The Greatest Generation… of Choral Music

Where do current high school choir directors find choral music literature for their ensembles? Reading sessions are a wonderful resource for cutting edge pieces by many wonderful composers; however reading sessions are limited to pieces written/printed in the past year! There is a wealth of choral music composed in the last half of the 20th century that deserves to remain on the forefront of today’s choral ensembles. Works by classic choral composers, the lifeblood of our previous generation, are either temporarily or permanently out of print, and dangerously close to being forgotten. This course will focus on some of these wonderful pieces and the composers who penned them. It is not merely a reading session, but will delve into rehearsal and teaching techniques, text and how it impacts the music, and other aspects to effectively rehearse and perform each piece. Each class member will receive 100 pieces (thanks to JW Pepper) of some of the greatest choral music of the late twentieth century.