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Holiday Joy

Essential Voices USA | Judith Clurman, conductor

David Chase, composer
Wesley Whatley, composer
Judith Clurman, composer

Catalog #: TROY1987
Release Date: November 1, 2024
Format: Digital
Choral

HOLIDAY JOY by Essential Voices USA, under the direction of acclaimed conductor Judith Clurman, offers a moving celebration of light, peace, and joy for the holiday season. This collection brings together three evocative works: Eight Days of Lights and Chanukah Joy and Peace, composed by Clurman and David Chase, and The Holidays Are Here, co-written by Clurman and Wesley Whatley. Through a blend of Jewish liturgical traditions and festive Christmas spirit, the album illuminates the universal need for light and hope in dark times. 

With vivid instrumental arrangements for piano, clarinet, and cello, and stunning performances by Essential Voices USA, HOLIDAY JOY creates a sense of warmth and unity, inviting listeners to reflect on freedom, resilience, and shared celebration. Each piece not only honors its historical and cultural origins but also breathes new life into holiday music, making this album an inspiring and joyful experience for all.

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Track Listing

# Title Composer Performer
01 Eight Days of Light Judith Clurman, David Chase, Arr. Brant Adams Essential Voices USA | Judith Clurman, conductor; Jack Coen, piano; Alan Kay, clarinet; Eliana Razzino Young, cello 3:46
02 Chanukah Joy and Peace Judith Clurman, David Chase, Arr. Brant Adams Essential Voices USA | Judith Clurman, conductor; Jack Coen, piano; Alan Kay, clarinet; Eliana Razzino Young, cello 3:33
03 The Holidays are Here Judith Clurman, Wesley Whatley, Arr. Brant Adams Essential Voices USA | Judith Clurman, conductor; Jack Coen, piano 2:10

Recorded May 31, 2024 at Samurai Recordings Studios in Astoria NY, USA
Session Producer & Engineer Silas Brown
Assistant Engineer Grady Bajorek

ESSENTIAL VOICES USA
Phillip Cheah, Hai-Ting Chinn, Paul D’Arcy, Olivia Sue Greene, Harrison Hintzche, Chloe Holgate, Heather Jones, Steven Moore, Julian Morris, Neil Netherly, Heather Petrie, John Ramseyer, Elisa Singer Strom, Motomi Tanaka, Jason Weisinger
Choral Contractor Margery Daley

INSTRUMENTALISTS
Jack Cohen, piano
Alan Kay, clarinet
Eliana Razzino Young, cello

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Funding for HOLIDAY JOY provided by individual contributions. The arrangements and recordings of Chanukah Joy and Peace and Eight Days of Lights received support from Cantor Joshua Breitzer, Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman, Cantor Andrea Rae Markowicz, Cantor Daniel Mutlu, Cantor Leslie Niren, Cantor Faryn Kates Rudnick, Cantor Bruce L. Ruben, Cantor Julie Staple, and other individual contributions. Thank you to Michael Douris for administrative assistance.

Cover Design Michael Gaudet

All scores available from Hal Leonard

Executive Producer Bob Lord

VP of A&R Brandon MacNeil
A&R Chris Robinson

VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette

VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Publicity Chelsea Kornago
Digital Marketing Manager Brett Iannucci

Artist Information

Judith Clurman - Portrait

Judith Clurman

Conductor

Judith Clurman, conductor and music director of Essential Voices USA, is equally at home with repertoire from the classical canon to the American Songbook, musical theater, and contemporary compositions. She is the musical director and conductor for Essential Voices USA, conducts the Macy’s Choir in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, teaches singing at the Manhattan School of Music, and edits music for Hal Leonard and Schott. She previously directed The New York Concert Singers. She has worked with many of the world’s finest symphonies at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and has commissioned and conducted new works by over seventy composers.

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Choir Essential Voices USA performing with a string quartet

Essential Voices USA

Ensemble

Essential Voices USA (EVUSA) is one of New York’s preeminent choral ensembles. EVUSA performs in many of the city’s iconic venues and events, and records and premieres works by America’s finest composers and lyricists. The ensemble is comprised of talented, seasoned professionals and auditioned volunteers, dynamically fitted to the unique needs of each project. EVUSA held a month-long residency at National Public Radio, performed for many years with The New York Pops in its Carnegie Hall subscription series, performed on NBC’s July 4th Macy’s Fireworks Spectacular, and at the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting and participated in President Obama’s Inaugural activities. On July 4, 2022, they performed Washington Women, the choral cycle they commissioned, on the National Public Radio Tiny Desk Concerts. They have recently performed in educational programs in the New York City schools. The group has produced The Composer Speaks at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, and has premiered works and collaborated with America’s finest composers.

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David Chase

Composer

David Chase has been Music Director, Supervisor, and/or Arranger for over 40 Broadway musicals. Works on television include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Schmigadoon, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Sound of Music Live!, and the upcoming Étoile. Chase’s work in film includes conducting and orchestrating songs for the upcoming Joker: Folie à Deux. He arranges regularly for the Boston Pops and Radio City Music Hall. and his choral music is published by Hal Leonard. He has been nominated for two EMMYs, a GRAMMY, and an Olivier Award. Chase lives in New York with his wife, Paula Leggett Chase, and their sons, Kyler and Dashiell.

Wesley Whatley

Composer

Originally from Georgia, Wesley Whatley served for more than 20 years as a member of the Macy’s Studios creative team. In his role as Creative Producer, he was responsible for all live performance elements of the company’s iconic national events including, national broadcast production, managing and booking talent, and producing original music. As a songwriter, Whatley’s work has been recorded by artists including Whoopi Goldberg, Matthew Broderick, Jane Krakowski, The Cast of Sesame Street, and Kermit the Frog.  His work has been nominated for nine Daytime EMMY Awards and in 2010, his original Parade composition Yes, Virginia (There Is a Santa Claus) was awarded the Daytime EMMY in the “Outstanding Original Song” category.

Notes

At the winter solstice, when darkness envelopes us and the warmth has left our world, we need light and joy to sustain and inspire us. That is what Chanukah brings to the Jewish people. Chanukah is a celebration of freedom and light. It marks the first successful battle for religious freedom in history. We present two new works celebrating the festival. The third piece celebrates how Christmas also brings light and joy to the season.

Jews recall their victory over the Syrian Greeks and express joy in their deliverance. When the Maccabees rededicated the Temple, they rekindled the eternal light. Legend has it that there was only enough oil for one day, and it miraculously lasted for eight. Eight Days of Lights celebrates the festival by the lighting of the eight sacred lights (candles) in the Chanukah menorah (candelabra). The text of the piece is taken from the liturgy combined with an English adaptation of that text.

The piece was written by Judith Clurman and David Chase in 2018. It received its World Premiere in December 2018, in the Soprano/Alto version, under the direction of James Burton, with the Boston Symphony Children’s Chorus, at Symphony Hall, Boston. Clurman conducted the recording premiere with her Essential Voices USA. This new version, for piano, clarinet, and cello, was arranged by Brant Adams in 2024 and recorded in May 2024, in New York City.

During the eight-day holiday, Jewish people recall their victory and express joy as they kindle the lights and remember the miracle of their victory and deliverance. It is also time to assert hope for the future in a world of peace and spin a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top. The Hebrew letters on the dreidel stand for “Neis Gadol Hayah Sham,” a great miracle happened there, referring to the miracle of oil burning in the menorah.

Chanukah Joy and Peace was written in 2023 by Judith Clurman and David Chase. The world premiere performance took place on December 8, 2023 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, with Steven Reineke conducting the National Symphony Orchestra along with The Heritage Signature Chorale, Stanley J. Thurston, Conductor. The New York premiere took place on December 22, 2023, at Carnegie Hall, New York City, with Judith Clurman conducting the New York Pops and Essential Voices USA. Chanukah Joy and Peace was originally written for chorus and piano by Judith Clurman and David Chase in 2023. An arrangement with the clarinet, cello, and piano, by Brant Adams, was recorded on May 31, 2024, in New York City. The text of Chanukah Joy and Peace is taken from Jewish liturgy combined with an English adaptation of that text.

The Holidays Are Here is a holiday carol that was written (words and music) in 2019 by Judith Clurman and Wesley Whatley, for mixed chorus and piano. The piece was arranged by Ryan Nowlin. It was first performed and conducted by Judith Clurman in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by the singers of the Singing Christmas Tree float in the parade and broadcast on NBC Television. The Holidays Are Here received an EMMY nomination in 2020 for “Outstanding Original Song.”

Texts

Liturgy – English adaptation by Judith Clurman

Sh’monat y’mei Chanukah,
Eight days of lights,
Haneirot halalu kodesh,
Eight sacred lights!
We give thanks to Your Name
for your miracles,
We give thanks to Your Name
for your wonders.
Sh’monat y’mei Chanukah,
Eight days of lights,
Haneirot halalu kodesh,
Eight sacred lights!

Liturgy – English adaptation by Judith Clurman

Haneirot halalu anu madlikin,
Light the lights of Chanukah,
Chanukah joy and peace.
Dreidels spin.
S’vivon sov, sov, sov.
La, la, la. . .

At Christmas time we joyf’ly sing
‘round the town caroling,
Oh, what joy this time of year!
The holidays are here!
Fa la la la la la la,
The holidays are here!
Sparkling lights and falling snow
See the children’s faces all aglow.
Oh, what wonder,
Oh, what cheer!
The holidays are here!
Holidays, holidays,
The holidays are here!
We sing to you
this wondrous song.
Join with us and sing along!
May it echo far and near,
The holidays are here!
Fa la la la la la la,
The holidays are here!

*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.