Boston Singers' Resource News Bulletin, October 25, 2002


Please let me introduce to you the lovely and multitalented Ellen Oak. Ellen and her vocal ensemble, Kairos, specialize in sacred vocal music from early chant through the 21st century. They perform regularly at The Center for Theology and the Arts on the campus of Andover Newton Theological School as well as in concert halls and places of worship throughout the state. Their new CD, "Singing Light" will debut this fall. Ellen shares with us her joy of singing chant, some performance practice research, and her dreams of building a permanent retreat center for arts and the spirit.

"Through worship, singing, and related arts, Ellen Oak helps people pray: she encourages others to have life, and have it to the full." This is the opening quote on the www.wisdomatplay.com website designed and maintained by the multitalented Ellen Oak. A freelance singer, dancer, composer, writer, voice teacher, religion teacher, and retreat director, Ellen serves as an artist-in-residence at Andover Newton Theological School and is director of the KAIROS Vocal Ensemble.

Ellen and her vocal ensemble, KAIROS, specialize in the study and performance of early chant. "We sometimes call the chant, as we sing it, carolingian. We use this term to distinguish our performance practice from the equalist practice which became the norm after the year 1000. Many people are familiar with the later, equalist style of singing chant through the work of the monks at Solesmes, France: a light and floating head-tone, singing every note as more or less the same length, with exquisite subtleties of rhythm and phrasing. Our approach is somewhat different, being rooted in the rhythmic information embedded in the earliest manuscripts, where some notes are very clearly longs and are some
notes are shorts. Along with the definite sense of longs-and-shorts comes a vocal tone which is full-throated, robust, and"earthy;" and a vibrancy, even humor, in the use of ornamentation."

The website, www.wisdomatplay.com, is an absolute treasure of information about the history, performance practice, and structure of chant; the Kairos performing group (including auditions, repertoire, programs, rehearsal procedures and expectations); and Ellen's passion for living a Benedictine way of life.

Born and raised in New York City, Ellen earned her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College (Phi Beta Kappa, and with a double major in music and religion). She studied voice, organ, and conducting privately for five years, and then began her graduate work, earning Masters degrees from the School of Music and the Divinity School at Yale University under the auspices of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. She has ministered part-time as musician, liturgist, and teacher in a variety of denominations, including United Church of Christ, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Christian Science.

Ellen's publications include "Deep Within Deep" (original compositions - available on CD), "Earth and Sky: The Psalms of Ascent " (Psalms 120-134 in a multi-layered format with sung gregorian chant, spoken word English, and improvised instrumentals- available on CD), "Harmony of Heaven" (The songs of Hildegard of Bingen - Ellen' one woman show - available on CD), "Dark Angels" (a spiritual journey of healing from sexual and domestic violence-available on CD with
a booklet); and writings on the life of the arts and the life of faith. CD's are available for purchase on www.cdfreedom.com or by contacting Ellen, directly at 978.897.0495 or ellenoak@wisdomatplay.com

Ellen continues her practice of integrative mind/body/spirit disciplines on a daily basis and leads a Benedictine way of life with her family in Maynard.She is in the dreaming stages of creating a physical home for Wisdom at Play: a lay Benedictine center for art and prayer.

ABOUT KAIROS:

KAIROS was founded in 1988 to make the first recordings of Ellen's compositions for worship and meditation. The mission of KAIROS is to "sound Presence," says Ellen. "Over the past eleven years, KAIROS has evolved
into a consortium of professional singers who share a passion for sacred song: sounding Presence in body and soul."

Training vocally and spiritually with the sung prayer of Carolingian Europe, they perform chant and polyphony from the tenth to the 21st centuries. They sing an evening of early chant on the second Wednesday of every month, September through June, at The Center for Theology and the Arts on the campus of Andover Newton Theological School. They also perform in concerts, conventions, conferences and in various other places of worship. Many of the members (including Elise Feyerherm, Lauren Dooley*, and Kasia Sokalla*) also teach voice throughout the greater Boston area.

"We pursue our ongoing training as a group through the common practice of singing early chant, chant as it was sung by the western church up until about the year 1000. We work from transcriptions of ninth and tenth century manuscripts. KAIROS finds that the regular singing of this chant over time is the single most effective and enjoyable way to continue developing strong breath support; trueness of pitch and a healthy, natural vibrato; beautiful phrasing; a rich and textured vocal blend; flexibility of mind; and openness of spirit. KAIROS seeks to nurture in its singers the compelling voice of a
soloist and the grace of a consummate chamber musician."

KAIROS will release its debut recording, Singing Light, this fall. The CD includes chants and polyphony (early to contemporary) for the seasons of Incarnation: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany.

SAMPLE KAIROS CONCERT PROGRAMS:

EVER ANCIENT, EVER NEW (Featuring pieces from the classic chant repertoire of Western Europe open the concert as well as the songs of Hildegard of Bingen, chant-inspired works by anonymous English composers of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, sixteenth century Palestrina, twentieth century Duruflé, Poulenc, and Busto, and "Let Your Love," composed by Ellen Oak - based on a tenth century chant.)

ANGELS ARE EVERYWHERE (Featuring Johnson Peace, Mechem Songs of Wisdom, Moon Four Glad Songs; Pinkham Angels are Everyhwere; Larsen Canticle of the Sun; Noakes/Horne, Quaker Requiem, and early chant propers for the feast of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels.)

THE PLACE OF THE BLEST (a varied program includes early chant for the fourth Sunday of Advent.)

THE SPIRIT OF THE CELTS: A ST. PATRICK'S DAY CONCERT (Featuring the Celtic works of Enya and Riverdance ; The Hermit Songs by Barber, I Bind Unto Myself This Day, and Rutter's Gaelic Blessing.)

BSR: How did you adopt the name "Kairos?"

EO: Kairos is one of the Greek words for time. In contrast to chronos, which refers to chronological time, Kairos refers to the right moment, the propitious time. We cannot know this time merely by looking at our watch. To the Greeks it was a decisive or crucial place or point, whether spatially, materially, or temporally. To the gospel writers it was the fullness of time in which God sent Wisdom-Word into the world. Kairos is the eternal Now: each moment ripe with the opportunity to encounter Presence. The living song we create exists moment by moment, always and only in the Here and Now.
When we sing together, we seek to sound kairos. We choose to open ourselves to the joys and the demands of kairos:
the fullness of life unfolding in our midst.


BSR: What vocal qualities to you seek in Kairos singers?

E.O: I have found, over the years, that it takes certain qualities of mind, heart, and spirit, as much as certain vocal types, to have fun and contribute successfully to KAIROS. I look for singers who are passionate about continually developing their own voice and spirit, passionate about collaboration, and passionate about exploring the possibilities of sung prayer. I look for voices which can blend with the other KAIROS voices without having to abandon the individuality and integrity of their own unique sound. Each singer who comes into the group changes, and is changed by, the group sound to some degree.


BSR: Do you and/or Kairos do any work with instruments?

E.O: Yes, we do. Although the bulk of our singing is unaccompanied, we enjoy working with instrumentalists from time to time. Last year we did a fabulous concert with Greg Peterson, organist and music director of Old South Church. We've also collaborated with pianist Rachel Hassinger. We have immediate plans for another concert with organ this season - - and hope to commission a work for voices, piano, and cello soon.

BSR: I thought of Kairos performing on 9/11/2002. It must have been very moving. What did you perform? Did the chant help all of you work through this difficult
time?

E.O: There is nowhere I would rather have been than in The Meetinghouse, chanting, on that occasion. Here's what I wrote about that evening in the program: "Tonight we open the KAIROS 2002-2003 season. It was an accident of the calendar that the second Wednesday of the month falls on the 11th this September. At first I considered singing the complete propers for the Requiem tonight. On further reflection it seemed better to go with the given propers for the liturgical time - - to stay in the flow of the Church's prayer down through the centuries, and to be Here Now. As I studied the propers for tonight, I was struck by their comfort and challenge to us on this occasion. What might it mean for us to sing these ancient prayers here and now? What happens to us when we imagine our "enemies" praying these same prayers? Doesn't this question bring us face to face with Paul's notion of "taking on Christ," meeting the Other, "making peace through the blood of the cross?" "May our witness of, and participation in, art ancient and contemporary, here juxtaposed, set our imaginations free. May our hearts be tuned to sing more deeply the song of Life." "Many thanks to Lisa DiFranza, Robin Jensen, Luis Alvaranga, Charles McCullough, and the readers for collaborating on this event. We dedicate this evening to the coming of full peace throughout the world, remembering what has been, hoping for what we cannot yet see."

And here's what one person who attended wrote about it afterwards: "Thank you for last night. It was a beautiful event and exactly what I was looking for on this September 11th.
Peaceful
Powerful
Truthful
Respectful
Reverent
Thankful
I always love hearing Kairos, am always moved, always transformed, but last night was a particulary powerful experience for me. The readings and the music worked together in an amazing way. The words you chose, and the power of hearing those words spoken so beautifully (I loved the sound of the voice of the first man who spoke -- I would love to have a voice like that, the kind that says "Listen to this because there is meaning here for you"). The entire evening was such a welcome relief from the public "patriotic" political rhetoric that has so bombarded my soul for the past year. It was
remarkable to be in such a space of respect and reverence. I left last night feeling a relaxed peace that I didn't think would be possible for me at this time." "I am deeply grateful that I was able to particpate in last night's event. Thank you."


BSR: Can you describe the Benedictine way of life for us?

E.O: The Benedictine way of life is simple; ancient; ever new; a middle way; a body-friendly, earth-loving, sustainable way of life; a way of life that sows and reaps balance and peace. Benedictines use a guide for living written by Benedict of Nursia, Italy. Born in 480 c.e. to a wealthy family, Benedict was raised with every advantage of culture and education. As an young adult, Benedict became disillusioned with the decadence of Roman society, and left Rome to live simply as a hermit in the countryside of Subiaco, about thirty miles away. Before long, folks from near and far came knocking at his door for guidance and encouragement in shaping a meaningful, rewarding life. Benedict responded. Drawing on years of practical experience, Benedict wrote his Rule, "this little rule written for beginners," as he called it. Women and men have been living according to his rule continuously since Benedict walked this earth 1,500 years ago.

Today there are over 1,400 such communities. When people commit themselves as Benedictines, they promise to make three values the foundation stones of all their life to come. These values are: deep listening, perseverance, and life-long transformation. Benedictines make this commitment, never in isolation or in the abstract, but always in mutual support and accountability with some particular, local, flesh-and-blood community. By day and by night, year in and year out, from generation to generation, being Benedictine means balancing the various parts of life: prayer, work and study; celebration and hospitality; rest and relaxation; solitude and community. All are important. No one takes over the others.


BSR: Do all Benedictine followers chant? And, do they all find such spiritual, mental, and emotional benefits from chanting, even if they do not have a trained voice?

E.O: Well, I don't really have the data to answer that one at length. Prayer of the gathered community is central to the Benedictine way of life; and I think it's fair to say that Benedict presumes in his Rule that such prayer would have singing at its core. How much singing, and of what kind, varies enormously from community to community. People who choose to pursue the Benedictine way of life tend to be people who love the liturgy, the common prayer of the Church. After all, they are committing to doing just that for significant periods of time each day. They tend to be people who love singing, whether or not they have trained voices. Would they all share my experience and my interpretation of it? No. Actually, it would be interesting to go around and talk to a cross section of Benedictines, and see what they have to say!


BSR: Canyou tell us about your Wisdom at Play physical space dream that you mention on your website?


E.O: Right now in our back yard we have a small barn and a garden. The barn is very rustic, just a shell; big enough for one or two people to move around some; big enough for a small group to gather and sing; equipped with a huge old wood stove, and no insulation. It gets pretty darn cold in there in mid-winter. The garden is built in the shape of a Benedictine cross (a cross within a circle) and oriented to the four directions (the entrances into the garden open out on North, South,
East, and West). The central circle holds some good-sized boulders shaped to carry water and fire. I work and play and pray and sing and keep silence there, and have held a number of rituals and concerts there for various occasions.

It's all been pretty impromptu and small scale so far. Long-term, I dream of living simply in such a way that my work and my home are the same place: a place where worship, music, and the arts flourish by day and by night, a place of hospitality and exploration. I have an "if I build it, they will come" kind of feeling about it. It's a big dream, and also involves environmentally friendly and sustainable architecture, as well as handicapped friendly (my husband has Multiple Sclerosis). We will probably be doing research and design for some years, and won't have the funds to build until we retire. That's okay. Benedictines are used to operating with a time scale of centuries.


BSR: It sounds kind of like a spiritual "spa" for artists? How wonderful! Do any places like that exist?

E.O: Not that I know of, not in quite this way. Yes, a spiritual spa for artists is a great way to put it. It would be a great, great, valuable gift to the world. This is a big life-dream for me.


BSR: Interesting that you entered undergrad. college as a music and religion major. What experiences growing up brought you to this goal at such a young age?

E.O: Actually, I entered college as a pre-med student, and went through that, political science, and education
as majors before I realized that I could not live without making music, and that the questions of religion and the life of the Spirit had me by the throat. I never thought about how I might possibly support myself with this "career choice." I just took things one tiny step at a time.

My father was Estonian, and taken by his grandmother to the Greek Orthodox Church. He escaped from Estonia during World War II, and came here via Finland and then Sweden. My mother is a VermontYankee Congregationalist. When they married, they agreed to make the Episcopal Church their religious home.They raised me with a breadth of perspective about religious traditions and the life of faith which has always remained with me. My father had an exceptional voice, and my mother was an accomplished pianist and violinist. They both let go of music as a profession because of the demands of coming into adulthood during the second World War.

I sang in a girls' choir at our home church from age 5 to 13. This choir sang classical music from many eras in parts, and provided the musical leadership for the assembly. So , great music and the life of faith were big parts of my upbringing.


BSR: I love that your resume includes dance as a means of spiritual expression. Do you ever combine dance with Kairos performances?

E.O: In 1990 and 1991 KAIROS did several performances of Dark Angels, a 45 minute piece I composed. The performances combine spoken word, singing, and dance. In the first performances, I asked the singers to do it all! The we recorded the "soundtrack," and in the early 90's when I lived in Kansas City,MO, I founded a dance company to dance the piece. We performed all over the Kansas City area, went on tour to New Mexico and Canada, and made a video of our performance. In April, the KAIROS chant evening will be offered in collaboration with a small company of improvisational dancers.


BSR: Do you and/or Kairos do any secular performances?

E.O: Yes, once a season we like to do a fund raiser concert which tends to branch out into secular music - - some light opera, art song, classic jazz, show tunes. This year our "fund raiser" concert will be our Christmas concert on December 11. We'll be singing some art songs and secular carols as well as chants for the season.

BSR: So, would it be correct to say that all the many artistic things you do - compose, dance, sing, conduct, speak, write, teach - are all a means to live your Benedictine life fully? Would you still be content if one of these forms received more recognition than the others and demanded most of your attention? Or, do you think you will always prefer a mixture?

E.O: Yes, in all that I do I am choosing to live out my vocation as an artist of faith. The Benedictine way of life is the "container" which holds and shapes all my doing and my being, professional and otherwise. Becoming a mother (our daughter Katherine Emma is 19 months old) has helped me to establish priorities and make choices. I have cut down on my work commitments, and streamlined the remaining pieces, learning to make the most of limited time and resources. It's been a satisfying process, bringing me clarity and peace. I know now, with more certainty than ever before, that
singing is my primary focus as an artist. I come at it and draw from it as a singer myself, as a liturgist, a conductor, a composer, a theologian, a dancer, and a teacher; but I am continually circling around and diving deep into the mystery, joy, honesty and ecstacy that is singing. As to recognition and judgement for my art - - well, I leave that to others. As Van Gogh wrote in a letter to his brother Theo, I don't know how it will all turn out in the end, and I don't need to know. What I do know for sure is that I am in it with all my heart.

KAIROS UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:

KAIROS will offer its November chant evening in collaboration with the schola of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Theological School.

East Meets West: The Chanting Church. November 13, 7:30pm, The Meetinghouse, Andover Newton Theological School, 210 Herrick Road, Newton Centre. Donation $15 ($5 Senior/Full-time Student).

On Sunday, December 8, 8:00pm, KAIROS will sing for the community at St. Benedict's Monastery, Harvard, MA. The concert is free and the public is welcome. Songs of Hildegard, and seasonal chant and polyphony.For more information, call 978.456.3221.

On Wednesday, December 11, 7:30pm, KAIROS will present A KAIROS Christmas, with chants, carols, and madrigals for the season. Donation $15 ($5 Senior/Full-time Student)

On Sunday, December 15, 7:30pm, KAIROS will perform music to celebrate the mystery of Incarnation in its
concert, Singing Light. The concert is presented by Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, West Concord. Donation $15 ($5 Senior/Full-time Student). For more information, call 978.369.2810.

KAIROS' new recording, "Singing Light" will debut this fall. The CD includes chants and polyphony (early to contemporary) for the seasons of Incarnation: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. CDs can be purchased at any of the events above, or by going to www.cdfreedom.com

For more information about Ellen Oak or KAIROS,
please contact Ellen at 978.897.0495 or
ellenoak@wisdomatplay.com. To view a full schedule
of Ellen Oak and Kairos upcoming events, please
visit their website at www.wisdomatplay.com