ronald staheli

Choir returns after performing at the inaugural conference in 2006. BYU Singers have been invited to attend the National Collegiate Choral Organization’s 7th biennial national conference in November. They are one of only ten collegiate choral ensembles to be selected for this year’s 2017 conference. In order to be selected, ensembles must undergo a rigorous application process, according to BYU Singers conductor Andrew Crane. Groups must submit proposed concert repertoire, a letter from the supervisor of the sponsoring institution, and recordings from the current and previous year. The recordings are blindly evaluated by choral professionals from around the country and invitations to perform at the conference are extended based on quality of performance demonstrated by the recordings and the quality of the proposed concert repertoire. Recordings from both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons were used to qualify for this year’s conference. “NCCO is the foremost professional organization for conductors who work specifically with choirs at the college/university level,” Crane said. “In addition to speakers, workshops and classes, one of the central elements of the conference is the opportunity to hear concerts of the finest university choral ensembles in the country.” The NCCO is the only choral organization specifically designed to serve choral organizations at the college and university level. This conference allows a unique opportunity for collegiate choruses to perform at a national level and offers lectures and other aids in professional development, according to its website. Biennial conferences have been held since the NCCO’s inaugural conference in 2006. BYU Singers are returning to perform at the conference for the second time after their performance at the inaugural conference under the direction of Ronald Staheli. “We are truly honored and humbled by the opportunity to return in 2017, especially among such an elite group of peer choral groups,” Crane said. The conference will take place November 2-4, 2017. The conference is hosted by Louisiana State University and will be held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Faculty members and students of the College of Fine Arts and Communications participate in regional, national and international competitions every year. It is not uncommon for members of the college to receive prestigious awards on an annual basis. 2015 was a particularly successful year for the college as awards ranged from the Contemporary Dance Company winning the Grand Prix at the New Prague Dance Festival to numerous awards the Department of Theatre and Media Arts received from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for their production of “Our Town.” The college continues to thrive as an acclaimed institution of the arts and communications. Highlights of the student awards include more than 20 Graphis awards for Design students, a Student Emmy Animation students received for Ram’s Horn, Communications students receiving Mark of Excellence, Gracie, Addy and Effie awards and a music student receiving an Honorable Mention for Outstanding Music at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The faculty of the college are also active in remaining competitive amongst their peers on a local, national and international level. Art professors Daniel Everett, Peter Everett and Bryon Draper received awards for their artwork. TMA professor, Stephanie Breinholt received Outstanding Director of a Play and the Innovative Teaching Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Design professors, David Dibble, Robert Machoian Graham, Justin Kunz, Eric Gillett and Adrian Pulfer received local and national honors. Two music professors, Rosalind Hall and Ronald Staheli were awarded Creative Works Awards. PRWeek named the School of Communications’ public relations program as one of the top five in the nation. PHOTO BY BYU PHOTO: BYU received 13 national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for the production of Our Town. Student Achievements of 2015 Faculty Achievements of 2015

In conjunction with the previously released album Set Apart: Beloved Missionary Hymns, the BYU Men’s Chorus has released a new arrangement of the hymn “the Iron Rod.” This new release, arranged by Ronald Staheli, will be offered as a free MP3 download, in keeping with the album’s original intents of creating an album for missionaries and to promote missionary work. The release of the new track represents a continuance of the project’s commission to inspire missionary work. Each year a new song will be released. “The Iron Rod” was made available December 12, 2013 for download at SetApartAlbum.com along with the full Set Apart album. At the album’s original release on April 5, 2013, the album was comprised of 10 new arrangements of favorite hymns created specifically for the choir. Notable arrangers, including Matthew D. Nielsen, David Zabriskie, and Lane Johnson, generously forfeited licensing rights so the BYU Men’s Chorus could offer the hymns in this album for free.

Trained to fill rooms and move audience members with their rich vocal blends, the BYU Singers are internationally recognized for their talent and professionalism. This spring they will travel to the United Kingdom to perform in the great concert halls, chapels, and cathedrals of England and Wales. This tour will be conductor Ronald Staheli’s third trip to the British Isles in the past three years, and he looks forward to the opportunity to follow up and strengthen relationships made during those visits. “The choir structure in Britain is very different from what we have in the United States,” said Staheli. “The professional choral world is much more active in Britain, and I look forward to making contacts with them and their choirs in order to create strong working relationships.” Influential composers, leading choral conductors, members of parliament, and government officials have been invited to attend the BYU Singers’ concerts throughout the tour. The choir will be touring with a special program, showcasing a variety of music that helped shape the United States of America. Beginning with pieces from the colonial era and ending with modern classical composers, the program will travel through the nation’s cultural history, highlighting the influences of Western European, folk, African-American, and gospel music. “Our goal is to bring a program with an inherent beauty to the eyes, ears, and hearts of our listeners,” said Staheli. “We want to inspire our audiences in such a way that they leave the concert and act on what they have heard, felt, and experienced.” The inspiring recital will travel throughout Southern England, providing rare opportunities for the Singers as they perform in concert halls at renowned educational institutes, including the University of Exeter, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge a choral workshop is anticipated with one of the local college choirs, providing both choirs an opportunity to interact and sing together. While in Wales the group will hold a workshop with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where five of the college’s master’s-level choral conducting students will meet and work with the group. Later that evening the BYU Singers will hold a special one-night concert in the college’s new performance hall. Along with these programs, the BYU Singers will have many opportunities to experience the culture of England as they perform in some of the oldest and most historically important cathedrals in England. “The venues we will be singing in were built for these types of choral performances,” said Rex Barrington, tour manager. “I’ve had the chance to visit each of the locations personally, and they are all marvelous.” More than just the impressive size, structure, and detail that define these great halls and cathedrals, the sites provide an unsurpassable acoustic quality that brings each song to life. Near the end of the tour the Singers will have an opportunity to perform in St. Paul’s Cathedral, where royal weddings and funerals have been held. Ten times each year this venue invites an outside choir to perform in the cathedral; the BYU Singers were privileged to be the selected performance for the month of May. With no piano accompaniment, the Singers will present 30 minutes of carefully selected and prepared sacred music. The tour finale will be in St. John’s, Smith Square in London. Located in the heart of Westminster in the area of British Parliament, this is considered the venue for choirs in all of London. 'The venues are fantastic; the cities are historic,” said Staheli. “In almost every case the community, local charities, and BYU supportive organizations are coming together to work as a team. It’s an exciting combination that proves this tour isn’t just for BYU; it’s for the communities we visit.” Source: Performing Arts Management

by Brooke Eddington The Brigham Young University Singers and Concert Choir will perform a combined concert, to be conducted by Ronald Staheli and Rosalind Hall, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall on Tuesday and Thursday, Feb. 13 and 15. Tickets are $9 or $6 with a BYU or student ID. Tickets can be purchased at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, by calling (801) 422-7664 or by visiting artix.byu.edu. The Singers' portion of the concert will include three sections, titled 'Invitations to the Savior,' 'Hop, Skip and Jump Around the World,' and a section containing three African-American spirituals. The Singers' selections will include music from South America, Italy, Sweden, Ireland and the Orient. The Concert Choir will also perform three sections, which list as 'Shakespearean Magic,' 'Songs of Farewell' and 'Feeling the Spirit.' These sections contain pieces such as 'Double, Double Toil and Trouble' and 'Jeremiah's Fire!' These groups are two of the most select of BYU vocal performance groups, well-known for their quality and versatile performances. For more information, contact Ron Staheli at (801) 422-3169. Source: BYU News