[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]I’ve been praised many times by the singers I work with for being so patient. Which makes me wonder: what’s the alternative?I must admit that I ...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]     This post is part of a series of occasional Questions and Answers. Just use the contact form if you want to submit a question.   Morning St...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Size is in the eye of the beholder. How ‘big’ a choir is depends on the context of course, but working with a large group of singers in any ci...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   In most formal choirs you’re told exactly where to stand when performing. There is often a fixed set-up which varies little from concert to concert....

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Sometimes old choir repertoire becomes stale.   Photo by quinn.anya   Well-loved songs start to wear out and lose their sparkle. What can ...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Have you ever been swept along by the enthusiasm of a singing session only to feel drained at the end or with a sore throat and aching legs?   ...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] When I started my most recent community choir The OK Chorale back in 2011 I decided it wasn’t going to be a performing choir.     Brig...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] The rehearsal begins and the Altos looks around in panic: “Where’s Carol?” Carol is a strong, confident singer, but she’s not here thi...

SINGING When the soul first put on the body's shirt, the ocean lifted up all its gifts. When love first tasted the lips of being human, it started singing. Texts by Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks © 1995 Coleman Barks. Used by permission. ...  moreSINGING When the soul first put on the body's shirt, the ocean lifted up all its gifts. When love first tasted the lips of being human, it started singing. Texts by Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks © 1995 Coleman Barks. Used by permission. Performed by the Millennium Consort, Martin Neary, conductor, and the Pomona College Choir, Donna Di Grazia, director. Water Ruminations is a setting of six poems by the thirteenth-century poet Rumi, in English translations from the Persian by Coleman Barks, for double choir and organ. The poetry sings of literal and spiritual connections between water and sky, a drop of water and human life, flowing water and love, drinking water and its container, the giddiness of spring and rolling seas, and the ocean's gifts and singing. Its images, from 800 years ago, speak to us with both vivid immediacy and transcendence. The idea for the piece originated with the Mellon Elemental Arts Initiative, which proposed funding activities that would involve students in a...    less

Irina Stiglich Choir is a Bulgarian youth mixed ensemble, led by the artistic guidance of its conductor Marina Koleva, accompanied by the pianist Svetlin Hristov. The choir's mission is to nurture Bulgarian talent and instill a love for choral art among ...  moreIrina Stiglich Choir is a Bulgarian youth mixed ensemble, led by the artistic guidance of its conductor Marina Koleva, accompanied by the pianist Svetlin Hristov. The choir's mission is to nurture Bulgarian talent and instill a love for choral art among young individuals aged 16 to 35. It honors Bulgaria's choral traditions while occasionally embracing contemporary trends in choral performance, employing techniques like body percussion and mise-en-scène to enhance their vocal craft. Founded as Pastoral - female chamber choir in 1987, nowadays the ensemble carries the name of its originator Irina Stiglich. Тhe choir's repertoire encompasses (or includes) works by both Bulgarian and international composers, spanning eras from the Renaissance to modern times. They've embarked on concert tours across the country and abroad participating in international choral festivals and competitions. The choir's transformation into a mixed youth ensemble occurred in early 2020. It strives to rekindle Bulgarian choral tradit...    less