“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” Groucho Marx We all have people in our lives who claim to be honest. They crow about it, especially if they have said something unkind in the name of honesty. They tell us, if being honest […]
The Choral Life
Choral Potpourri: Choral Professionals for Life
“Conductors start getting good when everybody else retires.” Simon Rattle Two weeks ago, I briefly introduced the history and design of the Chorus America report, Choral Conductors Today: An Updated Report, A Comparison of 2017 and 2005 Findings. Released on September 7, 2017, their report compared findings from their 2005 report to new data gathered […]
Choral Potpourri: Who Are We?
“The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” Vince Lombardi Last week, I briefly introduced the history and design of the Chorus America report, Choral Conductors Today: An Updated Report, A Comparison of 2017 and 2005 Findings. Released on September 7, 2017, their report compared findings from their 2005 […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Conducting As a Profession
“The real art of conducting consists in transitions.” Gustav Mahler We are all back—or just about back—to work this fall; time to do what we do. And just what is it that we do? Chorus America has released their latest report which may help us actually understand what we do, how we do it and […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Preaching to the Choir
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” Francis of Assisi I receive quite a few emails with people’s thoughts about my Choral Ethics project. Some folks tell me they are not exactly sure what Choral Ethics is, but will know it when they see it. Some tell me […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Don’t Shoot the Piano Player
“It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.” J.S. Bach Lady C*contacted me a few years ago as I began to collect stories for my Choral Ethics project. She conducts a semi-professional chamber choir, much like […]