Michael F. Shaughnessy

Eastern New Mexico University

Portales, New Mexico

1) Jason, I understand that you are taking your choir to Carnegie Hall. How did this come about?

Yes, the Eastern New Mexico University Choirs will be traveling during spring break to New York City to perform Joseph Haydn’s “Mass in Time of War” in Carnegie Hall. This came as a result of an invitation that I received last year guest conductor a festival chorus for Mid America Productions. Choirs from Kentucky, Illinois, and Michigan will be joining our ENMU Choir members as we perform with a total of approximately 150 voices!

2) What will they be performing and can you give us some background on the piece?

The Missa in tempore belli (translated as “Mass in Time of War”) is sometimes referred to as the Paukenmesse because of the prominent timpani solo in the Agnus Dei section. Composed late Haydn’s life, around 1796, this work is a masterful, late Classical, composition employing more equally dramatic characteristics between choral parts, solo quartet, and orchestra. Whereas early in the Classical Era the orchestra played an accompanying and supporting role to the chorus, Haydn’s late masses demonstrate a romantic trend toward independence and dramatic interplay. Haydn’s penchant for drama is nowhere more evidenced than in his great oratorio, “The Creation.” Just listen to a recording of the first section (but make sure to have your speakers turned to a relatively low level) and try not to jump when the choir sings:  “let there be LIGHT!”

3) What are some of the logistical challenges of getting a troupe of singers to Manhattan?

The biggest challenge is simply funding a trip like this. Students are responsible for raising their own funds for travel, which total approximately $1,800.00. If you’re interested, we have just released a new CD that will help offset the costs of travel for the ensemble. There was an article in our school’s weekly newsletter today describing this project:  http://www.enmu.edu/about/mmemo/2010/08-30-10/index.html#finearts

The next most significant challenge will just be musical preparation. We will be working diligently to ensure preparation!

4) We have all heard the joke about” How do you get to Carnegie Hall? And the answer is practice–but seriously, how much practice have you and your charges put in in terms of preparation for this event?

Practice, practice, practice … that is truly the answer to the age-old question. We are preparing for our concert on Monday, March 28, 2011—one day after Itzhak  Perelman and the Toronto Symphony perform in the same space. I would say we are in good company, so we are beginning the rehearsal process now. In our fall concert we will perform two movements from the mass; and in the spring we will continue the preparation with rehearsals and a workshop with world-renowned performance practice specialist, Dr. Dennis Shrock, who was my doctoral advisor and major professor at the University of Oklahoma. He will visit campus and work with the ensembles for two very gratifying days.

5) I have been to Carnegie Hall and the acoustics are rather good- how do YOU prepare your students for a different venue in which to perform?

Every rehearsal prepares a singer for listening and responding to the acoustical venue—not just making beautiful sounds. One of my goals in each rehearsal is to assist the singer in hearing across the ensemble and responding to the room and the environment. Our choirs had a terrible rehearsal space during the last two years when we were housed in the College of Business room 157. The ceilings were low and you could rarely hear overtones in the room. However, they learned to listen even more intently and developed a real appreciation for good rehearsal spaces, like the one we have in the renovated music building. With large choirs of over 100 singers, which we will have at Carnegie, one of the main technical challenges is singing on the front side of the beat and producing quick consonants in order for the choir not to sound too heavy. Likewise, since this is a Classical Era composition, short articulation and space in the music becomes a vital component of performance.

The entire process, including the many hours of fundraising and rehearsals, will be worth it to see the excitement on our students’ faces when they make their first sounds in Carnegie Hall. I remember my first experience on stage there as a sixteen year old; the experience changed me as a musician. And I found ways to get back to Carnegie multiple times afterwards, both as a member of the Westminster Choir and Symphonic Choir of Westminster Choir College and now as a conductor of the festival for Mid America Productions. I hope this is the first of many performances in this grand hall for many of our students.

6) What do you envision the challenges are going to be on that fateful day of performing?

You can imagine the pressure that some students might feel traveling from our somewhat rural, agricultural community of Portales, New Mexico , to the largest city in the United States. There will be some folks who will find it difficult to remain focused during the performance. That will likely be our biggest challenge. Secondly, since this is a festival chorus situation, we will have approximately 40 students from ENMU, 60 singers from Michigan, 30 singers from Illinois, and 30 singers from Kentucky combining to create a cohesive unit. All this will have to take place during three days of rehearsals.  

7) What have I neglected to ask?

I think you have covered nearly everything in your questions. Very thorough …. If you think of anything else after reading my comments, feel free to write again.