Cantate (Winter 2012)

Bay Area and Beyond Experience Cal State Fullerton’s Vocal, Choral and Opera program • Outstanding academic and performance faculty • Over 80 music performances annually in the beautiful 800-seat Meng Hall • Local and international choral performance tours • Five choral ensembles • Fully staged operatic productions • Recognized by Classical Singer Magazine for excellence in training young singers for professional operatic careers • Performances and recording sessions with Boston Pops, Andrea Bocelli and Eric Whitacre • Distinguished alumni including Deborah Voigt, Rod Gilfry, Charles Castronovo & Jubilant Sykes • Out-of-state Fee Waiver available for qualified graduate students DEGREE PROGRAMS Bachelor of Music Master of Music Vocal Performance Performance Bachelor of Arts in Music Master of Arts in Music Liberal Arts Minor in Music Music Education Join us for an unparalleled experience at Cal State Fullerton! Dr. Robert M. Istad Dr. Christopher Peterson Director of Choral Studies www.arts.fullerton.edu Choral Music Educator 2 • Cantate • Vol. 24, no. 2 • Winter 2012 CALIFORNIA ACDA Contents Articles 5 The President’s Pen: High School Repertoire (Food for Thought) by Jonathan Talberg, President 8 Just Something to Think About... by Lori Marie Rios, President-Elect 12 Musings on the Changing Boy’s Voice by Steven Kronauer, Male Choirs R&S Chair 14 Lessons from Kenya by Christopher Borges, Central Region Representative 16 Rallying Church Choir Commitment (Is There an App for That)? by Julie Ford, Music in Worship R&S Chair 21 “Bay Area and Beyond” Features Local Composers by Peggy Spool, Children’s and Community Youth R&S Chair 22 A Top Ten for Your Men by Jeffrey Benson, Director of Choral Activities, San José State University WHEREAS, the human spirit is elevated to a broader understanding of itself through study and Of Note... performance in the aesthetic arts, and 4 Calendar, Advertisers Index WHEREAS, serious cutbacks in funding and support 9 2011 Regional Honor Choir Reports have steadily eroded state institutions and their programs throughout our country, 10 For Your Information... 2012 All-State Honor Choirs Information BE IT RESOLVED that all citizens of the United States ac- 11 2012 All-State Honor Choir Conductor Bios tively voice their affirmative and collective support for necessary funding at the local, 18 Building a New History of Collaboration state, and national levels of education and by Anna Hamre, Community Choirs R&S Chair government, to ensure the survival of arts 20 Daniel Hughes Honored by The American Prize programs for this and future generations. 23 California ACDA Directory CALIFORNIA ACDA MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PRINT THIS ACDA ADVOCACY RESOLUTION IN ALL PROGRAMS. LEADING THE WAY Cantate • Vol. 24, no. 2 • Winter 2012 • 3 Official Publication of the California Chapter American Choral Directors Association Calendar CANTATE Volume 24, Number 2 2012 ACDA Western Division Conference ...... Feb. 29-Mar. 3 David Scholz, editor Reno, NV [email protected] CSU, Chico Music Dept. All-State Honor Choirs .....................................Mar. 22-24 400 W. 1st St. Pasadena, CA Chico, CA 95929-0805 530-898-6127 California ACDA Summer Conference .....Jul. 29-Aug. 1 SUBMISSION DEADLINES Oakhurst, CA (ECCO) Dr. Joe Miller and Dr. Doreen Rao, headliners Fall Issue — August 1 (mailed September 1) Winter Issue — December 1 (mailed January 1) Regional Conferences ...............................................Sept. 8 Spring Issue — April 1 (mailed May 1) GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS The editor welcomes the submission of articles, announce- ments, reports, music and book reviews, job vacancies, and any other item of interest to the California ACDA mem- bership. Articles should reach the editor no later than the “Music expresses that which established deadline and should include the following information: cannot be put into words 1. Title 2. Author’s name and phone/email address yet which cannot remain silent 3. Name of school, church, or organization 4. Author biography (50 words) 5. A good full-face photo - Victor Hugo The manuscript should be limited to a maximum of two typewritten pages. Electronic text is preferred and may be emailed to the editor at the above address. The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. GUIDELINES FOR ADVERTISING adVertisers index Charges listed are for camera-ready copy only, submitted electronically by TIFF, PDF, JPEG, or GIF. Cantate is pro- CsU, FUllerton ...................................................................... 2 duced in black ink. Western diVision ConVention ........................................... 6 Advertising copy is subject to editorial approval. The Edi- tor reserves the right to head and/or box any advertisement UsC, thornton ...................................................................... 7 bearing confusing resemblance to editorial content. ConCordia Choir ................................................................... 9 ADVERTISING RATES CsU, Fresno .......................................................................... 13 Size ........................................................Single Annual tUning at tahoe .................................................................. 15 1/6 page (2.5”x5”) ..................................$55 $110 CsU, los angeles ................................................................ 17 1/4 page (3.75”x5”) ................................$75 $150 Chapmann UniVersity ......................................................... 19 1/3 page (2.5”x10” or 3.33”x7.5”) .......$95 $190 soUth Bay Children’s Choirs............................................ 21 1/2 page (3.75”x10” or 5”x7.5”) ........$140 $280 CsU, long BeaCh ..................................................BaCk CoVer 2/3 page (5”x10” or 6.67”x7.5”) ........$190 $380 Full page (7.5”x10”) ..............................$275 $550 Cover photo: The Golden Gate Bridge at sunset 4 • Cantate • Vol. 24, no. 2 • Winter 2012 CALIFORNIA ACDA the president’s pen: high sChool repertoire (Food For thoUght) here are some standard repertoire So, with deep humility, I offer you five choral pieces that should not be sung by a high pieces I’ve come to believe cannot be per- Tschool choir no matter how good the formed artistically by a high school choir. I’ve ensemble, how skilled the conductor, or how heard each of these works at least three times enticing the occasion. With 1500 or so years of in a festival settings over the last decade. The choral music available to us, we must continu- conductors were well-meaning and had a good ally be willing to look beyond pieces we love reason for programming each. But, one way or hearing on recordings, enjoyed singing in col- another, they fell short of an artistic perfor- Jonathan talBerg lege, or have “always wanted to perform” and mance. Following each are some alternatives focus on outstanding, high-quality repertoire that might achieve the same sort of program- Dr. Talberg is director that is suitable, educational, and attainable matic consideration with a better, more musi- of choral, vocal, and for high school choirs. We should challenge cal outcome—without strain on the adolescent opera studies at CSU our singers, but those challenges must never voice. Long Beach’s Bob Cole endanger their vocal mechanisms. We owe it to Conservatory of Music, our kids and to our audiences to look for and music director at First Congregational Church to program the best repertoire available—as 1. JOSHUA FIT THE BATTLE OF JERICHO long as that music is physically performable to Moses Hogan of Los Angeles, and a high artistic quality by the group that is stand- artistic director of the Los Angeles Bach Festival. ing in front of us. Hogan left us some of the greatest spiritual When programming for your elite ensembles arrangements of all time, and many of his it’s prudent to avoid works that were writ- almost 100 published spirituals and gospels ten for professional choirs, works composed work beautifully for high school. But Joshua, with specifically to challenge outstanding collegiate its screaming repetitive f-minor chords, tenors groups, or pieces commissioned for all-state on A-flats, and huge dynamic contrasts (while choruses, unless you have both a compelling the choir is singing a spread of over three reason to do so and a choir that can do it jus- octaves) has proven to be simply impossible tice. Frequently, an octavo (especially a new to pull off with a high school choir. In fact, one) will state the occasion for commission I believe it’s the most difficult spiritual I have or to whom the dedication was intended on ever performed with my top ensemble, which the title page. If it says “For the Dale Warland is made up of 36 voice majors with a mean Singers” remember that the “DWS” was a age of 21, every one of whom is taking private professional ensemble of 40 singers. When lessons on a weekly basis. If you’re in need it says “Dedicated to Chanticleer,” don’t lose of an up-tempo spiritual that your choir can track that those 12 professional artists all have sing well, I suggest you look at other pieces in college degrees in music. All-State Choirs are the Hogan catalogue, or go back to the music big affairs; music written for 200 singers usu- of Jester Hairston, Robert de Cormier, Alice ally doesn’t translate well for a chamber choir Parker or Hall Johnson. Or, consider one of (and, of course, vice-versa is also true!). Keep our contemporaries like Rosephayne Powell, ensemble size in mind as you program. Rollo

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