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American Music for Every Age

 PROGRAM

 
 

Allan Laiño, Artistic Director
Arman Amini, Executive Director
Sean Burns, Principal Pianist
LeighAnne Markaity, Artistic Administrator

GARDEN

from String Quartet - Reminisces of Childhood
Music by Daniel Lu

Marlisa Woods, violin 1
Asali McIntyre, violin 2
Mary Dausch, viola
Erin Murphy Snedecor, cello

A Note from the Composer
I wrote this string quartet in the summer of 2024 as an accessible piece for chamber get togethers as well as youth chamber ensembles. The three movement work is titled, "Reminiscences of Childhood" as it evokes images of my trip to Taiwan in 1987. The first movement, which will open this program, is named "Garden" in memory of my late grandmother's rooftop garden. I have vivid memories of walking around in that garden and relishing the bonsai trees as well as the rain showers. I feel a lot of resonance between this work and the last movement of The Phoenix and that resonance came to the forefront during an early rehearsal of the work. My extra-musical associations around my quartet are rich and numerous but I believe that one of my roles as a composer is to bring the listener's own personal story to the foreground in addition to painting my own world in a performance.

—Daniel Lu

SPIRITUAL

Text & Music by Ysaÿe M. Barnwell

Cain’t no one know at sunrise how this day is gonna end.
Cain’t no one know at sunset if the next day will begin.

In this world of trouble and woe,
a person had better be ready to go.
We look for things to stay the same,
but in the twinkling of an eye, everything can be changed

The troubles of this world fill our hearts with rage
from Soweto, to Stonewall, Birmingham and LA
We are searching for hope that lies within ourselves
as we fight against misogyny, race hatred, and blame.

An Earth Song

Music by Marques Garrett
Text by Langston Hughes

I have been waiting long
It’s an earth song, it’s a spring song.
And I’ve been waiting long for a spring song.

Strong as the shoots of a new plant
Strong as the bursting of new buds
Strong as the coming of the first child from its mother’s womb.

 
 

Allan Laiño, Artistic Director

SOFTEST RAINS

Music by Rob Dietz
Text by Stephanie Dietz

Slowly goes the heart that knows 
The roaring depths of riverbeds 
Guided by the feathered ways 
Of those who came before 
Who forged the strange-eyed streams

I dream of storms that fray and flood 
The graying banks and amber tides 
I long to be a thunder drum 
unto a world anew;
But in defense of what remains beautiful

Let me be the joy in softest rains 
That I may embrace the places where 
The flowers grow and hide 
A spring from which the light may flow 
When harder winds preside 

To carve a secret winding path 
Into the tired stars 
For when the constellations fall - 
A harbor in my arms
And in our softest rains. 

So amidst the foaming gloam 
Their glowing voices will remain 
Until one day, a hurricane.

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George Stewart, Music Director
Deloris Agee, Program Coordinator 


(November 14 Only)


When I’m Weak, I’m Strong

Text & Music by Thomas Whitfield



I glory in my troubles, I will lift my head
I won’t be discouraged
‘Cause when I’m sad, that’s when I’m glad
Persecuted, but not forsaken
Cast down, but not destroyed

‘Cause when I’m weak, that is when I am strong.
I’ll not fear tomorrow, I’ll not ever fear foes
I will stand in victory, even more all the more
For you see on the outside, I might seem to perish
But in my soul, I am renewed everyday

‘Cause when I’m weak, that is when I am strong.
I know no defeat, I know only love

All is well! All is well!
For when I’m weak, that’s when I am strong.



That’s Life

Text & Music by Dean Kay & Kelly Gordon

That’s life (that’s life), that’s what all the people say
You’re riding high in April, shot down in May
But I know I’m gonna change that tune
When I’m back on top, back on top in June
I said that’s life (that’s life)
And as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks stomping on a dream
But I don’t let it, let it get me down
‘Cause this fine old world, it keeps spinnin’ around

I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet
A pawn and a king
I’ve been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing
Each time I find myself flat on my face
I pick myself up and get back in the race

That’s life (that’s life), I tell you, I can’t deny it
I thought of quitting, baby,
But my heart just ain’t gonna buy it
And if I didn’t think it was worth one single try
I’d jump right on a big bird and then I’d fly

That’s life (that’s life),
That’s life and I can’t deny it
Many times I thought of cutting out,
But my heart won’t buy it
But there’s nothing you can gain if you don’t try it,
So here’s to life, here’s to life

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Text & Music by Bobby McFerrin

Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry, be happy

In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double

Ain’t got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed

The landlord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate

Ain’t got no cash, ain’t got no style
Ain’t got no gal to make you smile

‘Cause when you worry, your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down

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Charles M. Owens, Artistic Director
LeighAnne Markaity, Artistic Associate
Ashlei Peoples, Principal Pianist
Sean Burns, Pianist


(November 15 Only)


We Gather Here Together

Anonymous



We gather here together with joyful heart and mind.
We raise our voices ever our distant souls to bind.
To remember in this moment of friendship, love, and joy,
That music made together may one day heal mankind.



PICTURES OF FALL

Music & Text by Roger Emerson & John Jacobson

Paint me a picture of autumn leaves; 
pumpkins as round as a ball.
Tangerine sunsets and frosty scenes, 
paint me a picture of fall. 
Sing me a song at the garden gate; 
whistle a tune in the wind. 
Summer is waning, let winter wait, autumn’s about to begin.

Dance in the sun under dazzling skies. Skip to a colorful tune.
Seasons are changing in front of your eyes. 
Dance in the light of the silvery moon.

I Shall Not Live In Vain

Music by Andrea Ramsey
Text by Emily Dickinson

If I can keep one heart from breaking, 
I shall not live in vain. 

If I can ease one life the aching, or cool one pain, 
If I can help one fainting robin unto his nest again, 

I shall not live, I shall not live, in vain. 

Be the New Sound

Music & Text by Hadley Blackford

Soloists: Maggie Lombardo, Valerie Bowen, Jesse Sanha-Youngs, Marten Kaehler

Shipped away, lost in the feeling, don’t know what to do
I search my head, my heart, and soul yet they still make fun of you.

Sometimes it’s hard I know that 
You always feel confused
But in life you know that
You have the chance to choose

There’s a right and wrong thing
There’s a left and right path!
When the choice is up to you
You should always choose that

You follow your dreams, follow you heart, follow your soul 
You do the right thing, make your own choice
Be the new bold

When you’re flying high don’t let people push you down.
Be the new you, be the new part, be the new sound. 

Feeling rushed, don’t think I can do it,
Words are not enough, 
You need the feeling in your heart, 
Or it’s gonna be real tough.

Sometimes it’s hard I know that, 
The road is never paved,
But in life you know that, 
You can always make a change. 

There’s a right and wrong thing
There’s a left and right path!
When the choice is up to you
You should always choose that

You follow your dreams, follow you heart, follow your soul 
You do the right thing, make your own choice
Be the new bold

When you’re flying high don’t let people push you down.
Be the new you, be the new part, be the new sound. 

A Parting Round

Music & Text by Don McAffee

Soloists: Yanai Sewing, Ava Mabrouki, Owen Hodge, Ruth Elias, Vivi Wong, Sanderson Wallace

It was so good being with you, sharing a song or two,
How quickly time has flown by, and now we must go.
Perhaps we’ll meet in the future, we hope it’s soon
But till we meet again there’s something we want you to know

We’re glad we came here today
And now we go on our way, 
May love and happiness, peace and joy
Be with you forever wherever you are.

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Allan Laiño, Artistic Director
Arman Amini, Executive Director
Sean Burns, Principal Pianist
LeighAnne Markaity, Artistic Administrator

The Power of Many

Music by Emily Drum
Text by Taylee Heldt & Emily Drum


Oh little star, do you know how bright 
you shine with your galaxy?
Oh little bird, can you see the flocks 
you form with your family?

Oh little drop, hear the roar 
you make with the wave as you crash at sea? 

Together we can be better than we believe

Oh little flame, do you feel the fiery warmth that your embers bring?
Oh little branch, can you feel our roots connecting both you and me?
Oh little breeze, feel the change you make with your whisper so wild and free? 

Together we can be better than we believe.

So carry this song on your shoulder 
Make it big, brighter, and bolder 
Carry it further and wider
The power of many, many.

So carry this song on your shoulder 
Let it live louder and longer
Our voices move mountains together 
The power of many, many.

On a precipice we stand
But if we fall, we will not land
We will move forward and onward and upward 
Voices united, never outnumbered


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 We Are Phoenix

by Timothy C. Takach

Allan Laiño, conductor

Marlisa Woods, violin 1
Asali McIntyre, violin 2
Mary Dausch, viola
Erin Murphy Snedecor, cello

1. Imagine

Strings

2. In the Beginning

Chorus & Strings

Before land, sea, sky, before all that:
nature was chaos; our cosmos, all chaos;
all the same enormity, all in one;
there was no form, no moon to walk
the night, no earth to dance with air…

Now let me tell you how things change,
new rising endlessly out of old,
everything altering, form unto form,
let me be the voice of mutability,
the only constant in the world.

    —Patricia Monaghan

3. Turning

Solo & Strings

Ely Merenstein, soloist    |    Michelle Kannan, cover

There comes a time in every fall
before the leaves begin to turn
when blackbirds group and flock and gather
choosing a tree, a branch, together
to click and call and chorus and clamor
announcing the season has come for travel.

Then comes a time when all those birds
without a sound or backward glance
pour from every branch and limb
into the air, as if on a whim
but it’s a dynamic, choreographed mass
a swoop, a swerve, a mystery, a dance

and now the tree stands breathless, amazed
at how it was chosen, how it was changed.

    —Julie Cadwallader Staub

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4. nubes oriebatur:
the eruption of vesuvius

A cloud was ascending. (There had been noticed for many days before a trembling of the earth.)

A cloud was ascending, the appearance of which I cannot give you a more exact description of than by likening it to that of a pine tree.

For it shot up to a great height in the form of a very tall trunk, which spread itself out at the top into branches of a sort; Because, I believe, it was occasioned by a sudden gust of air that impelled it.

A black and dreadful cloud, broken with rapid, zigzag flashes, revealed behind it variously shaped masses of flame: these last were like sheet-lightning, but much larger.

It was sometimes clear and bright and sometimes dark and spotted, according to whether it had picked up earth or cinders.

Soon afterwards, the cloud began to descend, and cover the sea. The ashes now began to fall upon us, though it was still sparse.

Soon the real day returned, and even the sun shone out. Every object that presented itself to our faltering eyes seemed changed, being covered deep with ashes as if with snow.

—Translated by William Melmoth, with revisions by Anne Groton

Nubes oriebatur.
(Praecesserat per multos dies tremor terrae.)

Nubes oriebatur, cuius similitudinem et formam non alia
magis arbor quam pinus expresserit.

Nam longissimo velut trunco elata in altum quibusdam 
ramis diffundebatur, credo quia recenti spiritu evecta.

Nubes atra et horrenda, ignei spiritus tortis vibratisque
discursibus rupta, in longas flammarum figuras dehiscebat;
fulguribus illae et similes et maiores erant.

Candida interdum, interdum sordida et maculosa
prout terram cineremve sustulerat.

Nec multo post illa nubes descendere in terras,
operire maria; Iam cinis, adhuc tamen rarus.

Mox dies verus; sol etiam effulsit.
Occursabant trepidantibus adhuc oculis
mutata omnia altoque cinere tamquam nive obducta.

    —Pliny the Younger, Letters to Tacitus, 61-112 AD
  —adapt. TCT

5. Digging Up a Rose

Chorus & Strings

I dug up a rose in my garden.
To make room for something new.
Less formal.
Less fussy.
More me.
I dug up a rose.
Dropped it sideways in a broken pot.
And forgot it was there.
Then summer came.
And the old discarded rose
Shocked me with a shock of pink.
With a cloud of old-fashioned blooms.
It refused to let me choose.
Refused to let me deny its value.
But bloomed.
To spite me.
Bloomed.
In spite of me.
Bloomed.
To remind me.
To know my worth.
And to know it most of all.
When sideways in a broken pot.

    —Caitlin Vincent

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6. To Risk Your Heart

Chorus & Strings

 

Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could.

—Louise Erdrich

 
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7. Things Worth Praising

Chorus

Rain. Soft rain. Hard pelting rain. Sleet and snow.
Clouds: white, grey, dark. A spring breeze.
The predictability of stars and moon and sun.

Green small hills. Craggy slopes. Granite cliffs.
Topsoil deep and rich. The melody of rivers.
The powers of tides. The cycle of change.

Industry of bee and worm. Sweet fruit that follows.
Microbes that make cheese. Ones that cure us.
Profound cooperation that begets lichen.

Birdsong carried on wind. The shadow of a horse
against a limestone wall. A dog’s warmth.
Blood. Flesh. Bones. Hearts. Breath.

A friend’s hand, reaching out for help or tea.
A sigh, an honest smile, a body dancing.
Everything that connects and is connected. Everything.

    —Patricia Monaghan

8. New Rising Endlessly

Solo & Strings

LeighAnne Markaity, soloist    |    Elvira Martinez, cover

Now let me tell you how things change,
new rising endlessly out of old,
everything altering, form unto form,
let me be the voice of mutability,
the only constant in the world.

    —Patricia Monaghan

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9. Ragnarök

Chorus & Strings 

Hagalaz (wrath of nature), Sowilo (sun)…
Dark grows the sun, and in summer soon
Come mighty storms: would you know yet more?
Brothers will fight one another and kill one another
the world will be a hard place to live in.
skeggold, skalmold, (an age of the axe, an age of the sword,)
vindold, vargold, (an age of storms, an age of wolves,)
Before the world sinks in the sea,
there will be no man left who is true to another.

The old tree sighs when the giant shakes it—
Yggdrasil still stands, (Skelfr Yggdrasils)
but it trembles. (askr standandi.)

The sun turns black, the earth sinks into the sea,
the bright stars fall out of the sky.
Flames scorch the leaves of Yggdrasil,
a great bonfire reaches to the highest clouds.

Here is a house, here is a neighborhood.
Here is a street, a door, a room, a window.
Here is a drought, here a beetled pine.
Here is a wildfire leaping from limb to roof.

There is a law of lightning, law of wood.
There is a need to burn, to lose, to grow.
There is the charred scar, there the flying ash.
To dwell is not to shelter, we should know.

Here are the people packing their cars to flee.
Here are the photos in frames, the pets on leashes.
Here are the children bewildered, coughing smoke.
Here are the firemen climbing the hills in the heat.

Berkana (growth), Dagaz (day)…

I see the earth rise a second time
from out of the sea, green once more.
Waterfalls flow, and eagles fly overhead,
hunting for fish among the mountain peaks.

We are the street, we are the neighborhood.
We are the garden living and dying to bloom.
We are the parched yards, we are the trembling deer.
We are the long walk looking to find our home.

I see the earth rise a second time.
Rise.

—Poetic Edda: Völuspá (41, 46, 55, 57), translated by Dr. Jackson Crawford, sung in English and Old Norse. “The Fires,” by David Mason.

I Fall, I Rise

Chorus & Strings

A wonder of biology and stardust combines to form me.
Improbable, yet here I am—trillions of cells with rhythm and life,
each breath and heartbeat a quiet symphony.
Each movement a melody

I hope to keep falling in love with this world again and again,
with every stranger’s kindness,
with every life bent low that finds the strength to rise.
A caterpillar turns inward before it grows wings,
a forest survives and prospers from fallen trees,
and I am transformed by each experience of loss and joy.
When I am broken, my mind rewires, regrows, together.

We move back and forth between grief and laughter,
each adding meaning to the other.
Alone, now together. Broken, now whole.
We are fire. We are ashes. We are Phoenix.

Oh, this delicate flight of the soul.
I fall, I rise. I withdraw, then reach out.
I find myself in love with this beautiful world.

    —C.J. Nichols

11. Imagine We Are Trees

Chorus & Strings

Imagine we are trees. 
Both about to bud
We are itching with tiny leaves
To shake and shade each other with.
We’ve known each other forever,
Weathered all of it.
There, when you lost a limb
I swayed and prayed in my trunk
you’d not go down. We shed
what we no longer need
no longer can hold up
to the light. I’ve seen you
in twilight blue, seen the moon
cradled in your branches.
This morning your canopy
Glazed in tangerine light.
If this isn’t love
I don’t know what is.

    —Julia Klatt Singer

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Allan Laiño

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | Congressional Chorus

American Prize winner Allan Laiño (“lah-EE-nyoh” or  / la ‘ʔi njo / ) is the fourth Artistic Director of the Congressional Chorus. As a second-generation Filipino-American with wide-ranging musical influences, he aims to reshape the landscape of American choral artistry by creating an environment in which all voices can flourish. 

Laiño has prepared choral ensembles for the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop, BSO Pops and Jack Everly, NSO Pops and Steven Reineke, Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, and the Josh Groban Live National Tour. He has conducted onstage at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Kennedy Center Opera House, and Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center. His performances have been televised on programs such as the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, CNN’s Live from the Capitol: January 6, One Year Later, and EWTN’s Annual Christmas Concert for Charity broadcast to over 140 countries worldwide.

As Co-Artistic Director of Bridge, Laiño produced, edited, directed, and sang in America, You’re Beautiful, a short film that merged spoken word and choral music to examine racism in America. The film won the Black Truth Film Festival, Queens Underground International Black and Brown Film Festival, and Shortie Film Festival. As Co-Conductor of the Sunday Night Singers in 2012, he earned First Prize at the World Choir Games in the Mixed Chamber Choir Champions Division. He is the 2018 winner of The American Prize—Community Chorus Division, and was a finalist in two categories for the 2020 The American Prize in Composition. In 2021, Laiño was the music awardee for The Outstanding Filipinos in America presented at Carnegie Hall.

Sean Burns

PRINCIPAL PIANIST | Congressional Chorus

Sean Burns is a Philadelphia-area native who relocated to Washington, DC in 2021. In addition to his work as Principal Pianist for Congressional Chorus, he currently serves as the organist at First Baptist Church of Washington, DC as well as Collaborative Pianist at Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Sean completed formal organ study at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ in 2016, where he studied with Alan Morrison and earned a Master of Music in Organ Performance. Before moving to DC, he served as the principal organist first at Corpus Christi Church and later at Abington Presbyterian Church, both in suburban Philadelphia.

Beyond the walls of the church, Sean has used his extensive love and knowledge of opera to serve as an accompanist for young singers who are either pursuing upper-level studies or who are at the forefront of a professional career. At the academic level, Sean has worked with voice students at Westminster as well as Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. Professionally, he worked at Sarasota Opera House in Florida along with the summer programs CoOOPERative in Princeton, NJ and Canto in Louisville, Kentucky.

Sean also holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and pursues occasional pro bono opportunities.

George Stewart

MUSIC DIRECTOR | NorthEast Senior Singers

George Stewart is a widely sought after musician due in part to his versatility and love for music irrespective of genre. George joined the Congressional Chorus during the 2021-2022 season.  He has a been blessed to share his gift in Paris, France and in a number of venues in America ranging from churches, to recording studios, and concert halls on both coasts.  His former choir Perpetual Glory was the first African-American Gospel Choir to perform at the historic Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC.

Among George’s greatest honors was being invited to perform at the White House for it’s annual Black History Month Celebration in February 2021, and to grace the altar as one of the musicians for the Junipero Serra Canonization Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC.

George has served as choir director, accompanist, and minister of music for local churches, and has played on several recordings including the GIA-published “Catholic Classics, Volume VII,” and the Holy Comforter St Cyprian Church Choir’s “ We Offer Praise.”  He currently serves as director of music at Holy Comforter St Cyprian Church.

Deloris Agee

PROGRAM COORDINATOR | NorthEast Senior Singers

Deloris Agee has been a member of the NorthEast Senior Singers since 2003. Since assuming the role of teaching artist in Fall 2020, Deloris has helped prepare members to participate in an all virtual season. Under her direction the chorus produced its first virtual concert, This Little Light of Mine, and a full-length holiday concert, Proclaiming the Season: Peace, Love, and Joy. Deloris brings to this position over 30 years of experience as a choir director for all age groups. Her experience in the area of creative arts includes drama and play writing. For the past two years she has been the creator and program manager for the Puppets for Potential where she crafted over 25 hand puppets.

Charles M. Owens

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | American Youth Chorus

Charles M. Owens is a PreK–5th Grade General Music Teacher with Prince George’s County Public Schools, Artistic Director of the American Youth Chorus, and Associate Conductor with the National Children’s Chorus. He holds a Master of Arts in Conducting from Webster University.

Charles’s passion for music began when his mother enrolled him in an Orff Schulwerk–based summer program—an experience that shaped his lifelong commitment to teaching and performance. He earned his undergraduate degree in Piano Pedagogy and the Art of Teaching, with a minor in German Language Studies, and taught private and studio lessons for several years before moving into classroom and ensemble work.

Since launching his choral career in 1996 at The Wellington School in Columbus, Ohio, Charles has studied conducting with Dr. Amy Chivington, Dr. David Rayl, and the late Dr. Katherine Smith Bowers. During graduate school, he founded the Unity Gospel Choir in Berlin’s Pankow district, leading three concert seasons before passing the baton to a local conductor.

From 1999 to 2023, Charles conducted the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference Choir and recently served as Festival Administrator for HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir, a program of the Zamir Choral Foundation. Before moving to the D.C. area, he auditioned for and was selected to sing bass for two seasons with the Dallas Symphony Chorus under Jaap van Zweden.

When not teaching or conducting, Charles enjoys spending time with his nephews and siblings in Cologne and Kiefersfelden, Germany.

LeighAnne Markaity

ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE | American Youth Chorus
ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR | Congressional Chorus

LeighAnne Markaity holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Bowling Green State University. Originally from West Michigan, she has lived in DC and been part of Congressional Chorus for ten years. Ms. Markaity played a major role in the relaunch of American Youth Chorus and is their Rehearsal Assistant and Administrator for the entire Congressional Chorus organization. She is also the Congressional Chorus soprano section leader, is in their Chamber Ensemble, and a member of Board of Directors. She was previously a nanny and a flute and voice teacher. When not singing, she can be found lost in a book, on a run, cooking something new, and exploring the city with friends.

Ashlei Peoples

PRINCIPAL PIANIST | American Youth Chorus

Ashlei Peoples is a versatile, classically trained pianist and keyboardist whose gift for blending technical mastery with heartfelt expression has made her a sought-after musician in the gospel and Christian music community. With over 20 years of experience, she effortlessly moves between traditional hymns, contemporary gospel, jazz, R&B, and classical repertoire, playing both by ear and with exceptional sight-reading ability.

Ashlei has served as a music director, choir director, and accompanist for churches of all denominations, schools, and theatrical productions throughout the DMV area. She currently works as a pianist for Howard University’s Music Theatre Department, an accompanist for choral ensembles and musicals across Fairfax and Montgomery Counties, and as a dedicated church musician.

Her performances span from the sanctuary to the stage, having shared music with renowned artists such as James Hall, Mama Sue Roseberry, and gospel songwriter Nikea Marie. She has also played with ensembles like the DC Strings and performed for historic figures, including Dr. Gladys Mae West, the developer of GPS.

A graduate of Spelman College (B.A., Piano Performance, Cum Laude) and the University of North Carolina (M.A., Music Education), Ashlei brings not only skill but a deep passion for creating transformative worship experiences. Whether directing choirs, supporting vocalists, or delivering moving instrumental moments, she uses her gift to inspire and uplift every audience she encounters.

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Marlisa del Cid Woods

VIOLIN 1

Marlisa del Cid Woods began studying the violin at age four through the Suzuki method. Born in Honduras, she was raised in the DC Area and continued her musical training during high school through the National Symphony Youth Fellowship Program and the American Youth Philharmonic. She joined The U.S. Army Band "Pershing’s Own" in 2000 upon completion of her master’s and bachelor’s degrees with academic honors from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Woods is currently the Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Band. Prior to this appointment, Woods served as Stroll Leader and Concertmaster of the U.S. Army Orchestra, leading performances for National and International heads of state and our Nation’s top government and military leadership. She can be seen performing as soloist on The U.S. Army Band’s YouTube channel. She also performs bluegrass, folk, and country fiddle in a specialty group within The U.S. Army Band called Country Roads, which has delighted audiences of over 2 million in live performances and on YouTube. Woods has performed with some of the world’s finest ensembles including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, has appeared as concertmaster and soloist with the Alexandria Symphony, and as frequent soloist with the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra. Woods has a special passion for early music, and has performed with the Thirteen, has performed and recorded with Bach Sinfonia and Apollo’s Fire, has led as Concertmaster and Principal Second of the National Cathedral Orchestra, and has performed as soloist and concertmaster with the Washington Bach Consort. Woods can be heard on the Eclectra, Lyrichord, and Dorian labels.

Asali McIntyre

VIOLIN 2

Asali Ruth-Mandla McIntyre is a Professional Violinist, Singer-Songwriter, Improvisational Performer and Creative based in the DC Metropolitan area. She has honed her skills in these disciplines for 30+ years. 

Asali creates unique arrangements and compositions that beckon her listeners in and puts them at ease -casting gentle sonic spells of belonging, honoring, and upliftment without judgement. Asali is also a part of syBLINGS! - an intentional forever collaboration with her sibling Spirit Paris McIntyre and they premiered their debut work syBLINGS! as part of Atlas Arts Lab 2024 and Trust Ancestral Knowing as part of Atlas’ INTERSECTIONS Festival 2025.

As an improvisational performer in Playback Theatre, a form where audience members volunteer stories from their lives and see them played back on the spot, she has: learned how to be a dynamic ensemble member, embraced the art of deep listening to capture the essence of audience stories, and uses her musicianship as a vehicle to give emotional dimensions to both the actors on stage and the audience members. 

Mary Dausch

VIOLA

Mary Dausch grew up in Washington, DC and is a graduate of the DC Youth Orchestra Program and the NSO Youth Fellowship Program.  She received her Bachelor of Music Performance from San Francisco Conservatory and received her Master of Music from Rice University.  

After Mary moved back to the DC Area after a year in Amsterdam, she continued her career as a freelance musician.  She now is the principal violist of Apollo Orchestra and Amadeus Orchestra. She is a founding member of the Grotto Ensemble and a member of the Georgetown Chamber Players.  She substitutes with Maryland Symphony Orchestra and National Philharmonic, and plays with many other local orchestras, choruses, operas and other ensembles.  She teaches private violin and viola lessons in her home studio.

Mary currently resides in Silver Spring, MD with her husband, dog and two of her four children (the other two are away at college).  She plays on a viola made in 2014 by Dalton Potter.

Erin Murphy Snedecor

CELLO

Erin Murphy Snedecor is a collaborative cellist who strives to forge new
paths for interdisciplinary and multi genre art.

Erin is a founding member, cellist, and music director of Balance
Campaign, a contemporary sextet dedicated to commissioning and
performing new works by historically excluded composers. She is also the
cellist and Co-Director of earspace, a North Carolina-based ensemble
that curates multi-sensory programs that live outside of the typical
concert experience.

In addition to her work in classical composed music, Erin is known for
her ability to perform with any ensemble of rock, folk, pop, bluegrass,
and whatever-you-can-think-of in between.

Erin is a 2023 Strathmore Artist in Residence alumna, as well as a proud
graduate of Ithaca College and University of Maryland, College Park.

Daniel Lu

COMPOSER

Daniel Lu started piano lessons around kindergarten and has always been a part of the music world. He studied piano with Anna Golka and Robert Roux in Houston and Xak Bjerken at Cornell University. He picked up the violin as a secondary instrument in middle school and played in youth orchestras throughout high school. 

He worked for NASA until 2024 designing electronics for space telescopes and planetary radars. He got his start singing in choruses and musical theater in NASAs theater group. He has been singing with the Congressional Chorus since 2013.  He picked the violin back up in 2016 and joined Capital City Symphony that fall. Occasionally, he plays in the pit orchestra for theater shows or jazz piano for events. Currently, he is supporting radar research at the Naval Research Laboratory.

 He wrote a set of pieces for piano and violin and a piano concerto during the 2020 pandemic and premiered his flute concerto with the Capital City Symphony in March 2022. He is currently working on his second string quartet as well as a few vocal arrangements. A recent piece of his, “Prelude to a Long Spring”, for trumpet,violin,flute and piano, was premiered at the Mid-Atlantic flute convention in February of 2025.

832-752-4184
dplu999@gmail.com

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CONGRESSIONAL CHORUS

Soprano

Abigail McDonough

†Ali Ruth

Allison Moody

Ariel White

Ashley Ridlon

Carolyn Robbins

Cary Gibson

Cassandra McCarty

*Elvira Martinez

Erin Ennis

Erin Fernandez

Jean Godwin

*Jessica Ault

Karen Dowling

Katherine DeFonzo

Kathryn Constantinides

*Kristina Kelly

*Leah Shedrow

*†LeighAnne Markaity

Liza Douglas

Maggie Carttar

Mechelle A. King

Nora Douglas

Ohvia Muraleetharan

Serra Schlanger

*Tessa Burzio

BASS

Bill Riggins

Grant Knott

Greg Michaels

Jim Petrick

Jon Saxton

*Jonah Herman

*†Justin Murdock

Kenneth Cole

Luke Bornhorst

Michael Steelman

*†Mike Krause

Nick Menzies

Thomas Farley

*Warren Turner

 

ALTO

Annette S. Singletary

Bette Mohr

Cassandra Anderson

Cecilia Brawner

Chloe Edgington

Dawn Arteaga

Elizabeth Megginson

Elyse Bressler

Emily Dalton

*†Hayley Fleming

Khadija Jahfiya

Lily Xinyao Xu

Louise Buchanan

*Marjorie Atya

Megan Stoddard

*Michelle Kannan

Neela Nilsson

†Paden Tranter

Paula Burzio

Penelope Krumm

Rachel Saady-Saxe

Rachel Schotz

Rosalie Person

Rosalie Toupin

Victoria Hall-Palerm

TENOR

Alleyiana Brown

Brian Nido

Christopher Valentine

Daniel Lu

*†Ely Merenstein

James Post

John Lemen

†Jonathan Lain

*Kelly Griffin

Leo Weinreb

Max Toscano

*Michael J. Brewer

Noah McIntire

Noel A Nazario

*Robbie Angarone

Ryan J. Howard

Sangeeta Goel

Will McLearn

William Melendez

William Simpson

 

*Chamber Ensemble

†Section Leader

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NORTHEAST SENIOR SINGERS

SOPRANO

Juliet Chriss
Queen Dickey
June Everhart
Jean Jamieson
Alice Yeager

ALTO

Deloris Agee
Melissa Dunlap
Arlene Levinson
Judy Lucas
Ramona Service
Brenda Wilder

TENOR

Greg Anderson
Phillis Anderson
Linda Payton

BASS

Bill Klay
Greg Michaels
Greg Miller

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Board of Directors

Kristina Caggiano Kelly, President
Amit Singh, Vice President
Jahnissi Tirado, Treasurer
Elizabeth Kaehler, Secretary

Ihamna Cubillos Valencia, member
Serra Schlanger, member

Allan Laiño, Artistic Director, ex officio
Arman Amini, Executive Director, ex officio

Production

LeighAnne Markaity, Artistic Administrator
Robbie Angarone, Social Media
Alexander Aloisio, Production Assistant
RCI Systems, Audio & Video Recording
Chila Design, Graphic Design
Allan Laiño, Digital Program Design
Craig Teer, Choral Risers

Costume Accessories

Marjorie Atya
Kathryn Constantinides
Allison Moody
Noel Nazario
Carolyn Robbins

Audience Engagement

Cassandra Anderson
Robbie Angarone
Dawn Arteaga
Jacob Dinkelaker
James Post
Carolyn Robbins

Credits and Acknowledgements

This concert is made possible in part by support from

A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation
Capitol Hill Community Foundation
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Eugene M. Lang Foundation
Menezes Jennings Family Charitable Fund
Nora Roberts Foundation
Share Fund
Texas Instruments Foundation
Congressional Chorus members
& loyal supporters

Special thanks to Dave Ryder, Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, Pastor Eric Mathis, Frank Van Atta, and the entire staff at First Baptist Church DC for their support and hospitality.

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