The Music Of Chorus

Source: Jay Koch

When working with horses, I have learned that I sometimes have to be a different kind of leader at different times. When I am first starting a horse, I will give him lots of leeway in getting a task accomplished. If he can back up at all on command, I'm happy. But, later I will ask for a back up with more precision. It's part of the progression.

As a member of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Chorus, I have the privilege of being led by two different kinds of leaders. Roger Melone, our choral director, works with us every week to teach us the music we are going to perform. Guillermo Figueroa is the Music Director and Conductor for the whole orchestra. Guillermo works with the chorus the week of the concerts when the chorus and orchestra get together. Both of these leaders understand music with a depth I will never understand, and I am grateful that we get to work with both of them.

Roger's role is to prepare the chorus to that we can be turned over to the conductor for the concert. He teaches us the technical aspects of the music. As we learn the music, Roger helps us be precise with our entrances and cut-offs. He makes sure that every final consonant we sing is exactly together. He helps us with our intonation and the blend of our voices. Roger knows tricks on how to make choral voices cut through and be heard over loud orchestration. By the time it is time to turn us over to the conductor we know the work cold.

We usually get to work with Guilllermo three rehearsals before a performance. The first is with just piano accompaniment, and the last two are with orchestra and chorus together. In that short amount of time, we see a different kind of leadership. Guillermo can assume that the chorus knows where every note goes because of Roger's preparation. His job is to mold our music to fit his vision and his understanding of the work. Guillermo will say, "Make this section less melodic and more prayerful." Or, "That last 'Gloria' was beautiful, but instead of singing it, I want you to shout it." He'll say, "Watch me carefully, because I will be following the violin solist here and give him room to finish his line." In only three rehearsals, the chorus and orchestra are working as a single unit.

Part of learning leadership is watching how others lead you. I am fascinated by the differences between our two leaders in the NMSO. Each has his role in preparing the chorus for performance, but neither is complete without the other. Roger communicates constantly with Guillermo to figure out how to prepare the chorus, but he can't know everything that Guillermo will ask for when he works with us the first time. And Guillermo could not do the final shaping and finishing of the work if Roger had not taught us so well.

As my horsemanship has progressed over the years, I have been able to work with several instructors. Each one builds on what I have learned before and takes me to another level. It's wonderful to have the opportunity to learn from great leaders in music, too.

Make Money in hotography

If you are like many people who have cameras, you have probably wondered if you could really make money with digital photography. But there are some things you need to know before you try to quite your day job and make money with photography. Here are 5 things that everyone should know before trying to do this.

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