ORONO, Maine (WABI) – After 25 years, a composer finally saw his score performed live as it made it’s North American debut Saturday night, at Minsky Recital Hall at the University of Maine.
When Washington State-based composer and retired music teacher Donivan Johnson first created his composition entitled “Arise, My Love” in 1997, it was for a competition in Switzerland.
“I didn’t win, but a year later, one of the judges remembered my piece and it turned out he was the conductor of a 120-voice regional choir in Switzerland. And it was premiered on June 5, 1999 in Basel, Switzerland,” explains Johnson. “I was not able to go there, the day it performed was our high school graduation, and I had to be there conducting the band. And I wanted to be there, because I had students very dear to me that were graduating. So, this is a homecoming in many ways.”
“Arise, My Love”’s North American debut would not have been made possible without Johnson’s sister in law, Lori Spencer, and the University of Maine’s Oratorio Society.
Spencer describes how the composition made its way into the concert: “I knew about this piece specifically, and I knew that he had not gotten to hear it live, and so I thought, ‘Why not? Let’s take it to Fran and see if maybe we could do it in Oratorio.”
When Oratorio Society conductor and University of Maine Director of Choral Activities Francis Vogt first heard Johnson’s score, he described the music as more intimate than what the choir is used to, which is “big pieces” that are usually performed with an orchestra.
Vogt tweaked Johnson’s original composition, adding tuba and French horn to the choral and brass instrument lineup.
“It was a little nerve-wracking with the composer watching and listening, but it was really, it was very gratifying to bring this music to life,” comments Vogt on Saturday’s performance.
What sets UMaine’s Oratorio Society apart from the other choral classes or extracurriculars is its full-community involvement. The Oratorio Society hosts singers of all ages, gathering from the university as well as the greater Bangor area.
“This Oratorio Society is one of the finest I’ve ever heard of it’s nature, given it’s mostly community people,” Johnson describes of his experience listening to his composition played live for the first time. “It’s somewhat of a miracle for me. I’ve had pieces played at concerts and gave papers and things like that, but this is an entirely different thing with a large group like this. And it’s quite exhilarating.”
Spencer adds it’s not just Johnson who is positively impacted by Saturday’s concert: “Music, singing it, listening to it makes you feel good. And so, getting to do this for Donivan and to actually see this happening, I just think is fabulous.”
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