Essence Women’s Choir, under the direction of Laurie Jenschke, will be performing Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols,” at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, in the Gillespie County Historical Society Hall. Featured will be local harpist Emily Jumes. Tickets are $20 at the door. Seating is limited
Essence Women’s Choir, under the direction of Laurie Jenschke, will be performing Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols,” at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, in the Gillespie County Historical Society Hall.
Featured will be local harpist Emily Jumes.
Tickets are $20 at the door.
Seating is limited to 140 people.
The “Ceremony of Carols” is a cantata made up of 11 movements — 10 with voice and one for solo harp, Jenschke explained. It was written originally for a three-part boys’ choir, with soloist and harp accompaniment, but is often performed by a women’s chorus.
Some of the carols are in Latin, and some are in Middle English, based on poems from the 15th and 16th centuries.
These texts were part of a collection edited by Gerald Bullett, “The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems,” and published in 1942.
The second half of the concert will feature the choir and Jumes on Richard Wienhorst’s “Soft Snow” and “Sweet was the song the virgin sung” by Relly Raffman.
The last two songs feature the choir and djembe on the traditional African carol, “African Noel” and “Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy,” the Trinidad carol arranged by Stephen Hatfield.
The choir consists of women from Fredericksburg, Seguin, Austin and Kerrville.
Singers from Fredericksburg include Linda Nevels, Elizabeth Tynan, Jess Jayson, Susie Jaksik, September van der Stoel, Sharon Moreno, Mary Lou White, Lorinda Lee and Hope Drury.
Singers from Seguin include the Rev. Kara Stewart, Wendi Gustafson, Lynda Taylor, Abby Taylor, Molly Briscoe, Val-Lori Scipio and Marisol Busskohl.
The choir also includes Callie Jenschke of Austin and Kara Baker of Kerrville.
The concert has been underwritten by the Pedernales Creative Arts Alliance and supported by the Gillespie County Historical Society.
One half of the proceeds will go to the Advocacy/Family Violence services of the Hill Country Community Needs Council which provides support to victims of family violence through community education, counseling, referrals, support groups, accompanying victims to court hearings and assistance with forms.
For more information, contact Jenschke at ljenschke@tlu.edu.
The Gillespie County Historical Society is located at 312 West San Antonio Street.
Laurie Jenschke
Jenschke has been a choral director for the past 35 years, specializing in children’s choirs and training young voices.
She was the founder of the Fredericksburg Children’s Chorale, which she served as the artistic director for 22 years.
She also served as choir director at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, Holy Ghost Lutheran and St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in Austin.
Jenschke started the Fredericksburg Chorale and Canto, along with Doug Boyer. She founded the Eastman Children’s Choir and The Eastman Youth Choir at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
She served as adjunct music professor, the director of the Community Music Academy and director of four youth choirs at Texas Lutheran University for the past 10 years.
She now directs Essence Women’s Choir and the Bethany Lutheran Handbell Choir. She is a board member of the Hill Country Community Needs Council.
Emily Jumes
Jumes started playing the harp and piano at an early age, and has continued with her harp endeavors for the past 15 years.
She has studied under various instructors, including students of internationally acclaimed harpists: Marcel Granjany, Carlos Salzedo and Lucille Lawrence.
Jumes has worked as a private harp instructor for over seven years, and has extensive experience playing in both orchestras and ensembles, as well as performing solo.
She has performed for state and national-level political figures and also performed at an event celebrating Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s 2015 inauguration.
Currently, Jumes studies under Laurie Buchanan, and is a member of the San Antonio Harp Ensemble, directed by Buchanan.
She is also a member of the Fredericksburg Chorale, and often appears as a solo vocalist or accompanist on harp.
Jumes is the harpist for her church orchestra, and regularly performs at Rathskeller, during First Friday Art Walk events and at the monthly Dialogues and Dances concert series hosted by the Fredericksburg Chorale.