Choral Music Magazine
NOW WITH ROLLING UPDATES
MORE COMING SOON
Updated February 4, 2008
NOW WITH ROLLING UPDATES
MORE COMING SOON
Updated February 4, 2008
Choral Music Magazine is the premiere eZine for quality articles and reviews about the choral community, written for and by choral singers, conductors, and composers. Please help us connect our choral community by spreading the news to your friends and colleagues.
October 23, 2007 Rarely does one have the pleasure of experiencing the austere yet sublime greatness of Gregorian chant. In its simplicity, chant is still one of the most difficult styles of music to learn and perform well. It requires a sharp ear, vocal clarity, collectiveness, accuracy and ease. In this interview, I explore Paul Ellison's sacred and secular experience in the performance of Gregorian chant, which affords him an extensive understanding of where chant fits in today's choral spectrum... read more Robert Page, known as the dean of America’s choral conductors, who was named Pennsylvania’s Artist of the Year by Governor Tom Ridge in 1998 as well as "a national treasure" by American Record Review, will celebrate his long and illustrious career with a grand tour of Europe in 2008. Page, together with his choir of more than 140 members of the Robert Page Festival Singers, is planning a magnificent concert tour to Europe, where they, together with the Budapest Concert Orchestra, will perform... read more I must admit, there is a definite comfort in joining a large and established group, whether it’s working for a Fortune 500 company or singing in a world renowned chorus. It’s easy to buy into something when expectations are clear, resources are abundant, and the group has a track record for success. While this sense of security and immediate gratification are very luring, I have learned... read more 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 read more... The anthems listed below are suggestions for use during the Pentecost to Advent season of the liturgical year. There are a variety of different levels for choirs of varying ability. Since opinions are often varied, I have not tried to indicate the level of difficulty for each of the selections. I would advise readers to build up a library of single octavos and store by season so that you can refer to them when deciding on your year’s repertoire. read more... The Ordinary of the mass has proven to be a fertile ground for great composers of choral music throughout the past centuries - that is a truism, but the masses of Mozart, Schubert, and Palestrina are just the beginning. read more... A professional choral singer recently wrote to the New York Times, seeking advice for an ethical dilemma that plagues many and is rarely addressed: To what extent should paid vocalists be required to participate in the Church/Temple service? read more... The first album I ever bought was Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration. This contemporary gospel interpretation of the classic Baroque work was pleasing to my ear because it was fresh, incorporated expressive elements of my favorite genre at the time - R&B - yet the recording maintained the integrity of the original notes despite being rewritten in a different style. A lesser-known re-write of Handel's Messiah is Paul Ayers' Messyah. read more...
CHANT IN TODAY'S SOCIETY
The essential details everyone should consider in creating a new ensemble for few singers
*** Paul M. Ellison & Jonathon Hampton
October 23, 2007
ROBERT PAGE TO CONDUCT 2008 TOUR & FESTIVAL
The successful career of a choral leader continues with the 2008 Summa Cum Laude Festival in Vienna.
*** Bram Majtlis
October 23, 2007
THE SMALL CHOIR EXPERIENCE
The essential details everyone should consider in creating a new ensemble for few singers.
*** The Urban Singer
August 4, 2007
OREGON BACH FESTIVAL: A Choir Lover's Summer Camp
Fun and music-making in the summer at one of Northwest America's workshops, training young and adult singers
*** Joshua Habermann
August 4, 2007
MUSIC FOR THE SMALL CHOIR: Pentecost to Advent
A new catalogue of mixed voice music for small ensembles, classified by seasons of the church calendar
*** Brent F. Miller
August 4, 2007
THE LESSER-KNOWN MASS
Learn about some of the greatest masses often neglected by choirs, and reasons why they should be added to your repertoire
*** David Enlow
August 4, 2007
SOUL FOR HIRE
Confronting the ethical dilemma that many pro singers face in singing for religious institutes
*** Jonathon C. Hampton
August 4, 2007
REWRITING CLASSICS: Paul Ayers' Messyah
A review of a contemporary version of Handel's Messiah, with commentary about standards in rewriting classic works
*** Jonathon C. Hampton