arrange • compose • conduct
Posts specifically about choral music
The Aces Concert 2020 is at 8pm tonight. It’s the 12th annual and, of course, it’s virtual. I thought it might be instructive to think about the numbers involved in a typical concert and in this year’s edition. Typical run time: 2 hours2020: 23 minutes. Typical number of pieces: 18-202020: […]
I’m typically particularly exhausted in the couple of days after a big concert. Switching to online concerts makes that completely backwards. The last two weeks have been full of mixing, video editing, and cajoling singers for their files. In particular, I’ve clocked 16-18 hour days since Wednesday putting the final […]
Thank you to the LA Master Chorale, who have been putting together a wonderful series of online replay concerts and virtual choir performances, called Sundays at Seven. This week, they paid tribute to Alice Parker, whose music they would have performed last weekend, until the concert was canceled. In lieu […]
One of the things I love most about the choral community is how proactive it is. Choral leaders are planners and communicators. They see what’s coming, and they want to plan for it, face it head on, and communicate about it. With the very real issues facing group singing in […]
In times of upheaval, I lean on touchstones–works of art that have shaped me and the continue to be sources of inspiration, influence, and solace. It might be rereading a favorite novel, a cherished poem, a movie, or (especially often) a favorite album with a good pair of headphones. My […]
Choir directors were served up some bleak, bleak news via a webinar sponsored by NATS, Chorus America, ACDA, the Barbershop Harmony Society, and the Performing Arts Medical Association. It was hard to hear the information the scientists, physicians, and vocal music experts shared and not feel pessimistic about the near-term […]
Greek thinkers separated love into multiple varieties, rather than the single overarching word we have in English. Much has been written about these different types of love. The choir can be a great place to explore the love that the Greeks called philia, which is often translated in English as […]
Choral educators often urge their singers not to show it on their faces when they mistake. The idea is that, if we don’t show that we made the error, most of the audience might not know. I think the truth is even better than that. I think that an audience […]
I am sitting in rehearsal watching 19 outstanding high school singers from across Michigan on system, working hard through a multiple-divisi arrangement by Tim Buchholz, in preparation for their concert Friday night at the Michigan Music Conference. I am sitting in rehearsal watching 19 outstanding high school singers from across […]
Some singers never learn the joy of getting beyond the notes and rhythms. It’s obvious when they aren’t in a hurry to get past learning of the notes. If they knew the joy that awaited, they’d want to hurry up and get there! Alice Parker says that she can only […]