The Choral Life

  “Always do right.  This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain I believe in Karma.  Oh, I don’t know if I would really call it that, exactly. I feel if you do something good, it usually comes back to you.  If you do something bad, it can come back to you […]

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” Jean-Jacques Rousseau It is easy to forget we need to work regularly with others.  Unless you are a soloist all the time, you must work with other musicians. Unless you conduct exactly the sort of ensemble you wish, with the musicians you wish, you must […]

 “Every artist was first an amateur.” Ralph Waldo Emerson The word amateur is taken from Old French and means ‘lover’.  Many definitions of the word speak of doing something for pleasure and most of us, I am sure, became choral conductors because we found pleasure in singing or leading singing. Is it the other definition […]

In memory of Rose Marie Ditto Grass, November 24, 1927 to July 29, 2014 A few years ago, I decided I would write a book about something I now call “Choral Ethics.” A few things motivated me, including a rather unpleasant encounter at a community arts event with a choral colleague.  Nothing seemed to provoke […]

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Alan Lakein  The one thing I know for sure about holding auditions is this; you have to plan. If you are the one auditioning, it’s not always necessary for you to plan; you just show up on time and do what is asked of you. If you need […]