MEMPHIS SYMPHONY CHORUS
60th ANNIVERSARY ENCORE CONCERT
Thursday, October 30, 2025 · 7:30pm
First Baptist Church
Joseph Powell, interim conductor
Kristin Lensch, organist
David Córdoba, collaborative pianist
The Memphis Symphony Chorus would like to thank First Baptist Church for hosting tonight’s performance
and providing rehearsal space throughout the year.
Memphis Symphony Chamber Chorus
William Byrd (c. 1540 -1623)
Mass for 5 Voices (c. 1594)
I. Kyrie
II. Gloria
III. Credo
IV. Sanctus
V. Benedictus
VI. Agnus Dei
Memphis Symphony Chorus
Gabriel Fauré (1845 -1924)
Fauré Requiem
Dr. Kristin Lensch, organ
I. Introitus and Kyrie
II. Offertorium
Tyler Bruno, soloist
III. Sanctus
IV. Pie Jesu
Katie Brown, soloist
V. Agnus Dei
VI. Libera Me
Charles Dove, soloist
VII. In Paradisum
Program Notes
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William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)
Mass for 5 Voices (c. 1594)
Composed during a period of intense religious tension in Elizabethan England, William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices stands as a quiet act of defiance. A devout Catholic in a Protestant country, Byrd wrote his three great Mass settings (for Three, Four, and Five Voices) likely for clandestine worship among the English Catholic community. The Mass for Five Voices, the most elaborate of the three, combines rich counterpoint with moments of expressive homophony that highlight key phrases. Byrd’s masterful use of intricate polyphony creates a work of both spiritual intimacy and architectural grandeur. Each movement unfolds with clarity and austerity, revealing the composer’s deep understanding of both text and line, and affirming his place as one of the Renaissance’s most eloquent musical voices.Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Requiem (1893)
Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem offers a uniquely gentle and consoling vision of the Mass for the Dead. Unlike the dramatic settings of Mozart or Verdi, Fauré’s interpretation emphasizes peace and light. Scored for modest forces (tonight with just the organ reduction) and characterized by its luminous harmonies and supple melodies, the work reflects the composer’s belief in death as a “happy deliverance.” The central Pie Jesu is among Fauré’s most beloved creations, while the concluding In paradisum seems to drift heavenward in radiant simplicity. Drawn from his understated Catholic faith, Fauré’s Requiem transcends liturgical function to express a universal longing for comfort and hope.
On Stage
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Joseph Powell is a conductor and tenor based in Memphis, Tennessee. A native of Mobile, Alabama, he is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting with a Vocal Pedagogy Cognate at the University of Memphis. Powell serves as Interim Director of the Memphis Symphony Chorus and as Artistic Director of Memphis ChoralArts.
Powell holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Southern Mississippi. From 2014 to 2024, he built a thriving choral program at White Station High School, conducting the Chorale, Tenor-Bass Choir, Advanced Treble Chorus, Treble Chorus, and the award-winning contemporary a cappella group DoReHe. Under his direction, White Station ensembles appeared at the TMEA Professional Development Conference (2015, 2018) and the National A Cappella Convention, where DoReHe earned recognition as a High School Championship Finalist in 2018.
Powell’s leadership has been honored nationally and locally. He received the Country Music Association Foundation’s Music Teachers of Excellence Award (2022), was named the Orpheum High School Musical Theatre Awards’ Inspiring Teacher (2024) and is the 2025 St. Paul’s Episcopal School Distinguished Alumni in the Arts. His students’ musical theater productions garnered multiple nominations for Best Student Orchestra, earning the award in 2019. He has also been nominated twice for Shelby County Schools Teacher of the Year.
An active performer, Powell appears regularly with the Memphis Chamber Choir, Opera Memphis, and, from 2014 to 2024, the Memphis Symphony Chorus. He has been featured in opera and musical theatre productions with Opera Memphis and IRIS Orchestra. In addition to performing, he serves as Handbell Choir Director and staff singer at Calvary Episcopal Church, continuing his lifelong commitment to both artistry and community through music.
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Kristin Lensch is a national prize-winning organist who currently serves as organist-choirmaster at Calvary Episcopal Church, Memphis. She oversees a vibrant music program consisting of four choirs, a Friends of Music concert series, monthly Evensong services, and tri-annual residencies at English cathedrals. She holds degrees from The University of Iowa, Indiana University, and The University of Memphis. She maintains a private organ studio, is active in the Royal School of Church Music America and the Association of Anglican Musicians and serves the American Guild of Organists as its Southeast Regional Ambassador.
When she’s not thinking about all things musical, Kristin likes to run, eat (which causes her to run more), garden, read interesting books with her book group, and spend time with her husband Tim Huebner, daughter Sloan, son Charlie, and Scout the Cat.
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Colombian pianist David Córdoba-Hernández is an active performer across the United States and Latin America. He has participated as a soloist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Joven Sinfónica de Colombia, and as a collaborative pianist with artists such as Malcolm J. Merriweather (Conductor, New York Philharmonic Chorus), Jonathan King (Grammy-nominated pianist), John-Henry Crawford (Naxos recording artist), and violist Amaro Dubois, with whom he recently released an album of José Elizondo’s music under Centaur Recordings.
Based in Memphis, he collaborates frequently with Opera Memphis, the Memphis Symphony Chorus, and serves as a staff pianist at the University of Mississippi. He has also appeared at Cantos para el Mundo in Mexico, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and will participate as faculty member of the Colchagua Vocal Institute in Chile.
Córdoba-Hernández studied with Teresita Gómez at the University of Antioquia (Colombia) and earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Memphis, where he studied with Dr. Jonathan Tsay and Dr. Cathal Breslin.
Memphis Symphony Chorus
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Olivia Ball*
Alicia Butler*
Janice Cate
Edith Christmas
Juyoun Chung
Tamara Clark
Barbara Etheridge
Mary Gaudet
Roberta Hoppe
Jenny Johnson
Kayla Kaskal
Renee Lancaster*
Alexandra McCool
Aimee Randolph
Aurora Russell*
Pamela Schnell
B.J. Webster
Ia White*
Cathy Wilhelm
Laura Williamson
Emily Wyonzek -
Faith Armstrong*
Lily Axelrod*
Abigail Bailey
Katie Brown*
Gretchen Deupree
Anne Dixon
Kaitlyn Farris
Pamela Gold
Andrea Goughnour
Teresa Griffith
Gerre Harrell
Christine Hughes*
Sandy Hunt
Rosalyn Hurt
Ann Indingaro
Jayla Isom*
Cora Jones
Carolyn Kitty
Suzanne Lease*
Anita Lotz
Jill Margolin
Amanda McGee
Lisa Mendel
Kenya Nichols
Sila Ozkara
Terron Perk
Lindsay Reeves
Fedoria Rugless
Karyn Santana
Mary Seratt
Anna Shelton-Brownell
Alison Wetherald -
Robert Bradsher
Andre Brooks*
Tyler Bruno*
Julius Dabbs*
Clint Early, Jr
Erich Shultz
Antonio Hinton
Donavon Hughes*
Sean Klaus*
George Martin
Daniel Massey*
David McNair
Jake Milligan
John Sanborn*
David Spear
Michael Welch -
Matthew Babb
Eugene Beeler
Charles Dove*
Bill Gaudet
Samuel Hughes*
Jim Jaggers
Dayrin Jones
John Killmar
James McClanahan
David Patterson
Ben Rote
Marques J. Ruff*
Kyle Sills*
Alvin Whitney
Lewis Wright
*Chamber Chorus
About the Memphis Symphony Chorus
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The Memphis Symphony Chorus is an integral part of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra family. The Chorus performed its first concert with the orchestra in 1965 and from then until the present day, only two Choral Directors have conducted the Symphony Chorus: Sara Beth Causey and Dr. Lawrence Edwards. Today the Chorus is celebrating its 60th season and is over 100 members strong, performing under the direction of Maestro Robert Moody and Interim Conductor, Joseph Powell.
In a perfect collaboration of orchestral and vocal musicians, the Chorus has performed major works across the entire spectrum of classical choral music, opera choruses, and concert pops repertoire. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks concerts have included the Chorus in performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Dan Forrest’s A Requiem for the Living, Missa Solemnis, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Handel’s Messiah, Mahler’s Second and Eighth Symphonies, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and the Requiems of Mozart, Verdi, Berlioz, and Brahms. The Chorus also performs each year with the orchestra in the Magic of Memphis Holiday Spectacular and other Pops Concerts, including the music of John Williams, Disney tunes, and other popular composers. Outreach through occasional regional performances in conjunction with the orchestra rounds out the annual schedule.
Since its formation in 1965, the Memphis Symphony Chorus has attracted excellent, volunteer vocalists from around the Mid-South. It is recognized as one of the top volunteer choruses in the country, made up of educators, attorneys, judges, and physicians. Membership grows through a twice-yearly audition process, and being a professional vocalist is not a prerequisite for acceptance. However, one must have in equal proportion vocal skill, a love for great choral music, and the time and energy to devote to a weekly rehearsal schedule.
The Memphis Symphony Chorus also has a 15-member Board of Directors whose primary function is to handle the general operations of the Chorus and assists with social activities and special events, venue setup, and membership assistance including music and attire. Without a doubt, the success of the Memphis Symphony Chorus is due to the dedication, talent, and unwavering commitment from its members along with its current and past conductors and collaborative pianists who have devoted their heart and soul to the art of choral music.
The Memphis Symphony Chorus is a volunteer, non-profit organization, and every dollar helps us bring the joy of music to Memphis.
Donations: www.memphissymphonychorus.org
Memphis Symphony Chorus Board
Back Row: Dayrin Jones, Jim McClanahan, Jim Jaggers, Ali Wetherald, Christine Hughes, Al Whitney, John Sanborn, Charles Dove
Front Row: Alicia Butler, Lisa Mendel, Anna Shelton-Brownell, Cathy Wilhelm
Not Pictured: Gerre Harrell, Dylan Hooper, Cindy White