Out of the Ashes
University of South Dakota Chamber Singers
David Holdhusen conductor
The highly lauded and honored USD Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. David Holdhusen, bear a message of resilience to Navona Records with their newest release OUT OF THE ASHES, a collection of beloved choral works given a refreshing new voice. Featuring choral favorites like Biebl’s Ave Maria, Hogan’s Ain’t That Good News, and Whitacre’s Sleep, the Chamber Singers, like a phoenix, paint a narrative of rising from the ashes after a time of destruction, rising on the wings of a song. The artists wish that these recordings would provide comfort and reassurance after times of struggle, and offer a modicum of hope to those still facing great challenges of faith and courage. The Chamber Singers have given a new life to treasured gems of the choral repertoire and portray a bright future for artists and listeners alike.
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Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Dies Irae | Michael John Trotta | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 3:11 |
| 02 | Holding Our Breath | Carlos Cordero | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 6:27 |
| 03 | Death Came A-Knockin’ | arr. Paul Rardin | Margaret Meierhenry, Shaelyn Laferty, Shelby Wright - soloists; University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 4:21 |
| 04 | Give Me Jesus | arr. Larry L. Fleming | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 4:31 |
| 05 | Hold On Just a Little While Longer | arr. Remel Derrick | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 2:51 |
| 06 | Ave Maria | Franz Biebl | Marty Balmer, Nathan Kraayenbrink, Brian Shirley - soloists; University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 7:02 |
| 07 | Freedom Come for Me | arr. Patti Drennan | Katelyn Privett, Adam Lange - soloists; University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 2:52 |
| 08 | Sleep | Eric Whitacre | Elizabeth Whitehead, conductor; University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | 4:19 |
| 09 | Unclouded Day | arr. Shawn Kirchner | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 2:56 |
| 10 | Healing Heart | Jacob Narverud | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 4:08 |
| 11 | Ain’t That Good News | arr. Moses Hogan | Denisse Balandran, Jacob Olson, KJ Phillips, Bekah Bahn - soloists; University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 2:04 |
| 12 | Sicut Cervus | Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 3:31 |
| 13 | This Little Light of Mine | arr. Dean Wedel | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 3:12 |
| 14 | Dominus Vobiscum | Jacob Narverud | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 3:44 |
| 15 | I’ll Fly Away | arr. Shawn Kirchner | University of South Dakota Chamber Singers | David Holdhusen, conductor | 4:11 |
Recorded April 2021, March 2022, and March-April 2023 at Aalfs Auditorium in Slagle Hall in Vermillion SD
Session Producer David Holdhusen
Recording Session Engineer, Editing & Mixing Doug Geston, Westmark Productions
Mastering Melanie Montgomery
Executive Producer Bob Lord
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Chris Robinson
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Morgan Hauber
Publicity Aidan Curran
Artist Information
University of South Dakota Chamber Singers
Chamber Singers is the premiere vocal ensemble at the University of South Dakota. It is comprised of graduate and undergraduate students selected through audition from the entire university student body. Known to critics for “creating a choral concert of stunning beauty and musical understanding,” its repertoire, which is primarily a cappella, includes music from the Renaissance to the present in a wide variety of styles.
David Holdhusen
Dr. David Holdhusen is the Director of Choral Activities and the Douglas and Susan Tuve Distinguished Professor of Choral Music at the University of South Dakota. His responsibilities include serving as conductor for the Chamber Singers and teaching courses in conducting. In addition to his teaching duties, Holdhusen is currently the Chair of the Department of Music and Director of the university’s annual Choral Directors Institute as well as the USD Summer Music Camp. He is also the co-founder and Executive Director of the Vermillion Children’s Chorus.
Notes
The overwhelming challenges of the past several years – political and social strife, natural disasters, and a worldwide pandemic – have threatened our physical and emotional welfare. The world seemed to be engulfed in flames, and, for many, the future seemed to be filled with despair. We hope that the listener is inspired by the choral artistry and passionate interpretation of the music on OUT OF THE ASHES and that this album may help everyone find the assurance of a better day.
Dies Irae opens the album by portraying the “day of wrath” and the feeling of “the earth dissolving into embers.” As the smoldering ruins sprawl before us, it is natural to feel lost, breathless, and desperate to find any sign of sanguinity. Holding Our Breath and Death Came A-Knockin portray the feelings of darkness and personal pain as we are both condemned and seeking culpability for the anguish we feel. Out of the shadows, we ask for a savior in Give Me Jesus, and seek the promise of a new paradise if only we can Hold On Just a Little While Longer. The familiar strains of the Ave Maria comfort us as we pray: Freedom Come for Me. It comes in the form of Sleep, and though the woods are still dark and thick, though the flames continue to flicker, and the ashes blow in the showering sparks, we have survived. We watch in awe as the sun slowly rises over an Unclouded Day. As this promised paradise is revealed, we begin to understand we are not powerless. The light of hope has returned, the work of our Healing Heart has begun, and we can lift our beautiful voices again in celebration of the Good News. Through a greatness beyond ourselves, we have a prayer in Sicut Cervus asking us to remember that like a deer needs water so to do we need a higher power that will promote a world of unity and love rather than hate. Just as the phoenix rises from its ashes, humankind has the power to create a new brilliant light in the hearts of the people that must forever shine. We must let This Little Light of (Ours) shine throughout the world to leave it with peace and a prayer for the Lord to abide with us in Dominum Vobiscum. It is in this glow that we all shall rise up and finally Fly Away.
— David Holdhusen
