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Barsch A Cappella 10 January 2013 Alice Parker Biography Ninety two and still going strong, Alice Parker is an inspirational choral composer and director who specializes in gospel choir compositions. Beginning her career while still in her high school years, she has come a very long way in making herself known by her spiritual compositions and her work with different professional choral groups. Alice Parker was brought into this world on December 16, 1925. She grew up in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts (allmusic.com). Singing before she even began to speak, Parker knew her life calling music. She began composing songs at the age of five, which then developed into orchestral score while she was still attending high school (giamusic.com). After high school, Parker attended Smith College, located in Northampton, Massachusetts, not too far from Boston. Once she graduated with a bachelors in music performance and composition, she went on to receive her masters degree from Julliard. At Julliard, she studied choral conducting with Robert Shaw, a famous, American conductor who passed away in 1999 (wikipedia.com). As Shaw began to organize the Robert Shaw Choral, he recruited Parker to do research and create choral arrangements for the new touring and recording ensemble. It was at this time that Alice Parker married baritone Thomas Pyle, and for the next twenty years their musical lives revolved around the Shaw Chorale (umich.edu). Continuing to work on her own compositions and arrangements, Parker stated, I always knew that I would concentrate on music for voices. Im fascinated by the way that choral singing

binds us together (umich.edu). After the death of her husband, Alice Parker went even harder to work. She began conducting, teaching and composing for many church, school and community choruses. She preferred to focus single-mindedly on the human voice and melody. In 1985, she founded Melodious Accord, Inc., a non-profit group which presents choral concerts, sponsors workshops, symposia, and her many professional appearances. Her programs have provided unique training for composers, conductors and song leaders. Her techniques have encouraged a generation of music teachers and choral conductors to think about music and the act of conducting in new ways (melodiousaccord.org). She has become an inspiration to teachers, directors and composers throughout America. Robert Shaw, commenting on her musical ability, once said, She possesses a rare and creative musical intelligence (melodiousaccord.org). Working with her, Shaw knows first-hand how incredibly talented this woman is at what she does. She has changed the lives of so many musical people. Not only does Alice Parker have an impeccable amount of talent, she also likes to recognize choruses for their hard work and vocal ability. Each year, a choir is chosen to receive the Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker Award. This award honors Alice Parker's career that has spanned almost six decades and has been devoted to the creation of works for the human voice (chorusamerica.org). The award is designed to recognize choruses that may not typically include the performance of new music, but have chosen to stretch themselves to present some of this repertoire; such choruses might include those specializing in early music or Baroque repertoire. This award has been distributed since 2003, and each year, the winning chorus receives an engraved plaque and cash reward. In an article entitled A Spiritual Encounter with Alice Parker, The Chorale describes the week long appearance of Alice Parker at Champaign-Urbana. They say she touched the

lives of hundreds of people. [They] listened, [they] sang and [they] made music. She taught [them] how to rediscover the spirit and meaning within the music (thechorale.org). On a Friday evening, Parker conducted one of her famous sings, and the theme of the nights entertainment was hymns from around the world. She taught them the importance of melody and rhythm, and how they contribute into making a piece of music meaningful. She also held a workshop that focused on techniques for improving the potential of singers at any level. A member of The Chorale stated, There is no one who is not a singer when she leads (thecorale.org). Alice Parker is an inspiration to all composers, directors and teachers. Composing since her youth, Parker has come over eighty years in perfecting her career. Even at such an age, she still holds the ability to take something thats ordinary, and makes it extraordinary; this goes along with people, as well. She holds the ability to make everyone feel like a star.

Works Cited "Alice Parker Biography." Alice Parker Biography | Melodious Accord. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2013. "Alice Parker." Biography- GIA Publications. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2013. "Alice Parker on AllMusic." AllMusic. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2013. "Alice Parker." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Jan. 2013. "Chorus America." Chorus America Advocacy Research RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2013. "A Spritual Encounter with Alice Parker." The CHORALE Alice Parker. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2013.