MUSIC ON THE MOUNTAIN THE LEHIGH UNIVERSITY/ ACDA FORUM MARK A. BOYLE

Mark A. Boyle Director of Choral and Vocal Activities Seton Hill University Greensburg, Pennsylvania ACDA Eastern Division Men's Choir R&S Chair [email protected]

46 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4 On the slopes of South Mountain in historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, sit the many collegiate gothic buildings of Lehigh University. The town is steeped in the musical history of the United States. The Moravian community situated Steven Sametz here, which contributed ACDA Brock Commission much to the early vocal music 2013 Sackler Award Winner of the American Colonies, continues to support music in various ways, from hosting chamber music concerts at Central Moravian Church, to the Christmas Vespers at Moravian College. Here, in 1901, The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the oldest choir of its type in the country, off ered the fi rst American performance of J. S. Bach’s Mass in B minor and continues to off er a variety of concerts, often at Lehigh’s Packer Tania León Grammy-nominated composer Chapel. Music is alive and 2014 Composers Forum well in this colonial town. Guest Composer 2013 ASCAP Victor Herbert Award Winner

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4 47 THE LEHIGH UNIVERSITY/

Among those classic, ivy-covered buildings of Lehigh ers and adventurous students. is a more contemporary structure: the Zoellinger Arts Center. It is here where the Lehigh University/ACDA Oxford University Press helped sponsor the Forum Summer Choral Composers Forum fi nds its home and from 2002 to 2004, and the overall atmosphere shifted to appropriately, new choral music comes to life. Steven more of a festival. Alongside the newly composed pieces, Sametz, the Ronald J. Ulrich Professor of Music and a large community choir performed large-scale works with Director of Lehigh University Choral Arts, curates a orchestra. Student conductors worked more indepen- program unlike any other. Composers, young and old, dently from the composers. During these years, Ameri- student and professional, come to Lehigh’s campus every can Composers Forum co-founder Libby Larson (2002), other summer for a week of intense investigation of the conductor/composer Bob Chilcott (2003), and Pulitzer choral composition process. They come from across the Prize winner Zhou Long (2004) mentored composition continent to expand their palettes, add to their toolboxes, participants, while British choral luminaries Peter Phillips and learn from Sametz and an ever growing list of guest (2002), conductor of The Tallis Scholars, and Nicholas composers, including Pulitzer Prize winners, Guggenheim Cleobury (2004), principal conductor of the Oxford Bach Fellows, several recipients of the Raymond Brock Memo- Choir, worked with conducting students. The late Stephen rial Composition commission, and faculty members from Paulus served as guest composer in 2006, and Z. Randall some of the best music schools in the country. Participat- Stroope in 2008. ing composers arrive with nothing but a text to set. In a In 2010 ACDA partnered with the Forum and has done week, more than a dozen new pieces of choral music, so ever since. Tim Sharp, Executive Director of ACDA, uniquely refl ecting the composers who crafted each work, has made it a point to visit the Forum and experience the will be set free from a simple ink and paper existence. creative environment himself. Sharp states that the “Fo- The journey is one of growth, and like any worth-while rum is a glimpse into the future for me. I observe mentor- journey, there are stories to be told. composers coaching talented emerging composers, and I hear the results of their instruction. I am very proud that ACDA can support such a high level intensive.” He goes History: Birth, Growth, and Partnership further and fi nds that the Forum lives into the organiza- In 2001, with the support of Lehigh University, Sametz tion’s very mission. founded what would develop into the present-day Forum. The vision, to invite composers and conductors for a I have observed three iterations of the Com- week of making new music together, brought people from poser’s Forum, and as a result, I have gained around the country to Eastern Pennsylvania. This inau- valuable insight into one of the four “pillars” of gural year featured two guest artists: composer , ACDA’s misson statement...” to inspire excellence distinguished professor of composition at the University in choral composition…” I take this mission very of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and seriously, and I want ACDA to remain at the Dance, and composer/conductor Alberto Grau, founder front edge of choral composition internationally. of the Scholar Cantorum de Venezuela. Sametz explains: Further, this event allows me to hear directly from our ACDA Brock Memorial Composition Student composers would write a new work in a Composers, which has been a wonderful legacy week to be premiered under the baton of student to be a part of. conductors. In these early days, composers and conductors alike sang in the chorus. This full immersion experience in a collaborative creative The Mentor-composers process planted the seed for the development of Over the years, some extremely successful composers future composer forums. We have been blessed have served as guest mentors for the Forum, working from the very beginning with exceptional teach- with Steven Sametz to provide guidance, feedback, and

48 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4 ACDA COMPOSERS FORUM direction for the participants. During daily one-on-one family of instruments, including choral voices, has meetings, group seminar-style discussions, and the reading its own strengths and limitations. I will say that sessions with the Princeton Singers, the mentor-composers I’ve tried to be alive, in recent years, to the pos- are present, advising, teaching, and at times, shepherding sibility of borrowing from instrumental textures the process. to enrich my vocabulary in choral music. Steven Stucky, current composition faculty member at the Juilliard School, helped guide the process as guest In 2014, composer and conductor Tania León came mentor-composer of the 2012 Forum. His Brock Com- to the mountain to mentor the latest cohort of talented mission, Take Him, Earth, setting texts by Prudentius, artists. Born in Cuba and a fi xture of the new music scene Aeschylus, and Shakespeare, received its premiere at the in New York City for many years, León’s music has been 2013 ACDA National Conference. Stucky served as the performed across the globe by leading ensembles. A 2012 guest mentor-composer in 2012 and for him, the process Latin Grammy nominee for Best Classical Composition, of choral composition starts with a good text, refl ecting she has lectured at several universities, including Yale, the nature of the Forum: come with a text, nothing else. Harvard, and the University of Chicago. Currently, León Stucky states: serves as the director of music composition and distin- guished professor at College’s Conservatory of For me, the text is a part of the sound world. Music. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times noted You’re not just looking for the syntactical her work contains “dense counterpoint and wildly zigzag- meanings, but also for the sounds of the text. ging melodic lines, and Caribbean rhythms.” This breadth I try to make use of that in a musical way. of experience informs her composer’s ethos. Text is not a neutral subject; it’s not just about León describes the Forum as “a gathering of musical what the words say, it’s about how they sound. minds–a place of exchange of ideas, and not just from one point of view, simply discussing the technicality of I try also to pick texts which are fairly simple, so writing, but also motivation and personal interaction that I’m not surpassing my own abilities to deal among the composers.” She continues, “Composers are with metaphysical meanings and deep poetic constantly explaining themselves to everybody. How do content and really concentrate on sound. you transcend what the composers wanted to do with a sense of freedom? This atmosphere allows for that. These Before I even begin to write music, I take time to new colleagues were interacting with each other.” mark the text, divisions, tempo possibilities, and The feedback participants receive from Sametz and perhaps even textural or text setting ideas. So the mentor-composers is a crucial aspect or the Forum, there’s a form laid out which has been suggested however, León points out that the group dynamic is also by the structure of the text itself - and then I just important: stumble my way through. It’s special. [Composers] are talking constantly Learning how an established composer such as Stucky about explorations from one day to another. It’s approaches the creative process is invaluable to the par- personal but communal at the same time. The ticipants. When asked about diff erences between instru- sense of community is very real. It’s an explora- mental and choral composition, he underscores some of tion of the work. It’s what we all aspire to achieve. the reasons a gathering such as the Composers Forum We hope that the composers would retain their exists. Stucky states: own voices while absorbing new techniques.

For me, it is diff erent. I think it has to do with When you interact with another composer, questions of tuning and sonority in the chorus, student, or colleague, you never know where strictly diff erent than instrumental families. Each it leads to. It has to do with communication.

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4 49 THE LEHIGH UNIVERSITY/

What we, the mentor-composers, end up doing incarnations. Spending time discussing the process of is this: we have a diff erent interaction with each composing for choir, particularly as the pieces were being composer. Why? Because everyone is diff erent. rehearsed, became a pillar of this retreat-style gathering, We must adjust, otherwise it would be very bor- all hosted in the wonderful facilities of Lehigh Univer- ing. The main thing is to develop a link with sity. As the program developed, focus shifted toward that the composers during the time we are together. original driving force, forgoing conducting participants and concentrating on compositional process. What advice did León have for those that worked with As those new works are wrought from the muses and her at Lehigh? Observation and response. She says: made tangible on the page, that very process is unraveled, examined, and discussed in group sessions and one-on- Observe, and try to instill in one’s self how to one contact with both Sametz and the guest mentor- react at a given time. We hope that the result will composer. This exploration of the compositional process be very good. Everything is transformative. is the very heart of the Forum. Sametz elaborates:

Chen Yi came to Lehigh University twice in the guest The focus of the Forum is always on composition- mentor-composer role. Known for a compositional voice al process. In the Forum, composers are asked to combining Chinese and Western techniques, she is active become more mindful of their own compositional in the new music scene and spends many summers as a process. We all have a toolbox of what we know resident composer across the globe. While traveling in how to do naturally. In the course of the week, , Chen shared some thoughts on the intense aspects can we add tools to that box? This happens in a of the Forum. number of ways: What do we do naturally and easily? Where do we get stuck or struggle? What The pieces were written freshly indeed during might we try that’s a little risky or outside our the workshop. We had short discussion and com- comfort zone? There is opportunity to experi- ments on each piece. Following this, participating ment in a very safe and supportive environment. composers met with us in private sessions. During these one-on-one sessions, we discussed musical Throughout the week, as we cover topics from conception and image of their work, relation selection of texts to choral voicings to harmonic between the lyric and the music, structure of the language and architecture, there is an on-going piece, and technical aspects of the writing. It was support system that nurtures and challenges us to highly concentrated. I had to be quick, sharp, grow as composers. focused, and eff ective. Delving into that process, learning how mentor-com- Sametz and the expanding roster of mentor-composers posers approach that craft, and being exposed to a room equip the participants with fresh perspectives and a desire full of fellow composers and their methods opens minds to stretch established artistic voices. An important part of and creates fertile ground in which to grow. With regard the Forum’s success rests in the vast experience of these to this aspect, Dan Campolieta, current pianist with the artists and their willingness to open doors to endless pos- United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and 2010 sibilities. alumnus, states he thrived on “an environment built on pure creative energy made up of several like-minded, yet stylistically diverse, artists. I not only produced some of my best personal work during this week-long forum, but Format: Focus and Flow also have continued to grow as a composer in the time that The creation of new works for choir has always followed.” Galaxy Music published Campolieta’s piece, been the driving force behind the Forum and its former Will there really be a “Morning”?, written during his week at

50 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4 ACDA COMPOSERS FORUM the Composers Forum. Composers Forum experience. In 2006, Sametz brought in his professional chamber choir, the Princeton Singers, to serve as the reading choir With the Princeton Singers in place, the current format for the Forum. This aspect – having an extremely talented of the Composers Forum crystallized. Composers attend- group of professional vocalists present each day, often for ing the Forum are given very clear instructions: come two long rehearsals, bringing freshly printed black dots with a text to set and nothing else. Composers arrive on to life – is what sets the Lehigh University/ACDA Com- Sunday morning, get settled into their rooms, and meet posers Forum apart. Dirk Johnson, Director of Choral their fellow participants—those fellow artists with whom Activities at West Virginia State University and 2010 they will live and learn. The fi rst meeting is over dinner, alumnus, explains: and it is during this meeting when Sametz relays what seems to be the one of the most valuable components of The experience with the Princeton Singers can the Forum—sacrosanct, coveted time to simply compose. simply not be replaced. I can think of no more Justine Koontz, 2010 alumnae and current Butler Univer- engaging and educationally benefi cial interaction sity composition graduate student, puts it this way: than the arrangement we had with the singers during the week. It is a crucial element to what For that week, you don’t have to deal with the we were able to accomplish as composers and mundane. No cooking, no cleaning, no taking is perhaps the most remarkable element in the the cats to the vets, no coping with family, nada.

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4 51 THE LEHIGH UNIVERSITY/

This really gave me the chance to see what I was The composers have a one-on-one session with capable of doing within a short amount of time; the two mentor-composers to discuss their prog- wonderful things can (and do) happen if you can ress. I make it a point to never compare notes fi nd protected time for yourself, which in reality with our guest mentor-composers, which means is very hard to do. that participants might get two very diff erent sets of feedback from each of us. What students This concept of uninterrupted, focused time is a com- glean from this is a) there are no right answers mon thread in every discussion about the Forum, from in composition; and b) they have to think and participants to mentor-composers. To have space and consider choices they’ve heard or set out in their time to work, free from everyday tasks and distractions, own direction, having weighed what they heard guided by some of the best contemporary composers, is in their individual sessions. Pieces change on a inestimable. day-to-day basis, and participants hear how their Also at that fi rst meeting, composers are given a short choices work when The Princeton Singers take on text – one line – to set using the tools they already possess. their works in daily rehearsals. The next morning, the group reads through the pieces. The compositional examples produced are always as var- Having two teachers in residence is very Socratic: ied as the participants themselves. In 2012, Peter de Mets, there is an on-going dialogue which stimulates composer, performer, and church musician, took part in the creative process all week long. the Forum. That year, these short pieces ranged from eight measures to eight pages. The depth and breadth of compositional talent struck de Mets. He comments: The Rehearsals The sessions with the Princeton Singers are electric. After each piece was very roughly read through As the composers bring their freshly written scores to (not all composers are the best singers!), Sametz the fi rst rehearsal, there is a palpable excitement in the would lead a discussion, not so much about the hall. Composers face the singers with Sametz in between, piece itself, but about the process, the road that preparing to bring the works in progress to life for the fi rst resulted in the piece. Why this choice? Why that time. Up until this point, the pieces have only been heard harmony? It was a true group dynamic, sharing on the piano or as electronic realizations. Sametz takes my process and digesting how sixteen other peo- a moment to introduce the two parties, representing the ple approached creating a new work. This meet- three main steps in the process of letting a piece of music ing set the tone for the week - how we would learn loose in the world: composition, performance, and audi- from Sametz and Stucky, but also from each other. ence response. In this these fi rst rehearsals, the composers serve two roles: creators and auditors; they will be the fi rst Daily group meetings continue morning, noon, and audience to hear these nascent works. Sametz is keen on night. Particularly at the outset, discussion centers on the telling audiences that his pieces don’t achieve true fruition poetry choices. This fl ows into discussions about specifi c until they complete the journey that starts in the mind and pieces by Sametz or the guest mentor-composer, again, at the point of a pencil, then comes to life through the always considering process over product. When not in ensemble, fi nally arriving at the audience’s collective ear. group meetings, the participants are actively writing, As the fi rst piece is read down the composer responsible preparing for the fi rst read throughs with the Princeton beams. The guest mentor-composer sits close and points Singers on Tuesday afternoon. One-on-one sessions out aspects in the score that seem to be working for the with Sametz and the guest mentor-composer occur each voices and others that might need attention. Colleagues day. Working with two diff erent mentors during the are just as excited to hear the germinal music, setting the week off ers participants a broader view. Sametz states: tone for the rest of the week. At the conclusion of the read through, there is always applause, often from both

52 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4 ACDA COMPOSERS FORUM

the composers and the singers. Now the important work of accidentals, rhythmic notation (we see lots of begins. unnecessary eighth note rests at the beginning of Sametz asks questions of the composer. “The tenors the week), chord voicing, and optimal, eff ective are quite low in their range at measure 29 and you seem (or risky/unmusical) vowel coloring in various to have given them melodic material. It will be diffi cult ranges in the voice. to hear and challenging for the tenors to bring out while maintaining an appropriate timbre. Can we try some- What drives Anders to spend a week rehearsing con- thing?” stantly evolving pieces at break-neck speed? He describes The composer nods an ascent. Very quickly, Sametz his commitment to this choral cause: asks for some instant changes, without changing the gestalt of the work. A quick revoicing and a re-read demonstrates Fostering new music is the most obvious the concept. reason I take part in the Forum as a singer. “Yes! That works much better,” says the composer. There are few places where one can have an Fellow participants voice agreement. Singers smile and impact on the creation of contemporary cho- mark their scores. They know that their performance has ral works. Though not all, certainly some of helped the work grow. In the next rehearsal, the newly the pieces we sing at each Forum will become printed score will refl ect the change. published works. That’s a personal thrill of During the rehearsal, singers will ask questions, which, mine: to have been intimately involved in the after several years of playing midwives to works evolv- inception of works that may eventually be per- ing in real time, are informed by the very nature of the formed by ensembles around the country. process itself. The questions follow Sametz’s lead, geared toward assisting the composers in producing a work that NDSU CHORAL SYMPOSIUM makes sense on the page for the performers. These are not OCTOBER 22-24, 2015 NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, FARGO normally musical aesthetic questions, they are most often pragmatic, nuts and bolts queries, conceived to get the The NDSU School of Music, the American Choral composers thinking practically. Will a section read better Directors Association and the American Composers in 7/4 or 3/4 plus 4/4? Should a section be written on Forum proudly announce the “NDSU Choral Symposium: Contemporary Composition in America.” four scores instead of reduced to two? Where would you like us to breathe? Noted composer, conductor and lecturer Eric Whitacre The singers are committed to this process. It’s not will headline the three-day your standard choral rehearsal; this is a choral composi- symposium, presenting tion nursery, full of potential. It’s taxing, but ultimately sessions on his music and working with NDSU choral extremely rewarding for the musicians. Les Anders, a PHOTO: MARC ROYCE ensembles. veteran baritone with the Princeton Singers explains the The featured choir is Cantus, singers’ collective role: a nine-member ensemble based in the Twin Cities. It is acclaimed for its engaging We, along with the mentor-composers, are help- performance of music ranging ing the participants gain a greater understanding from the Renaissance to the 21st century. of compositional and notational technique, spe- PHOTO: CURTIS JOHNSON cifi cally in regards to writing for choir, and even FEATURED PRESENTERS Abbie Betinis, Composer more specifi cally, writing for an ensemble that will Craig Carnahan, American Composers Forum Jocelyn Hagen, Composer have limited rehearsal time to turn their manu- Steven Sametz, Composer scripts into music. I’m thinking of key signatures Tim Sharp, American Choral Directors Association

(whether to have one or not – what makes it easi- MORE INFORMATION: contact Jo Ann Miller at [email protected] est for musicians to read?), enharmonic spelling or visit ndsu.edu/performingarts/choralsymposium.

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4 53 ACDA COMPOSERS FORUM

The process seems to bond the Princeton Singers. All A Mountaintop Experience of the edits, reworkings, shifting vocal techniques, stamina At journey’s end, all of the stakeholders, Sametz, the challenges,and stylistic changes contribute to what Anders guest and participating composers, and the Princeton labels “musicianship bootcamp”. This shared experience Singers, interact like a family. Peter de Mets, both a increases the camaraderie of the ensemble. “There’s current Princeton Singer and an alumnus of the 2014 clearly a shared sense of accomplishment when it’s over,” Forum, explains his mindset at week’s end: Anders concludes. All of this happens rather effi ciently; Sametz and the The last days of the forum are fi lled with antici- Princeton Singers work together well. This feature of the pation, concentration, and focused energy. As a Forum is what truly makes it uncommon among peer member of the Princeton Singers, I found the intensive seminars. After the fi rst rehearsal, composers task of premiering so many diff erent works add- will take their scores, the suggestions from Sametz, the ed to the emotional and musical synergy between guest composer, and the Princeton Singers, and get back composer, conductor, performer, and audience. to work, preparing an updated score for the next day’s My experience as a composer was enlightening rehearsal. This immediate feedback, coupled with expert and exciting. I learned so much about the craft guidance from Sametz and the guest composer in group of composition, not only my own craft but that and one-on-one sessions, creates an environment that fer- of my fellow composer participants. There is tilizes the compositional process. Composers learn just as also no greater feeling that having my compo- much from each other over the week on the mountainside. sition performed by artists like the Princeton These rehearsals are the heart of the Forum. What one Singers and Dr. Sametz. After my experience at might call live editing, in-the-moment adjustments made the Composers Forum, I also found myself with by a professional chamber choir and mentor-composers, another extended family, a family of composers while all the participant-composers are present, feeding off with whom I can share ideas, ask advice, share in of the energy created, is a unique adventure. The week’s their successes, and, perhaps most importantly, work culminates in a fi nal concert, overfl owing with world continue to call “friend”. premieres, off ered by The Princeton Singers and led by Sametz, who have, with great care and devotion, cham- Few workshops, seminars, or programs focus specifi cally pioned these pieces in rehearsal. Tim Sharp elaborates: on the composition of choral music, and no other pro- gram allows participants to experience a week long string There is no other event I know of that promotes of progressive readings by a professional choir, designed new composition in the manner that this event to foster growth in ability and a greater understanding of does. Every day I hear compositions change, the choral compositional process. I have attended three and grow, and improve. The opportunity for the consecutive Forums as a Princeton Singer, and like my participating student-composer is amazing. As an colleagues, I believe the week on the mountain is much observing participant, I am amazed at the creativ- more than a job. It’s a privilege to see these composers ity and intelligence displayed. At the end of the and their pieces unfold in interesting and often unex- week, the concert is an amazing display of both pected ways. As a collegiate choral conductor, I know process and performance. I’ll bring several of the new works to my own choristers, who jump at the chance to be among the fi rst singers to Tania León agrees: perform these brand new pieces. The circle continues. Someone in my choir will be inspired by the work of We listen to a lot of recordings. The performance these mountaintop composers, and perhaps explore the is frozen. Every time you hear it it’s the same. How- process fi rsthand. ever, having the pieces performed live, growing from day to day, the results are spectacular.

54 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 56 Number 4