Category: Travels

Coming home

What an extraordinary gift it was to conduct and record my music with the CSULB Bob Cole Chamber Choir this April.

They sang their faces off!

I couldn’t be more proud of my alma mater nor more grateful for Dr. Jonathan Talberg, my teacher, mentor, and lifelong friend.

Composition

Composer’s bliss

This is me in ecstasy, standing up to congratulate the Los Angeles Master Chorale after they world premiered my Song of Significance.  This work and this program were very personal to me, and I’m so privileged to be commissioned for this work and included on a concert with J.S. Bach and the terribly neglected Margaret Bonds.  It was all curated by artistic director Grant Gershon and pianist/radio host/champion for Black composers Lara Downes, and the whole concert was very inspiring.  The San Francisco Classical Voice seems to agree, with many good things to say about the program with a focus on the Bonds works, and a nice shout-out to Song of Significance for “masterful choral orchestration, romantic and lush“.  (I’ll take it!)

Read the full review

Conducting

Coming this weekend

The Harvard-Westlake choirs have returned from England wreathed in glory, and they’ll wrap up that victory with their annual spring concert this Saturday at the campus’ Rugby Auditorium.  I’ll be conducting my composition, “Can You See”, plus music from the musical “The Secret Garden”, and lots more.  Admission is free!

Singing

Soundcloud Song of the Month

From the Stone Age

Written and performed by Zanaida Stewart Robles


I had a chance to sit down at home this month and record a demo of my piece “From the Stone Age” for SSAA choir, piano, cello, and flute. Text is by Alice Corbin Henderson (pictured). More about Alice below.

Poet Alice Corbin Henderson (1881-1949) was known for her activism related to Indigenous rights and environmental conservation. This 8-minute musical setting of Henderson’s poetry tells the story of a stone once carved in the semblance of a god. Over time, its surfaces are smoothed by the elements to reveal a beautiful resilience. Gradually, it becomes more beautiful and less rigid until its original form is unrecognizable and irrelevant. With a soaring soprano solo and moderately challenging harmonies and counterpoint, this work for treble choir, piano, cello, and flute offers singers a chance to explore time, the cosmos, and transformation through the embodiment of a stone.

Listen and view the perusal score

For Fun

Performing at Gloucester Cathedral in England with the Harvard-Westlake choirs

Ollivander in glory
Ollie and Archie with a new favorite box
Ollie’s tooth 
“What?”

Happy spring, everyone!

This post was originally released as one of Zanaida’s monthly newsletters, April 25 2024

April 25, 2024 Zanaida 0

Spring is here!

Zanaida in springtime
Happy spring!

In honor of spring’s arrival, I present my piece “Blühende Bäume” (Blossoming Trees) for SSATBB choir and strings, performed by Neue Kammer Leipzig. Coming soon to MusicSpoke!


Listen to Blühende Bäume by Zanaida Robles on #SoundCloud:

Listen here

Conducting

Regular readers know that I’m taking a big group of singers to New York and conducting a concert at Carnegie Hall on March 28. Please send us good vibes from wherever you are, and we’ll give you a full report in the next issue! For now, here’s more about the project:

Are you in New York?  Please join us!

Let My Love Be Heard
feat. Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast
Tuesday, March 28 at 8PM 
Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall

Read more and get tickets here

This compelling program features a commissioned work, Truth,  by indigenous artist Sage Bond and arranged by Zanaida Robles.  It asks urgent questions about who is seen and heard, historically and into the present day.

Zanaida having a sudden realization
This is the moment I realized, “I can’t believe I’m really taking these 94 high school musicians to New York next week!”

For Fun

Visiting with the USC Chamber Singers — They sound great on my setting of  Psalm 61!

Ollie’s Corner

Ollivander (Zanaida's beautiful tabby cat) sitting in a pile of laundry
Laundry cat (Everyone should have one!)

View the original email newsletter here, and make sure you’re on the mailing list!

March 25, 2023 Zanaida 0

Summer wrap-up

Summer CCDA conference at ECCO

The gorgeous environment at Yosemite’s ECCO Retreat Center made this conference even more special. Meeting friends, hearing music and sharing these beautiful surroundings together made it far more than just work!

Not my picture, but isn’t Yosemite gorgeous?

Conducting

On August 12, we performed The Sacred Choral Music of Coleridge-Taylor and Robles. I discovered that conducting my own compositions can be thrilling (not just scary!). I couldn’t have been more pleased with the evening. (Photo by Adon Alonzo)

Conducting “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast” on Sunday August 14 with my Neighborhood Church summer choir and with Katie Eames at the piano was definitely a summer highlight for me. I loved having 3 teenagers in the group!; my own daughter and two Harvard-Westlake students sang with us. It was transformative to perform this work in the context of a church service intended to confront cultural appropriation and center the voices of Native American culture bearers. We look forward to bringing this kind of depth to our performance at Carnegie Hall in March 2023.  (Photo by Yolanda Mitchell West)

Composition

Now that this year’s Coleridge-Taylor Celebration has ended, I turn my attention to the four composition commissions I’ve been neglecting over the past two weeks! Thank goodness the deadlines are spread apart over the next six months. Of the four projects, the two multi-movement pieces on which I’m working right now are particularly challenging.

Y’all need to pray for me.

For Fun

A visit the the Broad Museum for the Murakami exhibit was well worth the time spent sitting in traffic on a Thursday night. Plus, I got to go to the sound bath performance that was part of the exhibit on the 2nd floor of the museum – so refreshing, so resonant, so cool! 

Ollie’s corner

Ollie’s official headshot for August, and Ollie diving into his new job, guarding the clean laundry:

August 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

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