Thirty years of conducting the chorus

Young Chang

When John Alexander was young and deciding what to do with his life,

he went back and forth between wanting to sing and wanting to play the

violin.

So he did what any sensible musician would do.

He chose to conduct.

Now he plays the ultimate instrument -- the 160-voice Pacific Chorale

-- and celebrated 30 years of leading the group with a season finale

concert June 2 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

“I tell you, I’ve conducted choirs all over the world,” said the

57-year-old Alexander, the Chorale’s artistic director. “But I have the

most wonderful group of singers that have come together and that have

believed in the mission of the group. I wouldn’t trade this choir for

anyone.”

The concert closed out the Chorale’s 34th season as well as

Alexander’s 30th anniversary season. The program featured Alexander

conducting the Pacific Chorale, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra and Grammy

Award-winning mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung.

“It’s just such an honor for me to be able to do this for him,” said

the acclaimed DeYoung, who worked with Alexander 10 years ago while she

was a student and he was a choir director at Cal State Northridge. “He’s

such a perfectionist and I learned so much from him.”

In looking back 30 years, Alexander is proud of the major decisions

he’s made.

He was asked to be artistic director of the Pacific Chorale in 1972

while teaching at Cal State Fullerton. The group, called the Irvine

Master Chorale then, was led by Maurice Allard and was an adjunct to UC

Irvine during its first year, in 1968.

The Chorale had tasted Alexander’s musical flair when he guest

conducted the group in the early ‘70s. Thirty years ago, the conductor

made the union final.

For 20-something years, Alexander commuted from Los Angeles county

(where he lived because of his job at Cal State Northridge) to Orange

County. Seven years ago, he became professor of music and director of

choral studies at Cal State Fullerton and finally moved to Laguna Beach.

Aside from his own shortened commute, Alexander’s choices have led to

nothing but good for the chorale.

“It’s grown in stature, it’s grown in numbers, obviously we’ve grown

in terms of our fiscal ability to produce concerts,” said assistant

conductor Dennis Houser, who’s been with the Chorale since 1968. “More

importantly, the Chorale has grown in its musicality.”

Houser credits Alexander for the growth.

The chorale included the 160-member symphonic chorus, a smaller,

professional choir called the John Alexander Singers, three children’s

choruses, two training choirs and more than a dozen free or low-cost

music education programs for children.

The Chorale, the seventh largest in the country budget-wise, has

performed with symphonies around the world and has garnered awards

including the Margaret Hills Achievement Award from Chorus America, a

national service group for which Alexander is president.

The conductor’s goal for the group is to maintain enough money to keep

thriving and to widen its audience base.

“To let more of Orange County experience what I consider to be one of

the most beautiful chorale sounds in the world,” Alexander said. “To

bring more diversity to the Orange County public, to not just do standard

repertoires but to bring new works.”