After more than two years of planning, months of tour and travel preparation, days and nights learning brand new commissioned works, and long hours memorizing texts in Hungarian, Finnish, and Latin, the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus of San Francisco returned home from the 2014 World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia this past July as gold medalists.
This trip was the first opportunity for Golden Gate Men’s Chorus, a founding member of GALA Choruses, to compete on the world stage and represent the GALA community among some of the world’s best choruses. Entering three of the 28 categories of competition, the GGMC earned gold medals in the Male Choirs and Musica Sacra with Accompaniment divisions, as well as a silver medal in the Spirituals category.
The 8th World Choir Games, held in Riga, Latvia over two weeks in July of this year, played host to 480 choirs from 72 countries and from 5 continents, with an estimated 27,000 participants. Interkultur, the largest international organization of choral music competitions, festivals, and workshops, held the first Games in 2000 and now hosts them every two years in locations throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia.
It is difficult to comprehend the enormity of these events. The opening ceremonies of the two-week festival began with an Olympic-style parade of nations. Choirs entered into an arena filled with thousands of spectators and singers from around the world. Special concerts and workshops by the King Singers, The Real Group, and the Latvian Radio Chorus kept excitement high throughout the two weeks, and world-renowned conductors and composers such as Andre Thomas, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Javier Busto, Vytautas Miškinis, Robert Campbell, and Morton Lauridsen were all on the scene to share their expertise.
As Jay Nancarrow, GGMC CEO, described it, “The challenge of performing before a panel of the most distinguished choral directors from around the world, each following closely with score in hand and metronome and tuning fork at their side, can put one’s mettle to the test.” In those moments, it helps to remember that the World Choir Games are about more than just the excitement of competition. Equally important is the experience of seeing and hearing choirs that give their all to achieve their finest performance. Each choir seeks to define itself in those short moments on stage, hoping to make a lasting impression. In the case of GGMC, we knew that no matter the outcome, we could share the proud spirit of GALA Choruses with the wider world of singing.
As it turned out, we were far from the only chorus to bring diversity and cultural heritage to the stages of the World Choir Games. There we found choirs dressed in elaborate traditional costumes, paired with an array of traditional movement and dance. A fully staged Beijing opera scene, an African work song danced with faces and bodies of each singer colorfully painted, or beaded headdresses and embroidered vests adorning Russian choristers all added to the sheer spectacle. We heard Latvian, Chinese, and Swedish choirs singing American spirituals, as well as African, Latin American, and Eastern European choirs performing vocal jazz, German folk songs, 16th century counterpoint, Indian ragas, barbershop arrangements, and avant-garde contemporary works. To top it all off, no matter their country of origin, each choir arrived prepared to sing music of the Baltic region.
The members of the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus set off on our tour of the Baltics on July 4th and began in Vilnius, Lithuania. The city is arrayed with more than 2000 medieval, renaissance, and baroque buildings, all surrounding the rococo cathedral of St. Catherine’s. Built in 1743, the church was restored to its original splendor following Lithuanian independence from the Soviet Union in 1990—often referred to as the Singing Revolution. As we all know, the power of singing together can carry us through a wide variety of challenging and strenuous times. We were fortunate to arrive in Vilnius on their National Song Day, and the impact of their singing tradition was not lost on us as we considered the struggles our own community has endured.
Representing the San Francisco Bay Area and GALA Choruses at the World Choir Games was an honor. Riga 2014 and our Lithuanian tour also mark a new chapter in the history of our chorus. The competition raised the bar in the GGMC’s ongoing pursuit of excellence and joyous music-making. It was a trip filled with new discoveries, insight into the world of adjudication, and a deeper understanding of what it takes to make everything come together harmoniously in a single performance. As a chorus we are forever changed, and we look forward to telling our stories at future GALA festivals. Ultimately, we seek to experience music wholly as performers and to add new meaning to the lives of those around us. Without a doubt, our journey took us a step closer to that goal.
Under the his direction, the Piedmont Acappella Choir has toured the People’s Republic of China, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Hungary, and Germany. In 2007 the choir performed John Rutter’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, with John Rutter conducting. In 2008, on the occasion of Handel’s 200th birthday, the choir performed The Messiah in Halle, Germany.In 2003 and 2005, the A Cappella Choir received Gold Medals at the Musica Mundi International Choir competitions in Budapest, and Venice.In 2002 the choir was one of four featured at the Festival of Choirs under the direction of Vance George, at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco and again in 2010 performing with Chanticleer.The chorus again appeared at Carnegie Hall in 2011.
Mr. Piazza has served on the faculty of the Jazz School in Berkeley, as former associate music director of the San Francisco Boys Chorus, and is currently the music director of the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus in San Francisco and studied choral conducting and rehearsal techniques with Vance George in private study and work with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Mr. Piazza also appeared at the Saranac Lake summer choral festival where he conducted the Gregg Smith Singers and worked with Dennis Keene and Gregg Smith. He has also studied solfège and ear training with renowned master teacher Erzsebet Hegyi.
Mr. Piazza has been teaching at Piedmont High School since 1989, where he has been honored with the Lois J. Rawlings Foundation Award for outstanding teaching. He is also the director of the prestigious music theory and composition program at Piedmont High School, where he teaches Advanced Placement music courses. Mr. Piazza has also studied at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, acted professionally, directed, and choreographed. In May 2010, Mr. Piazza was appointed as Music Director of the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus.
- Champions’ Homecoming – GGMC returns from Riga - November 18, 2014
