It’s a new school year, a new season. We spent time this summer reading, taking coursework, watching videos, or reviewing (a lot of) repertoire as we programmed for our ensembles. We come back to our work renewed, “fresh.” But is this “freshness” our rediscovered self or a duplication of everything and everyone else out there? […]
Leadership
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: The Opposite: Part Two
“Theater people are always pining and agonizing because they’re afraid that they’ll be forgotten. And in America they’re quite right. They will be.” Agnes de Mille Today is the second part of Leo’s Choral Ethics story. Leo* contacted me initially to explain he never imagined retiring would cause such an uproar. The plan was Leo […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: The Opposite:Part One
“The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth.” Niles Bohr Leo*contacted me a while ago wanting to share his story. It isn’t the kind of story you think it will be, he was the one who left. Leo directed a choral program […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Truth to Tell
“Truth is always strange, stranger than fiction.” Lord Byron Since writing about Choral Ethics here on ChoralNet, I have received many emails. Folks who contact me either want to thank me or to tell me their stories. And their stories are amazing. Some seem outlandish at the outset, but then I follow up by asking […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: It’s All Right!
“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.” Robert Louis Stevenson I hate whiners. When my boys were young, they knew I would not “hear” them if they complained in a whiny voice. They could complain about life not being fair or that someone got a bigger […]
The Conductor as Yogi: Takeaways, then Getaways
For most of us, the performing season or year has ended or will end, soon. With a combination of celebration and relief, we look forward to the change that summer represents. But before getaways, let’s look at the takeaways; let’s tidy up the desk of our minds as we wrap up and make space for […]