episodes
Episode: The Power of Choral Singing
Episode: Choral Singing in the Academy
Episode: Choral Singing in the Academy
Why sing in a choir? What are the health and psychological benefits of choral singing? Who sings in choirs, and why do people who lead busy lives return rehearsal after rehearsal to sing with an ensemble of people who work diligently under a gifted leader to pursue musical excellence, peak artistic expression, and joyful camaraderie? Researchers will explain the technical benefits of choral singing, conductors will speak about the artistic and communal aspects of choral singing, and individuals will speak from their hearts about the remarkable joys and healing they experience day after day, week after week, as they hone their vocal craft. Using inspirational and varied musical examples from a host of American choral ensembles, The Power of Choral Singing will showcase choirs of today and provide inspiration and hope for the next generation of choral singers.
Episode: Choral Singing in the Academy
Episode: Choral Singing in the Academy
Episode: Choral Singing in the Academy
Performances of fine choral ensembles will be at the heart of this episode. Throughout the United States, educational institutions offer choral ensembles as part of their academic rigor, and it is uniquely American for many of the finest choirs in the country to reside in academic institutions. Choirs of varied numbers, styles, and voicings, from elementary through college-age, will be featured. Using archival recordings and visual images, the unique and important contributions of specific academic institutions and locales will be illustrated. The 20th Century saw the advent of important graduate programs in choral conducting, and women on the podium became more and more evident as barriers began to fall. Threaded together with stories of singers, conductors, and academic institutions, America’s story is sung throughout the land by singers who began their joyous journey in school.
Episode: Choral Singing in Worship
Episode: Choral Singing in the Community
Episode: Choral Singing in the Community
From the Pilgrims to the present day, houses of worship have resounded with song, both from the congregation and from choral ensembles. Interviews with scholars regarding early American singing will be featured along with musical examples from Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Orthodox traditions. Choral singing in worship has changed dramatically in the past sixty years and congregational singing and choral ensemble trends will be examined. The unique contributions of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square will be noted, along with the remarkable connections between religious and academic institutions that includes singing in the African American church (including slave songs, gospel music, and spirituals) and the Midwestern Lutheran choral tradition. The Moravians and the remarkable connection between Handel’s Messiah and choral traditions across the country will be included.
Episode: Choral Singing in the Community
Episode: Choral Singing in the Community
Episode: Choral Singing in the Community
Americans sing together, and the community of singers is at the heart of who we are as chorus members. From the earliest days of the republic, singers have gathered to celebrate, to commemorate, to educate, to provide artistic expression, and to enjoy each other’s company while becoming a musical unit. From large choruses of mostly amateur singers to smaller choruses of amateurs or professionals, the choral landscape is broad and varied. Professional symphony choruses and military choruses will be profiled alongside large amateur choruses from across the nation. The heritage of Black choral singing in all its forms will be explored through interviews and recorded performances. Barbershop and Sweet Adeline groups, GALA ensembles, children’s choirs, protest choirs, prison choirs, hospice choirs, and homeless/street choirs will be showcased. The remarkable contributions of the professional organizations for choral singers and conductors will be explored, and the importance of choral singing at national moments of mourning and celebration will be examined. The community of more than 54 million enthusiastic Americans give evidence to the joy of singing together.
PROJECT TEAM
Brian Gaukel
Jerry Blackstone
Jerry Blackstone
FILMMAKER
Brian Gaukel excels in creating documentary style, short and long-form films. An advanced training in the performing arts as a singer and instrumentalist serve him well as an emotional storyteller. Interlochen Arts Camp (1992-1994), the Interlochen Arts Academy (95-96), Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (1997-2000).
Brian is the d
FILMMAKER
Brian Gaukel excels in creating documentary style, short and long-form films. An advanced training in the performing arts as a singer and instrumentalist serve him well as an emotional storyteller. Interlochen Arts Camp (1992-1994), the Interlochen Arts Academy (95-96), Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (1997-2000).
Brian is the director, DP, and editor of the recently completed feature documentary WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS (2020). The film is a documentary biopic on the topic of choral music and the profound career of Dr. Jerry Blackstone. The film was programmed at multiple film festivals before COVID-19 ended the 2020 season.
He currently is the owner of Brian Gaukel Productions and has served such clients, producing creative content for Apple Inc., Harley Davidson, Suez International, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, University of Michigan, Yale University, Amherst College, The Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, The Dallas Street Choir, VOCES8, Ion Concert Media the University of Michigan Alumni Association and the nonprofit organization Hope Worldwide. He recently created and produced film projection for live performance for the Manhattan-based National Concerts at Carnegie Hall (June 19, February 2020) with multiple commissions playing in 2022.
Jerry Blackstone
Jerry Blackstone
Jerry Blackstone
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
GRAMMY Award winner Jerry Blackstone is a leading conductor and highly respected conducting pedagogue. Now emeritus professor of conducting, he served on the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance for thirty years where as director of choirs he led the graduate program in choral conducting
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
GRAMMY Award winner Jerry Blackstone is a leading conductor and highly respected conducting pedagogue. Now emeritus professor of conducting, he served on the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance for thirty years where as director of choirs he led the graduate program in choral conducting and oversaw the University’s eleven choirs. In February 2006, he received two GRAMMY Awards (“Best Choral Performance” and “Best Classical Album”) as chorusmaster for the critically acclaimed Naxos recording of William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The Naxos recording of Milhaud’s monumental L’Orestie d’Eschyle, on which Blackstone served as chorusmaster, was nominated for a 2015 GRAMMY Award (“Best Opera Recording”). Opera Magazine reviewer Tim Ashley wrote: “the real stars, though, are the University of Michigan’s multiple Choirs, who are faced with what must be some of the most taxing choral writing in the entire operatic repertory. Their singing has tremendous authority and beauty, while the shouts and screams of Choéphores are unnerving in the extreme. Their diction is good too: the occasions when we don’t hear the words are Milhaud’s responsibility, rather than theirs. It’s an extraordinary achievement, and utterly mesmerizing.”
Matthew Workman
Jerry Blackstone
Matthew Workman
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Matthew Workman has collaborated in the choral music scene - both producing & performing - for more than 30 years. He has developed and led over 100 classical-music productions and is currently the Founder and Executive Director of National Concerts, founded in 2018.
As a choral music industry professional he is always lo
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Matthew Workman has collaborated in the choral music scene - both producing & performing - for more than 30 years. He has developed and led over 100 classical-music productions and is currently the Founder and Executive Director of National Concerts, founded in 2018.
As a choral music industry professional he is always looking to offer essential & valuable guidance through all the areas he manages, including editorial, fundraising, pre-production, legal, and distribution strategy.
Particularly for this project, Matthew has proven to be an early champion by offering initial backing before other major fundraising efforts began. He will help oversee the recruitment and onboarding of contractors and other producers in the creation of this project. He will ensure the film is completed on time, within budget, and to artistic and technical standards with input from the production team and Advisory Panel. As an active development officer, Matthew will lead fundraising campaigns, corporate giving efforts, and promotion strategies. In addition to assembling the extended team, his role will introduce new concepts and ideas that may align with the project
Kady Le
Maria Valdes
Matthew Workman
LINE PRODUCER
Kady Le is based in Los Angeles and has worked in many facets of the film industry since graduating from UCLA Film School. She's worked in studio animation development, live-action TV, and documentary. Alongside producing, Kady is a director, and her short film, Like Mother, Like Daughter, has screened in film festivals in ma
LINE PRODUCER
Kady Le is based in Los Angeles and has worked in many facets of the film industry since graduating from UCLA Film School. She's worked in studio animation development, live-action TV, and documentary. Alongside producing, Kady is a director, and her short film, Like Mother, Like Daughter, has screened in film festivals in major cities across the US and internationally, such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, London, and Dublin. She was a recipient of the Dustin Lance Black Award for Diversity and Inclusion and the Peter Stark Memorial Scholarship.
Maria Valdes
Maria Valdes
Maria Valdes
MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Maria Valdes has been critically acclaimed by the New York Times as a “first-rate singing actress” and maintains an active performing schedule with major symphonies and opera companies across the country. In addition to performing, Valdes also works as a website designer at the Buffalo-based production
MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Maria Valdes has been critically acclaimed by the New York Times as a “first-rate singing actress” and maintains an active performing schedule with major symphonies and opera companies across the country. In addition to performing, Valdes also works as a website designer at the Buffalo-based production company, Emitha LLC. A recent graduate of the esteemed Georgia Tech Data Science and Analytics Program, Valdes combines her experience in the music world with background in computer science to meet the unique demands of emerging marketing and development technologies.
ADVISORY PANEL
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