This was the first time the event was held completely within the confines of the USF School of Music.  While there were logistical challenges in getting everything to run as scheduled, keeping the Festival at the School of Music avoided losing precious preparation time trying to relocate everyone to a different concert venue, as had been done in the past. 

There is also the benefit of fully utilizing the state of the art facilities at the School of Music, with acoustically tuned rehearsal, recital and concert halls and a Steinway piano in every room.  These factors combined to offer huge benefits for the students.  After all, the students are what this is all about.  Ordinarily, high school students only get an opportunity to participate in an event like this if selected for All-County or All-State Honor Choruses.  Festival of Voices reaches out to a wider population of students to experience preparing and performing artistically challenging music side by side with experienced singers from USF and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay.  This kind of partnership adds another important dimension to the Festival experience.

It is this kind of environment that yielded one memorable moment from our rehearsals.  Dr. Jim Heck stood up and told the students that, at 85 years young, he had been singing all his life, and that he would continue to sing until his vocal cords no longer allowed him to do it.  Speaking of their mutual love of singing, Jim remarked that “You will never lose this”.  What a joyous statement of affirmation for his passion and love of music!

From my perspective as a Master Chorale singer, I look forward to this event every year.  The chance to work with young people energizes me, and their sense of musicality always leaves a lasting impression on me.  One of the changes to the Festival this year was involvement of the USF and Master Chorale singers at more rehearsals, giving us an opportunity to integrate ourselves more completely into the ensembles.  By “sharing the journey”, so to speak, the ensembles benefit which only serves to bring the music to a higher artistic level.

I have been participating in the FOV ever since I joined the Master Chorale in 2007, and this is the best Festival I have been a part of.  In an event of this magnitude, the contributions of the staff and volunteers who put this together cannot be overstated.  When I stood on the risers with all those talented and dedicated young people, making memorable music to an appreciative audience, I was thankful to be able to contribute in some small way of making our world a little better.  As Dr. Bass said to the audience on Saturday, “Think of how much better our world would be if there were more people in it like these”. 

I absolutely agree…..Carpe Diem!!

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.

Auditions for our 14-15 season officially begin today! Good luck to everyone! 

May this video of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and The Florida Orchestra rehearsing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9  from last fall inspire you as you are preparing for an audition or getting ready to return for another fantastic season. Shout out to the USF Chamber Singers who were also on stage with us for this amazing collaboration.