Choral Music Magazine

Each summer, musicians from throughout North America and Europe gather in Eugene for the Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) under the leadership of German conductor and pedagogue Helmuth Rilling. The three-week festival, which runs from late June into mid-July, attracts a steady stream of repeat audiences who come to hear chamber music, orchestral concerts, solo voice recitals, children’s concerts, and especially the choral-orchestral masterworks that have become the staple of the festival’s programming.

The 54-voice festival chorus is selected by live or taped audition by chorus-masters Kathy Romey and Peter Hopkins. Each year approximately 75% of the singers are returning members. The audition consists of vocalization, sight-reading, reading a German text, performing a short piece of the singer’s choosing, and an excerpt from the Cum Sancto Spiritu fugue from Bach’s B Minor Mass at the breakneck speed of quarter note equals 120. The level of professionalism in the choir is very high, and light, flexible voices and excellent sight-reading ability are preferred.

Unlike choruses that meet weekly, the OBF chorus works much like a professional orchestra, with 2-3 piano rehearsals, (one with the maestro) plus one orchestra rehearsal and one dress rehearsal for a major choral-orchestral work. Because many of the singers are quite experienced, standard works such as the B Minor Mass or Brahms’ Requiem can be put together in as few as three rehearsals. In my first year in the chorus I remember singing the B Minor Mass next to a tenor who never opened his score, even when we started in the middle of movements!

The typical life of an OBF singer goes something like this: wake up, and go down to breakfast in the dorm around 8am. The food is surprisingly good, with fresh waffles, omelets and pancakes every morning. The first rehearsal usually starts at either 9:30 or 10am and runs until lunch at noon. The day’s second rehearsal runs from approximately 2:30-5:00, and after dinner there can be another rehearsal or performance at 7:30. This eat-sing-eat-sing-eat-sing pattern varies day to day, with some days of more or less activity as the schedule demands. With their free time, singers explore Eugene’s outdoor markets, work out at the gym (reduced rate memberships available for OBF musicians), take advantage of a free day to go to the Oregon coast, practice, or nap. Accommodations are spartan with double-occupancy dorm rooms furnished only with twin beds, desks and a shared closet. Singers who come year after year have learned to bring comforts of home to personalize their space, and many store bikes with local friends or rent them to get around town during the festival.

Over the course of the event, the chorus is kept very busy by singing not only the major choral-orchestral masterworks, but also taking part in the conducting masterclass rehearsals and concerts, which form the core of the pedagogical program for young conductors. This past season, the chorus sang all of the following works in the span of 18 days:

Brahms’ Requiem
Bach’s Cantata #140 and Cantata #78
Haydn’s Theresienmesse
Mendelssohn’s Singet dem Herrm
Honegger’s King David (semi-staged)
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis

One of the most interesting aspects of this year’s festival was the project that is being undertaken jointly by the OBF choir and Rilling’s German choir, Gächinger Kantorei, to record Haydn’s six last (and greatest) masses. At one per year for each ensemble, the project, which began in 2006, is slated to be complete in 2008, and Hännsler will release each recording as it is completed.

In preparation for this year’s recording, there were extra rehearsals of the Theresienmesse in order to fine-tune absolutely every detail. Even after an afternoon matinee under student conductors, the choir and orchestra worked to continue to refine phrasing, articulation and ensemble, because we knew every detail would be viewed under a microscope. The engineers’ goal was to have as much material as possible to choose from, so they decided to record not only the evening concert but the dress rehearsal as well. In addition to this, the morning after the concert, we did a three-hour patch session in which we ran full movements and then took directions from the engineers for sections that we could improve.

Those who were unfamiliar with the recording process experienced an unexpected change in traditional rehearsal etiquette as in the morning session Mr. Rilling took a back seat and allowed the engineers in the booth to make suggestions of where to begin and end each patch. Their ears were extraordinary, often picking out a single sixteenth note within a run that lacked ensemble, was out of tune or otherwise imperfect. Ultimately, though, Mr. Rilling had final say, particularly in one instance where the engineers suggested that the tempo had varied from one take to another, which would make splicing impossible. In a tense moment, Mr. Rilling asked that the excerpts be played back over the loudspeaker, and the engineer was overruled.

An additional component to the festival is the Youth Choral Academy, led by Dr. Anton Armstrong, director of the St. Olaf choral program. Approximately 80 high school singers from throughout the country come together for an intense rehearsal period leading to several of their own performances as well as one performance alongside the Festival Chorus. Adult and high school singers intermingle, and the experienced singers mentor the youngsters as they rehearse together. This year the Youth Choral Academy celebrated its 10th anniversary; the success of the program was apparent as several YCA alumni are now members of the Festival Chorus.

Looking forward to next year, the festival has announced that they will return to the major works of Bach, including the B Minor Mass and both the St. John and St. Matthew Passions. Whether participating as a singer or audience member, it will surely be an excellent musical experience. Dates are June 27-July 13, 2008, with choir rehearsals usually starting a few days before the opening of the festival. Oregon Bach Festival.

A native of California, Joshua Habermann is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Texas at Austin, where he completed doctoral studies in conducting. As professor of music at San Francisco State University he directs the choral program and teaches choral literature, conducting, lyric diction, and voice. As a singer (tenor) he performs with the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus (Eugene, Oregon), and maintains an interest in the Hawaiian choral tradition, and sings periodically with Kawaiolaon'apukanileo. Other research interests include Latin American and Nordic music. In demand as a guest conductor and lecturer, Joshua Habermann has led honor choirs, choral festivals, and given presentations in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia. From 1996-2006, Mr. Habermann was assistant to Vance George, and in 2006-2007 served as interim director upon George’s retirement.

Photo: Joshua Habermann