April 27: Halalisa Singers 'Great American Songbook'

The Halalisa Singers present Great American Songbook on Saturday, April 27 in Arlington

Concert features classics by George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Kurt Weill, Duke Ellington, Woody Guthrie and others

Boston-based world music vocal ensemble The Halalisa Singers led by artistic director Mary Cunningham presents Great American Songbook on Saturday, April 27, 7:30 pm at First Parish of Arlington, 630 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA. Joining the group are pianist Trevor Berens, percussionist Bertram Lehmann, clarinetist Glenn Dickson, and bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa. Tickets $25 at www.halalisa.org. For more info, email [email protected].

“We are so excited to welcome spring with these beloved tunes that have given joy to so many,” says Cunningham. “Besides their wild popularity, skillful composition, and downright fun, many of these pieces resonate with issues and challenges of their – and our – time.”

With choral aplomb and a rousing piano, “Gershwin! A Concert Panorama” seamlessly blends some of George Gershwin’s best-loved songs, including “Fascinating Rhythm,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” and “I Got Rhythm.” The chorus showcases tight swing, rhythm, and jazz harmonies in the great Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” Harold Arlen’s “I’ve Got the World on a String,” and Kirby Shaw’s smooth and sassy “Beyond the Sea.” Speaking of swing, it’s in full force for Joshua Jacobson and Art Bailey’s arrangement of Sholom Secunda’s classic from the Yiddish theater, “Bai Mir Bisti Sheyn,” which also features a vocal trio a la The Andrews Sisters and Glenn Dickson’s wailing klezmer clarinet. The irresistible “Java Jive,” arranged by Russell Robinson, extols the joys of a good cup of coffee.

Irving Berlin, a Jewish immigrant from Russia who came to the United States at the age of five, revised his well-known patriotic song “God Bless America” in 1938 as World War II loomed, transforming it into what he imagined as a “peace song” in the face Hitler’s rise. The song became quite popular, even as anti-Semitic groups protested against it. Halalisa sings it in tandem with Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” written as a response to Berlin’s hit, which Guthrie felt did not portray the Depression-era hardships faced by so many. “Over the Rainbow” was written by Jewish songwriters Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, both children of immigrants who fled the pogroms. Their imagined world of peace, joy, and perennial blue skies isn’t just a reflection of universal human longing, it’s an anthem for Jewish survival.

The high voices of Halalisa sing a jazzified version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s delightful “My Favorite Things” and the sultry balero-mambo “Quién Será?/Sway.” The low voices perform Norman Luboff’s lilting “Yellow Bird,” a Calypso style song inspired by music of the Caribbean isles, and Kurt Weill’s “Mack the Knife,” composed for “The Threepenny Opera” and made famous in America through renditions by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bobby Darin.

The concert also showcases the individual voices of Halalisa, as soloists and small groups present Edith Piaf’s signature song “La Vie En Rose,” “Makin’ Whoopee” by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn, a duet featuring Hoagy Carmichael tunes “Skylark/Stardust,” Cole Porter’s “Friendship,” and from the Latin American Songbook, Jobim’s “Corcovado.”

The Halalisa Singers are a celebrated world music vocal ensemble of Greater Boston dedicated to the performance of music across cultures and nationalities. Halalisa is a Zulu word for celebration, and in that spirit, Halalisa’s repertoire includes African, Latin, American Spiritual, Gospel, Jewish, Folk, and Jazz. Founded by Nick Page in 1992 and under the leadership of Artistic Director Mary Cunningham since 2004, the chorus offers vibrant performances inspired by the belief that music is a universal language with the power to uplift and unite us all.

Artistic Director Mary Cunningham is in her 19th year of leading the Halalisa Singers, creating and directing unique and dynamic world music-themed choral concerts. Following her vision to share their music across the Boston area and beyond, Halalisa continues to reach out to wider audiences to perform an ever-expanding repertoire. She is well known in the Boston area as an active choral conductor, vocalist, and flute soloist. She has directed music ministry since 2008 in the UU churches of both Melrose and Reading, is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the Association of UU Music Ministries. A member of the New World Chorale and a frequent performer with the Christmas Revels, Mary is on the faculty of the Winchester Community Music School and the Powers Music School in Belmont.

Pianist, composer, and accompanist Trevor Berens plays in many different styles, specializing in avant-garde classical music, traditional classical music, and free improvisation. Trevor holds degrees in piano performance, composition and music therapy from Loyola Marymount University, California Institute of the Arts and Lesley University. As a collaborator, he enjoys working with solo vocalists and instrumentalists, chamber groups, choruses, and with dancers and actors. Trevor is the founder, pianist, and resident composer of the new music ensemble Sonic Liberation Players. Trevor is the Pianist at the First Parish of Stow/Acton and, with his wife Jessica, runs the Berens Voice and Piano Studio out of Pepperell, MA.

Percussionist Bertram Lehmann is a versatile performer who has appeared with artists including Paquito D’Rivera, Danilo Perez, Dave Liebman, Luciana Souza, and Dave Samuel’s Caribbean Jazz Project. He teaches at Berklee College of Music and Phillips Academy, and has conducted clinics and workshops at Harvard University, Princeton University, Wellesley College, Oberlin College, Moscow Conservatory, Keimyung University in South Korea, and elsewhere. He has played on more than 60 recordings with musicians including the Mehmet Sanlikol Big Band, Felipe Salles, Mango Blue, and Anat Cohen, Miguel Zenón, and Randy Brecker. International performances include appearances in Bermuda, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, India, Israel, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey at venues including Lincoln Center, Boston’s Symphony Hall, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and The Kennedy Center.

Clarinetist Glenn Dickson’s band Shirim Klezmer Orchestra has performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe and released recordings including Klezmer Nutcracker and Pincus and the Pig, a collaboration with Maurice Sendak. Dickson was a featured soloist for Sidney Lumet’s film “A Stranger Among Us,” and his original music can be heard on the soundtrack of Woody Allen’s “Deconstructing Harry.” His klezmer-fusion band Naftule’s Dream has performed internationally at venues including the Berlin, New York, and Montreal Jazz Festivals, and has recorded for John Zorn’s Tzadik label. Glenn is a recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant, and released his first solo recording Wider Than the Sky in 2023. He teaches at Winchester Community Music School and Wellesley College.

Bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa has performed with jazz greats including Jimmy Heath, Jackie McLean, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, and James Moody. He has performed internationally in Italy, Havana, and elsewhere, as well as frequently performing in the Boston area. He teaches at MIT and Phillips Exeter Academy.

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