A Masterclass in Choir

expects it to have a profound effect on her students.

finals. This year, nine Pierce College students advanced to the semi-finals and one made it to the finals.

It was the first time students were able to compete in person for over two years, according to Vaaz.

The happy vibes were not the only thing to dominate the festival.

Theater major and actor Dale Van Slyke was a finalist in the acting portion and came away from the competition filled with humility and gratitude.

“To be able to perform your work in front of people is usually a blessing all on its own,” said Van Slyke. “Especially postCOVID, it's so nice to be able to be in front of people to share a communal space and do this ancient art in front of people and have some people like it. That's ultimately what you hope for.”

The competition took place in the convention halls of the Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas, which are not typically set up for theatrical performances.

Vaaz said that the stage itself had to be designed and built specifically for this competition which proved to be a challenge.

“They did great,” said Vaaz. “I almost wish I'd had more time to work with them in those spaces, because they're very different.”

Despite the challenge the student actors made it work.

For Department Chair of Performing Arts Michael Gend, one of the defining features of the competition this year was that each student was competing, not as a representative of their school, but as themselves.

“When they introduce themselves they don't say what school they're from, so it's a great equalizer,” said Gend. “Regardless of whether you're a student who's at a community college or a grad student in a private school, as long as your school enters the competition and you are nominated, you can compete.”

When the competition is blind it helps keep the focus on the student actors and their skills instead of where they go to school, according to Van Slyke.

“It's us performing as opposed to Pierce College performing,” said Van Slyke. “Especially when you're up against a bunch of four year conservatory programs or people who are getting their master's degree, it takes all of that out of the equation. It allows you to be you and for them to judge you based on your ability and what you're bringing to the table.”

When Gend heard that one of his students was a finalist, he knew he had to be there. So he jumped in the car and drove down to Vegas to see Van Slyke’s final performance.

“Fortunately, I don't teach on Fridays, so I was able to pull that off,” said Gend. “It's a long drive but anytime I discover we're doing that well, I want to see it in person.”

Networking with professionals as well as faculty and students from other schools is an important part of the competition.

“I hope it gave them grit,” said Vaaz. “I also hope it gave them a sense of perspective and what else is out there.”

Now the student actors are back on campus training and rehearsing for their upcoming shows.

Even though he didn’t win first place, Van Slyke has big things in the works and said he learned a lot through the experience.

Van Slyke said he’s now putting all his energy into his performance as Mark Cohen in the department's upcoming show, Rent.

“I know I'm a different artist now,” said Van Slyke. “I see what I can work on and I see the next step because of it.”

Choir music follows a tradition that dates back to even before the Middle Ages. The earliest forms of recorded music comes from the notations of Gregorian chants from 930.

Hundreds of years later, choir still continues to be taught, and Pierce College was given a lesson from someone whose experience includes working with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, and Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony.

Conductor Jo-Michael Scheibe lectured and conducted the Pierce Choir on Wednesday, March 8.

Scheibe, who was the former chair of the USC Thornton School of Music Department of Choral and Sacred Music, provided feedback and singing instructions to students as they sang songs such as “Help,” by the Beatles and “Wana Baraka,” a spiritual folk song from Kenya.

“I always found that it was important to connect with the four-year colleges and the advanced institutions because these students need the opportunity of hearing from us,” said Scheibe, who also taught at Long Beach City College. “We need to be in their classroom to talk about why we do what we do and to promote the art form. I’ve really enjoyed the experience of being on this campus and visiting again.”

The class was buzzing with excitement as Scheibe spoke and led the choir. From the beginning of the lecture to the end, the choir improved their performance after taking direction and notes.

Choir professor Garineh Avakian valued the visit and

“Dr. Scheibe is one of the most influential and hot names in the choral conducting and choral music community,” said Avakian, describing his expansive biography which includes working abroad with the Formosa Singers in Taiwan. “He can be influential for some students that are considering becoming music majors in the future. A lot of our students do not declare music as a major because they are still trying to find out what they want to do. Having influential people and professionals in the field like Dr. Schiebe coming to Pierce is beneficial for them.”

Music major Babak Rostami held Scheibe’s input and expertise in esteem.

“Singing is one of the main bases of music and Dr. Scheibe is a professional voice instructor so his presence in the class was a useful experience for every student,” said Rostami. “Especially for those who seriously follow the singing. His guidance for producing the right sound and tone for each phrase was very productive and interesting for me as guitarist.”

Other than Scheibe’s visit to the class, the music department has many other events in the near future for the remainder of the Spring 2023 semester.

“We hope to have you guys all come to a lot of our concerts at the end of the semester,” said Avakian. “And we also have the ASO afternoon concerts on Thursdays at 1 p.m. that are free and open to the community. And we will be having more of these kinds of sessions in future in this semester.”

Some students and faculty like to look good. Others like to feel comfortable. These Pierce fashionistas achieve both. Late winter attire can be found across campus before spring rolls around on March 20.