August 2014 Volume 55 CONTENTS Number 1 ARRTICLESTICLES TOWARD A CHORAL PEDAGOGY Writing for the Amateur Chorus: FOR COMPOSERS A Chance and a Challenge DAVID CONTE, ROBERT KYR, AND STEVEN SAMETZ 8 RANDALL THOMPSON 2288 (1935-2013) August 4, 1964 Conrad COMPOSER SusaTEACHER FRIEND 50 Years Later Elizabeth Swanson Compiled by David Conte with Byron Adams, Elinor Armer, 3366 Elizabeth Swanson 5500 Philip Brunelle,Vance George, and Vince Peterson COOLUMNSLUMNS INNSIDESIDE 2 From the Executive Director 5599 RRepertoireepertoire & StandardsStandards eediteddited byby AmyAmy BlosserBlosser 4 From the President DDevelopingeveloping IImprovisationmprovisation SSkillkill aandnd tthehe CConfidenceonfidence ttoo TTeacheach IItt 6 From the Editor bbyy PPatriceatrice MMaduraadura Ward-SteinmanWard-Steinman 7 Letters to the Editor 49 In Memoriam UUpdatespdates ffromrom StudentStudent CChaptershapters 56 2015 Research Poster Session Call for Papers 63 Brock Student Composition Contest Information 74 2015 National Conference Master class Application 6655 NNewew VVoicesoices iinn RResearchesearch edited by Magen Solomon 75 2015 National Conference Information William Levi Dawson's Life in Speeches, Letters, and Writings 77 2015 National Honor Choir Information 82 2016 AGO Convention Call for Proposals by Vernon Huff 86 ChorTeach Preview 88 Advertisers’ Index 7733 HHallelujah!allelujah! eediteddited bbyy RRichardichard StanislawStanislaw TThehe SSoundound ooff ((Congregational)Congregational) SSilenceilence The Choral Journal is the official publication of The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). bbyy BBobob BBurroughsurroughs ACDA is a nonprofit professional organization of choral directors from schools, colleges, and universities; community, church, and professional choral ensembles; and industry and institutional organizations. Choral Journal circulation: 19,000. Annual dues (includes subscription to the Choral Journal): Active $95, Industry $135, Institutional 8811 BBookook RReviewseviews eediteddited bbyy Sttephenephen TTownown $110, Retired $45, and Student $35. One-year membership begins on date of dues acceptance. Li- brary annual subscription rates: U.S. $45; Canada $50; Foreign $85. Single Copy $3; Back Issues $4. 8855 CChoralhoral RReviewseviews eediteddited byby Stteveneven GGrivesrives Permission is granted to all ACDA members to reproduce articles from the Choral Journal for non- commercial, educational purposes only. Nonmembers wishing to reproduce articles may request permission by writing to ACDA. 545 Couch Drive, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102. Telephone: 405/232-8161. All rights reserved. Cover art by Efrain Guerrero, graphic artist, Austin, Texas The Choral Journal (US ISSN 0009-5028) is issued monthly except for July by the American Choral Interior art by Tammy Brummell Directors Assoication, 545 Couch Drive, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102. Periodicals postage paid Musical examples by Tunesmith Music <www.Tunesmithmusic.com> at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Choral Journal, 545 Couch Drive, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102. National Officers FROM THE ACDA Focuses on Composition President Karen Fulmer 253-927-6814 (VOICE) As the American Choral Directors As- [email protected] EXECUTIVE Vice president sociation continues to live out its mission to Jo-Michael Scheibe “inspire excellence in choral music education, University of Southern California DIRECTOR [email protected] performance, composition, and advocacy,” I am President-elect very pleased to announce several strategic initiatives that Mary Hopper Wheaton College place us in the fast lane in the area of inspiring excellence 630-752-5828 (voice) [email protected] in choral composition. NATIONAL TREASURER Our attention to choral composition pedagogy already Jo Ann Miller receives signifi cant focus throughout our higher education North Dakota State University [email protected] system across the United States. Intentional focus has Executive Director grown in this area over the last half century, paralleling Tim Sharp 405-232-8161(voice) Tim Sharp the growth of ACDA. At our annual and biennial confer- [email protected] ences, attention to the very best in choral composition has Central Division President Brett Goad exploded as we have expanded our choral reading sessions to include all areas Northern Illinois University 630-621-8452 (voice) of our Repertoire & Standard focus, and as we have expanded our ability to offer [email protected] publishers multiple ways of showcasing new choral compositions. Eastern Division President ACDA’s highest honor in choral composition occurs annually by the awarding David Fryling Hofstra University of our Raymond Brock Memorial Composition to a composer considered the best 516-463-5497 (voice) [email protected] in the genre. Both the Student Competition Award and the Brock Commission North Central Division President Award are iconic in the sense that they spotlight for our association the best in Bob Demaree University of Wisconsin-Platteville choral composition. Our student choral composition winner was Matthew Emery 608-342-1446 (voice) with his composition Unto Young Eternity, and our Brock Memorial Commission [email protected] was composed by Alice Parker with her composition The Defi nition of Beauty. Northwestern Division President Patrick ryan ACDA has also fostered the growth of a robust Composers of Choral Music Great Falls High School 406-268-6370 (voice) community through our social and professional networking site, ChoralNet. This [email protected] choral composition community includes a “Composers Showcase” that offers Southern Division President Kevin Fenton Florida State University 850-644-2317 (voice) [email protected] Southwestern Division President Mark Lawley Drury University [email protected] Western Division President Steve Hodson Westmont College 805-565-6192 [email protected] Industry Associate Representative Brad Matheson Harmony International [email protected] Chair, Past Presidents’ Council Jerry McCoy University of North Texas 940-369-8389 (voice) [email protected] National Past Presidents † Archie Jones † Hugh Sanders In early June, 150 individuals holding leadership roles in ACDA met in Salt Lake City, Utah, † Elwood Keister David O. Thorsen † Warner Imig Diana J. Leland for several days of training, informative sessions, committee meetings, and a preview of the † J. Clark Rhodes William B. Hatcher † Harold A. Decker John B. Haberlen venues planned for the 2015 ACDA National Conference. Attendees included state and † Theron Kirk † Lynn Whitten divisional presidents and presidents-elect, the Choral Journal editorial board, the Research † Charles C. Hirt James A. Moore † Morris D. Hayes Milburn Price & Publications Committee, the Education Technology Committee, the National Board of Russell Mathis David Stutzenberger † Walter S. Collins Mitzi Groom Directors, and the Executive Committee. The members shown in this photo are those who H. Royce Saltzman Michele Holt participated in a group outing to Park City, Utah, on Friday night, June 6. † Colleen Kirk Hilary Apfelstadt Maurice T. Casey Executive Director's new works by member composers. The mission of the Log This growing community has taken American Choral Directors Association place thanks to the good work of is to inspire excellence in choral music What's on Jack Senzig and other composers and through education, performance, Tim's daytimer? online facilitators. composition, and advocacy. At our biennial national conference AAugustugust 1 - 6 China International Choral Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 25-28, Beijing, China 2015, ACDA will celebrate and live AAugustugust 7 - 1313 World Choral Symposium out our mission in the area of choral Seoul, South Korea composition by offering a dedicated “choral composition track,” the fi rst The 12 Purposes AAugug 3300 - SSeptept 6 Haydn Festival Esterhazy, Austria of its kind in this area, that will run of ACDA throughout the conference. This track SSeptembereptember 1212 Star-Spangled Music Day will feature interest sessions designed • TToo ffosteroster aandnd ppromoteromote cchoralhoral ssinging,inging, SSeptembereptember 1616 Travel Industry/ and administered by composers. It has wwhichhich wwillill pproviderovide aartistic,rtistic, ccultural,ultural, andand ACDA Summit Meeting been my pleasure to work with com- sspiritualpiritual experiencesexperiences forfor tthehe pparticipants.articipants. Chicago, IL poser Steven Sametz (ACDA’s 2011 Brock Composer) as he has worked in • TToo ffosteroster aandnd ppromoteromote tthehe ffinestinest ttypesypes ooff September 30 Tulsa High School Choral Festival Tulsa, OK an advisory capacity to help design this cchoralhoral musicmusic toto makemake thesethese experiencesexperiences ppossible.ossible. new addition to our national confer- What's on ence. Further, we celebrate new com- • TToo ffosteroster aandnd eencouragencourage rrehearsalehearsal pproce-roce- Tim's Ipad? position in choral performance in Salt dduresures conduciveconducive toto attainingattaining thethe highesthighest ppossibleossible levellevel ofof musicianshipmusicianship andand artisticartistic Lake City through the performance pperformance.erformance. Source Readings in American Choral Music by The King’s Singers of this year’s David P. DeVenney Brock Composition by Jake Heggie. • TToo ffosteroster aandnd ppromoteromote tthehe oorganizationrganization aandnd Choral Masterpieces: