Lately, I’ve been reading and watching stories about apocalypses and dystopias. Some recently-watched films and TV series include “The Last of Us,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Fallout.” Also feeding the fires of my apocalyptic musings are the following 3 books: “This is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El Mohtar and Max Gladstone, “A Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick” by Zora Neale Hurston, and “The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On” by Franny Choi. Even after what seems like annihilation, life and love find a way of continuing, in some form or another, even in post-apocalyptic times.
I asked Perplexity for a definition. Here’s what it said:
“An apocalypse refers to a revelation or disclosure of great importance, often involving the end of the world or a catastrophic event. The term originates from the Ancient Greek word “apokálupsis,” meaning revelation…It’s important to note that while “apocalypse” is often associated with destruction, its original meaning emphasizes revelation and disclosure, which may or may not involve catastrophic events.” I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no such thing as THE apocalypse. But our world(s) – what ever we define as our world – keep ending over and over again, everywhere, at different times and in different places. We’ve already known massive apocalypses that affect millions over decades and apocalypses that inevitably and utterly destroy us, irrevokably changing each of us from the inside out…apparently just like an apocalypse is supposed to. It’s inevitable.
Isn’t apocalypse the nature of our existance? Isn’t that why today is so SO precious? Because annihilation is inevitable? Because change and evolution and death and new life and new days are inevitable? Though it’s unbareable at times, I accept that I’m living in a time of apocalypse and that a new day is on the horizon, for better and/or for worse, how ever we define “better” or “worse.” Things may get weird and awful and scary going forward, but it will get beautiful, too. We’re truly gonna be okay. It’s inevitable.
Composition
I just finished my commission for the 2025 ACDA National 11-12th Grade SATB Honor Choir. With poetry by Paul Lawrence Dunbar, it’s an up-tempo piece dealing with perseverance and hope. I think it’s gonna be hella-fun to sing! Can’t wait for the premiere in March 2025 at the ACDA National Conference in Dallas, TX.
Preparing to conduct 5 movements from Shawn Kirchner’s glorious “Songs of Ascent” for this year’s ZSR Summer Choir Intensive has been a rich and humbling experience. The performance will happen on 8/11 as part of the 10am service at Neighborhood UU Church in Pasadena.
Singing
Woohoo! On Saturday 8/10, I’m singing in the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Orchestra World Tour happening at the Shrine Auditorium.
by Maurice Duruflé, sung by Zanaida Stewart Robles
Ah, memories of the pandemic! I smiled as I recently listened to some of the first recordings I ever posted. I was particularly tickled with the recording of the Duruflé “Pie Jesu” I made with my dear friend and collaborator Wells Leng. I kinda love what we came up with.
I recently came across this old flyer – what a blast from the past! In the summer of 2011 during my USC days, I collaborated with my friend Seth Houston to conduct a bunch of new music, including Dale Trumbore’s “Sing to the Lord,” the recording of which occasionally gets played on Sunday mornings during Brian Lauritzen’s “A Joyful Noise” program on Classical California KUSC 91.5FM.
Summer vibes at home
A tale of 2 kitties
Ollie visiting the Ivory Tower as we watched “The Never Ending Story”
After I specifically forbade Archie from stepping on my pillow, getting cat hair all over it.
Please check out my website, which now lives at a very easy-to-remember address!
zanaida.com
(For those of you reading this from the blog, you’re already here! Both zanaida.com and zanaidarobles.com will now get you to the good stuff. Thanks for visiting!)
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.
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.
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.
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!
When I was a doctoral student at the USC Thornton School of Music, I was regularly faced with disappointments and challenges that felt too heavy to bear. I often felt like I had nothing intelligent to “say” with my weak gestural skills and my lack of practical knowledge. My classmates seemed so brilliant and knowledgeable already. I felt embarrassed and awkward. I wanted to scream, to give up, to run away.
One day, I felt so woefully ignorant in Choral Literature class that I thought to myself, “Since I don’t feel like I have anything intelligent to add, I wonder if I can come up with something intelligent to ASK. What’s missing from the conversation? Who’s missing from the table? What details might be missing from the story? What’s missing from what they’re trying to teach me?”
I realized that contributing good questions could be more valuable than knowing the answers. I didn’t want to ask questions just so I could get answers right on tests. I wanted to ask questions that made me care more about what I was studying. So, I got really good at asking questions, and this is probably the most important skill I learned from my time as a doctoral student.
From the lens of curiosity, things started to change. One of the simplest, most important questions I learned to ask in times of conflict is “What would it take?” This was a question I learned to get good at answering by myself – answering this question first prevented me from making mistakes and asking lame questions out loud. It prevented me from engaging in useless busy work and futile arguments. And it helped me realize that some tasks and assignments that SEEMED useless were actually the answer the question.
“What would it take for me to feel better?”
“What would it take to get there?”
“What would it take for them to give me what I want?”
Then, if necessary, I could ask these questions of friends, teachers, fellow stakeholders, and even opponents. Asking “what would it take” usually yielded immediate and astonishing results. This question leads to another great question:
“Do the benefits of pursuing and attaining this outweigh the drawbacks?”
The wonderful thing about the “benefits vs. drawbacks” questions is that there’s never a wrong answer – the answer must only be right for the person answering, and the response is almost always either “yes” or “no.” The truth is, that answer can also change depending on the circumstances. How freeing this feels to me! And answering this question can lead to making lists of benefits and drawbacks, which can provide enough clarity to get back on track after having drifted into a low-visibility or seemingly hopeless situation.
So what are we curious about? What’s missing from the story? Who’s missing from the table? What do we want/need most right now? What will it take? Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks?
Are we curious?
Composing
You guys!! Having my carol “Now the Rejoicing” included in the historic Oxford “Carols for Choirs 6” collection is truly an honor and a dream come true for me! This anthology series is legendary in the choral world, and it’s such a thrill to have this piece selected by Bob Chilcott, David Hill and Oxford University Press. It’s available from J.W. Pepper if you’re looking to add some new rep to your Christmas programs…
Join us in August for our first Summer Choral Intensive with the newly-formed Zanaida Stewart Robles Singers! There will be beautiful music and a US premiere of my “Blühende Bäume”, and our venue at the Neighborhood Church in Pasadena is just gorgeous. It’s a chance to work on your choral chops, rediscover the joy of singing together, and perform with a live string ensemble.
We’re particularly in need of tenors and basses, but all are welcome. If the program fee is the only thing holding you back, please contact me, and let’s talk.
Details are in the flyer above, or click the button below to go straight to the registration page.
To keep an eye on what this amazing new ensemble is doing, you can also join our Facebook group for the ZSR Singers, and be sure to follow us on Instagram!
Here’s a little visual tour of what I’ve been up to this month — it’s been busy! Pictured:
High School Scholarship Competition of the Georgia Laster Association of Music, an affiliate of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NAMN). So proud of my daughter who won second place, singing “Del Cabello Mas Sutil” by Fernando Obradors.
Juneteenth dress I wore all weekend long!
Silly and sparkly before the choir concert at Neighborhood Church
Spending time talking shop with my composition buddy, the amazing Amy Gordon
Ollie’s Corner
Ollivander wears many hats: here he is as fashion model, guard kitty and office assistant!
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Celebration Features Performances of Sacred Choral Music and Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast
Led by Artistic Director Dr. Zanaida Robles
Friday, August 12, 7 p.m. “Sacred Choral Music of Coleridge-Taylor and Robles” Tickets available here
Sunday, August 14, 10 a.m. Music Sunday! Church Service performance featuring Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast Free, no tickets required at Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church, Pasadena
(Los Angeles, CA) July 12, 2022 – The Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Celebration, held in honor of the composer’s 147th birthday, will feature two special performances showcasing the Black-English composer’s sacred choral music, and his masterpiece Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. Curated and conducted by Artistic Director Dr. Zanaida Robles, “Sacred Choral Music of Coleridge-Taylor and Robles” will take place Friday, August 12 at 7 p.m.; “Music Sunday! Church Service featuring Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast” will take place Sunday, August 14 at 10 a.m. Both events will be held at the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena.
The “Sacred Choral Music of Coleridge-Taylor and Robles” program features a cross section of sacred works, including two settings of Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis by Coleridge-Taylor and Robles, and Robles’ Ecstatic Expectancy with percussionist Dave Tull, which blends classical choral music with rock improvisation.
“Music Sunday! Church Service featuring Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast” includes music by Native American composers set alongside Coleridge-Taylor’s multi-cultural fusion of Native American legend, classic American poetry, and English late-Romantic music. The text for Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1885 poem, The Song of Hiawatha. While there is much to criticize about his blatant appropriation and flagrant alteration of several aspects of Native American culture, Longfellow made what he believed was a genuine attempt to honor indigenous heritage by writing his epic poem based on Henry Schoolcraft’s transcription of the orally transmitted stories told by Schoolcraft’s Ojibway wife, Jane. Despite its inaccuracies and problematic nature, Longfellow’s alluring yet misguided work helped to dramatically increase national awareness and preservation of Native American culture. The history of the Hiawatha legend and its storytellers is complex, and performing Coleridge-Taylor’s musical setting of a small portion of this story is an opportunity to clarify and correct the narrative by centering the stories, artistry, and experiences of indigenous Americans.
“Researching the life and work of Coleridge-Taylor has been an eye-opening experience ever since I first discovered his music as an undergraduate student in vocal performance,” said Robles. “It is a privilege and joy to present this celebration, which is part of a larger commitment to expand the choral canon and uplift underrepresented voices, including Indigienous artists and composers.”
The Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Celebration is the first of several stops on the road to Carnegie Hall, where the Harvard-Westlake Choirs and Orchestra from Southern California will perform Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, conducted by Robles, and presented by National Concerts. The work was last performed at Carnegie Hall in 1915 as part of a “Concert of Negro Music” conducted by renowned conductor/composer J. Rosamund Johnson (the same who composed “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”).
Coleridge-Taylor’s most celebrated work, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast is a shining example of his command of musical form, texture, harmony, and orchestration, which resulted in overnight fame and respect among colleagues that few men of color could have hoped to enjoy in the early twentieth century. Because of his incredible success in a field dominated by white males at a time when racism in America was peaking, Coleridge-Taylor’s influence on Black artists and intellectuals was powerful and far-reaching. It is regrettable that such a monumental work declined into virtual obscurity after Coleridge-Taylor’s death at the young age of 37 in 1912. But these performances shine light on this important work by a composer who still inspires the American musical community, just as he did a century ago.
AT A GLANCE:
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Celebration Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church 301 N Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91103
Friday, August 12, 7 p.m. “Sacred Choral Music of Coleridge-Taylor and Robles” Coleridge-Taylor Singers Zanaida Robles, conductor James Walker, organ Wells Leng, piano Dave Tull, percussion Tickets available here ($20)
Sunday, August 14, 10 a.m. “Music Sunday! Church Service performance featuring Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast“ Coleridge-Taylor Celebration Chorus Zanaida Robles, conductor Kathryn Eames, piano FREE, no tickets required
Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles is an award-winning American composer, conductor, vocalist, and teacher. She is a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education and performance. Authentic interpersonal connection and relationship-building are core principles of her teaching and performance methods. She is in demand as a composer, vocalist, clinician and adjudicator for competitions, festivals, and conferences related to choral and solo vocal music. Zanaida’s original music has been performed by professional ensembles, community choirs, educational institutions, churches, and individuals world wide. Her works are published by Stewart Robles Music, Music Spoke, E.B. Marks Music, Pavane Publishing, and Stainer and Bell. Her compositional style can be described as energized, soulful, contrapuntal, harmonically colorful, rhythmically driven, heavily modal, occasionally with African elements and touches of progressive rock. Zanaida holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the USC Thornton School of Music, a Master of Music degree from CSU Northridge, a Bachelor of Music degree from CSU Long Beach, and she is a graduate of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Zanaida was born, raised, and educated in Southern California on the occupied lands of the Gabrielino Tongva people.
A nationally-recognized conductor and concert organist, James Walker entertains and enlightens audiences throughout the United States, and his solo recitals are broadcast on National Public Radio. Winner of the prestigious Ruth and Clarence Mader National Organ-Playing Competition in 1986, he is a featured soloist at Bach festivals and regional and national music conventions. In addition to solo and chamber music recitals as pianist and organist, James maintains an active teaching schedule as well as guest conductor and collaborative artist appearances for special events, and interim organist and/or interim choirmaster and consulting for churches. Mr. Walker was Artistic Director of the 2014 Los Angeles Bach Festival and was College Organist and Instructor of Organ at Occidental College in Los Angeles from 1981 to 2004. James holds both undergraduate and Master of Music degrees from the University of Southern California School of Music. He studied organ with Marcia Hannah Farmer, Ladd Thomas and Cherry Rhodes. His conducting coaches have been Thomas Somerville, Leo Nestor, James Vail, William Schaefer, and with Helmuth Rilling as a masterclass conductor at Oregon Bach Festival.
Wells Leng is a performer/composer/improviser based in Los Angeles. Having graduated from USC with a BM in Composition and a BA in Piano Performance and CalArts with an MFA in the Performer-Composer program, they have studied composition with Donald Crockett, Brian Head, Andrew Norman, Frank Ticheli, Andrew McIntosh, and Nicholas Deyoe; piano with Antoinette Perry and Vicki Ray; cello with Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick. As both a performer and composer, Wells has collaborated with many other artists all over the world. An active member of the LA taiko community, they have worked closely with prominent artists such as San Jose Taiko, Kris Bergstrom, Isaku Kageyama, Shoji Kameda, as well as other musicians specializing in Japanese music; Kozue Matsumoto and Rachel Rudich. Wells is part of House on Fire Trio, stickytack, and Quartet Friends. Aside from playing taiko, cello, and piano, they are also an amateur player of several other instruments. Wells is currently the collaborative keyboardist at Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church.
Dave Tull has long been known as one of the world’s finest jazz drummers and has also built a reputation as a premiere jazz singer and songwriter. Dave Tull’s latest release, “Texting and Driving” was the #2 most requested new album of 2018 on SiriusXM Real Jazz, and was featured by NPR’s Susan Stamberg on Weekend Edition. Singing from the drums, Dave brings to the stage a rare combination of joyous songwriting, world-class jazz singing and drumming. Think “Frishberg meets Gershwin”. Dave’s songs have been called both “laugh out loud funny” and inspiring of “soul searching and introspection”, propelling “Texting and Driving” to #5 on the Billboard Jazz Chart, and #3 on the Billboard Comedy Chart in the same week, and 23 weeks on the JazzWeek chart! Dave’s celebrated first CD, “I Just Want To Get Paid”, continues to get regular airplay many years after its release.
Dr. Kathryn Eames earned her DMA in Piano Performance at the University of Southern California, studying with Bernadene Blaha. She enjoys an active performing career as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and orchestral keyboardist. Dr. Eames is a devoted advocate of new music, and is a member of the contemporary ensemble Helix Collective. The group’s 2018 album L.A, Stories commissioned works involving spoken word about various aspects of life in Los Angeles. Kathryn is also the principal pianist of the Fresno Philharmonic. Other collaborations include pop-up concerts with New Opera West and working as a Teaching Artist for the LA Opera school outreach program. Her recordings have been featured on KUSC 91.5’s Thornton Center Stage. Dr. Eames is on the faculty of the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, where she teaches piano and music theory.
I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy. To be perfectly honest, I’ve had a rough time this month. The COVID surge and subsequent cancellation of music events, choir festivals, projects, and rehearsals was emotionally hard to bear. Being Director of Music at Neighborhood Church and conducting the Neighborhood Chorus is an important artistic outlet for me. So having to go virtual and choirless for services and canceling choir rehearsals for the first few weeks of the year left me feeling pretty low. But the love and support of family, friends, and colleagues have helped me to weather this storm. And I’m happy to say that things seem to be looking up.
Resignation from Tonality
After three terrific years, it was time for me to step down from serving on the Tonality Board of Directors. Tonality has many incredible projects on the horizon. And while my journey with the organization is at an end, I wish Tonality all the best in the months and years ahead.
Composition
My work “Veni Sancte Spiritus” will be performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale in Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday, January 30. Get tickets at lamasterchorale.org. Hope to see you there!
Here’s a recent home recording of my Kwanzaa song: “Nia,” with vocals and percussion performed by Natalie, Vincent, and Zanaida Robles. It features the new tongue drum that Vincent got me for Christmas:
