The program - Plymouth Congregational Church

STEPHEN PAULUS
MICHAEL DENNIS BROWNE
The Shoemaker
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012 AT 2 P.M.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 AT 10:30 A.M.
—WORLD PREMIERE—
PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

C
onducting a world premiere
is always a great honor—and
when the music is composed
by Stephen Paulus, this makes it even
more of an honor! I have had a long
friendship with Stephen and his
music, at Plymouth Church and with
VocalEssence—as well as conducting
his music with various orchestras
around the country and recording his
Christmas cantata, “So Hallow’d Is
the Time.”
Stephen Paulus’s music has a
beautiful pace, a depth in its
harmony, a flow in the musical lines
and a feeling as you reach the end of
a phrase that you have “come home.”
Composing a church opera places
different parameters on a composer—
the church building itself and its
acoustics, the critical importance of a
church choir, sight lines for the
audience—these are just a few of the
many things to consider. Stephen is a
real pro, so when I was approached
about having the premiere
performances of The Shoemaker at
Plymouth Church, I immediately
responded YES!
Of course, this opera has also
benefited greatly from the dramatic
and moving libretto of Michael
Dennis Browne, and the inventive
staging of Gary Gisselman. All of us
involved in the opera have been
blessed to work with these three
gentlemen.
Thank you for coming—you are in for
a very special experience!
—Philip Brunelle

The Shoemaker
An Opera in Three Scenes, adapted from a story by Leo Tolstoy
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another.
Whoever does not love abides in death.”
1 John 3:14
“How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a
brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help? Little children, let us love, not in
word or speech, but in truth and action.”
1 John 3:17
“Love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
1 John 4:7–8
“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us.”
1 John 4:12
“God is love; and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in him.”
1 John 4:16
SCENE ONE
The late 1880s
A shoemaker’s hut in central Russia
SCENE TWO
The same place, one year later
SCENE THREE
Five years later
The story is about a tailor who is sent
by his wife into town to collect on
accounts for work that has been
completed. The husband fails to do
so, spends their remaining savings at
Synopsis
a local pub and brings home a guest—
a homeless person he has found on
the way. After a severe scolding by
his wife, they agree to take in the
homeless person and train him to be
an apprentice. He turns out to be a
marvelous worker and also shows this
compassionate family three miracles,
which explain who he really is.

Krista J. Palmquist,
mezzo-soprano
Matryona—shoemaker’s wife
Krista enjoys a busy career as a
soloist and music educator in the
Twin Cities. She is a member of the
music faculty at the University of
Wisconsin-River Falls, where she
teaches applied and class voice
lessons, as well as vocal and choral
pedagogy.
A professional chorister, Krista is a
member of the VocalEssence
Ensemble Singers and previously
sang with the Dale Warland Singers.
She also serves as cantor at the
Church of St. Columba and the
Church of the Assumption, both in
Saint Paul. In 2008–2009, Krista was a
featured soloist in both the
Remembrance and Hope and
Welcome Christmas concerts for
VocalEssence.
James Bohn, baritone
Simon—a shoemaker
Throughout his career, James Bohn
has been in steady demand as soloist
in an array of venues—from the opera
and concert stage to commercials and
cabaret. He has appeared with The
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra,
Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota
Opera and the London Chamber
Orchestra. He has been a featured
guest and regular performer on
Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home
Companion radio program and has
recorded commercials for such
companies as Nike, Marshall Field’s,
Microsoft and Subway Sandwiches.
Jim has delighted audiences in his
countless appearances with
VocalEssence, with whom he
recorded the baritone solos in the
world premiere of Lawrence Siegel’s
Kaddish. He also recorded featured
roles in Benjamin Britten’s Paul
Bunyan and Aaron Copland’s The
Tender Land on the Virgin Classics
label.
The Cast (in order of appearance)
Prior to embarking on his artistic
career, Jim served his country as an
infantryman in Vietnam. He is an
accomplished designer and
carpenter, practicing these talents as
proprietor of SingularDesign, a
residential remodeling firm.
Jim has been bass-baritone soloist at
Plymouth Congregational Church for
27 years.
Dan Dressen, tenor
Michael
Dan Dressen is Professor of Music
and Associate Dean for the Fine Arts
at St. Olaf College (Northfield,
Minnesota), where he is establishing
a center for Nordic art song.
An active concert performer and
recitalist, Dan has performed in the
Twin Cities with the Minnesota
Orchestra, The Saint Paul Chamber
Orchestra, Minnesota Chorale and
the Schubert Club’s Summer Art
Song Festival, as well as the Festival
of the Lakes and Berkshire Choral
Festival. His operatic performances
include appearances with
Washington Opera, Cleveland Lyric
Opera, Nautilus Music Theatre and
numerous Minnesota Opera
productions, including roles as Elcius
in Reinhard Keiser’s The Fortunes of
King Croesus, Grandpa Joad in the
world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s
The Grapes of Wrath and Marquis de
Lisle in Casanova’s Homecoming by
Dominick Argento.
Dan has sung with VocalEssence for
more than 25 years, and is featured in
its recordings of Benjamin Britten’s
Paul Bunyan and Aaron Copland’s
The Tender Land. Dan joined
VocalEssence for the world premiere
of Francis Grier’s The Passion of
Jesus of Nazareth in 2006, and sang
in William Bolcom’s Songs of
Innocence and of Experience (2007).
In 2008, he sang with VocalEssence
at its 40th Birthday Concert with
Garrison Keillor. Most recently, he
was featured in John Philip Sousa’s
operetta El Capitan (2010) and Brits
& Brass (2012).
Dan is beginning his 35 th year as
tenor soloist at Plymouth
Congregational Church.
Bill Marshall, bass-baritone
Gentleman
Bill has been a member of the
Plymouth Congregational Church
Choir for the past 13 years. He has
also been a featured soloist with the
Oratorio Society of Minnesota,
including performances of Carmina
Burana, Elijah, Five Mystical Songs
and The Creation.
Bill most recently appeared on stage
with the Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light
Opera Company, River Valley
Theater and the Lakeshore Players.
Robb Asklof, tenor
Fedka—a servant
Robb Asklof has sung with
companies across the United States,
including: Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra, Chautauqua Opera,
Cincinnati Opera, Fargo Moorhead
Opera, Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts, Minnesota Opera,
Minnesota Orchestra, Orlando Opera,
Santa Fe Opera, Skylark Opera, and
Western Plains Opera. He has
performed roles such as Etienne in
Victor Herbert’s Mademoiselle
Modiste, Jenik in Smetana’s The
Bartered Bride, Ernesto in Donizetti’s
Don Pasquale, Captain Richard
Warrington in Victor Herbert’s
Naughty Marietta, and Eric in Libby
Larsen’s Eric Hermanson’s Soul.
After growing up in Des Moines,
Iowa, Robb earned a Bachelor of
Music degree at Lawrence University
Conservatory of Music (Appleton,
Wisconsin). He later moved to
Minneapolis, where he was awarded a
Master’s degree in Music at the
University of Minnesota.

Maria Jette, soprano
Irina
Maria Jette has appeared with The
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Los
Angeles Chamber Orchestra and
Minnesota Orchestra; Houston,
Kansas City, San Luis Obispo, Santa
Rosa, Charlotte, Buffalo, Grand
Rapids, Austin and San Antonio
Symphonies; New York Chamber
Symphony, Portland Baroque
Orchestra, and with Ex Machina
Antique Music Theatre, Chamber
Music Society of Minnesota and Lyra
Baroque Orchestra.
With conductor Helmuth Rilling,
Maria has sung Bach, Mozart and
Haydn around the United States,
Germany, Spain, Venezuela, Japan
and Canada. She has performed her
own production of Seuss/Kapilow’s
Green Eggs & Ham for more than
40,000 kids around the United States,
and has been a regular guest over
many seasons at the San Luis Obispo
Mozart and Oregon Bach Festivals,
and the Oregon Festival of American
Music. Maria is often heard
nationally on Garrison Keillor’s A
Prairie Home Companion.
Maria also performs frequently with
VocalEssence: Brits & Brass (2012),
Welcome Christmas (2011), the Bach
B minor Mass (2011), Dominick
Argento’s Of Love and Angels
(2009), Remembrance & Hope (2008)
and the 40th Birthday Concert with
Garrison Keillor (2008).
Maria has been soprano soloist at
Plymouth Congregational Church for
24 years.
Avery and Maia Hallberg
Anna and Marina
Identical twins Avery and Maia are
the daughters of David Johnson and
Amy Hallberg (a soprano in the
Plymouth Congregational Church
Choir). They are fourth graders at
World Learner School in Chaska.
The girls both play the violin and
have performed with the Music Lab
at the Minnesota Music Café. They
also sing in Plymouth’s Chorister
Choir.
Choir
Soprano
Claire Colliander
Jenny French
Amy Hallberg
Mary Hunt
Maria Jette
Emily Larson
Penny Needham
Jill Nelson
Wendy Nilsson
Judy Olson
Katie Panciera
Sue Shepard
Christi Sutphen
Mary Vujovich
Lisa Wald
Alto
Carol Brandenburg
Carolyn Brunelle
Lisa Drew
Glenace Edwall
Annie Krishnan
Sue Larson
Kristin Makholm
Sue Nicol
Sheri Sheeks
Margaret Shreves
Barbara Souther
Judy Stinson
Susan Marie Swanson
Judy Takkunen
Ann Tandy-Treiber
Janeen Whitchurch
Tenor
Todd Aldrich
Rolan Anderson
Robb Asklof
Don Carlson
John Geertz-Larson
Joe Holmberg
Paul Lohman
Eric Olsen
Alec Shern
Bass
David Buran
Dan Dougherty
Knowles Dougherty
David Horstmann
Doug Hoverson
Dave Jorstad
Bill Marshall
Ray Martin
James Ramlet
Bill Schafer
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Double bass
Flute
Oboe
Orchestra
Stephanie Arado, concertmaster
Clarinet Gregory Williams
Pamela Arnstein
Bassoon Mark Kelley
Richard Marshall
Horn Herbert Winslow
Dale Newton
Trumpet Charles Lazarus
Greg Hippen
Trombone Kari Sundström
Wendy Williams
Percussion Kevin Watkins
John Snow
Harp Kathy Kienzle
Rehearsal pianist: Sonja Thompson

T
he idea to undertake another
Leo Tolstoy short story as the
subject for an opera grew out
of a chat with my mother. In 1997,
The House of Hope Presbyterian
Church of St. Paul premiered a work
called The Three Hermits, based on a
story by Tolstoy and a libretto by
Michael Dennis Browne. Some time
after the premiere, my mother gave
me a small book with three Tolstoy
stories, including “The Three
Hermits” and another story titled,
“What Men Live By.” She suggested
that this would make a nice opera,
and could be a companion piece to
Hermits. I thanked her and put the
book away. When she asked several
weeks later if I had read the story yet,
I confessed I had not, proceeded to
find the book and dutifully read it. I
agreed with her assessment,
proposed the idea to Michael Dennis
Browne and from there we began.
Like The Three Hermits, this work is
cast in three scenes. It includes a very
modest orchestra of 14 players. And
I
n bringing this superb story off
the page and into dramatic life, I
had the challenge of moving
some of the narrative forward so that
we would not be listening to a
thousand or more words of
explanation at its conclusion, as in
the original. I chose the device of
channeling, in which Matryona finds
herself voicing some of the distress of
the mysterious stranger who “may
not say” what has befallen him, and in
which the stranger, in his suddenly
enforced humanity, hears words from
the Psalms, woven throughout the
D
irecting an opera is always
such an incredible
collaborative process,
combining, as it does, music, theatre,
spectacle, acting, singing and
establishing that all-important
relationship between opera and
audience. How wonderful it is, then,
to be working with Philip, the
marvelous choir of Plymouth Church,
the first-class lead players and the
environment of the church itself. I
Creator Statements
like its companion opera, it too uses a
small cast of principals (three in this
case) and a chorus. The idea was that
the opera could be performed by
churches, universities, colleges and
even professional companies.
The Three Hermits is an opera about
humility. An unctuous bishop offers
his services to teach three very old
men on a remote island how to pray
“properly.” He is humbled when, after
returning to the main boat, he sees
the three men running across the
water to tell him they have already
forgotten a line from the Lord’s
Prayer. The bishop realizes he is
being shown a miracle, and humbles
himself before the three men.
The Shoemaker (based on the story,
“What Men Live By”) is an opera
about compassion. So often, operas
are about lust and violence and greed
and the usual subjects. I found it
refreshing to undertake two works in
which the character traits of humility
and compassion are the real stars.
What makes the best operas work is
action, which give us a sense of his
range of emotions—the brutality of
his unprecedented distance from
heaven, his desperation, his love and
longing for God, his trust in divine
mercy. When the chorus sings “Bring
us back,” there is a personal as well as
a collective resonance (such as we
experience in “Give us this day our
daily bread,” for example, in the
Lord’s Prayer). All the way along, I
have wanted to honor the clarity and
humanity of the original, itself a
confluence of several voices, sources
and influences, in the spirit of Leo
never feel we should disguise the fact
that we are in a church. Our opera
takes place in a peasant home and
shop, but it truly takes place in
Plymouth Church, and attempts to
make it seem a hut makes it, for me,
more a bad Christmas pageant.
Fifteen years ago at The House of
Hope, I directed The Three Hermits,
also written and composed by Michael
and Stephen, also a story about the
meeting of the everyday with the
the development and evolution of the
principal characters. In both of these
Tolstoy stories, we see characters
change and develop as they learn to
embrace those great human
qualities—so often in short supply
during our times!
I am so grateful to Philip Brunelle
and his wonderful charges at
Plymouth Congregational Church
(both vocal and instrumental) for
undertaking this project. He is a true
champion for a long line of
composers. And I am happy also to
have collaborated with my longtime
colleague and great friend, Michael
Dennis Browne. Gary Gisselman is
always a joy to work with and proved
it again this time. I am extremely
grateful to all of the wonderful friends
from The House of Hope
Presbyterian Church community who
gathered together and showed how
things can be created out of an idea
and a dream. To all, I share my
affection and gratitude.
—Stephen Paulus
Tolstoy, himself the master
orchestrator.
My thanks to Stephen Paulus for one
more utterly joyful collaboration; to
the Commissioning Group for their
exceptional support; to Kate
Bushmann and Gary Jahn for their
expert feedback on some of my drafts;
and to Gary Gisselman, Philip
Brunelle, and all the performers for
everything they have so
wholeheartedly and skillfully brought
to this experience.
—Michael Dennis Browne
miraculous. What wonderful artists
they are to work with—demanding in
their talent, and generous in their
support. I feel very blessed to be
working with them again, and with
our new collaborators. Oliver
Wendell Holmes said, “Many people
die with their music still in them.”
Thankfully, with Stephen, Philip,
Michael and our excellent performers,
we can share in their music.
—Gary Gisselman

Stephen Paulus
Composer
Stephen Paulus has composed more
than 450 works for orchestra, opera,
chorus, chamber ensembles, solo
voice, concert band, and keyboard.
He has received commissions from
the New York Philharmonic,
Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota
Orchestra, and his works have been
championed by such eminent
conductors as Sir Neville Marriner,
Kurt Masur, Christoph von Dohnányi
and Osmo Vänskä, among many
others.
Stephen’s choral works have been
performed and recorded by some of
the most distinguished choruses in
the United States, including the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the New
York Concert Singers, Dale Warland
Singers, Los Angeles Master Chorale,
Robert Shaw Festival Singers,
VocalEssence and dozens of other
professional, community, church and
college choirs. Stephen is one of the
most frequently recorded
contemporary composers, with his
music represented on dozens of
recordings. Music of Stephen’s has
been heard almost every season with
VocalEssence for the past 25 years.
Stephen co-founded the American
Composers Forum in 1973. He
continues to work on behalf of his
colleagues as the Symphony and
Concert representative on ASCAP’s
Board of Directors. He has been the
recipient of both Guggenheim and
NEA Fellowships.
A special distinction for Stephen
Paulus is that the choral piece which
concludes his first church opera, The
Three Hermits, was performed at the
state funerals for both Presidents
Ford and Reagan.
Creator Biographies
Michael Dennis Browne
Librettist
Michael Dennis Browne is Professor
Emeritus of English at the University
of Minnesota, where he taught for 39
years. His most recent publications
include Give Her the River, a picture
book with paintings by Wendell
Minor (Atheneum Books for Young
Readers, 2004); Things I Can’t Tell
You, poetry (Carnegie Mellon
University Press, 2005); and What the
Poem Wants, essays on poetry
(Carnegie Mellon, 2008). Michael’s
poems have been published in many
magazines and anthologies. His
awards include fellowships from the
National Endowment for the Arts, the
Bush Foundation, the Jerome
Foundation, and the McKnight
Foundation. Two of his collections
have won the Minnesota Book Award
for poetry.
As a librettist, Michael has written
many texts for music, working
principally with composer Stephen
Paulus. Their post-Holocaust
oratorio, To Be Certain of the Dawn,
was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
in music. They also collaborated on
an earlier church opera, The Three
Hermits.
Gary Gisselman
Director
Gary Gisselman has directed more
than 200 productions of plays,
musicals and operas at such venues
as the Guthrie Theater in
Minneapolis (The Sunshine Boys,
Lost in Yonkers, Simpatico,
Entertaining Mr. Sloane, and eight
productions of A Christmas Carol
since 2001); Salt Lake City’s Pioneer
Theatre; and A Contemporary
Theatre in Seattle. Gary staged the
first performances of The Three
Hermits in 1998.
He has been artistic director of St.
Olaf Theatre since 2000. Previously,
Gary was founding artistic director of
the Chanhassen Theatres and artistic
director of Arizona Theatre Company
and Bloomington Civic Theater. He
was also associate artistic director of
Children’s Theatre Company of
Minneapolis and director of the
University of Minnesota’s Opera
Theatre. He has taught at both
University of Arizona and Arizona
State.
Gary has served as a panelist for the
National Endowment for the Arts and
Arizona Commission for the Arts,
and was a visiting professor at
Tunghai University in Taiwan. His
honors include the Twin Cities Kudos
and Zoni (Arizona Critics) Awards.
He was a McKnight Fellow in Acting
at the University of Minnesota.
Scotty Gunderson
Assistant Director
Scotty Gunderson is a theatre
director and visual artist who lives in
Minneapolis. He graduated from St.
Olaf College in Northfield, earning a
Bachelor of Arts degree with
Distinction in Studio Art and Theatre.
Scotty recently directed Seussical the
Musical with the Lake Harriet
Players, and is currently developing a
new play about beauty pageants with
Minneapolis writer Jason Zabel.
Scotty’s visual art has been included
in exhibitions in New York, Wyoming
and Minnesota, most recently at
Gamut Gallery in Minneapolis.
Philip Brunelle
Conductor
Philip Brunelle is in his 44th year as
Organist-Choirmaster at Plymouth
Congregational Church—only the
third person to hold this title at
Plymouth since 1900! Upon arriving,
he founded the Plymouth Music
Series, which became VocalEssence.
He was pianist on the very first
broadcast of A Prairie Home
Companion in 1974, forging a link
with Garrison Keillor, which has
included hymn sings with Garrison at
Plymouth Church. (continued)

Philip has guest conducted choirs
and orchestras across the United
States, South America and Europe,
and has adjudicated choral
competitions in South Korea, China,
Norway and Hungary. He has been
recognized for his commitment to
choral music by Norway
(Commander of the Royal Norwegian
Order of Merit), the United Kingdom
(OBE), Hungary, Sweden and Mexico.
He is a board member of Chorus
America and the International
Federation for Choral Music, where
he serves as a Vice President. Last fall
the University of Minnesota
conferred on him the degree Doctor
of Humane Letters. Philip has
honorary degrees from four other
colleges and universities, and has
been honored with numerous awards.
THIS NEW CHURCH OPERA WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE
WITHOUT THE GENEROSITY OF THESE PATRONS:
The Shoemaker Commissioning Group
Janice and Paul H. Anderson
Mary and Terry Patton
Ginger and Walt Bailey
Janet and Tom Payne
Carol and Sheldon Damberg
Kathleen Schubert
Elizabeth and John Driscoll
Gretchen and Jack Sjoholm
Diane and Mark Gorder
Linda M. and J. Patrick Smith
Ann and Herb Lewis
Evelyn Sunness
Mrs. Walter Meyers
James Wall
Helen H. Wang
Ann and Kent Wilson
Carol Wilson and John Handiak
Ruth Shannon Wilson
Jane and James Wiltz
The Shoemaker Production Support
Cy and Paula DeCosse
David and Margene Fox
Bill and Helen Hartfiel
Louise Heffelfinger
Charles and Anne Leck
Patricia and David Runkle
Gale Sharpe
Cherie Stofer
Dobson and Jane West
We also gratefully acknowledge the support of The American Composers Forum,
Jack Hoeschler and the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, New York City,
for their generous assistance in the development of this project.
Special Thanks
James Bohn
Carol Brandenburg
Carolyn Brunelle
Doug Freeman
Allison Campbell Jensen
Steve Lund
Judy Olson
Sue Shepard
Alec Shern
Christi Sutphen
Sonja Thompson
Kent and Ann Wilson
and the Plymouth Custodians:
Kathryn Bahl
John Bradford
Bob Haas
Larry Rostad
Tracy White
On the Cover
St. Michael Icon
Written on granite stone
by the hand of Andre Prevost
http://www.andreprevost.com/IconsByAndrePrevost.html
PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
1900 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403
612/871-7400 • www.plymouth.org • E-mail: churchinfo@plymouth.org