Author: Zanaida

Do-over!

I wrote a reflection a couple weeks ago for the ACDA Western Region Conference session on worship in music. Sadly, ten minutes before I was supposed to offer this reflection, I dropped and broke the phone I was using. When it came time for me to speak, I just invited the audience into a moment of silent reflection on unity through choral music. Everything worked out fine, and my phone has since been replaced. But here’s some of what I would have said to the audience had my phone not been broken:
 

“20th century Black American operatic bass and civil rights activist Paul Robeson once said: 

‘I shall take my voice wherever there are those who want to hear the melody of freedom or the words that might inspire hope and courage in the face of despair and fear. My weapons are peaceful, for it is only by peace that peace can be attained. The song of freedom must prevail.’

Songs of freedom and joy, songs of hope and courage, songs of wisdom, songs of rage, love, loss, and sacrifice – these are songs we all sing. Singing by oneself – whether in the shower or as a soloist in a studio or on a stage – can be healthy and powerful. But singing in a choral ensemble takes a special kind of vulnerability, courage, and selflessness. That’s why choral music is so powerful; our choral work together is sacred. Whether in houses of worship, in classrooms, on concert stages, in studios, in train stations, on street corners, or in parking garages, we amplify our power to inspire positive change when we sing music TOGETHER, thereby bringing meaning to our lives, and fostering the unity we long for.”

Conducting

UK, here we come…

The Harvard-Westlake Choirs embark on an 8-day performance and heritage tour of England! With stops in London, Cambridge, Gloucester, and Bath, this spring break trip is sure to be memorable! Here’s a link to our Brandenburg Festival concert:

Brandenburg’s concert announcement

Composition

World premiere coming in April

Just 12 days until the world premiere of my piece “The Song of Significance” at Walt Disney Concert Hall, performed by the Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Master Chorale. 

I Believe:
The music of Bach, Bonds and Robles

Grant Gershon, conductor
Lara Downes, piano
Chloé Vaught, soprano
Jamal Moore, bass

Get tickets and full details

Singing

Easter is almost here!

Arvis Strickling-Jones, entrepreneur

Easter Sunday, March 31, is Gospel Sunday at Neighborhood UU Church in Pasadena, CA. Come hear my solo on “Gonna Have a Good Time” by Arvis Strickling-Jones! 

Directions to the church

Soundcloud Song of the Month

By The Waters of Babylon

by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

sung by the California Coleridge-Taylor Singers
Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles, conductor
James Walker, organist

This haunting response to Psalm 137 is described by one music blog in evocative terms:  “Coleridge-Taylor’s writing for choir is superb; he excels at creating rich, thick textures and also thinner textures that don’t sound weak or unsupported. The general tone of this work is yearning, which is just what the Psalm is about — the yearning of the Jewish people while they were in Babylonian exile, yearning for Jerusalem. It’s a beautiful, poignant work.”

Listen on Soundcloud

For Fun

A sweet parent gave me flowers after our lunchtime choir tour preview concert at Harvard-Westlake! 🥹
Can’t wait to go to England!

Here are some escalator selfies at Walt Disney Concert Hall just before my promotional interview with Artistic Director Grant Gershon. The world premiere is coming up on April 6 & 7!

Archie… being Archie

Happy spring, everyone!

View the original March 2024 newsletter here

March 25, 2024 Zanaida 0

So much to share this month!

Let’s dive right in…

Composition

World premiere coming in April

Just 42 days until the world premiere of my piece “The Song of Significance” at Walt Disney Concert Hall, performed by the Grammy Award Winning Los Angeles Master Chorale.

I Believe:
The music of Bach, Bonds and Robles

Grant Gershon, conductor
Lara Downes, piano
Chloé Vaught, soprano
Jamal Moore, bass

Get tickets and full details

Two competitions to share

George Heussenstamm

CCDA/Heussenstamm Composition Contest

The CCDA/George Heussenstamm Choral Composition Contest at ECCO now moves into its eighth year! 

Here’s the link to the entry form

HerVoice Composition Contest

Chicago a cappella seeks submissions for HerVoice, a competition and mentorship program for women composers. A partnership with the Vancouver Youth Choir, this opportunity is open to composers of all ages who self-identify as female, from anywhere in the world. It is intended to promote the work of promising composers and provide hands-on training to further their skills in choral composition. We are seeking composers who are eager to improve their skill at choral composition. Women composers whose career is in its early stages and women composers of color are particularly encouraged to apply.

Read the Facebook story
Get full details here

Singing

I had a blast singing at the Peacock Theatre in Downtown LA for “NieR in concert.” 

Read about this unusual project

Soundcloud Song of the Month

Guidelines

A cantata in 3 movements for SATB Choir, treble choir, harp, flute, strings, and percussion. Celebrating the life and wisdom of Dominican American poet Rhina P. Espaillat

I. Cycles
II. Para Mi Trataranieto el Pionario
III. Guidelines

Here’s a new demo I recorded of my cantata, Guidelines. Making demos like these is fun and helpful for my compositional process.

Listen to Guidelines by Zanaida Stewart Robles on #SoundCloud

For Fun

The Installation of Rev. Dr. Omega Burckhardt at Neighborhood UU Church in Pasadena was a blast! Four (4) musical Hallelujahs by Cohen, Thompson, Beethoven, and Handel were all performed for the occasion. What a celebration!

Ollie and Archie in love

See you next month!

February 25, 2024 Zanaida 0

January vibes

Here’s a cool poem that sends a little shiver down my spine, even with the weird California winter.

To a Snowflake

What heart could have thought you?—
Past our devisal
(O filigree petal!)
Fashioned so purely,
Fragilely, surely,
From what Paradisal
Imagineless metal,
Too costly for cost?
Who hammered you, wrought you,
From argentine vapour?—
“God was my shaper.
Passing surmisal,
He hammered, He wrought me,
From curled silver vapour,
To lust of His mind;—
Thou could’st not have thought me!
So purely, so palely,
Tinily, surely,
Mightily, frailly,
Insculped and embossed,
With His hammer of wind,
And His graver of frost.

– Francis Thompson
This poem is in the public domain

Composition

World premiere coming in April

My LA Master Chorale commission is finished and submitted! It’s about 9 minutes long and scored for a cappella double mixed chorus. It’s designed for a big choir that can lock some crunchy harmonies and still wail like crazy. LAMC is going to SLAY this piece!

Here’s how to get tickets to the premiere performance on April 6 and 7 in Downtown LA: 

I Believe:
The music of Bach, Bonds and Robles

Get tickets and full details

Conducting

Celebrating Dr. King

On Sunday, January 21, we enjoyed ourselves at the 2024 Unitarian Universalist Choral Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Forest Lawn Glendale. I conducted “Love is” by Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, along with the hymn version of “We Shall Overcome.” Here’s a photo of my colleague John Bergquist conducting our combined choir piece “Show Us How to Love” by Mark Miller. I also took a selfie with my friend and fellow composer/conductor/singer Saunder Choi, and here are some views of the crowd.

For Fun

I got a Lite Brite for Christmas!

I always wanted one as a kid, so my husband thought it was time I finally had one. (Thanks, honey!)

Archie and Ollie

Hope you’re enjoying your winter!

January 25, 2024 Zanaida 0

Now the Rejoicing!

Gloria to God in the highest, and peace to all people on earth!

Now the rejoicing! Songs fill the hall.
Now the doors open, welcoming all
Of those who have waited with hope for this peace
And this love and this joy to commence with increase.

Gloria to God in the highest, and peace to all people on earth!

Now for the child inside of us all;
The twinkling of lights on trees so tall;
For the giving and getting of so many gifts;
For dancing and feasting and mending of rifts.

Gloria to God in the highest, and peace to all people on earth!

Now the reunion of fam’lies and friends;
Now the forgiveness and making amends.
Now is the time when we welcome the light; when we find what was lost, when what’s wrong is made right.

Gloria to God in the highest, and peace to all people on earth!

Now that we know we’re no longer alone;
Now that the miracle has been made known;
Now that our heaven is made here on earth;
Now at long last, as we welcome new birth!

Gloria to God in the highest, and peace to all people on earth!

(This is a carol I wrote for inclusion in the 6th edition of Oxford’s Carols for Choirs, which was published this year. We gave the world premiere performance during the 8pm Christmas Eve service at Neighborhood UU Church, Pasadena)

Christmas Eve Service

Sunday, December 24 @ 8pm
Neighborhood UU Church, Pasadena

Celebrating Kwanzaa with a Blast from the Past

I got into the Kwanzaa spirit this year by watching the Neighborhood UU Church virtual Kwanzaa service from 2021 on youtube. My segment on “Decorating for Kwanzaa” happens around 13:15. There are also dance videos of my songs “Kujichagulia” (Self Determination) and “Kuumba” (creativity). Watch the entire 44 minute videos service for a beautiful and informative exploration of this annual celebration of Black and African-American culture.

For Fun

Happy Holidays!

December 25, 2023 Zanaida 0

Thanksgiving complexity

I’ve been grieving a lot this last month. That’s why I’m so thankful for my husband and my two daughters, who live with me and continually remind me that I’m loved and that I’m not alone. And when I don’t feel like I can lean on those in my household, I’m grateful for my network of friends and family who are with me in spirit, letting me talk with them, listening to me, helping me bear my grief. The deaths of loved ones, the sad endings of friendships, the loss of resources and abilities, challenging environmental changes, war and poverty in the world, and the unrelenting passage of time have all been heavy on my heart. 

What does it even mean to let go of that which we cherish and on which we rely? Perhaps letting go has to do with accepting things I can’t change. Too often, I distract or numb myself to avoid feeling lonely, or angry, or powerless and hurt. In order to help process this often debilitating grief over things I can’t change, my therapist challenged me to face it without numbing (alcohol) or distraction (Netflix). So I’m trying to take time to feel these tough feelings. And I’m discovering that remembering what I loved and cherished about these losses can be helpful. I go back and forth between “It’s over now, it hurts so much, and/or there’s nothing I can do” and “remember how great it used to be? I’m so glad I had that.”

Eventually, I get curious and ask myself, “what are the ways in which my life now has remnants of past joys and lost loves?” This curiosity leads me to photos and letters and traditions and keepsakes that hold deep meaning and relevance, making me smile. I also discovered there were things I was keeping (clothing, knick-knacks, photos, letters, traditions, etc.) that also made me smile but no longer held meaning for me. Getting rid of those now meaningless things felt oddly good. It made me even more grateful for the things, people, and memories that continue to hold meaning and importance for me. I guess that’s how gratitude became an antidote to my despair. But I couldn’t arrive at genuine gratitude until I let myself grieve. 

This Thanksgiving, may we be kind to ourselves and to one another. May we give ourselves and each other the space we need to genuinely grieve without distraction and numbness, so that we can be genuinely grateful.

Conducting

“Lights of Remembrace“

Wednesday, November 29 @ 7pm — Free
Museum Plaza, Forest Lawn Glendale
English language service, featuring the Harvard-Westlake Chamber Singers
I’m conducting music by Brahms, Forrest, and Sweelinck.

“Rejoice!: Celebrating Connection” Winter Choral Concert

Thursday, December 7 @ 7pm — Free
Rugby Auditorium, Harvard-Westlake School
I’m conducting music by Robles, Coleridge-Taylor, Valverde, Hairston, Rutter, Hogan, Haydn, Aguiar, and more.

“Neighborhood Christmas Concert”

Friday, December 15 @ 7:30pm — Free
Neighborhood UU Church, Pasadena
2nd annual Christmas concert, featuring guest soloists from our NUUC community, along with the best sing-alongs ever.
Suggested Donation: $25 to support NUUC Music programs.

Christmas Eve Service

Sunday, December 24 @ 8pm
Neighborhood UU Church, Padadena
I’m conducting new music by Robles!

Composing

YAY!!

The first draft of my LA Master Chorale commission is complete! Now I need to edit it and make it presentable. Don’t forget to get your tickets for the world premiere in April. 

More Info and Get Tickets!

Here’s the premiere performance of my arrangement of “His Eye is on the Sparrow” presented by the Frost Chorale, conducted by Dr. Amanda Quist. The whole concert was outstanding! My piece begins around 26:40. 

For Fun

Redlands High School Treble Choir Festival with my group Bel Canto from HW
Working the registration table for SCVA Honor Choir weekend. So proud that three of my HW students were selected to participate!
Archie being nosey

Selfie silliness!

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 25, 2023 Zanaida 0