Composer's Corner - with Susan Kander
Meet Susan Kander, a MacDowell Colony Fellow, and niece to musical theater composer John Kander (Kander and Ebb). Kander has been commissioned by such notable ensembles and organizations including: the National Symphony Orchestra; the Kansas City Chorale; Southampton Chamber Music Festival; the Copland Fund and the Columbia Foundation, along with a variety of instrumentalists and chamber groups. Her music has been performed throughout the United States and internationally, including London, Paris, Mexico City, Lima, Birmingham (UK), Vancouver, Cape Town, Melbourne, St. Petersburg, and Guangzhou (China).
1) How has COVID-19 impacted your work and current projects?
COVID-19 shut down two productions of my chamber opera dwb *driving while black*: the NY premiere at Baruch Performing Arts Center this past March (we were a day away from going into production week) and a production at Urban Arias next spring in Washington D.C. I feel immensely lucky that both productions will happen digitally, with newly made video and film, though COVID still is the limiting factor in how these get made logistically. At the moment, BPAC is scheduled for several online performances in late October and Urban Arias is aiming for April.
2) Have you been able to collaborate with other composers/artists during the lockdown?
Yes but of course, not in person. Roberta Gumbel and I had started working on a new opera before COVID and we have made some progress on the libretto but it’s really hard to work in such a complete time void. Over the past couple of years, I had been writing songs to collect into an album, so that kind of came to the front burner since it’s something I do by myself, though finding texts that light my fire has been interestingly tough in COVID times.
3) What technology have you used to continue your work in a virtual world?
Apart from Zooming like everyone else, no new technology. However, I’ll need to make demos soon of the songs in the new album when it’s ready to go to press, so I’m contemplating how to do that: wait until people can get together in one room, singer and pianist, or do it the COVID way – piano and voice tracks recorded in different places then mixed. Undecided about that at the moment.
4) How has having a background in theater shaped your approach to composing?
My relationship to theater, and to music as theater, predates memory for me. Though I majored in music, I was a playwright for almost 15 years before turning completely to composing. My compositional relationship to playwrighting is pervasive and multi-faceted.
For me, adding music to language is just a way to be more in control of the text and the emotional life of every single isolated moment of a piece. Without music, a playwright has a very limited ability to control how an actor delivers a line. Punctuation only gets you so far. You don’t get to give directions on delivery. You don’t get to tell anyone – actors or audience - how to feel about what just got said. You don’t get to tell anyone the subtext. In opera, with music you can do all of that on a moment-to-moment scale. Since I imagine my characters and scenes in both aural, emotional, and physical extreme detail, opera is the obvious conduit for downloading what’s in my brain as totally as I can. I am always amazed at the power of ink on the page to communicate what’s in my brain to another person’s brain. First read-throughs are like magic to me!
In theater, you need to keep the audience in the palm of your hand; it’s this, perhaps, that most informs how I approach writing music – though there are definitely moments where I have built-in ‘wander for a while in your own mind’ passages. My theater roots have always led me to keep the audience in the frame no matter what I’m trying to do for my own interests, so that listeners feel viscerally involved over time without the music being – that dread word – programmatic. I approach the opening of any piece exactly the way I approached the opening of any play: there has to be a reason someone enters; someone says the first line; a light goes on; a door opens. That first thing that happens ignites a fuse and the drama proceeds from there.
To be honest, I have frequently over the years written against this ‘inheritance’ to push myself somewhere uncomfortable. But an experience I had a few years ago was illuminating for me. Commissioned by a virtuosic violinist to write a duo for violin and cello, I said to myself okay, now I’m going to write “pure music” (whatever that is); it’s not going to “mean” anything, this guy can do anything, so let’s go crazy. So I wrote a really cool beginning, and loved what I was writing, and then after writing about a minute of music I suddenly lost interest. It took a few days for me to figure out that at that time I needed the piece to be “about” something, anything. Well, that was a summer of terrible news; I was mourning humanity every day, there was no way to write without meaning. When I realized that was the issue, I subtitled the piece For the Littlest Refugees Who Never Reach a Place of Safety – the most explicit title I’ve ever made. I found I didn’t need to change anything I’d already written – I had, in fact, been writing about this all along! And now I had a way forward and a lesson learned.
5) Has it been a challenge for you, being a woman in a trade that has been dominated by men in the past?
Yes. “All the rest is commentary.” – Rabbi Hillel (In the past?)
6) As a composer, you have the opportunity to hear many of your works performed by incredible ensembles. Has there been a moment in your career that surprised or inspired you while watching one of your works performed?
I am always shocked and thrilled by the incredible performers I have gotten to work with! They make music with their bodies and minds and hearts better than I do anything – tie my shoes, brush my teeth, you name it. I never get used to it. I, myself, was a serviceable pianist growing up, but hated performing. Having nurtured a violinist as he grew up and joined the ranks of these amazing performers, I learned concretely how technique exists to achieve a musical end, and that’s the thing I never get used to when I watch and hear these players. Because of the way I write, often individual beats are loaded with meaning, and the ability of these performers to convey that meaning through their instruments – voice included – always takes my breath away. Just to take a recent example is the way Hannah Collins, cellist, and Mike Compitello, percussionist – New Morse Code as they are known together – create a super dramatic, dynamic, ever-changing sound-world to support Roberta Gumbel, soprano and librettist, in the chamber opera dwb driving while black*. They are, together and separately, additional characters in the drama; their playing has to provide a huge amount of the emotional life of the piece. A world of feeling has to go into one pizz, or one glockenspiel strike, one cello slide or one foot stomp, and they bring it. Hannah plays foot tambourine and toy piano in addition to cello, and Mike plays over 20 instruments with hands and both feet. They articulate and give dimension to the swiftly moving narrative and ever-changing score, while at the same time supporting the singer the way great collaborative players do. They are doing so many things at once with their bodies and minds and hearts! It slays me every time.
7) You have quite the range in your many compositions. How do you tackle an opera versus a chamber or orchestral work? Are there similarities in composing for these different mediums?
For me, opera is human life on an almost heartbeat-by-heartbeat basis, and it stimulates both my musical and my emotional imagination in ways that are both exciting and very comfortable to me. I live in that theatrical space very happily. But I also need to write Other Stuff and often, not always, what I’m writing has a relationship in my own head to the theater or dance even though no one else knows that. (I suspect lots and lots of composers work that way to some degree or other.)
One piece, My Lucky, for solo piano, is a fantasia that’s actually directly derived from a very famous soliloquy, Lucky’s speech from Waiting for Godot. Two extended song cycles with chamber ensemble outline the life, in many movements, of a single character; they can be programmed as mono-operas or as chamber music. A couple of pieces are experiments in using chamber music to take a deep look at particular characters, even requiring text to be spoken: The Lunch Counter, a music play in seven movements for solo bassoon, in which the player speaks briefly before each movement, setting a scene; and Postcards from America, for oboe and piano, which involves reading a ‘postcard’ before each of the movements.
I was commissioned to write an extended ‘song cycle’ for violin and piano, which became Hermestänze, a marvelous experience for me, composing 14 wildly different movements to deliver one of the most multi-faceted characters in all of history.
But I also love being free of any pre-existing demands or purpose. For non-text-based music, sometimes I start with a physical/musical gesture that I can toss around in purely musical adventures as in the Six Bagatelles for solo piano, Etude for Two People and One Thing, and Once. Upon. A Time. With these pieces, I enjoy just getting into my own head and invite the audience to come inside.
8) dwb (driving while back) is a very timely work with the current Black Lives Matter movement. How has this piece and experience working with Roberta Gumbel impacted you and your composing process going forward?
Since I am myself a playwright, I had never sought a collaborator for operas. dwb was my first time working with a librettist other than myself and it grew out of a long friendship, not out of a search for a collaborator. But working with Roberta was a revelation. I loved talking to her about every little thing, imagining characters and scenes together. Her long experience as a performer means she knows the art form from being the singer on the stage, which only adds dimension to the sort of scene sculpting that a libretto has to do. I’m happy to say, we’re working on our second project together.
9) Of your many popular works, do you have one piece that you are most proud of?
I love the one I’m with! That said, dwb with its severe limitations – one singer and two very busy instrumentalists – pushed me harder than anything had before. I am extremely proud of my work to help bring Roberta’s libretto into 4-D. (With big nods to both Roberta and New Morse Code who are all superhuman creative participants!) At the other end of the stick, I want to add I’m particularly proud of the orchestration for large forces in Miranda’s Waltz. It gives me great pleasure when musicians really enjoy playing something of mine, which was very much the case with that piece both at the Kennedy Center and in Melbourne.
10) What would you say to other artists/musicians who are craving ensemble work, and want to continue to perform as part of their mental health during this pandemic?
My heart goes out to them all. I, myself, crave being in a room with live music. We all do! I know some performers and ensembles that are giving outdoor concerts, or streaming live-but-audience-less concerts. The sticky wicket is that artists/musicians need to perform for their mental health, but they also need to be paid for their physical well-being. It would not be good for the old saw, “They do it for the love of it” to rise up and settle in people’s minds again.
I think, I hope, that even though the digital performance has come in on a semi-white horse to offer something otherwise unattainable, when live performance is safe again I look forward to an explosion of demand and appreciation. May it be so!!!
Susan Kander – a MacDowell Colony Fellow – has been commissioned by such notable ensembles and organizations including: the National Symphony Orchestra; the Kansas City Chorale; Southampton Chamber Music Festival; the Copland Fund and the Columbia Foundation, along with a variety of instrumentalists and chamber groups. Her music has been performed throughout the United States and internationally, including London, Paris, Mexico City, Lima, Birmingham (UK), Vancouver, Cape Town, Melbourne, St. Petersburg, and Guangzhou (China). After attending Harvard University and earning a BA in music, Kander embarked on a career as a playwright until “coming home to music” in the mid-1990s. In 2015, after busily composing for 20 years, she decided to “blow things up” by finally going to graduate school. She attended the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase (New York) where she studied with Du Yun and Huang Ruo, and earned her MM in composition while writing a variety of new works for orchestra and chamber ensemble.
In the opera world, Kander’s commissioners include the Minnesota Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Theater of St. Louis, and Opera Columbus. In 2012, the Minnesota Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City co-commissioned and premiered Kander’s adaptation of The Giver, which is based after Lois Lowry’s seminal dystopian novel. The 85-minute chamber opera subsequently received its third production in January 2015 at the Tulsa Opera. Kander’s opera One False Move (conceived and commissioned by Paula Winans at Lyric Opera of Kansas City) deals with the issue of “mean girls” and “school bullying,” and has been presented by opera companies, schools, colleges, and choruses. Her work, She Never Lost a Passenger, also commissioned by Lyric Opera of Kansas City, has introduced children across the US to the American historical figure of Harriet Tubman and her vital role in the Underground Rail Road. In April 2016, her chamber opera The News from Poems (based on the life of influential American 20th-century Modernist poet William Carlos Williams) was presented in a concert reading at the National Opera Center in New York City.
Kander’s work Miranda’s Waltz (scored for narrator and orchestra, and commissioned and premiered in 2009 by the National Symphony Orchestra) received its Australian premiere in May 2017 and was live-streamed worldwide from Melbourne by the Australian Discovery Orchestra. Kevin Purcell conducted. Afterward, Purcell and the ensemble took Miranda’s Waltz to Rotterdam as a featured work at the 2017 Classical NEXT Conference.
Kander’s music can be found on Soundcloud and YouTube; and her chamber works have been recorded by MSR Classics, Navona and Loose Cans Music. Her most recent disc “Hermestänze” (MSR Classics MS1578), was described by Fanfare Magazine as a release that “proves [Kander] to be a composer of vivid imagination and skill…21st-century music enthusiasts won’t want to miss this one!”
Composer's Corner - with James Adler
Meet James Adler, a pianist who “can create whatever type of music he wants at the keyboard” (Chicago Sun-Times) and a composer who writes “with uncommon imagination” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). His extensive list of compositions is headed by Memento mori: An AIDS Requiem. Recorded by AmorArtis Chorale and Orchestra, and published by Alfred Music, Memento mori features a “range of expression [that] is expansive” and is “a unique, well-crafted, emotionally rich piece” (American Record Guide). His catalog includes numerous works for chorus, chamber works for vocalists and instrumentalists, and works for symphonic band and for orchestra. They have been performed worldwide: from New Zealand, to Estonia; New York City to San Francisco; at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the United Nations, and at the Statue of Liberty 200th anniversary celebration.
Of your many popular works, do you have one piece that you are most proud of?
They are all my “children,” truth be told. But Memento mori: An AIDS Requiem, Reflections Upon a September Morn (for oboe/English horn, mezzo, piano) which was composed after 9/11, Psalm for Michael (for oboe, cello, piano) composed for my late brother, Piano Concerto in G: A Walk Through an English Garden, and recently-composed – for my late brother – Elegy for Norman (for flute and piano). A number of these works have been recorded for either Albany Records, or PARMA Recordings.
Your AIDS Requiem is a brilliant piece of music. What inspired you to create this?
My work Memento mori: An AIDS Requiem (for men’s chorus, soloists, and chamber ensemble) is a work close to my heart. Back in the early 90s, I had lost so many friends, colleagues, and loved ones to AIDS – I had to do something. And I had to do it musically. The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus commissioned the work, and it was a labor of love. While I used traditional Latin texts from the requiem form, I was able to include some special words, poems, and texts to create this near-theatrical work.
My late friend Quentin Crisp felt that two of his poems might fit nicely into the work. His poems “Now I Am Dead,” and one he subtitled “The Wounded” fit perfectly. The former, sung by the mezzo-soprano, worked into the first movement’s “Requiem aeternam.”
For the “Yizkor,” I put in a bit of my own Jewish heritage: the “Yizkor” remembrance prayer. Denise Stokes, activist and poet, gave me the rights to her poem “The Park Flickers.” It’s scored for soprano with an alto flute echoing her works (with the chamber orchestra). Denise was relatively young – but she had an “old soul.” That’s why the alto flute fit into this movement. Bill Weaver wrote a poem on “Survival.” I used that as part of the final movement. And in the Lacrymosa movement, brooding and modal for men’s chorus mostly a cappella (with bi-tonal harmony), leading into a Narrative – with poetry by Philip Justin Smith. It is recited by an actor with orchestra accompaniment. Rather than having set this as a through-composed movement, this text from Philip’s “Chosen Family” seemed more special as a narrated work. In this 75-minute Requiem, this moment was a personal highlight to me, and to the audiences who have heard the work.
AmorArtis Chorale and Orchestra, under the direction of Johannes Somary, recorded this for Albany Records. This was my first professionally released recording. And as the first, it was very dear to my heart. The score is published by Alfred Music – I’m so proud it has a nurturing home.
Can you tell us a little about your commissions?
I have been blessed by receiving commissions, and also being asked by friends to compose works for them to perform. For some works, I get to collaborate as pianist. But when I compose for friends or for commissioning parties, I'm project-driven.
How do you balance composition with your performance schedule?
Well, it sure ‘ain’t’ easy (lol). Even when I had signed with Gershunoff Artists, as pianist and composer, Max and Leon encouraged me to do both. But not at the same time. A notable exception was the creation of my piano concerto, subtitled “A Walk Through an English Garden.” My then-London manager was able to get me interviews and auditions with some conductors, and the BBC, in the spring of 1980. I was told “not to ask questions,” but go home – Philadelphia, back then – and compose a 2-piano version of this Piano Concerto in G. I returned to the UK to stay with friends in London; Kent, actually, and scored my piano concerto there. Hence, the subtitle, as Kent is known as the “Garden of England.”
The work was eventually premiered here in NYC with me as soloist. And a few seasons ago, QUO: Queer Urban Orchestra in NYC performed my piano concerto, with me as soloist. Tweaking and adjusting orchestrations, fine-tuning string parts (I had always bowed my string music, demanded by my professors at Curtis), while practicing, meant a lot of musical juggling.
Nowadays, I try to separate composition projects with my performing schedule. I also manage my teaching responsibilities, having been a faculty member of Saint Peter’s University’s Fine Arts Department since 1987; but there are some days where this is a lot of juggling – I try to make it all work!
How has Covid-19 impacted your work?
Covid-19 has affected my work in several ways. The obvious one involved the cancellation of concerts for this past spring. Composing continues, delivery is by email attachment of score and sound file. But what I miss most is the interaction between soloists (colleagues) and this composer.
The other aspect, not easily measured, is the loneliness and isolation. I’m blessed to be supported by a wonderful and caring husband. But the impossibility, until now, of meeting with others in person has put a strain on how I like to work best.
Have you been able to collaborate with other composers/artists during the lockdown?
Collaboration with other artists has been by email. I composed a work for baritone and piano that begs rehearsing with the baritone soloist. As we move in New York into ‘Phase Whatever’ – keeping masks on, and social distancing, we’ll be able to run through the music which is to receive its premiere in November. The baritone and I will be “live”; whether the audience will be able to attend, with masks and social distancing, is another story. Or, the concert will be streamed. Somehow, the Show Will Go On. :-)
What technology have you used to continue composing or offer music lessons in a virtual world?
I’m an old-fashioned boy who still likes to write on manuscript. Then, music gets transferred via Finale. So my work is continuing as I have always enjoyed composing music. What I miss is not having the ability to invite an instrumentalist, or singer here, to run through things. But that will happen. Soon. I hope.
I recorded a short video of me performing Debussy “Deux Arabesques,” a few weeks ago. It’s part of the James at Dusk series, recorded here in our loft. I’ll soon be recording some works by Rachmaninoff – giving listeners a taste of my interpretation; this composer will figure prominently on several of my concerts during the 2020-21 season.
How has it been for you not being able to perform during this health crisis?
I signed with a new concert manager who has been wonderfully supportive. He has encouraged me to “think outside the [proverbial] box” in getting my music out there. As composer, I am working on a revision of my large concert band work FANFARE XL for smaller performing forces. At the premiere in April 2019, the concert band was 130+, with 13 percussion parts. Can you hear my publisher groaning? (I can). I’m preparing this work for a smaller wind ensemble, hopefully something that will be more marketable. The percussion score is already reduced to 4 players, with an optional 5th. Better, already.
I was not able to appear in recital in April; the series manager wisely postponed it to the fall. As I said, the recital – with the premiere of “Beyond Night,” for baritone and piano – will somehow be live, and recorded. The work was a labor of love. My late friend, Rosalie Calabrese, was interested in my setting one of her poems to music. She gave me her blessing. I am thrilled to finally bring her haunting poem, and music, to life.
You got your start in ensemble work. How do you think this pandemic will influence the future on ensembles?
I actually got my start as a solo pianist – but always loved composing and arranging for ensembles. In the process, I got to either conduct, perform, or attend concerts featuring my music. This pandemic is going to reduce choir and orchestra size, for sure. So I am scaling down some of my large works to fit a smaller performing ensemble. I’m working on a work for two flutes and piano for friends and me to perform. With three performers on stage, we can find a way to make it work.
What would you say to other artists/musicians that are craving ensemble work and to continue performing as part of their mental health during this pandemic?
I would say, even though it’s a cliché, to “hang in there!” Artists, orchestra managers, agents, and those who engage performers will all need to think outside that proverbial box.
Until there is a safe vaccine for COVID-19, we will all need to create music in a different way for performances. No large orchestras, choruses, or packed houses will work. It’s simply not presently safe. But creating social distancing with an orchestra in a large hall – moving performers apart, a Maestro’s beat can be seen with various monitors placed throughout a hall; smaller audiences – and streaming the concert (yes, for a hopefully small fee or subscription) will bring music LIVE to a hungry audience.
For my recitals in the fall, I hope there will be an audience present, COVID metrics’ permitting. If it’s a large enough hall or church, and social distancing can work, bravo! If the recital is in a smaller space, an engineer can hopefully record it safely (distance, of course). If the concert can be streamed, that can work as well. The operative word: flexibility. We will all have to figure this out as we go along.
Who knows? If Drs. Fauci, Birx, and associates come up with a safe vaccine in early 2021, we may be able to have large-hall concerts again. Until then, let’s find a way to bring music and art forward. And, alive!
James Adler is a pianist who “can create whatever type of music he wants at the keyboard” (Chicago Sun-Times) and a composer who writes “with uncommon imagination” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
After winning the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Award, Mr. Adler made his orchestral performing debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Orchestra Hall. He has appeared in places as varied as Chicago's Grant Park and Ravinia Festival; London’s Royal Albert Hall (broadcast by the BBC) and Wigmore Hall; the Dimitria Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece; and New York’s Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, and Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden.
His extensive list of compositions is headed by Memento mori: An AIDS Requiem. Recorded by AmorArtis Chorale and Orchestra, and published by Alfred Music, Memento mori features a “range of expression [that] is expansive” and is “a unique, well-crafted, emotionally rich piece” (American Record Guide). His catalog includes numerous works for chorus, chamber works for vocalists and instrumentalists, and works for symphonic band and for orchestra. They have been performed worldwide: from Christchurch, New Zealand, to Tallinn, Estonia; New York City to San Francisco; at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the United Nations, and at the Statue of Liberty 200th anniversary celebration.
A musician who is greatly interested in new works, Mr. Adler has had the privilege of premiering compositions written for him by Paul Turok, Henco Espag, Kevin Cummines, and Seth Bedford. He has also written works commissioned by the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, the piano duo of LeDuc and Engel, oboist Ian Shafer, baritone Malcolm Merriweather, Central Regional High School (NJ), the Cheektowaga Millenium Youth Chorus, and the Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps symphonic band.
As performer and composer, Mr. Adler can be heard on recordings from Albany Records, Capstone, Navona, and Ravello Records. He is a member of the Department of Fine Arts at Saint Peter’s University, a National Arts Associate in the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, and was selected in 2018 for membership in the SAI Composer’s Bureau. James Adler is a recipient of the 2017 Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
Yamaha Piano
Elegy Artist Management (www.elegyartistmanagement.com)
Photo: Frank Gimpaya
The Intersection of Music, Technology and Learning in the Age of COVID-19, A Virtual Panel
“We don’t really know how much we miss something until it is gone. When we return it is going to be so precious.”
Dr. Timothy Seelig, Artistic Director, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
“It has brought the reality of internet-based performance to the forefront. It may have been faster than we were ready for it, but it is here.”
Terrance Kelly, Artistic Director, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
“Much of what we are learning will continue following the pandemic. What we are doing now is an investment in the future of our organizations.”
KellyAnn Nelson, Chorus America
“The radical inclusivity that we can achieve now, we need to embrace it and push it as far as we can.”
Gavin Thrasher, Artistic Director, New York City Gay Men’s Chorus
On Monday, August 10, 2020, in collaboration with Chorus Connection, Harmony Helper CEO Andrew Goren led a panel of choral art experts as they shared their experiences navigating this new choral world amidst a global pandemic. To view the virtual panel in its entirety click here: https://youtu.be/Vxm-ovgXOLA
Music is an expression of humanity, artistry, and creativity. It can help us to express feelings beyond the reach of words. With most of the world in lockdown or on the front lines fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to acknowledge the power that art has to connect and unite us in times of crisis. In the choral music world, ensembles thrive in time spent rehearsing, learning, and performing together. This virtual panel provided tips and techniques for how choral leaders can adapt during this time of isolation.
Panel participants included: Andrew Goren, Founder and CEO, Harmony Helper (Moderator), KellyAnn Nelson, Advertising & Development Associate, Chorus America and Founder, Young Professionals Choral Collective, Gavin Thrasher, Artistic Director, New York City Gay Men’s Chorus , Jacob Levine, Founder and CEO, Chorus Connection, Dr. Sara Langworthy, Founder, DeveloPlay, Dr. Lynnel Joy Jenkins, Artistic Director, Princeton Girlchoir, Adam Reinwald, Owner, Open Voices LLC and Beer Choir, Dr. Timothy Seelig, Artistic Director, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Maria A. Ellis, Music Education Consultant, Owner, Girl Conductor, and Terrance Kelly, Artistic Director, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir.
This 80-minute live stream was broadcast on YouTube via Zoom integration and more than 500 choral leaders registered to be a part of this interactive event. The virtual panel provided leadership inspiration and tips for teaching musicians during this uncertain time. Topics included best practices for choral leaders to help members/students rehearse independently and stay motivated. Technology (such as singing apps) and tools to support the arts during this time at home were discussed along with creative rehearsal and performance ideas, using technology (such as harmony apps). Finally, panelists discussed positive things that can come from this new virtual world and why it might make the industry more inclusive and much more.
THE “FERMATA” SEASON
Here are some of the highlights from the recent panel.
What are some challenges the choral world is facing amidst this pandemic?
“It is okay to feel and experience grief in this difficult time, but there is reason to be optimistic and hopeful,” said Jacob Levine, Founder and CEO of Chorus Connection. Panelists discussed cancelations and changes in revenue. This is a great challenge, “but one of the biggest superpowers of our community is creative solutions,” remarked Kelly Ann Nelson of Chorus America. Going digital has increased educational and social opportunities for choirs along with finding creative ways to perform.
Several panelists discussed the difficulty of using platforms like Zoom as the app can only support ‘one-way audio’. Below are some recommendations of other platforms and tips to make your Zoom experience the best it can be.
What are some modifications that music directors have had to make or will have to make for their rehearsals and performances?
The panel had a consensus that choirs need to be more about community. “A shift in thinking of what a choir is,” is what impacted Dr. Lynnel Joy Jenkins, Artistic Director of the Princeton Girls Choirs. “Choirs are more than just singing. They want to learn more about other elements like conducting, the Phonetic alphabet (IPA), improvisation, sight-singing, and chord progressions. This was a big surprise to me.”
Gavin Thrasher, Artistic Director of the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus agrees that shifting back to focus on community is the best strategy. “Community is who we are. Interpersonal interaction is missing at the moment so we offer the group a chance for a deeper understanding of technique. It’s a temporary shift. Focusing on the individual will make for a better ensemble when we are back together.”
What types of virtual activities have you and your singers been doing?
While singers have joined choirs for singing, it is as much for socialization and community. “We may have had what we do taken away temporarily, but they can never take away who we are,” stated Dr. Timothy Seelig, Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. “Our organization hosts virtual events nearly every day. From sober night to game night, book club to cooking night, these events allow even more connection than simply singing.”
Terrance Kelly, Artistic Director of Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir hosts virtual happy hours to continue a connection with his singers. “I count on my section leaders to run sectional rehearsals in a Zoom breakout room. This has been very helpful for the choir to learn their music.”
Due to the audio delay with Zoom, Gavin Thrasher (NYCGMC) films/records the director or accompanist and has the group sing-along. “We have been offering additional workshops, music theory, sight-singing, guest speakers, and more during the pandemic,” said Thrasher.
“We have been able to connect girls from around the country and put them in a space to watch them grow,” said Maria A. Ellis, owner of Girl Conductor. She created the Maria Ellis Hour for her students, a video show she presents weekly. They talk about various social issues and “use music to bring it back to their world.”
Adam Reinwald, owner of Open Voices LLC and Beer Choir has been finding ways to be unique and provide flexibility for his singers. “We knew what our audience wanted and expected,” commented Reinwald. “We don’t know what this new digital audience is looking for. Give them the opportunity to discover you (and they might even give you money for it).”
“This virtual environment has increased access to these great choirs,” added Andrew Goren, CEO of Harmony Helper.
What technologies, tools, and resources have provided the most value for choral leaders? What about for singers?
This topic could only be addressed by other important questions according to Dr. Sara Langworthy, founder of DeveloPlay. “What are you trying to do? Who are you trying to reach and how? How do you make both singers and an audience feel comfortable in a virtual space? Answers to these questions will inform your technology.”
She adds, “Zoom is an adequate platform with breakout room functionality. Using a previous recording of your singers is a trick to make Zoom work and provides a compelling feel of ensemble singing.” Streamyard is her favorite platform.
Adam Reinwald also likes Streamyard. “Crowdcast works well, smoother,” according to Reinwald. “Our audience is excited to watch our Zoom rehearsals. It’s also a great way to find new audiences.”
“It has been a creative time in our field and a difficult time to stay relevant and engaged,” stated Jacob Levine of Chorus Connection. “Things are evolving so quickly. There is tremendous value in being able to talk to your peers. I use the Chorus Management Network on Facebook. Here, directors talk about things that are working for them. The pandemic has accelerated the need for a digital world, especially in arts organizations. Listen and see what your peers are doing. Consider a monthly online subscription with access to exclusive content for your audience.”
Tim Seelig (SFGMC) wanted participants to know that “conductors are freaking out as much as the singer is, so don’t worry. Conductors are locked into the way pieces are performed virtually. You can’t make adjustments like you can do in person.”
Terrance Kelly (OIGC) tells his members to ‘Grab a grandkid’ to help with technology. He instituted a choir check-in, volunteers that call each member of the organization. Kelly is also creating an etiquette document for Zoom rehearsals. “It’s okay to get up to stretch,” said Kelly. “So many people Zoom all day, they are zoomed out. It is okay to be a little more relaxed in virtual rehearsals.”
“So much of what we are learning will continue following the pandemic,” commented KellyAnn Nelson (Chorus America). “How do we create performances for those that will not return to the traditional performance space? What we are doing now is an investment in the future of our organizations.”
How do you inspire your singers to stay motivated and positive during this time?
Dr. Lynnel Joy Jenkins (Princeton Girlchoir) had her group host a virtual sleepover to welcome the newest members. “It benefited them socially and assisted with retention,” said Jenkins. “Inspire students to be leaders, to use their social voice and get input from the students. This pandemic has been an opportunity for girls to work with guest female conductors and composers in a virtual world. With the addition of ‘Name the Tune’ Mondays, the whole world is now engaging with our social media.”
Maria Ellis (Girl Conductor) likes having her students motivate each other with events like their virtual fashion show. “The girls would post positive comments about one another’s style,” said Ellis. “The staff would send the positive comments to the girls to reinforce their self-esteem.” Ellis starts every virtual day with an online dance party.
“It’s the connection of the singers that tend to inspire each other,” remarked Gavin Thrasher (NYGMC). “It’s very different to capture that energy on Zoom. I find it important to take time in every rehearsal to check in and interact with one another.”
Each of the panelists was asked about something positive that has come from this experience for choirs and singers.
“There are cool things you can do in the virtual space and online platforms to build community. How do we take this forward?”
Dr. Sara Langworthy, Founder, DeveloPlay
“It’s the idea of connection and relevance. We have an opportunity to find the needs of our community and audience. We find creative ways to fund what we do.”
“It’s about investing in our people. Finding leadership that wants to create community and engagement. This is the power of choral music.”
KellyAnn Nelson, Advertising & Development Associate, Chorus America and Founder, Young Professionals Choral Collective
“It has brought the reality of internet-based performance to the forefront. It may have been faster than we were ready for it, but it is here.”
Terrance Kelly, Artistic Director, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
“We don’t really know how much we miss something until it is gone. When we return it is going to be so precious. Covid will help us not take that for granted.” He recommends recording performances in case this ever happens again.
“One of our virtual choirs reached 250,000 people. Do you know how many concerts we would have to do to reach a quarter of a million people? The world is our oyster. It erases the boundaries of who your audience is.”
Timothy Seelig, Artistic Director, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
“Who will we be when this is over? Now it’s time to enjoy this journey.”
Dr. Lynnel Joy Jenkins, Artistic Director, Princeton Girlchoir
“We are changing the definition of membership now that geographical barriers are no longer an issue. There is a chance to build this community in an ever broader sense, without geographical borders.”
“The radical inclusivity that we can achieve now, we need to embrace it and push it as far as we can.”
Gavin Thrasher, Artistic Director, New York City Gay Men’s Chorus
“The expansion of educational opportunities and leveling the playing field for annual events that are economically out-of-reach for many is a positive move.”
Jacob Levine, Founder and CEO, Chorus Connection
“There is global connectivity now. This is a great focusing opportunity for organizations. This is what we do and this is what we do well. This is where we need to grow. It will be valuable and long-lasting exercise.”
Adam Reinwald, Owner, Open Voices LLC and Beer Choir
“We have had the opportunity to virtually meet people from all over the world. I have taken the time to reset myself. I can do whatever is in my mind. There are no rules. You could either fail or never try… I’m going to try.”
Maria A. Ellis, Music Education Consultant, Owner, Girl Conductor
There’s no way around it, the past few months have been difficult for all artists. Not only have performing arts organizations been hit especially hard by COVID-19, but choral singers have not been able to use their best coping mechanism, ensemble singing. Despite these trying times, this crisis also has the potential to bring out the resilience and creativity that makes our community so strong. Our friends at Chorus Connection want to help you channel such strengths in this critical moment. Here are some resources and key information to help your choir as we march through this difficult time together.
“It was both an honor and a privilege to moderate this diverse panel of choral directors,” remarked Andrew Goren, CEO of Harmony Helper. “It’s in times of a crisis that the arts are most important. You may not need art to survive, but you need art to want to survive. A big ‘thank you’ to all the panelists who inspired us all.”
To view the virtual panel in its entirety click here: https://youtu.be/Vxm-ovgXOLA
How Can I Keep From Singing
Virtual Choirs are the Saving Grace for Musicians Around the World
How Can I Keep From Singing-
https://youtu.be/VLPP3XmYxXg
For artists around the globe, performing together is essential to their daily lives. How can an artist maintain their skills while keeping their mental health in check without a traditional creative outlet?
Virtual choirs and orchestras are not new, but they have become part of the fabric of the performing arts community while stay at home orders have forced creative spirits into isolation. Artists from every walk of life are now participating in these online performances. Schools, Broadway casts, churches, community choruses, and independent artists are using these alternate channels to inspire others.
Although nothing will ever replace the connection a person feels to performing with an ensemble, these online masterpieces can inspire artists and patrons of the arts for generations to come.
Here are some of our favorite virtual choirs. We hope they inspire you!
Sleep-
https://youtu.be/6WhWDCw3Mng
With over 2,000 singers from over 58 countries and nearly three-million views, no one creates a virtual choir like Eric Whitacre.
You Can't Stop the Beat-
https://youtu.be/mfiAPj3Sf1M
Stars of Broadway and the movie cast(s) of Hairspray recently created an ‘at home’ edition of “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” a benefit for The Actor’s Fund.
Light Shall Lift Us-
https://youtu.be/u8A8fIGbYyY
If opera is more your tempo, than this concertato of 100 professional opera singers, will have you screaming “encore.”
Heroes-
https://youtu.be/DO0kAtg9dRw
With over 6,000 singers from 45 countries ‘Couch Choir’ dedicated David Bowie’s “Heroes” to all those on the frontline.
Take Me to the World-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A92wZIvEUAw&t=208s
In a recent live broadcast celebrating Stephen Sondheim’s 90th Birthday produced by Broadway.com, Broadway pit musicians collaborated virtually to showcase the “Overture” from Merrily We Roll Along.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow-
https://youtu.be/cEMMoCzDRjE
Local schools are embracing the digital world as teachers try to impact students without being in the classroom or rehearsal hall.
Here Comes the Sun-
https://youtu.be/42eOkx5KRJo
Even independent student groups like Soulfege in Millburn, New Jersey have found ways to create beautiful music, together, from the safety of their own homes.
Little Stream-
https://youtu.be/LrwgVoGN6xw
Boy choirs have been around for centuries, but never quite like this.
You Will be Found-
https://youtu.be/_10msPMEick
James Corden wraps up his “Home Fest” show with some words on the range of emotions he's felt while in quarantine. James introduces original Evan Hansen, Ben Platt, along with cast members from the current Broadway and national touring companies of Dear Evan Hansen with a virtual rendition of "You Will Be Found.”
Have you participated in a virtual choir or orchestra? Send your links to Shayne@HarmonyHelper.com to be considered for a future story.
# # #
Music and Your Health
Even before I was a teenager I realized how music could have a lasting impact on a person. Think about keeping a list of 26 items and memorizing them in order. Seems like a monumental task? Now sing your A, B, C’s. Music has a special way of leaving a lasting imprint.
The first time I realized that music could change lives, I was only 12 or 13 years of age. I was volunteering at a local nursing home and decided to start a resident choir. Around 16 residents participated and each was in differing stages of health. A few residents who sang were in late stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia and often didn’t recognize their families. The adult children of these seniors were shocked to come to our little concert and see their parents singing along. These residents couldn’t remember their family, but they could sing every lyric to that old song they had been singing as a child.
Music is magic. Not only does music improve memory, but it can have a positive impact on a person’s mental and physical health. Studies are ongoing to prove the health benefits of music, but most studies suggest that listening to music can have the following positive effects on health.
· Music can improve your mood.
· Music can limit anxiety.
· Music can reduce stress.
· Music can improve the exercise experience.
· Music can improve memory.
These are just a few of the health benefits of music. Studies are being conducted on music’s ability to ease pain, improve cognition, and provide benefits to people on the autism spectrum.
For generations, school and community choirs are brought into nursing homes, senior centers, and 50+ communities, not only to entertain residents but to improve their health and outlook on life.
We want to hear your stories on how music has had an impact on your health or the health of someone in your family. Has your choir performed for seniors in your community? Send your stories and images to shayne@harmomyhelper.com.
REFERENCES
· 1. Harvard Health Publications. Harvard Medical School. Music & Health. July 2011. 1-6.
· 2. Chanda ML, Levitin DJ. The neurochemistry of music. Trends Sci. 2013;17(4):179-193.
· 3. Hole J, Hirsch M, Ball E, Meads C. Music as an aid for postoperative recovery in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2015;387:1659-1671.