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Pacific Chorale has announced that Artistic Director John Alexander will retire in June 2017 at the completion of the Chorale’s 2016-2017 season. By the end of his tenure, Alexander will have served as Artistic Director of the internationally acclaimed choral organization for 45 years. At the time of his retirement, Alexander will assume the title of Artistic Director Emeritus.
Pacific Chorale has also announced the appointment of Robert Istad as Artistic Director designate for the ensemble, beginning with the Chorale’s 2017-18 Season. In the two years before he takes the podium as Artistic Director, Istad will serve as the organization’s Associate Conductor.
Elizabeth Pearson, President and CEO of Pacific Chorale, states, “Rob Istad, a protégé of Maestro Alexander, is a wonderfully creative artist, and a perfect fit for continuing the artistic mission of the Pacific Chorale that has been so beautifully articulated and executed over the years by Maestro Alexander. I feel the Chorale has an extraordinarily bright future ahead with the appointment of Rob Istad as Alexander’s successor.”
Knowing that Alexander would soon announce his retirement, members of the Executive Committee of Pacific Chorale’s Board of Directors began a yearlong search for new artistic leadership. The extensive national search included consultation with various leaders of the national choral community to secure the most qualified candidate.
After examining a broad field including many of America’s preeminent choral conductors, the Pacific Chorale Board unanimously decided that Istad is the finest candidate for the position. He has already built a strong national reputation as a leader in his generation of choral conductors. During his eight year tenure as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at California State University, Fullerton, Dr. Istad’s University Singers have become regarded as one of America’s finest collegiate ensembles, receiving numerous accolades and awards for their performances across the nation, as well as overseas. He has also built a strong reputation for training aspiring conductors, and many of his students perform to great acclaim at professional arts organizations, universities, and colleges throughout the United States.
For the last six years, Istad has also served as Artistic Director of the Long Beach Camerata Singers and Long Beach Bach Festival, building the community-based organization into what is now regarded as the premiere choral organization of Long Beach, as well as one of the finest community-based choral ensembles in Southern California. Istad has also served as Pacific Chorale’s Assistant Conductor for the last ten years. During his tenure as Assistant Conductor, he has been featured on the podium for two very successful season performances with the John Alexander Singers. He has also demonstrated his expert skill in chorus preparation for many of our nation’s finest orchestral conductors, including for Carl St.Clair and Pacific Symphony Orchestra and Gustavo Dudamel and Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, among many others.
Regarding Alexander’s planned departure from the organization, Mary Lyons, Chairman Emeritus and board member of Pacific Chorale stated, “John’s reputation as a choral/symphonic conductor is unparalleled in this country. Pacific Chorale would not be what it is today without his leadership.”
Alexander states, “I treasure the wonderful artistic life that I have cultivated throughout my life as Artistic Director of Pacific Chorale. I am most grateful for the extraordinary support I have been given from the Orange County community. Their incredible generosity has allowed me to bring my artistic dreams to life. I look forward to two more wonderful seasons as Artistic Director of Pacific Chorale and the John Alexander Singers, and I am thrilled the Board of Directors has chosen to appoint Robert Istad as Artistic Director designate. In my opinion, they could not have made a better choice for building a brilliant artistic future for this magnificent ensemble of singers.”
More information about the upcoming transition may be found in Timothy Mangan’s story for the February 8, 2015 edition of the Orange County Register: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/alexander-650580-chorale-artistic.html