Graduation 09

Graduation is a time of mixed emotions: pride of accomplishment, sadness at saying goodbye to friends, hope and fear at facing an uncertain future. For Vocal Ensemble, it is all this and more. About a dozen seniors will be leaving us. There were a lot of tears shed after we sang our last piece at this year's ceremony.

There is a bonding that comes with any team or group activity. We share a commitment, we share the anxiety and excitement of performance, and we share the challenge of rising to the next level. But with a musical group, there is also the shared musical/artistic experience. This is a deep bonding, an unspoken communion that unites us in an intimate and highly personal way.

That bond was most evident with this year's basses. All four are seniors, and three of them had been together for at least a couple of years. High school men's sections are generally smaller and because of that seem to bond tighter. When there are only four of you, you really rely on your neighbor. This creates an added trust that under the best of circumstances develops into an artistic camaraderie.

The basses had that. Without ever verbalizing it, they set a high musical standard for themselves. Even though they were a group of different personalities and voice types, they learned how to blend and work together. They developed a rich, full sound and brought artistry to their singing. Without having to talk about it, they listened to each other's voices and developed cohesive phrasing to the musical line. They were a wonderful section.

There were many individuals from this year's group that I will remember, but two come to mind now. The first is Ashley Quadri. I always knew that Ashley was a solid singer in the alto section. What I didn't know, until she auditioned to sing the National Anthem for graduation, was that she had such an incredible solo voice. I don't ever recall hearing a singer who had such marvelous placement and focus to her sound without ever having private lessons.

Why did it take me so long to recognize the extent of her ability? Probably because she was also a great team player. She knew how to blend and balance within her section.

I don't know if I would have done anything different with the ensemble had I realized earlier what a wonderful voice she has. I don't pick music to feature a soloist; instead I prefer to keep the focus on the group as a whole. But I would have encouraged her more. Get voice lessons. Find opportunities where you can sing solo. The best I can do now is to urge her to join one of the choral groups at college (CSUN). A person with such a lovely voice must keep on singing!

The other individual that stands out in my mind is Oksana Borodyanskaya. If I could clone one person into a choir of singers, it would be Oksana. She is the ideal choral singer. She has a very good voice, blends well in the section, always knows her music, is always watching the conductor, works well her classmates, is reliable, and has a keen sense of musicality that spreads throughout the soprano section.

All of those musical qualities, and this is what makes her special, are visible when she sings. After a while a conductor can tell who is really "in" the music. There is something in the eyes and the body language that communicates a total involvement. When this happens, a symbiotic relationship develops between the conductor and the singer/choir. As singers respond both visually and musically to the conductor's gestures, the conductor feels a greater sense of freedom to explore the music. As the conductor reaches deeper into the music, the choir feels the music more intimately and responds more sensitively.

Oksana was that kind of singer. She led by example and needed no words. She inspired me. I will miss her, but I already see that her musical DNA has been imparted to next year's sopranos. Some of them are allowing themselves to be totally immersed in the music, and it shows in their faces. In this sense, Oksana will be a part of all future Vocal Ensemble soprano sections. Again, in the realm of the unspoken, much is communicated.