Sunday, August 18, 1996

Future concerts include a joint effort with UCLA singersBy Michelle Nguyen

Summer Bruin Contributor

There are certain aspects of a person's life that really give them a sense of self. Conducting chorus and orchestra is one such thing to Donald Neuen, UCLA professor of conducting and director of choral activities. So much so that he is willing to take on double the load of conducting, being recently named conductor and artistic director of the Angeles Chorale, one of the most respected choral ensembles in the Los Angeles area.

From the very start he decided that music was a primary passion and participated in junior high and high school chorus, band and orchestra. It was only a matter of time before he would bring those two aspects of music that he loved, the instruments and voices, together by becoming a chorus and orchestra conductor.

In doing so he made conducting his top priority, sacrificing what he calls the "individual" side of music.

"When you're a conductor you spend all of your available time recruiting, studying scores, planning and organizing, rehearsing, teaching and performing that there is little time left for the individual performance that you have done in earlier years such as singing and playing an instrument," Neuen says.

His dedication to conducting has brought him a long way. Writing about choral conductors, the late Julius Herford, musicologist, and renowned teacher of the likes of Leonard Bernstein, wrote, "Don Neuen is the great conductor of his generation." The demand for his conducting and teaching skills have taken Neuen all around the world, most recently to Singapore, Indonesia and New York City's Carnegie Hall.

Neuen hopes that his new role with the Angeles Chorale and continuing direction of the UCLA Chorale and University Choir will get more people involved in singing.

"I plan to expand and enlarge the membership of the group and continue their excellent history with the highest possible standard of musicianship and vocal performance," says Neuen.

He will add 30 more members to the Angeles Chorale to extend the membership to 150 members. Since Neuen's arrival at UCLA, the UCLA Chorale and University Chorus has doubled in size to slightly over 100 members each.

"My top priority is recruiting more UCLA students into the program," Neuen says.

Aside from having the members of a chorale ensemble read music very well, Neuen takes special care to keep the balance between having a large choir and having the choir sound crisp.

"By relentlessly teaching to sing with true artistry and sensitivity, sensitive to the music, to each other, we could make 200 people sound like 24," says Neuen.

Neuen's other plans with his chorale ensembles include putting together a joint concert between the Angeles Chorale and the UCLA Chorale. The concert will see the groups performing a major work for chorus and orchestra.

Neuen already had this joint concert in mind before he was named conductor of the Angeles Chorale. "Well, I'm very happy about that because when I came here to UCLA, it was with a stipulation that I eventually merge the forces of the UCLA Chorale with an adult contemporary chorus and this makes that possible."

Performing with the Angeles Chorale, an adult contemporary chorus, would allow the UCLA Chorale to perform works they otherwise would not be able to do because of the nature of some major works.

"There are many major works for chorus and orchestra that are really too demanding for young singers to do on their own, works by composers such as Beethoven, Brahms, Verdi, Berlioz, Britten, etc.," says Neuen. "So this collaboration will afford the UCLA chorus and graduate voice majors the opportunity to do this glorious repertoire that we would otherwise be unable to do properly."

But there will be instances where the UCLA Chorale and the University Chorus will continue to do joint performances of a less demanding nature without the Angeles singers.

Although taking on the Angeles Chorale is a major project in itself, it will in no way diminish Neuen's dedication to his projects at UCLA.

"My work with the Angeles Chorale will in no way detract with the growth and progress of my work with UCLA chorale groups but only enhance it," Neuen says. "The UCLA Chorale and the University Chorus will be very active independently the rest of the year, and the the Angeles Chorale will do two major works independently of UCLA."

Neuen's work at UCLA has included conducting the Chorale, Chamber Singers, University Chorus and Opera, teaching courses in advanced choral techniques, methods, and conducting and creating a graduate program in choral conducting. He extends a special invitation to all UCLA alumni and staff to audition for the Angeles Chorale.

MUSIC: Audition (818) 888-6293.

UCLA Professor Donald Neuen