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Austen Wilson

Modulating/Adjusting to a New Era: Coordinating the Online Portion of a Church Music Workshop

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Welcome to this summer series on questions and possibilities for a new era in our personal lives, professional lives, the choral landscape, and in society! I’m so glad you’re here for the journey. 

The pandemic has thrown a wrench in a wide variety of organizations, including summer conferences. Out of caution, some organizations have decided not to hold a summer event. Others took a leap of faith that vaccines would be widely be available to adults by the summer and decided to hold events. Today’s post is about a church music workshop I attended in person and helped lead.

The Fellowship of United Methodists in Worship Arts (otherwise known as The Fellowship) is a professional organization for choir directors and choir members in United Methodist Churches. For over 65 years, the Florida chapter has hosted its own weeklong summer workshop, which includes worship services, choir rehearsals, reading sessions, and a variety of elective classes. An important part of the event is concurrent Adult and Youth (grade 6 – 12) workshops with some intergenerational activities.

After the success of a 100% Virtual Conference in 2020, questions lingered whether or not the workshop in 2021 would be in-person, online, or hybrid. When the planning team met in early January 2021, opinions were split. At that point, vaccines had started rolling out, but only a small percentage of adults had been vaccinated then. Some committee members wanted a totally virtual conference. Others were passionate about having an in-person workshop.

For those who wanted an in-person conference, a major factor was the Youth workshop. Without a youth workshop two years in a row, that program would greatly suffer and would have adversely impacted its momentum. When the workshop chair, Joan FitzGerald, asked for feedback, I said I was in favor of a totally online workshop, but I was willing to go along with the will of the committee. After consulting others, Joan decided to take a leap of faith and have an in-person workshop. At that point, I was uncomfortable attending in-person and would assist with an online component. Thankfully I was able to get vaccinated in April. As a result, I attended in person.

Immediately after the chair decided to hold an in-person workshop, we started planning. Adaptations with regards to COVID impacted the schedule. Participants arrived Monday night instead of Sunday night, thus reducing the length of the workshop by a day. Any activity involving singing was shortened to 30 minutes and that space had to air out for a minimum of 30 minutes after a rehearsal or worship service. Masks were required indoors when Adults and Youth were in the same room. For Adults only classes, masks were optional for those who were vaccinated. In lieu of a final concert where friends and family could attend, final performances were recorded.

As coordinator of the online component, I set three goals early on: people would feel connected to each other, be inspired artistically, and feel renewed spiritually. I established a tech team that was responsible for bringing any tech equipment necessary for a livestream. Based on the goals, I created the schedule and secured facilitators for a variety of online sessions. All the plans were set!

Regarding the Adult portion, attendees include both choir directors and choir members. Some have attended for many years, especially if they had attended as a middle or high school student. This is an incredibly special part of the workshop, as it’s a vital time for reconnecting with long-time friends. According to Joan, seeing people reconnect with friends was a highlight of the week. While continuing education is an important part of the week, the workshop goes beyond taking classes to improve one’s skills. It is a strong community that is a time of renewal for those who attend. According to the workshop chair, despite the necessary adaptations due to COVID, it was one of the smoothest run FL Chapter Fellowship Workshops.

As coordinator of the online component, I was thrilled. Inevitably, there were a few wrinkles regarding WiFi, but overall the live-stream events worked really well. I thought that I accomplished the initial goals I had set up months before the workshop started. I felt as if the online participants were connected to each other. Worship services were wonderful and choir rehearsals were inspiring.

I asked Joan her favorite moments and she had many. The worship services, especially the preaching, were a highlight. Not having the typical duties of a Director of Music for a week was also a blessing.

After the workshop, she and I had a short conversation regarding hybrid workshops in the future. We both agreed that it was very challenging to pull one off. One of the Fellowship members happened to have the right equipment. If he wasn’t able to attend, we would not have been able to pull off the live-streaming for online participants. However, some kind of online offering is good. Maybe one online hour-long event once a month? In another week or so, we’ll have a debriefing meeting with other members of the planning team. I suspect we’ll discuss these observations and decide on a format for future summer workshops.

For more information on the Florida Chapter of the Fellowship, go to www.floridafummwa.org

Based on my involvement, I thought of some questions I will reflect on during the summer:

  1. Community was essential to the workshop. What might I do to strengthen community in my own context?
  2. For members of church choirs who are reluctant to come back to choir in the fall, how do we help them stay connected to the choir community?
  3. As a church musician, how can I connect those worshipping online with those worshipping in person?

Modulating/Adjusting to a New Era: Transitions in Music, Part 2 of 2

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The last time we left off, the Philadelphia-based PhilHarmonia Chamber Choir planned to premiere a brand-new, historically significant piece called Remember the Ladies by composer Dr. Melissa Dunphy in November 2020. This commission was in collaboration with the Museum of the American Revolution and all were excited. Unfortunately, just as plans were underway, COVID struck.

For more background, here is the link to Part 1:

Modulating/Adjusting to a New Era: Transitions in Music, Part 1 of 2

In March 2020, both the choir and Dr. Mitos Andaya Hart, the Artistic Director, were facing unchartered territory. Like many choral organizations, they tried to meet and rehearse online. Challenges abounded. Rehearsing online was much less satisfying than singing in person. Some singers had limited wifi and technical capabilities. As a result, the ensemble took a pause for several months during the summer. There were also some lingering questions. Going forward, what kind of presence was PhilHarmonia going to have? How were they going to make a positive difference in the community with all of the challenges?

Towards the end of summer 2020, Dr. Andaya Hart started to thinking about 2020 – 21. In a typical year, the choir would present a December concert called Winter Spirits, which involved seasonal choral music, dinner and drinks for the audience, and a sing along of familiar carols at the end of the evening. While PhilHarmonia could not provide a full Winter Spirits program in person, they decided to create a virtual carol collage that would uplift people’s spirits.

Buoyed by that success, Dr. Andaya Hart revisited Remember the Ladies in December 2020. She thought the commission was so important and knew PhilHarmonia could overcome any hurdles. This project would provide a sense of hope and positive change in challenging times.

In January 2021, Dr. Andaya Hart met with Dr. Dunphy and Museum curators to see how a virtual premiere might be possible. After the meeting, they knew this was a collaboration that needed to happen. Adjustments were made to the commission. First, the choir would only provide a mastered audio recording and the museum would be responsible for the video portion. Second, the difficulty level of the piece was adjusted for a Virtual Choir context. What had been originally a multi-movement work was now one piece. Instead of lots of divisi, there was only divisi in the soprano part.

Once those parameters were established, Dr. Andaya Hart met with Sara Harris Brown, the Executive Director, and created a game plan. First, they wanted to see if the choir would be on board. They met on Zoom with choir members and one of the curators of the museum exhibit. Luckily since this was a Virtual project, I was able to participate, even though I live in Jacksonville, FL. From that initial Zoom meeting, the response was overwhelmingly positive from the choir. We had a virtual commission on our hands!

Dr. Dunphy initially provided MIDI tracks of the piece so we could practice at home and rehearse on Zoom on Sunday evenings as a group. Early on in the rehearsal process, rehearsal tracks were created from a combination of Dr. Andaya Hart and singers from the choir. She also strongly urged that we setup one on one meetings with her so we could get individual feedback. Some of the singers had not sung in 10 months, so this feedback was invaluable. Once singers started submitting their final recordings in March 2021, Dr. Andaya Hart was confident that the product would be good due to the skill of the singers and the audio engineer. As this was a premiere, there was an expectation to have an excellent recording. On March 25, 2021, PhilHarmonia premiered Remember the Ladies. Here is the final product:

The premiere was part of an hour-long discussion on the museum exhibit and the piece. That discussion can be found here:

The choir, composer, and museum were thrilled with the final product! Happily, this is not the end of the story!

The last week in May, I knew I would be on vacation in New Jersey and Philadelphia while visiting friends and family. I approached Dr. Andaya Hart if PhilHarmonia could have an informal gathering where we would sing Remember the Ladies. On May 27, 2021, members of PhilHarmonia met outside at a park in Philadelphia to hang out and sing. This was the first time the choir had seen each other in over a year! There was a sense of excitement and joy. Dr. Andaya Hart loved the surround sound from singing in a circle and saw people connecting with each other visually. She remarked that “You can’t duplicate standing next to someone and breathing/tuning together.” We spent several hours eating, singing, and hanging out. It was a joyous occasion.

When I asked Dr. Andaya Hart how she was approaching the 2021 – 22 season, she remarked that she was using an abundance of caution and asking current singers who will be comfortable coming back in person. A primary goal would include rebuilding the heart of the organization and adding new personnel to replace singers who won’t be back due to life changes or feeling uncomfortable about returning due to health concerns.

As a singer in the project, I was overjoyed to be a part of creation of a new piece of art, even during the pandemic. From a conductor’s standpoint, I have a few observations/questions that I’m wrestling with going forward.

  • What non-musical elements can I use to enhance choral pieces?
  • What individuals/organizations are in my community or church I can collaborate or co-create with?
  • A sense of community is vital to every choral organization. What are new ways I can apply to help building community?

You can check out PhilHarmonia and Dr. Melissa Dunphy at the following links:

https://philharmoniasings.com/

http://www.melissadunphy.com/

Do you have any questions about this commission? Were there any projects you had started before the pandemic that you needed to change during the pandemic? If so, what were they? Comment below!

Modulating/Adjusting to a New Era: Transitions in Music, Part 1 of 2

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Welcome to this summer series on questions and possibilities for a new era in our personal lives, professional lives, the choral landscape, and in society! I’m so glad you’re here for the journey.  

Despite the seemingly impossible circumstances during the pandemic, I’ve been amazed at how choirs have adapted to provide meaningful art. Even before vaccines were readily available, there were inspiring concerts online. The ACDA national conference was a resounding success and opened up new ways of thinking about choral performances. In a matter of weeks, Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand pulled together a spectacular online premier performance of the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers that had me glued to my seat the whole time. Even though there have been countless challenges and hard times, I hope that you have also seen some incredible and inspiring innovative moments in the past 15 – 16 months.

However, even before we had heard the word COVID, a variety of choral organizations were already on the front edge of giving a glimpse into this new world. In addition to asking questions this summer, I plan to highlight some organizations and people who, in my opinion, have pointed a new way forward. One such choir is the PhilHarmonia Chamber Choir, an auditioned mixed community chamber choir of 30 singers based in Philadelphia, PA.

PhilHarmonia is led by an innovative and creative team of all women. At the helm is Dr. Mitos Andaya Hart, the Artistic Director, who is also Associate Professor of Choral Music at Temple University in Philadelphia. As a bit of context, part of its mission is to bring choral music all over the city of Philadelphia. One performance may be in a church. Another may be at a train station or in the lobby of a public library. One of the highlights of the season is PhilHarmonia with Love, a concert around Valentine’s Day where music is interspersed with audience members drinking wine and eating dessert. In addition to choral works, a few choir members sing a solo or duet of their choosing. For a minimal fee, audience members dedicate a specific song to loved ones. As a singer in the choir, it was exciting to be in an ensemble that re-imagined the concert experience for the audience.

This flexibility in concert experience happens in part due to PhilHarmonia’s entirely a cappella repertoire. Almost any genre or era is fair game. For example, one concert contained three motets by Palestrina, an arrangement of a Venezuelan folk song, an arrangement of a Sufi song, and much more. Each concert includes a variety of cultural and historical perspectives. Dr. Andaya Hart also commissions works on a regular basis, including many by Dr. Melissa Dunphy, a Philadelphia-based composer. Below is a movement from American DREAMers, a multi-movement choral cycle using texts from those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, also known as DACA recipients. Here is a movement from the premiere performance in June 2018.

Having repertoire that is historically minded or with a social justice lens is not uncommon in PhilHarmonia’s repertoire. With this context, the genesis of the next piece wasn’t out of the ordinary. In late 2019, another commission by Dr. Dunphy, entitled Remember the Ladies, was in the works. In 2020, this piece would be part of an exhibit, entitled “When Women Lost the Vote”, at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, PA.

According to the website of the museum, “The exhibit would explore the period of history in New Jersey how after the American Revolution in New Jersey, “The 1776 New Jersey State Constitution referred to voters as “they,” and statutes passed in 1790 and 1797 defined voters as “he or she.” This opened the electorate to free property owners, Black and white, male and female, in New Jersey. This lasted until 1807, when a new state law said only white men could vote.” For more information, click on the following link:

https://www.amrevmuseum.org/virtualexhibits/when-women-lost-the-vote-a-revolutionary-story

A feature of the exhibit included a letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams where she implored him to remember women during the Constitutional Convention. For over 200 years, the letter was at a museum in Boston and was going to be in Philadelphia as part of the exhibit.

Remember the Ladies was originally planned to be a multi-movement piece based on the letter that Abigail Adams wrote to her husband. As with much of Dr. Dunphy’s works, Remember the Ladies would contain a lot of dissonances and divisi. Dr. Andaya Hart and Dr. Dunphy looked at different spaces in the museum where the performance would take place and include multi-media elements. As of February 2020, a possible November 2020 performance was planned at the museum. This was proving to be an exciting musical, collaborative, and historical endeavor. Then COVID struck and countless organizations shut down for a length of time that was undetermined at that point. Tune in for next week’s post when I chronicle how this originally conceived in-person premiere morphed into a digital premiere and what it was like to sing the piece in-person for the first time.

What choirs, conductors, or other musicians have you seen point the way to a new era? Comment below!

An E Natural in an E Flat Major World: Modulating/Adjusting to a New Era

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We are pleased to introduce a new blogger to ChoralNet. Austen Wilson, a church-based choral conductor, will be writing weekly about the ways that he and choral colleagues are making the transition back into a post-COVID world, or at least looking ahead toward that. Enjoy!

During the first week in March 2020, a good friend visited me in Jacksonville, Florida, for several days. Part of our conversations involved this new virus called COVID-19. While it had swept a number of other countries, it was just reaching the U. S. We talked about the various plans and vacations we had for later that year and that perhaps the virus would be serious for just a few months but then dissipate. Oh, how both of us were so wrong! The following week, my church and many organizations went on complete lockdown for what was an unknown period of time back then.

My name is Austen Wilson, and I’m the Director of Music and Worship Arts at Mandarin United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. In late 2020 or early 2021 I continued to feel like nothing made sense, that I was out of synch with everything. I felt a dissonance. After letting that marinate for a period of time, I thought, wait a minute. Some of the best music has dissonances I truly enjoy! Eric Whitacre’s music and jazz are full of dissonance. The last chorus of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion has some memorable dissonances. So wasn’t it.

Fast forward to the week before Holy Week in Adult Bell Choir rehearsal. We were rehearsing Lament by Karen Thompson, a piece based on the E harmonic minor scale. We were working on the climax of the piece where the whole ensemble was ringing at a forte dynamic. Something did not sound right, but we kept going, in the hopes the ringers would fix the mistakes on their own. After the climax was a part that was transparent, softer, and contained a motive that was isolated in 2 ringers. Except . . . a ringer was ringing an F natural instead of an F sharp by mistake. That’s what had sounded off in the forte section. The whole ensemble, including the ringer, had a laugh and we continued with the rehearsal.

As in the previous example, sometimes it can take us a while to feel that comething seems “off.” Even before COVID, I was experiencing seismic shifts. In July 2019, I moved from the Philadelphia metro area in southern New Jersey to Jacksonville, Florida, to start a new job. In early January 2020, a coworker and good friend was admitted to the hospital for non-COVID related illnesses and was in the hospital for several months. While he is at home now and doing extremely well, he’s not quite at 100 percent yet. In late January 2020, the senior pastor announced her retirement for May 2020. We were without an interim senior pastor until October 2020. The denomination for which I work, the United Methodist Church, is also experiencing many transitions. Adding COVID-19 into the mix is a recipe for a lot of uncertainty. The past 15-16 months have shaken us all. Even if you have worked for your organization for 20 years, my guess is that it has changed drastically. Perhaps you’re figuring out a multitude of transitions in your own context.

Getting back to the E Natural analogy, I’ve been asking myself where the resolution is, or at least how to get to a more pleasant dissonance. In my opinion, the solution is helping to create entirely new key that none of us have heard. This summer, I hope to get some insight about how to do that. Join me in this journey as we start to figure out this new world together. In addition to our own personal and professional circumstances, the choral world is progressing to a whole new paradigm. Using a prior transition point in music, when Beethoven explored 3rd relationships, I’m sure people thought he was crazy or wanted to keep tonal harmony the same. Look at the musical world he opened up! Similarly, we have the opportunity to create a brand new world.

Throughout this summer, you’ll read about how various organizations and events are making this transition. Here are examples of some of the topics:

  • What are conferences like in person? I’ll give you the inside scoop from the perspective of a conference organizer and attendee, as I’m doing both.
  • Now that we’ve had over a year of experience planning virtual events, what goes into executing an inspiring and successful online conference?
  • This new world also includes shifts that had started before COVID, such as a heightened awareness of the need for equity and inclusion in repertoire, conductors, and singers. How might we continue to create a world where all feel a sense of belonging in choirs?
  • What are the implications for music in worship?

Next week’s post is about a newly commissioned work called Remember the Ladies by Dr. Melissa Dunphy. It was premiered virtually in April 2021 by the Philadelphia-based PhilHarmonia Chamber Choir, an entirely women-led ensemble in its artistic and administrative staff. On May 27, 2021, there was an informal in-person gathering where we sang the piece in person for the first time. Stay tuned to read what that experience was like!

What are some transitions you’re facing or questions you have about the fall? Post below!

Austen Wilson recently found out he was named for an uncle on his dad’s side, and not Jane Austen as he previously had thought. He is the Director of Music and Worship Arts at Mandarin United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, FL, where he plans worship for traditional services and directs Adult Handbell and Vocal Choirs, and Children’s and Youth Vocal Choirs. Austen is looking forward to singing in the Florida Festival Singers during the 2021 – 2022 season. He holds an M.M. in Choral Conducting from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and a B.A. in Vocal Music Education from St. Olaf College.

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