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(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, "The Lyric Voice in Samuel Barber’s Reincarnations," by David H. Castleberry)          Reincarnations, Barber's op. 16, was composed during his sole teaching appointment, 1939-42, at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, from which he had graduated five years earlier with majors in voice, piano, and composition. These early […]

 WARM THE FLAME by Lucy Hudson Stembridge        “‘Do-so’ is more important than ‘say-so’”.       “We Are the World”   Coincidence?   The first quote, which most of us recognize as connecting the knowledge of solfege to the possibility of changing the world, is by Pete Seeger, “a tireless campaigner for his own vision […]

“You will know (the good from the bad) when you are calm, at peace. Passive.”  ~ Yoda   Are you at peace? Or are you tearing through your days in a caffeine-fueled frenzy of tense rehearsals, clipped conversations, and ever-increasing piles on your desk?   Many choral conductors are by nature tightly focused individuals driven […]

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: STANDARDS FOR MIXED VOICES by Angela Hampton   1. “Sicut Cervus,” Giovanni Pieruluigi da Palestrina The epitome of the Renaissance motet.  Simple rhythm and moderate vocal ranges.  Great for teaching students the “rise and fall” of a phrase.    2. “Ave Verum Corpus” (K. 618), W. A. Mozart, Hinshaw HMC490 Beautiful, […]

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: MIXED CHOIR by Angela Hampton   Five from the Folder – High School Contest/Festival Selections   1. “All That Hath Life and Breath, Praise Ye the Lord,” René Clausen, Mark Foster 223 Joyful concert opening with bright tertian harmonies.  Good introduction to aleatoric style.   2. “Cloudburst,” Eric Whitacre, Walton HL08500165 […]

FIVE FROM THE FOLDER: MULTICULTURAL REPERTOIRE by José Rivera   1. “La Hia Manu” Stephen Hatfield Boosey & Hawkes # 979-0-051- 7841-5       This spirited Polynesian arrangement is filled with lyrical and energetic passages. Uses bamboo poles!   2. “Son de la Loma” Jonathan Quick  Cypress Choral Music # CP 1118       This […]

Learning repertoire is another life-long (and fascinating) part of being a conductor.   For the beginning conductor it seems a daunting task, so first know that it's never-ending. Don't worry that you don't yet know enough, just get started.   First, of course, you'll learn the repertoire you sing. That doesn't mean it will be […]

Valentine’s Day weekend means a lot of folks will be on dates (well, not all of us).  Apparently, Bing and Fred have a little problem . . . they’re both chasing the same girl.  Looks like she gets to choose between the crooner or the dancer.  

(The abstract to the article “The Many Facets of Madeleine Marshall: A Historical and Cultural Perspective of Madeleine “Graham Jones” Marshall Simon (1899-1993), Author of The Singer’s Manual of English Diction,” by Sheri Cook-Cunningham, published in the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing)   Madeleine Marshall Simon (1899-1993), a pianist turned vocal coach, enjoyed […]