ORGANISTS AND vocalists, many aspiring to perform church music, were given the opportunity to receive individualized feedback and instruction from a pair of highly acclaimed musicians at a masterclass held recently at Christ Cathedral.
The masterclass, which was held last month, was actually two classes held concurrently. Many of the participants in the masterclass were members of the Christ Cathedral Organ and Choral Scholars program, a donor-sponsored educational and mentorship program for young musicians who are interested in pursuing careers in music, particularly church music.
The scholars often perform at cathedral liturgies and concerts, and receive guidance on college auditions, scholarships and career development. Many alumni of the program have gone on to attend major conservatories and universities, said McCall, music administrator at Christ Cathedral.
CHRIST CATHEDRAL MUSIC MINISTRY HELD A MASTER CLASS TAUGHT BY ACCLAIMED MUSICIANS ON APRIL 15. PHOTOS BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Renowned organist Benjamin Sheen shared his expertise with players in the cathedral’s organ loft, and soprano Molly Quinn, who has performed as a soloist and collaborated with musicians at famous venues around the world, lent her expertise in the vocal class. Sheen, director of music at Jesus College in Cambridge, England, and Quinn spent a week coaching the organ and choral scholars and conducting the cathedral choir for the weekend’s Sunday liturgy.
Sheen also performed a solo organ concert on the cathedral’s iconic Hazel Wright Organ.
The masterclass was both an educational experience for the students and a public performance for audiences who had a close-up look at how professional musicians train young artists, said McCaul.
McCaul organized the masterclass with David Ball, cathedral organist and head of music ministry at Christ Cathedral.
“Ben Sheen is a fantastic organist,” McCaul said. “And Molly Quinn is a fabulous soprano soloist. They are both very much in demand and very much at the top of their art at the moment. This is a peek into what a lesson is like. It is a whole different experience than just hearing them perform.”
As a Christ Cathedral organ scholar, Phillip Hoang, 18, performed a piece in the masterclass from British composer Cecilia McDowell.
Hoang said it was a privilege to learn from Sheen, who was already familiar with McDowell’s work.
Getting perspective on a piece from a new set of ears is also helpful, the organist said.
“It’s also nice since I think he might be more familiar with McDowell’s works,” Hoang said. “Since he knew her a little bit, it’s like he sort of was able to articulate what the composer actually wanted when writing the piece.”
Receiving second and third opinions on a piece from other musicians can be extremely helpful, Sheen said.
“It might be a word, it might be a sentence, it might be a phrase,” Sheen said. “It might be a way of approaching the piece that you’ve never thought of, or your teacher has never thought of. So, I think it’s a very important part of the process to see these different perspectives and get a different idea of a piece.” Itzel Perez, a vocalist with the Christ Cathedral Spanish Choir, said she was anxious to participate in the vocal masterclass for several reasons.
Perez loves singing, but since she spends much of her time in college, working towards a teaching credential to teach choir classes to high schoolers, she can’t sing as much as she has in the past.
“Any opportunity to perform is a blessing,” Perez said, and receiving personal instruction from McCall was an honor.
“I love to sing, and anything I can do to keep singing, I’m going to do it,” Perez said. “And so, getting the opportunity to sing with her tonight was cool, just because I get to fix things that I don’t think about as often. It’s nice to have someone experienced to be able to tackle those things.”
Quinn said working with the vocalists in the masterclass was as impactful for her as it was the students.
“One of my greatest joys is teaching,” Quinn said. “There was such a wonderful array of singers at slightly different ages and different stages of development. Just to have such an opportunity for those singers to have this experience is a real testament to the importance of this choral scholar program of this organ scholar program at the cathedral. Ben and I happy to be part of it.”
UPCOMING EVENT
Organ & Choral Scholars Concert
May 20 at 7:30 p.m.
The annual showcase of young musical talent presented by the Organ Scholars and Choral Scholars of the Christ Cathedral Music Program. Information: christcathedralmusic.org