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NYCA 2025 Season - Concert Program

Ubi Caritas – Michael John Trotta (2018)
Text: Paulinus of Aquileia (796)

Written in 2020, Michael John Trotta's Ubi Caritas is a contemporary arrangement of the Latin liturgical text. In this modern setting, Trotta communicates the message of love and unity through his pared back yet lush harmony, rich textures, undulating melodic lines and full exploration of expressive devices like dynamics. This almost meditative sound world, draws the listener into an introspective, contemplative space, highlighting the central meaning of the text, “Where there is charity and love, God is there.”

Trotta is recognised by his ability to emotionally connect with audiences through his music. A sense of elegance and deep expression is often created, making his music appropriate for a wide variety of performance settings both scared and secular.

The beginning of this piece also features a beautiful chant line which may be sung by a soloist, a solo organ stop, or any C instrument. In NYCA’s performance, this solo will be sung by the sopranos and altos.

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exultemus, et in ipso iucundemur.
Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero. Amen.

Where charity and love are, God is there.
Christ's love has gathered us into one.
Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him.
Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
And may we love each other with a sincere heart. Amen.

Cantate Domino – Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Text: Psalm 96-Psalm 98

Claudio Monteverdi is known as one of the revolutionary figures to bridge the gap between late Renaissance and early Baroque music. This crossover of styles, along with deep expression and thorough attention to text-setting, embody his sacred works and operas.

This jubilant motet Cantate Domino convincingly exemplifies the polyphonic texture that characterises most Renaissance vocal music and early Baroque music. It is based on verses from Psalm 96 that welcomes all nations to praise God with a “new song”. Monteverdi marries this idea with composition techniques like imitation, suspensions and intricate counterpoint to create a rhythmically vivacious and vibrant work. The staggered entries weave a pattern of consonants and rich harmony, which create a strong sense of forward motion and energy. This sense of liveliness matches the exuberance of praise.

Cantate Domino canticum novum,
cantate et benedicite nomini ejus:
Quia mirabilia fecit.
Cantate et exultate et psallite
in cithara et voce psalmi:
Quia mirabilia fecit.

Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing and give praise to His name:
for he has done marvellous deeds.
Sing and exult and praise.
in songs with the harp and the voice:
for he has done marvellous deeds.

The Deer’s Cry – Arvo Pärt (2007)
Text: Lorica of St Patrick (377)

Commissioned by the Louth Contemporary Music Society in Ireland, this motet by Arvo Pärt was premiered just under two decades ago in 2008. The music is a partial setting to the text of Saint Patrick’s Breastplate, an Old Irish lorica (prayer of protection) with origins that likely date back to the eighth century. Pärt’s setting focuses on acknowledging the omnipresence of Christ, found in every place, moment, and person.

The Deer’s Cry takes its name from a miraculous story behind the prayer. Death was certain when Saint Patrick realised his group was under ambush by their enemies. However, they remained undetected by their enemies, as they only saw what seemed to be a herd of deer and fawns. This miraculous escape is attributed to the use of the lorica (during the ambush), which means “armour” in Latin. The music cleverly reflects the atmosphere of this story as the performers take on the role of the group under ambush. Through gradual harmonic, dynamic, and textural changes across repetitions in the textual invocations, Pärt’s minimalist approach not only presents beauty in simplicity but also powerfully conveys the emotional weight of the text in a contextual and perhaps personal manner.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in me, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me,
Christ with me.

Laudibus in sanctis – William Byrd (1540-1623)
Text: Psalm 150

William Byrd is one of the most prolific composers of the Renaissance era. He composed both sacred and secular music, many compositions in the structure of a motet.

Composed around 1591 Laudibus in Sanctis exemplifies the vibrant, polyphonic sound of many scared Renaissance motets. It was written for the Roman Catholic mass during a time of religious conflict in Protestant England. The text is based on Psalm 150, which calls for worshiping God with a range of musical instruments and dance. For example, “Laudate eum in sono tubae... in cymbalis laudate eum” means "Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet...praise Him with cymbals." Almost fanfare-like, this bold, vibrant piece is both expressive and engaging. Like the text, the piece embodies buoyancy and energy through the use of typical Renaissance musical features like rhythmic vigour, word painting and imitation.

Laudibus in sanctis Dominum celebrate supremum:
Firmamenta sonent inclita facta Dei.
Inclita facta Dei cantate, sacraque potentis
Voce potestatem saepe sonate manus.
Magnificum Domini cantet tuba martia nomen:
Pieria Domino concelebrate lira.
Laude Dei resonent resonantia tympana summi:
Alta sacri resonent organa laude Dei.

Hunc arguta canant tenui psalteria corda,
Hunc agili laudet laeta chorea pede.
Concava divinas effundant cymbala laudes,
Cymbala dulcisona laude repleta Dei.
Omne quod aethereis in mundo vescitur auris
Halleluia canat tempus in omne Deo.

Celebrate the Lord most high in holy praises:
Let the firmament echo the glorious deeds of God.
Sing ye the glorious deeds of God, and with holy voice
Sound forth oft the power of his mighty hand.:
Let the warlike trumpet sing the great name of the Lord:
Celebrate the Lord with Pierian lyre.
Let resounding timbrels ring to the praise of the most-high God,
Lofty organs peal to the praise of the holy God.:

Him let melodious psalteries sing with fine string,
Him let joyful dance praise with nimble foot.
Let hollow cymbals pour forth divine praises,
Cymbals filled with the sweet-sounding praise of God.
Let everything in the world that feeds upon the air of heaven
Sing Halleluia to God for evermore.

Mater Dolorosa – Carl Crossin (2013)
Text: Anon.

Mater Dolorosa is a setting of the thirteenth-century Marian hymn (Stabat Mater) by Carl Crossin OAM. The work was commissioned by the Adelaide Chamber Singers and first performed in 2013 at the Musica Sacra a Roma Choral Competition.

Translated from Latin as “Sorrowful Mother”, the hymn describes the Virgin Mary’s grievances over the death of her son Jesus Christ. Crossin’s setting includes the first four verses, with recurring lines of harmonic descent to represent the mother’s suffering. The music carries a sense of inevitability and explores the emotional state of Mary’s mind during Jesus’s crucifixion.

Stabat Mater dolorosa
Juxta crucem lacrimosa
Dum pendebat Filius.

Cuius animam gementem
Contristatam et dolentem
Pertransivit gladius.

O quam tristis et afflicta
Fuit illa benedicta
Mater unigeniti!

Quae moerebat et dolebat,
Pia Mater, dum videbat
Nati poenas incliti.

At the cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.

Through her soul, of joy bereaved,
bowed with anguish, deeply grieved,
now at length the sword hath passed.

Oh how sad and sore distressed
was that mother highly blessed,
of the sole-begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs;
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying glorious Son.

Funeral Ikos – John Tavener (1981)
Text: The Order for the Burial of the Dead

English composer John Tavener’s conversion to Orthodox Christianity in 1977 had a significant impact on his musical output, where his profound religiousness was often evident. Funeral Ikos is a setting of text from the Order for the Burial of a Priest, specifically the oikos (ikos) section.

It raises questions about life after death and reflects on our worldly possessions, deeds, and physical body when we are before God upon death, all while maintaining a solemn assurance in the hope of eternal life. The music draws influences from Byzantine chant, as each stanza begins on a monophonic line sung in unison, and both the rhythm and melodic changes are heavily reliant on the text. The repetitive nature of the harmony and structure puts a spotlight on the text, and, in the words of John Rutter, “[brings] an audience to deep silence” as they meditate on the words that are being presented.

Why these bitter words of the dying, O brethren
Which they utter as they go hence?
I am parted from my brethren
All my friends do I abandon and go hence
But whither I go, that understand I not
Neither what shall become of me yonder;
Only God who hath summoned me knoweth
But make commemoration of me with the song:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

But whither now go the souls?
How dwell they now together there?
This mystery have I desired to learn; but none can impart aright
Do they call to mind their own people, as we do them?
Or have they forgotten all those who mourn them and make the song:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

We go forth on the path eternal, and as condemned
with downcast faces, present ourselves before the only God eternal
Where then is comeliness? Where then is wealth?
Where then is the glory of this world?
There shall none of these things aid us, but only to say oft the psalm:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

If thou hast shown mercy unto man, o man
That same mercy shall be shown thee there;
And if on an orphan thou hast shown compassion
The same shall there deliver thee from want.
If in this life the naked thou hast clothed
The same shall give thee shelter there, and sing the psalm:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Youth and the beauty of the body fade at the hour of death,
and the tongue then burneth fiercely,
and the parched throat is inflamed.
The beauty of the eyes is quenched then,
the comeliness of the face all altered,
the shapeliness of the neck destroyed;
And the other parts have become numb, nor often say:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

With ecstasy are we inflamed
if we but hear that there is light eternal yonder;
that there is Paradise,
wherein every soul of Righteous Ones rejoiceth.
Let us all, also, enter into Christ,
that all we may cry aloud thus unto God:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

All Flesh is Fire – Anne Cawrse (2023)
Text: Kate Llewellyn (2023)

An award-winning composer based in South Australia, Anne Cawrse particularly enjoys expressing the work of female writers through her music. Her choral song cycle All Flesh is Fire exemplifies this by setting music to the poetry of Kate Llewellyn AM in her poem Faith. The Adelaide Chamber Singers premiered the work for the 18th Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Inner Sanctum.

The fifth movement, Night/Light is a warm and rich-toned hymn that expounds the virtues of possibility and impermanence, as embodied by the night sky. It contains a line from Father Andrew Bullen SJ's poem Ceremony - 'All flesh is fire held in time' and it is from here that the full cycle takes its name. Kate Llewellyn quoted and footnoted this beautiful line in her original poem Faith, the source poem for the full work.

The third movement, White Petals, depicts the scenery of a garden throughout the seasons, concluding with an acceptance and a sense of peace as the narrator quietly acknowledges that time has passed. Cawrse’s music here is unhurried and free, using recurring motifs to provoke contemplation on the universal experience of aging, and challenges us on how we can choose to feel about it.

Movt. 5. Night/Light

Night is full of light.
The sun still rose and night fell.
I buried dahlia rhizomes
upside down like bombs
and when they rose they’d turned around.

”All flesh is fire held in time”.

Movt. 3. White Petals

White petals from the quince tree
flew past the window. It looked like snow.
The garden grew taller,
seasons still had scent,
birds sang.
Everything looked normal
yet something was missing,
a parcel posted without stamps.
Time seemed banished.

I felt grateful sitting in the sun
with a bowl of soup alone.

Dunque, amate relique – Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Text: Scipione Agnelli (1586-1653)

After the premiere of his influential opera L’Orfeo (1607), Monteverdi endured a difficult few years of his life. With the death of both his wife and the prima donna before his premiere of L’Arianna, his emotional and financially troubled times as a court musician would persist at least until 1613, which marks the year he was appointed as director of music at St Mark’s Basilica, Venice.

It is not surprising, perhaps, that Monteverdi’s fifth book of madrigals, published in 1614, depicted recurring themes of death and loss. Dunque, amate relique is the sixth and final part of a sestina (a poem with six stanzas of six lines, plus a final three-line ending) named Lagrime d'amante al sepolcro dell'amata (A Lover's Tears at the Tomb of His Beloved). Written in memory of Martinelli, the madrigal laments the death of a loved one expressively through innovative harmonies for the time.

Dunque, amate reliquie, un mar di pianto
Non daran questi lumi al nobil seno
D'un freddo sasso? Eco! L'afflitto Glauco
Fa rissonar Corinna il mare e 'l Cielo,
Dicano i venti ogn'or, dica la terra
Ahi Corinna! Ahi Morte! Ahi tomba!

Cedano al pianto
I detti! Amato seno
A te dia pace il Cielo,
Pace a te, Glauco
Prega, honorato tomba
E sacra terra.

Therefore, beloved remains, will these eyes
not shed a sea of tears over the noble breast
of this cold stone? Hark, wretched Glaucus makes
ocean and heaven resound with his cry, “Corinna”;
may the earth and all the winds utter forth:
“Ah, Corinna! Ah, Death! Ah, Grave!"

Let words yield to tears,
beloved breast;
may heaven give you peace;
peace to you, Glaucus,
you who pray at this honoured grave,
this sacred ground.

Sì ch'io vorrei morire – Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Text: Maurizio Moro (16th Century)

Claudio Monteverdi was an Italian composer ahead of his time in many aspects. Not only was he highly influential in the development of early opera, but he was also responsible for introducing a more modern style of composition for the time (seconda pratica) as an evolution from the historically-conscious older style (stile antico). Despite music theorist Giovanni Artusi’s strong public criticisms against Monteverdi’s innovations, Monteverdi stood firm in his compositional choices and ultimately became a crucial figure in this transitional period of Western music history.

Monteverdi’s fourth book of Madrigals, published in 1603, contained works that were under Artusi’s criticism before their publication; the collection dramatically explores the emotions and pain associated with love and yearning. The melodramatic Si ch’io vorrei morire is unashamedly secular, as the narrator describes a sexual love and passion so great that he wishes to die in his lover’s arms (in a way that is not sweet or subtle). There are expressively exciting moments of word painting that depict the vivid (and often explicit) imagery of the text.

Sì, ch'io vorrei morire,
ora ch'io bacio, amore,
la bella bocca del mio amato core.

Ahi, car' e dolce lingua,
datemi tanto umore,
che di dolcezza in questo sen' m'estingua!

Ahi, vita mia, a questo bianco seno,
deh, stringetemi fin ch'io venga meno!
Ahi, bocca! Ahi, baci! Ahi, lingua! Torn' a dire:
Sì, ch'io vorei morire!

Yes, I would like to die,
now that I'm kissing, sweetheart,
the luscious lips of my darling beloved.

Ah! dear, dainty tongue,
give me so much of your liquid
that I die of delight on your breast!

Ah, my love, to this white breast
ah, crush me until I faint!
Ah mouth! Ah kisses! Ah tongue! I say again:
Yes, I would like to die!

Bright Morning Stars – Trad. Appalachian Folksong arr. The Wailin’ Jennys (2011), adapted for NYCA by Carl Crossin (2025)
Text: Anon.

Amidst the chaos and complexities of modern society, the traditional folksong Bright Morning Stars is a serene reminder that the simplest forms of music can remind us of the hope and joy that we may struggle to feel around us. Originating from the Appalachian Mountains in America, the lyrics proclaim the dawn of a new beginning, starting from one’s soul. There is a sense of freedom that the music conveys through its simple harmonies and lilting rhythms.

Bright morning stars are rising
Day is a breaking
In my soul

Oh where are our dear fathers?
They are down in the valley a'praying
Day is a breaking
In my soul

Oh where are our dear mothers?
They are gone to heaven a'shouting
Day is a breaking
In my soul

A Country Mile – Naomi Crellin (2015)
Text: Naomi Crellin (2015)

Naomi Crellin is a composer and singer originally from Adelaide, South Australia. She has a Bachelor of Music in jazz and is most well-known for her singing role in the small vocal ensemble, The Idea of North.

Released in 2016, A Country Mile is a contemporary ballad informed by Naomi’s rich knowledge of jazz harmony. It was written as a warm tribute to the late Gene Puerling who is known as a leading figure in arranging vocal jazz music. The lyrics tell the story of a person’s journey of self-discovery and belonging, and bring to mind a sense of peace, comfort and returning home. The frequent pulling back of the tempo helps capture a sense of time slowing down. At the climax, a sense of pride and fulfilment is communicated through a long crescendo and a held A diminished 7th chord. This helps capture the meaning of the lyrics “[I found] that golden feeling I’m where I belong”. At the end, a reserved, soft Eb major (add 2) chord perfectly captures the sense of enlightenment, resolution and self-assurance in the lyrics “so glad at last I know”.

I strode a country mile,
and when I stopped to look around,
I did not recognise the place I found,
and so I stayed a while.
Savouring the day,
a different sight, a different view,
a different colour to explore anew,
so glad I turned that way.

High in the trees where the wind is a poet
dancing alone to the beat of the sky,
held in the breeze in the branches below it,
sunlight gleaming, moonlight’s dreaming nigh,
and when I turned to go I found I’d been here all along,
a shy new chorus of the same sweet song,
that golden feeling I’m where I belong,
so glad at last I know.

Carl Crossin

Carl Crossin is well known and respected throughout Australia as a choral conductor, educator, composer and clinician. A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (Classical Guitar & Music Education) and the University of Adelaide (Musicology), he has also undertaken specialist choral conducting studies at Westminster Choir College, Princeton in the United States.

 As an educator, Carl has taught music extensively at both secondary and tertiary levels of education. Following fourteen years (as teacher and Music Co-ordinator) at Brighton High School Special Music Centre and nine years at the the Department of Further Education's Flinders Street School of Music, Carl joined the staff of the Elder Conservatorium of Music in 2002.  At the Conservatorium he has served as Head of Choral Music, Conductor of several choirs including the Elder Conservatorium Chorale, Head of Academic Studies and Deputy Director of the Conservatorium.

 Carl served as Director of the Elder Conservatorium of Music from the 2010 - 2014 and stepped down at the end of 2014 to take on a new role as Head of Voice, Opera, Conducting & Ensembles within the Conservatorium.

 Carl is Founder, Artisitic Director and Conductor of Adelaide Chamber Singers, with whom he has toured Britain, Europe, North America and South-East Asia.  Under Carl's direction, Adelaide Chamber Singers has won several awards for its performances and CD recordings and has represented Australia at major international choral and music education symposia and festivals including the 6th World Symposium on Choral Music in Minneapolis in the USA (2002) and the Asia/South Pacific Symposium on Choral Music in Singapore (2001).

 Foremost amongst it's honours, Adelaide Chamber Singers has (under Carl's direction) won Choir of the World at Llangollen 2013 in Wales, Vincitore del Gran Premio at the Music Sacra a Roma in Rome in 2013, six Gold awards (1st place) at competitions in Rome and Austria (2013), Choir of the World at Kathaumixw 2006 in Canada, a Gramophone magazine 'CD of the Month' citation in 2007, and shared (with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra) the 'Best Choral/Orchestral Work and Recording 2008' award from the Australian Music Centre.  In 2011, Adelaide Chamber Singers was awarded one of South Australia's premier Arts awards - the 2011 Ruby Award for "sustained excellence and contribution". 

 Carl has had extensive experience as a choral conductor and clinician throughout Australia and has been the conductor of a wide variety of choirs in Adelaide over the past 35 years, including the Elder Conservatorium Chorale, Adelaide Voices, Bella Voce, Voiceworks, the Adelaide Symphony Chorus, the Adelaide Festival Chorus, Brighton School Concert Choir, both Flinders and Adelaide University Choral Societies and Graduate Singers.

 Carl is a regular guest conductor of the Gondwana Chorale (a nationally auditioned youth choir of singers aged 18 - 26) and has guest conducted several of Australia's major choirs including the Sydney Philharmonia, Melbourne Chorale, Sydney Chamber Choir, Brisbane Chamber Choir, Perth's Giovanni Consort and the Australian Youth Orchestra's National Music Camp Chamber Choir.  He has also conducted for the Queensland Conservatorium's State Honours Ensemble Program.  Carl was Artistic Director and Conductor of the National Youth Chamber Choir of Australia from 2008 - 2014.

 Carl has adjudicated at several of Australia's major choral competitions, and in South east Asia and New Zealand.  As a composer and arranger Carl has written mostly for voices and many of his choral arrangements and compositions have found their way into the repertoire of a wide variety of local, interstate and overseas choirs.  In 2007, Carl was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to music.

Laura Williams

Laura Williams is a singer, high school music teacher and choir conductor from Brisbane. She has performed in multiple choirs over the last 18 years including NYCA, The Australian Voices, Birralee Resonance and Brisbane Chamber Choir. Her school choir "Chorale" has won the Queensland competition Choral Fanfare twice and been a finalist on many occasions. She also conducts a handbell choir and has experience composing for Australian choirs and handbell groups.

Thompson Lee

Thompson Lee is a conductor and performer with an emerging presence in Sydney’s choral and classical music scene. His musicianship and versatility have led him to a wide range of musical experiences across varied contexts and disciplines. He has been named one of two conducting scholars for the National Youth Choir of Australia’s 2025 season, following his inaugural season in 2023 as a singer.

A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Thompson holds a Bachelor of Music (Performance), majoring in classical piano under the tutelage of distinguished pianist Clemens Leske. Alongside his principal study, he also undertook conducting studies with Dr. Elizabeth Scott and Steve Williams. As a former chorister of the Sydney Conservatorium Chamber Choir, his highlights include regional, interstate, and international tours, a production of The Magic Flute, and masterclasses with Stephen Layton MBE and Alois Glaßner. In 2024, he conducted a performance on tour in Italy and was selected for a conducting masterclass with Marko Vatovec in Slovenia.

Thompson currently serves as Assistant Conductor of the Sydney University Musical Society (SUMS) Small Group, where he has directed the ensemble in society concerts and Small Group recitals. He has also appeared as a tenor soloist and percussionist in various concerts. Concurrently, he sings with VOX (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs), with recent highlights at the Sydney Opera House including St. Matthew Passion (Mendelssohn version), the Duruflé Requiem, and Gurrelieder.

Noel Ancell

 Noel Ancell has had a long career as conductor, teacher, administrator, musicologist, organist and composer but now, largely retired from the first three activities, he finds himself concentrating on composition. He remains Artistic Director of the National Youth Choir of Australia (NYCA). Previously, he was for 35 years Artistic Director of the Australian Boys Choral Institute, conducting the Australian Boys Choir, the Kelly Gang (teenagers) and The Vocal Consort (adults). His voice studio has produced a number of successful professional singers as well as enthusiastic amateurs. His involvement in church music began as a boy and continued in such positions as Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Hobart. He was President of the Australian National Choral Association and has conducted as a guest at international festivals including World Alliance Festivals of Singing in the USA and Prague. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009 for service to choral music.