Category: ZSR Singers

New York City at sunset

Do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall?

We do! The old joke says “practice, practice, practice!” and of course that’s true. In March 2027, ZSR Singers is putting that old adage to work, heading to New York to sing in one of the most fabled spaces in the world.

We’ll be performing Shawn Kirchner’s Songs of Ascent — a transcendent cantata built on the ancient pilgrim psalms, music about gathering, healing, and coming home to each other. This is a bucket-list opportunity: the same stage that’s hosted history’s greatest musicians, now with your voice in the mix. Produced by National Concerts, registration is open now for both choirs and individual singers. Sign up by September 10 and start here.

Join us Sept 6 for a live info session!

A group Zoom chat will get a LOT of your questions answered. Join us 9/6/26 at 2pm, and let us hear from you!

Join here

Read more

Click here to read more about the trip, the rehearsals and the whole experience.

Considering joining us?

We’d love to hear from you now, so we can keep you in the loop. If you think you might join us on this incredible journey, please fill out this form:

Let us know you’re interested

Strictly Casual returns August 30!

Composition

Four new works published!

A Mother’s Plea, The Angels Reply was the gold-medal winner in music compostion for the 1996 NAACP ACT-SO Competion. Written when the composer was 16 years old, the original two-movement work was concieved in response to the composer’s experience as middle-schooler during the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. The second movement, The Angel’s Reply, is published separately as Psalm 121.

LA River Scenes blends melodies I made up in my childhood and young adult years with impressions from my recent experiences with the LA River Kayak Safari tour company. The journey begins with a bike ride along the LA river’s edge followed by an fascinating history lesson about the Elysian River Valley and finally an exciting kayak trip down the luscious river with baby rapids and deep pools of up to 10 feet. My piece reflects the love and pride I feel for my hometown and my excitement over discovering I can go kayaking near Dodger Stadium in summer.

Commissioned by Scott Horowitz and Leah Weinberg for Kantorei, (Denver, CO USA) Joel Rinsema, Conductor, Winter Branches is a modern a cappella choral setting of the well-known poem by Margaret Widdemer. Rich harmonies, intuitive synchopations, and a gentle triple meter add a modern sense of holiday comfort and warmth to any winter-themed concert program.

The Root is a setting of two statements given by iconic Civil Rights leader, Angela Davis. The initial statement, “radical means grasping things at the root,” is a quote from her address Let Us All Rise Together: Radical Perspectives on Empowerment for Afro-American Women. The second text source is perhaps Davis’ best known quote, “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept,” a statement without a clear origin that has been widely attributed to Davis.

See Zanaida’s work on MusicSpoke

About the shift to “Stewart Robles Music”

When I started self-publishing my original compositions, I realized I had to name a publisher at the bottom of my scores and add a publishing component to my ASCAP profile. I wanted a name that represented the evolution of two beautiful families — I was born into the Stewart family and I married into the Robles family.

Both families have a legacy of professional music-making, and both legacies have influenced my development as a music professional. Thus, Stewart Robles Music was born. Stewart Robles Music is my creative and administrative home. It encompasses my work as a composer, conductor, singer, educator, and arts leader, and it provides the structural and financial support for community-based choral projects, artistic collaborations, and educational initiatives.

Through Stewart Robles Music, I administer the ZSR Singers, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing intergenerational enrichment through choral music.

For Fun

Corn Dog and Slushy Time at Sonic
Cat Pile in a Corner
Sunset Over Ghost Rider at Knott’s Berry Farm

Keep the tempo, keep the joy…

Originally published as the August 2026 newsletter – Not on the list? Sign up here

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Celebrating the ZSR Singers 2026 Summer Choral Intensive

It was new, unique, and affirming. With 30+ singers from Southern California and beyond, ages ranging over 7 decades, a week’s worth of work culminating in a serviced-based performance of 5 songs sung with spirit and purpose, it was truly wonderful! Our deepest thanks goes to Kirk Averitt and the Church of the Good Shepherd in Arcadia for hosting our program so generously and allowing us to ground our work on Sunday morning, singing for a purpose greater than ourselves.

Zanaida Robles at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

Memories from St. Louis

The premiere of my O Magnum Mysterium for soprano and organ for the American Guild of Organists convention in St. Louis earlier this month was wonderful. My deepest appreciation goes to soprano Christine Brewer and organist Christopher Houlihan for bringing my piece to life. Here’s a video from AGO’s Facebook page:

There have been several requests for the score from organists curious to try it out at their own churches. I’m grateful to the American Guild of Organists for commissioning me and making it possible for me to travel and be present for the premiere.
By the way, the famous St. Louis Arch is so much more inspirational in person than I ever imagined it would be.

I also ate some of the best barbecue of my life at Sugarfire Smokehouse in downtown St. Louis.

Upcoming events

The Road to Carnegie Hall

Choirs can sign up now to join us in song at one of the greatest performance spaces in the world.  Zanaida returns to Carnegie Hall in NYC to perform Shawn Kirchner’s Songs of Ascent and more, in March 2027.  Individual singers can join the fun as part of the ZSR Singers, as we travel to New York and experience this journey together.  Learn more and find application links on the website:

Get details

Composition

Lessons about time

With a commission due this fall, and two more in the works for next year, I’m at maximum capacity as a composer. Ongoing efforts include continuing to study orchestration, trying to use notation software more efficiently, self-promotion, and marketing — all things that are essential to building a composing life and a body of work as a creator.

But it’s an ongoing challenge, and taking much longer to reach my summer publishing goals than I hoped it would. I’m still trying to release four new titles on the MusicSpoke marketplace this summer. The editing process continues to vex me (not to mention ASCAP cataloguing and US copyright fees).

As long as I feel inspired to keep composing, I guess I have to accept that I still have a lot to learn. And patience is paramount, because it’s gonna take as long as it needs to take. Somehow, I suspect I’m not the only one grappling with some of this…  

For Fun

Thing 1 (Archie)
Thing 2 (Ollie)
Hope your summer is inspiring, restful and not TOO hot!

Originally published as the July 2026 e-newsletter from Stewart Robles Music. View the online version here

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Prime Time – It’s my 47th Birthday!

A quick Google search yields many fascinating points about the cultural and scientific significance of prime number 47. One of my favorite factoids is that it was often used as running gag or an easter egg found in dialogue, on tech displays, and in shield percentages in Star Trek episodes. Here I am, referencing Star Trek (TNG, always)! I mean, this is full-on middle age.

Turning 47 feels like entering a new era of life.  It feels like a new beginning, like starting from scratch. As I refine and redefine myself and my purpose, I feel like a child in a big scary world. And yet, I can feel myself growing. 46 was one of the most difficult years of my life. Disappointment, loss, and despair seemed to increase around me daily. But I’m entering my 47th year with the knowledge and experience to weather storms like never before.

As the songs says, “the clouds grow thickest when the summit’s nigh.”

Conducting

Carnegie Hall, March 12-15, 2027

Carnegie Hall, 2019 – Midtown Manhattan, NYC

Become a ZSR Singer, and join me, along with other outstanding choruses from both school and community programs, for rehearsals and an unforgettable performance of Shawn Kirchner’s SONGS OF ASCENT, accompanied by professional orchestra and enhanced by stunning artistic projection.

Under the direction and artistic vision of yours truly, participating singers will take the stage at world-renowned Carnegie Hall (pictured) in New York City – an inspiring milestone that builds confidence, and strengthens musicianship. 

READY TO SIGN UP TO SING WITH ME IN NEW YORK? 

Register here

2027 ZSR SINGERS SUMMER INTENSIVE – ALMOST TIME!

We have a location! We’ll be hosted by Church of the Good Shepherd in Arcadia, and registration opens June 1. Here’s the updated flyer:

Singing

Here’s a snap shot of what it can be like to sing choir music together for fun with people you love!

For Fun

Happy May!

Shawn Kirchner and Zanaida Robles singing together in a home studio
Sing with Shawn and Zanaida at Carnegie Hall… (see above)
Guava flowers on our miracle tree mean lots of guavas this fall.
Biking along the river across the street.
I got an award from my alma mater! CSULB’s “49 Under 49” Award for Distinguished Alumni
Archie, the weird and lovable
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Resigning with Love

April 26, 2026 will be my final day serving as Director of Music for Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena. The decision to leave was truly difficult, as Neighborhood Church has been place of musical and spiritual nourishment to me for almost 8 years. The time seems right for this transition as my focus has shifted toward embracing new opportunities to compose, teach, sing and conduct on a larger scale. 

I am deeply grateful for Neighborhood Church and for all the blessings that came with serving as its music director. To be able to conduct, sing, compose, and play handbells while serving this community has been a true blessing and a joy. The Neighborhood Church music community is special due to its rich legacy that extends many decades before my time here. And I know Neighborhood Church music programs will flourish long after I conclude my service as music director.

Composing

While I’m still reading and studying a lot about composition and orchestration, I’m starting to turn my attention toward summer publishing, hoping to get 4 new works out into the world: Winter Branches for SATB voices a cappella, premiered in December 2025 by Kantorei under Joel M. Rinsema; The Root for SATB voices a cappella, premiered in May 2025 by Sacred and Profane Chamber Chorus under Rebecca Seeman; Beautiful for SSA voices and piano, premiered in May 2025 by Spirito Singers under Carling FitzSimmons; and LA River Scenes for solo piano, premiered in December 2025 by Aron Kallay for Piano Spheres‘ “30 for 30” concert series. 

Singing

Creating demos and doing session work remains a great joy of mine. More, please!

Conducting

Join the Facebook group to be notified about registration and more updates

Interns wanted

Apply here
Check out the Facebook group

For Fun

Our amazing Harvard-Westlake performance in Costa Rica

Ready for multiple rides on Ghost Rider at Knotts Berry Farm!

Visiting my alma maters:

First I visited Audubon Middle School to re-connect and learn about their current music programs. 

Then I visited USC Thornton and heard the USC Concert Choir with beloved teachers and friends:  L to R, Marisa Rawlins, Bruce Rogers, Cristian Grases, Paul Smith:

Also, hugs and deepest thanks to Dr. Tram Sparks (not pictured) for exquisitely conducting my “Veni Sancte Spiritus”.

And of course…

Shrimp cats?

Ollivander the Majestic

Ready for love

Looking forward to the next phase…

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Christmas antiphon

We each are a miracle. 
Our gathering together is a miracle.
And we are each other’s gifts.

My favorite part of the holiday season happens within the first 10-15 days after Thanksgiving, when Christmas lights are just starting to appear on houses. The sparkle and splendor of the season feel new and long-awaited. That’s when the first holiday parties start, the baked goods are fresh, and the potlucks feature the first fruits of our holiday spirit. Because many students have finals, juries, and projects due the week before winter break, schools put on their holiday concerts and festivals as soon as possible after Thanksgiving. Teachers have what feels like NO TIME AT ALL to build back the rehearsal momentum lost from the Thanksgiving break, and must immediately produce the most highly anticipated (and mandatory) performances of the year. Students learn the meaning of grace and hope as they succeed despite their frequent tardiness, unexpected absences, and lack of preparation, sometimes due to illness and often due to severe overwhelm due to all their other social and academic obligations. It’s a time of frenzy, high stress, and anxiety, but also beauty, tenderness, nostalgia, and magic – I love it.

We each are a miracle. 
Our gathering together is a miracle.
And we are each other’s gifts.

Around 10-15 days before Christmas, people are exhausted. Students and teachers stress over juries and finals. The decorations are starting to look boring and worn out, instead of nostalgic and precious. At this point, folks are tired of bringing and eating potluck food. The leftovers are overwhelming and unwanted. The awkward Secret Santa and “white elephant” gift exchanges are happening, whether you like it or not.

We each are a miracle. 
Our gathering together is a miracle.
And we are each other’s gifts.

Whether I’m 10 days into the season, 10 days out from Christmas Day, or it’s the 10th day of Christmas (January 3) and I’m ready take down the Christmas tree 2 days early, I constantly long for that remarkable moment when time stops and we recognize that all the preparation, hard work, and risks we’ve taken have led us back to each other, back to being together. Concerts, shows, church services, family gatherings, parties with friends and co-workers… all our gatherings are miracles. We each are a miracle. Our gathering together is a miracle. We are each other’s gifts. I think about how this compares with the nativity story, the first Christmas: a story of traveling and toiling and risking and trying. It’s messy and painful. Think of all the waiting, the searching, the desperation and disappointment; the fear. And then… the miracle of birth in a most humble place. 

Each of us was a risk that someone once took. This Christmas, may we remember… 

We each are a miracle. 
Our gathering together is a miracle.
And we are each other’s gifts.

Up Your Game Reading Session

Ready to “up your game” as a choral singer? Prepare to make connections, build musicianship skills, and be inspired. During this 3-hour session, you’ll make music with and learn from session singers, contractors, conductors, and teachers offering real-world insight and experience in the field of choral music.

Registration now open

Program Fees:
$60 Student Fee
$100 General Fee

Scholarships available
Scores and refreshments provided
Designed for Advanced Singers Ages 15+

For Fun

Pics with pianist Aron Kallay, plus my Dad, my friend Mark Hilt (formerly from Harvard-Westlake), and my friend Donna Perkins from Neighborhood Church… all at the premiere performance of my piece LA River Scenes on December 16.

Thank you to everyone who was there. It was an incredible performance!

We got a beautiful new piano for Christmas. This instrument was cherished for decades in the home of a dear friend, and it will be cherished in my own home for decades to come.  (The kitties like it, too!)

Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and a very Happy New Year!

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