Joshua Chism
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Conducting

Music lives only when the notes fly off the page and soar into glorious sound. The...conductor releases them from bondage through his or her feeling for their message....”  
          ​–Elizabeth Green
I believe that as a conductor and educator, it is my primary responsibility to ensure that the music making process is transformative for each musician. The majority of the choral experience is spent in rehearsal. That is why I focus on making the rehearsal process itself one that expands singers' musical skills, personal dispositions, and social awareness while simultaneously strengthening the interpersonal bond between the choristers. Not an easy task! This is why choral conductors must be outstanding musicians, effective communicators, and great at reading people–skills I try to hone in myself each day during rehearsal. 

​I believe that a positive, uplifting, and enriching choral experience is not only a privilege, but a fundamental right for all ages and ability levels. Every singer, from age 6 to 106, deserves an opportunity to experience the challenge and joy of singing in a choir–whether at the K–12 level, in higher education, with community/civic ensembles, in professional choirs, or through houses of worship.
​          –Joshua Chism

Mass No. 2 in G Major, D. 167 by Franz Schubert
Performed by the University of Oklahoma Chorale (audience view)
Performed by the University of Oklahoma Chorale (conductor view)

No. 27, 28, and 29 from Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by the University of Oklahoma Chorale
There Is Faint Music by Dan Forrest
​Performed by the University of Missouri–Columbia Men's Glee

Shaker Songs arr. by Kevin Siegfried
​Performed by the Ars Nova Singers, Columbia, MO
"Gloria" from Mass of the Children by John Rutter
Performed by The Norman Singers, Norman, OK

Lute-Book Lullaby by Alexander L'Estrange
Performed by the Missouri State University Concert Chorale
"Ferry Me Across the Water" and "Hear What the Mournful Linnets Say" from Sing-Song Vol. 1  by Joshua Chism
​Performed by the Columbia Public Schools 5th Grade Honor Choir

"Veni, Sancte Spiritus" and "Agnus Dei–Lux Aeterna" from 
Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen
Performed by the University of Missouri–Columbia Concert Chorale
"The Pasture" from Frostiana: Seven Country Songs
​by Randall Thompson

Performed by the University of Missouri–Columbia Men's Glee

An Irish Blessing by Joshua Chism 
Performed by the Mt. Vernon, MO High School Select Singers
Keep Your Lamps! arr. by Andre Thomas
​Performed by the University of Missouri–Columbia Outreach Choir

"Kyrie Eleison" from Requiem by Joan Brudieu (1520–1591)
​Performed by the Ars Nova Singers, Columbia, MO
Ocho Kandelikas: Ladino Song for Chanukah arr. by Jacobson
Performed by The Norman Singers, Norman, OK

King of Kings arr. by Glenn Edward Burleigh
Performed by the University of Missouri–Columbia Outreach Choir

Recital Programs/Posters

World Tour: Outside the Western European Tradition
​Choral Masterworks
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World Tour: Concert Program.pdf
File Size: 2402 kb
File Type: pdf
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Choral Masterworks: Concert Program.pdf
File Size: 627 kb
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The Elements of Design: Music and Art
Going Home: Our Folksong Heritage
Sacred Songs: Schubert Mass in G
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The Elements of Design: Program.pdf
File Size: 1528 kb
File Type: pdf
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Going Home: Concert Program.pdf
File Size: 213 kb
File Type: pdf
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Sacred Songs: Schubert Mass in G.pdf
File Size: 10511 kb
File Type: pdf
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Light: The Norman Singers
Earth: The Norman Singers
A Winter's Concert: The Norman Singers
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Light/Norman Singers Program
File Size: 2671 kb
File Type: pdf
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Earth/Norman Singers Program
File Size: 896 kb
File Type: pdf
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Winter's Concert/Norman Singers Program
File Size: 3672 kb
File Type: pdf
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Hearing Voices: A Concert Dedicated to
Underrepresented Peoples in Music/The Norman Singers
Mariachi Mass (1970)–A. Avalos
​Performed by the Norman Singers/Conducted by Joshua Chism

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Hearing Voices/Norman Singers Program
File Size: 35780 kb
File Type: pdf
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Program Notes
Mariachi Mass, a work in five movements, was published in 1970. The work’s composer (listed as A. Avalos) is actually a pseudonym for Theron Kirk (1919– 1999) who composed more than 1,000 published works. Kirk served on the music faculty at San Antonio College from 1955–1986 and as president of ACDA. A modest work for flexible voicing with mass text in English, this work features an accompaniment scored for traditional mariachi ensemble (paired trumpet, guitar, guitarrón, and ad. lib. percussion). The work is intended to be performed in the spirit of mariachi style—informally with much “gusto.” This engaging and accessible piece is rarely performed today.

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