Celebrating Sondheim

Celebrating Sondheim Celebrating Sondheim

Paying Tribute To A Great Paying Tribute To A Great

A At the beginning of 2022, Windward’s Vocal Music Department made the conscious decision to focus on music composed by and written about marginalized voices, including music by composers and performers of color, from diverse cultures from around the world, and music by LGBTQ composers telling LGBTQ stories.

One such composer was Stephen Sondheim, widely viewed as an American musical theater pioneer in the history of the genre and an important LGBTQ voice. Sondheim’s best-known works include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), and Into the Woods (1987). deep dive into the genius that is embodied in Sondheim’s work.

Over the next few months, Daniel and his vocal ensemble students spent time exploring a wide variety of Sondheim’s music both as individual singers and as vocal ensembles. In all, they produced 20 solo recordings in Windward’s brand new vocal recording studio, located in the 400 building.

“Sondheim’s music meant so much to me because he’s able to speak so eloquently about the need for a connection between people”

-Daniel Koh

When Vocal Music Director Daniel Koh first learned of Sondheim’s passing in November 2021, he immediately thought of ways to celebrate the impact of Sondheim’s music and career. His music had not only had a profound impact on Daniel’s personal life, but as a teacher, Daniel looked for a way to share Sondheim’s brilliance and wisdom with his students in a meaningful, tangible way that was also collaborative and hands-on. The group soon embarked on a “Delving into the world of Sondheim is an important and enriching experience for young singers, and through Daniel’s personalized song selection, I was able to discover more about myself as a singer and person. Stephen Sondheim was such a relevant and talented man, and I feel that this project both illuminated more of his true genius and created an opportunity for the brilliant and hardworking vocal music teachers and technical directors at Windward to shine!” said Yaya Toubassy ’24.

Sondheim’s music has had a profound effect on Daniel for a variety of reasons, one of which is its ability to tell a story about the need for connection, something everyone has been yearning for as they emerge from the pandemic.

“Sondheim’s music meant so much to me because he’s able to speak so eloquently about the need for a connection between people and, in particular, the need for a connection through storytelling and through art making. That’s a theme that carries over into all of his musicals. There’s a lot of resonance there between that overriding theme and his identity as an LGBTQ composer,” said Daniel. “One of the reasons why I gravitate towards it in particular is because I see the necessity of forming connections through storytelling. I see how that resonates with my own identity as a member of the LGBTQ community. I wanted to make sure that was expressed somewhere.”

The final set of recordings was compiled into a YouTube playlist, which was shared with the Windward community, and is also available by scanning the QR code below.

QR Code: Scan here to listen to the Sondheim recordings.