Resolution

This year, I resolve to intentionally explore physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health as I strive to be a source of light for the people to whom I’m connected. May your heart, body, mind, and spirit be blessed this new year and always.

Heart

Tuesday, January 8 was one of the scariest nights of my life, as extremely high winds battered our homes. My heart raced all night as the wind whipped up a fire that destroyed several towns, including the nearby town of Altadena. The power went out as the wind loudly tore over our house like a rampaging animal. From my dark bedroom window, I saw flames on the hillside, swiftly advancing over the brush. Every violent wind gust pushed the fires closer; the hills were consumed by flames. I remember praying out loud, pleading for the wind to stop. The fire raged on even as the winds died down and shifted away from us. And while I’m grateful my home and family are safe, the damage to our beautiful city was vast and brutal. I am heartbroken over the loss of my friends’ homes, schools, and churches. So much that was irreplaceable was destroyed. The kindness and generosity of strangers is what gives me hope in times like these. May hope continue to thrive as we help each other find the way back to wholeness.

Body

This past fall I began a journey to improve my health. I constantly felt heavy, tired, and in pain. In addition to various doctor visits and treatment plans for specific issues, I decided to download and use an app to help me track what I eat. It wasn’t that my eating habits were so bad; it’s that they weren’t in alignment with my nutrition goals. The app helps me to be accountable to myself regarding my goals – sometimes I hate that! When I feel overlooked or underappreciated, I want a treat or a reward or an edible comfort. The app affirms my effort, reminds me to stay on track, and helps me get back on when I’ve fallen off. A helpful tool can make a real difference.

Composition

Psalm 61: Hear My Cry

Hear my cry, O God, and listen to my prayer. I call upon you from the ends of the earth with heaviness in my heart. Set me upon the rock that is higher than I.

Listen here

For Fun

I watched football, ate fried catfish, and created art with my beloved mentor Paul Smith. He taught me a new art technique using paint on tile. I made a “Z,” of course!
A multitude of holidays
Felicity is learning to drive.
A note I found from Santa on Christmas morning
Archie is not modest.
The new heated cat bed is a hit!

May your new year contain more joy than sorrow.

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Merry Christmas!

May you be joyful. May you be at peace. May you be in the company of loved ones. May you celebrate all 12 days, if you feel like it. May you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, New Year’s, and all times in which we experience love, awe, and gratitude. May you be amazed and inspired today and in the days to come.

Surgery update

It got postponed. Bad news: I had a mental and emotional breakdown over this whole snafu and will have to wait for god-knows-how-long before I can have my surgery.

Good news: I’m intact and above ground for Christmas and New Year’s! 

Composition

My new album “Ecstatic Expectancy” is now available on all major streaming platforms. Many thanks to everyone who met up with me and purchased physical CDs at our album release events. Want more CDs? Visit me in person on Sundays at Neighborhood UU Church in Pasadena right after the 10am service. And stay tuned for more meet-ups!

Conducting

Come watch me conduct my original Christmas carol “Now the Rejoicing” for choir, piano, and organ at 8pm on Christmas Eve at Neighborhood UU Church in Pasadena.

For Fun

On Thursday December 19, the Harvard-Westlake Jazz Singers performed at Homeboy Industries for the morning meeting with Father Greg Boyle!

(Event photo by Danny Moloshok of Moloshok Photography)

The ETM-LA Gala on December 6 was incredible! I’m so honored to have received their “Shining Star Award” as an educator. The Harvard-Westlake Jazz Singers performed exquisitely with pop star SYML and award-winning film and television composer Blake Neely. The video below is the short film that was shown at the gala:

Goat yoga for the holidays…

…and…more Christmas antics!

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Originally published as Zanaida’s December 2024 email letter – Click here to read online

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Education Through Music – Los Angeles

Education Through Music-LA is proud to be honoring Zanaida Stewart Robles with a Shining Star Award on December 6, 2024, given to those whose contributions through music have positively impacted our lives and communities!

ETM-LA provides sequential and comprehensive yearlong music education to under-resourced local schools across Los Angeles County. In our 19th Year, ETM-LA has grown from reaching 2 schools and 800 students to 41 schools and over 19,000 students.

The Gala will honor Music Educator & Artist ZANAIDA STEWART ROBLES (Frozen 2, Mulan, Harvard-Westlake School); Composer & ETM-LA Board Member BLAKE NEELY (Emmy-Winning Composer, Riverdale, The Flight Attendant, Masters of the Air); GAMESOUNDCON. Current and prior celebrity champions include Ed Helms, Kristen Bell, Debbie Allen, Cynthia Erivo, Rickey Minor, Mike Knobloch, Randy Spendlove, Michael Giacchino, John Debney, Siddhartha Khosla, Goldie Hawn, Harvey Mason jr, Christopher Columbus, Bryan Cranston, Sebastian Krys, Jane Lynch, Arturo Sandoval, Hans Zimmer, Rudy Sarzo, and more.

More info

Out for a bit

I’m having surgery and will be on medical leave in December, with a current plan to return to work after the new year. Thankfully, my condition is not life-threatening. The surgery is to alleviate ongoing discomfort and prevent future complications. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts as I prioritize my health. 

Composition

Album release meet-up

Family, friends and fans of Zanaida Stewart Robles are invited to join Zanaida on Sunday, December 8 between 2pm and 4pm for a celebratory meet-up in Pasadena, CA, marking the release of Ecstatic Expectancy. The address will be shared with those who complete this form by December 1:

RSVP by December 1

Conducting

Celebrating friends

My Harvard-Westlake Jazz Singers are performing my friend Amy Gordon‘s arangement of Joy to the World for our Winter Choir Concert on Thursday, December 5 at 7pm in Rugby Auditorium. The concert also features Alleluia by my friend and HW colleague Chris Wong, performed by my HW Chamber Singers.

Thank you, Amy and Chris, for your brilliant music!

My friend and assistant conductor Michael Fausto will lead worship on Sundays and on Christmas Eve at Neighborhood Church while I’m on leave. He will also conduct our Neighborhood Church Christmas Concert on Friday, December 13 at 7:30pm. Thank you, Michael, for stepping up to help out! 

For Fun

Oh.
THESE were the clean clothes we’re supposed to get off of.
Our bad.

Ollie immersed in the classic film UHF starring Weird Al Yankovic.

Me and Felicity at the Michael Mayo concert in Santa Monica last month. Michael, who was a vocal arts student of mine at the Los Angeles County High for the Arts, was on FIRE!! 

Check out his new album – ‘Fly’

And finally,

“It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap:…”

I can now announce that I was part of the choir in the new blockbuster film, “Wicked”, which opened on November 22!

Happy Thanksgiving!

View the original November 2024 newsletter here

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I’m so excited to announce my first album, coming December 1st!

(Final cover art is pending, based on the painting above by Paul A. Smith.)

TRACK LIST

Mass in E minor
-Kyrie
-Gloria
-Credo
-Sanctus
-Agnus Dei

Ecstatic Expectancy

Psalm 61

Magnificat*

Nunc Dimittis*

Veni Sancte Spirtus

The CSULB Bob Cole Chamber Choir
Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles, conductor
Dr. Heejung Ju, collaborative keyboard artist

Dave Tull, percussionist

*The California Coleridge Taylor Singers
Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles, conductor
James Walker, organ
Wells Leng, piano

Singing

Sunday, November 3 at 10am

Neighborhood UU Church Pasadena

Michael Fausto conducts the Neighborhood chorus with me singing “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me” arranged by Moses Hogan. I also get to sit in the soprano section while Michael conducts the “Kyrie” from Mozart’s Requiem.

Gonna be fun!!

Conducting

On Wednesday, October 16, I conducted the Harvard-Westlake Chamber Singers at the Riverside City College High School Choral Festival. Singing music by Williametta Spencer, Christopher Wong, and Ralph Vaughn Williams, these young singers were terrific!

For Fun

Woke up from a nap with cats all over me!

Me, starstruck with composer Frank Ticheli after conducting his “Earth Song” at Neighborhood Church last month.

Guava Harvest

Originally published as part of Zanaida’s October 2024 newsletter

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Organizations and Institutions

There are so many institutions and organizations that are a blessing to my life. Some have been blessing my life for decades! Besides the pride and joy I feel to be employed at Neighborhood UU Church Pasadena and Harvard-Westlake School, I was happy to reconnect with friends in the George Robert Garner III branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians during a recent branch meeting via Zoom. Watching my freshman daughter perform as a soloist during the Beach Cafe at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB was thrilling not only because my kid was brilliant (!), but because of all the familiar faces and pathways and buildings I got to enjoy at my alma mater.

This fall, I’ll reconnect with friends from the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the California Choral Directors Association through various projects and performances. Organizations like Tonality, Street Symphony, USC Thornton School of Music, The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, All Saints Church Pasadena, The San Gabriel Valley Choral Company, and more – these special organizations and institutions with which I’ve been affiliated are never far from my heart.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the ups and downs organizations and institutions must endure. No organization is perfect, and there are times when I feel let down by them. Still, I value the vision and purpose of these institutions. I recognize the ways in which I have benefitted from their existence, and I want to give back. I can’t participate in everything nor do I have a ton of volunteer hours or money. But I’ll try to show up when I can and give a little money here and there whenever possible.

This is how I can live out my gratitude.

Favorites

I recently realized that Dr. Adolphus Hailstork is my favorite Black composer! It feels really good to have fallen in love with this composer simply from just being exposed to his music more and more on the radio and on social media. Dr. Hailstork celebrated his 80th birthday this year! Here’s my current favorite piece of his, sung by one of my favorite ensembles:

Shout For Joy by Adolphus Hailstork:

The release of my first commercial single, “Ecstatic Expectancy”!!

On Monday September 23, my choral piece Ecstatic Expectancy was released on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Instagram/Facebook, TikTok & other ByteDance stores, YouTube Music, Amazon, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, iHeartRadio, Claro Música, Saavn, Boomplay, Anghami, NetEase, Tencent, Qobuz, Joox, Kuack Media, Adaptr, Flo, and MediaNet.

Look for Ecstatic Expectancy wherever you listen to music, and let me know where you were able to find it! My first commercially released album is soon to follow, too, so stay tuned!

For Fun

Conducting the Neighborhood Chorus for Ingathering/Water Communion Sunday, September 8

My office at school (for which I am grateful!) sometimes feels like a sad closet with a lame window. So I created some sunshine to brighten it up.

Did you know you can swim, fish, and go kayaking in the Los Angeles River? Last month, I had the best time kayaking on the water in this very picture. Can you imagine me in a kayak, paddling down that sliver of water in this picture!?! I’m planning to go kayaking one more time before LA River Kayak Safari closes for the season on September 30.

Sexy Archie

Ollie looking down on us all

Originally published as part of Zanaida’s September 2024 newsletter

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