Ave Maria

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