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CHORAL CONVERSATIONS
CHORAL CON VERSA TION S

things that we’d like to talk about a few years in ad- food, and how does it reach you. We’ve told stories
vance. It’s usually a three-year process, and we tend to about martyrdom, about what human beings are doing
want big “adult-sized” pieces. In the choral world, we to the Earth. So when I’m thinking about a new com-
get used to a four-minute-piece and then clappy-clappy mission, I start to think about what I would like to talk
and then a four-minute-piece and clappy-clappy. I don’t about.
like that type of storytelling; it doesn’t hold my interest. I’m very hands-on about commissions. I don’t just
Our seasons are structured so that the whole season call a composer up and say, “You’re a good composer,
will make sense. There’s a story being told throughout write something.” I call them up and say, “We have a
the season, and then there’s a story being told in each project. You may not be interested. I totally understand
concert as well. I discovered quite a long time ago that that and, if not, we could do something else another
my job is telling stories. I really love telling stories. The time, but this is what this is.” I talk with the composer,
pieces that I commission are largely based on the sto- and we make a plan. We work out the basic details—
ries of our time. There’s a type of musical art called length, forces, delivery, recording, exclusivity—and
critical composition, which some people would call politi- eventually we decide what the text is going to be. And
cal. I think of myself as a “critical conductor.” I don’t then I say, “Okay, I’ll talk to you in two years,” because
have any answers. I’m not a politician. I’m not a priest. the writing part is not my business.
These are complex questions, and I love that complexi-
ty because human beings are weird and crazy and won-
derful, right? They create terrible, terrible dilemmas, Do you have any words of wisdom for how to
but it’s really fun to consider how to get out of them. work with a composer to achieve your goals as
I just want to make art about those things. I have very the artistic director and conductor, and to help
strong opinions, but in the art side of my life I just want them realize their artistic vision?
to tell the stories. I think composers enjoy having this
kind of specificity, this restriction, when considering a It’s good to build in enough lead time, in case there
new piece. is a problem. If there is a problem, it doesn’t have to be
We’ve told stories about diaspora, homelessness, handled in any kind of emergency way. Let’s talk about
farming, and food—who grows, picks, or makes your it. Don’t shy away from looking at the score and say-
ing, “That is not a good idea.” Let’s talk about having
the sopranos singing a sustained high G for the entire
Some piece. Do we think that’s a good idea? Maybe that’s not
a good idea. It’s going to wind up being an F by the end
of the piece because there’s a thing called fatigue.
great little wanted to write tone clusters for the basses that are
About a decade ago, everybody decided that they
numbers down around G3. But you can’t hear them! The acous-

tics make it inaudible. It doesn’t sound like a MIDI re-
for your alization. It doesn’t sound like a piano, and it doesn’t
sound like clarinets. It’s different than that. It sounds
choir. like basses that don’t know what they’re doing. Then
we went through a period where everyone wanted to
compose for throat singing. Sure, we have a couple of
people who can do that well, but it’s certainly not for
this ensemble, right? We’re all conservatory trained
musicians, and I’m not going to apologize for that.
Toll-free: 1.877.246.7253 • sales@musicfolder.com Don’t be embarrassed to suggest cuts. Composers
are not always terribly appreciative about it, but my
www.colbertcreative.com
(604) 681-5386
74 CHORAL JOURNAL October 2023 Volume 64 Number 3