Ep. 40 - Deep Listening in the Choral Rehearsal - Jo-Michael Scheibe

Choir Fam Podcast

"It's not about only 'what do you hear,' it's about how you hear. What is the color of the sound you hear? What do you hear in the vocal mechanism? What are some of the things that they are doing that maybe are reflected in my conducting? Is my conducting reflective of the music? Is my conducting causing the issues?"
Jo-Michael Scheibe, a Southern California native, has spent years cultivating his passion for choral music and higher education. Mike, currently retired, recently chaired the Thornton School of Music’s Department of Choral and Sacred Music at the University of Southern California, where he conducted the USC Chamber Singers, taught choral conducting and choral methods, and supervised the graduate and undergraduate choral program. Before his time at USC, he spent fifteen years in Miami directing Choral Studies at University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.

Dr. Scheibe has prepared many choruses at USC and around the world. These include works with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, Helmuth Rilling, Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Formosa Singers in Taiwan. Under his leadership, ensembles have performed at National ACDA Conventions and National Conventions of the Music Educators National Conference. Walton, Albany, Colla Voce Music, and Naxos publish recordings of Scheibe’s ensembles.

Dr. Scheibe received his B.A. and M.M. degrees from California State University at Long Beach and D.M.A. from USC.

A champion of contemporary music, Scheibe regularly commissions and performs new works of choral literature. He has helped to launch careers of promising young composers and to promote music by international composers largely unknown in the United States. Music publishers Walton, Colla Voce Music and Santa Barbara distribute the Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series internationally. Composers in his series include Eric Whitacre, Susan LaBarr, Stacey V. Gibbs, David Dickau, and many others.
To get in touch with Mike, you can find him on Facebook (@drjomichaelscheibe) or send him an email at [e-mail].
Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro episode from September 16, 2022, to hear how to share your story with us. Email [e-mail] to contact our hosts.
Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson from Pexels