“Habits change into character.” Ovid Many of us, especially in community-based programs, complain we don’t have enough singers to do the repertoire we really want to do. If we are a mixed group, we long for more tenors or baritones or basses but don’t seem to retain them when we get them. After years of […]
Leadership
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Only All of Us
“Always the journey, never the destination.” Simon Rattle Last week, the Alumni Chorus I’ve been writing about sang in a semi-staged concert version of “Considering Matthew Shepherd.” The CCPA Conservatory Chorus was the main performer, and we Alums sang a chorale toward the end of the work. It was an interesting process for me, both […]
Choral Potpourri: Collaborations
“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” Mattie Stepanek Does your choral organization collaborate? I’m sure you occasionally work with other music groups, such as your school’s orchestra or band or perhaps your local symphony. Do you ever think outside of the box with your collaborations? I was […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Auditions
“My singing voice is somewhere between a drunken apology and a plumbing problem.” Colin Firth I am in the midst of my audition cycle. I hold auditions for both my fall and spring concert cycles, so this is the second go-around for me during our concert season. So far, so good. I recently recalled an […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Director vs. Accompanist
“Being an accompanist is very selfless in many ways because you’re really just trying to elevate the singer and help them shine, ultimately.” Simon Helberg Last week, I shared stories from a few ChoralNetters about their holidays. This week, I have ChoralNetters chiming in about relationships between choral directors and their accompanists. If you noticed […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Story Time
“Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story.” Casey Stengel Happy New Year ChoralNet! I hope you all had wonderful holidays. And I also hope you spent some time recharging and refreshing before your next batch of rehearsals and classes begin. January’s Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics Blogs will be […]