News and Notices

By Greg Mellen   LONG BEACH, CA —  Wayne Bliss Gard left with a song in his heart and a legacy of music to the students he directed and taught for more than 60 years. After learning piano from his mother and eldest sister as a 6-year-old, Gard began teaching piano and voice in high […]

As musical experiences go, talking to an enthusiastic, experienced and forward looking conductor is one of the best there is. Music should be infectious, inspiring and magical and every time a choir, orchestra, ensemble or soloists steps onto the stage, they have a unique opportunity to move every single member of the audience. It’s that […]

By Rebecca Gordon   EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND — It’s the foot-stomping, arm-raising, soul-lifting music nowadays associated with America’s Deep South.  But could contemporary gospel have a place in a country known internationally for its bagpipes and lilting folk ballads? One group of singers think so, and they’re scouring the nation for its answers to Aretha Franklin […]

By Jack Moran   EUGENE, OR — For the California Baptist University Women’s Choir, the only sour note Wednesday night came after their hourlong performance at a south Eugene church had ended.  As the 92-member college group filled Cascade Presbyterian Church with vocal harmonies, thieves snuck into the choir’s dressing rooms and emptied the singers’ wallets […]

By Angelique McNaughton   Early in her teaching career, a former student gave Pat Harry a Precious Moments music box with a girl sitting at a piano. It played “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.”  The keepsake was appropriate for Harry, 63, who was just starting out as a music teacher. “I’ve always […]

By Laura Fezie   ENTERPRISE, AL — After 27 years as the Enterprise High School choral instructor and director of the award-winning Encores Show Choir, John Baker has announced his retirement. Under Baker’s direction, the Encores Show Choir has become the most successful show choir in the state and one of the most successful programs in […]