The Loss of One Diminishes Us All

John Donne stated in his Meditation XVII that “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

I have always found Donne’s words to be meaningful for those who exist in community, and that essentially means all of us. For those of us fortunate enough to sing in choruses which include friendships as well as musical relationships, there are times when we are especially reminded of our connection with each other. That recently happened within The Michael O’Neal Singers when we lost one of our members to cancer.

Rick Fisher first sang with the MOS Summer Singers in 2005. He auditioned for the regular season beginning that Fall, passed the audition with flying colors, and was a valuable and faithful member from that point on. I remember Rick as being a thoughtful and caring person, as well as a truly committed singer with a lovely tenor voice, who always gave his best effort to whatever music MOS was performing.

It has been suggested to me what a difference MOS made in Rick’s life. I would suggest that Rick has also made a significant difference in our lives. I often tell the members of MOS that we are an excellent example of the Gestalt theory of the “whole being greater than the sum of its parts.” When we gather to sing together, something happens which is well beyond what any of us could do as individuals. Still, it is a combination of all of our individual efforts which creates our music. Rick understood that. He was an integral part of MOS and he will be greatly missed; yet his spirit still lives within each of us and I know our lives and our music have been enriched because Rick came our way. We will always be thankful he did.

The Long, Hot Summer

Summers seem to be getting hotter.  We’ve had lots of days in the 90s, and even the 100s, not only here in the South where I live, but all over the country.  Naturally, my thoughts turn to choral music when I consider the heat.  That may seem a bit odd, but then my thoughts turn to choral music when I consider most anything!  This is working to my advantage this summer as I select repertoire based on the four seasons of the year for the newest ensemble in the MOS family – Kaleidoscope.

Several of the “summer” pieces I like are Sumer is icumen in, a catchy medieval round, As torrents in summer, a delightful piece by the Victorian/Edwardian composer, Edward Elgar, and of course, that perfect summer song, Summertime, from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.  There is a great choral arrangement of that standard by Roderick Williams in the Oxford collection entitled In the Mood.

I’m still collecting ideas for next year’s program, so with the above as a starter, I’d love to hear ideas from my readers for choral pieces for all the seasons – Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.  What do you have?

Let My People Go!

The Michael O’Neal Singers, along with the Tri-Cities High School Chorale, the Georgia Spiritual Ensemble, and professsional narrators and instrumentalists, will soon be presenting a profoundly moving tribute honoring the participants of the Underground Railroad.  The two performances will take place at 3 PM, May 6, at Roswell UMC in Roswell and 7 PM, May 7, at Tri-Cities High School in East Point.  Written by Donald McCullough (Music) and Denny Clark (Script), sprituals and spoken word are woven together in such a powerful way that the amazing story of a proud and determined people takes on new life and relevance.

The notes we will include in our printed program, written by Zach Patton, are so helpful in achieving a more complete understanding of the work and how it came about that I decided to include them in my blog.  Read below and learn more about this remarkable journey.

“Come on across and walk with me to a land where we are free!”

For slaves in 19th century America, those words held the sweet essence of life’s ultimate promise: freedom. The idea of crossing over into free territory meant nothing short of Heaven on Earth. And many slaves, of course, risked everything trying to get there. It was a journey burdened by fear and sadness and fraught with peril, but charged with hope and the faith that freedom, finally, would be delivered. For African-American slaves, spiritual songs not only became the embodiment of that journey, they evolved as a clandestine way to pass coded messages about the Underground Railroad.

Let My People Go! A Spiritual Journey Along the Underground Railroad is the creation of Composer/Conductor Donald McCullough and Scriptwriter Denny Clark. Written as a dramatic choral work, it weaves together spirituals, code songs and first and third-person texts to create a rich tapestry depicting the experience of the slaves’ quest for freedom. It’s a grand work, but also an intimate one, inspired by a small, red-brick vault inconspicuously situated in a little-known cemetery set aside for the burial of Blacks from the middle of the 19th century to the 1950’s. Known as the Old Methodist Burying Ground, the cemetery is located in Washington, DC’s prestigious Georgetown neighborhood. McCullough and Clark learned of the existence of the burial vault upon reading a 1998 Washington Post article which revealed that it had served as an important station along the Underground Railroad.

Speaking about their first visit to the cemetery, McCullough said, “As we stood before that unassuming, little brick building, we could picture slaves huddling inside, their minds running wild with both fear and excitement. And with Rock Creek just a stone’s throw below the vault, it was easy to imagine them sneaking down the hill in the dark of night to board a barge for the next leg of their journey.”  It was this first visit to the burial vault that inspired the idea for a choral work on the subject of the Underground Railroad that would feature slave spirituals. “Hearing spirituals in the usual concert setting is a nice experience, but that kind of setting does not provide the kind of context needed to fully experience their full depth and beauty,” says McCullough. “When you add a script to the mix, you create a way for the audience to glimpse the harrowing life of the slave, allowing the slave spiritual to take on a whole new meaning.”

The spirituals in Let My People Go! do, indeed, take on new meaning as Clark’s script weaves stories together that gently steer the audience as they make their own personal spiritual journey along the Underground Railroad. In describing some of the roles that his script takes on, Clark explained, “Throughout the course of the work, the audience gets a more personal, up-close look at the history of slavery in the United States and is introduced to a world full of secrets, signals, and symbols, including the hidden meanings buried within many of the spirituals’ texts – words that not only inspired slaves to run but also aided them in their escape to freedom.”  The musical journey of Let My People Go! is imbued with a richly expressive landscape of shape and color, moving from the plaintive, doleful spiritual “Soon-a Will Be Done” to the fear of the auction block, the dangers of the journey north, and, finally, the triumphant song of deliverance – “Go Down Moses.”  With a chorus of enthusiastic singers, four soloists, and two actors, all accompanied by piano, acoustic bass, and percussion, Let My People Go! triumphs both musically and textually in celebrating two of America’s most venerable cultural treasures — the African-American spiritual and the Underground Railroad — making it a must-experience journey that everyone should take.

Gratitude for Singers

This post is being written in the early morning of the day after an amazing concert by The Michael O’Neal Singers.  There is no doubt the members of the chorus were tremendously  ”aided and abetted” by the excellent Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, and four outstanding vocal soloists (Katie Baughman, Heather Witt, Adam Kirkpatrick, and John LaForge), but this post is directed toward my beloved chorus.   I am filled with thankfulness today for singers who have poured their hearts and souls for the past seven weeks into the preparation of one our great choral/orchestra masterpieces, the Mass in C Major by Ludwig van Beethoven.   During the rehearsal process I have observed with appreciation as the singers have exibited a growing understanding of the music and an empathy with the intentions of the composer.   All this resulted yesterday afternoon in one of the most satisfying concerts it has ever been my privilege to conduct.  A major goal of any conductor is to be “in sync” with his or her ensemble.  I felt that connection with MOS yesterday and I am enormously grateful for the experience.

Sensitive Singing by a Responsive Chorus

I was honored to conduct the members of MOS yesterday aftenoon in a concert which featured some absolutely beautiful singing, not only by them, but also by our special guest, The Georgia Regional Girls Choir.  The last several rehearsals for this concert have been especially intense as we have concentrated on refining our sound and performing with a commitment to clarity, precision, and sensitivity.   MOS did all this extremely well yesterday and in so doing gave me an early Christmas present (something highly prized by choral directors, which is the knowledge that the entire chorus is “with” you in your interpretation of the music).  It was a joy conducting the first three pieces of the program:  Kopylov’s Heavenly Light,  Lauridsen’s O Nata Lux, and Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque.  It was also very satisfying to lead the chorus in Rutter’s What Sweeter Music, and I suspect our Associate Conductor, John LaForge, felt equally delighted with how MOS responded to his conducting of Wilberg’s settings of Away in a Manger and Fum, Fum, Fum.

All in all, this was one of those concerts which reminded me how lucky I am to be a choral director.  To be able to study, rehearse, and perform beautiful music with a group of talented, committed, and caring singers is a remarkable privilege, and one I do not take lightly.  Thank you MOS!

A Chorus For All Seasons

MOS is beginning its 23^rd Season of music making and is doing so with a newly “tweaked” mission statement.  I say “tweaked” because the new mission statement contains only minor adjustments from our previous statement. However, we hope this new version will even better express who we are and what we endeavor to accomplish as a community arts organization.  Here it is:

The Michael O’Neal Singers organization seeks to engage, educate and enrich Atlanta-area singers and audiences with compelling choral experiences which are innovative, multicultural and multigenerational.

So, how do we go about doing all these things?  Obviously, “to engage, educate and enrich” means we will be striving to attract and hold the attention of our audiences and singers, to inform and enlighten them, and ultimately to add greater value and significance to their lives.  Our mission statement further suggests that we will do this with “compelling choral experiences.”  The word ‘compelling’ has been used with serious intent, for it suggests something having a powerful and irresistible effect.  We wish to have that effect on our audiences and singers with experiences which are “innovative, multicultural and multigenerational.”

To be innovative, multicultural and multigenerational requires a definite plan.  We’ll be innovative this season by performing two recently composed large works – The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass by Carol Barnett and Let My People Go: A Spiritual Journey Along the Underground Railroad by Donald McCullough.  We’ll be multicultural by performing Let My People Go with a highly respected African-American ensemble fromSouth Fulton.  Finally, we’ll be multigenerational by partnering with community ensembles comprising children, youth and adults.

These are ways MOS is making an effort to be relevant to our 21st century culture and community.   To do less would be a disservice to both.

A Bluegrass Mass?

MOS has just begun its 23rd season with rehearsals for a fascinating work by Minnesota composer Carol Barnett.  In her own words, The World Beloved:  A Bluegrass Mass is an attempt to “bring the solemnity of the classical-based Mass together with the down-home sparkle of bluegrass.”  The work was written for the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, Philip Brunelle, Conductor, and it is they who performed the premiere with bluegrass band Monroe Crossing in January 2007.  Since that time the piece has received numerous performances around the country and audiences have been provided with an ingenious pairing of two very distinct musical idioms – sophisticated classical choral sound and jubilant bluegrass harmonies.

The 135 members of the MOS chorus read through the work at our first rehearsal last night with excitement, anticipation, and probably, if truth be told, even a little trepidation, for “bluegrass” is a bit out of the comfort level for most choral singers.  Still, it is the unique quality of  pairing diverse styles that attracted me to the piece in the first place.   I love the initial challenges and subsequent rewards that come with approaching new music, and this brings me to ask a couple of questions.  First, for those of you involved in this rehearsal, what are your initial thoughts about the piece?  And, a second question, what other “unique” pairings of musical styles have you experienced in the past (or would like to experience in the future)?   I look forward to your responses.

Singing from the Heart

MOS just completed its 22nd Season with a program entitled Ballads, Blues, and Broadway (Songs from the Great American Songbook).  The concert was performed before a large and enthusiastic crowd whose enthusiasm was matched by the energy and exuberance of the singers.  It was an exhilarating evening of music making and left me considering what it is that helps create such a night.

In addition to the qualities of both the audience and singers mentioned above, I think the repertoire performed had a huge impact on everyone in attendance.   We regularly find profundity and meaning in the great works we sing, e.g., Brahms’s  Requiem, Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and many more.  Still, there is something very immediate and personal that connects with us when we sing some of our finest popular music.  Included in our performance were such pieces as It Had to Be You, Unforgettable, My Romance, Embraceable You, Mood Indigo, and I’ll Be Seeing You.  When you combine those songs with an excellent chorus and a fantastic jazz trio (Tyrone Jackson on piano, Neal Starkey on bass, Marlon Patton on drums) you have the ingredients for something truly special.

One more thing I noticed about this program was that my singers seemed to be (even more than usual) singing from the heart.  This is, of course, difficult to define, but it’s one of those things that is easy to recognize when experienced.  I’m glad we could end our season with a program of great American popular music that was able to touch hearts and bring both smiles and tears to our faces.

Singing Across the Generations

As MOS makes final preparations for its Third Annual Hear the Future Music Festival, I am reminded what a joy it is to work with excellent singers of all ages.  The Michael O’Neal Singers (MOS) is an auditioned community chorus of around 130 voices, ranging in age from early 20s to mid 70s.  The Hear the Future Festival invites outstanding high school ensembles to join MOS in a combined presentation of a large choral/instrumental masterpiece.  This year the Lassiter High School Concert Chorale (Cobb County) and the Woodstock High School Varsity Singers (Cherokee County) will join with MOS and the Riverside Chamber Players (a professional string ensemble from Fulton County) in a performance of Franz Schubert’s Mass in G.  In addition to the Schubert, the combined chorus of nearly 250 voices will sing Hear the Future, a piece written for the inaugural season of the Festival.  Each chorus will also have the opportunity to sing several individual selections for the other choruses and assembled audience.

I find that talented and committed high school singers participating with equally talented and committed adult singers creates a phenomenal learning opportunity for everyone.   As all the singers (a true multigenerational event spanning fifty years from youngest to oldest) work together on the same music, we quickly discover our commonalities instead of our differences.   Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there were more possibilities available for such a sharing between generations!

There are constant daily reminders why I am thankful for choral music and what it adds to my life.  This annual event bringing together high school students and adults is one of the most gratifying of those reminders.

Moving from Johannes Brahms to Irving Berlin

My chorus recently completed a memorable performance of A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms.  An amazing 125 voice chorus, two exceptional vocal soloists, and an excellent 43 piece orchestra (comprised primarily of members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra) combined in performing one of the greatest musical compositions ever created.  So, one might say, where do we go from there?  Since The Michael O’Neal Singers is an ensemble which prides itself on performing a wide repertoire, perhaps it should not come as a surprise that we transitioned rather smoothly the next week into rehearsals of music from “The Great American Songbook,” otherwise known as popular or jazz standards, especially from the decades of the 30s, 40s. and 50s.

So, after weeks of concentrating on the sublime and challenging qualities of Brahms, we now find ourselves immersed in the songs of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Richard Rodgers and others.  While I enjoy the change of pace this music offers, I do think it is important to approach these composers with a serious appreciation and respect for what they have added to the American musical landscape.  Popular music can touch lives in profound ways and it is the insensitive serious musician who fails to recognize that fact.  Therefore, it is my hope that our May 13 performance of Ballads, Blues, and Broadway will remind us of music’s enormous capacity to enrich lives.