All about “Choral Conducting” with Dale Warland

Earlier this year, Dale Warland published his seminal memoir entitled “Choral Conducting: A Life of Building.” The book is a treasury of wisdom, advice, and experience for any choral conductor. Brian Newhouse, who helped facilitate the completion of the book, shared some of our questions with Dale, and responded back with these insights.

No one’s music career can be summed up in a single book, especially a career as accomplished and lengthy as Dale’s. Still, what is it about his career that has made him such a pillar of American choral music? What sets Dale apart from other successful conductors?

Three things:

An uncanny ear for blend, and identifying the potential for blend. In the audition process, he would pair voices in ways that so often exceeded the sum of their parts. The warmth and beauty of the “Dale Warland sound” comes from this.
Phrasing. If there is one ‘unsung’ attribute of his music-making, it is a passionate attention to how each phrase should move to greatest effect, regardless of tempo.
Attention to detail. No vowel, no rest, no rhythm, etc. was ever subjected to less than microscopic scrutiny in his score study, then brought to the singers in rehearsal.

Choral Conducting: A Life of Building

“Dale is a one-of-a-kind Maestro, a titan who changed the face of American choral music forever. His deep influence on me and generations of composers and choral musicians is immeasurable. How beautiful and essential it is to see his life’s work so lovingly recounted here.”

—Eric Whitacre, composer/conductor

What aspects of “Choral Conducting” would most benefit a young college graduate hoping to enter the field, or a veteran choral conductor?

The three sections of the book spell that out.

Building the musical leadership, which is to say, your leadership skills, beginning with the skill of listening. “Be able to hear it all, and hear it all at once.”
Building the instrument, the choir. Dale lays out a rigorous audition process, one that, of course, emphasizes the voice and skills of the singer, but also their humanity.
Building the repertoire. How to program, how to commission new music, how to build your score library and organize it so it works for you.

Warland’s instant classic “Always Singing” not only testifies to the power of choral art, but to his career. The essence of Warland’s choral sound are embodied in a score that is meditative, warm, sincere, and expertly crafted.

The Luther College Nordic Choir, conducted by guest conductor Jeffrey Douma of Yale University, performing “Always Singing” by Dale Warland.

“Choral Conducting” blends practical advice with the seasoned wisdom of Dale Warland’s career. Of all the aspects covered in the book, is there one that stands out as the most important?

Over and over in the book, amidst all the details, tips, and practical solutions to a conductor’s challenges, Dale encourages the reader at every stage in their career “to be yourself.” Let programming choices come from the heart, and be intrinsically authentic in auditions and rehearsals—every time they step in front of the choir, right down to their beat patterns.

What would 94-year-old-Dale tell 25-year-old-Dale about choral conducting or how to live his professional life?

Dale Warland exudes gratitude to his singers, his audiences, his supporters, friends and family… I believe the 94-year-old Dale might tell his 25-year-old self: recognize now and be grateful for the gift you’ve been given to have found this artform, this lifework of incredible beauty, meaning and purpose.