InChoir: Conversations about Choral Music, The Arts, and Life

Sonic Journeys

In this InChoir episode, host Diane Orlofsky talks to composer/arranger/singer, Greg Jasperse, who is also the Director of Vocal Jazz at Western Michigan University. Together they explore the stories behind his choral arrangement of the seasonal favorite, “Lo, how a Rose E’er Blooming,” (performed by members of the WMU Chorale) as well as his original vocal jazz composition, “I am Alive” (sung by the WMU Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Gold Company). Jasperse also discusses how music can support and facilitate spaces where we can listen to and learn about other people.
InChoir is a production of Troy Public Radio and the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Troy University. 

In Her Image

On this episode of InChoir, co-hosts Diane Orlofsky and Scott Sexton speak with Canadian composer and educator, Sarah Quartel, about her fresh and exciting approach to choral music. Quartel believes that choral music is all about relationships, connections, storytelling, and honoring all voices, including the audience members who hear her music. We feature two of her compositions— “Iesous ahatonnia” (an adaptation of The Huron Carol, sung by the London Voices) and “Water Mother” (from her larger work, Song of the Stars, performed by the Singing Girls of Texas).

A Grief Expressed

On this episode of InChoir, we talk to two composers about the intersection of choral music and the human experience of grief and loss.
Dr. Terre Johnson, is Chair of the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music at Georgia Southern University. Johnson’s career has included conducting every kind of choir, from church music to professional conducting to teaching in public schools and universities. His compositions have received acclaim both in the U.S. and abroad.
We’ll talk to Dr. Johnson about his composition “Yet She Doth Shine,” sung here by the Baylor University Men’s Choir.
Dr. Jeffery Ames, is a well-respected conductor, composer and arranger who serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Belmont University. He is in demand as a choral clinician and was the first recipient of the National ACDA James Mulholland Choral Music Fellowship.
In this episode, Dr. Ames shares the background, personal reflections, and compositional journey behind his piece “In Remembrance.”
InChoir is a production of Troy Public Radio and the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Troy University.

Music on the Wind

In this episode of InChoir, we talk with composer Christopher Tin and naturalist Scott Weidensaul about the intersection of music, art, and conservation.
Christopher Tin's The Lost Birds is sung by the preeminent British vocal ensemble VOCES8, accompanied by Tin's longtime collaborators, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Christopher Tin) and recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.
Scott Weidensaul's A World on the Wing was a 2021 New York Times Bestseller. 
InChoir is a production of Troy Public Radio and the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Troy University.

A Sense of Place

In this episode of InChoir, we talk with composer Eric William Barnum about music and memories of home.
Eric Barnum is an internationally known conductor and composer who has received numerous awards and grants and has held residencies all over the world. He is currently the Director of Choirs at Drake University. His piece, A Thousand Red Birds, received its Carnegie Hall premiere in 2018.
InChoir is a production of Troy Public Radio and The College of Communication and Fine Arts at Troy University.

Inauguration

There is something magical about the first creations of a young artist!
In this inaugural episode of InChoir, we talk with composer Alex Berko about artistic beginnings and his six-movement composition, Sacred Place.
Berko’s choral music is featured on two GRAMMY®-nominated albums, Conspirare’s “House of Belonging” which contains Sacred Place and The Crossing’s “Carols After a Plague”.
InChoir is a production of Troy Public Radio and the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Troy University.