(woman) Prairie Musicians is made possible by the North Dakota Council on the Arts and by the members of Prairie Public.

[singing in Latin] ♪ Sicut ♪ ♪ Cervus desiderat ♪ ♪ Ad fontes ♪ ♪ Aquarum ♪ ♪ Sicut cervus♪ ♪ Ita desiderat ♪ ♪ Ad fontes ♪ ♪ Desiderat ad fontes ♪ ♪ Sicut cervus ♪ ♪ Desiderat ♪ ♪ Aquarum ♪ ♪ Desiderat ad fontes ♪ ♪ Aquarum ♪ ♪ Ad fontes aquarum ♪ ♪ Ita ♪ ♪ Desiderat ♪ ♪ Ita desiderat ♪ ♪ Ita Desiderat ♪ ♪ Sicut cervus desiderat ♪ ♪ Ita ♪ ♪ Desiderat ♪ ♪ Ita desiderat ♪ ♪ Ad te ♪ ♪ Deus ♪ ♪ Ad te ♪ ♪ Ita desiderat ♪ ♪ Ita desiderat ♪ ♪ Anima ♪ ♪ Ad te Deus ♪ ♪ Anima ♪ ♪ Ad te Deus ♪ ♪ Ad te ♪ ♪ Deus ♪ ♪ Anima mea ♪ ♪ Ad te ♪ ♪ Ad te Deus ♪ ♪ Ad te Deus ♪ ♪ Deus ♪ ♪ Deus ♪ Hello, my name is Dr. Jason Thoms, and I am the founder and Artistic Director of Dakota Pro Musica.

Dakota Pro Musica is a fully professional chorale ensemble and music organization based in Bismark, North Dakota.

We provide concerts across central North Dakota from Minot to Fort Yates, from Dickinson to Jamestown and Mandan and Bismark.

Our ensemble was started in October of 2020 just 2 months after I moved to North Dakota from the New York City area.

I started the ensemble kind of after the example of choirs that you would find in New York.

Ensembles that would maybe come together for one week of rehearsals before a concert.

And that's what we do.

We generally just rehearse for one week, and then we give a series of concerts.

Dakota Pro Musica has a series of concerts that we give called Building Community Concerts.

And those concerts are created to honor, highlight, and enhance the celebrations, commemorations, and cultures in our community.

Every year we go through a variety of different repertoires usually giving 4 or 5 different concerts and try to find ways that we can especially look out for the folks within our community who are maybe underserved or marginalized.

So we try to find a variety of music that lifts people up.

Our goal is to build community and provide hope.

"Nun Danket Alle Gott" by Pachelbel is a motet from the German Baroque era.

You'll hear in this piece the tune of "Nun Danket Alle Gott," "Now Thank We All Our God" that the sopranos sing at the end as a chorale base which fits the German Baroque style of almost always having a hymn or a chorale as part of their motets.

[singing in German] ♪ Nun danket alle Gott ♪ ♪ Nun danket alle Gott ♪ ♪ Der grosse Dinge tut ♪ ♪ An allen Enden ♪ ♪ Der grosse Dinge tut ♪ ♪ An allen Enden ♪ ♪ Der uns von Mutter Leibe ♪ ♪ An lebendig erhaelt ♪ ♪ An lebendig erhaelt ♪ ♪ Und tut uns alles Guts ♪ ♪ Alles Guts ♪ ♪ Er gebe uns ein froehlich ♪ ♪ Ein froehlich ein froehlich ♪ ♪ Ein froehlich Herz ♪ ♪ Und verleihe immerdar ♪ ♪ Friede Friede ♪ ♪ Friede Friede ♪ ♪ Und verleihe immerdar ♪ ♪ Friede Friede ♪ ♪ Zu unsern Zeiten in Israel ♪ ♪ Zu unsern Zeiten in Israel ♪ ♪ Und dass seine Gnade ♪ ♪ Stets uns bleibe ♪ ♪ Stets uns bleibe ♪ ♪ Stets uns bleibe ♪ ♪ Und dass seine Gnade ♪ ♪ Stets uns bleibe ♪ ♪ Stets uns bleibe ♪ ♪ Stets uns bleibe ♪ ♪ Und erloese und erloese ♪ ♪ Uns solange uns solange ♪ ♪ Uns solange wir leben ♪ ♪ Solange wir leben ♪ ♪ Solange solange ♪ ♪ Wir leben ♪ ♪ Wir leben ♪ ♪ Nun danket alle nun danket ♪ ♪ Alle Gott ♪ ♪ Nun danket alle Gott ♪ ♪ Nun danket ♪ ♪ Nun danket alle Gott ♪ ♪ Mit Herzen Mund mit Herzen Mund ♪ ♪ Mit Herzen Mund und Haenden ♪ ♪ Mit Herzen Mund und Haenden ♪ ♪ Mit Herzen Mund und Haenden ♪ ♪ Der grosse Dinge tut ♪ ♪ Der grosse Dinge tut ♪ ♪ Der grosse Dinge tut ♪ ♪ Der grosse ♪ ♪ Der grosse Dinge tut ♪ ♪ An uns und allen an uns und allen ♪ ♪ An uns und allen Enden ♪ ♪ An uns und alle an uns ♪ ♪ Und allen Enden ♪ ♪ An uns und allen Enden ♪ ♪ Der uns von Mutterleib ♪ ♪ Der uns von Mutterleib ♪ ♪ Der uns von Mutterleib ♪ ♪ Der uns von Mutterleib ♪ ♪ Der uns von Mutterleib ♪ ♪ Und Kindesbeinen an ♪ ♪ Und Kindesbeinen an ♪ ♪ Und Kindesbeinen an ♪ ♪ Und Kindesbeinen an ♪ ♪ Und Kindesbeinen an ♪ ♪ Unzaehlig viel zu gut ♪ ♪ Unzaehlig viel zu gut ♪ ♪ Unzaehlig viel zu gut ♪ ♪ Unzaehlig viel zu gut ♪ ♪ Und noch jetzund und noch jetzun ♪ ♪ Und noch jetzund getan ♪ ♪ Und noch jetzund ♪ ♪ Und noch jetzund getan ♪ ♪ Jetzund getan ♪ ♪ Und noch jetzund getan ♪ The second part of Dakota Pro Musica's mission is to provide community outreach program which we call Raising Voices programming.

And this programming is to help people to not just raise their voices in singing, but maybe help folks find a way that they can express their voice of who they are.

So Dakota Pro Musica looks for a variety of opportunities within our community where we have folks who maybe don't necessarily get the opportunity to hear music live on a regular basis.

One of the first places we went and did this was at the North Dakota State Penitentiary where we offered a songwriting workshop to the residents of the penitentiary.

We've also gone and done Christmas caroling, and we have a variety of other programming we're looking to bring to the penitentiary.

We also are starting a new program where we're going to train young mothers to sing lullabies and songs to their infants.

Our last one that we're currently working on is starting a hospice choir in Bismark which will go into people's homes or into hospice centers and provide soft musical experiences for those who are near death or in pain or to their family to provide comfort.

So our goal with Raising Voices is to find the people in our community who don't normally get to experience music live and give them that opportunity but also help them become part of the music.

"Lift Mine Eyes" from the oratorio Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn is a trio for more or less 3 angels.

Our 3 angels today are Anne Gassman, Heather Aune, and Bernadette Boyle who you'll hear sing "Lift Mine Eyes" as we celebrate this beautiful music of the Romantic Era.

♪ Lift thine eyes ♪ ♪ O lift thine eyes ♪ ♪ To the mountains ♪ ♪ Whence cometh ♪ ♪ Whence cometh ♪ ♪ Whence cometh help ♪ ♪ Thy help cometh ♪ ♪ Thy help cometh ♪ ♪ From the Lord ♪ ♪ From the Lord ♪ ♪ The Maker ♪ ♪ Of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ He hath said ♪ ♪ Thy foot shall not be moved ♪ ♪ Thy Keeper will never ♪ ♪ Thy Keeper will never slumber ♪ ♪ Thy Keeper will never ♪ ♪ Slumber ♪ ♪ Never slumber ♪ ♪ Never slumber ♪ ♪ Lift thine eyes ♪ ♪ O lift thine eyes ♪ ♪ To the mountains ♪ ♪ Whence cometh ♪ ♪ Whence cometh ♪ ♪ Whence cometh help ♪ ♪ Whence cometh ♪ ♪ Whence cometh ♪ ♪ Whence cometh ♪ ♪ Help ♪ A lot of the members of Dakota Pro Musica may have never been in professional ensemble before.

I've been in professional ensembles across the entire United States.

I've been on a number of recordings in the last couple few years that have been Grammy nominated.

So I'm bringing an experience to our singers within the state of North Dakota that really is kind of a unique experience.

To become a professional singer, what does it take?

It takes a variety of skills.

You have to really be able to sight-read music well, to be able to practice on your own.

But I think the thing that stands out in my mind between what a professional does and what more of an amateur does is the ability to focus and to concentrate in the moment when you have to and to be able to create great art on the spur of the moment.

I think that's the neat part about what a professional choir offers to our community.

We are the only fully professional ensemble that I know of in the state, and there is a unique opportunity for folks to be singing together, creating music together, maybe that they've never even sung or heard before.

That's a really neat experience that our singers have as professional musicians.

"Quam Pulcra Es" by John Dunstable is one of the most famous pieces of the early Renaissance from England.

You'll hear it's a 3-part motet with a very different sound, very different harmonies that you'll normally hear in a piece of tonal music.

It's a piece that represents the Song of Songs from the Bible, and so the translation is a little strange, but it's talking about the beauty of someone who has a tall, long neck, or has a head like a mountain.

Then at the end we just celebrate that beauty and the wonderfulness of God's creation with an alleluia.

[singing in Latin] ♪ Quam pulchra es ♪ ♪ Et quam decora ♪ ♪ Carissima ♪ ♪ In deliciis ♪ ♪ Statura tua ♪ ♪ Assimilata ♪ ♪ Est palmae ♪ ♪ Et ubera ♪ ♪ Tua botris ♪ ♪ Caput tuum ♪ ♪ Ut carmelus ♪ ♪ Collum tuum sicut ♪ ♪ Turris ♪ ♪ Eburnea ♪ ♪ Veni ♪ ♪ Dilecte mi ♪ ♪ Egrediamur ♪ ♪ In agrum ♪ ♪ Et videamus ♪ ♪ Si flores fructus ♪ ♪ Parturiunt ♪ ♪ Si floruerunt ♪ ♪ Mala punica ♪ ♪ Ibi dabo ♪ ♪ Tibi ♪ ♪ Ubera ♪ ♪ Mea ♪ ♪ Alleluia ♪ ♪ Alleluia ♪ ♪ Alleluia ♪ The roster for Dakota Pro Musica varies for every concert.

It depends on what the repertoire of the concert requires.

We might have 8 folks in one concert and 12 in another and 24 in another.

So our goal is to create a roster of folks who might be interested in a variety of different styles and have those folks be on call.

When I know we're doing a repertoire that fits certain people's voices, I invite them to be a part of the ensemble.

We always have open auditions.

Folks can always reach out to Dakota Pro Musica and ask for an audition.

We set times up for folks to come to Bismark and do some singing for us.

But we also love to meet people at our concerts who want to talk about what we're doing or find out more about the ensemble.

There's always an open door at Dakota Pro Musica to find out more about what we do and how we do it.

"Benedicamus Domino" that we'll be singing today is a compilation of a few different pieces of music from the 11th and 12th centuries in, we call it the Notre Dame School of organum and clausula.

You'll hear a Gregorian chant that's sung right at the very beginning, and if you listen carefully, the lower voice will sing that same chant in super long notes as we sing through the piece on 2 different versions.

It's rhythmic, it's exciting, and it's different than maybe you normally hear when you hear Gregorian chant if you hear that within your church.

Then it ends with the whole congregation or at least 2 of the singers singing together a closing bit of the Gregorian chant.

[singing in Latin] ♪ Benedicamus ♪ ♪ Domino ♪ ♪ O o-o o-o o-o-o ♪ ♪ O-o-o-o o-o-o-o o-o Domino ♪ ♪ O-o-o-o o ♪ ♪ Deo ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ De ♪ ♪ Gra ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Do ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Domino ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Do ♪ ♪ Do ♪ ♪ Do ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Domino ♪ ♪ Domino ♪ ♪ Do ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Mi-ne ♪ ♪ Ooo ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Deo ♪ ♪ Gra ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Gratias ♪ ♪ Gratias ♪ One of the questions I get is, why is it important for us to have a professional choir in North Dakota?

I think it's important for us to realize that people have worked for a very long time on the skills they have.

Many of the singers in our ensemble are music teachers or have degrees in music.

And I kind of feel like it's important to pay people for their expertise.

This is something that happens in communities all over the country, and one of the things that's amazing about a professional ensemble is the focus and the energy that people get in camaraderie with each other, even when their being paid a small amount of money.

It's really kind of a unique experience to rehearse with your colleagues from many different parts of the state, Rehearsal for one week and then perform together.

We have great musicians who come from Minot, from Jamestown, from Fort Yates, we have folks who come from just a variety of places, smaller rural communities who don't get to normally sing with an ensemble like Dakota Pro Musica.

So we're really happy for our membership we have to be able to come together from their variety of different locations across central North Dakota.

"God's Son Has Made Me Free" by Edvard Grieg is one of the favorite pieces of folks in the upper Midwest.

It's a Norwegian piece that sings about the gift of God giving his son to us to free us so that we may live.

So you'll hear the excitement and the joy of this folksong-like melody and the boisterous fun, energized singing.

♪ God's Son God's Son has made me free ♪ ♪ God's Son has made me free ♪ ♪ From Satan's tyranny ♪ ♪ From fear of death and bonds of sin ♪ ♪ From all that plagues my soul within ♪ ♪ The Holy One divine ♪ ♪ Became a friend of mine ♪ ♪ From heaven high from starry sky ♪ ♪ He came to live to die ♪ ♪ O boundless love He came He died ♪ ♪ He rose forever glorified ♪ ♪ He came to give ♪ ♪ To die that I might live ♪ ♪ Might live from heaven ♪ ♪ From Heaven on high He came ♪ ♪ To die that I might live ♪ ♪ Might live with Him eternally ♪ ♪ God's Son has made me free ♪ ♪ God's Son God's Son has made me free ♪ ♪ God's Son has made me free ♪ ♪ From Satan's tyranny ♪ ♪ From fear of death and bonds of sin ♪ ♪ From all that plagues my soul within ♪ ♪ The Holy One divine ♪ ♪ Became a friend of mine ♪ ♪ From heaven high from starry sky ♪ ♪ He came to live to die ♪ ♪ O boundless love He came He died ♪ ♪ He rose forever glorified ♪ ♪ He came to give ♪ ♪ To die that I might live might live ♪ ♪ From Heaven on high ♪ ♪ That I might live ♪ ♪ Might live with Him eternally ♪ ♪ God's Son has ♪ ♪ Made me free ♪ ♪ God's Son has made me free ♪ ♪ God's son ♪ ♪ Has made me free ♪ ♪ Yes free ♪ ♪ Yes free ♪ ♪ Free free ♪ ♪ Free ♪ ♪ God's Son ♪ ♪ Has made me ♪ ♪ Free ♪ (woman) Prairie Musicians is made possible by the North Dakota Council on the Arts and by the members of Prairie Public.