After squeezing ourselves into a couple of living rooms to learn the music during the previous month, we found the rehearsal space at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church luxurious. We could stand up, spread out, and have our own music stands. The first session with conductor David Rosenboom of California Instute of the Arts was just for us singers, and we hoped our preparation was sufficient to meet the level of everyone’s expectations. David was gracious, complementary, and such a clear director that the experience was a pleasure. Most of our concerns vanished at the first downbeat - not that we didn’t have plenty of room for improvement, but we had confidence in each other.

When Zorn showed up at our first rehearsal with the orchestra, he was wearing bright orange camouflage pants. I asked him where he might be trying to hide in such attire, and when he mentioned the fall color scheme, I decided he was a guerilla soldier from New England. He would also be invisible from the waist down while sitting and dining in a MacDonald’s (TM). He wore those pants every day.

Evocation of a Neophyte had been a challenge to learn without the orchestra. It is somewhat atonal and rhythmically complex, so until we could hear the cues from the instruments we had to imagine (evoke!) the sonic environment. When the percussionists were setting up and testing their gear, several of us inserted ear plugs to protect us from all the decibels. We soon found our way in the texture, and once we were acclimated to the full ensemble, the only unknown was how the amplification of the voices would sound, since we did not have microphones at St. Mark’s.

There is a particularly difficult passage in 7/8 time that is subdivided into rapid 16th notes (14 of them) in the pattern 5+5+4. The burden falls mainly on the three mezzo-sopranos, who spent many hours getting it right. We could see in the score that there is percussion playing together with the singers, so there was no margin for error in the timing. At the big moment of the first runthrough of this passage, we waited anxiously for Zorn’s comments. All he said to the women was an enthusiastic “You’re smokin’!” and proceeded to spend the rest of his time working with the percussionist.

Frammenti del Sappho is a much larger challenge vocally. It is a cappella, so there is no support from instruments and the singers are very exposed while navigating the extremes of their ranges, both high and low. Zorn achieves marvelous effects with piercing chord clusters contrasted with rich deep tones in widely spread sonorities. There are no words and no program notes, so although there is a context within the Mysterium concept and we do have some associations with the poet Sappho, we can only respond to this music on a non-verbal level.

After a single hearing of the Frammenti, Zorn was so pleased that he did not feel the need for any more rehearsal. It was ready for the big time. The women were almost disappointed not to get to spend more time on it, but it must have been gratifying nonetheless.

We had our sound check and final dress the day of the concert. Without monitors, I could not tell anything about the balance of singers and orchestra. Zorn said it was fine, that even the whispered passages of Evocation were audible, and we did not have to use stage whispers to be heard. There was some panic over the fact that there was no harpsichord. Despite the presence of many such instruments in the building, we were not permitted to use them. Finally a PMEr got her father’s harpsichord and the show went on.

Hertz Hall was about half full for the performance. This is remarkable, because avant-garde music is generally too unfamiliar and demanding to draw an audience of any size. One reviewer even considered this a packed house. Zorn gave a brief introduction and then proceeded to act as a stage hand, moving chairs and stands between pieces and then jumping back into the audience.

There are six movements in Mysterium. The first and last movements are for small-to-medium chamber orchestras. The others are small ensembles, each consisting of a single family of ‘instruments’. There is a bass clarinet duet, a female vocal quintet, a string trio (violin, viola, and cello), and a solo piano. It is like a sandwich with multigrain bread on the outside and uniform layers of ingredients in the middle. Evocation of a Neophyte, the bottom slice of bread, conlcuded the concert, and we got a standing ovation. This was the final evidence of the success of our latest collaboration with outstanding musical figures.

Oh wait - I spoke too soon. The final evidence is the reviews. I will let them speak for themselves.

SFCV: It’s Electric

SFGate: A Man of Many Moods

Not enough photos for ya? See more at:

PME with Zorn

Jim Hale
Nov, 2006

Technorati : John Zorn, UC Berkeley

In a way, this is a coincidence, since we got the call from CalPerformances, not Zorn. On the other hand, it is not a coincidence, because for over 25 years, through the guidance and chutzpah of Dick Grant, PME has established itself as the vocal ensemble of choice for new music and unusual theatrical ventures, which is why we have worked with John Adams, David Lang, Aurora Theatre, Dave Brubeck, Kent Nagano, and many others in addition to Meredith Monk - and now John Zorn.

When you need someone
To sing those notes
Who ya gonna call?
Chartbusters

The same week that we got the request from CalPerformances we learned that Zorn received a MacArthur Foundation ‘genius’ grant, just as Monk got one right after her first collaboration with PME several years ago. Apparently, it pays to work with us.

Here is a charming news report on Zorn’s MacArthur award:

(Well, the video link doesn’t work anymore. For this we have Viacom, owner of Comedy Central, to thank. They have taken all their clips out of YouTube, thinking that they are losing money by letting us look at them.)

UPDATE Jan 21, 09 — You can now view this video on Colbert’s own website by following this link:

Who’s Not Honoring Me Now!

The concert will feature us in two works, Frammenti del Sappho and evocation of a neophyte and how the secerts of the black arts were revealed to her by the demon Baphomet. The lower case evocation title is deliberate - Zorn is either an e e cummings fan or a subtle iconoclast.

Sappho, a “minimalist motet” that speaks to the feminine, written in 2004, is for five women a cappella. It is quite compelling - a hymn to sensuality with powerful tight chord clusters and a demanding vocal range. The inclusion of an a cappella piece in a concert by a saxophonist reminds me of the time PME opened Berkeley Symphony’s season with Lux Aeterna by Ligeti (16 voices, no instruments).

The other piece, evocation of a neophyte, was written last year, and this will be its West Coast premier. The ensemble consists of a soprano solo, contrabassoon, harp, percussion, and a chorus of 18. It is as atmospheric as the long title implies, based on the mystery of the Enocheon ritual (Enocheon is the language of witches). There are strangely luscious harmonies and intricate rhythms alternating with lyrical passages and a lot of eerie whispering in Latin.

The month of November has been good to us. Three years ago we were in Berlin recording and performing Bernstein’s Mass with Nagano and the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester, which got us a Grammy nomination, and we immediately followed that with a production of the medieval Play of Daniel with Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. I can only guess what we’ll be doing next November.

-Jim Hale

Technorati : Cal Performances, Colbert Report, John Zorn, MacArthur Foundation, Meredith Monk

Sufjan Stevens is currently touring in support of his recent release The Avalanche and the soon to be released Songs for Christmas . Audiences who attended the 2006 PME Jazz and Pops concert will remember the finale, our a cappella rendition of “C’mon, Feel the Illinoise,” the title track of Stevens’ most well known work.

On this tour Stevens has augmented his usual group of ‘Illinoisemakers’ with strings and horns, so why not a choir? 24 members of PME will provide vocal support for both nights of the Berkeley run. Both performances are sold out, but we’ve seen tickets available on craigslist.

Members of PME to perform with John Zorn at Hertz Hall; Nov 12th

Composer and saxophonist John Zorn (b. 1953) has worked with a large number of experimental musicians, particularly in improvised works. He has been a central figure in NYC’s downtown scene since 1975 and his experimental work with the bands Naked City and Masada earned him a large cult following.

The Cal Performances program on Nov. 12th features some of Zorn’s most fascinating chamber music:

Members of the Pacific Mozart Ensemble will perform Sappho and Evocation of a Neophyte with John Zorn’s ensemble.

Technorati : John Zorn, Sufjan Stevens