Dear Temple Alumni Singers and Conductors:
We’re planning an event just for you next spring that I know you will not want to miss. We’re trying to make contact with as many alumni/ae who sang in the Temple Choirs and as many student and faculty conductors as possible to organize a special Choral Reunion on Friday and Saturday, April 4 & 5. Before reading on, please put those dates on your calendar. Those who are able arrive earlier can participate in rehearsals on Thursday, April 3, as well.
The days will be filled with rehearsals, clinics, workshops, social gatherings (large & small), tours of our newest facilities, participating in a choral performance, and—did I mention?—social gatherings. Catch up with friends and faculty. Re-visit Presser Hall (now expanded) and historic Mitten Hall. Some will see the splendid Rock Hall and the recently opened Temple Performing Arts Center (formerly the Baptist Temple) for the first time. If you have not visited the campus for a while, I guarantee you will be stunned by what you see all around, including being amidst a nearly 15,000-student residential campus. How times have changed.
Temple’s Choral Department has experienced a major sea change in the last couple of years. From the 1940s there was remarkable consistency in the faculty, with only three Directors of Choral Activities, all internationally known and respected—Elaine Brown, Robert Page, and Alan Harler—with colleagues Gail Poch, Janet Yamron, and me as constants for almost 40 years. Our retirements have enabled three of the most wonderful new choral conductors to join our faculty: Paul Rardin, from the University of Michigan and now our Director of Choral Activities; Rollo Dilworth, from North Park College and known everywhere as a festival guest conductor and prolific composer; and, most recently, Mitos Andaya, stellar conductor from the University of Georgia. All three are known internationally for their outstanding work. I am personally delighted that they are now here. It is, indeed, a dynamic trio. You simply have to meet them and see, enjoy, and experience their work!
You’ll be hearing more from me in the fall, but I want to make certain that you SAVE THE DATE! We have a wonderful committee of your alumni colleagues working on this, and I am confident you will have an unforgettable experience.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Cornelius
Professor Emeritus of Choral Music and former Dean
P.S. Please visit www.alumni.temple.edu/choralreunion for all the latest information as we plan the event.
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