Tag: Maurice Durufle

After the end

This one’s a little heavy.

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.

Will you be there?

Conducting

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.

Get tickets

Soundcloud Song of the Month

Pie Jesu

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.

Listen to Duruflé Pie Jesu by Zanaida Stewart Robles on #SoundCloud

For Fun

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!)

Originally published via Mailchimp — view the newsletter here

July 25, 2024 Zanaida 0

Metamorphosis

In this house, for which I am so grateful,
Sometimes I feel like we’re in a cocoon. 
I don’t feel trapped.
I think I see us changing, growing, blooming, awakening.
I hope.

There are many painful and awkward days.
There is uncertainty and risk and failure ahead.
Often, change feels like loss.
And there is deep grief and pain.
But something is holy here,

Here in this holy cocoon from which we cannot yet emerge;
Where we are stuck and in pain.
Are we stuck and in pain because our legs have fallen off?
Is that what has changed?
Is that why we can’t move?
Will we never walk again?

We had better be growing wings, then.

COMPOSITION

Yay! I finished movements 2 and 3 of my Nocturnes for Piano. Now to crunch out the 1st movement. I’ve got a good start on it, but I’m struggling with the development. 

CONDUCTING

I shot a video of my conducting practice the other day. Ugh. So much work to do. I’m working on preparing the Duruflé “Sanctus,” which I’ll need to record for real soon for an upcoming virtual choir project.

SINGING

I had fun using GarageBand to create a multitrack recording of my setting of “Veni Sancte Spiritus” today. Singing alto, tenor, and bass is fun for this reluctant soprano.
Listen on Soundcloud

FOR FUN

I’m playing “Zelda: Breath of the Wild” on Nintendo Switch. It is a masterpiece of a video game! The landscapes are vast and beautiful, the animation is exceptional, and the story is classic. Best of all, the music is wonderful! It’s like they use chamber music textures to give the game a more intimate feel. It’s a great way to escape from the troubles of this world for a little while. 

Trailer for Nintendo Switch:  “Zelda: Breath of the Wild”

July 25, 2020 Zanaida 0

Making a statement

The need for self love and self care is crucial, and working to help uplift and show care toward other Black people is a vital part of this work. As a member of the national board for the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), here is a statement I have crafted about our work:

“With gratitude and reverence for the pioneers who have come before and for those who are with us now; with sober focus and determination to carry on the work of honoring and advancing our legacy; in the face of all manner of trials and tribulations in our midst: the National Association of Negro Musicians is firmly committed to its mission of promoting, preserving, and supporting all genres of music created or performed by African Americans.”

Core Messsage Concepts:

To all creators, performers, and educators who identify as Black, African American, Negro, or Colored;

To all those who seek to promote, preserve, and support all genres of music created or performed by African Americans:

WE CARE FOR EACH OTHER – Here’s what NANM provides… 

  • scholarship money;
  • a platform for cultural engagement and celebration;
  • educational/historical/cultural resources;
  • a space for those who identify as members of the African diaspora to be seen and to process shared experience.

WE SEE EACH OTHER – Here’s who NANM honors for already doing the work…

  • Our heroes, past and present.
  • Visit nanm.org to learn more.

WE APPRECIATE EACH OTHER – Here’s who honors and supports NANM’s work… 

  • Our donors and members

WE NEED EACH OTHER – Here’s who we need to help continue NANMs legacy…

  • solicitation of scholarship applicants;
  • calls for scholarly papers and articles;
  • calls for presenters and performers at national convention.

I’m working on building the infrastructure that enable us to more effectively fulfill our organizational mission, thereby strengthening and uplifting ourselves so that we may be sustained in the fight against racism alongside our non-Black siblings.

Composition

I’ve had so much inspiration to work on new projects that I can hardly figure out where to begin. I’ve also had numerous requests for scores from my catalogue of completed works. If you would like to peruse a score or purchase a license for one or more of my works, please use the contact form on my website at zanaidarobles.com. Sometimes it takes me a couple days, but I’ll respond as soon as I possibly can. I’m excited to share my music with you!

In the meantime, here’s a recent recording I made of my work “Umoja” for treble voices. I added a few things to spice it up! 

Umoja , arranged and sung by Zanaida Robles

Conducting

As I prepare to go back to the “virtual” choir room this fall, I’m working on shoring up my conducting skills. Conducting is such a magical art form to me, and I grieve the loss of the ability to practice my art due to COVID-19. However, I’ve decided to commit to continuing to work on my craft and to use my skills in the service of my ensembles through video. Some works I’m hoping to video record myself conducting this fall include “Sanctus” from Requiem by Maurice Duruflé, “Hehlehlooyuh” by James Furman, and my very own composition “Kyrie.”

As I prepare for this fall, I have been reviewing texts and notes from my doctoral studies at USC. I’ve also been reading choral music publications and paying attention to the current work of my colleagues in the field of choral music education. One of the most delightful things I’ve found was my friend Dr. Christopher Gravis’s video introduction to instrumental conducting. His video was absolutely inspirational to me, reminding me how amazingly complex our art form can be and how we have a responsibility to put in the work to thoroughly study and fully comprehend the music we conduct, regardless of whether it’s instrumental or choral.  Here’s the video:

Instrumental Conducting:  Introduction to the Orchestra, the Score, and Transposition — by Christopher Gravis, posted June 2020.

Singing

When I’m not recording vocals for various professional projects, I’ve been singing through my 24 Italian Art Songs and Arias, trying to work on my legato phrasing and vowel alignment. (I enjoy playing them on my flute, too!)

I’m also playing around with GarageBand to create new music. Here’s a recording I did not too long ago of “Karitas Habundat” by 12th century composer and mystic Hildegard von Bingen.

Karitas Habundat by Hildegard von Bingen, sung by Zanaida Robles

For Fun

My daughter is really into K-Pop right now. I love watching her dance to this music because she moves with such effortless style and confidence. I’m in awe of how easily she picks up these dance steps; she’s such a natural dancer (complete opposite of me!). She tried to teach me the dance steps to a couple of songs. Laughter ensued, and then I gave up. But it’s fun to try!  Start here:

BLACKPINK – ‘Kill This Love’ DANCE PRACTICE VIDEO (MOVING VER.)

This post originally appeared in Zanaida’s monthly newsletter.
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June 25, 2020 Zanaida 0

Chancel Choir Spring Concert

“SONGS OF THE SLAVE” by Kirke Mechem will highlight the Spring Concert of The First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica on Sunday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. The Chancel Choir, with guest singers from The Long Beach Chorale, the Los Angeles Concert Orchestra under the direction of Dr. James E. Smith, and organist Ty Woodward, will reprise their world premiere performance of this work from 1994. Originally commissioned by the Santa Monica church, it has since been performed over 100 times, world wide, including a recent performance in Carnegie Hall. Featured soloists will be Wayne Shepperd, bass-baritone, in the role of Frederick Douglass, and Zanaida Robles, soprano.

Kirke Mechem, composer, is often called “the dean of American choral composers.” Frederick Douglass is the central figure in this suite, based on material from Mechem’s opera, John Brown. Douglass, an escaped slave, became the greatest African-American leader of the nineteenth century; he was Brown’s friend for many years.

Also on the program will be the beautiful Requiem by Maurice Duruflé, with Alexandra Grabarchuk, mezzo-soprano.

Reception to follow in Simkins Hall.

View and share the concert flyer!

Suggested donation online or at the door: $10.00
Seniors and Children under 12: $5.00

 

April 26, 2018 Zanaida 0