Latest Blog Posts

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: BOY CHOIR by Ken Taylor   1.  “Annabel Lee.” Patti Drennan. Hal Leonard 08703365. Beautiful, haunting setting of Edgar Allan Poe; simple TBB with divisi.   2.  “Kyrie Eleison” – Dan Davison – Hal Leonard 08501555. Energetic TB piece; it feels like it was written by Mozart.  Good for teaching tone […]

Sometimes it seems that we spend all of our time in rehearsals (particularly in the later stages of the semester) focusing upon what’s going wrong, rather than celebrating what’s going right.   Yes, absolutely, we are supposed to identify areas that require attention and devise methods for helping our choirs continue to improve.  When was […]

It looks like there’s been a change recently to the travel and passport recommendation by the U.S. State Department. They are now recommending your passports be valid for at least six months prior to departing from the U.S. You might be denied entrance into the country you are traveling to, or be denied boarding in the U.S. even if your passport […]

COMPOSITION SPOTLIGHT ~ by Jack Senzig   (Each week we look at one or two of the best choral works posted in the Composition Showcase here on ChoralNet.  This is where we store a treasure trove of works that your choirs will love to sing and your audiences will love to hear.)   Fighting Over What We Believe by […]

Throughout music history, our art in its various forms has been used to incite patriotic or nationalistic fervor.  Composers have often been called upon to write works with a specific nation in mind.  The most obvious use of music in this way is the composition of stirring national anthems (or works that perhaps should be […]

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER:  MIXED VOICES by Elizabeth Schauer   1.  “Missa Cellensis in C” (Mariazellermesse), H.XXII:8. F.J. Haydn. Carus-Verlag. An extended work in Haydn’s typical, buoyant style.  Large choral role, challenging but accessible, including expected fugues, virtuosic solo writing, sparkling orchestration.   2.  “Abendlied,” Op. 69, no. 3.  Josef Rheinberger. CPDL. For unaccompanied voices […]

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: TREBLE CHOIR by Ashley Conway   1.  “Sisters” (from “My Girls”). Gwyneth Walker. SSA  a cappella. Treble Clef Music Press. This text can serve to unify women of all backgrounds because we, indeed, are all “sisters.” School-yard clapping and an upbeat tempo make this a popular piece with choirs.   2.  […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Early Instruments and Choral Music,” by Joan Cantoni Conlon)          There is a growing awareness of the performance potential of music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Of equal importance, are the increased opportunities for acquiring early-instrument reproductions. Thorough investigation and sumptuous recordings by such groups […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Choral/Orchestral Balance: An Old Problem Reviewed” by James Fankhauser)          Can anyone imagine a choral director who would not choose to have his choir within eight feet of the podium for choral-orchestral works? Does anyone really like placing the choir at the back of the stage, behind […]