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10.04.05 Choraleers prepare for fall performances with new conductor Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Carla Shannon Jeffreys is excited about her work; that much is clear from the way she conducts a Choraleers rehearsal on the Memorial Hall stage. As she runs through warm-up exercises with the choir, it is also evident that students respond to her enthusiasm. "It's awesome to get paid for what you love to do," Jeffreys said. The departure of a beloved professor like Dr. John Warren, who formerly served as Erskine's choral activities director, can leave a void that a new teacher might find difficult to fill, but Jeffreys says, "It's my feeling that it is going as well as it could possibly go." The Alabama native, a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College who earned a master's degree in music at the University of Mississippi and is completing her doctorate at the University of South Carolina, is not surprised to step into her role at Erskine and find it rewarding. "It has always been a dream and an ultimate goal of mine to end up teaching back at Birmingham-Southern, or at a place like Birmingham-Southern," she said. "So now here I am here at Erskine, whether briefly or long-term, and it fulfills a dream and need and goal in my life." She gained some clues about the character of Erskine students early on. "The day I accepted the job, I immediately started receiving e-mails from Choraleers, welcoming me, telling me who they were and how much Choraleers meant to them — that just motivated me so much for this year," Jeffreys said. She is thankful for the support she has received from students, because it is a challenge to "find the time to be able to teach my lessons, do my job to the best of my ability, but then take care of little details and organizing them." Choraleers President Steven Ragan, for example, "has been there from the day I walked into my office, helping me with getting my long distance code, learning where to make copies," she said. "My main concern coming in was not to step on anyone's toes," she said. "I am not here to 'replace' John Warren. There are some things that I do the same way he did, some things I do differently. "Yes, the students loved Dr. Warren, but they also understand change." Change will be a part of Jeffreys' plan for the year, but she also values what students have experienced with her predecessor. "The students obviously had a great connection with Dr. Warren," she said. "I want to respect the traditions of the past and honor the work they did with him." So, Choraleer concerts will continue to close with the specially commissioned song "Set Me as a Seal," and Jeffreys intends to retain the practice of spotlighting a student conductor. "Jeramy Oropeza will be our student conductor," she said. "And 'Set Me As a Seal' is a gorgeous song that means so much to these students." "A South Carolina Colonial Christmas" is another Erskine tradition that will go on with Jeffreys. "We have started selling tickets," she said. "We'll have some students playing the roles they played last year, including Daphne Gossage and Mackay Smith." Meanwhile, the Choraleers are preparing for their fall concert, which has as its theme "Praise and Harmony." The program ranges from Renaissance to modern compositions. "There is a piece by Charpentier that will feature (Associate Professor of Music) Bob Glick on continuo and we will also have students playing three stringed instruments," she said. Jeffreys knew something about the Choraleers' repertoire before she came to Erskine. "I had heard their CDs and knew the significance of the literature they were performing," she explained. "But they have blown my mind with how quickly they've learned the music. "They have been so open and willing to try new things," she said. "New songs, new styles of singing. That says a lot for Erskine students." |
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