CHOIR HISTORY
2021 Pacific Coast Chorale is thrilled to be in our new home at First Presbyterian Church in beautiful downtown!
We are in full production post Covid - check out what we are up to on our Events page!
January 4, 2020
January of 2020 brought changes to Pacific Coast Chorale, marked by a change in leadership. John Nettles was promoted to Artistic Director and Rodney Girvin was promoted to Assistant Conductor & Accompanist. We will always be profoundly grateful to Jim for his tremendous contributions and impact he made on the choir during his 6 years as Artistic Director.
June 24, 2017
Pacific Coast Chorale was notified by the IRS that we are now officially a 501c3 non-profit organization. Our tax-exempt status was granted. We are thrilled to become our own entity and will work hard to ensure that we make the most of this privilege, and responsibility, and all it affords.
December 2, 2013
In February of 2013, a call went out to a consortium of San Diego choirs, including San Diego Master Chorale, Music Vitale, The La Jolla Symphony Chorus, First United Methodist Church’s Masterwork Chorale, Peninsula Singers, and several others, to see if any of those organization’s choir members would like to participate in an upcoming series of performances of Carl Orff’s dynamic Carmina Burana. The event would incorporate a specially choreographed ballet, danced by members of City Ballet of San Diego, and would be accompanied by the City Ballet of San Diego Orchestra. This premiere event, slated to be performed in San Diego’s legendary Spreckel’s Theater, would be the first to combine a spectacular orchestra and a renowned ballet ensemble with a hundred-person choir. The emerging “Carmina Burana choir” was something extraordinary. It was a melting pot of chorus members who came from a variety of established local choirs, and, thus, were highly experienced. The assimilation resulted in a fierce performing machine, a “choir of choirs,” comprised of quick-studies, dedicated to the success of this series of performances.
In the short span of eight weeks, the Carmina Burana choir, officially designated as the “City Ballet of San Diego Chorus,” worked feverishly, under the tutelage of the wildly popular, veritably talented and versatile choral conductor, Jim Tompkins-MacLaine. Tackling the powerful Carmina Burana choral masterpiece with command and precision in a sharply limited timeframe proved Jim’s mettle as a chorus master. The lofty ambitions of those who conceived of the Carmina Burana being set to ballet and accompanied by an orchestra with a robust choir resulted in universal acclaim, as audience members left each of the three performances in early May of 2013, expressing delight and admiration for the performances.
Jim was then recruited for the job of Artistic Director for the emerging new choir, Pacific Coast Chorale, and, to widespread approval, he accepted the position. Jim had a wealth of experience that would increase the success of this future choir. An accomplished musician who could play multiple musical instruments with professional proficiency, including the piano and the flute, both of which he often performed within the orchestra, Jim could also sing with stellar acuity, arrange and compose works for orchestra and choir, conduct choirs, teach music to adults and children, and perform with utter panache. Devoted to the integrity of great musical works, Jim’s ear for choral conducting with the utmost precision, combined with his affable and irascible personality, quickly made him a favorite leader among Carmina Burana choir members. His style for leading rehearsals mixed a serious attitude toward achieving his musical objectives with a penchant for making those in the room burst into laughter. All of this would be peppered by his retelling of personal stories of his musical experiences that would bring tears to the eyes and touch the soul of the choir.
Carmina Burana choir members were invited to join Pacific Coast Chorale in an ongoing adventure, once the Carmina Burana run concluded. Many of the choir members were thrilled by this prospect, as they had genuinely bonded during their two-months of rehearsals and performances, and were sad to see it all ending so abruptly. This gave anyone interested a way to remain a part of something that had turned out to be incredibly special. To the delight of everyone involved in forming the new choir, a strong contingency of Carmina Burana choir members did in fact make the move to become a part of the newly minted choir, whose first rehearsal would be later that summer.
Another gem that emerged from the Carmina Burana experience was the City Ballet of San Diego Orchestra’s conductor, John Nettles, a gifted and accomplished renaissance man within the arts, with an immense talent for orchestral conducting, enhanced by his background in ballet and singing; in addition to conducting, he was a ballet dancer, choreographer and powerhouse tenor. John had an established longtime working relationship and friendship with choral master, Jim Tompkins-MacLaine. It took no arm-twisting for Jim to entice John’s involvement in this new endeavor that would soon become the Pacific Coast Chorale. John shared the burgeoning enthusiasm that Jim had for the forthcoming choir. John generously came aboard in a number of understated roles, given his caliber of musical experience. He was amply pleased to become an actual choir member, a tenor, which took him back to his roots when he enjoyed the experience of pure singing. Having a choir member who could also conduct a full orchestra and choir, as well as choreograph a ballet, was an added bounty for this developing choir. John also humbly volunteered to be Logistics Manager for the choir, a less glamorous but ever important function within the choir, which would keep its performance engine running smoothly. Later during its first year of existence, John became the Assistant Conductor for the new choir.
With the people now firmly in place, the issue of location for the choir to rehearse was next to be resolved. Pacific Coast Chorale would ultimately find itself rehearsing on the first Saturday of each month at Downtown San Diego’s Central Public Library, and meeting all other Saturdays to rehearse at the nearby Logan Heights Library, a generous and friendly environment, which choir members quickly grew to adore.
A schedule of performances was quickly cultivated. Between Jim Tompkins-MacLaine’s and John Nettles’ varied contacts in the music world, the choir got bookings before it even hosted its inaugural rehearsal. Additionally, Jenni Nguyen’s connection to the Central Public Library, as one of its staff members, generated more bookings for PCC. The choir, yet to meet for the first time officially, would soon have two performances scheduled, including a performance at the Central Public Library’s Staff Party on August 28, 2013, a precursor to its grand opening for the public, and a joint performance of Mozart’s Requiem with the East County Youth Symphony, conducted by Alexandra Keegan on September 3, 2013. Few choirs begin with two professional caliber performances undertaken within their first few weeks of infancy, but this one rose to the occasion and delivered seasoned performances at each show.
With the vision, the people, the venues, the connections, and the roots of the choir now planted, the only thing left to fall into place was to make it all a reality. On July 27, 2013, choir members entered the rehearsal room at the Logan Heights Library for the first time, smile by smile; their combined enthusiasm was palpable. Choir members were welcomed one-by-one, as they came to participate in a historic day in the life of Pacific Coast Chorale. Jim cheerfully welcomed everyone present that day as he spoke of his excitement for the future of this group, as well as his appreciation to everyone who made it happen. With that, choir members opened their choir binders and started rehearsing four songs that would be sung at the Central Public Library’s Grand Opening Celebration just two months away. Those songs included, “Choose Something like a Star,” by Randall Thompson (poetry by Robert Frost) and "The Promise of Living" by Aaron Copland. Also included were Percy Grainger’s “Irish Tune from County Derry,” sung to the tune of Frederic Weatherly’s stirring English ballad, “Danny Boy,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” a popular favorite from Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oscar-winning classic, The Sound of Music.
How the choir sounded was the dynamic that elevated this choir to a level rarely seen on the first day of a choir’s existence. Leaders and members of the choir contributed their talents, skills and voices to produce a sound fit for the kingdom of heaven. All present knew that they were in the midst of something quite special.
The choir fine-tuned its repertoire in preparation for the grand opening of the Central Public Library. Early rehearsals took place at the Logan Heights Library, while the final touches were being placed on the newly constructed Central Public Library. The choir’s first logo pays homage to the new library’s iconic dome. In addition to the dynamic visual element of the new downtown Central Public Library, designed by architect Rob Wellington Quigley, FAIA and Tucker Sadler & Associates, the 497,652 square foot site was also intended to garner and showcase the diversity of citizenry, with emphasis on multicultural populations coexisting harmoniously within the city’s boundaries. The library’s Grand Opening was an event years in the making and the buzz of downtown for the months leading up to it. As the library, the city, and Pacific Coast Chorale prepared for the big day, hearts were full of pride and anticipation for the day that would open the door to usher in the future of the long-awaited library and the new choir.
On September 28, 2013, the San Diego Central Public Library greeted the public for the first time, marking the beginning of the Grand Opening festivities, which welcomed a swelling crowd of people that weaved throughout the library, pouring out onto the streets surrounding it. To help commemorate such a glorious occasion for San Diegans, Pacific Coast Chorale sang in an afternoon performance, solidifying its heritage with that of the new library’s. As the choir performed, with each new number, the crowd grew. Everyone present enjoyed the performance and heartily applauded both the new library and the new choir.
Since that day, Pacific Coast Chorale has maintained its momentum by adding more performance engagements to its busy schedule. Notably, they performed with the City Ballet of San Diego Orchestra for a Messiah Sing-Along in downtown San Diego’s Spreckel’s Theater, on December 17, 2013 at 7PM. Women choir members also performed in rotation in the ballet company’s performances of The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky’s timeless holiday favorite. Beyond the holidays, the choir’s Artistic Director has fervently planned the next few seasons for 2014, which will include: Broadway and Beyond; International Folk Music; and Mozart’s Requiem with the City Ballet of San Diego. Slated for 2015 are Music of the Civil War and a second annual Messiah Sing-Along at Spreckels Theatre.
We are in full production post Covid - check out what we are up to on our Events page!
January 4, 2020
January of 2020 brought changes to Pacific Coast Chorale, marked by a change in leadership. John Nettles was promoted to Artistic Director and Rodney Girvin was promoted to Assistant Conductor & Accompanist. We will always be profoundly grateful to Jim for his tremendous contributions and impact he made on the choir during his 6 years as Artistic Director.
June 24, 2017
Pacific Coast Chorale was notified by the IRS that we are now officially a 501c3 non-profit organization. Our tax-exempt status was granted. We are thrilled to become our own entity and will work hard to ensure that we make the most of this privilege, and responsibility, and all it affords.
December 2, 2013
In February of 2013, a call went out to a consortium of San Diego choirs, including San Diego Master Chorale, Music Vitale, The La Jolla Symphony Chorus, First United Methodist Church’s Masterwork Chorale, Peninsula Singers, and several others, to see if any of those organization’s choir members would like to participate in an upcoming series of performances of Carl Orff’s dynamic Carmina Burana. The event would incorporate a specially choreographed ballet, danced by members of City Ballet of San Diego, and would be accompanied by the City Ballet of San Diego Orchestra. This premiere event, slated to be performed in San Diego’s legendary Spreckel’s Theater, would be the first to combine a spectacular orchestra and a renowned ballet ensemble with a hundred-person choir. The emerging “Carmina Burana choir” was something extraordinary. It was a melting pot of chorus members who came from a variety of established local choirs, and, thus, were highly experienced. The assimilation resulted in a fierce performing machine, a “choir of choirs,” comprised of quick-studies, dedicated to the success of this series of performances.
In the short span of eight weeks, the Carmina Burana choir, officially designated as the “City Ballet of San Diego Chorus,” worked feverishly, under the tutelage of the wildly popular, veritably talented and versatile choral conductor, Jim Tompkins-MacLaine. Tackling the powerful Carmina Burana choral masterpiece with command and precision in a sharply limited timeframe proved Jim’s mettle as a chorus master. The lofty ambitions of those who conceived of the Carmina Burana being set to ballet and accompanied by an orchestra with a robust choir resulted in universal acclaim, as audience members left each of the three performances in early May of 2013, expressing delight and admiration for the performances.
Jim was then recruited for the job of Artistic Director for the emerging new choir, Pacific Coast Chorale, and, to widespread approval, he accepted the position. Jim had a wealth of experience that would increase the success of this future choir. An accomplished musician who could play multiple musical instruments with professional proficiency, including the piano and the flute, both of which he often performed within the orchestra, Jim could also sing with stellar acuity, arrange and compose works for orchestra and choir, conduct choirs, teach music to adults and children, and perform with utter panache. Devoted to the integrity of great musical works, Jim’s ear for choral conducting with the utmost precision, combined with his affable and irascible personality, quickly made him a favorite leader among Carmina Burana choir members. His style for leading rehearsals mixed a serious attitude toward achieving his musical objectives with a penchant for making those in the room burst into laughter. All of this would be peppered by his retelling of personal stories of his musical experiences that would bring tears to the eyes and touch the soul of the choir.
Carmina Burana choir members were invited to join Pacific Coast Chorale in an ongoing adventure, once the Carmina Burana run concluded. Many of the choir members were thrilled by this prospect, as they had genuinely bonded during their two-months of rehearsals and performances, and were sad to see it all ending so abruptly. This gave anyone interested a way to remain a part of something that had turned out to be incredibly special. To the delight of everyone involved in forming the new choir, a strong contingency of Carmina Burana choir members did in fact make the move to become a part of the newly minted choir, whose first rehearsal would be later that summer.
Another gem that emerged from the Carmina Burana experience was the City Ballet of San Diego Orchestra’s conductor, John Nettles, a gifted and accomplished renaissance man within the arts, with an immense talent for orchestral conducting, enhanced by his background in ballet and singing; in addition to conducting, he was a ballet dancer, choreographer and powerhouse tenor. John had an established longtime working relationship and friendship with choral master, Jim Tompkins-MacLaine. It took no arm-twisting for Jim to entice John’s involvement in this new endeavor that would soon become the Pacific Coast Chorale. John shared the burgeoning enthusiasm that Jim had for the forthcoming choir. John generously came aboard in a number of understated roles, given his caliber of musical experience. He was amply pleased to become an actual choir member, a tenor, which took him back to his roots when he enjoyed the experience of pure singing. Having a choir member who could also conduct a full orchestra and choir, as well as choreograph a ballet, was an added bounty for this developing choir. John also humbly volunteered to be Logistics Manager for the choir, a less glamorous but ever important function within the choir, which would keep its performance engine running smoothly. Later during its first year of existence, John became the Assistant Conductor for the new choir.
With the people now firmly in place, the issue of location for the choir to rehearse was next to be resolved. Pacific Coast Chorale would ultimately find itself rehearsing on the first Saturday of each month at Downtown San Diego’s Central Public Library, and meeting all other Saturdays to rehearse at the nearby Logan Heights Library, a generous and friendly environment, which choir members quickly grew to adore.
A schedule of performances was quickly cultivated. Between Jim Tompkins-MacLaine’s and John Nettles’ varied contacts in the music world, the choir got bookings before it even hosted its inaugural rehearsal. Additionally, Jenni Nguyen’s connection to the Central Public Library, as one of its staff members, generated more bookings for PCC. The choir, yet to meet for the first time officially, would soon have two performances scheduled, including a performance at the Central Public Library’s Staff Party on August 28, 2013, a precursor to its grand opening for the public, and a joint performance of Mozart’s Requiem with the East County Youth Symphony, conducted by Alexandra Keegan on September 3, 2013. Few choirs begin with two professional caliber performances undertaken within their first few weeks of infancy, but this one rose to the occasion and delivered seasoned performances at each show.
With the vision, the people, the venues, the connections, and the roots of the choir now planted, the only thing left to fall into place was to make it all a reality. On July 27, 2013, choir members entered the rehearsal room at the Logan Heights Library for the first time, smile by smile; their combined enthusiasm was palpable. Choir members were welcomed one-by-one, as they came to participate in a historic day in the life of Pacific Coast Chorale. Jim cheerfully welcomed everyone present that day as he spoke of his excitement for the future of this group, as well as his appreciation to everyone who made it happen. With that, choir members opened their choir binders and started rehearsing four songs that would be sung at the Central Public Library’s Grand Opening Celebration just two months away. Those songs included, “Choose Something like a Star,” by Randall Thompson (poetry by Robert Frost) and "The Promise of Living" by Aaron Copland. Also included were Percy Grainger’s “Irish Tune from County Derry,” sung to the tune of Frederic Weatherly’s stirring English ballad, “Danny Boy,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” a popular favorite from Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oscar-winning classic, The Sound of Music.
How the choir sounded was the dynamic that elevated this choir to a level rarely seen on the first day of a choir’s existence. Leaders and members of the choir contributed their talents, skills and voices to produce a sound fit for the kingdom of heaven. All present knew that they were in the midst of something quite special.
The choir fine-tuned its repertoire in preparation for the grand opening of the Central Public Library. Early rehearsals took place at the Logan Heights Library, while the final touches were being placed on the newly constructed Central Public Library. The choir’s first logo pays homage to the new library’s iconic dome. In addition to the dynamic visual element of the new downtown Central Public Library, designed by architect Rob Wellington Quigley, FAIA and Tucker Sadler & Associates, the 497,652 square foot site was also intended to garner and showcase the diversity of citizenry, with emphasis on multicultural populations coexisting harmoniously within the city’s boundaries. The library’s Grand Opening was an event years in the making and the buzz of downtown for the months leading up to it. As the library, the city, and Pacific Coast Chorale prepared for the big day, hearts were full of pride and anticipation for the day that would open the door to usher in the future of the long-awaited library and the new choir.
On September 28, 2013, the San Diego Central Public Library greeted the public for the first time, marking the beginning of the Grand Opening festivities, which welcomed a swelling crowd of people that weaved throughout the library, pouring out onto the streets surrounding it. To help commemorate such a glorious occasion for San Diegans, Pacific Coast Chorale sang in an afternoon performance, solidifying its heritage with that of the new library’s. As the choir performed, with each new number, the crowd grew. Everyone present enjoyed the performance and heartily applauded both the new library and the new choir.
Since that day, Pacific Coast Chorale has maintained its momentum by adding more performance engagements to its busy schedule. Notably, they performed with the City Ballet of San Diego Orchestra for a Messiah Sing-Along in downtown San Diego’s Spreckel’s Theater, on December 17, 2013 at 7PM. Women choir members also performed in rotation in the ballet company’s performances of The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky’s timeless holiday favorite. Beyond the holidays, the choir’s Artistic Director has fervently planned the next few seasons for 2014, which will include: Broadway and Beyond; International Folk Music; and Mozart’s Requiem with the City Ballet of San Diego. Slated for 2015 are Music of the Civil War and a second annual Messiah Sing-Along at Spreckels Theatre.
IN RECOGNITION:
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Bianca Lundien Kennedy
Past President of Pacific Coast Chorale, from 2013-2019 |
