"Litany of Prayer, Praise and Promise" Sacred Voice A Cappella

St. Marks Cathedral

Sacred Voice, a local eight member a cappella group, has a mission to present quality sacred music to benefit those in need. They delivered a stirring presentation with Litany of Prayer, Praise and Promise, a concert last Sunday (2/22) at St. Mark's Cathedral with proceeds benefiting Minnesota AIDS Project. Though the audience might have been small (30 people), their response was pure ecstatic approval.

Setting the early evening tone for tranquil reflection, the superb octet began at the back of the church facing one another. They opened in Latin with a William Byrd arrangement of "Non Nobis, Domine" and approaching the altar sung the "Litany of Prayer," from Liber Usualis (Book of Common Practice), arranged by the group's first tenor Mark Habrel. Four members added handbell playing as the group sung the plainchant's cry for mercy with its lengthy list of Saints and protectors along with the Holy Trinity. The group performed the five sections of this piece— Kyrie, Saints, Salvation, Church and Agnus Dei— with a rather stoically reverent interpretation (thankfully minus burning incense) that warmly grew unexpectantly tender by the final section.

The Brazilian flavored "Kyrie," from Missa Afro-Brasileira, by Carlos Alberto Pinto Fonseca followed with a multi-layered up-tempo arrangement complete with four tight solos and impeccable blend. This cohesive vocal balance impressively sustained through out the performance, the results of exceptional precision, skill and listening. The ensemble gorgeously sung Z. Randall Stroope's composition "Sicut Cervus"; its poetic beauty resonates with the English lyric translation "As the deer desires for springs of waters, So longs my soul for you, God!" Sacred Voice passionately sung Kurt Bestor's "Prayer of the Children," a song about children who must live in fear while a civil war divides their war torn country.

The tragic death of an internationally gifted pianist, conductor and arranger, Moses Hogan (1957-2003) gained honor with a driven performance of his Gospel work "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord." Four part harmony beautifully countered back and forth between the men and women in Sacred Voice’s finest moment of the evening. The audience countered back their approval at the end of this piece. The group closed their first act with the brief hymn "Agnus Dei," by Lithuanian composer Kristina Vasiliauskaite.

Sacred Voice are from left to right: Sopranos June Bethke Petrie and Melissa Bergstrom; Altos Rochelle Milbrath and Allison Wee; Tenors Mark Habrel and Tom Hale (Artistic Director); and Basses Joel Hoekstra and Mark Weiler.

After an eight minute intermission, Sacred Voice returned with conga and exuberant cheer performing the South African traditional "Hamba Nathi," an infectiously spirited song that allowed the group to playfully open up to the audience. A Praise reading based on Psalm 66 majestically read by Habral followed. Lodovico Grossi da Viadana's "Exultate Justi in Domino" gained a joyfully uplifting working while Spanish composer Tomas Luis de Victoria's "O Magnum Mysterium" stroked the emotions of wonder and adoration with the group's sweet pianissimo tones.

J. S. Bach's "Alleluia" boasts a hugely challenging arrangement with all parts interweaving between one another in a frenzied tempo. With dogged determination, Sacred Voice struggled through the tough rhythms; in St. Mark's the acoustics can make vocal intricacies a nightmare for singer's to hear one another. Nevertheless, it was fun to watch them tackle some rough waters, so to speak, even if the tide pulled them under. They instantly recovered with René Clausen's "Set Me As a Seal" and Peter Niedmann's 1991 composition "Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace," both beautifully sung and well received in this time of unsettling war.

Michael Reinbold, a continuing web reporter, freelances as a writer and banquet caterer. A passionate believer in SJA's mission of social justice and collaborative ministry, Michael is an SJA Choir member, mass reader, Team Oz AIDS rider and Grace House volunteer cook. With an extensive background in theater, photography and fundraising, he relishes all aspects of the arts, staying fit and inspiring and working with people.

Sacred Voice closed with two exquisite compositions. St. Paul composer Stephen Paulus' "Pilgrim's Hymn" from his opera The Three Hermits (based on the Tolstoy short story) received a richly resonating sound— as full as a large choir—from the eight singers. Jack Halloran's arrangement of the traditional spiritual "Witness" feels like Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" and mightily shows off some sass and verve from SV's soprano/altos and muscular punch from their Tenor/Bass. With so few a cappella groups in the Twin Cities, and only one who solely performs for benefits, Sacred Voice is a commanding display of not only the voice but also of the heart.