By Brian Hathaway

Gaudete!  I chose to title my latest post with the Latin word which means rejoice.  We are well into the Christmas Season, a time of giving, celebration and rejoicing, and it seemed fitting to use this word to set the stage for my latest post.

The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay just completed performing four “Home for the Holidays” concerts with the Florida Orchestra.  These four concerts played to sold-out houses at every performance, meaning that we reached out to over 7,000 audience members during the concert series.  From a personal perspective, knowing that we were performing to sold-out houses was a cause for rejoicing among the Chorale membership, and I am sure the Florida Orchestra members felt the same way.  There are few things more energizing than knowing you are performing to a packed house.  It sets the stage for enthusiasm before we walk out onto the risers.  Gaudete!

I was listening to an interview with Los Angeles Philharmonic Director Gustavo Dudamel the other day as he discussed how he approaches his role as Director.  He mentioned that music creates a connection among people.  In a time when more and more people use technology to communicate, Maestro Dudamel noted that communication sometimes suffers and does not allow people to really connect, but music creates connections.  Furthermore, he noted that the love of music is a universal human trait that transcends cultures and language.  In the final analysis, we do not just connect with an audience; our music connects us to individuals sitting in an audience.

This was brought home to me on Sunday, the last day of our concert series.  Like many other Master Chorale singers, I also sing in my church choir at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Valrico.  As part of the Advent calendar, Sunday was known as “Gaudete Sunday”, a time for rejoicing.  As I was headed to my choir warm up, my Music Director told me he attended the Friday evening concert and it was wonderful.  Inside, I rejoiced with gratitude that he attended and really enjoyed the experience. Gaudete!

Later that day, my wife and I attended a Christmas Cantata at Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon.  The first church choir I joined twenty five years ago was at Nativity and several members are still singing there. It was a time of rejoicing to reconnect with them following their cantata.  At least ten of them attended the matinee concert at Mahaffey Theater on Saturday.  Every one of them remarked to me how much they enjoyed the concert and how wonderful the performance was.  It was obvious to me by their enthusiasm that we really connected with them and made the Holiday Season more meaningful. Gaudete!

On Sunday evening, we had our final “Home for the Holidays’ concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall.  As we entered the stage and took our places on the risers, we all looked out upon the sea of faces, over 2000 in attendance.  Maestro Jeff Tyzik invited the audience to sing along during the encore, and I could hear the hall fill with sound as they enthusiastically joined in.  The connection had been made once more.  My wife and one of our good friends came to the concert that evening, and they thoroughly enjoyed it.  As I came out to the lobby to meet them, I encountered several people who remarked to me how wonderful the concert was.

I am filled with gratitude that I am able to share music that helps make the Holiday Season more meaningful for so many people.  With our music, we are able to create a memorable experience that I hope will stay with them for many years to come.  Being able to make that connection is a cause for rejoicing.  Gaudete!

We had a fantastic time performing with Kenny Rogers and Linda Davis Sunday night at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Pete. Many thanks to the Kenny Rogers show for inviting us to perform with you!  We had so much fun and really appreciated how warm and friendly you all were. 

On a more serious note, we were asked to perform an a cappella feature on the concert and chose to sing "The Road Home" by and in memory of Stephen Paulus (composer) who recently passed away. Dale Warland remembered Stephen Paulus by saying "he had that special spark for the human voice and a real passion for choral music. He had that combination of great craftsmanship and spirituality." Stephen Paulus will be deeply missed and we were honored to present his music to a full house, who we suspect have never heard that piece before.  They gave us a standing ovation after our performance of "The Road Home" and we could tell by looking at their faces that they were moved. That is why we sing.  If you were in the audience, thank you for coming and we hope you enjoyed the show!

TBNweekly.com Online Article: Kenny Rogers performs holiday classics Published Nov. 24, 2014

By Brian Hathaway

As I was considering how to start my latest blog post, I came to the word humanity, because making music is part of what makes us human.  Billy Joel stated “I think music itself is healing.  It’s an explosive expression of humanity.  It’s something we are all touched by.”  Making music is something that defines our humanity and probably first occurred as humans sought to recreate sounds that they heard.  John Koopman, in a 1999 article noted that “The voice is presumed to be the original musical instrument, and there is no human culture, no matter how remote or isolated, that does not sing.”

The Master Chorale recently completed singing in four concert presentations of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” with the Florida Orchestra, USF Chamber Singers, and the Tampa Bay Children’s Chorus.  With over 200 singers on the risers, we collaborated with the Florida Orchestra to present one of the most frequently performed choral works in the repertoire.  While many of the works we perform are sacred in origin, Carmina Burana most certainly is not.  Rather, it celebrates our humanity as we sing about love, desire, eating, drinking, and the arrival of springtime.

The concerts were a huge success and we received standing ovations and multiple curtain calls after each of the four concerts.  Many Chorale members recounted their own stories regarding the experience of their friends or family members who attended.  I was most interested in those who had never attended a live performance of Carmina Burana.  One member of the Chorale encountered a young woman who was moved to tears upon seeing this performed for the first time.  I had a friend who sings in my church choir come to the Friday performance who recounted to me that she was blown away by the performance.

In processing the concert experience, many Chorale members shared their impressions on social media.  A common thread through the conversation was one of unbridled gratitude, thankful that we were a part of this effort. The realization that we were joining together with others to create art that was much more than the sum of its parts was both exhilarating and humbling at the same time.  I heard or read this sentiment over and over again as I connected with my colleagues.  This mass of humanity on stage created a truly memorable experience for those who came to see and hear us.

What amazes me is that we are at our best when we are most decidedly human, where we step out of our day to day existence to create something noble and uplifting.  Out of that creation we are able to leave an indelible impression on people; one that I hope will encourage them to return to hear us again and bring a friend to share the experience.

That is why we are here.  That is why we sing.