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June 2024: Oriana Singers "In High Voice"

6/25/2024

 
Kathryn Hylton, R&R Chair for Upper Voice Choirs
Associate Director of Choral Activities, Penn State University
Conductor of Oriana Singers and Vocal Dimensions
 
The beauty of what we do as choir directors is that no matter where we are or what type of ensemble we conduct, there are opportunities to share the stage with other artists. There are such tremendous benefits to collaborating with other musicians, for conductors and ensemble members alike, from building community to broadening perspectives to learning new skills and honing existing ones. I would venture to say that many choral conductors have become familiar with, and seek out, such collaborations, especially those that we might call “like-ensemble” collaborations, in which singers are able to explore their voices and musical perceptions in a safe space with choristers of the same voice type, age, or level of singing experience. Penn State’s annual “In Low Voice” and “In High Voice” festivals (hosted by PSU’s Glee Club and Oriana Singers, respectively) are two such collaborations in which high school tenors/basses (in the fall) and sopranos/altos (in the spring) from across the state are invited to campus to rehearse and perform alongside their collegiate counterparts. “Contrasting-ensemble” collaborations are equally beneficial, and may stretch and expand singers in additional ways. Perhaps this looks like inviting a local children’s choir to workshop with your high school students, or bringing together instrumental and vocal ensembles within your district or community that don’t typically rehearse or perform together.
 
On a broader scale, partnerships with artists outside the musical sphere can provide unique opportunities for growth, creativity, and innovation. Teaming up with visual artists, dancers, poets, filmmakers, and other talented creators often inspires those involved to engage more deeply with both the process and the product. At Penn State, I aim for the ensembles I conduct to engage in at least one collaboration of this type per year. This spring, for example, Oriana Singers partnered with the School of Visual Arts for a concert entitled “Portraits and Landscapes,” in which students’ drawings, paintings, sculptures, and digital artwork were projected in the hall to enhance a program that explored the beauty and complexities of humankind and nature. This collaborative performance not only brought new audience members into our concert space, but it also gave the singers a new way to connect with the text and the artists a new dimension to explore within their work. We even learned that several of our singers were talented artists themselves! Similarly, in 2022, Oriana Singers teamed up with the Nittany Ballet, a local performing arts organization, for a performance of Vincent Persichetti’s Winter Cantata. Persichetti himself was a movement enthusiast and strongly supported the fusion of music and dance, and the text of the cantata was inspired by a collection of haiku given to the composer by his daughter, a dancer. This collaboration brought such joy to all the performers and greatly enhanced the audience’s experience.
 
There is so much to be gained from reaching out to fellow creators, building new relationships, and offering experiences that will make a lasting impact on both performers and audience members alike. Any and all types of collaborative efforts can help to build bridges, strengthen community ties, expand horizons, ignite curiosity and creativity, and enhance performances. There is no better time than the summer to explore how you might collaborate with other artists on your next project!
 
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If you are interested in participating or learning more about Penn State’s “In High Voice” and “In Low Voice” festivals, please email Dr. Kathryn Hylton at [email protected].
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Photo credit: Mike Raneri
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Photo credit: Mike Raneri
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Photo credit: Mike Raneri

April 2024: The Music of Will Todd

4/21/2024

 
Submitted by Jason Throne, Brandywine Valley Chorale & Unionville High School

This past February I had the honor of hosting English composer Will Todd.   Our collaboration culminated with a performance featuring my high school and community choirs (the Unionville Chorale and Brandywine Valley Chorale, respectively) and the composer himself at the piano.   The concert included a commission by Will Todd setting the text of O Magnum Mysterium featuring solo soprano saxophone and percussion, followed by his setting of Passion Music, a 50 minute work for choir, Gospel soloist and jazz ensemble.   Much of Will Todd’s repertoire has a jazz influence giving a fresh take on what would normally be “classical” choral writing.  
 
If you have been thinking about collaborating with composers I would highly recommend it.   The experience of performing original works on stage alongside the composer is refreshing and exciting.   Having them with you allows insight to their works that makes the performance special and memorable for all involved.  
 
The combination of adult community and high school choirs performing together creates a special experience.  The intergenerational aspect of our performance is quite meaningful "as the wide age range (in this instance, 14 - 80), imbues the experience with new life.   In fact, it gives the opportunity for mothers and fathers who perform in the adult choir the ability to share the stage with their children.  This creates special moments not soon forgotten.
 
I took this opportunity to invite some local high school choirs to join us for this event.   I firmly believe these types of experiences should be shared with other high school choirs if possible.  This was a perfect opportunity to bring in advanced choirs from Kennett and Pequea Valley High Schools who were thrilled to join us.  Their participation added depth and richness to our ensemble.  If you plan on inviting outside groups, make sure all involved understand what the participation requirements are for the performance.
 
I would be happy to speak with anyone who is interested in doing their own choir collaboration with choral composers.  I have participated in a handful of composer collaborations, including one with Ola Gjeilo, featuring a concert of this music with the composer once again at the piano.  These experiences are obtainable and will prove to be a highlight of your career in music education.

February 2024: Saul

2/9/2024

 
Submitted by Joy Meade, ACDA-PA President
Director of Choral Activities, Messiah University
​
Big things can happen when great arts organizations work together.  It's amazing the impact advanced planning, humility and teamsmanship can have on our students, institutions and communities!  This month, a fantastic collaboration between the 
Susquehanna Chorale, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Messiah University Choirs, composer Jonathan Leshnoff and conductor Eric Nelson from the Atlanta Master Chorale is happening, and you're invited IN on this collaborative endeavor!  Premiering a massive symphonic oratorio is no small feat, and these organizations have combined to premier Jonathan Leshnoff's newest oratorio, Saul, on April 20/21, 2024.  Come join us for a sneak-peak at this collaboration during a joint rehearsal on February 13th, as guest conductor Eric Nelson leads you and all of these choirs through this fantastic new work.  The rehearsal will be followed by a Q&A and cookies with Dr. Nelson, sponsored by the Messiah student ACDA chapter.  If you are in driving distance, we'd love to have you join us!  2/13/24, 7-9:30pm, Messiah University.  

January 2024: Sharing the Podium, Piano, and Parts for a Festival Success Story

1/9/2024

 
by Shaun Cloonan, ACDA-PA Communications Chair
North Hills High School, Pittsburgh


October 2023 brought about the realization of a brain child that had been discussed for years by choral directors in the Pittsburgh area - the first annual Allegheny County Chorus festival.  While there are many county chorus events across the commonwealth, for whatever reason, no such event was ever held in the immediate area around the city of Pittsburgh.  Gateway High School choral director Erich Lascek tossed the idea out at a PMEA District Chorus festival a year or 2 before the pandemic, and last spring was when it finally began to take shape with more serious discussions about how it could happen.

The goal was to provide a one-day festival experience for a greater portion of our high school singers who we knew would enjoy and benefit from singing with students from other districts, but who would likely not prepare an audition for the tiered festival system and in turn not have those important experiences.  This particularly rang true for me as it was sitting on a stage at a district chorus festival in high school when I made the decision to become a choral director, so any chance to open that possibility to a student was very appealing.

Collaboration was truly the name of the game for this festival’s success.  20 high schools and more than 200 students participated in treble and mixed ensembles that rehearsed simultaneously.  Rather than bringing in guest conductors, 4 of the participating directors shared conducting responsibilities, another 2 served as accompanists, and the remaining directors helped with logistics, created schedules and programs (can’t imagine who might have made the program!), and spent time during the rehearsals singing with the students to provide vocal leadership in their respective sections.  


The 2 ensembles shared an evening concert and got to sit and watch each other perform.  A few pieces required instruments and we were able to cover each part with students who were in attendance that day.  One school didn’t have enough robes for the number of students they had participating, so we even shared robes with each other!  Repertoire was chosen from pieces the directors had in their own school choral libraries so no one needed to purchase music. The only cost to any school was their transportation and a $10 contribution to a pizza dinner.


The end result was a wonderful choral experience for a group of students who might not have otherwise sat with peers from other schools during their high school years.  They got to learn from other directors in the region and maybe hear some of those same things said in rehearsal at home from a different voice.  


We plan to make it an annual event.  And it all started with the question “what would happen if we got together to make this happen?”


​The next time you get an inspiration, don’t hesitate to bring it up to your choral colleagues.  You never know when one little idea might turn into an event we’ll be talking about for years to come!

November 2023: Collaborative Commissioning

11/16/2023

 
This month, we collaborate with Stephanie Magaro, Jr. High/Middle School R&R Chair, to learn about creating partnerships in the commissioning process.

As a middle school director, I think it is important that we show our students how to collaborate, not just with each other, but with the larger musical community around us. In 2019, Jordan Shomper, who was at Cocalico Middle School at the time, and I decided to work together with Amy Gordon to commission a piece for our collective 7th and 8th grade choirs, using poetry written by a student. 


I started by writing a grant through my school district’s MCFEE (Manheim Central’s Foundation for Educational Enrichment) program. I was able to secure funds through this grant to pay for half of the contract that the composer agreed to, which included her travel costs to come and clinic with our choirs. Both Manheim Central and Cocalico held a poetry contest in our choirs and sent all of the entries to the composer. Amy Gordon chose a poem called “The Moon’s Tears” by two 7th graders at Cocalico. You can read more about Amy Gordon’s music 
here, on her website.

Unfortunately, we were just getting started on learning the piece in January and February of 2020, and had scheduled her visit for March 25th, 2020. The performance of the piece did not happen, nor did any meeting of the two schools, due to Covid-19, unfortunately. However, Amy Gordon was amazing and hosted a zoom session where she talked to our students about becoming a composer and her journey with music. She was great with the kids, and even though we didn’t get to keep rehearsing the commission–it was a very beneficial experience to collaborate with her and with a nearby choir program.


​I hope that this experience can also inspire others to reach out to other like-minded local directors and get them thinking about what their combined funds could produce to give their students an unforgettable experience! Maybe there is a budding poet or composer in your middle school choir just waiting for this opportunity!

October 2023: Captivating Audiences Through Creative Transitions

10/15/2023

 
Captivating Audiences Through Creative Transitions
Kyle Zeuch, President-Elect of ACDA-PA
 
Let’s face it, we live in a world of 21st century humans that can be entertained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year with the screen in their pocket! While we may not see our primary focus as entertainers (the journey is just as important as the destination, right!?), as choral conductors and teachers, we can captivate our audience in creative ways. Maybe an audience member has limited experience with choirs but is attending the concert because their child has joined the seventh-grade chorus. Maybe they have been to high school choral concerts before and just don’t get why this singing thing is so important. Maybe the audience member is a choral enthusiast looking for something new. The suggestions shared in this article are for all of the above!
 
Beyond captivating the short attention span of our audience, creative transitions can speed up your concert and eliminate down time. Transitions can connect your repertoire selections with a common thread that adds to the thematic nature of the concert. Perhaps the creative transitions limit the number of times the audience applauds. When an audience member applauds, they are thinking about what just happened, when they are asked not to applaud, they are thinking both about what just happened but also what’s happening next. This lack of permission to clap may lead them to think about their emotional reaction to what they just heard and anticipate the applause that they can generously give when appropriate.
 
Creative Transition Suggestions:
  • No pause- one song goes directly into the next because they relate to each other in a specific way.
  • Piano interlude- the accompaniment of the previous song or the next song can be used to change formation, switch choirs, or bring on instrumentalists for the next number.
  • Choirs in multiple locations simultaneously- one choir is on stage but the choir in the aisles sings the first song, followed directly by the choir on stage.
  • Music interlude feature- utilize the musical strengths in your ensemble by highlighting individuals to perform solo pieces while choirs swap on the risers. They could even play the melody from one of the songs on the program to serve as the connecting thread.
  • Lighting or other special effects- the possibilities are endless.
 
Creative Transition Considerations:
  • Logistics are challenging. Conductors face a great deal of extra work to pull these transitions off smoothly, but it gets easier as you gain more experience.
  • Audiences may need guidance. A quick “please hold your applause until…” plus some direction in the program will do the trick.
 
Creative Transition Benefits:
  • People don’t come to choir concerts to hear talking, they come to hear singing. Let’s give em’ what they came for!
  • Audiences become more invested in the concert because it breaks from the norm.
  • Captivated audiences are more likely to come back and be excited about it.
  • The more creative we are with how we present our concerts, the more the audience will buy in to the stories we share.
 
If you’d like more ideas about adding creative transitions to your choral program, let’s talk! E-mail me at [email protected].

September 2023: Albright Festival

9/15/2023

 
This month, Derrick Thompson shares about the value of intergenerational singing and community connection through a new festival he is hosting at Albright College:
 
“Albright College Music Department is hosting its Inaugural Choral Festival for high school programs on Wednesday, October 18th. The festival will be a day filled with beautiful music-making, culminating in a joint choral performance by Albright Choral Ensembles and Festival Chorus participants.

The festival aims to enrich the high school choral experience by providing educational, emotional, and social benefits that contribute to the development of young choir members as musicians and individuals. Intergenerational singing is highlighted as a crucial aspect of this event, offering high school students a chance to learn and develop their musical skills, receive mentorship and feedback, and connect with college students. The hope is that this experience will inspire high school students to pursue music more seriously, promote social and emotional development, and create lifelong connections.

For high school directors, sending choral programs to college campuses introduces students to higher education while fostering community and collaboration within the larger community. For collegiate directors, hosting events like this allows them to connect with colleagues in the field while promoting the importance of music and the arts as a whole.”
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ACDA-PA: American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania
Independent voices joining to form a common theme.
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