Written by: Brody R.
Hello, everybody and welcome back to the bloggiest blog that you have ever did read. My name is Brody and I will be one of the voices you will be hearing from throughout the workshop. I am so excited to return for my 5th (and perhaps final) workshop as a singer. If you haven’t seen any of my previous works, I suggest you peruse last workshop and tour’s blogs if you can’t seem to get enough after reading this.
On Saturday, July 18, 2026, we embarked on a new path. This path is the 31st Edition of The Cardinal Chorale. The theme this year is “One World, One Voice, One Song” which I believe is such an important message for all to hear. Each year, one of the things that I am always most excited for is finding out what the theme is! The relevancy of the theme is quite prominent in what much of the world is going through right now. Despite much disagreement throughout the globe, music is something that can bring those of all cultures and backgrounds to appreciate the message that it holds.
Anyways, I hope you are ready to hear every detail and see all of the super awesome events that we will have throughout the remainder of the week. Ironically enough, I only actually got one nice photo. But, I promise that the rest of the days will have plenty of visual aids to enhance the reading experience.
The day kicked off on just the right foot. A fellow member of the chorale that I recruited, Nathan, and I arrived a little bit late to the workshop, so we missed check-in…but we were still on time before anything else set into motion. Last year, I missed the first day of workshop because I went to see a musical, but don’t fret, I was here the whole day this year and boy, was I glad that I didn’t miss it. The first rehearsal set us off to the races. A lot of the music for the repertoire this year is mostly new music for me. Which, in hindsight, was super exciting. I was gravely mistaken when I sat down in that first rehearsal and after a couple days of staying up late and being in a car from a four and a half hours. We sight-read most of the new pieces we have for this year and I have never been the greatest sight-reader…but the Chorale has taught me so much and prepared me well for times like that. Many of the skills that I have learned from the time spent with the Chorale has been applied to my classes I have had to take at BGSU. I am forever grateful for days like the first day of workshop, never failing to set me straight and allow me to lock back into the art of music-making.
Day 1 of workshop has always been one of my favorites to experience. Seeing again the returning members of the Chorale and greeting them after being apart for a month. But, most notably, being able to meet and welcome the new members of the Chorale with open arms! We had a deep conversation about integrating the new members not as if they were new, but as if we were all meeting for the first time and starting fresh so that it’s not too intimidating for them. It is very insane to think of how many years ago (4 to be exact) that I was in their shoes. I can recall how absolutely terrified freshman Brody was for an experience like this. I am so grateful for the Chorale workshop for allowing me to break out of my shell. I do not believe I would be the person I am today without the Chorale. It has shaped me from being a shy little freshman to becoming an upcoming second year in college pursuing a career in music education because of how much I have been inspired by all the individuals I have studied under and have been instructed by.
The day was filled with much love and connection with one another. It was great to catch up with some of the people I haven’t seen. I had just had my haircut the day before, so many people were making comments about how much of my hair had been chopped off. Shout out to my barber! Thanks, Morgan. The vibes were simply so great and already I am so unbelievably excited about what the rest of this year has to offer with the Chorale. We have a lot of tough music to learn, but I have full confidence that we will absolutely knock it out of the park.
Another part of workshop that I am always so excited about is our opera. Each Chorale member, at the beginning of workshop, is given an opus number. These small groups allow for members to make more intimate and intentional connections with other singers in the Chorale. We have breakfast together, create interesting challenges, push each other to become our best selves, and compete in what might be the most important event of our lives…(more on that later).
This year, I am a member of opus 2. This opus is led by a couple of our fantastic staff members, Erin and Peter. I am accompanied by Garrett, Lily, LJ, and Malorie. I am quite excited to be able to spend the week with them and learn more about each other. When we met for the night, we were able to give little life updates about what’s been going on in our personal lives which felt very nice to be able to share. Peter and I actually crossed paths between tour and workshop which was super fun. We both went to the Ohio Chorale Directors Association Summer Conference and I was able to sit next to him in a couple of the sessions. Making these connections both in and outside of the Chorale is what makes this experience so memorable.
I hope you all enjoyed the first entry into the blog for the 31st edition Cardinal Chorale workshop. You, readers, are the reason we continue to do what we do. Thank you all for your continued support. I hope I am able to provide all you want and more.
Feeling extra sleepy, but filled with too much adrenaline to sleep
Yours truly, Brody