USM Music Faculty!

Item Description

Conducting lessons with Robert Russell—Dr. Russell will prepare the fortunate winning bidder to conduct the Choral Art Society, specifically the processional "Personent hodie voces puerulae," at the Preview Concert for Christmas at the Cathedral on Saturday, December 7, 2013 at noon. 

You are bidding on:

- Two one-half hour choral conducting lessons with Dr. Robert Russell

- These lessons will take place in Dr. Russell's office in the home of the USM School of Music, Corthell Hall, on the Gorham campus, at a mutually agreeable time.

- This also includes a rehearsal with the Choral Art Society (plus brass quintet plus organ) on Thursday evening December 5, 2013 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, culminating in a performance at the preview concert at noon on Saturday December 7, 2013, at the Cathedral. The winning bidder will conduct the processional on Thursday, December 5, 2013 in the evening and at noon on Saturday, December 7, 2013.

An amazing opportunity!  We must indicate a dollar value in order for the system to accept all online auction items.  But how does one put a dollar value on personal, one-on-one instruction with Robert Dr. Russell along with the opportunity to conduct the Choral Art Society? You know that this experience is invaluable and worth much more than is indicated.  Happy bidding!

Item Special Note

Dr. Robert Russell, professor of music at the University of Southern Maine, is a native of Roanoke, Virginia, where he grew up in the Southern Baptist tradition of choral expression as an integral part of religious life. He studied music and religion at Wake Forest University (BA) and choral music with Lara Hoggard at the University of North Carolina (MM). He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in the literature and performance of choral music at the University of Colorado where he studied with Lynn Whitten and Barbara Doscher. He continued his studies with Robert Shaw, Alice Parker, Helmuth Rilling, and Elmer Iseler.

In 1979 Bob and his wife Linda moved to Portland to begin his work at the University of Southern Maine. At that time he began his tenure as music director of The Choral Art Society’s three ensembles: Singers, Camerata, and the symphonic Masterworks Chorus, which performs annually with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure as music director, CAS has performed many major works with the PSO, including the world premiere of Derek Holman's Two Poems, commissioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of CAS. In 1991 Bob prepared CAS for a performance of Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem led by distinguished guest conductor Robert Shaw, and in 2008 the PSO invited him as guest conductor for the Requiem. Bob has been an advocate for new choral music and instituted CAS' commission of works by local composers George Andoniadis, Scott Harris, Travis Ramsey, Jerry Bowder, and J. Mark Scearce as well as the noted North Carolina composer Dan Locklair. The Choral Art Society has released three CDs: Windswept the Trees: The Choral Music of Dan Locklair (1996), and Christmas at the Cathedral (1999 and 2004). In 2002 CAS toured Europe, singing in Budapest, Vienna, and Salzburg.