"I think in many ways the pattern is the least important part of conducting. It’s much more about showing what the music should be doing, not beating four. If it were just a matter of keeping time, we could use a flashing red light. That's not what your job is. Your job is to encourage and show the music physically. I believe very strongly that the conducting gesture is nothing more than your vocal process externalized.”

Chester L. Alwes holds degrees in music from Hanover College, Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the University of Illinois faculty in 1982, he taught at the College of Wooster and the University of Rochester/Eastman School of Music. Prior to his retirement in 2011 from the University of Illinois, Dr. Alwes taught graduate courses in choral literature, seminars on the works of J. S Bach and Henry Purcell and graduate and undergraduate conducting. From 1982-2009, he was conductor of the U. of I. Concert Choir, taking over the Women’s Glee Club prior to his retirement. In addition, he frequently conducted the University’s Oratorio Society, Summer Chorus, and the Illinois Summer Youth Music Senior Chorus.

In 1996, he founded the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (BACH), an ensemble drawn from the University and local community that specialized in music of the 17th and 18th centuries. As a choral conductor, Dr. Alwes was known for his innovative programming, his sensitivity to tone and musical line, and his dedication to the musical growth of his singers.

He is the author of A History of Western Choral Music (2 vols., Oxford University Press, 2015-16), Handel’s Messiah: the Complete Solo Variants (Roger Dean Music, 2009), the chapter on Choral Music of the Romantic era in the Cambridge Companion to Choral Music, Andre De Quadros, ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2012), articles on choral music and numerous choral compositions and arrangements (70+).

To get in touch with Chet, you can find him on Facebook (@calwes) or email him at calwes@illinois.edu.

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“You have to create the bridge between the instructor and the student. Talk about your passion about the music, why you're performing it, why the piece is so special, and mix some humor in there. Once that engagement happens, everything you teach is automatically transferred because all the performers want that excellence for themselves, which is different than just telling people what to do. When you can inspire them to really want it, that's when the results become infinitely spectacular.”

Luke McEndarfer is a GRAMMY Award-winning American conductor and one of the most compelling visionaries in the classical music world today. His dynamic career spanning over two decades has been shaped by an unwavering commitment to ambitious innovation, artistic creativity, and musical excellence. Currently, he serves as Artistic Director, President and CEO of the National Children’s Chorus, one of the fastest-growing and most successful youth arts organizations in the United States.

In 2004, McEndarfer was appointed director of the acclaimed Paulist Choristers, and in 2008 his dream to create the National Children’s Chorus took flight. Since then, the NCC has grown from only sixteen families in Los Angeles to over one thousand across the country. McEndarfer’s Senior Division vocalists are GRAMMY Award-winning, having received music’s highest honor for Best Choral Performance in 2022. In 2020, McEndarfer initiated the building of a new annual opera camp in Vail, Colorado, that would grow to engage developing voices in the art of opera, curated with an extraordinary curriculum designed exclusively for youth education.

McEndarfer’s background and experience encompass numerous conducting appearances on both coasts featuring adult choral and symphonic masterworks. Equally at home in the studio, he has worked on several motion picture soundtracks, such as Escape from Tomorrow, Snowmen, and Imagine That. Television credits include conducting performances and studio appearances with CNN, CBS, ABC, and Fox, as well as NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Since the age of six, McEndarfer has studied piano extensively, winning competitions and musical honors with the Music Teachers’ Association of California. He is a two-time graduate of UCLA, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and a Master of Music degree in conducting.

To get in touch with Luke, you can find him on Facebook or Instagram (@LukeMcEndarfer) or find the National Children's Chorus on their website (nationalchildrenschorus.com), on Instagram (@nationalchildrenschorus), or on Facebook (@nationalchildrenschorus).

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

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“I said, ‘I really wish a book existed with more women composers in it’... This book is so important in 2024 with equality and inclusivity being at the forefront of our profession. I think that this is timely, and I think it's a great representation of where we're going in our profession right now especially given the fact that I see a lot more programming to be equal with male composers and women composers.”

Alan Troy Davis is a conductor, music educator, tenor, and voice teacher with extensive experience in both academic and community music settings. He has completed the coursework for a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree in choral conducting at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is currently finalizing his doctoral document. He also holds a Master of Music (M.M.) in Choral Conducting from California State University–Los Angeles, a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Secondary Education from Portland State University, and a Bachelor of Musical Arts (B.M.A.) in Music from Pacific Lutheran University.

Davis has taught in public high schools across Oregon, Colorado, and California and has directed a variety of church and community ensembles. His research interests focus on choral intonation, conducting pedagogy and score study, vocal pedagogy within choral rehearsals, Renaissance and Baroque performance practices and repertoire, and the exploration of choral repertoire by women composers.

As a compiler and contributing author, Davis is playing a key role in the forthcoming book Choral Repertoire by Women Composers, scheduled for publication by GIA Publications, Inc. in January 2025. In addition, he will co-present an interest session titled In Her Voice: Highlighting Female Composers at the 2025 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference in Dallas, Texas.

To get in touch with Alan, you can find him on Instagram (@thechoralgeek) or Facebook (@alantdavis) or email him at alantroydavis@gmail.com.

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

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