Feedback and Comments
to our Concerts:Feedback and Comments
to our Concerts:
Jan, it's ten days after your concert, but I feel compelled to write you to tell you how much we enjoyed it. The Dvorak is a great piece. I've told my choir director about it. The second half of the program was superb as well. Such classy music from beginning to end. Napa has a treasure in you and the chorus.
Just wanted to thank all of those who have stuck with it. I enjoyed the St Mary's concert and all of the folks who attended said the same thing. I have always enjoyed singing with the choir and look forward to next year.
Have a Good Summer!
The selection of music, conducting, and fine singing resulted in a magnificent concert on Sunday afternoon. I especially liked the Dvorak Mass. While the more contemporary music was very nice too, it's good to hear the Chorale do the "old masters" again.
It was a joy to be at your concert on Sunday evening. Wonderful music.
Great choir, great soloists! I look forward to your next concert!
There were times when I felt like I was transported somewhere else. The music at Sunday's concert was so beautiful, I didn't want it to end. The women at the end of the Mass sounded like heavenly angels. Thank you very much for taking me away to a better place......
The composer, Andrew Gilpin, wrote:
"I'd like to thank you once again for programming the "Gloria".
It means a lot to me. Please give my best to everyone involved,
and have a very merry Christmas!"
"The concert was just great! The performance was outstanding. The voices were spot on. I just closed by eyes and thought I was in heaven. What a way to get into the holiday spirit!"
"... I want to tell you that it was wonderful! A great way to start the holidays! I enjoyed the combination of music and really noticed that the singers seemed to be having a great time. That paints such a wonderful picture for the audience."
"Yesterday's concert has to be one of my favorites. So many people commented on how much they liked it. My friends who attended said it was the best yet. I loved the Gloria and Voices of Earth. Thank you for programming such magnificent music."
"Wonderful concert! Loved the music!"
"I truly enjoyed the concert last night. The Gloria was exceptional."
"Hi Jan, just a note to say thanks for the fantastic concert. It sounded wonderful!"
"Just wanted to congratulate you on a fine concert! We thoroughly enjoyed it. The blend on Voices of Earth was especially beautiful...."
"My favorite performance was 'Voices of
Earth.' The blend of voices was particularly good in that piece."
"Thanks for a great concert on Sunday. I've never heard the Chorale sound better!"
"It was a wonderful concert, well sung, and all those languages!"
"Just a note to thank you for such a super concert last Sunday afternoon. I heard how good it was going to be, but I didn't know it was going to be THAT good. Great performance and wonderful singing. Thank you for a grandiose concert. I'm looking forward to the next one."
"I've been raving about your concert last Sunday at Church Council and at my church choir practice as well as to all my friends. Thank you!"
"My friends are raving about the concert. One brought his elderly mom whom I have never met--she even called me this morning to tell me how much she enjoyed it! She said it was like a choir of angels! They really liked the selection and variety of the music, especially the love songs and Vamuvamba!"
"Just wanted to let you know that your concert was absolutely wonderful! You all sounded so good! What a wonderful program!"
"Jan, we enjoyed your Christmas concert this year. Keep up the good work!"
"I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed
the Napa Valley Chorale concert and want to pass along my kudos
to you for pulling it all together. I brought some friends with
me, and they really enjoyed the concert too."
"Just to let you know, we so enjoyed the concert Saturday night, Jan! We were in the second row. Couldn't stay to congratulate you because of early morning choir rehearsal in Yuba City. You and Mark certainly get a wonderful, relaxed sound from your singers. Bravii!"
"What a challenge -- mastered fantastically!"
"I really enjoyed this concert, and so did my friend who sings with the Sonoma Valley Chorale. She said 'No Time' was fabulous and that the blend was wonderful."
"Both my friends were 'over the moon' about the concert and the choir. They definitely plan to attend the Holiday Concert."
"Thanks, Jan, and many, many thanks for your wonderful leadership and enthusiasm. The concert was wonderful."
"The chorale sounded great!"
"I have been haunted by 'No Time' and was sorry not to be part of it. My friends and I were very appreciative, and we loved the young soloists too."
"Das Konzert war super!!! Ganz toll."
"Thank you so much for the concert last night. We have attended several concerts in the last few weeks. Last night was the first time we felt the Christmas spirit!"
"Brava! We really enjoyed the Chorale's performance! Thanks for letting us know about it."
"We loved the variety of songs in the Chorale's Holiday Concert. We were on the edge of our seats when you did "The 12 Days of Christmas?????? We loved the interweaving of the various Christmas carols in that composition. We're going to make your Holiday Concert an annual event with a group of friends."
"Thank you for an incredible concert program.
I don't know anyone else who could have done it as well; you and
Mark are an inspiration."
"Many, many thanks for all you did to provide all of us with the wondrous weekend of music we just had! My mom and daughter LOVED it too! "
"We enjoyed the concert. The quality of
professionalism is very impressive. Thanks for a great experience."
"As a real Napa Valley Chorale concert fan, thank you for the wonderful holiday concert at Jarvis. We so appreciate your skills and talents! Keep up the great work."
"My family and friends and I REALLY enjoyed
the concert. Congratulations!"
"What a pleasure to be at this evening's concert. Great program! Loved the variations on a theme of 12 Days. The singers were all so appropriately animated or reverent as the selections required. I miss singing [with the group], but there are advantages to being in the audience! Such beautiful singing. Thank you all for a very special evening from laughter to tears, and joy all around."
"Jan, what a joy-filled evening of music!
I truly enjoyed it. Thank you. By the way, your pianist is amazing!"
Read Jim Koelker's review in the Napa Valley Register May 5 "Was it the Napa Valley Chorale or a chorus of angels?"
"The concert yesterday was simply glorious. The music seemed flawless and so relaxed and joyful. The choir was really into and loving it, it seemed. I resisted humming along! It made for a perfect spring day, and it has been with me all this day, too."
"Yesterday, Sunday, I experienced one of the most lovely moments of my life hearing that glorious music sung by such a fine chorale and wonderful musicians and soloists. I wish everyone in the world could hear those requiems--we would all realize how good God is to give us such music and performers to make our lives better for awhile."
"Jan, it is always a joy to experience your artistic integrity and inspiration."
"Congratulations on a wonderful concert! It went very well; I hope you are pleased."
"The concert was a real pleasure! The choir sounded great! Congratulations!"
"The choir clearly reflects Jan's and Mark's influence. I just want to say how much I enjoyed the Mont La Salle experience."
"Friends came to the performance on Sunday evening. They were so enthusiastic about the concert that they haven't stopped talking about it!"
"I truly enjoyed your choir. What a wonderful group! And a nice venue also."
"The performance was joyous, and it has kept me buzzing, still waking up each morning to the Benedictus going through my head."
"It is a wonderful experience to be part of a creative artistic effort. Such an excellent performance. My children and grandchildren joined us, and I think that the concert may have left some lasting appreciation for great music!"
"Again, let me say how FABULOUS the concert was last week! Beautiful, really. I was mesmerized. Thank you."
Dear Jan, I always like to begin the Christmas season with some good musical performance and last night's Messiah was one of the best I've had in many years. Choir's enunciation of words were clear. Words like "host" came clear and were finished together not like hostess as in hostess cup cakes. The featured singers were, as usual, very good. Impressive performance by all and you can be proud of your contribution, which I know was extensive. Thanks for kicking off my Christmas season with the sensational performance.
Jan, I just want to say how much I enjoyed the Messiah concert last Sunday. It was very satisfying and even a joy to drive through the valley to get there! Oh and one other thing: It was a stroke of genius to do the final chorus as you did. What an exciting ending! All the best!
Jan, I trust you are basking
in post-Messiah smiles from such a wonderful performance. I suspect
you are proud of your chorale, your efforts, and all that went
into making such a fulfilling experience. Congratulations!
"It was wonderful! It was fabulous! The Chorale is just getting better and better! It was my first time to hear the entire Messiah. I had always thought that since it was long, it might be boring. It was anything but! The time went by very fast, and I was totally enthralled! Great soloists and orchestra too! Congratulations on an outstanding performance!"
Jan, that was a terrific show yesterday. I was very impressed with the soloists, the orchestra, your excellent choir and especially you for once more pulling it all together. You really have an amazing ability to make great stuff happen. Thanks again and congratulations!
Jan and Mark, well, I thought it was stunning! My daughter, who is a singer/songwriter, was there and said she thought it was the best choral singing she'd ever heard. (And she meant it...she doles out her praise very carefully!) Thanks for your hard work, expertise, and ability to inspire.
"It was great!!!! I'm so glad I attended! What a fabulous sound and message!"
"I had a blast! It was great fun! Thanks for your gift to our community."
It was wonderful to hear the complete Messiah oratorio - my first time. What an outstanding, wonderful, inspiring, exhilarating experience!
"Thank you for making such beautiful music, and for giving the community in which I live the gift of some of the world's best music ever."
"Just wanted to say I can't remember when I've enjoyed...a concert as much as Sunday. I absolutely love the Puccini...and the Brahms was great fun."
"I was glad to hear the Puccini--I've never heard it live before. There are many beautiful parts. And the Brahms was also a delight to hear."
"Jan, I hope you feel very happy and proud of the performances. I think they went extremely well. I'm so looking forward to Messiah in December."
"Jan & Mark, you are marvels...thank you for all you have done to bring the best sounds..."
"Jan, the Puccini was just wonderful, and you deserve lots and lots of credit. It just soared, both times."
"We were so impressed
with the lovely concert! Such attention to detail! And what a
delight it must be to sing in such a group! Best wishes to all!"
"Jan, thanks for yet another wonderful holiday concert!"
"I adore the Napa Valley Chorale! I am smiling ear to ear as I write this note to you! Thank you!"
"Jan, thank you for your gift of music in this world and
congratulations on your music-making with the Napa Valley Chorale."
"There were moments during the Respighi when I wanted to stand on my chair and holler "Hallelujah!!"
"Jan, thank you for a great experience! I really look forward to the next concert! You and Mark are a great combination."
"Thanks, Jan, for the extraordinary experience of the concert today. My heart was touched by the beauty and the quality and the experience -- it was a real joy."
"I spoke to you briefly after the concert last night about auditioning, and I not only want to reaffirm that desire to perhaps become part of this extraordinary group, but to tell you again that I was--I think the words would be "full-tilt blown away" by the performance. Bravo to all of you."
"Jan, again I want to thank you for the musical 'stretching' that you have accomplished this fall. It was quite an experience for me to sing Respighi. My family who attended loved the concert. It does take a lot of patience to deal with large groups of people, especially volunteer groups, but you do it so well."
"I've supported the Napa Valley Chorale for several years. This was the most professional sound that I've heard from them yet!"
"Jan, excellent concert! I enjoyed it."
"Thanks so much to Jan and Mark for all of your incredible direction and dedication to the Chorale. I truly enjoyed the music. My friends who came were blown away by the music and setting. Congratulations and kudos to you, Jan."
"The concert was marvelous:
the opening drum processional, the chorus, the
orchestra, the soloists, and the organist. Coronation music is
fun to hear
and clearly fun to sing!"
"Congratulations on excellent concerts yesterday. Everything sounded beautiful and was well received. I hope you're having a nice afterglow."
"Jan and Mark, what a wonderful concert! Great choral sound,
wonderful orchestra and soloists, altogether a stunning performance:
Wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed everything!"
"Congratulations, Jan and Mark and Napa Valley Chorale! The concert was glorious! Wonderful tone and alive faces! It was so moving to sit in front where I could hear and see everyone--I had to "rearrange" my composure several times. Your hard work really made the evening a success. Thank you for the "ear candy"!
"The concert was wonderful. Please convey my appreciation and congratulations to all."
"What an absolute pleasure to hear the Napa Valley Chorale at Mont La Salle. The music was heavenly and I know was enjoyed by all who attended. Thank you so much for bring such beauty to the Napa Valley. We look forward to hearing you again!"
"Jan, what can I say! I was so touched that the tears came down my face. What a beautiful presentation -- thanks to your excellence and love of music. Can't remember when something was so wonderful. With much appreciation for your many talents. You are very gracious."
Review by Rick Otto in the Napa
Valley Register (May 19, 2002)
"I can't put off any longer telling you how much I enjoyed the concert Sunday afternoon. I had heard Carmina Burana several times but, I believe, only on television programs, which certainly doesn't convey the magnificence of it. That last chorus would have blown the roof off a building with a lower ridge-line! The standing ovation was well-deserved."
"[...] I cannot tell you how much (we) enjoyed the concert yesterday!!!!! It was simply stunning. The Orff is so powerful. I had not heard it for many years, and (my husband) had never heard it. Now he's eager to get the best CD -- what choral group has done a superb one, do you know? [...] Cheers, and again, congratulations on a splendid, exciting afternoon for we lucky Napans."
"[...] Dear Jan, I am extremely grateful
to you for inviting me to sing with you in this concert, and for
having shared with me the thoughts of your friends. I must say,
I was in such good company with you and the choir, and (the soloists),
as well as the instrumentalists - - all put forth such tremendous
wonderful vibrant energy, which created such an exciting experience
for me; I rode this energy as a bird glides in the sky amongst
the air currents; this performance proved absolutely thrilling
to me. [...] Thank you, again, for your invitation to sing, your
talent, and your spirit. You are fun to sing for and I look forward
to my next opportunity."
"Jan, I was thrilled by the concert. It was wonderful and made my afternoon! Thanks for your part of it."
"We greatly enjoyed yesterday's concert.
I liked both pieces you did, and my
father, brother and sister-in law also enjoyed it."
"Thank you so much as always, Jan and Mark. My friends and I really enjoyed the performance and have lots of compliments for all of you!"
"Going to your concert was the best thing
I could have done today. It was
great. I really enjoyed it."
"Your concert was great! I wasn't sure what to expect about the sound in Chardonnay Hall, but it was admirable how the Chorale made even that acoustically dead room ring with sound. It was a great afternoon!"
"Sunday's concert by the Napa Valley Chorale was absolutely breathtaking. I can't begin to express what a joy it was to experience the beauty of the music the Chorale and musicians provided the audience with. Enclosed find a donation to the Chorale in appreciation for the incredible concert."
"I can't wait for the next one. Please express my gratitude to the members of the Chorale for the gift they have given the community...."
"Our thanks to you too for the gift you have given not only to the community, but also to each other and to us. Making music together is truly a wonderful gift!"
"Well, Jan & Mark, you really did yourselves proud. It was an outstanding concert! The sound in that chapel is quite extraordinary -- like nothing I've ever heard. And, of course, all of the hard work paid off! Congratulations to you both!"
"Just wanted to say how lovely the afternoon holiday concert was on Sunday. The choir sounded fantastic and looked very impressive. I was lucky enough to sit upstairs in front of the organ (standing-room-only ticket) and had a perfect view of the whole candlelit spectacle."
"Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the Chorale concert. The Saint-Saëns was really nice, and so many singers!"
"We very much enjoyed the concert tonight. The first thing I was aware of was that the choir seemed to be singing perfectly for the room--the sound was crisp and undistorted. Mont La Salle is fun to sing in, but I've often felt the sound could be mushy. I also noticed that the choir seemed to display a heightened sense of discipline. They looked crisp and focused. Thank you for a high quality musical event!"
"What a WONDERFUL concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the fine music."
ONE OF THE MARVELOUS MUSICAL EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!
Congratulations on Sunday afternoon: magnificent, excellent, precedent setting!
I enjoyed this evening more than words can say. Words really cannot express the depth of this whole experience.
"Just have to somehow or another
to express yesterday's concert was
absolutely super. Just out of this world! Thank you to all those
who had a hand in putting it out."
"WOW!!! Yesterday's concert was SPECTACULAR!!! Congratulations for pulling off a wonderful union of voices, groups, ideas, and images. It was a great concert; I was proud to have invited my good friend from out of town to join us and 'show off' Napa and its love of music."
Composer dedicates "In Vino Veritas" to the Napa Valley.
Expressing his appreciation for the warm welcome
extended by the
Napa Valley Chorale and their sponsors, Brazilian composer
Henrique de Curitiba dedicated his cantata "In Vino Veritas"
to
the Napa Valley. Working with the musicians and artistic director
Jan Lanterman during dress rehearsal Friday night, the composer
declared that he wanted to make his work a memory to the wonderful
days in Californias's wine country. "Cabernet and Merlot",
the
theme of the first movement of his composition, "are the
most
famous wines of the Napa Valley," he said. "By including
the name
of the region in my work, I appreciate the exuberant welcome I
received, my admiration of the fine wines produced here and of
the
sophisticated life style I am having the pleasure to observe and
share." The dedication is expressed with the text of the
first
movement:
"Bonum vinum laetificat cor hominum, bonum vimum per omnium: Cabernet et Merlot laetificat hominum cor, Napa Valley gives the joy of life, cor hominum."
("Good wine gladdens the heart of men, good wine for everyone: Cabernet and Merlot gladden the heart of men, Napa Valley gives the joy of life, (to) the heart of men.")
We really enjoyed the Messiah. It was a warm, energetic version. It came across very professional. The altos were awesome on the entrance. The basses were strong and were not overpowering. The tenors were well heard and had a great quality sound in the section. The soprano voices seemed to soar lightly over the other parts and yet remain part of the whole. I really felt the goosebumps on the Glory to God. I hope you all noticed the house was full. It really showed a lot of talents and hard work, and we had a great time hearing it.
Wow, bravo, bravo, bravo. Beautiful. I loved the choir. It was wonderful--the Baroque style just right. You should be extremely proud of yourselves. I am really proud of you!
What an incredible experience. There were so many spectacular moments it was almost overwhelming.
During the a cappella pieces, I felt like I was watching an artist at her easel. It was as if I could see colors. Every downbeat was another splash of color, sometimes the edges were all jagged and then as resolution was reached the edges smoothed out. Sometimes there were four colors and then a magical blending happened and they became one glorious color. I do recall vividly at the end it was a brilliant blue. I assure you I never had that happen before.
Congratulations on a wonderful concert. It is fun to experience as an audience member a piece like Messiah, which we know so well. Thank you. I must say, though, that I enjoyed the a cappella set at least as much, with the chorus in front of the curtain, so much closer to the audience. A good day's work--and wasn't it wonderful to see such a full house?
Rejoice, rejoice! It was great to hear your choir and the music you did. Congratulations! I am glad I made it, and my friends enjoyed it too.
Congratulations to you and the Chorale for a terrific performance Sunday!
The theater was well filled, and there were smiles all around. It was quite wonderful.
What an inspiration--Magnificent--thank you--my friend and I were thrilled.
Well done, Jan! Everybody really loved the concert. Mom also had a great time.
First of all, let me, too, thank you for a wonderful, moving, festive Messiah. From the standing, cheering ovation from a full house at the last 'Amen,' it is clear that you have given the valley something it wants at holiday time. Congratulations.