BRATTLEBORO — Under Mary Westbrook-Geha's direction, the Blanche Moyse Chorale, the Strathmere Festival Orchestra and a quartet of vocal soloists will perform Bach's Mass in B-minor on Friday, April 26, at the Bellows Falls Opera House, and Saturday, April 27, at the First Baptist Church in Brattleboro.
Soloists include Brattleboro Music Center's New England Bach Festival (NEBF) veterans Hyunah Yu (soprano) and Steven Paul Spears (tenor), as well as Katherine Maysek (mezzo-soprano) and David Tinervia (bass), both students of baritone Sanford Sylvan, who participated frequently in NEBF concerts of the 1980s and 1990s.
Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.
A 5:30 p.m. pre-concert lecture on the Mass in B-minor precedes the Brattleboro concert, a short walk from the concert in the Brattleboro Music Center's recital hall, at 38 Walnut St. The lecture is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.
According to Westbrook-Geha, Bach's Mass in B-minor “is a monster of a piece: huge and overwhelming. I have many things to learn even if I have sung the work many times. I do admit to feeling a little discomfort about being in charge of such a daunting piece of music.”
Westbrook-Geha is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, and while she was a student at Tanglewood Music Center she was chosen by Leonard Bernstein to perform two selections from his Songfest. Her concert repertoire extends from the Verdi Requiem to the J.S. Bach Passions, including roles of contemporary works of Luigi Dallapiccola, John Harbison, and appearances in collaboration with American choreographer Mark Morris.
Although an acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Westbrook-Geha is not singing much these days. Several years ago, she bought a farm in Westminster, and now she finds that “taking care of a lot of animals on a dirty farm is not conducive to the lifestyle of a singer.” Actually, she is rather glad to put singing mostly behind her.
“You had to always worry about your voice,” she says. “There can be no room for diversions like drinking and smoking.”
Westbrook-Geha moved to Vermont around 10 years ago when she was getting divorced. Having sole care of her two daughters, who were in the ninth and fifth grades, respectively, she thought Brattleboro would be a good place to raise her children. She already knew area from her years participating in both the Marlboro and New England Bach festivals.
“It turned out to be a good decision,” she says. “And then I got a teaching position at Bellows Falls Union High School, which I love. There I teach choral music and direct two choirs. In the past, I have directed the school's musicals. Plus I taught courses on music theory and the history of rock and roll (which is my secret love). Later I bought my farm in Westminster, partly so my youngest daughter would be able to join me at BFHS.”
Westbrook-Geha become director of the Blanche Moyse Chorale after its founder and conductor Blanche Moyse retired in 2004. Moyse died in 2011 at the age of 101.
“The chorus wanted to continue, and I was invited to take over,” Westbrook-Geha says. “They had tried a few guest conductors but it hadn't worked out that well. Since I had already done so many concerts as a soloist singer with the chorus over the years, I was already familiar with so many people in it. Also Blanche had been a mentor of mine. So everything grew organically.”
That is not to say the road has been easy for Westbrook-Geha.
“I was not trained as a conductor, and I still am trying to become comfortable in that role,” she says. “And Blanche was such a beloved figure that it has been hard to follow in her footsteps. I have a different background than she does. She was trained as a violinist and I a vocalist. She had so many strengths I can not hope to duplicate, but I have my own, such as being able to help with vocal problems.”
Nonetheless, she feels confident in saying that mostly they come from the same tradition in doing choral music.
“Working with the the Strathmere Festival Orchestra has been especially intimidating,” she adds. “They are all such wonderful world-class musicians that they make conducting super easy. They don't even need a conductor, and I find it sometimes hard to believe they are taking me seriously. But we have worked together for some time now, so I guess they do respect me enough to keep coming back.”
Southern Vermont is a familiar environment to Westbrook-Geha.
“I grew up in a small rural town in Marshall, Mich.,” she says. “My family all loved music. My grandmother was a professional operetta singer. My Aunt Betty was my biggest inspiration. I thought she had the most beautiful voice I ever heard. All my five siblings were all musical. I had piano lessons at three, because my sister, who was ten years older than me, played the piano and I had to be just like here. I think I read music before I words. There was never any question if I was going to have a career in music.
“After school, my early career was near home where I became something of a local celebrity. You know, a big fish in a small pond. Later I followed to Boston a jazz musician whom I was going to marry, and suddenly I entered the big pond.”
Westbrook-Geha soon became an integral figure in the thriving early music scene in Boston, especially under the guidance of Craig Smith and Emmanuel Music. With Smith and later Blanche Moyse she learned about the style of singing Bach and Handel. Under the baton of William Christie, she performed in the seminal if controversial production of Handel's “Julius Caesar,” directed by Peter Sellers, which was later filmed and is available on DVD.
“I first met Blanche Moyse under unusual circumstances,” Westbrook-Geha says. “I was scheduled to sing a Bach cantata at Emmanuel Church in Boston. I was in the early stages of my first pregnancy, and since I did not feel well, I sent a substitute. At 10 a.m. I received a call from the New England Bach Festival to ask if I would sing the Christmas Oratorio, which is actually a sequence of six cantatas. Their scheduled singer had suddenly taken ill and they needed a replacement right away. I said yes to singing six cantatas after canceling one.”
Westbrook-Geha thought the chance to work with Blanche Moyse too thrilling to pass up.
“A woman picked me up and drove me from Boston to Vermont,” she said. “I was met in Brattleboro by Blanche who drove me to Marlboro, and as we drove we spoke about tempos and proper methods of singing Bach. The postponed concert was to have started at 2 p.m., and it almost 3 o'clock when we got at the music hall. Many people were standing outside on the lawn, who all started to applaud when they saw us drive up.”