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By Ayana Haviv Tomorrow I begin rehearsals on Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, as I have done with countless Passions over the years, and as always I am steeling myself for the isolation and alienation I feel as a Jew singing this intrinsically and unquestionably anti-Semitic text of an equally unquestionable masterpiece. In the great classic […]
How to Commission a New Piece for Your Choir (It’s easier than you might think!) – Part 2
By D. Geoffrey Bell Today’s post is part 2 of a two-part post. Part 1 was published on Tuesday, March 15. SUCCESSFUL COMMISSIONING EXPERIENCES To broaden and deepen my understanding beyond my own personal experiences, I asked a selection of fellow composers and conductors to give me their thoughts about the key elements to successful […]
How to Commission a New Piece for Your Choir (It’s easier than you might think!) – Part I
By D. Geoffrey Bell There are many reasons to commission a new composition for your choir. You may already be planning for an upcoming special occasion, anniversary or celebration. You may be thinking about raising your choir’s public profile, taking them to the next level. You may be looking for a new way to motivate […]
An Unconventional Approach to the Urban Chorus Classroom for the New Choral Director
By Odell Zeigler New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. – John Locke Have you ever gone along with the majority or followed a script and felt it was not something you should continue to do? Well, let me begin by saying that […]
Seasonal Reminders: Living into Gratitude
By Matt Harrison In this season of change, how often have you taken the time to meaningfully meditate on why we do what we do? Perhaps, we must first examine exactly what it is that we do. We connect and engage with our singers. We cultivate powerful, lasting, and transformative relationships. As my good friend […]
Separating Achievement from Self-Worth
By John C. Hughes A few years ago, a colleague told me about the Enneagram, a personality classification system that groups people into nine broad types.1 I took an online quiz and discovered that I am a Type Three: The Achiever. My friend told me that a lot of conductors are Threes. This makes sense; […]