A Weekend to Remember
From the 23rd to the 26th of October, 2003, the Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus returned to Yale to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the ensemble, in a festivity sponsored by the Beinecke Library and Yale's celebration of the 300th Anniversary of St. Petersburg. From the beginning of rehearsals on Thursday through the final brunch on Sunday, far more old memories were shared and new ones created than could (and probably than should) possibly be recorded in any format—this page merely attempts to outline the event for the record.
Friday night: Banquet in Commons
After two days of rehearsal for the alumni (and nearly two months for the YRC of 2003), the festivities began in earnest with a banquet in Commons Dining Hall, attended by the assembled alumni, their families, and many of the current chorus members. Dinner began with a welcome from Organizing Committee Chair Harald Hille, a blessing by Rev. Bill Teska, and the singing of Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Gospoda by the entire assembly, followed by a greeting from current Chorus Artistic Director Mark Bailey, in which he presented founding director Denis Mickiewicz an Icon of the Feast of the Ascension, depicting the choirs of Angels greeting the risen Christ.
As the evening wore on, the diners were regularly interrupted by toasts,offered by founders George Litton and Denis Mickiewicz, current chorus baritone Alexander Remington (a second-generation YRC member), and others too numerous to mention. Especially moving tributes were offered to Chorus alumnus and former University Chaplain William Sloane Coffin, who was unable to attend but who sent his greetings and blessings in English and Russian in a recorded message.
Between the many toasts, the chorus members, past and present, rose to sing some of the selections that would be featured in Saturday's concert, led by conductors including Denis Mickiewicz, current director Mark Bailey, former directors Alex Kuzma, Steven Lipsitt and Daniel Gsovski, and Paul Andrews, co-founder of the San Francisco-based Slavyanka Men's Slavic Chorus.
Saturday night: Gala Concert in Woolsey Hall
On Saturday evening, the Russian Chorus Alumni, 180 strong, took the stage in a packed Woolsey Hall. On the first half, the selections were taken from the Orthodox liturgical tradition (beginning with Bortnyansky's Tebye Boga khvalim) and the songs of the Cossacks and the Russian Army (concluding with the famous Lermontov poem Borodino), conducted by founding director Denis Mickiewicz and former director Daniel Gsovski. All were greeted enthusiastically by the audience of over two thousand.
When the audience returned from intermission, they were greeted by Thomas C. Duffy, Deputy Dean of the School of Music, who presented Dr. Mickiewicz with an award on the behalf of the School. The current members of the Yale Russian Chorus then took the stage to perform five works from this season's repertoire, further demonstrating the breadth and scope of the Slavic choral tradition: from a setting of a Pushkin poem in praise of Glinka (Slushaya siyu novinku) to a traditional Russian Navy song (Po maryam, po valnam) by way of a Psalm. setting, a Slovak lullaby (arranged by chorister Gary Gregoricka) and Georgian wedding hymn sung by the chorus since 1968 (Shen-khar venakhi).
The alumni chorus then returned to the stage, to conclude the concert with a wide-ranging set including traditional from the Caucasus, Georgia and Latvia (Kas tie tãdi), original works of 19th-century Russian composers (including Rimsky-Korsakov's Nochevala tuchka zolotaya), and of course a selection of Russian Folk Songs. In this set, Mickiewicz and Gsovski were joined in leading the chorus by David-Marc Finley, the immediate past director of the Yale Russian Chorus.
After the conclusion of the final work (Zhilo dvenadstat' razboinikov, familiarly known as "the Brigands"), the chorus was kept on stage for no fewer than six encores, concluding with a second rendition of Blazhen Muzh ("Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly") in which the alumni were joined on stage by the current members of the chorus.
The festivities then migrated across Beinecke Plaza to a reception at the library, and thereafter to the Plaza itself and other (warmer) locations, where the celebration and singing continued long into the night.
Sunday morning: Music and Remembrance in University Public Worship (Battell Chapel)
On Sunday morning, many of the assembled alumni gathered in Battell Chapel to sing in the Sunday service there as a memorial to the members of the Chorus who have passed away. Conducted by Denis Mickiewicz, they were joined by the men of the University Chapel Choir in singing Khvalitye imya Gospodne (Praise the Name of the Lord), Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Gospoda (Bless the Lord, O My Soul), and Tebe Poyem (We Hymn Thee). Then, as a personal tribute to their departed comrades, they sang Vechnaya Pamiat (Eternal Memory), as the names of those remembered were inserted into the main chant line. Chorus alumnus and former Associate University Chaplain Rev. John Boyles (DIV 1967) offered a prayer of remembrance after Chaplain Jerry Streets' sermon.
Return to list of concerts