Jan 27: Halalisa Singers present "Be the Change"

Boston-based world music vocal ensemble The Halalisa Singers led by artistic director Mary Cunningham presents Be the Change: Songs of Courage and Inspiration on Saturday, January 27, 7:30 pm at First Parish of Arlington, 630 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA. The group is joined by pianist Trevor Berens, percussionist Bertram Lehmann, and soprano soloist Jessica Tunick Berens. Tickets $25 at www.halalisa.org. For more information, email info@halalisa.org.

“Our concert theme addresses what we can all do to be the change we want to see in the world,” notes Cunningham. “All over the world, throughout history, music has helped catalyze and inspire change. With this program, we ask ourselves and our audiences to think about action, change and transformation, in our families, our communities, and beyond.”

Be the Change presents music exploring legacies of important change agents like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Bob Dylan, James Weldon Johnson, and Naomi Judd, to name a few. Music by composers of color from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds is featured.

Indonesian composer Ken Steven’s arrangement of Indonesian folk song “Hela Rotan” tells of the traditional game of tug of war played by the people of Maluku, which upends our usual notions of competition by focusing on cooperation and togetherness rather than winners and losers. Rousing arrangements and reworkings of traditional spirituals by two African-American composers, Rollo Dilworth (“Let Me Fly”) and Dr. Brandon A. Boyd (“Sign Me Up”), use biblical references to convey messages of hope, community and freedom. The energetic “TaReKita,” written by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail for a choir comprised of homeless individuals, uses onomatopoeic vocal sounds to imitate the Indian drum or tabla. Gene Glickman’s arrangement of Chilean composer Sergio Ortega Alvarado’s protest song “El Pueblo Unido (The People United)” stresses the triumph that can be achieved through unity. African-American composer Marques L.A. Garrett’s gorgeous choral piece “My Heart Be Brave” uses the words of civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson to deliver a stunning message of courage and perseverance during dark times. In the words of the composer, “In the midst of discrimination, our heart—the core of our being—must lead us into rightful change.”

Popular music can also produce powerful music of change, and there’s no better example than “The Times They Are A’Changin’,” written by Bob Dylan to be an anthem of change during the turbulent sixties. The harmonic and stylistic elements of Adam Podd’s arrangement add new poignancy to the timeless classic. The Judds hit “Love Can Build a Bridge” is presented via Kirby Shaw’s arrangement of the emotionally moving song about unity and togetherness in the face of trouble.

Soprano section leader and accomplished coloratura Jessica Tunick Berens will be joined by her husband, Halalisa accompanist Trevor Berens, for a set of inspiring tunes including “Children Will Listen” from Into The Woods by Stephen Sondheim and “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught” from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific. Jessica also sings an exquisite extended solo in beloved choral master Nick Page’s “Choose to Bless the World,” which urges us to use our personal power in positive ways.

The program also features Elizabeth Norton’s arrangement of Shlomo Carlbach’s “Return Again / Hashivenu (Return Us),” which interweaves two songs with themes of resilience and renewal; Troy Robertson’s djembe-accompanied “In Meeting We Are Blessed;” Sten Kallman’s arrangement of traditional Haitian folk song “Wangol” sung in Haitian Creole; and the concert’s title song, Laura Farnell’s “Be the Change,” which adapts texts from Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., the Bible, original lyrics, and “This Little Light of Mine.”

The Halalisa Singers are a celebrated world music vocal ensemble of Greater Boston, dedicated to the performance of music across all cultures and nationalities. Halalisa is a Zulu word for celebration, and in that spirit, the Halalisa repertoire includes African, Latin, American Spiritual, Gospel, Jewish, Folk, and Jazz music. Founded by Nick Page in 1992 and under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Cunningham since 2004, the chorus offers vibrant, passionate performances throughout the Boston area, inspired by the belief that music is a universal language with the power to uplift and unite us all.

Artistic Director Mary Cunningham is in her 19th year of leading the Halalisa Singers, creating and directing unique and dynamic world music-themed choral concerts. Following her vision to share their music across the Boston area and beyond, Halalisa continues to reach out to wider audiences to perform an ever-expanding repertoire. She is well known in the Boston area as an active choral conductor, vocalist, and flute soloist. She has directed music ministry since 2008 in the UU churches of both Melrose and Reading, is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the Association of UU Music Ministries. A member of the New World Chorale and a frequent performer with the Christmas Revels, Mary is on the faculty of the Winchester Community Music School and the Powers Music School in Belmont.

Jessica Tunick Berens is a Boston-based coloratura soprano, with broad musical experience, performing music from Medieval through recently composed pieces for her own voice. She has performed at the Skirball Arts Center, RedCat, the Ojai Music Festival, Long Beach Opera, the Beach Cities Symphony, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the Greek Theater. She has also performed at various colleges, including Loyola Marymount University, the California Institute of the Arts, and Chapman College. At her European premiere in Graz, Austria, Jessica was a finalist in the prestigious Meistersinger competition. Jessica is a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts and holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in vocal performance and is also an accomplished violinist. Jessica’s operatic roles include Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Philine (Mignon), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), Fire (L’Enfant et les Sortileges), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Ms. Pinkerton (Old Maid and the Thief), and Pamina (The Magic Flute). Jessica is soprano section leader for Halalisa Singers.

Pianist, composer, and accompanist Trevor Berens plays in many different styles, specializing in avant-garde classical music, traditional classical music, and free improvisation. Trevor holds degrees in piano performance, composition and music therapy from Loyola Marymount University, California Institute of the Arts and Lesley University. As a collaborator, he enjoys working with solo vocalists and instrumentalists, chamber groups, choruses, and with dancers and actors. Trevor is the founder, pianist, and resident composer of the new music ensemble Sonic Liberation Players. Trevor is the Pianist at the First Parish of Stow/Acton and, with his wife Jessica, runs the Berens Voice and Piano Studio out of Pepperell, MA.

Percussionist Bertram Lehmann is a versatile, widely renowned performer who has appeared with artists including Paquito D’Rivera, Danilo Perez, Dave Liebman, Luciana Souza, and Dave Samuel’s Caribbean Jazz Project. He teaches at Berklee College of Music and Phillips Academy, and has conducted clinics and workshops at Harvard University, Princeton University, Wellesley College, Oberlin College, Moscow Conservatory, Keimyung University in South Korea, and elsewhere. He has played on more than 60 recordings with musicians including the Mehmet Sanlikol Big Band, Felipe Salles, Mango Blue, and Anat Cohen, Miguel Zenon, and Randy Brecker. His international performances have included appearances in Bermuda, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey, at venues including Lincoln Center, Boston’s Symphony Hall, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and The Kennedy Center.

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