From the End of the Earth

Alan Hovhannes

By the Waters of Babylon

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Ubi Caritas

Maurice Duruflé

A Heart in Port

Shruthi Rajasekar

Requiem, Op. 9

Maurice Duruflé

Lauded by critics for her “strong sense of style and drama” (The Washington Post) and her “enthusiastic and perceptive conducting,” conductor Victoria Gau brings a wide range of musical experience and expertise to her work. She has been the artistic director of Cantate since 2019 and founded Cantate Concert Choir in 2021. In addition to her role as Artistic Director of Cantate, she is in her 29th season as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Capital City Symphony (D.C.). Read more about Maestra Gau.

Matthew Steynor has prepared choirs for performances conducted by Marin Alsop, Stan Engebretsen, Joshua Habermann, Anthony Blake Clark and others. Originally from the UK, he moved to the D.C. area in 2019 from South Florida. In addition to being the assistant conductor for Cantate Concert Choir, he is also the accompanist of the Choral Arts Society of Washington and the Director of Music at St. Alban’s Episcopal Parish in D.C. He also makes occasional appearances at the National Cathedral as both organist and conductor. Read more about Matthew Steynor.

Collaborative pianist and singer Carter Sligh is an active performer and collaborator in the Washington, D.C., area and is the keyboard artist for Cantate Concert Choir. He also works with local ensembles including the Choral Arts Society of Washington and CASW Chamber Singers. Carter is also an active professional choral singer with ensembles including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington National Cathedral Choir, Cathedra, the Washington Bach Consort, and Chantry. Read more about Carter Sligh.

Native Philadelphian Marvin Mills is organist at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Kensington, Maryland. He is also music director of the acclaimed National Spiritual Ensemble and guest artist with the Ritz Chamber Players, based in Jacksonville, Florida. Active with the District of Columbia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists since 1984, he has served as dean (1990-1992), board member, Foundation trustee, Regional Convention secretary, and chairman for regional and chapter competitions, exemplifying his commitment to the mission of the Guild and his belief in the expressive power of the organ as an instrument for use in worship and concert. Since 1995, he has also participated in the Guild’s Pipe Organ Encounters for youth and adults, helping all ages to experience various aspects of pipe organ study. He has performed throughout the United States in such places as The Academy of Music, Philadelphia; The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; The Barns at Wolf Trap Farm Park; as well as historic churches in Krakow, Poland. He has appeared as guest artist with numerous choral groups including the Concert Artists of Baltimore, the Washington Bach Consort, the Cathedral Choral Society, the Folger Consort, Fairfax Choral Society, MasterSingers of Wilmington (Del.), and Eastern Michigan University Chamber Choir. For over a decade Mr. Mills has been a featured artist at the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival as recitalist, chamber musician, and choral conductor, preparing the Festival Chorus for major works including Haydn’s Creation; the Requiems of Mozart, Brahms, and Verdi; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; and Handel’s Samson. Mills is also a prize-winning composer; his Four Spirituals for Denyce Graves have been performed throughout the country at colleges and universities by aspiring singers. A setting of a Phyllis Wheatley poem, On Virtue, was commissioned by the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for its Poets Corner. He made his theatrical conducting debut with the Washington Savoyards in its production of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha in 2010 and is a vocal coach/staff pianist at Morgan State University.

Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wór, known for her sumptuous color and vocal flexibility, is no stranger to Cantate’s audiences. You will remember her powerhouse performance in our 2024 Verdi Requiem at Strathmore and her otherworldly tenderness in our 2023 holiday concert, Magnificat. She is a Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions National Finalist, winner of the International Marcella Sembrich Kochańska Vocal Competition and the Heinz Rehfuss Vocal Competition, Finalist of the International Marcello Giordani and Moniuszko Competitions, and an alumna of the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Summer Opera Program and the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at the Washington National Opera. As a performing musician, Dr. Wór has sung with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera, the National Philharmonic, Palm Beach Opera, Baltic Opera, Virginia Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Birmingham Opera, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and New Trinity Baroque, among others. Equally comfortable on an operatic stage and in intimate chamber setting, Dr. Wór has collaborated with fellow musicians across the United States, as well as in Poland, Mexico, Philippines, and Great Britain. She is an assistant lecturer at the University of Wyoming, where she teaches voice-related courses, including applied voice lessons and opera workshop. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Georgia, as well as Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Georgia State University. We are delighted to welcome her back to Cantate as the mezzo soloist in the Duruflé Requiem for Yearn.

Hailed by The Washington Post as a “superb soloist” with a “sensitively turned lyric baritone,” James Rogers has performed as a soloist in opera, oratorio, concert, and recital in the Washington area with ensembles including Cantate (Curlew River, Noye’s Fludde), the Fairfax Choral Society (Lord Nelson Mass), Opera AACC (Don Giovanni), the New Dominion Chorale (Bach Magnificat), Inscape Chamber Orchestra (Façade, Trouble in Tahiti, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen), Urban Arias (The Filthy Habit), the Washington Savoyards (The Merry Widow), the Arts Chorale of Winchester, the Annapolis Chorale, the Reston Chorale, and the City Choir of Washington (The Creation). He has soloed in the premieres of several compositions by Cantate keyboard artist Andrew Earle Simpson, including the operas The Furies and The Outcasts of Poker Flat and, with Cantate Chamber Singers, the cantata Patterns and Lines. National appearances include concerts and recitals in New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Dallas, and Honolulu. 

Maestro Stephen Czarkowski is a distinguished conductor, cellist, and educator based in Washington, D.C., with an impressive and diverse portfolio in classical music and education. As a cellist, Mr. Czarkowski excels as both a soloist and a member of the Tryos Ensemble, performing with celebrated trumpeter Neil Brown. He is a graduate of The Catholic University of America, where he earned a Graduate Artist Diploma in Orchestral Conducting, in addition to holding a Master’s degree in Cello Performance and Conducting and a Bachelor’s Degree in Cello from Mannes College, studying under the esteemed Carter Brey, Principal Cellist of the New York Philharmonic.

With nearly two decades of experience, Mr. Czarkowski has also established himself as a powerhouse in the field of conducting. As of 2022, he serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Central Pennsylvania Symphony, Music Director of Symphonette at Landon, and Music Director of the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra. His guest-conducting engagements include notable ensembles such as the Honolulu Symphony, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony of the Potomac, and SODELO. During his eleven seasons with the Apollo Orchestra, Mr. Czarkowski collaborated with elite soloists, including members from the New York Philharmonic and the Washington National Opera. Furthermore, for eight seasons, he contributed as the Assistant Conductor of the York Symphony, collaborating with esteemed Music Director Lawrence Golan in leading educational concerts and appearing in subscription concerts.

In his educational pursuits, Mr. Czarkowski leads the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra, the Symphonette at Landon School, and orchestras at Landon School. He has previously worked with Norwood School and Georgetown Visitation School, where his ensembles earned Superior ratings at festivals. His youth ensembles have been recognized for performing at the Library of Congress, the Hershey Park Music Showcase Festival, the Maryland Theater, and the Orlando Music Festival. He has also conducted masterclasses at institutions such as West Point Military Academy, The Catholic University of America, and schools across Howard and Loudoun Counties. Beyond his musical achievements, Czarkowski is an active member of the International Conductors’ Guild and also serves on the Executive Council of the New School Alumni Council.

From the End of the Earth

Alan Hovhannes

By the Waters of Babylon

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Ubi Caritas, Maurice Duruflé

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

Where charity and love are, God is there.
Love of Christ has gathered us into one.
Let us rejoice in Him and be glad.
Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
And from a sincere heart let us love one.
Where charity and love are, God is there.

A Heart in Port

Shruthi Rajasekar (text from “Wild Nights!” by Emily Dickinson)

Requiem, Op. 9

Maurice Duruflé

I. Introit 

Requiem aeternam 
dona eis, Domine, 
et lux perpetua luceat eis. 
Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion, 
et tibi reddetur 
votum in Jerusalem; 
exaudi orationem meam, 
ad te omnis caro veniet. 
Requiem aeternam 
dona eis, Domine, 
et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Eternal rest
give to them, O Lord, 
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
A hymn, O God, becometh Thee in Zion,
and a vow shall be paid to Thee
in Jerusalem; 
O Lord, hear my prayer, 
all flesh shall come to Thee.
Eternal rest 
give to them, O Lord, 
and let perpetual light shine upon them.

II. Kyrie

Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison. 
Kyrie eleison.

Lord have mercy on us,
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us. 

III. Domine Jesu Christe

Domine Jesu Christe, rex gloriae,
libera animas omnium fidelium
defunctorum de poenis inferni
et de profundo lacu.
Libera eas de ore leonis,
ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
ne cadant in obscurum. 

Sed signifer sanctus Michael
repraesentet eas 
in lucem sanctam, 
quam olim Abrahae promisisti
et semini ejus. 
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine,
laudis offerimus. 
Tu suscipe pro animabus illis,
quarum hodie 
memoriam facimus,
fac eas, Domine, 
de morte transire ad vitam 
quam olim Abrahae promisisti
et semini ejus. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
deliver the souls of all the faithful
departed from the pains of hell 
and from the deep pit; 
Deliver them from the lion’s mouth 
that hell engulf them not, 
nor they fall into darkness. 

But that Michael, 
the holy standardbearer,
bring them into the holy light,
which Thou once didst promise 
to Abraham and his seed.
We offer Thee, O Lord,
sacrifices and prayers of praise;
do Thou accept them 
for those souls 
whom we this day commemorate;
grant them, O Lord, 
to pass from death to the life
which Thou once didst promise
to Abraham and his seed. 

IV. Sanctus 

Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth,
pleni sunt coeli 
et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis!
Benedictus, qui venit
in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis! 

Holy, Lord God of hosts.
The heavens and the earth
are full of Thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He Who cometh
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. 

V. Pie Jesu 

Pie Jesu Domine, 
dona eis requiem sempiternam. 

Gentle Lord Jesus. 
grant them eternal rest. 

VI. Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, qui tollis
peccata mundi. 
dona eis requiem sempiternam.

Lamb of God, Who takest away 
the sins of the world: 
grant them eternal rest.

VII. Lux aeterna 

Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, 
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam 
dona eis, Domine, 
et lux perpetua luceat eis. 

May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord,
with Thy saints forever, 
for Thou art kind. 
Eternal rest 
give to them, O Lord, 
and let perpetual light shine upon them. 

VIII. Libera me

Libera me, Domine, 
de morte aeterna, 
in die illa tremenda, quando coeli 
movendi sunt et terra,
dum veneris judicare
saeculum per ignem. 
Tremens factus sum ego et timeo 
dum discussio venerit 
atque ventura ira, 
quando coeli 
movendi sunt et terra. 
Dies illa, dies irae, 
calamitatis et miseriae, 
dies magna
et amara valde.
Requiem aeternam
dona eis, Domine, 
et lux perpetua luceat eis. 
Libera me, Domine, 
de morte aeterna,
in die illa tremenda,
quando coeli 
movendi sunt et terra,
dum veneris judicare
saeculum per ignem. 

Deliver me, O Lord,
from eternal death 
on that dreadful day 
when the heavens 
and the earth shall be moved, 
and Thou shalt come 
to judge the world by fire. 
I quake with fear and I tremble 
awaiting the day of account
and the wrath to come, 
when the heavens 
and the earth shall be moved. 
Day of mourning, day of wrath, 
of calamity, of misery, 
the great day, 
and most bitter. 
Eternal rest 
give to them, O Lord, 
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Deliver me, O Lord, 
from eternal death
on that dreadful day
when the heavens 
and the earth shall be moved, 
and Thou shalt come 
to judge the world by fire. 

IX. In Paradisum 

In Paradisum 
deducant Angeli in tuo 
adventu suscipiant te Martyres 
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. 

Chorus Angelorum te suscipit
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere
aeternam habeas requiem.  

May the angels 
receive them in Paradise, 
at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee
and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem. 

There may the chorus of angels receive thee,
and with Lazarus, once a beggar, 
may thou have eternal rest.