Enjoy all 39 episodes for FREE at https://www.ChoralFoundation.org/toolbox In Episode 39 of The Choral Director’s Toolbox, host Dr. William Baker takes on The Language of Spirituals, examining how conductors can approach this treasured repertoire with integrity, respect, and scholarship.  From questions of dialect and diction to the politics of performance, Dr. Baker argues for historical authenticity over political […]

Dear choral friends around the world, Excelsia University College is delighted to announce the winner of the William Byrd Prize at the 2025 International Christian Choral Celebration, and to share with you the Listening Panel discussions and the complete music playlists, including performances and interviews from our five featured choirs: Raniza (Minsk, Belarus), Cantorum (Tondano, […]

The Peter R. Marsh Foundation’s $1250 Middle School Music Grant is available between July 1st and January 31st annually. The purpose of the Grant is to provide a remarkable venue and experience for students where their emotional senses are awakened, and they are inspired to advance musically, scholastically, and socially. Grants are available to public […]

Human suffering has reached unbearable depths. War is no longer contained by borders; it seeps into our cultures, economies, and imaginations. It is waged against the poor, the disabled, the displaced, the earth itself-against all who are most vulnerable. And even the arts, sometimes sanctuaries of truth, are too often seized and conscripted, made to […]

Enjoy all episodes for FREE at https://www.ChoralFoundation.org/toolbox In Episode 38 of The Choral Director’s Toolbox, host Dr. William Baker warns against a common but harmful habit in Don’t Hum the Pitch, explaining why silent preparation leads to healthier onsets, better focus, and more accurate ensemble singing.  This week’s listener question takes on the challenge of balancing Christmas programming […]

The 2025 winner of the William Byrd Prize is Cape Town Camerata, conductor Leon Starker, with their moving performance of Thomas A. Dorsey’s Precious Lord, which you can hear here:https://excelsia.short.gy/ICCC2025-WilliamByrdPrize-winner You can listen to all the International Christian Choral Celebration playlists that the Listening Panel heard on the day, including the featured choirs from five […]