Men's Chorus Fall Tour 2025
BGSU MEN'S CHORUS
Fall Tour 2025
Dr. Richard Schnipke, conductor
C.J. Capen, pianist
Brock Burkett, graduate assistant
Thursday, November 6
Van Buren High School, Van Buren, OH
Gahanna Lincoln High School, Gahanna, OH
Peace Lutheran Church, Gahanna, OH
Friday, November 7
Grove City High School, Grove City, OH
Hilliard Davidson High School, Hilliard, OH
Upper Arlington High School, Upper Arlington, OH
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Jenera, OH
Songs We Share: A Legacy of Community
Program to be selected from...
Gaudeamus | arr. Marshall Bartholomew (1885-1978)
Traditional German Melody
Latin:
Gaudeamus igitur
Juvenes dum sumus.
Post jucundam juventutem
Post molestam senectutem
Nos habebit humus.
Vivat academia, vivant professores!
Vivat membrum quodlibet,
vivant membra quaelibet
Semper sint in flore.
English Translation:
Therefore let us party
While we are young!
After pleasant youth
After troublesome old age
The earth will have us!
Long live the university!
Long live the professors!
Long live any student!
Long live any students whatsoever!
May they always be the best!
I Come Singing | Eric William Barnum (b. 1979)
Text by Jacob Auslander
Aaron Roos, 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
Text by Rainer Maria Rilke (Sonnets to Orpheus II, 29)
Translated by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows (used by permission)
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 to 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 (HWV 55) | George Frederic Handel (1685-1759), ed. & arr. Eugene Rogers
Britta Williams, 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.
Teomehe-laul (The Serf’s Song) | Veljo Tormis
Estonian Folk Songs
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 heida õrre pääle.
Hommikul, 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.
We Toast the Days | Linda Kachelmeier (b. 1965)
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)
Traditional Filipino folk song
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.
Circle of Life from Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway | arr. Lisa Galvin (ASCAP)
Zulu:
*Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Ingonyama Nengw’e namabala
From the day we arrive on this planet,
And blinking, step into the sun.
There is more to see than can ever be seen,
More to do than can ever be done.
It’s the Circle of Life!
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope,
Through faith and love.
‘Til we find our place on the path unwinding
In the circle of life!
*English:
Here comes a lion, Father!
Oh yes, it’s a lion!
My Shot from Hamilton | arr. Lisa Galvin (ASCAP)
I am the A-L-E-X-A-N-D-E-R
We are meant to be!
A colony that runs independently,
Endlessly,
Relentlessly,
And I’m not throwin’ away my shot!
No, I’m not throwin’ away my shot!
Hey-yo, I’m just like my country,
I’m young, scrappy, and hungry,
And I’m not throwin’ away my shot!
Rise up!
When you’re living on your knees,
You rise up!
Tell your brother that he’s gotta rise up!
Tell your sister that she’s gotta rise up!
When are these colonies gonna rise up?
Rise up! Rise up!
I am not throwin’ away my shot!
Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera | arr. Lisa Galvin (ASCAP)
Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor,
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Turn your face away from the garish light of day,
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And listen to the music of the night.
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams,
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!
And help me make the music of the night.
Medley from Les Miserables | arr. Lisa Galvin (ASCAP)
Aaron Roos, soloist
One day more,
Another day, another destiny,
This never-ending road to calvary
These men seem to know my crime
Will surely come another time!
One more day before the storm!
(Do I follow where she goes?)
At the barricade of freedom!
(Shall I join my brothers there?)
When our ranks begin to fall,
(Do I stay or do I dare?)
Will you take a place with me?
The time is now for me!
One Day More!
Do you hear the people sing?
(I dream’d a dream in time gone by,)
It is the song of angry men
(When hope was high, and life worth living.)
I dream’d that love would never die,
(Echoes the beating drums)
I dream’d that God would be forgiving.
Tomorrow we’ll discover
What our God in heaven has in store.
One more dawn,
One more day.
One Day More!
Brothers, Sing On! | Edvard Greig (1843-1907), arr. Howard D. McKinney
Come and let our swelling song
Mount like the whirling wind,
As it meets our singing throng,
So Blithe of heart and mind
Care and sorrow now be gone
Brothers, sing on!
Youth is a wand’ring troubadour
Sailing the singing breeze,
Wooing a maid on a distant shore,
Over the tossing seas;
Steering by the stars above,
His vessel a song of love.
Brothers, sing on!
Errant minstrels, thus we greet you,
List to our voices strong,
With glad and open hearts we meet you
In our festival of song.
Care and sorrow now be gone,
Brothers, sing on!
Forward Falcons! | Wayne Bohrnstedt, Gilbert Fox, & Edith Ludwig Bell, arr. Will Baughman (b. 1993)
Aaron Roos, conductor
Forward Falcons!
Fight for victory.
BGSU!
Show our spirit.
Make them fear it.
Fight for ol’ BG
Forward Falcons!
Make the contest keen.
Hold up the fame
Of our mighty name
And win for Bowling Green
When all is but a memory
Of the bygone days
We’ll remember them always,
Those good ol’ by gone days
Ay Ziggy Zoomba Zoomba Zoomba
Ay Ziggy Zoomba Zoomba Ze
Ay Ziggy Zoomba Zoomba Zoomba
Ay Ziggy Zoomba Zoomba Ze
Roll along you BG warriors
Roll along and win for BGSU!
Alma Mater | Edith Ludwig Bell (1929-1988), arr. John M. Hyde
Alma mater hear us
As we praise thy name.
Make us worthy sons and daughters
Adding to thy fame.
Time will treat you kindly
And some years from now you’ll be
Ever dearer to our hearts,
Our University
From the halls of Ivy
Over to the campus scene,
Chimes ring out with gladness
For our dear Bowling Green.
When all is but a memory
Of the bygone days,
Hear our hymn dear Alma mater
As thy name we praise.
Dr. Richard Schnipke serves as Associate Professor of Music Performance 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 repertoire 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 at state, regional, and national conference 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 (Grammy Award winner, Craig Hella Johnson, music director). 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.
CJ Capen is musical coordinator and accompanist in the BGSU Department of Theatre & Film and collaborative pianist for the University Men's Chorus. He holds an MM in Collaborative Piano from University of North Carolina, Greensboro, a BFA in Piano Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Choral Conducting from Messiah University.
He has been staff accompanist & vocal coach for 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 has toured China with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra flutist Lauren Sileo in 2014, given lecture recitals for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and he has given benefit concerts to include: S.O.M.E's 40th Anniversary Celebration, St Thomas More Cathedral Recital Series, Reston Drop-In Center, Cornerstone, and the Maryknoll Society.
He is also a conductor, having served as conductor for Opera Steamboat's production of "Frida", guest conductor for Reston Chorale's Messiah Sing-Along, conductor for the Arlington Diocese Choral Festival, choral director and musical director at Paul VI High School for many years, and 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
Updated: 11/10/2025 10:23AM