Category: Making Music

May 25 is my birthday day!

Happy Birthday to MEEEEEEE!

Top 10 Favorite Things This Month

10.  My Sodastream soda maker (I don’t enjoy water that’s not carbonated).

9.  The USB thumb drive I can play in my car, onto which I downloaded such treasures as “Yo Gabba Gabba,”  “Carmina Burana,” my friend Dave Tull’s album “I Just Wanna Get Paid,” old concerts I conducted with LACHSA and SGVCC, stuff by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Aretha Franklin, Kurt Elling, and much, much more.

8.  Vincent’s meatloaf

7.  The book “Staying Composed” by my friend and fellow composer Dale Trumbore

6.  The organ at Neighborhood Church

5.  The mango and sweet rice dessert at the Harvard-Westlake cafeteria

4.  Dorico notation software

3.  Trader Joe’s soup dumplings

2.  The djembe party I had with my family on Mother’s Day

1.  The “Burnt Offering” at Mezcalero on Broadway in DTLA

Singing

Earlier this month, I sang “Come Together” by Lennon and McCartney as an anthem for the Sunday morning service at Neighborhood UU Church. The whole service, led by our amazing senior high youth, was really cool! If you’re curious, check it out here: https://youtu.be/s7rNJDoQnLY. “Come Together” starts around 24:40.

Cued-up video

Teaching

The Harvard-Westlake Jazz Singers had a blast and sounded great at their year-end recording session at EastWest Studios in Hollywood this month. The experience that students gain from these sessions is incredibly valuable to their music education. Recordings made from these sessions are used for archival purposes and help the group prepare for future performances, festivals, and competitions. 

Composition

It’s here! My first organ piece “Flourish on Adeste Fideles” is available in an awesome new volume of organ works by contemporary women composers, edited by the incomparable organist Ann Lapwood and published by Stainer and Bell. Love and thanks to my friend and fellow composer Dr. Melissa Dunphy, who recommended me for this project. Melissa’s piece “Rorate Caeli” is also featured in this volume.

Organists: buy a copy of this cool new collection and check out our stuff!

Order here

For Fun

I had so much fun attending the Westminster Concert Bell Choir tour performance called “All You Need is Love” at Pasadena Presbyterian Church last Friday night. They were amazing! I got to sit with several of my fellow ringers from Neighborhood Church. And they even let me test out the bells after the show! 

Ollie’s Corner

Heeeeeeeere’s Ollie!

May 25, 2022 Zanaida 0

New Hampshire!

From April 7- 9, I enjoyed 3 days of intensely satisfying work conducting the New Hampshire All-State High School Treble Choir. With challenging music by J.S. Bach, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Rosephanye Powell, Saunder Choi, and yours truly, we worked our butts off!

There was bonding, there were tears, there was laughter. We told each other our stories and let our music-making glue us together. Every piece we practiced became a precious gem. And in the  brief span of less than two days, these young singers sang with such passion and nuance. I couldn’t be more proud of our work together. Working with collaborative keyboardist Molly Lozeau was an honor and a delight! And I am grateful to Will Gunn, Sarah Evans, Emma Forest, Dan Perkins, and everyone at NHMEA for making me feel welcome and trusting me with those precious treble voices. 

Composition

Here’s a really cool NPR interview with Dr. William Culverhouse who conducted the premiere of my complete Mass in E minor with the Southern Tier Singers’ Collective at St. Patrick’s Church on Sunday, April 24. In Binghamton, NY.

Two choral concerts on the same day will include a world premiere

Also, I was on the news!  Check out this guest appearance with Dr. Culverhouse for WBNG in upstate New York, talking about the same piece:

See the video here

Conducting

Thursday, April 28 @ 7:30pm
Harvard-Westlake Spring Choral Concert
Featuring Wolverine Chorus, Bel Canto, Chamber Singers, and Jazz Singers
Zanaida conducts her piece “She Lingers On” with the HW Dance Ensemble performing “There” choreographed by HW Dance instructor Queala Clancy

Sunday, May 1 @ 11:30am
Zanaida conducts “Jubilate Deo” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Neighborhood Chorus is joined by guest organist James Walker and members of the Donald Brinegar Singers and Pasadena Pro Musica.

and…

It’s official! I’m conducting “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast” at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. On that same concert, Sandra Snow will conduct the premiere a new work I’ve been commissioned to compose by National Concerts. 

Get details

Ollie’s Corner

Ollivander Robles turned 1 year old on April 23. That deserves a little celebration!

April 25, 2022 Zanaida 0

New tricks

I learned something new this month:

Playing tetherball with your legs and feet rather than your arms and fists is a really good workout.

Hope you’re doing well. Happy Spring!

Conducting

April 6-10, I’m conducting the Treble Honor Choir for the New Hampshire Music Educators Association in New Hampshire

Read more about NHMEA

Composition

My five-movement “Mass in E Minor” is being world premiered by the Southern Tier Singers’ Collective conducted by William Culverhouse on Sunday, April 24 in Binghamton, New York.  

Get details here

For Fun

Here are some pics from ACDA Western Division Conference in Long Beach, March 2-5:

Backstage before I sang “Lift Every Voice” for the All-Conference Sing
Dinner with composer friends, including Saunder Choi, Juan Carlos Acosta, and Amy Gordon.
With Dale Trumbore after our successful co-presentation on “Building Meaningful and Lasting Relationships Between Composers and Conductors”

Ollie’s Corner

Best cat ever!

March 25, 2022 Zanaida 0

On being… with people!

The California State Music Education Conference last week (CASMEC) was an important reminder that I need to see “my people” periodically. I needed to show up, not just to be seen, but to serve. I needed to listen. I needed a place to tell my story. I needed deep hugs from colleagues, some of whom I’d only ever met on Zoom. I needed to hear how much a few college choral music students really like my music; I needed to notice that I actually have a little fan club! I needed time to myself, away from home. I needed to eat a delicious meal with friends. And I needed to be inspired and challenged over and over again by the conference choir performances. In short, I needed some “soul” food. Can’t wait for more at the ACDA Western Division Conference in Long Beach, CA March 2-5.  See more about both as we continue below…

Memories from CASMEC

Composition

Commission inquiries are pouring in!

At the forefront of my mind are commissions for a multi-movement work for SATB chorus and chamber orchestra and another multi-movement work for treble chorus and piano. I’m reading tons of poetry including works by Amanda Gorman, Rhina Espaillat, and Eve L. Ewing. I’m working on a few short instrumental works in preparation for larger works to come. There’s so much to write!!

Performances at ACDA

My works “No Fairy Tale Here” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” are both being performed TWICE! during the ACDA Western Division Conference, March 2-5:  On Thursday 3/3 at 5pm, catch the San Jose State Choraliers performing the world premiere of the SATB/strings version of “No Fairy Tale Here.” And the SSA/piano version of “No Fairy Tale Here” will be performed by the Northern Arizona University Women’s Chorale at 8:30am on Friday, 3/4. The CSULB Bob Cole Chamber Choir will sing my arrangement of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during their 8pm performance on Wednesday, 3/2. And on Friday, 3/4 at 8pm, I’ll be singing the solo on that same arrangement of mine for the All-Conference Sing. Plus, my setting of “Veni Sancte Spiritus” will be presented in a reading session with one of my USC teachers, Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe.

Presenting at ACDA

On Thursday, March 3 at 1:30pm, I’m presenting a session with my friend and fellow composer Dale Trumbore called “Come Together: Fostering Meaningful Collaborations between Composers and Conductors“.  And on Friday, March 4 at 1pm, I’m participating in a panel discussion on “Writing for the Voices You Have: Composing for Middle School, High School, 2-year College, and Church Choirs“.

Hope to see some of you there!

Read more about the conference

For Fun

Remember that hail storm in Pasadena a few weeks ago?! I was stopped on the 210 FWY at the time…

Ollie’s Corner

Fun with #PicsArt! 
(Hasn’t Ollivander grown into a beautiful boy?)

Renaissance mashup by Dale Herron.  Ollie portrait by Vincent Robles.

February 25, 2022 Zanaida 0

How’s it going?

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:

Listen to “Nia” by Zanaida Robles on #SoundCloud:

Listen here

Ollie’s Corner

Here’s Ollie being a vicious predator toward a toy snake.

January 25, 2022 Zanaida 0