Comfort and Joy

Christmas with the Children’s Chorale

December 18, 2020 - January 1, 2021

Artistic. Innovative. Award-winningSince 1974 the Colorado Children’s Chorale has brought its artistry and charm to audiences throughout the world. With a diverse repertoire ranging from fully-staged opera and musical theater to standard choral compositions in classical, folk and popular traditions, the Chorale performs with an innovative stage presentation and a unique theatrical spirit. In recognition of its artistic quality, the Chorale has received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and the prestigious El Pomar Award for Excellence in Arts and Humanities.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Emily Crile and Executive Director Meg Steitz, the Colorado Children's Chorale annually trains 500 members between the ages of 7 and 14 from all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, representing more than 160 schools in the Denver metro area and beyond. Since its founding, the Chorale has sung countless performances with some of the world’s finest performing arts organizations, appeared with world-renowned artists, performed for numerous dignitaries and appeared in television and radio broadcasts.

The Performance Program includes a series of self-produced concerts, numerous performances with other Colorado arts organizations and touring around the world. The Chorale presents annual performances of Christmas with the Children’s Chorale and Spring with the Children’s Chorale at Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, plus So Many Voices, Performing Small Miracles and Spring Fling Sing! in venues across the metro area.

In addition to the Performance Program, the Chorale offers an extensive mission-supporting Education Program. School Partnerships provide weekly choral music and performance training in targeted schools, offering instruction to students and support for teachers with professional conductors, pianists, choreographers and other resources as needed. School concerts and workshops serve elementary and middle school students, giving school children the opportunity to experience a professional concert by their peers. Community Choirs, including the dual-language Aplausos de Colorado Children’s Chorale, Mountain Phoenix Chorale, NE Denver Jams, and the Hodgkins/Westminster Chorale, provide children the opportunity to rehearse and perform in their own communities with no audition necessary. The Chorale Education Program was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant and received an Education Outreach Award from Chorus America.

EMILY CRILE, Artistic Director, exhibits her passion and enthusiasm for choral music through developing and conducting singers of all ages. She currently directs Tour Choir, a premier treble ensemble as well as Transitions, a mixed-voice young alumni ensemble. During the past 20 years with the Chorale, she has directed both Prep and Apprentice Choirs, worked with Concert and Tour Choirs, prepared children for appearances with the Colorado Symphony, Central City Opera, Opera Colorado, and Colorado Ballet, and toured throughout Australia, China, Europe, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. With a commitment to equitable access for high quality music education, she crafted, led, and administered School Partnership and Community Choir programs across the Denver Metro area.

Emily is an active guest clinician and conductor-in-residence for programs throughout the state, and serves as the President-Elect of the Colorado American Choral Directors Association. Prior to joining the Chorale in 2000, she served as an Assistant Conductor with the Northern Iowa Children’s Choir. She holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

MEG STEITZ, Executive Director, leads the business operations of the Chorale, managing all aspects of the administrative infrastructure including human resources, finance and accounting, fund development, and marketing and concert bookings. Meg served on the Colorado Children’s Chorale Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2013, and held the position of Board President from 2010 to 2012. Most recently, Meg was the Executive Director of the HERA Women’sCancer Foundation. Prior to that, she was the Director of the Humanities Institute at the University of Denver, as well as Director of Marketing and Community Relations for their College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. She holds a Master’s degree in English from the University of Denver.

MARY LOUISE BURKE, Associate Director, joined the Colorado Children’s Chorale in 1986 and directs Concert Choir. With expertise in vocal production and technique, she serves as the Chorale’s vocal coach and prepares Chorale children for solo and chorus appearances with the Colorado Symphony, Central City Opera, Opera Colorado and opera companies throughout the nation. She directs the Chorale’s “Studio Voices” program, offering classes in solo vocal technique for high school students.

In addition to her work with the Chorale, Mary Louise is the Associate Director of the Colorado Symphony Chorus, and is a frequent vocal/choral clinician throughout the area. She has a doctorate in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado.

LIBBY COTTEN, Associate Conductor, directs Prep Choir and the Chorale’s Education Program. As a Chorale alumna, she brings a unique perspective to her position. Libby manages and coordinates the Chorale’s School Partnership and Community Choir programs across the Denver Metro area. Prior to joining the staff in 2019, she taught middle school choir in Texas and was Assistant Director for the Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas. Libby earned her Bachelor of Music Education with a Vocal Emphasis from Texas Christian University.

JARED JOSEPH, Assistant Conductor, joined the Chorale in 2020 and directs Apprentice Choir. An Ohio native, he most recently was the Vocal Music Director at Washington High School. In addition to all the choirs, Jared directed the annual musicals and taught electives including music theory and adaptive music fordifferently abled students. He performed as a baritone soloist and chorus member of the Columbus Symphony Chorus. Jared holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Otterbein University and will finish his Master of Music in Music Education at Capital University in 2021.

M. STACEY SMITH, Production Manager, oversees all of the production aspects of the Chorale, from single performances and subscription concerts in the Denver area to multiple tours around the world. She has been with the Children’s Chorale since 1993 and has served as stage manager for more than 40 major productions in the Denver area. LAURA LANDAUER, Wardrobe Manager, joined the Chorale in 2015. She oversees and maintains the Chorale’s extensive wardrobe and costume inventory with her years of experience as a local designer in clothing and costume design and construction.

MADOKA ASARI, Pianist, joined the Chorale in 2018. She has performed with renowned artists, including Geraldine Walther from the Takács Quartet, and debuted at Weill Hall at Carnegie in 2010. Madoka has been a faculty member at Colorado State University and interim staff pianist at CU Boulder. Currently she collaborates with colleagues in recitals and recording projects, and coaches students at all levels and ages in various chamber ensembles.

Artistic and Administrative Leadership

YUKINO MIYAKE, Pianist, has received numerous awards for her performances, including 1st place at the Los Angeles Liszt International Competition, 2nd place at the All-Japan Artist Competition, and 3rd place at Novji International Music Competition. She is a passionate collaborator and was awarded the Outstanding Collaborative Artist of the Year from the University of North Florida in 2016. She joined the Chorale in 2018 and has served as an accompanist for the Kyoto City University of Arts, UNF, and Buffet Crampon USA Summer Clarinet Academy.

SHAOCHUN TSAI-SCHNEIDER, Pianist, joined the Chorale in 2019. She has many years of experience collaborating and performing with instrumental musicians and choirs. In addition to being an active pianist, ShaoChun earned her doctorate degree in trumpet performance at Arizona State University in Tempe before relocating to Denver, Colorado. She enjoys teaching piano and trumpet lessons and sharing the joy of music with students of all ages.

BRAD AND SUSIE BOLTON, Choreographers for the Colorado Children’s Chorale since 1988, are regularly featured as Santa and Mrs. Claus in Christmas with the Children’s Chorale and Christmas concerts with the Colorado Symphony. They have also choreographed and performed in ten Gilbert and Sullivan collaborations presented by the Colorado Symphony and Central City Opera. Brad has a professional background in tap dance performance and instruction. Susie has used her degrees in Music Education and Voice throughout her life as a teacher, conductor and soloist; they both have extensive experience in performing lead roles in musical theater.

Culture for All.Inclusion, equity, and diversity are critical values in the mission of SCFD. Residents pay this tax and it is then infused back into nearly 300 diverse cultural organizations in our seven-county metro region. This funding makes culture in our community available and affordable to all children and adults. You may have noticed that ticket prices at our cultural venues are more affordable than at similar institutions in other states. SCFD reduces the operating expenses of the organizations it supports and allows them to offer lower-cost pricing. There are more than 100 free days offered across the spectrum of cultural organizations each year. Awe and wonder are not only available, but accessible to all.

Comfort and JoyPresented via Vimeo On Demand

Recorded throughout Denver and from the homes of our singers

Emily Crile, Artistic DirectorMary Louise Burke, Associate Director

Libby Cotten, Associate Conductor Jared Joseph, Assistant Conductor

Yukino Miyake, Pianist Madoka Asari, Pianist ShaoChun Tsai-Schneider, Pianist

Personent Hodie Medieval, Setting by Lara HoggardIan Johnson and Bianca Curtiss-Schmidt, Soloists

Tour Choir

Ding Dong! Merrily On High arr. Howard Cable, ed. Henry LeckApprentice Choir

Midwinter Snow arr. Mary Donnelly and George L.O. StridPrep Choir

Niño Querido Spanish, arr. Dave and Jean PerryDear little baby, sleep now while your mother sings to you.

Concert Choir

Light Loeb/Goldmacher, arr. Andy BeckRaphaely family, Transitions

Christmas in Colorado Samuel LancasterTour Choir and members of the Colorado Symphony Chorus, Tellin’ It On the Mountain, recorded 2003

Joy to the World Watts/Handel, arr. PinkZebraTour Choir

That’s Christmas to Me Hoying/Olusola, arr. Mark BrymerIsabella Conklin, Nick Passaro, Brianna Erickson,

Sophia Haynes, Mary Hopkins, Abby Mullaney, Caleb Meyerhoff, SoloistsTransitions

Our Winter Wonderland arr. Audrey SnyderTour Choir, Concert Choir

Fuyu No Uta (Winter’s Song) Japanese, arr. Rachel StensonThe snow falls densely, the hail falls densely!

It’s falling and falling, collecting more and more. The mountains and the fields are also wearing their cotton hats,

And in every tree (snow) flowers bloom.It’s still falling and falling, never stopping.

Apprentice Choir

Christmas Children Leslie Bricusse from Scrooge

Concert Choir

Duérmete mi Niño (Sleep My Baby) Dominican, arr. Francisco Núñez from Three Dominican Folk Songs

Go to sleep my baby, sleep my shining sun, Go to sleep my darling, sleep my precious one.Go to sleep my baby, see the angel gleaming,

Waiting to protect you, guardian of your dreaming.

Tour Choir

Christmas Time Again Caleb MeyerhoffCaleb Meyerhoff

Please Come Home for Christmas Brown/Redd, arr. Jay AlthouseBen York, Soloist

Transitions

All I Want for Christmas Is a Dinosaur Andrea KlousePrep Choir

Mrs. Claus Shaw/Farrell, arr. Cristi Cary MillerConcert Choir

Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town Gillespie/Coots, arr. Jay AlthouseBrian Erickson, Soloist

Tour Choir

Silent Night Mohr/Gruber, arr. Duain WolfeTour Choir, Concert Choir, Apprentice Choir, Transitions, Chorale Alumni

We Wish You a Merry Christmas Warrell, arr. Gary FryTour Choir, Concert Choir, Prep Choir

Choreography: Susie and Brad Bolton, Michele IennaAudio Engineer: Julian Pichette Video Production: Brad Stabio

Special Appearance: Susie and Brad Bolton, Wanda Vasquez-Garcia

Thank you to the Residents of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District for making this performance possible.

PREP CHOIRGianna AccardiAlessia CheongAudrey CumberlandJakeb EngstromNevreah FloresAvrah GolombekOlivia GramlichAyla HowellBryce HuntAdam LangleyEmma LivingstonKade MatsumotoNick NagleRuby PetersonMeg PolitteRiley PowersMolly Reagan-WilsonElijah RosenCol SidwellMaddie TrippHalo Trujillo

APPRENTICE CHOIRTre AppletonRebecca BrooksNelle CollierMaggie DavisZoe DavisJulia DoolittleHavi FloresCarmen GomezCharlotte GortAlice HawesEvelyn Rose Hogan Harper HollanderEthan HornerAddie HutchinsonPolina IvchenkoAddie JewellAvery KlossnerSamuel KrausJane LanohaLindsay LooseGretchen MeredithJosh MorrisGwen Nicholas

Abby NicholsFiona ObakeyeMcKenna PardieckInarra PartchLola SadlerItzayana SalasClara SeigleMae ShamosMia SibreeSophia SidwellEmily StoneKatie TkachenkoJackson TuneAvery TurnerIsabelle VogelsColton WilliamsConor Winburn

CONCERT CHOIRTess AccardiHanbei BaoKourtnie BatchoKeaton BauKinsley BauAlexa BishopAlice BrittonMaddi BurmAnnon CameroCordelia CheeverVanessa ContySydney D’Angelo Anika DandeNick DiamondHannah DoolittleElizabeth EckstineCora EssaryQuincy EssaryEryn FranklinCassady FrederickSylvie FreyAmelia GassenHaddon GeskeAngela Herrera ManullangHannah HoffmanDovie JamesLiam JonesJake Jui

Mike JuiAlexa KrugGracie LeeJack LeeCam LewisJoey Martinez-DeLeonBret MendezVanessa MeredithAdah MeyerhoffKaitlynne MillhollinChristina MulryanAbby MusserGrace NeubeiserAubrey O'NeillJael OrrinClara PatersonKatelyn PattersonEloise PetersTaytum PetersonEmmy PouliotAvie PowersMarion PowersAdeline PurbaSelina RakhmanovaMax RaphaelyLia RiveraRowynn RoushMacy SampsonIsabella SandovalDecklin SchmidtAddler SecorLucy SeidenstickerJosephine SejasHarry ShamosCora ShoupAyden SidwellTori SouthworthJoshua TaylorAddison ThallLovely TilonKristina TkachenkoGavin UlmerKiera Uster-HarrisAbby VarnerMadeline WalkerAnna WangDavina Wang

Jonah WinburnBailey WinnCaroline WolfingerSheena WuLayla Zisler

TOUR CHOIRMadi BishopSaniyah BrooksCarson CashLogan ChamberlainCarly CrileBianca Curtiss-SchmidtMelissa DaiFinn DonahueRaeya EngstromBrian EricksonLorena FranklinClara FreySarah GeeSofia GesslerIzzy GetschLyla GetschNoelle GibsonJunah GrafBella GrantTori GreerMigui GuajardoJackson HasserdSilas HeltonGunnar HenryGraham HigginsViolet HigginsRu HollingsworthAdedoyin JaiyesimiElliot JenkinsIan JohnsonRachel JohnsonJoseph KrausAriana LavezzaSoliah MaceoJuly MadsenMolly MagleyEli MaizeAbby MartinJacob MaysWill McGaha

Colorado Children’s Chorale

Kenny MillardBella MitchellBianca MorrisLevi MorrisAmelia MuldrowFinn MurryBella NewtonKason NicholasKate OlsonJonathan PitzerVivian PitzerNash PolitteMary Kate Reagan-WilsonJulia RipponsSara SchottConor SharpeLily SharpeDrew ShoupJack ShoupDanni SternlichtOliver StrubbeIra TimmeSofia TkachenkoAnnika VisserGabe WardBlaise WeinigElla WilliamsCole YaleySarah YangJohnson Zhu

TRANSITIONSJames AlgermissenSamantha BeckerIsabella ConklinCaroline DonnellyBrianna EricksonSophia HaynesMary HopkinsWilliam JohnsonZoe JohnsonMichael Lee KastnerShaedryn KleinCJ KramerWill MahaffyTrey MaysAva McClureCaleb MeyerhoffNoah MeyerhoffAbby MullaneyNick PassaroAnna RussellReece ScyphersClaire SladovnikAnnisa TunnellRiley VancilOwen WolfingerBen York SILENT NIGHT ALUMNI Aron Accurso ‘91Carl Algermissen ‘82Joy Awoniyi ‘02Judy Awoniyi ‘01Makenna Batcho ‘18Brian Bau ‘95Janay Hagen Bird ‘02

XiXi Brinkhuis ‘14Lindsey “Lou” Shoemaker Britt ‘04Susan “Suzuki” Cady ‘81Courtney Benner Camero ‘02Kathleen “Kate” Clarke ‘82Brian Cook ‘99Libby Taussig Cotten ‘07Katherine DeGreef ‘05Debbie DeSantis ‘20Devin DeSantis ‘97Brian Diss ‘99Lara Lucas Erickson ‘95Jessica Barron Essary ‘90Reagan Fitzgerald ‘19Elizabeth “Beth” Freeman ‘81Maya Galpern ‘18Trent Getsch ‘90Tianna Smith Gilliam ‘07Brenda Ramay Goodman ‘87Taylor Goodman ‘13Emily Hageman ‘04Nic Hammerberg ‘02Todd Hansen ‘80Ruth O’Connell Hasserd ‘89David Hodel ‘79Jonathan Hodel ‘82Kaia Schubert Hoopes ‘86Justin James ‘86John Kempsell ‘10Stefanie Fiser Kleven ‘98Aaron Makikalli ‘12Evyan Strompolos Maniatis ‘90Brian Mason ‘90Doug Meswarb ‘80Stephen Meswarb ‘82AJ Svanda Muldrow ‘95Raditya Muljadi ‘19Sarah Myers ‘20Ava Nelson ‘17Kenny Orr ‘12Adam Overett ‘92Gareth Page-Roth ‘19Ella Parsons ‘18Walker Politte ’20 Sarah Kramer Raphaely ‘95Kristi Kiernan Sampson ‘93Ashlynn Secor ‘15Feryn Shafer ‘13Kirsten Sharer ‘82Abigail Sheehan ‘15Madeline Sladovnik ‘12Roberta Valdez Sladovnik ‘80Audra Snyder ‘19Anne Quaintance Stylianou ‘84Deanna Kraft Thaler ‘03Hannah York Torp ‘10 David Valdez ‘82Diana Lucas Visser ‘94Michelle Bergin Warren ‘98Vivian Wells ‘80Dena DeSantis Winburn ‘95Christie Brenner Winn ‘85Jeffrey Wolf ‘93

The Colorado Children’s Chorale is looking for new members in

2nd through 5th grades to join us in January.

Audition is simple and fun and tuition assistance is available. Visit

Sing.ChildrensChorale.org/Audition for all the details and to sign up!

HELPING OURYOUTH RISE HIGHER.

Music education and performance

training are vital components in

the development of the whole

child, and the Colorado Children's

Chorale is committed to investing

in the critical role that arts

education plays in a child’s life.

Through song, we aid the next

generation in discovering their

voice, developing their

character, and soaring into their

potential. Our commitment is

to growing skills, experiences

and confidence that will help our

alumni succeed no matter where

their lives may take them.

We invite you to join our mission

of music, as we enrich the lives of

children, families, audiences and

communities, while providing

gratifying, life-changing

experiences for young performers.

Colorado Children’s ChoraleBOARD OF TRUSTEES:Patrick Ward, President CEO, Public Relations Executive 104 West Partners Greg Diamond*, Vice President Senior Corporate Counsel Snowflake Computing, Inc.Leslie Russell, Secretary Vice President, Marketing & Business Services Comcast WholesaleJenica Shippy, Treasurer Auditor/CPA, BKD CPAs & AdvisorsDanielle A. Curtiss, Member-at-Large General Counsel GH Phipps Construction Companies

Heather Block Realtor, Block Real Estate GroupMichael Burm, MD Anesthesiologist Colorado Permanente Medical GroupKristina Chamberlain Vice President, First Line Risk Management Charles SchwabTeresa Devine Development Manager Seniors’ Resource CenterThad Dupper President & CEO Secure 64 Software CorporationSarah N. Ehrhardt Attorney/Co-Managing Partner Michael BestAngie Flachman* Publisher, The Publishing HouseJohn Knight Alumni Engagement Coordinator University of Denver, Daniels College of BusinessStefan Majeski* Geospatial Analyst, Boeing

Jody L. Mathie, MD Physician, Cherry Creek PediatricsMatthew E. Moyer Senior Director, ComcastShanna R. Nelson Technology Sales and Consulting ExecutiveJanet Pike Project Manager National Renewable Energy LabJaq Poussot* Consultant, Jaq Poussot ConsultingKendra Wall* Broker Associate, West + Main Homes

ARTISTIC STAFF:Emily Crile, Artistic DirectorMary Louise Burke, Associate DirectorLibby Cotten*, Associate ConductorJared Joseph, Assistant ConductorDuain Wolfe, Conductor Laureate

PRODUCTION STAFF:M. Stacey Smith, Production ManagerLaura Landauer, Wardrobe Manager

PIANISTS:Madoka Asari, Yukino Miyake, ShaoChun Tsai-Schneider

MUSIC ASSISTANTS:Janay Bird*, Lara Erickson*, Caden Hirsch*, Michele Ienna, Britta Kraakevik*

COMMUNITY CHOIRS:Aplausos de Colorado Children’s Chorale – Amanda Crumley, Elia MezaWestminster Community Choir - Amanda McPhersonMountain Phoenix Chorale - Kate GrigsbyNE Denver JAMS - Amy Friedhaber

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:Meg Steitz, Executive DirectorCheryl Shoemaker, Marketing DirectorRoberta Sladovnik*, Development DirectorLou Britt*, Development AssociateNicole Stegink, Administrative AssistantKatherine Pound, Accounts Receivable and Database Manager

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSJames Algermissen*Kelton Ayars*Kris Burger*Lucy Crile*Brianna Erickson*Vinny Falk*Sophia Haynes*Ethan Hecker*Katy Hollis*Mary Hopkins*Claire Koenig*Charlotte LeDuke*Vivianne Lee*Maressa Mora-Calderon*Marisa Mulryan*Sarah Myers*Jack Parry*Nick Passaro*Jack Peterson*Anna Russell*Claire Sladovnik*Josie Wilger* TREMENDOUS APPRECIATION TO THE FOLLOWING FOR MAKING COMFORT AND JOY POSSIBLE:Brad Stabio* Stabio ProductionsJulian PichetteJohn Goerner Non-Stop ProductionsColorado Children’s Chorale ParentsSusie and Brad BoltonDenver Arts and VenuesMontview Presbyterian ChurchKevin Padworski Wanda Vasquez-GarciaSarah Kramer Raphaely* and family

*indicates Colorado Children’s Chorale alumni

2420 W. 26th Avenue, Suite 350DDenver, CO 80211

303.892.5600 • ChildrensChorale.org

Production Company - Stabio ProductionsVideo Produced & Directed by Brad Stabio

Camera - Brad Stabio, John Goerner, Sean Heraty, Joe MovickEdited By - Brad Stabio, Sean Heraty & Joe Movick

Production Assistant - Hanna ErdahlSpecial Thanks to NonStop Productions