Resigning from SGVCC with Love

Dear Friends,

Effective June 30th of this year, I will resign from my position as Artistic Director of the San Gabriel Valley Choral Company. This decision is one that I have struggled with, as SGVCC has meant so much to me over these last 5 years. The time seems right for this transition, as I have accepted a full-time position as choral instructor at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City.

With SGVCC, I have been nurtured and supported, and I have grown exponentially as a conductor. My vision as an artistic director was realized and validated through my work with SGVCC – for this I am deeply grateful. We served children and the elderly in our community, collaborated with other arts and civic organizations, performed major works, sang a wide variety of styles, honored each other, and had so much fun! I have learned so much about non-profit arts management, board succession, fundraising, and staff management. Most of all, I have made beautiful music with a group of the most beautiful people on the planet. Our community is so special, and we should never ever take that for granted.

I have no doubt that under the leadership of the brilliant Dr. Alexandra Grabarchuk, SGVCC will continue to thrive and grow. As my work with the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Project, Street Symphony, and the National Association of Negro Musicians continues, I look forward to remaining connected to SGVCC.

My final concert with SGVCC is this Saturday, June 24 at 7pm. Our concert entitled ”Route 66- Music and the All-American Highway” features jazz and blues, folk tunes, and rock ‘n’ roll songs that explore our relationship with this historic highway. It’s a choral celebration of America’s love affair with the open road and the stories we tell on the journey of life. Our children’s choir “Kids in Concert” will also be featured. Tickets are now available at the cost of $5 for children, $15 for students and seniors, and $20 for the general public. The concert will be held in the beautiful acoustical space of The Parish of Saint Luke, 122 S. California Avenue in Monrovia. More information can be found at www.choralcompany.org or by calling 818-802- 9620.

Yours truly,

Zanaida Robles

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Just stop

“I am ready. I am loved. And I have everything I need…”

… is the opposite of what I think and feel most of the time. It seems like this past month has been full of lessons about about endurance and faith. At the forefront of my consciousness this morning is that drive to Santa Monica I need to make… like, right now. I’ve been thinking of Daniel Chaney everyday because I love him and he’s in hospice right now. I think “I’m not thinking of the right things right now! I am supposed to be thinking something else!”
Stop.

Right now, I am ready and I have everything that I need. And so does Daniel. So do my colleagues in Santa Monica. And my car has a full tank of gas, and I have plenty of time to get where I’m going because I intentionally planned ahead yesterday. My priorities ARE in order because all those things about which I think I am supposed to be thinking, those things are ALWAYS in my consciousness. I know that whether I succeed today or not, I am worthy of love everyday, and so are all of us. I get a new chance to do right everyday, and so do all of us. I get a new set of hours everyday, I can choose how to make the most of them without being “wrong.” And so can all of us.

I arrived at this understanding this morning because people I care about have been telling me to “Stop.” My support system has been telling me to stop and listen; to be mindful; to pray; to be in relationship with my thoughts and my surroundings; to respond less and listen more. And this morning, I actually chose to try it.

I think I actually meditated!

I might be a teeny tine bit late today (probably not though), but I actually MEDITATED for 5 minutes this morning!! And meditating made me feel like I was ready for the day, that I am loved no matter what, and that I had everything I need to be successful today. Meditation/Mindfulness/Communion with God: whatever you call it, I think it’s a gold mine.

This piece first appeared in Zanaida’s March 2017 newsletter.
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On Social Media

Enough is enough! I am so tired of provocative photos and videos and other various posts and tweets that offer no real opportunity for dialogue. Social media is infected with rhetoric: language and images designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience — to rile us up. But these posts are too often rooted in questionable compassion or sincerity, bound in ulterior motives, and lack meaningful content. Social media is an echo chamber: it’s all noise, where dialogue is impossible. I’m sorry folks, but provocative posts and their ensuing comments don’t count as discussion for me!

Because it’s too easy to throw out an unanswerable, unsubstantiated opinion on Facebook, social media is not where change happens. It happens when we engage each other face-to-face. Either we engage in a constructive dialogue and learn to live with each other, or we don’t engage and it kills us — socially, spiritually, emotionally, or worse.

What if we actually had a roundtable discussion, perhaps at the Alkebulan Cultural Center in Pasadena, to talk about sociocultural issues, and to interact in real life? I’d like to explore ways to encourage better dialogue about a variety of topics — perhaps hosting live events — and hope we can spark some real discussion. If we want to see our world change for the good of us all, then we need person-to-person dialogue, so we can build relationships that can learn to withstand disagreement.

I’ll keep you posted about this idea and other developments. Please let me know if you want to get together and talk.

This piece first appeared in Zanaida’s February 2017 newsletter.
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Intersections Between Choir and Opera

In educational settings, choral programs can complement opera programs beyond just augmenting the opera chorus. Collaborative master classes, social gatherings, vocal-health round table discussions, and strong attendance at performances among students and faculty aid in building and sustaining bonds of mutual scholarship and support between opera and choral music programs.

Choral programs intersect with opera programs in terms of the students they share. Healthy singing and stellar musicianship are a priority in both areas. As someone who has had professional success singing a variety of styles both as a soloists and an ensemble musician, I know that singers can and should be encouraged to learn how to be ambidextrous, striking a balance between healthy vocalism and stylistic versatility. In my choirs, singers are encouraged to sing healthfully with their naturally vibrant voices. Blend and balance issues are most often addressed with the physical placement of the singers before addressing a singer’s individual technique.

But when I do talk technique in choir, it usually boils down to posture, breath flow, and resonance. By encouraging the development and application of these three technical skills, I can hold singers accountable for being flexible with regard to dynamic contrast and vowel color. I can insist on attention to musical details, and I can work on building the singers’ aural skills so they can make intuitive, healthy vocal adjustments informed by their own ears.

For opera students participating in choir, this means employing healthy vocalism in the choral setting that doesn’t compromise their individual technique. I’m less likely to ask for a change in vibrato and more likely to ask for a change in dynamic or vowel. In this way, operatic voices actually enhance the richness and depth of the choir; the choir sounds vibrant and healthy with the ability to be stylistically versatile and musically precise.

Featured image by B Cleary / FreeImages.com

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Lift Every Voice

I think too many folks learn lessons about artistic expression either online, from television, or in other media. Maybe they aren’t even aware of their learned biases toward perfectionism and materialism. I am a singer. As a concert soprano soloist, studio vocalist for film and television, and professional ensemble singer, I have sung throughout the United States, and in parts of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. I’ve sung background vocals for various artists including the Rolling Stones, Andrea Bocelli, Barry Manilow, and have also worked as a singer and pianist on the hit Fox Television series Glee.

But my most important singing is the singing I do at home when I have a jam session with my kids – I’m teaching them how to be expressive without being judged. Or perhaps my most important singing happens in church – I use my voice as channel for healing and wholeness with the spiritual power within and around us.

Either way, my voice has worth not because I get paid to use it, not because it is beautiful or skillful, but because it is unique and has the power to touch hearts and minds. The truth is that everyone has this power, even folks who claim they can’t sing. What if we broadened our definition of “singing?” Can all of our words and sounds be melodic, rhythmic, dynamic? Can our words harmonize and create counterpoint with the words of our neighbors?

What if we learned to acknowledge and use the power of our own ordinary every-day voices, our statements and questions imbued with the energy of singing? How amazing it would be if we used this power in other disciplines and environments so our unique song may be sung boldly for the good of the community. Can we do a better job of recognizing and cultivating the relevance and power of everyday singers? What if our communities acknowledged and harnessed the transformative power of collective artistic expression; what if everyday folks starting “singing” their song?

I recall that the Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s was strengthened by some of the most gravitational and inspirational songs ever sung, becoming a galvanizing force behind change. In my work as a musical artist, I am dedicated to uplifting individuals, organizations, and programs that inspire and facilitate the spiritual, cultural, intellectual, and artistic enrichment of our community. With this enrichment, can we figure out how to lift every voice and find ways to change things for the better? I think we can.

Featured image by Alexander Wallnöfer / FreeImages.com

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