Press Release issued by the Dale Warland Singers

Contact: Melissa Cox Norris, Director of Library Communications, (513) 556-1558 or melissa.norris@uc.edu

DALE WARLAND SINGERS CHOOSES UC AS HOME FOR SCORE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

May 28, 2004 - The Dale Warland Singers (DWS) is very pleased to announce the selection of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), in partnership with the campus’ University Libraries, as the final home for its score library and archives, amongst the largest collection of contemporary choral works in the country. CCM was chosen after a six-month review of proposals received from eight public and private institutions including Yale University, Indiana University-Bloomington, The University of Minnesota, Eastman School of Music and Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

“I am very happy with the selection of CCM as the final home for the Dale Warland Singers’ collection,” said Dale Warland. “For more than 25 years, CCM has managed one of the top choral conducting programs in the country. Its willingness to integrate our collection into their teaching programs, and, just as important, make it accessible to other professional choruses, is great news for everyone.”

The DWS collection includes its score library (multiple copies of more than 1100 choral works and arrangements); first edition copies of all 270 works commissioned by the Dale Warland Singers; valuable papers including all organizational and artistic records; and a media library which includes more than 300 audio and video recordings of the ensemble’s performances. (For information on the availability of the collection in University Libraries, visit www.libraries.uc.edu/information/news/pressrelease/0304/dwsavailability.html)

“It’s wonderful that CCM has been chosen to host the DWS archives. CCM is a superb teaching institution and will make this important resource available to the wider audience that the collection deserves,” said Vern Sutton, performer, director and Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota Music department.

The Dale Warland Singers is disbanding after 31 years upon the resignation of Dale Warland, founder and music director. Its score library and archives/collection is an invaluable resource for students of the choral genre as well as the public at large. Many works first commissioned and premiered by DWS have now become standards of the repertoire, performed by professional and college choirs across the nation.

A committee comprising members of the Dale Warland Singers’ Board of Directors, singers from the ensemble and representatives of leading Twin Cities’ arts organizations considered the following criteria for the final repository:

• National reputation as a music school and the quality of its teaching program and faculty for training conductors (particularly choral conductors), composers, singers, musicologists, and music educators;
• Ability to preserve the collection, make it accessible in a timely fashion, and use it within its own student programs;
• Willingness to make the score library accessible to other professional and university choruses through a lending library program; and,
• Ability to fund the transfer, preservation, accessibility and use of the DWS collection.

Following a rigorous review of all proposals, the committee made site visits to and conducted extensive interviews with three finalist institutions: Indiana University-Bloomington, University of Minnesota and CCM.
CCM was chosen for its:

• strong choral conducting training program;
• exceptional vocal arts program;
• proven record of attracting very high-level candidates for its graduate and doctoral programs; and,
• its financial and organizational ability to integrate the DWS collection into its choral, musicology and composition programs and its University Libraries.

“It is our honor to have been selected as the final repository institution for this collection, which constitutes one of the great cornerstones of American culture,” stated Douglas Lowry, Dean of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. “Victoria Montavon, Dean of University Libraries, shares with me her enthusiasm for this marvelous collection. We intend to make this a living archive, using the sophisticated technological resources of a major research library in order to make available the message of the Dale Warland Singers archives to a worldwide audience. Our goal is to make sure that future generations of choral conductors and musicians will learn from these testaments of musical insight and knowledge.”

In the most recent rankings of music programs by U.S. News and World Report, CCM was cited as the sixth top university program in the country for pursuing a graduate degree in music, and within the specialty areas of conducting and voice CCM’s programs placed in the top five. CCM’s student ensembles have performed internationally, recorded for major labels, and won ASCAP awards for excellence and programming. In addition, CCM maintains a close relationship with the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, a fully professional chamber choir, and the Cincinnati Children’s Choir, Ensemble-in-Residence at CCM.

Earl Rivers, CCM’s Director of Choral Studies noted, “The DWS Library at CCM will greatly enhance CCM’s professional conducting and voice training programs, and its presence in the University Libraries will enable the collection to be shared nationally and internationally.”

University Libraries supports the University of Cincinnati’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs by providing research materials as well as state-of-the art technology. The libraries include the Walter C. Langsam Library, the Archives and Rare Books Department, University of Cincinnati Digital Press, and nine college and departmental libraries. CCM’s Gorno Memorial Music Library houses more than 120,000 volumes, including books, music scores, periodicals, microforms and recordings. Together, CCM and the University Libraries have been noted for their integration of archival material into curriculums and hold several other music collections. CCM was also the first university in Ohio to offer an online audio reserves library, which allows its students to listen to assignments via a protected intranet website.

MORE ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI COLLEGE-CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is recognized both nationally and internationally as one of the leading conservatories for the performing arts and electronic media. CCM offers the benefit of a professional training conservatory and state-of-the-art facilities within the setting of a comprehensive public university. The school’s roster of eminent faculty regularly receives distinguished honors, and its alumni go on to notable success in the performing and media arts. CCM is also the largest single source of performing arts presentations in the state of Ohio. Its annual calendar boasts nearly 1,000 performances and presentations, ranging from solo recitals to opera and musical theater performances. Please visit www.ccm.uc.edu for additional information about the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

MORE ABOUT THE DALE WARLAND SINGERS
The Dale Warland Singers is an internationally renowned, award-winning, 40-voice professional chorus based in the Twin Cities. Led by founder and music director, Dale Warland, the Dale Warland Singers’ mission is to enrich, inspire and entertain its audiences through the superb, world-class performance of important a cappella choral music, while fostering awareness, understanding and appreciation of recent choral music repertoire.
Please visit our website at www.dalewarlandsingers.org for extensive biographies of the choir, conductor Dale Warland and the singers, as well as a full discography and reviews of our concerts and recordings.

 

###

Return to list of press releases