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ANACORTES - On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 8, St. Mary Catholic Church in Anacortes will host a Christmas musical titled "Joyous Nativity, A Croatian Cantata."

The production is a rare collaboration of Eastern European vocal, instrumental and dance ensembles from around the region, and features the North American premiere of renowned Croatian composer Tomislav Uhlik's work "Narodil se Mladi Kralj," which translates "Unto Us a Young King is Born."

Members of Croatia's national folk company, Lado, approached Uhlik with the idea for the sacred piece while they were forbidden to perform music of faith during the country's communist regime.

A 50-voice choir will perform the cantata in five movements accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra. Two local groups with members participating in the production are the Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble and Ruze Dalmatinke Orchestra, both based in Anacortes. The two ensembles include four generations of Croatian Americans.

Other groups represented include the Kardinal Stepinac Ensemble of Vancouver, B.C.; the Saint Cecilia Singers and St. Gregory Choir, two ensembles from Seattle's St. James Cathedral Youth Music Program; the Seattle Junior Tamburitzans; Kosava Women's Choir; Dave and the Dalmatians, and KlaPaDooWopella, who specialize in a cappella "klapa" songs from the Adriatic coast of Croatia; Radost Folk Ensemble; and Damir and Sons.

Mary Sherhart, the production's producer and conductor, describes Uhlik's work as encompassing the grandeur of a Russian choir, the rhythmic complexity of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" and the lyricism of Aaron Copland. She does not simply present the piece in a concert, however, but as a staged production that features a traditional Croatian holiday setting.

Performers will be dressed in traditional Croatian costume, children will demonstrate Croatian holiday rituals and the audience will be invited to join in singing Croatian Koleda (Christmas) carols.

The Pacific Northwest was chosen to premiere the piece because of its large concentration of Croatian communities.

"This is one of the few places in America that could tackle the musical challenge of Tomislav Uhlik's transcendent work, master the difficult Croatian language, and the nuances of traditional styling and vocal placement," says Sherhart.

Uhlik and Goran Kacurov, orchestra director for Lado, have traveled from Zagreb, Croatia, to train the performers and participate in the concerts.

Michael Petrish, a Vela Luka member who is singing in the choir, described Kacurov's interaction with the choir and orchestra as poetry in motion. "He knows every instrument of the orchestra intimately," Petrish said.

Petrish illustrates the combination of the music, costume and other sights and sounds as a "festival for the senses ... absolutely beautiful." Petrish's enthusiasm for the event will likely be matched by all the participants. He said working on the project has been a very meaningful experience for all involved, and that he is personally dedicating the performances to his uncle, who suffers from leukemia.

Petrish feels that the most significant aspect of the production, however, is that it celebrates the birth of Christ, which is what the Christmas season is truly about.

Cover Article from December NFDI Magazine

There are moments in one's life that are pivotal, yet we are oblivious of their impact. At the time, you are completely unaware of what awaits you, but a juggernaut sets off on its course with you as its sidekick. In the magic world of film, these moments are usually accompanied by appropriately dramatic music. The audience receives an audio cue to the importance of the moment: a flourish of strings, a dissonant pulsing brass section, perhaps enhanced by a visual pan toward the unaware character. I have always thought how terrific it would be if we all carried a Hollywood producer microchip angel in our bodies somewhere, to turn up the music at those momentous occasions. It would give us just a little warning of what's to come. Tell us to put up our antennae and be sensitive in order to cherish every detail.

One such innocent moment occurred in my life in December, 1999. John Morovich, Seattle's treasure of Croatian music, and I performed in a holiday concert at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. During the inevitable waiting backstage, John casually mentioned a recording of a Christmas piece by the national folk company of Croatia, Lado, which he thought I might really enjoy it. What an understatement that turned out to be. A little majestic music would have given away what the next two years were to hold. What a ride it has been!.

We now have a 50-voice choir and 20-piece orchestra assembled for three concerts in December featuring the North American premiere of Tomislav Uhlik's transcendent work "Narodil se Mladi Kralj." The concerts will be on December 8, 7:30pm, at St. Mary's Church in Anacortes: December 9, 2:30pm, at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver BC; and December 16, 7:30pm, at St. James Cathedral in Seattle. The performers include members of the Pacific Northwest's finest ensembles including: Vela Luka Ensemble, Ruze Dalmatinke, Kardinal Stepinac, Seattle Junior Tamburitzans, Dave and the Dalmatians, Kosava Women's Choir, Radost, Klapa Duwapella and the St. Cecilia Singers and St. Gregory Choir of St. James Cathedral.

Composer Tomislav Uhlik and ensemble Lado's orchestra director Goran Kacuov arrive in Seattle from Zagreb in November for three weeks to train and inspire us. The famous naive artist Ivan Lackovic agreed to let us use his work on our web. The Ethnic Heritage Council and Northwest Folklife have enthusiastically agreed to sponsor the production and provide staff support. As Michael Herschensohn, Executive Director of Northwest Folklife wrote, "I can think of few projects that through a blend of regional and international relationships meet so well our mission. Not only will people in Anacortes, Seattle and Vancouver benefit from participating in the project, but also the participants from Croatia will benefit now and in the future."

How did all this happen? Not without the involvement of many wonderful people starting from that first recommendation by John Morovich. It took me months to locate a copy of the recording of Lado's CD "Telo Kristusevo" which features two works by noted Zagreb composer Tomislav Uhlik. Stephanie Rogstad, former member of the Vela Luka Ensemble, had a copy she offered to dub for me. The two pieces, Telo Kristusevo (Corpus Christi) and Narodil se Mladi Kralj (A Young King Was Born), were performed on the CD by the magnificent choir and orchestra of Ensemble Lado in the Zagreb Cathedral.

The first time I heard the recording I was puttering around my Queen Anne house as the tape played. Telo Kristusevo was beautiful, but did not interrupt my housework. When Narodil se Mladi Kralj came on I was literally frozen in place. Goosebumps covered my arms as I realized that with decades of Croatian music performance, the Northwest has trained singers and instrumentalists capable of tackling this work. I decided right then and there that we were going to do it and bring the composer to Seattle. The next years two of my life were to be defined by this magnificent obsession.

Through the internet I was able to contact Ensemble Lado and get a phone number for the composer, Tomislav Uhlik. At this point it was not clear whether he spoke English, so Maria Petrish, Director of the Vela Luka Ensemble in Anacortes, offered to phone him. She introduced to Mr. Uhlik the idea of the performances in the Northwest, and the negotiations continued from there. Instead of spending last summer resting at his Adriatic cottage, he input his manuscript into a beautifully engraved score. Maria brought this back from Vela Luka's 2000 summer tour to Croatia. What a thrill when I met her at the Palatino Restaurant in Seattle to receive that score. What a celebration!

In the meantime, a number of local experts in the field of concert production, marketing and fund raising generously provided advice. I credit Clifford Sloan, former Director of Education at Northwest Folklife, as being pivotal to the realization of this production. He was immediately enthusiastic about the project and introduced it to the management at Northwest Folklife even before the production was completely formed in my own mind. Since then other Folklife staff members have provided their services, most especially Jill Linzee, Director of Public Programs, and Diane Walder, former Public Relations Marketing Director. Alma Plancich, Executive Director of the Ethnic Heritage Council, was also similarly pivotal. Both organizations offered to serve as sponsors of the project providing staff support in funding raising, outreach and pr/marketing. Maria Plancich Kesovija has worked intensely for months with the help of Julie Valencia, board member at EHC, to complete the highly detailed and time consuming visa application process. Both men did received their visas so kudos to everyone at Ethnic Heritage Council.

From November, 2000, Judy de Barros has provided invaluable support in research of possible sources of funding and coached me in writing and assembling a competitive proposal. To Judy's credit, we were awarded full funding from the King County Arts Commission! The production is funded through this grant, private donations and concert proceeds. It would not be possible, however, were it not for the countless hours of volunteer efforts. Several of these angels deserve special mention.

Martin Koenig and Peter Davenport are other generous advisers from the earliest stages of the project. Martin Koenig, Founder/Director and board member of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance in New York City, and now a resident of Vashon Island with his lovely family, gave of his time and expertise to consult with me on various aspects of the production. Martin was also Director of King County Performance Network for its initial two years. His encouragement gave me the faith that this was a viable project and the courage to take it on. Peter has been central to any number of successful music festivals and organizations in Seattle such a Northwest Folklife, Earshot Jazz and Ethnic Heritage Council, to name a very few. Peter is currently working in Microsoft's Audio Acquisitions and Editorial division. He has been a great sounding board for ideas and resources, and now is our indispensable rehearsal accompanist

Fred West, director of the City Cantabile Choir, provided invaluable advice on developing a production budget. Susan Senft, director of the Pacifica Children's Choir, is giving of her expertise in conducting through private lessons. TroutDream Graphics, Inc., directed by Jody Levinson, has created our incredible web site and promotional material. Stever Borzilleri joined the "family" recently as our photographer extraordinaire. He created the striking poster image and will document the production from rehearsal through post production celebrations. Our most recent addition is Laura McLeod, former pr/marketing director of Northwest Folklife. She brings years of experience in the field to help our effort to get broad exposure in the media.

Dr. James Savage, Music Director of St. James Cathedral, heard about the production from Fred West. Dr. Savage had invited Fred to discuss sources of music for a number of concerts at St. James which feature cathedral music outside West European traditions. During their conversation Fred told Dr. Savage that we were seeking a venue in which to perform Narodil se Mladi Kralj. Dr. Savage invited me to his office and within the course of the hour had invited us to hold the production in St. James Cathedral. That was a moment I will never forget. The thought of hearing Mr. Uhlik's piece in this sacred place of beauty and unequaled acoustics was just too good to be true.

Greta Kos, an expert on Croatian music and culture, and leader in Vancouver's Croatian community, has contributed greatly to the production in a number of ways. She invited Rick Horne, former choreographer of the Vela Luka Ensemble, and I to come to Vancouver. There she introduced us to the very talented members of the Kardinal Stepinac ensemble. Based on her recommendation, that ensemble will perform in the Vancouver concert at Holy Cathedral in BC. Greta also was instrumental in getting Ivan Lackovic's consent to use his work on our publicity material. Her niece, Nena, visited Mr. Lackovic to speak to him about our project. Greta has driven costumes to the border more than once, is coordinating pr in Vancouver and taking care of our accommodations. In short, she is our BC angel!

It's been an intense year of grant writing and organization for me, but always with the support of people like these and the excellent steering committee. Representatives of the major groups involved and other prominent local community members generously share their time at organizational meetings and through e-mail correspondence. They have been a constant source of support.

Thanks to Kevin O'Connor and Julia Paulsen who sing in our choir, we have a rehearsal home at St. Andrews Episcopal Church. The choirs' voices ring out in the beautiful blond wood sanctuary while the orchestra, directed by John Morovich, plays away downstairs in the social hall. Rehearsals focus on mastering the music and all the nuances of pronunciation, traditional Croatian styling and vocal placement, blend, dynamics, etc. Narodil se Mladi Kralj is the biggest musical challenge that many of the performers have faced. The piece is a sophisticated work in five movements with many tricky changes in meter. It features a full tamburica orchestra, violin, clarinet and percussion part; a full mixed choir and soprano soloist. Maria Plancich Kesovija's voice and interpretation of the Mary solo is sure to be unsurpassed.

The 90-minute concert at St. James Cathedral will begin with the cathedral bells peeling a joyous salute. To majestic organ music played by St. James' associate organist Clint Kraus, the performers will process into a darkened sanctuary lit only by candle light held aloft to illuminate icons from St. James' collection. Children from each of the three communities will process with objects important to Croatian season of Koleda. Nationally recognized soloist Binki Franulovich Spahi will perform sacred solos. A lone Croatian bagpipe, the dude, will start off a piece which builds to include the full majestic ensemble: choir, orchestra, children and organ. Vela Luka dancers will process with lanterns reminiscent of Adriatic villagers going to church services in the evening. The featured work, Narodil se Mladi Kralj, will fill the sanctuary arches and move the hearts of all present. The audiences will join in singing several Croatian carols.

Huge project? Yes, and huge commitment on the part of the performers. I believe with my entire being, though, that what the community will gain from this experience will far surpass the time we take from our busy lives. It offers us the opportunity for a new musical challenge, a vehicle to continue our personal spiritual journeys and an opportunity to strengthen our community. There have already been many astounding and wondrous happenings in connection with this production and I am breathless with anticipation for what is in store for us. Is that movie music I hear?

Article from November NFDI Magazine

Joyous Nativity: A Croatian Cantata Narodil se Mladi Kralj

Seattle's own Mary Sherhart has done it again - she's pulling together a talented group of 50 singers, 20 musicians and other supporters to present for the first time outside of Croatia an incredible creation by Zagreb composer Tomislav Uhlik this December. "Joyous Nativity: A Croatian Cantata" will be performed locally at St. James on December 16th, preceded by a pealing of the bells. There will be candle light and lantern processionals, the tremendous sounds of the majestic pipe organ, Croatian carols, traditional children's seasonal rituals, sacred solos, and performances by members of St. James and others, and more. Performed in lovely traditional Posavina costumes and sung in Croatian, this transcendent work will be truly magical and inspiring.

This project is amazing: a massive coordination effort, a huge steering committee, grants applied for, costume coordination for 70+ people, poster printing in Croatia - it will be a feast for your ears, eyes, and soul. Both the composer Uhlik and orchestra director Goran Kacurov of the professional Ensemble Lado in Zagreb are coming to work directly with the artists on this five movement masterpiece, which embraces folk themes in a contemporary musical setting. This effort brings together Croatians and non-Croatians here and abroad, as well as the communities of Seattle, Anacortes and Vancouver.

The production will be presented in Anacortes at St. Mary's Church on December 8 at 7:30 pm; in Vancouver, BC, at Holy Rosary Cathedral on December 9 at 2:30 pm; and in Seattle at St. James Cathedral on December 16 at 7:30 pm.

Reserve passes are available for the Seattle concert by advance donation. Passes may be reserved with your Visa or Mastercard at http://www.stjames-cathedral.org/music

This event is co-sponsored by Northwest Folklife and the Ethnic Heritage Council and is partially funded by a grant from the King County Arts Commission.

Mary has a magical touch - she puts together amazing projects with local talent and always has a stunning result. You are invited to enjoy this fabulous event. Much more info and in-depth articles will tantalize you in the next issue of NFDI - stay tuned!!

Kathy Sandstrom

For immediate release: October 19, 2001

ORIGINAL CHORAL WORK "JOYOUS NATIVITY: A CROATIAN CANTATA" MAKES NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST

RESERVE PASSES ARE AVAILABLE by advance donation using your credit card at www.stjames-cathedral.org; by stopping by the cathedral's main office on Columbia Street; or by mailing in your donation to: Attn: Music, St. James Cathedral, 804 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.

A rare and extraordinary musical collaboration will culminate in the North American premiere of "Joyous Nativity, a Croatian Cantata," by Zagreb composer Tomislav Uhlik in three concerts presented in Seattle, Vancouver B.C., and Anacortes. The Seattle event is part of a Festival of World Cathedral Music that is taking place at St. James Cathedral.

This original sacred work, a cantata in five movements that interprets the nativity story, will be performed by a 50-voice choir and a 20-piece orchestra, comprised of singers and musicians representing ten of the region's finest Balkan ensembles including Radost Folk Ensemble, Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble and the Seattle Junior Tamburitzans. Also appearing are the Saint Cecilia Singers and the Saint Gregory Choir, two ensembles from St. James Cathedral's Youth Music Program, and St. James' Associate Organist Clint Kraus. Composer Uhlik and Goran Kacurov, orchestra director of the professional folklore ensemble Lado, will come to the Northwest from Zagreb to train the performers and participate in the concerts.

Described as encompassing the grandeur of a Russian choir, the rhythmic complexity of Orff's Carmina Burana and the lyricism of Aaron Copland, the work is not simply a concert, but a staged production that features a traditional Croatian holiday setting. The Pacific Northwest was chosen to premiere the event because of its large concentration of Croatian communities.

"This is one of the few places in America that could tackle the musical challenge of Uhlik's work, master the difficult Croatian language and the nuances of traditional singing style and vocal placement," says Mary Sherhart, the production's producer and conductor.

The project is significant for its unprecedented collaboration among folk arts ensembles. "This is a unique project involving an American ethnic community, a composer from its Croatian homeland and non-Croatian participants," says Dr. Richard March, folklorist for the Wisconsin Arts Board and a collaborating scholar with the National Folklore Institute in Zagreb, Croatia. "Music has always played a central role in bringing people together during troubled times to provide comfort and hope. Now it is even more critical to embrace cultural diversity and present the arts of different cultural communities in an effort to bring greater awareness to the larger whole," says Mary Sherhart. The production will be presented in Anacortes, WA, at St. Mary Church, December 8 at 7:30pm; in Vancouver, BC, at Holy Rosary Cathedral, December 9 at 2:30 pm; and in Seattle at St. James Cathedral, December 16 at 7:30pm.

This event is co-sponsored by Northwest Folklife and the Ethnic Heritage Council and partially funded by a grant from the King County Arts Commission.