Don’t forget to program some unflashy repertoire this year.
It’s easy to be drawn to flashy repertoire – fast, big, powerful, compelling. “Carmina Burnana,” say, or a Moses Hogan Spiritual, or New York Voices’ “Sing Sing Sing.” These are well worth doing. But just as important are great works that are subtle but great. I think of the Palestrina “Sicut Cervus,” which is so gorgeous but doesn’t necessarily knock ’em dead at a fall concert. My son will be singing “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” at the New York Voices Camp in a couple of weeks – it’s not the first thing I would think to program, but its understatedness is part of its charm and beauty.
It’s a little more of a lift to get students drawn in to the subtle pieces, but the magic these pieces work on singers over time is part of what makes them worthwhile. Sing “Sicut Cervus” right and you cast a magic spell over the audience and the singers. It’s a spell that could never be cast with “O Fortuna.”
Sometimes I’m afraid of programming the subtle pieces, because I know I’ll have to work hard to sell them for awhile. But if I remember their value, then I stop being so scared.