inside - University of Central Oklahoma

music
By susan Parks
The phrase, “written all over his
face,” could not be more appropriate
to describe Dr. Karl Nelson, director
of Choral Studies at the University of
Central Oklahoma.
When he directs students through
a piece of music, his face contorts into
countless expressions as if he’s trying
to communicate the emotion of each
musical note.
Nelson takes choral music seriously,
and it shows not just in his facial
expressions, but in the growth of the
choral program at UCO as well. Since
his arrival in August 2006, the size of
the choral ensembles at Central has
grown by a massive 63%.
Nelson is quick to give credit for that
growth to both the students and the
entire voice faculty, led by division head
Barbara Streets.
“We have very talented students and
voice faculty here at UCO. It’s because
of the voice faculty that the students
improve individually, and it culminates
in the choral ensembles,” said Nelson.
But students say that Nelson’s
passion for his craft, his philosophy of
“if we work hard, we can play hard” and
his ability to make students believe that
they can be great is equally important
to the growth.
“Dr. Nelson pushes expectations
higher for the entire group. He
believes that we can perform at the
level of an exceptional ensemble,” said
Patrick Borror, a UCO senior majoring
in vocal performance.
Nelson conducts the UCO Concert Chorale
and the UCO Chamber Singers. In addition,
he also conducts the Edmond Community
Chorus.
Under his direction, the Concert
Chorale toured throughout Italy in 2008
and performed at the Oklahoma Music
Educators’ Conference in 2009. In September
2010, the Chorale was invited to perform
alongside award-winning, leading college
and community choirs at the 53rd National
College Music Society (CMS) conference in
Minneapolis, Minn. CMS is an international
umbrella music association of about 10,000
members. The concert showcased original
choral works from CMS composers and UCO’s
Vocal Vision
Conductor Karl Nelson takes
UCO choirs to the next level
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Impressions 2010|2011