WEST VALLEY COLLEGE
CILKER SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES Major Works with Orchestra Concert Tours England & France, 2014 Ireland, 2016 Finland, Latvia & Estonia, 2018 Music Theater Production Footloose, 2016 Guys & Dolls, 2017 Cabaret, 2018 Musical Theater & Opera Scenes
CHORAL ENSEMBLES ‣ Concert Choir ‣ Chamber Singers ‣ Vocal Jazz Ensemble
DEGREE PROGRAMS Transferable to CSU & UC ‣ AA in Music ‣ AA-T in Music
APPLIED LESSONS College pays for lessons of Music Majors
VOICE FACULTY
Sandra Bengochea Manhattan School of Music
Architecture • Interior Design • Animation Visual Arts • Recording Arts • Theatre Music • Fashion Design • Photography
Lou De La Rosa
Director of Choral & Vocal Studies (408) 741-2013 14000 Fruitvale Avenue Saratoga, CA 95070 lou.delarosa@wvm.edu westvalley.edu/music A California Community College Located in the Heart of Silicon Valley
Mary Linduska University of Illinois, Urbana Jacque Wilson Scharlach Boston Conservatory Esther Archer Collaborative Pianist & Vocal Coach
Come and join us!
An All-Steinway School
2 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
California Choral Directors Association
5 | MUSICAL ENLIGHTENMENT from the president’s pen · by rob istad 6 | #USTOO letter from the editor
· by eliza rubenstein
8 | WINTER IS COMING: PART 2 recession-proof your choral program · by bruce rockwell 14 | AN AVERAGE DAY the composer’s voice · by dale trumbore 17 | ACDA WESTERN DIVISION CONFERENCE 18 | SEEN & HEARD 20 | CASMEC 2018 22 | VISION FOR THE FUTURE scholarship fund donors
24 | NEWS AND NOTES happenings from around the state
26 | TOP FIVE: CHORAL COMPOSITION by david montoya
sing into 2018 with your CCDA community! More photos on Pages 18-19.
29 | TOP FIVE: COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY by buddy james
30 | TOP FIVE: HIGH SCHOOL CHOIRS by tammi alderman
33 | TOP FIVE: MEN’S CHOIRS by gavin spencer
34 | CALIFORNIA ACDA DIRECTORY
Leading the Way
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 3
CANTATE Volume 30, Number 2
Official publication of the California Choral Directors Association, an Affiliate of the American Choral Directors Association Eliza Rubenstein, editor
cantate.editor@gmail.com
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS We welcome and encourage CCDA members to contribute articles, announcements, music and book reviews, job vacancy listings, photographs, and other items of interest to Cantate! Please send queries and article ideas to You are also welcome to submit completed articles, but please note that not all articles received will be published. cantate.editor@gmail.com.
Deadlines for publication are as follows: August 15 (Fall issue); November 1 (Winter issue); March 1 (Spring issue). The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions.
ADVERTISING IN CANTATE Please visit our website (www.calcda.org) or e-mail us at cantate.ads@gmail.com for complete information on advertising in Cantate, including rates, deadlines, and graphics specifications. Advertisements are subject to editorial approval. On the cover: Students from Junipero Serra Catholic High School (San Juan Capistrano; Brian Dehn, director) perform in a Christmas concert at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. Photo by Steve Wylie.
4 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
WHEREAS, the human spirit is elevated to a broader understanding of itself through study and performance in the aesthetic arts, and WHEREAS, serious cutbacks in funding and support have steadily eroded state institutions and their programs throughout our country, BE IT RESOLVED that all citizens of the United States actively voice their affirmative and collective support for necessary funding at the local, state, and national levels of education and government, to ensure the survival of arts programs for this and future generations.
California Choral Directors Association empowers choral musicians to create transformative experiences for California’s diverse communities. CCDA is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt corporation and an affiliate of the American Choral Directors Association.
UPCOMING EVENTS CASMEC 2018 February 15-18, 2018 (San Jose) ACDA Western Conference March 14-17, 2018 (Pasadena)
California Choral Directors Association
From The president’s pen:
Musical Enlightenment s we encounter this time of early A darkness, solstice, and the turn of the calendar year, I find myself becoming more
Robert Istad is in his inaugural season as the
Artistic Director of Pacific Chorale. Istad is also
Professor of
Music and Director of Choral Studies at California
State University,
Fullerton, where he was recognized as
CSUF’s
2016 Outstanding Professor of the Year. He is the former Artistic
Director of Long
Beach Camerata Singers and
Long Beach Bach
Festival. He is Dean of
Chorus America’s
Academy for Conductors, and has prepared choruses for a number of
America’s finest con-
ductors and orchestras.
introspective. The holidays we celebrate during this transitional time encourage us to ponder, to connect more deeply with our families and communities, and to pursue epiphany. The stories we tell at this time of year are powerful examples of perseverance and faith. I am inspired by the tale of the Magi dreamily following the light of a mystical star, and that of the Maccabees encountering the inexplicable miracle of light following barbaric conflict. I am motivated by the tradition of Kwanzaa, and the ways in which its celebration encourages our African-American sisters and brothers to reflect on the shared values of their community. Our holiday concerts may sometimes feel like annual insanity, but we must all strive to remember that they fill a great need for light and love in our cities. Like you, I cherish our annual opportunity to be a central part of these myriad celebrations. I also like to take the opportunity at this midpoint of our semesters and concert seasons to reflect on my own life, teaching, rehearsing and daily musical practice. My students and I often talk about our shared musical journey as a pathway to “musical enlightenment.” The Buddhist tradition of “enlightenment” encourages its followers to look at their unfolding spiritual lives with dedication and patience. Enlightenment relates a way of living life in the present with authenticity and humility. For me, “musical enlightenment” perfectly describes the dedicated practice required of lifelong musicians like us. We understand that our relationship to musicality, musicianship, truthful hearing, and profound knowledge deepens with dedicated practice. Conductors and educators become better and more skilled as we acquire years of experience. I know, as you do, that I hear more deeply and understand musical structure more completely with every passing day.
U
nderstanding that music is a lifelong pursuit encourages me to dedicate myself to the work of study and practice in joy. Although I am not perfect, I am committed
Leading the Way
to daily practice and score study. Setting this precious time for myself ensures that I can be more authentic in my classroom and in my professional rehearsals. Sometimes I neglect my musical responsibilities in favor of other pressing matters, and I can feel it. Most importantly, my students and my professional singers feel it. Subconsciously they sense that I am “not the same” when I am not hearing truthfully. These situations provide incredible opportunities for me to learn to forgive myself and return to my thoughtful practice. Years ago, Chris Peterson and I made a joint commitment to dedicate our careers at CSUF to help our students comprehend “musical enlightenment” as a joyful, albeit challenging, lifelong journey. We incorporate intensive musicianship and literacy training into every course and rehearsal. By the time they graduate, our students understand that while completion of a degree program “qualifies” them to apply for certain jobs and graduate programs, it does not signify their mastery of music. Rather, the end of a college degree program indicates the beginning of a much more personal and deepening relationship with music. We encourage them to share that same passion for lifelong learning and musical dedication with their own students and singing communities. By providing our students the gift of musical literacy, we in turn open the hearts and minds of their future students. This time of the year is the perfect time for us all to reflect on our own path to musical enlightenment. The stories, the celebrations, and our connected families and communities can encourage us to ponder the essence of the human/musician/teacher/parent/child/ friend we strive to become. They embolden us to forgive ourselves, to right our paths, and to wonder at the miracles we are blessed to encounter every day in our exceptional profession. I hope each of you has enjoyed a joyful and magical holiday season with your students, singing communities, and your families. I look forward to connecting with you at the February CASMEC Conference and All-State Honor Choirs in San Jose, and our fantastic ACDA Western Division Conference in Pasadena in March.
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 5
letter from the editor:
#USTOO
few weeks ago, an internationally-known A orchestral conductor made headlines for saying that he didn’t believe sexual assault
Eliza Rubenstein is the Director of Choral and
Vocal Activities at
Orange Coast College, and the
Artistic
Director of the Orange County Women’s Chorus and the
Long Beach
Chorale & Chamber Orchestra. She holds degrees from
Oberlin
College and UC-Irvine, and she is a former animal-shelter supervisor and the co-author of a book about dog adoption.
Eliza’s family
includes her partner,
Julie Fischer; a yellow
Labrador named
Dayton; and a cat named
Wilbur. She’s
passionate about grammar,
Thai food,
photography, and the
St. Louis Cardinals.
and harassment were problems in the world of classical music. That was just before a couple of other internationally-known conductors were accused by multiple victims of, you guessed it, sexual assault and harassment. Have we learned yet? Have the last several months—the near-daily allegations and revelations, the #metoo movement—finally disabused us of the notion that any profession is too (pick one) educated, cultured, kindhearted, humble, or loving to be immune from the ugliness of those who would use their influence to prey on others? Or are we still clinging to the hope that maybe all the things we love about choral singing—the teamwork, the mutual respect, the shared pursuit of beauty—have the power to keep our community free of harm and hashtags? Casteix knows better. Jdentoelle She was a 15-year-old stuat a high-profile Catholic
abusers and the institutions that enable and protect them, and a top author on the subject. Joelle’s experience was extreme but hardly exceptional. When I made it known that I was writing on this topic, my inbox filled up with stories from colleagues, mostly women, who had been victimized by others in the profession. One followed a fellow professional singer to his car to get some new music from him after a dinner together, only to be pulled into the back seat and assaulted. Another recalled the humiliation of being a young teacher and listening, with her students, to a festival judge’s taped comments about how “striking” she looked from behind. A third was sexually assaulted by a conducting teacher at a master class she’d paid to attend. And several spoke of the pain and turmoil of watching their colleagues or their professors take advantage of their positions in similar ways. The details always vary, but the dynamics are usually much the same. o, what do we do? Let’s first S agree on what not to do. A host on the local classical radio
high school in Southern station responded to the recent California when her choir director began sexually abus- Joelle Casteix uses her news of sexual misconduct in the classical-music world with ing her in the mid-1980s. The voice to sing—and a tweet that said it well: “Our abuse continued for two years, to speak out about sexual abuse response to sexual abuse damn during which the teacher well better not be ‘to make threatened Joelle and her music more intensely, more devotedly, more friends to keep them silent. When the choir beautifully than ever before’”—not because director admitted to the school’s administrathat isn’t helpful; merely because it isn’t tors that he had “dated” multiple students, enough. Music is unifying and healing, but it he was reprimanded but permitted to return can’t prevent or solve problems by itself. to the classroom. When he finally resigned The same ears and voices that inform and under pressure, the school’s administration enable our music-making, though, can do the sent off with a glowing letter of thanks for his work of embracing and enforcing equality and service, and he continues to direct choirs at a respect within our profession. Let us listen to Midwestern college today. the experiences of those with stories to tell. Let I met Joelle and learned her story when us be unafraid to speak truth to power when she spent several years as a member of one of called to. Let us never excuse misbehavior as my choruses; you can visit her website, www. theworthyadversary.com, if you’d like to an unavoidable side effect of talent. know more about how she turned her ordeal And let us find our voices, our courage, into a calling. Today, she’s a leading advocate and our strength in numbers. We already for sexual abuse victims, a relentless foe of know how. We do it every day.
6 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
California Choral Directors Association
Leading the Way
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 7
WINTER IS
RECESSION-PROOF YOUR CH BY BRUCE 8 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
California Choral Directors Association
S COMING
HORAL PROGRAM: PART TWO ROCKWELL Leading the Way
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 9
E to the boom and bust cycle of the American economy. Periods of recovery and expansion are interrupted by recesducation funding is notoriously sensitive
sions that can devastate music programs with long term consequences that are often felt well after funding gets restored. The economic cycle itself has settled into a semi-regular rhythm in the post-war era, and according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, recessions now occur every five to six years on average. In some ways the pain of the Great Recession is still being felt, but the fact remains that it has now been almost nine years since our last economic pullback. We can’t accurately predict when the next recession will hit, but now is the time to be readying ourselves, our music programs, and our communities to endure it successfully. Part One of Winter is Coming: Recession-Proof Your Choral Program (which you can read in the Fall 2017 issue of Cantate on the www.calcda. org website if you missed it in the magazine!) explored several empowering strategies that may be adopted as best practices, inspired by districts that have a long track record of supporting music education, irrespective of economic downturns. Among the topics previously explored are.... • Have a plan: Nothing is more important or powerful than bringing key players together to develop a formal plan to deliver arts education in your district or school. • Mind the LCAP: The Local Control and Accountability Plan outlines your district’s plan for spending money, and defines accountability metrics. The arts are uniquely poised to deliver on most of the LCAP’s targeted goal areas. Get to know your district’s LCAP, and engage your community in advocating for specific music education priorities. • Invest in relationships: Don’t wait until crises hit; now is the time to establish strong lines of communication among music education leaders, administrators, board members, and other key decision makers. • Develop fundraising capacity: Booster groups are traditional conduits for advocacy and fundraising, yet they are often limited to serving secondary programs in middleclass and affluent communities. Among other efforts, engag10 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
ing or forming arts or music education foundations can help close the gaps in elementary school programs and other underfunded areas. In this issue, we examine a number of other areas that rise to the fore in order to protect our music programs from the fallout of our next economic downturn: KNOW THE LAW alifornia Educational Code requires curricular music education for all elementary school students through the sixth grade. This instruction should be at the school sites, during school hours, and aligned to the National Core Arts Standards. The Educational Code also requires schools to provide viable options for secondary students to take electives in all of the visual and performing arts disciplines. These minimum course requirements are spelled out in EC §51210 and EC §51220, virtually mandating an arts-rich educational experience for all California students. Many districts and schools in this state are frankly out of compliance with the Ed Code, however, and merely getting them to uphold their minimum responsibility under California law will result in marked improvements in arts education. Some administrators can be frustratingly indifferent to—and sometimes even unaware of—their obligations under this part of the Ed Code, and may require persistent persuasion from dedicated teachers.
C
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT school’s music ensembles—and particularly its choirs—are uniquely positioned to represent the school positively in the local community. Most communities hold public events that might benefit from choral music: Christmas tree lighting celebrations, holiday sing-alongs, Little League opening day parades, Independence Day celebrations, Memorial Day observances, etc. There are further opportunities for ad hoc performances at assisted living homes, children’s hospitals, veterans’ homes, and more. Many communities also have professional sports teams that utilize school groups for national anthem performances. These experiences are inherently worthy and meaningful for students, and the opportunity to highlight your ensembles’ contributions to civic life should not be missed. We must be deliberate in our efforts to publicize our community outreach efforts directly to superintendents, school boards,
A
California Choral Directors Association
and administrators at the site and district levels. Here’s a tip for active choirs: The offices of city mayors and state legislators are usually very good about providing certificates or plaques to commemorate the contribution a choir program makes to the civic life of its community. These certificates can be obtained for the price of a ten-minute phone call or a short e-mail. And before you hang it up in an important spot in your music building, take the time to photocopy or scan it, and send it to everybody on your VIP list: all administrators, superintendents and assistant superintendents, the editor of your school’s Parent/Teacher/ Student Association newsletter, and the coordinator of your school’s social media.
students as possible in an expanding tent of VAPA education. Districts with gaping holes in the K-12 music curriculum need to plug them up quickly. Schools with only one music teacher might want to be looking at ways to hire on a second. Schools with two music teachers could be looking now to expand course offerings to justify a third, etc. And as Steve Venz, VAPA Coordinator for the Orange County Office of Education, points out, “The hiring piece is crucial, and often doesn’t get a lot of attention. You can advocate till you’re blue in the face, but if the new teacher isn’t any good, it’s like going two steps backward.” It can be a challenge to create a new full-time position, and it often requires some creativity and flexibility about classroom spaces and teaching schedules. At College CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP Park High School, we had experienced growth in music enrollments, and my instrumental colleague began teachusic teachers can lead a cloistered existence on a ing a 120% workload. Working with our administration school campus. We’re often the first to arrive and the over time, we made the case for a new full-time teacher by last to leave, and the demands on our time and energy can adding Advanced Placement Music Theory and piano be formidable. But according to Jennifer Sachs, Executive programs (taught in a lab space shared with the Computer Director for Instructional Support for Mt. Diablo UniScience class), piloting a guitar program, and carefully fied School District in Contra Costa County, “It’s really planning out what the full-time workload of the new teacher important that music teachers assume leadership positions. was going to look like. We grew the size of our music We always hate to lose them in the classroom, but they are department by over 200 the ones who can speak students in just a few articulately to the needs of years, and have brought music education.” the benefits of music Not all positions of education to entirely new district leadership take the and unique segments of teachers out of the classthe student population. room, of course. Music We cannot afford to directors can serve on fall back on a scarcity site councils, staff senmindset, with fears that ates, hiring committees, if we build up a choir parent-teacher groups, program, then the band union representation, as program will suffer—or teachers on special assignthat if we start a guitar ment, and, as previously program, then drama mentioned, on LCAP enrollments with suffer. committees. Even in good These concerns are not economic times, decisions supported by the evithat negatively impact the dence, as there is no set arts are routinely made Above: The Townsend Junior High Chime Ensemble amount of “creative stufor the simple reason that sows good will in their community by performing dents” to draw from in nobody advocated for the at a Chino Hills City Council Meeting any given school. We will VAPA perspective when not meaningfully grow the decisions were made. and strengthen our programs by protecting our turf. The best growth—the kind of enduring program enhancement LIFT ALL BOATS that will help abide the next recession—is accomplished by o a certain degree in the advocacy game, might is expanding the size of our pie, not fighting over the pieces. right. Large, comprehensive programs that involve diverse sectors of the student population naturally garner CIRCLE YOUR WAGONS more support from communities, administrators, and other uch of the discussion regarding a music program’s decision-makers. Now more than ever, we need to adopt a readiness to survive an impending budget crunch is growth mindset about the near future, to include as many not much different from defining the “best practices” that
M
T
M
Leading the Way
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guide our programs irrespective of the economic cycle. But the realization of where we likely are in the historic rhythms of the U.S. economy lends an urgency and focus to our efforts, and certain tasks come to the surface. Now is the time to convene a panel to create a district arts plan if you do not have one. Now is the time to create booster groups and music education foundations. Now is the time to engage our communities, recruit student musicians, expand our course offerings, raise awareness, and hire new teaching staff. “There is no one magic bullet,” says Steve Venz. “Some of these strategies might work really well for you...I might do the same thing and we might end up losing FTE [full-time equivalent hours]. The thing is to empower everybody as much as possible. We only have power over ourselves, and if we’re sitting around and doing nothing, we’re less likely to prevent budget cuts.” The main priority, Venz emphasizes, is “making sure that administration knows the value of arts education. The more visible we are, the more entrenched we are in our communities, the more likely we’ll weather the storm in good shape.”
Bruce Rockwell received a B.A. in Music from UC Santa Cruz, and an M.M. in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Conrad Susa and David Conte. He has taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division, the San Francisco Waldorf schools, and the Town School for Boys, and is currently teaching choir and guitar at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill. His music has been published by Walton Music, E.C. Schirmer, and Swirly Music. He lives with his family in Benicia, with their dog named Zelda and their cat named Ringo.
CONGRATULATIONS CALIFORNIA CHOIRS ON YOUR SUCCESSFUL 2017 CONCERT TOURS Azusa Pacific University MS. MICHELLE JENSEN
California State University Long Beach Bob Cole Conservatory of Music DR. JONATHAN TALBERG
Vanguard University DR. JAMES MELTON nsen s. Michelle Je
M
Beverly Hills High School MS. STACEY KIKKAWA Chino Hills High School MS. LAURA RUTHERFORD Presentation High School MS. EMILIE BERTRAM
Dr. Jonathan Ta
lberg
www.perform-international.com
12 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
www.perform-america.com
Acalanes High School MR. BRUCE LENGACHER Canyon High School MS. ARIEL MAY Irvine High School MS. TINA PETERSON
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church DR. JAMES MELTON
info@perform-international.com
California Choral Directors Association
MMCC-Ad-Cantate-7.5x10-bw-Smr2018-outlined.indd 1
Leading the Way
11/13/17 11:40 AM
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 13
the COmposer’s voice:
An Average Day hat’s your day like? This is the most W frequent question I’m asked in interviews and Q&As. If composing weren’t what I did for Dale Trumbore has received commissions, performances, and awards from organizations including
ACDA, ACME, Center City Opera Theater, Chanticleer, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, the Kronos Quartet, and VocalEssence, and she has been hailed by the
New York Times for her “soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies.”
Dale is orginally from New Jersey and now lives in
Los Angeles.
Hear her music at www.daletrumbore.com.
a living, I’d probably wonder, too. Usually, I say that I answer emails in the morning, compose in the afternoon, and teach, relax, or take care of other chores in the evening. But the real answer? Some of my days look similar to one another, yes, but my schedule shifts completely depending on the deadlines I’m trying to meet. When I wake up, I usually spend an hour on my computer catching up on news, blogs, and social media. I exercise, with either a walk around my hilly LA neighborhood or half an hour of yoga and a few minutes of meditating. Sometimes I do this later in the day; sometimes I skip it, which I nearly always regret. Eventually, I get around to answering e-mails. I’ve blocked my computer’s Facebook Timeline with a Chrome extension, and I sometimes use an app called SelfControl to block all social media sites for a set amount of time. I aim to respond to messages within 24 hours, and if someone has purchased a score of mine through MusicSpoke, I send a quick thank-you. Does all of this take four hours? Nope, and my morning routine changes depending on what’s coming up. I’ve built in this flexibility so that when things get busier, I have time in the morning to take care of everything. From 8 a.m. to noon, I might edit my website, write my newsletter (poempiecepost.com), speak with a potential collaborator, get coffee or brunch with a friend, Skype with a choir working on my music, make travel plans, edit a piece, work on press materials, write a grant, do an interview for a podcast, or write an article like this one. Around noon, the cat begins to meow at me until I feed him. I feed myself lunch, too, and I usually watch an episode of something on Netflix for 25-45 minutes while I eat. For years, I wouldn’t admit to myself that I don’t love composing in the morning. There’s a general misconception that the most productive people wake up bursting with creative energy and run to the piano, or the easel, or whatever. For me, that’s not the case. My peak creative hours are around 1-4 p.m., and if I don’t have to teach in the evening, I’ll keep composing or until 6 or 7 p.m. Our bodies are primed to want
14 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
to sleep in the evening; I think of my afternoon composing time the same way, only mine is a creative rhythm rather than a circadian one. If I’m nowhere near a deadline, I may only compose for one or two hours. If I’ve just finished a piece, I’ll take a week or two off of composing. If a deadline is looming and the piece still isn’t done, I may bolt straight out of bed to work all day. Either way, the afternoon is my sacred composing time. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I spend roughly 4-8 p.m. teaching private lessons. On the days I don’t teach, I compose or work until dinner; my boyfriend and I take turns cooking, and we usually spend after-dinner time catching up or watching another episode of TV. I read for about half an hour before I go to sleep. have wildly productive days and wildly unproImorning ductive ones. Sometimes I’ll spend an entire updating my website, sending emails,
and signing contracts, and then I’ll compose for five hours in the afternoon. Other days, I sit around watching Netflix, berating myself for not getting more done. (Last week, I had one day where I only wrote four measures of an orchestra piece that’s due in a month. Today, by contrast, I sent e-mails in the morning, did a Skype rehearsal, made good progress on the orchestra piece in the afternoon, and worked on this article and another one in the evening.) Often, even when I’ve had a very productive morning, I feel like I’ve wasted my day if I haven’t composed. The good news? Even a tiny bit of work is enough to make a day feel worthwhile. Even last week’s four-measure day counted as one where I technically composed, and four measures are better than none. Even though the majority of my days are spent composing from home, I’ve learned that there might be no such thing as a true daily routine, at least not for me. If you’re lucky enough to find a schedule that accommodates your most creative hours and yet allows flexibility for the chaos of everyday life (or even a nine-to-five job) to intrude, that routine deserves respect. It doesn’t matter when or how you’re getting creative work done, as long as you honor that time by doing the work you’re called to do.
California Choral Directors Association
Leading the Way
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 15
Artistry. Experience. Excellence. VOICE at UC Santa Barbara
DEGREES OFFERED
BA, BM, MM, DMA, combined MM/DMA
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Outstanding faculty Fully-funded graduate degrees Individual attention and weekly coachings Fully-staged opera productions Combined MM/DMA program Professional performance opportunities
Isabel Bayrakdarian Soprano
Linda Di Fiore Mezzo-soprano
Benjamin Brecher Tenor
visit music.ucsb.edu/programs/performance/voice
16 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
John Ballerino Vocal Coach
Grey Brothers Director of Choral Activities
California Choral Directors Association
Pasadena 2018 Western Division Conference Wednesday, March 14 – Saturday, March 17
“Let Our Songs Be Heard”
Calmus
Santa Fe DeSert Chorale
Featured PerFormances by Calmus Santa Fe Desert Chorale True North LA Master Chorale plus 20 more invited ensembles True NorTh
LA MAster ChorALe
advancing the art through Composer Chats Interest Sessions Music in Worship Reading Sessions Round Tables Seminars Workout Choirs and more...
More information online at acdawestern.org
Leading the Way
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 17
SEEN & HEARD C
lockwise from upper left: Members of the Biola University Chorale perform at the NCCO national conference (photo by Zachary Hazelwood, courtesy of NCCO); the choirs of Los Gatos High School perform a holiday concert (photo by Ana Fay Gueth, courtesy of Maricel Riley); the Kildahl, courtesy of Karyn Silva); the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of formance (photo courtesy of Michael Reilly); Dr. Buddy Jame members of the Orange Coast College Chamber Singers celebra
18 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
California Choral Directors Association
e Peninsula Girls’ Chorus celebrates the season (photo by Dan f San Francisco presents their “Nightmare on Polk Street” peres directs the Cal State East Bay Men’s Chorus Festival; and ate the end of a long semester.
Leading the Way
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20 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
California Choral Directors Association
CASMEC 2018: schedule of events Thursday, February 15 11:00-11:50 a.m.: Interest Session 1 • Finding their Space: Re-Inventing the Choral Audition (Dr. Alyssa Cossey) 12:40-1:40 p.m.: Concert Session A (Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph) • Acalanes High School Bella Voce (Bruce Lengager, director) • Bakersfield College Chamber Singers (Jennifer Garrett, director) 2:00-2:50 p.m.: Interest Session 2 • The First Five Years: A Survival & Planning Guide (Becky Marsh and Dr. Alyssa Cossey) • We Can Mend the Sky: Choral Music and Social Justice in an Age of Division (Dr. Joshua Palkki) 3:00-4:20 p.m.: CMEA General Session 4:40-5:45 p.m. Concert Session B (San Jose Conference Center) • Cuesta College VOCE (John Knutson, director) • American River College Vocal Jazz Ensemble (Arthur La Pierre, director) 5:00-7:00 p.m.: CLA Registration Opens 8:00-10:00 p.m.: All-Conference Opening Night Concert, featuring the Filharmonics (from NBC’s The Sing Off) Friday, February 16 8:50-9:40 a.m.: CCDA Reading Session A • Easy High School SATB, Middle School/JR High, and Show Choir • Advanced SATB, College and University, Two-year College, and Vocal Jazz 10-11:00 a.m.: Concert Session C (Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph) • Reyburn Intermediate Tenor/Bass Choir (Allison Crose, director) • California State University, Fullerton Concert Choir (Dr. Christopher Peterson, director) 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m.: Interest Session 3 • Unveiling the Mystery: Understanding Arabic Choral Music for the Western Choral Conductor (Dr. Cari Earnhart) • Selecting and teaching repertory for the singers you have and the choir you want to build (Dr. Jenny Bent and Dr. Angel Vázquez-Ramos)
Leading the Way
• Tackling Difficult Dialogues through Repertoire (Dr. Joshua Palkki) 12-12:50pm Pizza with the Presidents (Loyola Hall) 12:50-1:40 p.m.: Interest Session 4 • Sound before Sight? Taka-what? Creating Sound Musicians in the Choral Classroom (Dr. Joshua Palkki) • What? I’m teaching Choir?! (Rachelle Randeen) 2:00-2:50 p.m.: CCDA Reading Session B • Children & Community Youth Choirs and Elementary School Choirs • Men’s Choirs, Women’s Choirs, and Ethnic & Multicultural Perspectives 3:00-3:50 p.m.: Interest Session 5 • ConducTED Talks (Dr. Chris Peterson, Dr. Jenny Bent, Dr. Buddy James, and Tammi Alderman) • Essential ingredients for a successful secondary choral program: Committing to the process (Dr. Angel VazquezRamos and Amanda Isaac) 4:10-5:10 p.m.: Concert Session D (Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph) • Cantabile Youth Singers, Vocalise (Elena Sharkova, director) • Santa Clara University Chamber Singers (Dr. Scot Hanna-Weir, director) 5:00 p.m.: CMEA Banquet 9:00-10:00 p.m.: Concert Session E (Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph) • Monte Vista High School Chamber Singers (Jodi Gould Reed, director) • Kitka 10:00 p.m.: All-Conference Social Hour (San Jose Convention Center) Saturday, February 17 9:00-9:50 a.m.: Interest Session 6 • Modifying Scores to Suit the Ensemble (Roger Emerson) • Inside-Out Conducting: Uncovering your unique conducting style (Dr. Buddy James) 11:00-12:30 p.m.: Junior High and Men’s Honor Choir Concert (Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph) 2:30-4:00 p.m.: High School Women’s and Mixed Ensemble Honor Choir Concert (Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph)
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 21
Vision for the
Future Scholarship Fund Donors special care has been given to the preparation of donor acknowledgments. We regret any errors or omissions. please contact us at (657) 217-0767 or exec_admin@acdacal.org with corrections. Thank you for your support!
President’s Circle Platinum ($500 and higher) Buddy James Polly and Burt Vasche *
President’s Circle Gold ($300 and higher) Kenneth J. Abrams Tammi Alderman * Lou De La Rosa * Robert Istad and David Navarro * Cricket Handler * Lori Marie Rios * Nick Strimple * in honor of James H. Vail
President’s Circle Silver ($100-$299) Anonymous in memory of Paul Salamunovich Daniel Afonso * Jeffrey Benson * Jenny Bent Jack Bertrand * in honor of Dr. James K. Bass Rob Blaney + Ryan Board * Mitchell and Laurel Covington Jennifer Gaderlund Emily Gates Cricket Handler * Michael Hayden Jeffe Huls * in memory of Lynn Bielefelt Mary Anne and Rick James Beth Klemm * in honor of Norman Paschen, my Dad! John Knutson + John Koza * Kaii Lee
Bruce Lengacher Iris Levine * Arthur Lio Linda Lovaas * MaryClare Martin * Eric Medeiros in memory of Tim Shannon Kristina Nakagawa * Kim Nason * Matthew Netto * in honor of John Russell Jason Pano in honor of Lou De La Rosa, Robert Istad, and Christopher Peterson Tina and Christopher Peterson * Molly Buzick Pontin + Shawn Reifschneider * Antone Rodich * John Russell * Joseph Schubert * in honor of David Norman and Roman Maciejewski Grace Sheldon-Williams + Kathryn Smith * in memory of Richard Hansen Shelby Smith + in honor of Daniel and Suzie Smith John Sorber * Peggy Spool * Carolyn Teraoka-Brady * William Zinn *
22 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
Sponsor ($50-$99) Dana Alexander Ruth Ballenger Bernadette R. Burns Patrick Burzlaff Kelly Caswell in honor of Mary Purdy Lauren Diez
Julie Ford in honor of Perla Warren Michelle Hawkins Mark Hulse Stacey Kikkawa Susanna Martone Michael J. Mello Molly Peters Jo Anne Stoddard
Supporter (up to $49) Kyle Ball + Judy Bowers + Ian Brekke Jamie Butler + Lydia Chaffee + Eileen Chang + Karl Chang + Jessica Cosley Cari Earnhart Jennifer Garrett Brandon Harris + Leatrice Innocent Anthony Lien * in honor of Buddy James, Michael Najar, and Matthew Potterton Nicholas Patton + Jan Pedersen-Schiff + Susan Peterson + Zanaida Robles + Christiane Rohayem + Alexis Rubell + Sheen Leem Sanchez Stephanie Stewart Kevin Tison Darla Tuning + Elizabeth Waterbury + * Founder’s Circle + New donor
California Choral Directors Association
Haydn’s Creation Go on—just try to find a more joyous, funny, all-around mood-lifting work in the choralorchestral repertoire than Franz Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation! Since the OCWC and our award-winning friends Men in Blaque (Joseph Huszti, Artistic Director) are both celebrating the 20th anniversaries of our own “creations,” we’re combining forces to bring you a full-scale performance of this most cheerful of masterworks. We’ll sing the work in English and feature a trio of stunning soloists and a full orchestra. “The heavens are telling” you that you won’t want to miss this one! April 7, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. | April 8, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. St. Wilfrid of York Episcopal Church 18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach Adults: $35 | Seniors (65+): $30 | Students (with ID): $15 Order tickets online at
www.ocwomenschorus.org Eliza Rubenstein, Artistic Director Sarah Hughes, Assistant Director | Janelle Kim, Piano
Be seen and heard with an ad in Cantate. There’s no better way to reach the California Choral community. ads are currently being accepted for our spring 2018 issue. Visit www.calcda.org/resources/ cantate-magazine for complete details and to reserve your space online!
University of redlands school of MUsic
Bachelor of Arts • Bachelor of Music Master of Music • Artist Diploma Music Scholarships & Graduate Assistantships Available Dr. Nicholle Andrews Director of Choral Studies Dr. Joseph Modica Associate Professor of Choral Music Information and applications music@redlands.edu 909-748-8014 www.redlands.edu/music
Leading the Way
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 23
News and notes
from around the state NORTHERN REGION After 33 years as the Director of Choral Activities, Donald Kendrick will retire from the Sacramento State School of Music at the end of the 2018 school year. He will remain as Music Director for the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra and for Sacred Heart Church, where he conducts Schola Cantorum. The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission has awarded Dr. Kendrick a “Legends of the Arts” award for his work in the community and beyond. Congratulations! The Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity All County Festival will be held March 16-17 at Arcata High School. The festival has a 60-year tradition and is truly a magnificent event. In January, the CMEA Capitol Section Middle School and High School Honor Choirs will provide 245 young singers the opportunity to work with guest conductors Anthony Arnold and Travis Rogers.
BAY AREA The Oakland Jazz Choir celebrated their 25-year anniversary with a reunion in October. The San Jose State University Choraliers (Jeffrey Benson, director) celebrated their 70th Anniversary with a huge Alumni Anniversary Concert in October. Charlene Archibeque returned to guest conduct the Alumni Choir and the SJSU Choraliers & Concert Choir. The second San Francisco Festival of Russian Choral Music was held in October, hosted by Slavyanka. The Festival Chorus comprised many ensembles, including women’s ensembles Juliana and Pava, Kitka, Kostroma, and the
Send news of hirings, retirements, awards, commissions, premieres, collaborations, or projects to your regional representative or Cantate.Editor@gmail.com!
Serbian/Slavic Iskra Etno, as well as choirs from the Church of All Russian Saints (Burlingame), Holy Virgin Cathedral Pontifical Choir (San Francisco), and St. Lawrence Orthodox Christian Church (Santa Cruz). Choirs from Santa Clara and San Francisco Universities, Saint Mary’s College, and Loyola-Marymount gathered to share music and combine as a mass choir concert at Mission Santa Clara de Asis in October. Kimberly Dunn Adams, Director of Choral Activities at Western Michigan University, was the guest clinician/director.
CENTRAL COAST REGION The Cal Poly SLO High School Honor Choir Festival offers a select group of rising 11th- and 12th-grade singers the chance to work with Scott Glysson on the Cal Poly campus from August 2 through 4. The festival includes housing, instruction, and a final concert in the historic Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Find details at www.choirs. calpoly.edu/festival/. Colleen Chester, director at San Luis Obispo High School, has commissioned a new work by Orange County composer Jeffrey Derus. This premiere, withh text by Emma Lazarus, will be featured on their concert “We Shall Overcome” on Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m. at Mission de Tolosa in San Luis Obispo. Lompoc Master Chorale, in their 26th season under the direction of Kathleen Hacker, are proud to have presented three music scholarships to help graduating high school students pursue their musical education. The 2017 recipients from Cabrillo High School were Erin Warfield, Carey Patterson, and Dennis Burns. Bravo to LMC’s mission to “engage the singers of tomorrow”!
24 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
Michael Shasberger will conduct the Westmont College Choirs and Orchestra on their spring tour in the Rancho Palos Verdes area, April 7 and 8. Westmont will perform Handel’s Messiah (parts II and III) in collaboration with Bel Air Church choir on Saturday, April 7, and with St. Peter’s by the Sea Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 8. In October, the 26 women of Carpe Diem Chorus, under the direction of Master Director Mary Ashford, competed at the International Harmony Classic Competition and won gold as the 2017 International Small Chorus Champions. The Central Coast Spring Choral Festival in San Luis Obispo (March 22-23) has openings for choirs in elementary through high school. Contact Gary Lamprecht (glamprecht@charter.net) for application and details!
CENTRAL REGION In August, Daniel Afonso of CSU Stanislaus presented a session at the Symposium for Latin American Choral Music in San Juan, Argentina. His subject was the influence of folklore and popular music on 20th-century Brazilian choral music. Carlyn Truong of Clovis East High School has put together an informal men’s vocal ensemble composed of current and retired choral directors from the Clovis area. Singing in a variety of styles, the group gave a concert for family and friends shortly after its inception. The choir members look forward to their weekly rehearsals! The 5th annual Real Men Sing festival in Modesto was conducted by Roger Bergman and organized by Jennifer
California Choral Directors Association
Champeaux at Johansen High School. This enjoyable and educational event for grades 7 through 12 draws 125 to 150 young men each year. Ginger Covert Colla, CSU Stanislaus Professor Emerita, conducted the Shasta County Choral Festival in November. The event was organized by Gavin Spencer of Shasta High School. Ginger also conducted the 10th annual Messiah SingAlong in Modesto in November, complete with soloists and chamber orchestra.
SOUTHERN REGION Valencia High School’s Two N’ Four Vocal Jazz Ensemble (Christine Tavares-Mocha, director) were named 2017 Winner of “Top High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble” by Downbeat Magazine, and they won first place at the Reno Jazz Festival, as well as the Sweepstakes Award, scoring the highest in every category in the vocal division. In September, they were one of three high school jazz ensembles chosen to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival, where they also opened for Herbie Hancock!
FAR SOUTH REGION The Choral Consortium of San Diego (CCSD) launched Beer Choir San Diego, an informal group of singers of all skill levels that meets to drink beer and make music while supporting San Diego’s vibrant craft beer community. Gatherings were held Oct. 24 at ChuckAlek Biergarten, conducted by Ken Martin, and Nov. 6 at AleSmith Brewing Company, conducted by Jim Tompkins-MacLaine. The CCSD is planning a choral concert tour of Cuba in June 2018 and welcomes singers from outside San Diego to sign up by March 1, 2018, space permitting. More information can be found at www.choralconsortiumofsandiego.org. Bach Collegium San Diego (Ruben Valenzuela, Artistic Director) presented Handel’s complete Messiah in three December performances at three different San Diego County locations.
In October, SACRA/ PROFANA featured choral music from around the world in a program entitled “Building Bridges Between Cultures” under the direction of Juan Legacy (Rob Dietz, director) ABOVE: Ruben valenzuela conducts Bach Carlos Acosta. In November, was the youngest group in the Var- Collegium San Diego in Handel’s Messiah the men of S/P collaborated sity Vocals’ International Chamwith Bodhi Tree Concerts to pionship of A Cappella Open and present “All Is Calm” for the second year in a row, and in Dewon the Southwest Semifinal in Los Angeles in July. Legacy cember the women of the group provided the chorus for The is an auditioned community youth a cappella group made up Nutcracker with the California Ballet. In February, Krishan of singers aged 13-18 from all over the greater Los Angeles Oberoi returns to lead SACRA/PROFANA in a program area; they competed at the Finals in New York in September. entitled “Building Bridges Between Nations,” featuring the music of Ernst Krenek. In September, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hosted Choir Night at Angels Stadium, where over 1,000 singers This year marks the 25th anniversary of The North Coast from choral programs all over Orange County participated in Singers (Sally Husch Dean, Artistic Director). The ensinging the National Anthem. semble’s winter and spring concerts will include favorite songs In October, SCVA hosted their Fall In-Service for Choral Music Educators and College Music Education Majors: Thinking and Teaching “In Sound” with headliner Joshua Palkki (CSU Long Beach) and Elementary Activities presenter Stephanie Grogg (Clovis Unified School District). In November, the Biola University Chorale (Shawna Stewart, director) performed a program of Filipino music at the National Collegiate Choral Organization’s National Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We welcome Dr. Arian Khaefi to the Choral Studies faculty at Fullerton College!
Leading the Way
from their quarter-century history. A grant from the City of Encinitas will help fund a special community concert in the spring of 2018, featuring a projected photo montage created by filmmaker Tom Dean, a NCS alumnus. The montage will visually document the group’s history and remain on the chorus’s website for posterity.
Thanks to our Regional Representatives (Jenny Bent, Julie Ford, Polly Vasché, Carolyn Teraoka-Brady, Stacey Kikkawa, and John Russell) for collecting and sharing news from their areas! Send your news to your regional representative.
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 25
Top Five for your Choir:
CHORAL COMPOSITION I David V. Montoya has been teaching music in the
California public
schools for
26 years,.
He currently teaches at both and
La Habra
Sunny Hills High
Schools, and he is a published composer.
Learn more about him and explore his compositions by visiting his website, www.montoyamusic.com.
love serving CCDA as the R & R Chair for Choral Composition! It has allowed me so many opportunities to connect with so many wonderful composers and to explore their music. I would like to honor some of those hard-working composers by presenting five notable works from their catalogues. Some of the works are published, some are unpublished, some have been premiered in grand style, and some are still waiting to be heard. Cheers to you composers! Keep working hard to keep the choral repertoire growing. Amy Gordon “Storm’s End” from As Time Stops to Rest SSAATTBB with piano accompaniment 3:45 www.amygordonmusic.com The second movement of this work uses wonderful piano craft to support the more homophonic setting of the choir. It can be performed by itself, or with the complete cycle. The three-movement cycle, including “1. Two Friends” and “3. Magic,” runs about fifteen minutes and has an overall arch form of peace, tragedy, and peace again. It was premiered by the South Bay Chamber Singers and is suitable for advanced high school, college, and professional choirs. Joseph Julian Gonzalez Kyrie from Misa Azteca SSAATTBB choir, soloists, guitar, Aztec percussion, and piano OR full orchestra with Aztec percussion 6:15 www.misaazteca.com Misa Azteca is a modern, eight-movement, symphonic oratorio. Each movement is based on the visceral rhythms of Aztec drumming performed with the power of a symphonic orchestra, choir, soloists and Aztec percussion. It is sung in Latin, Spanish and Nahuatl (Aztec). It has delighted audiences in such great venues as the Sydney Opera House, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Vatican, and
26 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
Carnegie Hall. The Kyrie is a wonderfully exciting introduction to the entire work, which runs approximately fifty minutes. George Heussenstamm Psalm 117 SSAATTBB a cappella 3:00 www.georgeheussenstamm.com George Heussenstamm is the sponsor of the CCDA Choral Composition Contest at ECCO. Psalm 117 is a gem of choral writing that won the Mars Hill College Festival Choral Competition in 1980. Tall, gorgeous sonorities with a contrapuntal sensitivity make this amazing piece a wonderful addition to your advanced choir’s library. Steven Van Wye That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright SATB and organ c. 4:00 GIA Publications, 2014 – G-8461 www.stevenvanwyemusic.com Based on a 5th-century Latin work, this liturgical piece takes a traditional hymn in a new direction with irregular meters and creative shifting modalities, yet it is very accessible to most church choirs. Van Wye is very careful with his registrations and shows his understanding of the organ while writing enjoyable lines for the choir to sing. Your church choir will love this Easter anthem! William V. Malpede What Was His Creed? SATB with piano accompaniment c. 4:00 www.williamvmalpede.net Based on a poem by H. N. Fifer, this bluesy, gospel-like piece is a wonderfully pensive and thoughtful work, supported by jazz-like chords in the piano. It speaks of living a life of service and happiness, regardless of creed. This is a very moving and effective piece for your intermediate to advanced choir.
California Choral Directors Association
Your students deserve an extraordinarily well-rounded, integrated, creative musical education. Imagine a Conservatory with four fantastic voice programs— Vocal Performance, Choral Music Education, Jazz Performance and Opera Performance—led by national leaders in their fields who work together to create a student-centered, performance-driven curriculum. Such a place exists and it’s the most affordable musical education in California. Prospective Student auditions for Fall 2018 are in February, by appointment only. Please invite your students to schedule theirs today at csulb.edu/music
DR. JOSHUA PALKKI CHORAL MUSIC EDUCATION
Leading the Way
DR. DAVID ANGLIN OPERA STUDIES
CHRISTINE HELFERICH GUTER VOCAL JAZZ
DR. JONATHAN TALBERG CHORAL / VOCAL STUDIES
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 27
choral& sacred
music
at the university of southern california thornton school of music
Take a glance at the world of choral music today, and you will see the influence of the University of Southern California’s superlative education in choral and sacred music. RECENT PERFORMANCES
DEGREES OFFERED
World Choral Symposium, Seoul, South Korea ACDA National & Regional Conventions National Collegiate Choral Organization, Colorado & Oregon Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Performances with the Rolling Stones, Sir Elton John, Barry Manilow
Choral Music BA, MM, DMA Sacred Music MM, DMA
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VISITING ARTISTS, 2017-18 Craig Hella Johnson Ann Howard Jones Z. Randall Stroope André Thomas
Rodney Eichenberger Cari Earnhart Maria Guinand Carl St.Clair
Financial packages available for undergraduate and transfer students
FACULTY Jo-Michael Scheibe, chair Nick Strimple Cristian Grases Morten Lauridsen Tram Sparks Mary Mattei
Alvin Brightbill Ladd Thomas Lisa Sylvester Lynn Helding Suzi Digby
APPLICATION DEADLINE DECEMBER 1, 2018
Professor Emeritus James Vail David Wilson
Teaching assistantships and scholarships available for graduate students
visit music.usc.edu/choral
28 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
California Choral Directors Association
Top Five for your Choir:
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY P Buddy James is Professor of
Music at CSU
East Bay, where he serves as
Chair of the Depart-
ment of
Music and the
Director of Choral and
Vocal Studies,
and was the
Founding
Director of the School of
Arts and Media.
He has taught at the University of Southern California, UC Berkeley and
UC Irvine, Whittier
College, Elizabethtown College, and Millersville
University, where
he was named the
Person of
Year in 2004.
osts lamenting the lack of performances of polyphonic music, particularly at our professional conferences, seem to appear in my social media feeds at least once a week. These are typically followed by overwhelming support for polyphony from commenters, yet this support often does not translate into more performances. Perhaps we can lead a resurgence of this too often neglected art in California. Most of my singers enter college with limited experience singing polyphony. Even those with outstanding choral experiences often sing their first true polyphonic music in my choir. They sing vowels beautifully and tune complex, multi-voiced cadences, but are often confused by the seemingly endless melodies of Renaissance sacred music. Each year scores of new works emerge that are built around beautiful melodies and familiar chord progressions flavored with delicious added tones, and this music is immediately beautiful to our singers, our audiences, and to us. Very often, though, this type of composition speaks to only one or two aspects of choral singing, and there is a great deal more for our singers to learn and experience. In polyphonic music everyone gets to shine with melody at times, yet must learn to be subservient when necessary. Direction of phrase must be mastered and dynamic shaping at the micro level can be discussed and interpreted. Singers love being involved in the process of interpreting music, and polyphony invites each voice part into the discussion—with the added bonus of developing the individual skills of each singer in a way that only independent lines can. Perhaps you need a little nudge to remember to perform this exquisite repertoire, as I sometimes do. Here are five wonderful and classic compositions for any fine mixed choir seeking to incorporate beautiful and masterfully-written polyphony in their repertoire: Tomás Luis de Victoria Vere Languores SATB, a cappella www.cpdl.org
Johann Sebastian Bach Dona nobis pacem (from Mass in B Minor) SATB, piano or orchestra www.cpdl.org Even if you cannot do the entire B-Minor Mass, your singers can experience the majesty of the final movement. It is slow and very readable, and it could be done with your school orchestra and, with a little arranging, maybe even your school band. Anton Bruckner Os Justi SATB, a cappella www.cpdl.org This is one of the most sublime Romantic era motets ever written. There are no accidentals to be found in this work written in Lydian mode. The polyphony is only 4-part, although the beginning and ending require divisi in each of the sections. Dominick Argento Gloria (from The Masque of Angels) SATB, piano Boosey & Hawkes An excellent pianist is needed to pull this off, but Argento uses many fugue compositional techniques in this work. The dynamics and ranges are quite extended, but a very gratifying work for singers and audiences. Vincent Persichetti Mass SATB, a cappella Theodore Presser Co. The Mass is a sadly underperformed work from 1960. The different movements can be sung alone, especially the Gloria, and there are great opportunities for nuance, phrasing, and interpretation in this advanced work.
A classic from the Renaissance with very singable lines for all voices.
Leading the Way
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 29
Top Five for your Choir:
HIGH SCHOOL CHOIRS N Tammi Alderman is director of
Choral/Vo-
cal
Music at San Ma-
rino
High School. She
also teaches at
CSU
Fullerton’s School of Music, where she is a university supervisor for choral music education students.
Ms. Alderman
is head of the choral program at
Arrowbear
Summer Music Camp and is on the faculty the
Choral Advantage Camp through the
Pacific Chorale and CSU Fullerton. Tammi is also the assistant conductor of the
Long
Beach Camerata Singers.
ow that the intensity of the holiday season is over, it’s time to unwind a little, so I’ve listed for you some of my favorite choral pieces and accompanying beverages. These are pieces that I love to sing as much as conduct. The beverage options are just for fun if you happen to be listening/perusing at home. Cheers! Vicente Chavarria Jean SATB and piano Alliance, AMP 1066 This is a setting of the Robert Burns poem by the same name. It is lush, beautiful and challenging for your singers in all the right ways. Pair with hot apple cider—Scotland has incredible apple varieties. You’d be “in” among the locals if this were your drink of choice in the fall/winter. Enjoy a wee dram neat, or with an oversized single ice cube. James Q. Mulholland Heart, We Will Forget Him SATB, Piano, French Horn (also available for SSA and TTBB) Colla Voce, 12-50900 With poetry by Emily Dickinson and a choral composer as skilled at voice-leading as J.Q. Mulholland, it’s hard to go wrong. If you know this piece, it is now back on your radar. If you don’t know this piece, go find a great recording and enjoy it with a chocolate milkshake! I’m guilty of loving my chocolate and ice cream when consolation is needed. Or pick a nice, smooth bottle of red wine to match the French horn line that will inevitably get stuck in your head if you’re working on this piece. Jack Halloran Nelly Bly SATB, a cappella Gentry, JG2169 Every time I get the chance, I bring this piece out to do with high school choirs. It is fun, playful and easy to sing, and this great American folk song is perfect for touring. Please note that it has the misleading designation of SSAATTBB on the cover. There is
30 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
one two-note divisi for the men, but otherwise only the last big chord divides (and it can be changed). It’s a great beginning or mid-level SATB piece, and it goes well with root beer (ice cream optional), which has enough sweetness and carbonation to bring the playful nature of the song to life, or a light simple beer—one that is fizzy and thirst-quenching and can be consumed while sitting around singing goofy folk songs with friends. Cuban folk song, arr. Stephen Hatfield Son de Camaguey SATB (div.) a cappella, hand percussion Boosey & Hawkes, 48004718 Your students will love this piece. It’s a great sing and gets the choir grooving. Make sure you get the percussion instruments as they are integral to the authenticity of this Cuban folk song. Try it with a pineapple and coconut smoothie (you’ll feel like you’re on the island and it will put a smile on your face) or a mojito. Rum, sugar, and mint: it’s not officially the national drink of Cuba, but you can pretend. Matthew Orlovich Tides of Ocean SAATBB a cappella Morton Music, MM0415 There was a time in my life when I felt a little guilty about how much I enjoyed this piece of music, which my students and audiences loved. Now, though, I’m excited for the time when enough time has passed so that I can introduce it to a new group of students. There are noises of the ocean and lines that make you feel like you’re on the bow of the ship. It goes great with a flat white; Aussies and Kiwis argue over who actually invented this coffee drink, but it’s my morning go-to no matter who gets the credit. If you can’t have an ocean breeze in your face every morning, this is almost as good. Or try a Pimm’s cup. Though it’s technically a British drink, my Australian friends introduced me to this while watching the races. I’m not sure how many sailors drink this on board, but I certainly will next time I’m in the south seas.
California Choral Directors Association
Lorem ipsum
Leading the Way
Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018 • 31
32 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
California Choral Directors Association
Top Five for your Choir:
MEN’S CHOIRs Traditional, arr. Earlene Rentz I Saw Three Ships (TB) Alliance Music Publications, Inc. This piece is a great holiday piece for a beginning men’s choir and has a well-written piano accompaniment. Gavin Spencer has been teaching high school choir for more than
15 years, and currently teaches at
Shasta High
School in Redding. He frequently presents Broadway musicals and makes yearly tours with his ensembles.
Traditional, Linda Spevacek Hanukkah Nagilah (2-part) Heritage Music Press This Hanukkah piece is exciting for audiences because of it’s lively melodies coupled with simple clapping and a tambourine part. The voicings sit perfectly in the men’s ranges and really allows them to sing with a full voice. This piece is appropriate for a beginning men’s choir. Beethoven, arr. Bruce Trinkley Punschlied (TTB) Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. If you would like to expose your beginning singers to some German, then this short Beethoven
stangeland family
drinking song would be a great first choice. (To find it on the J.W. Pepper website, type in “Drinking Song” as the title.) Michael C. Kregler Soldier’s Elegy Walton Music A great piece for a beginning men’s choir that will help teach your men to develop some heartfelt characterization and singing. The speaker in the song is a soldier who is at war and yearns to be home. Boublil and Schnberg, arr. Leavitt Bring Him Home (TTBB) Hal Leonard Corporation Another great piece to teach kids how to tell a story. Even though it is TTBB, it is accessible for a good beginning men’s choir. Your men can be scattered on the risers as they would on the barricade in the story. This arrangement sings very well and my young men always love it.
july 1 - july 10, 2018
Youth Choral Academy A peak artistic experience for high school choral musicians under the direction of Dr. Anton Armstrong at the world-renowned Oregon Bach Festival. Spend 10 days performing exceptional choral literature and strengthening your passion for the choral arts through daily rehearsals, classes, and workshops.
www.OregonBachFestival.com/sfyca Leading the Way
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CCDA BOARD Directory EXECUTIVE BOARD President Robert Istad (562) 822-5952 robert.istad@gmail.com President-Elect Jeffrey Benson (408) 924-4645 jeffrey.s.benson@ gmail.com Vice President Lou De La Rosa (408) 206-7192 l.delarosa.wvc@ gmail.com Membership & Development Lori Marie Rios (818) 679-7463 lmrdiva1@gmail.com Treasurer Chris Peterson (657) 278-3537 cpeterson@fullerton.edu Executive Administrator/ CCDA Office Kathleen Preston 921 N. Harbor Blvd., #412 La Habra, CA 90631-3103 (657) 217-0767 exec_admin@acdacal.org
REPERTOIRE & RESOURCES
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES Bay Area Julie Ford (925) 631-4670 julie@julieford.org
Children’s & Community Youth Kimberly Nason (949) 472-6492 dknason@mac.com
Central Polly Vasché (209) 526-9692 pollyvasche@pacbell.net
Junior High & Middle School Susie Martone susie.martone@gmail.com
Central Coast Carolyn Teraoka-Brady (805) 689-1780 cteraoka-brady@ sbusd.org
Senior High School Tammi Alderman (626) 299-7020 x3615 tammialderman@gmail.com
Far South John Russell (917) 686-0110 johnkrussell@gmail.com Northern Jenny Bent bentje@sonoma.edu Southern Stacey Kikkawa skikkawa@bhusd.org
CLA Coordinator Willow Manspeaker wmanspeaker@stevensonschool.org All-State Honor Choirs Molly Peters (213) 880-7597 mepeters79@gmail.com
COLLEGIATE College & University Buddy James (510) 885-3128 buddy.james@ csueastbay.edu Two-Year College Arlie Langager (858) 774-0412 alangager@miracosta.edu Student Activities Josh Palkki (202) 679-3350 josh.palkki@csulb.edu LIFELONG
EVENT CHAIRS Summer Conference at ECCO Jeffe Huls jhuls@smmusd.org
YOUTH
CCDA State Conference at CASMEC Colleen Chester (707) 291-9059 colleen.p.chester@ gmail.com
Choral Composition David Montoya (626) 419-8031 davypavy@aol.com
Community Choirs Kristina Nakagawa (408) 205-6050 artistic@
resoundingachord.org
Music in Worship Ruben Valenzuela (760) 715-7956 rv.hypodorian@gmail.com REPERTOIRE-SPECIFIC Contemporary Commercial Choirs William Zinn (916) 601-4175 wzinn6023@gmail.com Ethnic & Multicultural Perspectives Angel Vázquez-Ramos (714) 305-1087 vazquezramosa@gmail.com Men’s Choirs Gavin Spencer (530) 241-4161 gspencer@suhsd.net Vocal Jazz Michelle Hawkins (650) 738-7134 hawkinsm@smccd.edu Professional Choruses Molly Pontin (714) 662-2345 molly@pacificchorale.org Women’s Choirs Tina Peterson (562) 453-9681 tgpeterson@me.com
COMMUNICATIONS Cantate Editor Eliza Rubenstein erubenstein@occ.cccd.edu cantate.editor@ gmail.com
34 • Cantate • Vol. 30, No. 2 • Winter 2018
Webmaster & Graphic Design Anthony M. Lien (530) 758-5896 amlien@lienhome.net
Social Media Coordinator Jason Pano (408) 768-0733 jasonpano@yahoo.com
California Choral Directors Association
Leading the Way
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California Choral Directors Association 921 N. Harbor Blvd., #412 La Habra, CA 90631-3103