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The following article is a continuation and culmination of an article published last week, presented in two installments. Later this month, the KC Chorale will present a concert of music for double chorus. Looking forward to that concert, Artistic Director Charles Bruffy gave a rare interview to our choral/vocal writer R. Douglas Helvering. 

As a musician, Charles Bruffy cites the legendary Robert Shaw as one of his most influential teachers and mentors. Charles first worked with Shaw in the summer of 1994 in France and was a close friend up until the conductor's death in 1999. Reflecting on his time with Shaw, Bruffy said: "To sing with Robert Shaw was to study with him (if you were alert and paid attention.) He had an enduring impact on me." Indeed, maestro Shaw had an enduring impact on an entire generation of up-and-coming musicians, and now, 10 years after his death, he is beginning to impact an entirely new generation of musicians through the work of his pupils and protégés. One of Robert Shaw's mantras for musicians was to "master the basics." Bruffy has taken that approach one step further, saying: "Our eye is always on the art, because if you take care of the extravagances, the necessities will take care of themselves." 

This comment struck a chord. How often have we heard recordings by really fantastic choirs but were left wanting more than just a well-sung and well-tuned rendition? By focusing on the big picture, Bruffy's professional ensembles are able to connect with audiences like few other chamber choirs. "When everyone becomes so laser focused, everything else raises. Then, the tone becomes beyond what is normally possible. I have the luxury of working with the kind of singers that I do where each person brings their own muse. If all they did was sing the flecks on the page, then we wouldn't be able to make the kind of art that we do. It's a group dynamic requirement that every person comes with 'batteries included'."

In speaking about his choral approach with the Kansas City Chorale and Phoenix Chorale, Charles said: "We try to sing with a disarmed, vulnerable, and honest approach. I love it when the listeners allow themselves to be immersed in the sonar experience." He discussed specifics of his approach to diction, mentioning that his ensembles have to remain flexible with their performance of language. They use what they call "cathedral diction" when performing in larger spaces, taking special care to project the consonants of the text so that the audience can appreciate it more easily. When recording, through the use of expensive and sensitive microphones, the group dials back their approach to diction, striking a delicate balance so that the text is audible and present without becoming overly intrusive. He added, "I'm the luckiest person in the hall. I get to stand where the sound is very immediate, and I get to finger-paint and be interactive with the sound." 

Some of maestro Bruffy's most recent success has been in receiving acclaim for his recordings. Last month, Bruffy's Phoenix Chorale won a Grammy award for Best Small Ensemble Performance for their recording Spotless Rose: Hymns to the Virgin Mary,released on the Chandos record label. The recording was nominated in three other categories: Best Classical Album, Best Choral Performance, and Best Surround Sound Album. 

Last year, Bruffy's joint recording with the Kansas City Chorale and The Phoenix Chorale,Grechaninov: Passion Week, was nominated for four Grammy awards, including Best Classical Album, Best Choral Performance, Best Surround Sound Album, and won for Best Engineered Classical Album. For Charles, the story of the Grechaninov recording is a gratifying one. He told of the process ... "You make your own recording and give it to the label, just like shopping a book around. You choose the best fit for your goals and go with that company. Why would I choose anyone else than Chandos! They already had the Grechaninov recorded by a Russian Choir, so they weren't interested at all. They told us that before we did our recording sessions. We sent it to them anyway because we wanted to let them know what was happening with the two choirs, and the next thing you know they had bumped the Russian recording down to their lower level label and bumped us up. Then it was nominated for four Grammys!" 

It's a rare accomplishment for a midwestern American choir to outshine a Russian choir doing Russian music. For Bruffy, the hardest aspect of the recording was "bridging the gap between 'really good and passible' to truly authentic...where it sounds like it's a Russian chorus. We couldn't have done it without Olga Ackerly's (UMKC Conservatory of Music professor) guidance." Not resting on their recent success, the Kansas City Chorale will be recording, among other selections, a new work written especially for them by acclaimed choral composer René Clausen. Clausen's Mass is written for unaccompanied double chorus and uses the traditional liturgical text, divided into five movements. In perhaps a bit of superstition, Bruffy plans to record this next project in the same venue where the Grechaninov was recorded.

Our conversation next turned to the issue of choral programming. In recent years, Bruffy's programming has won great praise, receiving the ASCAP-Chorus America award for Adventurous Programming in 2000. With the international status of his two professional ensembles, Charles has had the privilege of working with some of the world's best composers as well as bringing fresh talent some greatly deserved recognition. Bruffy added, "Just because we can sing a song doesn't necessarily mean that we should. It's fun, though, when people ask me for a suggestion for a particular type of piece. We all (as choral leaders) have a responsibility to take care of one another and be as generous as we can." 

So, with all of this success, where does Charles Bruffy go from here? What long-term aspirations does he have? He offered this: "I haven't planned anything that's happened so far. I don't want to say that I'm satisfied with status quo, but frankly, why would I want to do anything else? Getting to work with two ensembles like this, I'm very comfortable and lucky that I get to make my whole life around art. It's a real joy to work with them." One of Bruffy's biggest hopes and dreams revolves around the education and involvement of young people. Though he clearly said that he thinks conducting is his calling in life (not necessarily teaching), he actively thinks about the young generation being shown that it is fun to be good...that it's cool to be productive, proactive, positive, and successful...that it's fun to require perfection of ourselves.

Charles Bruffy is one of the lucky ones among us. In his own words, he is "doing what he was put on the planet to do." As choral music enthusiasts and Kansas City residents, we are blessed to have such a dedicated musician living and working among us. As the arts scene continues to blossom in our fair town, one can count on the Kansas City Chorale and Charles Bruffy continuing to lead the way. There are many exciting events happening here in Kansas City. We are all looking forward to the opening of the new Kauffman Performing Arts Center, which will finally give us a truly world class venue to showcase our hometown talent as well as host internationally distinguished guests. Charles Bruffy is also looking forward to the completion of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. "I would go down there and help with the bricks and mortar if they'd let me. I can't wait!" Indeed, we all can't wait. And, when it comes to maestro Bruffy and the Kansas City Chorale, we can't wait to hear them again in concert.

For more information about the Kansas City Chorale and Artistic Director Charles Bruffy, visit them on the internet at www.kcchorale.org.


Kansas City Chorale
Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Nativity, 119th & Mission Rd., Leawood, KS
Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m.
Redemptorist Church, 3333 Broadway, Kansas City, MO
For ticket information call 816-235-6222 or online at www.kcchorale.org
  

By R. Douglas Helvering

Classical and Vocal Contributor (Past writer)

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