Associate Professor of Music James Tipps will be replacing Drew Collins fall semester as the director of Wright State University Chorus, as Collins will be relocating to another university.
Tipps is currently the director of the Wright State Men’s Chorale and previously led University Chorus before Collins took over. University Chorus is the longest running ensemble on campus, according to the WSU Department of Music website. The choir is also non-auditioning, so anyone can participate.
“University Chorus is about helping to find someone’s voice,” said Tipps.
The director will be in charge of around 60 to 90 students. Tipps said that the challenge is trying to find one uniform voice between assorted men and women. Because the choir is an open ensemble, Tipps will also be working with music majors and non-music majors.
“I know how to teach people how to sing,” Tipps said.
Chorus rehearsals will be conducted with a little more strictness, according to Tipps. The future director said he would also like to work on the chorus performance quality and a more professional appearance while performing and recruiting.
University Chorus member Emily Fetters said she would be happy to see a stricter rehearsal.
“A strict rehearsal structure works to get the job done,” said Fetters.
WSU senior of vocal performance Jarrod Davis feels that a stricter approach may not be needed. Davis predicts that once Tipps becomes more comfortable with the group, he will see that a stricter approach is not necessary.
Tipps also plans to introduce some new changes to University Chorus, including the introduction of a multi-cultural concert. The chorus will have the opportunity to study and present a wide array of music from around the world, Tipps said.
“I think it’s great, students should be exposed to different types of music,” said Fetters.
While agreeing that Tipps is exceptionally well-qualified conductor, Davis said that some of his ideas may be hard to pull off due to the choir having non-music major members.
“It will be a transition for some students,” Tipps said.
According to Davis and Fetters, Collins was a director that they could both trust and feel comfortable around. Davis said that he feels some students may leave University Chorus due to the personal connection with Collins.
Tipps said that he is qualified and able to relate to students because he is a good listener.
“I’m interested in the students and I want to see each one of them succeed,” said Tipps.
