The Williamsburg Choral Guild welcomes a new leader as its members prepare for the start of the fall concert season. Brian Isaac took over in July for retiring artistic director Jay BeVille, and he’s eager to build on the guild’s existing legacy.
“I’m thrilled to join the Williamsburg Choral Guild because it has a really rich history of choral performance,” Isaac said.
Isaac was a band and choral student in high school, but he said his love of performance and choral music flourished during his time in the military, when he toured with the Naval Academy Glee Club. Since then, he worked as assistant conductor for the Washington Master Chorale and Damascus High School choir director. He serves as artistic director for the Alexandria Choral Society and the Church Circle Singers, based in Annapolis.
Lisa Stone, the guild’s board vice president, said the selection process was long as they sorted through numerous qualified applicants. Beyond Isaac’s musicianship, she sees his relatively young age and ties to various organizations across the state as an opportunity to mix things up for the better.
“He will have a different approach and I think for all of us, when we get used to certain patterns, sometimes a change is good,” she said. “I think the changes that he will bring will spark some different types of thinking in our members.”
Isaac said he hopes to continue the guild’s classic repertoire alongside commissioning new works to keep performances fresh.
“I really enjoy the aspect of programming as artistic director,” Isaac said.
The guild’s season begins Nov. 11 with “Dawn of Night” at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church. Isaac said the concert “celebrates and examines sunset as a natural phenomenon and a metaphor for transition.”
“I enjoy creating a choral narrative that begins at the top of our choral season and ends with our May performance,” he said. “So selecting music that is both challenging and engaging for the singers and the audience is a high priority.”
The guild’s youth outreach is also a priority for Isaac. The season incorporates high school choir ensembles and the Williamsburg Youth Chorale.
It’s all in the pursuit of fostering more skilled and creative musicians, individually and collectively. A foundation exists from those who came before Isaac, and he’s eager to build on their work.
“I really enjoy working with community choirs,” Isaac said. “From what I’ve seen, members really care about quality music-making.”
Interested?
For more information on the Williamsburg Choral Guild and the upcoming season, visit williamsburgchoralguild.org.
