ChoralNet

The professional networking site for the global online choral community.

“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” Arthur Conan Doyle

Believe it or not, I get many emails about loyalty. Loyalty to a chorus or church choir or alumni group and perhaps another type performing group of some sort. I get questions such as: if my university has disbanded an ensemble I was a part of and I don’t see why they disbanded it, should I still donate to the university? Or: the new choir director at my church often schedules anthems not to my taste, should I still sing every Sunday, even if I don’t like what we’re singing that morning?

In addition to those types of questions of loyalty, several of my recent correspondents are board members or audience members of community or professional choruses. All want to know a variation of: if I don’t like the music on a particular concert, do I still have to attend?

The answer to all these queries is simple: it depends. If your idea of loyalty is punishing someone when they do something you don’t agree with by withholding money or attendance, then sure, do what you want with your money and attendance. But you’re not being loyal. If you see a chorus or church choir or other performing arts organization as someone providing you a SERVICE and you are unhappy, then don’t attend, don’t donate, and don’t support them in other ways. But I feel music is different from hiring a contractor or ordering take-out.

In our household, I am usually the one who organizes home repairs with the plumber or hires the lawn service or gets estimates. If I need a plumber, I hire someone I’ve had a pleasant experience with, not the company who punched a hole in my ceiling for no good reason. If I need the lawn mowed, I contract with someone who has done a good job for me and continues to do a good job for me. There have been a few times when my current Lawn Guy has NOT done a good job and he usually explains WHY. The backyard was too muddy and his mower kept getting stuck in the goo or he didn’t want to mow over 100s of Cicadas. The reason he is my Current Lawn Guy is for exactly this reason, he explains why.

If you are upset your University’s Glee Club, or Show Choir or Swedish Chorus has been disbanded, ASK WHY. Perhaps there isn’t interest from current students or not enough funds to pay the director. If you want to be loyal, see what you can do to prevent the disbanding, perhaps you and other Alumni could start a fund. Or you can accept their explanation. No one expects you to continue to donate if you don’t like their explanation unless YOU WANT TO.

Church choirs are notorious for using attendance and participation as some sort of punishment for anthem choices. If you think you shouldn’t sing if you don’t like the anthems, then don’t sing but TELL the director why you won’t be singing. Perhaps there is a reason for the choices, such as getting younger singers involved or it’s a request from clergy, for those Sundays and if you knew, you would want to sing. During Lent, I had a tenor in one of my former church gigs moan about the “Dirge of the Week” because he thought the music wasn’t “peppy enough.” He threatened not to sing unless the music was happier. It was LENT and the music wasn’t peppy because it was LENT. As we began rehearsing for Palm Sunday and Easter, he was much more at ease, but I’ll never forget having to EXPLAIN to him why we didn’t sing more upbeat anthems during LENT.

If you are a board member of a chorus and you’ve attended board meetings, you should know why certain repertoire is chosen for each concert. If a concert is not to your taste, don’t attend, but purchase tickets for the concert, that would be loyal. If the music for every concert is no longer to your taste, then perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your relationship with the chorus. And if other board members feel as you do, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your music director.

As an audience member, if you don’t like the repertoire, don’t go to the concert! A concert of “not Beethoven or Mozart” or “All New Music” might appeal to others and if that’s not you, it’s perfectly fine. In this case, the chorus provides a service, and no one suggests you need to attend a concert if you don’t like the music to be performed. It’s the chorus’s responsibility to choose music to get “behinds in seats” and if they don’t, it’s on them. However, they might be surprised, good or bad, what their repertoire selections bring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Search Results for: choir

CJ Replay: Show Care for the Pianist

by Leave a Comment

"A fast-paced, efficient choir rehearsal generally requires three elements: an inspired director, a responsive choir, and a good choral accompanist. The accompanist can be of great influence in either aiding or hindering the work of the director or choir. The accompanist can add momentum to a rehearsal or create jagged breaks in the concentration of […]

NYC Young People’s Chorus founder awarded MacArthur “genius grant”

by Leave a Comment

(AP)  CHICAGO — A Chicago skyscraper architect, a New York City children’s choir founder and a North Carolina scientist who studies how to prevent sports-related concussions are among the latest 22 recipients of the no-strings-attached MacArthur Foundation “genius grants.” The $500,000 fellowships for 2011 were announced Tuesday by the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. […]

Presbyterian Musicians Appoint McConnell

by Leave a Comment

LOUISVILLE, KY — The Executive Board of Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM) is pleased to announce the call and appointment of Dr. William McConnell as Executive Director.  He begins his service to the organization and its members on January 1, 2012.  He follows Alan Barthel, who is retiring from the organization after 11 years as […]

Video: The Face and Heart of New Music

by Leave a Comment

Announcing “The Face and Heart of New Music” — a short documentary video about the creation of a new piece of choral music.   Produced by the Peninsula Women’s Chorus (PWC) of Palo Alto, California, this project documents the collaborative efforts in commissioning and premiering “Face and Heart,” created for treble voices by composer Pablo Ortiz […]

Shaw/Bennett: The Many Moods of Christmas

by Leave a Comment

The rental agent for these Lawson Gould publications has changed. The full orchestrations are now on rental from Alfred Music Publishing rental dept.  <http://www.alfred.com/rental/.aspx> ITEM: #SHAROB1 The Many Moods of Christmas, Suite 1  1963 Shaw , Robert Edit/Arr/Orchestrator: Bennett, Robert Russell Duration:12:00  Songs in Suite One:«Good Chritian Men, Rejoice«Silent Night«Patapan«O Come, All Ye Faithful Description: […]

Focusing on Peace

by Leave a Comment

Paul Carey pointed me to his latest blog post about a colleague’s recent concert that focused on peace.   Read a little here and then travel to Paul’s blog for more.   My good friend Paul LaPrade, a humble genius, presented a program on September 10th (note, not September 11th) entilted “A Concert for Peace […]

© 2024 American Choral Directors Association. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy