Latest Blog Posts

“In presenting his rationale for the writing of this biography the author says in speaking of Shaw … “there has always been a ceriteredness about him and that center is congruent with the mystereous core of the experience of music … There is that incredible vitality . . . There is his perception’ of the […]

For those of us who have worked in various parts of the nation, we can tell you with absolutely certainly that various regions of the country all bring unique challenges to the choir’s sound as pertains to language.  In this selection, one not need know the language to hear the careful attention to vowel color.  […]

Conductors have been complaining about a lack of male voices in their choirs for centuries. I've done it. You've done it. Bach did it.  So, let's cook with what we have, shall we? Here's a look at some repertoire that will be exciting to the men singing, as well as to the listener.  Analyze this […]

How is THIS for a new year’s resolution: Help the Choir SOUND better.  Seems simple doesn’t it?  Here is a clip from the 2011 ACDA National Conference of David Conte sharing a warm up suggestion.

First, a Hanukkah piece from our own Paul Carey – so beautiful:       Next, the airport security guys have formed a choir!  Although it seems a bit questionable to me, I can't ever complain about a group of people bonding together to sing.  This article from the LA Times gives a few more […]

The American Choral Directors Association has added an exciting NEW FEATURE to the ACDA website – exclusively for ACDA members. Thanks to a special arrangement with Naxos, ACDA members can now enjoy “FIRST LISTEN,” a program that previews excerpts from 15 new choral recordings before they are released to the general public.   “We are […]

Chris Rowbury points to a familiar experience of choral directors: Things are going swimmingly, the choir are eating up the new, complex song you’re teaching them, even though it was a bit of a risk introducing it. They sound great, they’ve mastered the tricky rhythms and are clearly having fun. Then you see the one […]

At my first American Choral Directors Association National Leadership Conference in the summer of 2008, I asked members of ACDA's National Board to give me names of outstanding leaders across the country with which they were familiar, that I might contact for a conversation toward my own mentoring. My desire was to learn the life […]

Composer and creative writer Kurt Knecht comes through again, this time with an inventive story about Buxtehude: So, when someone showed up to audition, Buxtehude would pull the applicant aside and say, “This is a really sweet gig. Lübeck is a great town. The congregation is very supportive. The organ is fantastic. Oh, by the […]

A variation on a familiar effect.     Link for the embedded-impaired: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyviyF-N23A