Story by John Kroll

In the classic anecdote about the six blind men and the elephant,
each man touches a different part of the elephant (tail, tusk, hide, etc.) and draws an erroneous conclusion about the animal as a whole. But ask six colleagues of John Alexander (they can be blind, but not deaf) about this renowned conductor of the Pacific Chorale and director of choral studies at Cal State Fullerton, and a consistent portrait emerges.

"One of the nation's foremost choral conductors and choral visionaries." -John Forsyte, president of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.

"Very few artistic directors can sustain such a high level of performance over an extended period of time." -Mike Carroll, board member of the Pacific Chorale.

"An outstanding leader who brings an incredible professionalism to the choral program." -Jerry Samuelson, dean of Cal State Fullerton's College of
the Arts.

"One of the finest musicians on the planet." -Lori Loftus '74, a longtime accompanist for the Pacific Chorale.

Those are only four colleagues, but why belabor the point?

A leading artistic figure in Orange County, Alexander has directed the 160-voice Pacific Chorale, an internationally renowned choral organization, for 33 years - probably the longest tenure of any artistic director in the county. He also leads a chamber-sized group, the John Alexander Singers, comprising 17 chorale members. At Fullerton he directs two ensembles, the University Singers and a subset of that group, the Chamber Singers.

"Orange County lacks a history of choral performance," says Forsyte, "but through his charisma and commitment to excellence, John has been able to create and sustain a choral tradition."

"If musicans are subservient to the conductor, it can hurt their performance. They can become less expressive." John Alexander Conductor of the Pacific Chorale

But Alexander's prominence extends far beyond the county. The Pacific Chorale has sung with orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. The University Singers tour regularly with the Boston Pops and have performed in Spain and Italy and at the Hollywood Bowl. He has prepared choruses for many of the world's leading conductors, such as Seiji Ozawa, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, and Michael Tilson Thomas.

"Whether he is conducting his own concerts or preparing choruses to work for someone else - which are quite different jobs - he is excellent at both," notes Carl St. Clair, music director of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, which performs with the Pacific Chorale and attracts more than 250,000 people to the Orange County Performing Arts Center annually. "Most people of his caliber would pass the preparation off to someone else, but he has the humility to take as much effort with it as with his own concerts."

Whether rehearsing for his concerts or those of other conductors, Alexander urges his singers to take ownership of the music so they can express it fully. “If musicians are subservient to the conductor, it can hurt their performance. They can become less expressive,” he says. He asks singers to study the shape of the musical phrase or line so they can ground their expressiveness in the music's rhythmic structure.

1 of 2   |   next »

 

Produced by the Office of University Communications & Marketing at California State University, Fullerton. Contact the web administrator for comments and problems with the website. California State University, Fullerton © 2006. All Rights Reserved.