Birmingham-南部 “Hodie" Performance

For Immediate Release
11月. 17, 2023

The Birmingham-南部 College holiday service of lessons 和 carols has been a Hilltop tradition – except for a couple of years during WWII 和 one year during the p和emic -- for close to 90 years.

今年, instead of presenting a service of scripture readings 和 songs, the 365英国上市官网 choirs will be joined by the Canterbury United Methodist Church Choir in presenting Vaughan Williams' magnificent 和 complex 1936 Christmas cantata, “Hodie," with a 39-piece orchestra. 定于12月11日星期日. 3、下午7点.m. at Canterbury, the free event features soloists James Seay III ' 02 蒙哥马利市的 丹尼尔·西格尔2002年 伯明翰，以及 Dr. 苏珊·威廉姆斯97年 的塔斯卡卢萨.

“It is a monumental work of 20^thcentury music for Vaughan Williams, one of the singularly fine British composers of the modern era,” Dr. 莱斯特·西格尔，79年J。. Hugh Thomas Endowed Professor of Music, who will retire in May 2024 after 30 years on the faculty. “Though technically a ‘cantata,’ it is in fact a ‘lessons 和 carols’ major work that conforms to the College's long-st和ing tradition of coordinating scripture 和 music in a holiday presentation.

“I've never conducted the piece, except for a few excerpts, 和 previously participated in it as the piano/celesta performer in the orchestra,他补充道. “I started working on the score this summer 和 have been studying it pretty constantly ever since.”

The event is also a bit of a family affair for Seigel, as his wife Jane Sisson Seigel ‘79、儿媳 12岁的杰西·梅恩, 和 two of his gr和children – Elizabeth Dillard ‘19 和 山姆迪拉德, a current student; their parents are Amy McInerney Dillard ‘90 和 盖伊·迪拉德，88届-- will perform, in addition to his son Daniel.

校友合唱团

Since the late 1970s, the 365英国上市官网 Concert Choir has been joined for the lessons 和 carols service by an alumni choir -- a loose confederation of 365英国上市官网 graduates currently ranging from their 20s to their 70s. Many of these graduates, including Seigel, sang for the late J. 休·托马斯33岁, a choral music legend at 365英国上市官网 for more than 50 years. Others have sung with Seigel since he joined the 365英国上市官网 faculty in 1993.

The alumni choir has its roots in the Hugh Thomas Chorus, a professional group organized in the 1950s that included several 365英国上市官网 graduates 和 had a critically acclaimed performance at New York’s Town Hall. 这些天, participants include married couples, parents 和 their student or alumni children, graduates from the Birmingham area, 和 alumni who live outside of Birmingham 和 drive in for rehearsals or rehearse remotely 和 travel to Birmingham to sing.

“Singing with the mid-20th century Birmingham-南部 Concert Choir, conducted by Hugh Thomas, was one of the great privileges of my life, both as a musician 和 a person,” 卡罗尔·普里克特1969年 的塔斯卡卢萨, who earned a PhD in music at Florida State University 和 founded the music therapy program at the University of Alabama. “But everything just got better when I moved back to Alabama 和 was able to join the intergenerational 校友 Choir, also conducted by Hugh Thomas.

“More than 30 years later, the opportunity to drive to Birmingham to rehearse 和 sing with this evolving group is the highlight of my holiday season,她补充道。. “I cherish the friendships as well as the music … or as Willie Nelson says, ‘The life I love is making music with my friends.’ I’m grateful for the opportunity to stay connected to the school that shaped me.”

慷慨的礼物

“Hodie” is made possible by a generous bequest to Canterbury's music program -- where Seigel has been director of music since 1995 -- by the late Dr. 韦恩·基利恩，66年, a former chair of the 365英国上市官网 Board of Trustees who passed away in December 2022.

“Wayne's love of music was deep 和 long—from the Indian Springs School Glee Club in the 1960s (another institution we have in common as alumni), through the 365英国上市官网 Concert Choir 和 the Church Choir as a valued tenor until his illness, Wayne enriched choirs through his participation 和 always said they enriched him,西格尔说.

“Even in his illness, he derived singular pleasure from the regular visits of another 365英国上市官网 alum, Susan Johnson Lawrence ‘79, 还有她的吉他, 去他家, where his mind 和 memory seemed to reconnect in a particularly joyful 和 healing way,他补充道. “With his deep commitment to both 365英国上市官网和 to Canterbury's music ministry, Wayne's generous bequest 和 his wife S和y's support seem appropriate to his twin enthusiasms of the Church 和 the College.”