Revisiting Praetorius

I’ll continue with my thoughts in this post, as I may have maxed my words in the previous. Brevity never was my long suit!

It is wonderful to work with David Fallis again, who doesn’t seem to have aged at all since the original 2003 project, so perhaps Praetorius provides the fountain of eternal energy and longevity! Trombone player Peter Christensen was also on the original recording and mezzo soprano Laura Pudwell was a member of Toronto Consort at that time. Matthew White and David have assembled a fantastic team for these concerts with specialised singers and instrumentalists from all over Canada and the US. These folks understand and love this music, which can still connect and move audiences after 400 years.

As I stood and poured out my soul with the singing audience in Portland last night, I saw glowing, smiling faces. I felt the holy spirit of Christmas moving among and through us and I was reminded that music is a sacred gift which exists to bring people together, to unite, excite and inspire us. Hallelujah! Amen!

As I said… I am the luckiest man alive, and truly grateful for these magical moments shared with kindred colleagues and complete strangers. Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays. May peace and love prevail.

 

Reconnecting with Praetorius

I am the most fortunate man in the world and truly grateful for that. In 2003 I had the privilege of recording an early seventeenth century German Christmas CD with David Fallis and the Toronto Consort. It’s an awesome program that David researched and reconstructed and Early Music Vancouver decided to revisit it this year as their seasonal concert offering. I am writing in my hotel room this morning in Seattle after our first two performances: one in Bastyr Chapel outside Seattle on Wednesday and last night at Trinity Episcopal in Portland. In each concert we are joined by a local choir who sings in a handful of the pieces and the entire audience is provided with word sheets and invited to sing in the opening and closing carols: “Geborn ist Gottes Soehnelein” and “In Dulci Jubilo.” We had 370 in the audience on Wednesday and 800 in Portland and it is so exhilarating to hear that many people singing together in seasonal joy. I love concerts which break down the barrier/distinction between performers and audience and the way that music brings people together. More on this note later!

Most of the music is by Michael Praetorius, and it features his amazing setting of the Magnificat. It is heavily influenced by the music of Gabrieli and Monteverdi, and as such is scored for triple choir, soloists, strings, brass and a large continuo group (lutes, cello, violone, curtal, organ etc.). It’s endlessly inventive… intimate and delicate solo sections for soprano voices contrast with extroverted and massively grand, full sonorities. It’s a large musical canvas, a wholly impressive spiritual spectacle of amazing breadth and depth.

It is wonderful to reconnect with this music, which I have had the opportunity to do a few times now in my career (most recently with VoiceScapes and Spiritus in Calgary under the direction of Christina Jahn and Timothy Shantz). Please read more in my next blog post…

Why we sing

As singers and conductors, we spend a lot of time working on HOW we sing and make music together – and that is of course important – but I think it’s also interesting to consider WHY we sing. Our reasons and motivations likely change and evolve as we age. Mine certainly have. When I think back to singing when I was a child, I don’t think I could really explain what I loved about music and singing. I certainly enjoyed singing with my friends in the local church choir, and the social time that came with that. I was moved by the sounds and sensations and I enjoyed the attention and praise that came with performances. Mostly, I kept coming back to it essentially because it made me feel good… happy… excited and also calm. Interestingly, I think this is also what I love about scuba diving and snorkeling, when I enter another world of beauty, movement and revelations. Music is similarly a magical realm that we are privileged to visit.

As I matured, being a musician and a singer became a significant part of my identity. It was a creative outlet, a way to express my personality and explore emotions through popular music, my own songs and poems. It was also a good way to meet people, especially girls. I met Christina through singing in choirs, which has been probably the greatest blessing of my life.

I started taking voice lessons in my early twenties and gradually became aware that I had been blessed with an uncommonly beautiful instrument. It felt a bit like the time when my parents had bought me a beautiful box of watercolour paints as a present. It was mine to own, to love and discover, to take out and learn to use. To have left it unused on the shelf would have been ungrateful and wrong. And so I committed my life to learning how to use my voice.

It seemed only fitting that I should return to the church music that I loved as a boy, and to use my voice to praise God, who had given it to me. I now direct the choir at church and will always be drawn to sacred music.

As I continue along my musical journey, performance has become a way to share beauty and give back. Music has brought me so much joy and I have been privileged to work with many wonderful mentors and colleagues. Life has allowed me the joy of singing, the health and strength to pursue it, and so I can now show my gratitude by sharing my passion, energy and abilities.

Why boys’ choirs and male choir festivals?

The following are my responses from a questionnaire at PICFEST.

1. Boys’ choirs are probably the best way to encourage boys to sing and provide positive formative musical experiences. They allow for programs to be designed especially for boys, taking into account their learning styles, aesthetic preferences and emotional needs. Ideally, singing in a boys’ choir begins a wholly beneficial journey of self-discovery and expression in collaboration with a close, caring musical community.

2. Modern boys’ choirs belong to a long-standing male choral tradition. Boys’ choirs have a unique sound: pure, strong, angelic and compelling.

3. Boys’ Choirs have a unique energy which is youthful, robust, authentic and enthusiastic.

4. A good boys’ choir seeks artistic success in both process and product, encouraging the musical, vocal, creative and personal growth of its members. Good performances – whether traditional or innovative – are artistically impressive and emotionally engaging.

5. Boys should sing high quality music which is meaningful to them and their audiences, including traditional repertoire, new works, serious and light-hearted/humorous pieces. It is important to inspire singers musically and intellectually with challenging works.

6. A good boys’ choir should celebrate diversity, providing a safe and supportive environment for boys of all ethnic origins, physical, social and emotional types.

7. The role of boys’ choir conductors is to encourage excellence, engagement and growth in a safe and healthy creative environment. They should mentor and inspire singers, planning performance events which boys can work towards and accomplish with measurable and affirming success.

8. Male choral festivals contribute to the various goals above by providing support, affirmation and mentorship in programs designed specifically for male participants. Most trebles prefer the company of other boys to that of girls, while adolescent boys and young men are encouraged to interact more with each other without the significant distraction of adolescent girls and young women.

I would like to thank PICFEST’s director, Peter Robb for posing the various questions which elicited these responses. It was remarkable in discussion how many of the directors present had been musically inspired by their boys’ choir beginnings, present company included.

Homeward Bound III

Hey everyone,

I am home now. Just finished a nice catch up chat with my daughters over brownies they had baked to celebrate my return, so I’ll probably be alert for a while until the sugar high wears off.

This is version three because two previous attempts to write a post-finale blog failed, due to some sort of technical glitch on my phone app, and vanished mysteriously into the vast abyss of Cyberia. Oh well…

This was an awesome tour, for which we owe a great debt of gratitude to Heather Scholz for planning and to our amazing team for their execution of her magnificent itinerary: to her husband Richard Scholz and Robert Brooks, co-chaperones, and to artistic staff members, Mackenzie Fraser and Kathryn Berko. I know that the boys have experienced and learned so much on this tour, that they are a closer-knit group with many shared fond memories.

Let me rewind a little to the grand finale concert on the evening of Saturday, July 11th, which was fantastic. It was an artistic tour de force with too many highlights to mention. It was all good! I know the boys were tired (and the young men too, though they are usually more able to cope with such things) – especially initially, but they dug deep and delivered an excellent concert. Guest ensemble “Male Ensemble Northwest” were a great addition to the program and an inspiration to the boys. The audience was large and appreciative.

There followed an exuberant reception at Roaring Rapids Pizza, with an abundance of great food and drink. Festivities reached their zenith when the entire assembly sang “Happy Birthday” in innumerable-part harmony to conductor Fernando Malvar Ruiz, who has endeared himself to everyone involved.

We checked out after breakfast the next morning (did I mention how good the food is at the University of Oregon, with many organic and local menu options?), said sad goodbyes to new friends and colleagues and headed out by bus for the sea lion caves in Florence. We saw LOADS of sea lions, and later that day were lucky enough to be surrounded by four grey whales just a short distance from the harbour in Depoe Bay on our whale watching charter. They ranged in size from a yearling calf to a huge adult of about 45′ in length. At one point they were close enough that we could smell their breath, which is not very pleasant (whalitosis?!), but it was beautiful to be in the presence of these majestic animals, and they gave us quite a show with lots of great tail displays. I will attach photos later or reference a photo site, as my camera battery had run out by this time after my charger was stolen with other items from my hotel room in Portland.

Today we visited the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory (where we each got a free ice cream) – Tillamook is a big dairy farming county – Oceanside Beach and the Tillamook Air Museum before driving to Portland to catch our plane. Things were painfully slow at the airport with check in and payment for luggage, but we got it done in time to grab some snacks and make it to the gate on time.

It has been a wonderful experience, but it is great to be home again and to have been able to bring everybody home, safe, healthy, happy and much the richer for the trip.

Good night!

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!

Tomorrow, Saturday, is the grand finale, the culmination of this first PICFEST boys’ and young men’s event. We arrived here in Eugene on Monday July 6th but have been preparing for this since November 2014… which is almost gestational!

The boys have been working hard in rehearsals, but playing hard too and I am afraid it is taking a toll on some boys. We have a few who have vocal fatigue or some variety of viral laryngitis and others who are getting quite tired. We got them into bed early tonight and the food is good here, and we know they will all dig deep in performance tomorrow… they do love to sing for an audience.
It was good that tonight was not as busy for the boys as the previous days. The focus was more on the work the tenor and basses were doing with visiting professional male ensemble ” Male Ensemble Northwest” (aka “MEN”). This is an awesome group and they worked really well with the older guys. We had most of the afternoon off, so walked down to the river (the Willamette) for a bit of RnR. There was more recreation than rest, but the boys enjoyed throwing a ball around, playing tag and frisbee. At one point I asked them how they were doing within their technological devices (which we forbade) and most of them said they were doing just fine (although the mere mention of them did make a few boys look a bit misty-eyed).
We had a bit of quiet time back at the dorm after supper, followed by a short rehearsal, then the euphoria of a surprise ice cream social. I know for a fact that this was the third ice cream treat some of the boys had today, as many had ice cream desserts after lunch and dinner in the cafeteria. We’ll try to give them plenty of exercise before bringing them home on Monday night, but I apologize in advance if any of them need larger-waisted pants… they are growing boys, afterall!
But seriously, we are looking fwd to the concert tomorrow.
On a final note I would like to relate that we received a surprise anonymous donation from a festival volunteer today who just loved our “Four Grassi Lakes Seasons” pieces (thank you Allan Bell) and wanted to help us along. It was a very thoughtful and generous gesture. I will read the card to the boys tomorrow.

Competition or collaboration?

One often hears the argument that competition encourages excellence. One also hears it said that boys are naturally competitive. Are these truths, or just hypotheses?
Well, the subject came up at the conductors’ and accompanists’ round table discussion yesterday at PICFEST here in Eugene OR. Among those present were the artistic directors of all five participating boychoirs, including Dr. Craig Denison, National Boychoir Repertoire and Standards Chair for the American Choral Directors’ Association, PICFEST’s AD of 20 years, Peter Robb, and guest speaker, conducting guru, Anton Armstrong (Director of the internationally-acclaimed choir of St. Olaf’s, Minnesota). NONE OF THEM ARE IN FAVOUR OF COMPETITIVE MUSIC FESTIVALS!
Here are some of the arguments:
1. Competition means that there are winners and losers. We want all our singers to feel like winners.
2. Competition turns groups against each other, creating unpleasant dynamics like insecurity, misunderstanding, animosity, fear, hostility and anxiety. It is rooted in the outdated ideas of conflict, combat and war.
3. It is only in the absence of competition that boys can meet in understanding, respect and unity, make friends and help each other to be the best they can be.
4. The collaborative model of harmonious music-making represents the best way forward in so many human endeavours, the very goal and aspiration of human existence and evolution.

And yet there are funding agencies that still require choirs and bands to compete abroad in order to qualify for travel funding. Perhaps this still applies to sports groups (so they aren’t just funding Caribbean cruises with occasional practices, for example), but surely it’s time to recognize established, reputable, collaborative music festivals with excellent artistic standards and internationally-recognized guest conductors as worthy of financial travel assistance.

What do you think?

More about Tour 2015

I am so proud of our boys and of our tour team, made up of our artistic staff and two parent chaperones. Our PICFEST experience has been amazing (more about later), but this tour has been challenging, with sick boys and thefts from our hotel in Portland. My laptop was stolen from the luggage in my room, along with charger cords for my phone and camera. I was able to buy another phone charger cord and am now blogging on my phone. One of our parents lost his ipad and another staff member had credit cards and id stolen… what a nightmare!
PICFEST is delivering on its promise to provide a high level affirming artistic experience. It has been great. Fernando Malvar Ruiz is amazing. He works so well with the kids. He is very kind and personable, an excellent musician and a thoughtful pedagogue. The boys love him, are working hard and learning loads.
There was a conductor and accompanist round table discussion today about the importance of boys’ choirs, this event and why it should be collaborative/non competitive… some great insights! I am so glad that Mack, Kathryn and a couple of our boys were able to participate in that discussion.

Oregon Bound Boys

All but two of the boys leaped out of bed this morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the continuation of their adventure and singing at Immanuel Lutheran Church. I am sad to say that two boys had disturbed nights with gastrointestinal woes. Not sure if it is a bug, food poisoning or even perhaps heat stroke, but those poor lads were in rough shape all day. We all sincerely hope that a good night’s rest with work miracles and that they will bounce back better tomorrow.

The boys did really well at Immanuel, who were a very gracious and welcoming congregation with an upbeat, energetic worship style. They seemed to really appreciate our music, especially our gospel number, “He never failed me yet.” Afterwards we were treated to an amazing lunch at “Nollie’s Cafe” near the church, run by an ex-Calgarian named Dan, with chicken curry, his buffalo chicken mac and cheese, salads and drinks ad lib and his signature chocolate lava cake, which was a huge hit. Dan got quite choked up when we sang “O Canada” for him after the feast, and the boys sounded great, undoubtedly fueled by the ample supply of dessert and cola. We all felt very satisfied as we waddled back to the bus!

We headed on down the road towards Portland, reaching our hotel, the Shilo Inn, then heading to McGrath’s Fish House for supper and glowing greens UV crazy golf, with its new futuristic dystopian-alien-themed course. How much more “boy” can it get?

These amazing shared experiences are bringing the group closer together, enhancing camaraderie and collaboration.

I am attaching a few photos:

The boys on the Space Needle

The team on Seattle’s “Ride the Ducks” amphibious vehicle tour.

Glowing Greens UV crazy golf.

Sleepless in Seattle?

Well not actually sleepless, but busy having touristy fun here in “Nirvana.” We arrived yesterday and visited EMP (where the Boys were clearly more interested in the Star Wars and sci-fi exhibits than the musical ones), the Science Centre and the Space Needle. We gave a couple of impromptu guerrilla performances, including one in the crowded elevator of the Space Needle, which was declared to be the best elevator music ever by some of our pleasantly-surprised audience. We ended the evening with a nice swim on the hotel pool, which we pretty much took over. This ensured that our already well-exercised troops would fall asleep quickly, and it worked.
Today was another day of sight seeing fun, starting with an amphibious vehicle tour of the city (Ride the Ducks), which was an informative mobile party wagon, whose entertaining, informative driver literally wore many hats and played loud, fun music. After lunch at Pike Place Market we visited the Aquarium. We had a wonderful supper at the Italian Family Pizza restaurant (wood fired pizzas larger than a road bike wheel and tasty too) then went on Bill Speidel’s odd underground tour of old Seattle (no zombie rats to be seen anywhere!). We ended the day with another pool party and I can hear the Independence Day fireworks as I write, which we had chosen not to attend because of the extremely unlikely possibility of some kind of terrorist act.