Latest Blog Posts

Amazing what a vocal ensemble can do nowadays, even if it's an ensemble of clones:     h/t The Fredösphere

Last summer, I found myself dealing with the travel challenge of going half way around the world for a choral event, only to need to travel even further away for each succeeding event. It became apparent I would be traveling more if I came back home between destinations, than if I just kept traveling east. The solution resulted in my […]

With special bonus: shadow art!  

I saw this article today on the Chronicle of Higher Education – and it makes a lot of sense: train future teachers like we train doctors. And by future teachers, I mean all future choral conductors.   Read about it:  Teacher-training programs need to be revamped to focus more on hands-on, clinical instruction, similar to […]

Blogger L-Dwag finds church refreshing. Unless… Tell me you know what I’m talking about. That person who happens to be standing directly behind you, and does not realize there is a volume control on their voice. Not only do they not recognize the volume confusion, but at times it appears they are singing a completely […]

Chris Rowbury rails against choir uniforms: Why not simply listen to the choir on the radio or on CD? There is nothing to look at: everyone looks and sounds the same, they’re even encouraged to use the same mouth shape and facial expression. If there is something special about hearing the choir live, then simply hide […]

So many boring pictures of choirs.     Here is one I really like, the Choir of Sidney Sussex College that I found on Eric Whitacre’s blog.     Who else has a great choir pic?

I wish I had thought of this, from Clef Notes and Drama Queens by Tim Smith.  A blog featuring Britten: On this Veterans Day, I wanted to share something from Benjamin Britten’s profound “War Requiem.” The composer interwove the ancient Latin Mass for the Dead with haunting poetry of Wilfred Owen to create a musical […]

Laurel Masse, a singer, takes notes on the rhythm of words in her revived passion for language: What I have been discovering in acting – illuminated by the skills of the wonderful actors I am working with – is that the words themselves have a melody, subtle, but strong. Though I've often told shy, first-time […]

Alex Ross takes notice of this article by Tim Mangan and makes some very interesting comments on the future of the superstar conductor.  Take a look: The specifics can be debated, but a larger point seems clear. With the complicated cultural and financial pressures now circling orchestras, the modern music director needs more than ever […]