Choral Ethics: Our Ninth Anniversary

“In doing what we ought we deserve no praise, because it is our duty.” Saint Augustine

Happy anniversary to US! It’s hard to believe it has been nine years since Scott Dorsey asked me to become a regular ChoralNet Blogger. At first, I worried about having enough material to write a regular blog on something I termed “Choral Ethics.” In fact, I decided to call my Blog Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics so I could write about other things as well. I needn’t have worried because the choral profession and indeed, the classical music world has provided more than enough material.

Most summers, I take a break from writing and run the “Best of……” blogs from years past. This year was no exception but that doesn’t mean I stop thinking or doing research on Choral Ethics. In mid-spring, an article appeared in New York Magazine about a scandal which happened more than ten years ago at the NYPhil. It is still on-going, with the NYPhil’s CEO abruptly resigning and players suing with all sorts of unsavory things coming out. Stayed tuned because I will have a few things to say about this situation later this autumn.

With the #MeToo movement and a change in what will NO LONGER BE TOLERATED, things have certainly changed since I began writing about all things Choral Ethics related back in 2015. Back then we would have thrown up our hands and said, “what can we do?” Social media and the rapidity of news of abhorrent behaviors being acknowledged by witnesses and their followers have changed our feelings of helplessness.

My parents were the inspiration for my interest in Choral Ethics. With the tenth anniversary of Mom’s death and Dad’s death earlier this year, I am again reminded of their influence.

Mom was an opera singer, singing the role of the Queen of the Night and many operettas as well.  As her six children came along, she specialized in oratorio work and was a paid church choir ringer until she was in her early 70s. We didn’t think it strange to have a mother gone several evenings a week for rehearsals or to be asked to help figure out what jewelry would go with which gown.  During one of her last hospitalizations, my brother and I agreed in the hospital corridor outside of her room she must be feeling better because she “had her Diva back” much to the horror of one of her nurses.  We explained she had been an opera singer and we meant “Diva” in that sense….and it was good she was asking for her lipstick!

Mom’s death wasn’t a surprise, but the quickness of it was. Driving back and forth to my parents’ home gave me time to think about Choral Ethics. And I came to the conclusion the real inspiration for Choral Ethics and the whole concept was because of my mother, the coloratura soprano Rose Marie (Ditto) Grass. In those drives, it became clear those lessons occurring at Mother’s knee were attitudes I have brought into my adult life.  I kept thinking about Mom in various situations and how she practiced what she preached. Through all the opera productions, concerts and worship services where Mom was soloist or Prima Donna, she had a graciousness, humbleness and kindness I thought everyone who was a musician possessed. She taught me much by the way she lived; managing to have a bit of a singing career, raising six very different individuals while being married to the same man for almost 60 years.

As an adult and conductor, I try to uphold her values …but it is difficult. I like to think her legacy will be the Choral Ethics Movement and being an ethical, moral choral conductor will never be out of fashion.  It will be another song she has taught me.

My readers, my ChoralNetter correspondents, provide many interesting subjects we ponder here in this space. And later this month, expect a few interesting Choral Ethics dilemmas from my loyal ChoralNetter readers. In fact, if YOU have a Choral Ethics dilemma, please contact me: and we can figure it out together!