Nature, Beauty, and Song

I love being outside, and all that entails -- more than just about any other thing in life. And while I love rocks, and trees, and mountains, and animals, and plants, it is not any one of these things in particular that makes me love nature. It is the entire package. I love the way the stars interact with the river. The way the deer live and interact with the other woodland creatures, sometimes in harmony, sometimes not. I find music in the rustling of the wind through the trees, the rush of water over the rocks, the songs of birds, and the sound of my own footsteps as I traverse a trail.

The beauty, power, and diversity of nature have been an inspiration to composers for centuries. In fact, next to love songs, nature is the greatest source of inspiration for composers and songwriters. I am so excited about our upcoming concert celebrating nature through song. In typical fashion for CoroAllegro, we will be presenting several “industry standards” in addition to a whole bunch of lesser-known tunes. Diamonds in the rough, if you will allow me to use the cliché.

One of the things that I find so exciting about this concert is the different way in which all of the composers handle singing about nature. Some of them talk about the importance of protecting the environment. Some of them talk about the diversity of plant and animal wildlife. Some of them talk about the beauty of the stars and the planets and the cosmos. Some of them use the way we treat nature as an allegory for how we treat each other. Some of the songs are not even really about nature, but reference nature steadily throughout. I find what the composers bring to each piece – their life experiences and their relationship with nature – to be intriguing and exciting.

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I am a conductor who believes firmly in the use of word painting through music, and I have tried very hard in my preparations for this concert to bring out the beauty of the setting of the words with music of these fine composers throug my interpretation of word painting. It has actually been slightly overwhelming for me to see the reaction of many of the singers to this music, who have told me time and again how even in their own rehearsals at home, this music moves them to tears. I am so glad that the music I have chosen has such a powerful effect on so many of our singers, and I hope that this will come across to each and every audience member.

I hope that you’ll join us on April 6 as CoroAllegro brings this relationship between music and nature to life for each one of you.

Jeffrey Dokken

CoroAllegro's Artistic Director