University Men's Chorus at ACDA
Richard Schnipke, conductor
C.J. Capen, pianist
Brock Burkett, graduate assistant
February 27, 2026
2:30 p.m.
The Pabst Theater
Milwaukee, WI
Program
Songs We Share: Traditions of Community
Gaudeamus | arr. Marshall Bartholomew (1885-1978)
Traditional German Melody
G. Schirmer 11279
Latin:
Gaudeamus igitur
Juvenes dum sumus.
Post jucundam juventutem
Post molestam senectutem
Nos habebit humus.
English Translation:
Therefore let us rejoice
While we are young!
After pleasant youth
After troublesome old age
The earth will have us!
I Come Singing | Eric William Barnum (b. 1979)
Text by Jacob Auslander
Graphite Publishing GP-B009
William Hermanowski, percussion
I come singing the keen sweet smell of grass
Cut after rain,
And the cool ripple of drops that pass
Over the grain,
And the drenched light drifting across the plain.
I come chanting the mad bloom of the fall.
And the swallows
Rallying in clans to the rapid call
From the hollows,
And the wet west wind swooping down on the swallows.
I come shrilling the sharp white of December,
The night like quick steel
Swung by a gust in its plunge through the pallid ember
Of dusk, and the heel
Of the fierce green dark grinding the stars like steel.
Bell Tower | Katerina Gimon (b. 1993)
Text by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows
Graphite KG-BellTower
Quiet friend who has come so far,
feel how your breathing
makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell.
As you ring,
what batters you becomes your strength.
Move back and forth into the change.
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself into wine.
In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.
And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am.
Haste Thee, Nymph from L’Allegro, Il Penseroso ed Il Moderato |
George Frederic Handel (1685-1759), ed. & arr. Eugene Rogers
Hal Leonard 00265620
Sarah Luebke, soloist
Air:
Haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee
Jest and youthful jollity,
Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles,
Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles
Such as hang on Hebe’s cheek,
And love to live in dimple sleek,
Sport, that wrinkled care derides,
And laughter, holding both his sides.
Chorus:
Haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee
Jest, and youthful jollity;
Sport, that wrinkled care derides,
And laughter, holding both his sides.
Meestelaulud | Veljo Tormis (1930-2017)
Traditional Estonian texts, edited by Paul-Eerik Rummo
Walton WW1602
VII. Teomehe-laul (Serf’s Song)
Estonian:
Muudel on sängid ja muudel mängid,
mul ei sängi, mul ei mängi,
mure minul on ja teomehe hool,
ei neist pääse kuskile poole.
Kui mina vaeneke väsind olen,
kus ma selle koorma panen?
Mure panen musta parre pääl,
hoole heidan õrre pääle.
Hommilkul, tilluke, jälle teole,
väeti, härra välja pääle, --
mure tuleb parrelt põue taas,
hool see jookseb õue kaasa.
Oi jumal, oi jumal, jumaluke,
viska alla vinnaköied,
et ma üles taeva teomeheks saaks
Maarja loole, Looja maale.
English:
Others have beds and others have games
I have neither a bed nor a game,
Trouble I have and a bondman’s care,
No escape from them.
When I, poor me, get tired,
Where shall I lay this burden?
Trouble I set on the black beam,
Care I cast on the perch.
In the morning, bond again for me, the tiny,
The wee me, (again) onto my master’s field.
Trouble comes back into my bosom,
Care runs along into the yard.
Oh Lord, dear Lord,
Throw down some hoisting ropes
So I could enter the heavenly bond,
Make hay for Maria in the Creator’s realm.
VIII. Tantsulaul (Dancing Song)
Micah Roth, Brock Burkett, & Aidan Johnston, soloists
Estonian:
Las aga meie Mari tulla,
küll mina teen tal jalad alla.
Ait-tali-rali-raa, ali-ramp-tamp-taa.
Utireetu, utireetu, trallallaa.
Mul sukakannas suured augud
just nagu vana mära laugud.
Kõrv minul ajab jorupilli,
Alt-Tare Jüri torupilli.
English:
Let our Mari come,
I shall get her on her feet.
Ait-tali-rali-raa, ali-ramp-tamp-taa.
Utireetu, utireetu, trallallaa.
My sock heels have holes
Like an old mare’s blaze.
My ears are singing
As if Jüri from next door was playing the pipes.
We Toast the Days | Linda Kachelmeier (b. 1965)
Text by composer
Graphite TCT-CTS-013
Grayson Abend and Aaron Roos, soloists
When the clock strikes twelve
And another year has gone,
I give a kiss to you
As remembrance of the past we have shared
And the future yet to come.
We toast the days, both good and bad,
The old friends and the new.
When the clock strikes twelve
And another year has gone,
I give a kiss to you.
While the night is long
And the bitter cold has come,
We lengthen our embrace
To sustain us as we mourn our regrets
And the fear of days unknown.
We toast the days…
As we stand on the edge
Of another bright new year,
I take your hand in mine
With assurance of
The courage we will find
And the hope that leads us on.
We toast the days…
Leron, Leron Sinta | arr. Saunder Choi (b. 1988)
Filipino folk song
saunderchoir.com
Tagalog:
Leron, Leron sinta, buko ng papaya
Dala-dala’y buslo, sisidlan ng bunga,
Pagdating sa dulo’y, nabali ang sanga.
Kapos kapalaran, humanap ng iba.
Gumising ka, neneng; Tayo’y manampalok.
Dalhin mo ang buslong, sisidlan ng hinog.
Pagdating sa dulo’y, lalamba-lambayog.
Kumapit ka, neneng; Baka ka mahulog.
Ang iibigin ko’y babaeng maganda.
Ang rosas niya’y pito; Ang saya niya’y siyam.
Ang lalakarin niya’y parte ng dinulang.
Isang pinggang pansit ang kanyang kalaban.
English:
Leron, Leron my dear, blossoms of the papaya tree,
With a bamboo basket, he’d gather some fruits.
But when he reached the top (of the tree) the branch broke.
Oh, what a trick of fate, he had to search for another.
Wake up, *neneng; let’s pick some tamarind fruits.
Take the bamboo baskets, to put the ripe ones in.
Upon reaching the top (of the tree), the branches swayed heavily.
Hold on tight, neneng, as you might fall.
The one I will love is a beautiful girl.
She has seven roses and nine dresses.
The journey she will take is the distance of a table.
A plate of noodles is her foe!
*neneng is a colloquial term referring to a girl and does not have an adequate English translation.
CONDUCTOR'S NOTE
This year’s conference theme, Reflections of Us, invites us to explore how choral music captures our collective voices—past, present, and future—honoring diverse traditions, shared experiences, and the ever-evolving tapestry of our art. Thinking about how this theme relates to the college/university tenor-bass chorus (“glee club”) experience, I wanted to select repertoire that acknowledges the traditions, spirit, and camaraderie of these musical communities while showcasing a variety of selections, including some with historical significance as well as pieces from living composers of different generations and backgrounds.
As a nod to our history, we open the performance with a verse of Marshall Bartholomew’s arrangement of Gaudeamus, which was written in 1965 for the International Festival of University Choruses in New York and has become a long-time staple of the American university tenor-bass chorus repertoire. Next, Eric William Barnum’s I Come Singing is a rousing declamation of our shared passion, singing.
In Bell Tower, Katerina Gimon’s setting of Rilke’s text calls for each of us to stand strong in this time of pain and uncertainty in our world. Gimon’s writing seems to utilize the voice of the “the chorus” to empower and lift up its individual members. In stark contrast to the Gimon, but in true reflection of the “glee club” spirit, Eugene Rogers’ adaptation of Handel’s Haste Thee, Nymph celebrates a lighthearted, cheerful life, filled with jokes, smiles, and merriment.
In Meestelaulud, Estonian composer, Veljo Tormis has created a set of pieces that celebrate the tradition of “runosongs” – sometimes called “Women’s Songs”. Meestelaulud (Men’s Songs) represents the traveling life of seafarers and warriors, including both somber and humorous themes.
Originally written to be sung on New Year’s Eve, Linda Kachelmeier’s We Toast the Days reflects on the friendships and camaraderie built while making music together and the importance of those connections throughout our lives. And finally, we close with Saunder Choi’s vibrant setting of Filipino folksong Leron, Leron sinta, known mainly as a children’s song. This expression of child-like joy seems a fitting conclusion to a program celebrating the past, present, and future of collegiate tenor-bass choral singing. Thank you for joining us!
Dr. Richard Schnipke serves as Associate Professor of Music Performance Studies and Director of Choral Activities at Bowling Green State University. His duties at BGSU include conducting the Collegiate Chorale and Men’s Chorus, as well as teaching graduate courses in choral literature and graduate and undergraduate conducting. Previously, Dr. Schnipke held faculty positions at Xavier University and The Ohio State University and spent 15 years as a public-school choral director. He holds degrees from Bowling Green State University and The Ohio State University and has done additional graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Choirs under Schnipke’s direction have performed at national and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and have made numerous appearances at the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference and the Ohio Choral Directors Association Summer Conference. Schnipke’s choirs have also sung for the American Musicological Society and for several national seminars of the IMC: The Tenor-Bass Choral Consoritum. Dr. Schnipke also regularly prepares professional choruses for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and frequently presents on the incorporation of Dalcroze Eurhythmics in the choral rehearsal.
Schnipke performs regularly as a professional chorister and has served as tenor section leader for Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble under the direction of Grammy Award winner, Craig Hella Johnson. He is a Past-President of the Ohio Choral Directors Association, has served on the National Board of the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and is currently on the board of IMC: The Tenor-Bass Choral Consortium. He is also currently the tenor/bass repertoire and resources chair for the ACDA Midwestern region.
CJ CAPEN is musical coordinator and accompanist in the department of Theatre & Film, where he serves as pianist and music director for the department. He also serves as collaborative pianist for the University Men’s Chorus.
He has been staff accompanist & vocal coach for Berlin Opera Academy, Chicago Summer Opera, Elon University, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. He has served as keyboard artist for Georgetown Chorale, Vienna Chorale Society, and the semi-professional choir, Voce Chamber Singers from 2013-2023. He toured China with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra flutist Lauren Sileo in 2014, has given chamber music lecture recitals for GMU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in 2010, 2012, and 2014, and has given benefit concerts in recent years to include: St Veronica's Patriot Day Concert, Reston Drop-In Center, Cornerstone, Maryknoll Society, S.O.M.E's 40th Anniversary Celebration, All Saints Church, as well as the St Thomas More Cathedral Recital Series.
He is also conductor, recently conducting Steamboat Opera's production of "Frida", guest conducting the Arlington Diocese Choral Festival, guest conductor for Reston Chorale's Messiah Sing-Along, and he has been music director for Paul VI High School musical productions from 2018-2022. He served as Director of Music at St John Neumann Church in Reston VA from 2008-2023, one of the largest churches in the Diocese of Arlington, where he conducted the Festival Choir & Orchestra as well as oversaw the other six ensembles. The St John Neumann Choir completed a recording project in 2019, “Rejoice! Sounds of the Season!", and the choir has toured France, Austria, Germany, and Czech Republic.
He holds a BFA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an MM from UNC Greensboro, and is a member of NAfME, ACDA, and NPM. He remains active as educator, conductor, recitalist, accompanist, and vocal coach.
Dr. Sarah Luebke is a 2025 American Prize National Finalist and a versatile soprano recognized for her artistry as both a performer and pedagogue.
As a performer, Dr. Luebke has appeared in major works including Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Poulenc’s Gloria, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Sibelius’ The Tempest, and James Whitbourn’s Annelies. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with Vivaldi’s Magnificat in 2023.
A trail-blazing interpreter of 21st century vocal repertoire, she has collaborated with and performed works of Chen Yi, Missy Mazzoli, Benjamin Moore, and James Whitbourn.Stage roles include Juno (The Tempest), Masha (Enemies: A Love Story), Isabelle Eberhardt (Songs from the Uproar), Yum-Yum (Mikado), Rose Maybud (Ruddigore), La Fée (Cendrillon), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Najade (Ariadne auf Naxos), Monica (The Medium), Serpina (La Serva Padrona), Nora (Riders to the Sea), Nella (Gianni Schicchi), Lucinda (Into the Woods), and Jane McDowell (The Stephen Foster Story). Concert work includes Messiah (Handel), Annelies (Whitbourn), St. Matthew Passion (Bach), Requiem (Fauré), Ein deutches Requiem (Brahms). She was as a young artist with Twin Cities’ Opera Guild and Janiec Opera Company of the Brevard Music Festival.
Recognized for her studio teaching, she was selected for the 2022 NATS Intern Program and awarded the 2022 NATS Mario Martinez Intern Prize and 2020 ESM Teaching Assistant Prize. Her students have won and placed in national competitions, including the National Classical Singer Competition, Schubert Club Competition, Schmidt Vocal Competition, state, regional, and national NATS auditions, and The Voice (NBC). They have been accepted into top music schools and performance programs, including The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Boston Conservatory, Interlochen Summer Music Festival, and Brevard Music Festival, and several are now teaching at universities and conservatories throughout the United States.
Dr. Luebke is an active lecturer and clinician, presenting at National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and College Music Society (CMS) conferences, and giving masterclasses, recitals, and workshops at universities across the U.S.
Prior to her appointment at Bowling Green State University, Dr. Luebke taught applied voice and pedagogy at SUNY Fredonia and French lyric diction at the Eastman School of Music. She holds a DMA in vocal performance from the Eastman School of Music, an MM from the University of Kentucky, and a BM from St. Olaf College. Her principal teachers include Kathryn Cowdrick, Robert McIver, and Everett McCorvey.
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Thanks for attending this performance. If you have enjoyed your experience, please consider donating to the College of Musical Arts in support of our students and programming. Donate online at bgsu.edu/givecma, or call Karmen Concannon at 419-372-2424.
To our guests with disabilities, please indicate if you need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in our events by contacting Accessibility Services, access@bgsu.edu, 419-372-8495. Please notify us prior to the event.
Audience members are reminded to silence alarm watches, pagers and cellular phones before the performance. As a matter of courtesy and copyright law, no recording or unauthorized photographing is allowed. BGSU is a nonsmoking campus.
Updated: 02/25/2026 09:59AM