By Gassia Ashikian
Staff Writer
After over 30 years of teaching one subject, some teachers need a new and creative forum to express their true passions. Several months ago, Mira Costa choir instructor Michael Hayden seized the opportunity to conduct the Capitol Section High School Honor Choir in Sacramento.
Hayden has been a choral instructor for 33 years but has only been instructing at Costa for six.
“I was a choir instructor at the University of Indiana, Purdue, Fort Wayne and Butler University,” Hayden said. “At those universities, I conducted Vocal Jazz Ensembles, Men’s and Women’s Choir and Chamber Choir.”
Dr. Don Kendrick, director of choral activities from the Capitol Section High School, selected Hayden as the guest conductor of the Sacramento Honor Choir. Several months ago, Kendrick attended a Western Division Conference where Hayden conducted one of Mira Costa’s choirs and was very impressed with Hayden’s elegant conducting style.
“I keep my eyes open for talented conductors who I think would be good fits to teach our students,” Kendrick said. “I was mostly impressed with Mr. Hayden’s poise and elegance on stage. He really captivated the entire audience during the performance.”
Hayden conducted the Sacramento Honor Choir for the first time on Jan. 27 at Fremont Presbyterian Church. The choir was composed of 150 high school members from around the central region of Sacramento. Hayden had total creative control, selecting the songs the Honors Choir performed. One of these was “Vita de la Mia Vita,” a piece about unrequited love, by William Hawley.
“I chose music that covered a variety of time periods and styles,” Hayden said. “I selected songs that I knew would be successful but also challenging.”
Hayden was only able to practice with the choir a day before the performance. According to Hayden, with such little time, it was crucial for each choir member to practice the selected songs on his or her own.
“The selected music could not be too difficult because it needed to come together nicely in a short amount of time,” Hayden said. “But we always put forth all our effort in the moment.”
According to Hayden, it is important for singers’ developments as young musicians to work and collaborate with different conductors to receive distinct critiques on their vocal skills.
“I think it is very important for young musicians to work with various teachers because each teacher they earn from, they will gain new insight,” Hayden said.
The choir was not critiqued based on a numeric score. It solely performed to entertain the Sacramento community.
“Honor Choirs come together for a great experience,” Hayden said. “It is a time for the students to show their talents and meet new people.”
Costa choir members believe Hayden has had a positive impact on their musical development and that he deserved the opportunity to guest conduct the Sacramento Honor Choir.
“I know that any choir Mr. Hayden instructs will do a great job,” sophomore Mckay Gillette said. “He is absolutely wonderful with the students and is always looking for ways we can improve as an ensemble and individually. He has been a great musical influence for me and our ensemble in general.”
According to Hayden, conducting the Sacramento Honor Choir was a terrific experience that helped his own personal development as a high school conductor.
“It was a fantastic concert overall,” Hayden said. “The kids were amazing, and the audience loved what we performed. I couldn’t be happier with their performance.”
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