While Mount Holyoke College choral director Kim Dunn is working on her doctorate this year, Miguel Felipe has filled the exciting role of interim choral director for the year. Miguel sat down The Mount Holyoke News to discuss his year at the College.

How do you like Mount Holyoke?
I like it a lot, primarily because of the students. It’s stimulating; I can work with a student on Swedish pronunciation and then work with somebody on Arabic all on the same morning. I rehearse with really clever students and they’re eager to learn and they’ll try anything.

How did you become interested in chorus/singing?
I was originally an instrumentalist—I played piano and string bass. Just as a side I would sing in the chorus. I think I like the repertoire more, the music, the addition of language and the sound of human voices attracted me perhaps more than orchestra. I don’t know if there was any one moment where I decided I was going to be a choral musician, it just happened.

What are your favorite pieces to perform and teach?
My favorite music is whatever I am working on right now. I work with a group at Harvard University, three groups here at Mt. Holyoke, and a semi-pro choir in Boston. I’m just surrounded by repertoire now, and I like it all. Everything from Haydn, late 18th century, early 19th century, current music, to pieces that are written on commission. I love Renaissance music.

What is the best part about teaching?
One is when just out of the blue some information that a teacher has given to a student leads them to experience it “click.” I also like the moment when a student is completely baffled by something and frustrated and says, “I don’t get this.” Somehow as a teacher we’re lucky enough to be able to say it in just the right way that it clicks in someone’s head and then they own that. They are owners of that information.

What words of advice do you have for music students?
It’s important never to think that a weakness in one’s skills can be overcome by strengths in other areas. Of course we all have strong areas and weak areas, but every student and every musician should really try to focus on being as good as possible at every aspect of their craft. I’m especially challenged by diction, so I work to improve my diction. And remember to do things that you love; if you don’t love it don’t bother.

What kinds of pieces have you commissioned?
I am driven by really good texts that have settings that are at once both innovative and curious—they will draw the listener in and at the same time they are accessible; they’re not novel for novelty’s sake and they should have some innovative way of communicating directly to us as the listener.

For the concert in April, I can call everyone who I think is going to be appropriate for the project and ask them to create something. I think that it’s absolutely our responsibility to keep up with new music because we’re its only advocates as performers.

You served as an adjudicator in Southeast Asia. What are some differences in music and competition between the United States and Southeast Asia?
In my experience, our whole performance world revolves around seasons. Each group has a season, even in the academic world where you have a series of traditional concerts. In Southeast Asia, there are no regular concert seasons. Groups will often perform in Church, which is a major supporter of choral music there; otherwise it’s just competitions. It somewhat bothers me because they are only performing to compete and they’re not really working toward public performances for the pure enjoyment of it. That said, it’s inspiring to see how much people enjoy singing regardless of the motivation for the performance.

How did you become interested in Indonesia as a focus for research?
My own personal angle that I used is finding music by the underdog that is unjustly neglected. There are really talented people who because of complex class, cultural, and international issues, just don’t get the attention, the monetary wealth, the talent to go in and help and teach and inspire people who are raw talents there.

What is on the program for the upcoming concert?
On April 10th the Glee Club will be performing in the big spring concert. The Cornell glee club will visit, which is an annual collaboration. This year the “Leading Women in the Arts” resident scholar is Kaija Sariaaho, a Finnish composer whom they’ve wanted to visit for years. The program will celebrate Finnish traditions and Sariaaho and her roots.

The concept of the April 24th concert is celebrating music derived from the world’s major religions but for women’s voices which is hard to find because women’s voices are not usually encouraged in sacred music. Some songs involve dancing and movement. Choral art is alive and I think the women involved in this sacred music program are excited to be able to bring so much new music to life.

On the program for April 10th is Saariaho’s Tag des Jahrs and works by other composers including Sibelius, Poulenc, and Rautavaara. The Chorale and Chamber singers will perform the concert on April 24th, which will feature music from A Mantra to the Mother of Buddha, The All-Night Vigil of Rabi’a al-Adawiuua, and Hodo al-Eretz. Both concerts will be held in Abbey Chapel at 8 p.m.

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