Coffee and Conversation -
Building Bridges with Brian and Jeremy Manternach
Bridging the Vocal/Choral Divide: The Farmer and the Cowman Should Be Friends
Monday, June 25 • 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
Presenters: Brian Manternach, Jeremy Manternach
Location: Partagas
While this topic has been addressed in panel discussions sponsored by NATS and ACDA and in articles in both the Journal of Singing and the Choral Journal, it is far from resolved. Brothers Brian and Jeremy Manternach have been wrestling with the vocal/choral issue for most of their musical lives. Besides growing up in the same household, where singing was enthusiastically encouraged and practiced, they attended the same high school and college where they shared the same choral directors, voice instructors, and musical experiences. After college, however, they each specialized in different areas. In this conversation, the Manternachs will share the experiences and evidence-based strategies they have found to be the most useful in bridging the choral/vocal divide and engage attendees in conversation on this topic.
About Brian Manternach
Brian Manternach, tenor, is on the voice faculty of the University of Utah’s Department of Theatre, maintains a private studio, and serves as Utah District NATS Governor. His students have been cast in professional productions in the USA and abroad and have earned top honors in vocal competitions from the local to international levels. A past recipient of the NATS Foundation Voice Pedagogy Award, he has presented research at national conferences for NATS and the Voice Foundation and given lectures for the National Center for Voice and Speech and TEDxSaltLakeCity. An associate editor of Journal of Singing, he also authors The Singer’s Library book review column for Classical Singer magazine. An active performer, his degrees in voice performance include a B.A. from St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict of Minnesota, an M.M. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a D.M. from Indiana University.
About Jeremy Manternach
Jeremy Manternach is assistant professor of vocal/choral music education at the University of Iowa, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate choral pedagogy, music education, and research courses. He also coordinates and conducts the UI Youth Chorale, a high school outreach choir. Manternach is a frequent guest clinician and conductor in Iowa and beyond. He has conducted All-Conference, All-Region, or All-City honor choirs in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, and Kansas. He also recently conducted the Kansas Middle-Level All-State Choir and the Idaho All-State Treble Choir. Manternach has presented his research on choral conducting gesture, singer efficiency, and vocal acoustics in multiple national and international venues. Those studies have appeared in several peer-reviewed research journals. Dr. Manternach also serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing and the Journal of Music Teacher Education and is the editor of the Iowa Choral Directors Association newsletter, Sounding Board.
