Dr. Ronald Staheli – Internationally renowned Choral Conductor and Composer/Arranger
Dr. Ronald Staheli, conductor of the Brigham Young University’s Singers, has been with HolySheetMusic.com since it’s beginning in November 2013. His choral arrangements are beautifully and skillfully composed. I (Dave Zabriskie) first met Dr. Staheli at BYU. A champion of student composers, Dr. Staheli conducted two of my oratorios my Senior year. By far, he has been one of the most influential teachers in my music career. He is also a very dear friend. Here’s more about Dr. Staheli:
Dr. Ronald Staheli has traveled widely as a lecturer, clinician, and guest conductor, and has become known for what a colleague calls “a profound sense of phrasing and articulation, which informs all his work.” He is Director of Choral Activities at Brigham Young University, where he conducts the Brigham Young University Singers. This choir has performed throughout the United States and in many countries abroad, including England, Russia, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and most of the countries of Europe and Africa. A recent review of a BYU Singers performance described the choir as “stunning in the accuracy of its intonation, its enormous dynamic flexibility, and its beautiful phrasing.” On a concert tour to Israel with
BYU Singers, a critic for Ha’aretz wrote about Dr. Staheli’s work with the choir: “This is a disciplined choir that is precise, clean, and cohesive, but never mechanical; and the spiritual elements are an integral part of each piece the choir sings. The performance was polished, with clear pronunciation and rich, dynamic, colorful sounds and nuances.”
Dr. Staheli was a guest lecturer at the International Choral Symposium in Sydney, Australia, where the BYU Singers, representing the United States, sang two concerts in the Sydney Opera House and Town Hall. Dr. Staheli has been guest lecturer and conductor with the choirs and orchestra of the Zimriya International Festival in Jerusalem. In the summer of 2013 Dr. Staheli spent a month lecturing and working with choirs and choir conductors in seven different cities in China. He readily admits that one of life’s greatest joys for him is rehearsing with a choir that loves to sing and make beautiful music together. Dr. Staheli has composed/arranged many pieces performed by the BYU Singers and the combined choirs at BYU.
Here’s a link to his current list of music at HolySheetMusic. We have more in the cue: “Music of Ronald Staheli”
Dr. Staheli is one of my musical heroes, even though I’ve spent a grand total of three days at BYU in my life. I love the sense of ensemble and fine detail in the performance of his Singers, and his arrangements show a deep practical understanding of choral work.