I very much enjoyed the article by Melonie Magruder on the accomplishments of Malibu High School Choral Director Irene Messoloras and the young men and women of the choirs. I have been a fan of choral music all my life and had the privilege of singing under Paul Salamunovich in a number of his choirs including a joint performance with the LA Master Chorale where he is now Music Director Emeritus.
The ingredients that set musical greatness apart from mediocrity are passion, focus and a relentless drive for perfection. Ms. Messoloras has the stuff of greatness. Her phrasing, dynamics and superb sense of musicality combined with her no-nonsense focus on doing it right is a gift her choirs will treasure all their lives. Some of her students, I am sure, disagree for she does not suffer fools gladly. But she gets a sound from her young choirs that is seldom heard from organizations that are much more mature. For instance, her background work with the ensemble in the MHS musical play, “Aida,” this past spring rendered a sound that rivaled anything heard from any professional group of singers. And to close out this past academic year, the combined choirs performed the Mozart Requiem, music seldom attempted by most college choirs.
We are indeed most fortunate to have an artist in our midst who drives our children towards greatness beyond their assumed abilities. If you have not attended one of the MHS concerts to hear that sound, you are depriving yourself of an auditory gift in your own backyard.
James S. Ferrier