A Conversation with Eugene Rogers, Robert Shafer & Duain Wolfe

“Movers & Shapers in Classical Music”: Grammy-Award Winning American Symphonic Chorus Conductors

A silver lining of the pandemic is that, with personal contact dangerous, musicians have had to find creative solutions to practice their craft and connect. Collaborations that would have been unthinkable due to distance are now possible, and virtual opportunities flourish online.

On August 21, technology brought musicians from Germany, Michigan, Washington, D.C., and Chicago together for a fascinating conversation about choral conducting. Dr. Eugene Rogers, newly appointed director of The Washington Chorus, spent the month of August guest-hosting renowned baritone Thomas Hampson’s World of Song series on the online platform Idagio. Dr. Rogers talked with the City Choir of Washington’s Robert Shafer, and director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Colorado Symphony Chorus Duain Wolfe–both Grammy-winning choral conductors–about their long and varied careers.

In the most poignant moment of the conversation, Robert Shafer said, “The main lesson I’ve learned [over my career] is just how marvelous this field of choral music is, and the fact that these people become part of our family—these singers, whether they’re paid or volunteer. I think this catalyst of choral music and the bond it creates with an audience is just so special and unique. I just thank God every day that I was brought into this world, and [that] it was possible for me to pursue this field of making music with voices speaking directly from the heart to the listener.”