If you’ve ever seen her run a rehearsal you are familiar with the incredible combination of ferocity, passion, liveliness, and extraordinary musicianship that is Elena Sharkova. Fresh off her engagement with the BBC Singers, Josh and Elena meet to talk on the day of her guest appearance with the Houston Chamber Choir, where she led a program of Rus…

Few loom as large in influence as Dr. Judy Bowers, former professor of Choral Music Education at Florida State University and soon to be Biedenharn Chair in Music at at University of Louisiana Monroe. A humble southerner with impeccable credentials, her influence on the training of choral music educators in the United States is close to unparallele…

If you don’t know Tim Sharp, the dynamic and charismatic Executive Director of ACDA, you are missing out. Tim is a man of many talents, a raconteur, a gadfly, and just a ton of fun to hang out with. Tim has a really interesting story and knows how to tell it with humor and insight. Not only that, but Tim has real vision about what ACDA is and what …

In case you didn’t know, Dominick DiOrio, Associate Professor at Indiana University and conductor of NOTUS Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, is a young dude. Younger than you. And probably more accomplished than you too. So let that sink in and make you feel old and unworthy. But seriously, Dominick is a great conductor, composer, and all around nice pe…

On a visit to the choral mecca of Sweden, Josh spends some time with the amazing Gary Graden, conductor of the St. Jakob’s Chamber Choir (one of the best amateur choirs in the world). Josh and Gary talk about his background, how he came to call Sweden his home, and of course Eric Ericson. Listen to the idilic sounds of the Swedish countryside rushi…

Choral History is back from the dead! Josh briefly discusses the effects of life on podcast production and previews upcoming episodes.

Josh and Randy share a common upbringing: both were slightly wayward students and late comers to choral music. But that’s where the similarities end. Randy talks about the growth and success of the incredible music program the he and his wife Rachel lead at St. Mary's International School in Tokyo, Japan. In particular, Randy's High School men's gr…

The incomparable Rod Eichenberger is Josh's guest in this week's episode. Rod has led programs at the University of Washington, USC, and Florida State University. For mere mortals, leading just one of those programs would be a major accomplishment. Many of the current top conductors in the American choral scene studied with Rod over the years, and …

This episode continues Josh's trip down his memory lane, and he finally gets to the source. Josh talks to Doree Jarboe, his former high school choir director and leader of one of the most popular high school choir programs in the northwest in the 1990s and early 2000s. Learn about her remarkable journey teaching at pretty much every level and every…

This episode Josh talks to Bruce Browne, emeritus professor from Portland State University, as well as former conductor of Choral Cross-Ties and the Portland Symphonic Choir. Bruce’s influence in the American choral scene is extensive, and Josh had the good fortune of studying with Bruce early in his career. Listen as Bruce spins yarns about his ex…

Josh goes back to his roots when he travels to Portland, Oregon, where he grew up and had his first experiences with choral music. In this episode, the first of a number of “Portland” episodes, Josh talks with Ethan Sperry, who took over the choral program at Portland State University where Josh attended many years ago. We learn about Ethan’s rich …

Steve Zielke from Oregon State University is one of Josh’s early mentors. Steve and Josh talk about a million things, including performing esoteric music, singing for your father, strategic planning, how Steve septupled his music department, mentorship, and the fact that no one will ever listen to this podcast. Later, Steve makes an offer to the li…

This episode I talk to Brian Schmidt, conductor of the South Dakota Chorale and Duke University Chapel at National ACDA in Salt Lake City, 2015.

Josh has an unusual connection to Cameron LaBarr, the newest DCA at Missouri State University, and and when they talk about it, Josh learns a little about genealogy in the process. They also explore Cameron’s background, what it’s like to take over a strong program, and what the future holds at MSU.

In this week’s episode Josh visits Lee Nelson at Wartburg College in Iowa. Josh and Lee talk about pretty much everything under the sun in this wide-ranging and lively interview. Josh learns about Lee’s pedagogical ideas on conducting and building tone, his connection to North Dakota, and also discovers how Yoda encouraged Lee to take the job at Wa…

Matt Ferrell from St. Cloud State University is a super nice guy, and a great choir director. Josh and Matt talk about his background and why you shouldn’t go to graduate school for a girl. They also explore how Matt builds tone, and Josh reveals that he sort of hates madrigal dinners. This is the fourth episode of the Choral History Podcast with J…

In Episode 3 of the Choral History Podcast with Josh Bronfman, Brad Sherwood and his father Ken sit down with Josh to further explore the 70+ years of the Sherwood family choral legacy in Grand Forks, North Dakota. We talk about Ken’s father, Dwight, who started teaching in Grand Forks in 1942, how the Sherwood tradition developed, and all the impo…

Episode 2 of the Choral History Podcast with Josh Bronfman finds Josh and his buddy Matt Mehaffey from the University of Minnesota talking shop. They have a lot in common, but in this interview they discover that they actually have pretty different aesthetics and philosophies about choral music. Also, Matt tells a great story about one of his most …

Welcome to the premiere episode of the Choral History Podcast with Josh Bronfman. In Episode 1, Josh sits down with third generation high school choir director Brad Sherwood. Hear his family’s incredible story, and marvel at Josh’s ineptitude with technology. Thanks for listening to this first episode, and we hope you’ll join us for more.…