“The Choir of the West’s singing was nothing short of exquisite. I can’t imagine a better performance. It was the best, quickest and most unanimous standing ovation I saw at the convention this year.”
– Richard Sparks, Fall 2013 Scene
The Choir of the West (2012)
During the 16 years that Richard Nance directed the Choir of the West, the group won many choir awards, went on regular European tours, and held notable performances at prestigious conferences, continuing its tradition of excellence and national and international acclaim.
In its first international tour since the 2001 Scandinavian tour, the Choir of the West visited Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary for the first time in 2007. This tour was followed by a 2011 European tour to France and Germany, where they competed at an international choir competition and won one silver and two gold certificates at the Harmonie Festival in Limburg, Germany. On this tour, the choir was accompanied by the Kammermusik Orchestra, a small chamber music orchestra, and played in locations including the Chartres Cathedral and the Luxembourg Gardens. To see a series of montage videos of the tour, please click here.
“The sound of this choir gives powerful evidence of a conductor with very fine pedagogical and gestural technique.”
– American Prize judge’s comment on Richard Nance’s winning performance, Tacoma News Tribune September 20, 2013
The Choir of the West performing during the 2015 Europe tour
The Choir of the West continued to compete in international competitions throughout the 2010s. In 2015, the choir returned to Europe, touring through Sweden, Denmark, Czechia, Germany, and Austria. At the Anton Bruckner Choir Competition and Festival in Linz, Austria, the choir won the grand prize, as well as multiple gold awards. In 2019, the group also competed in the Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition in Germany, which draws choral groups from around the world. During this competition, the Choir of the West was rated “Achievement Level I – excellent performance at an international level” in competition with other choirs from Cuba, Germany, Ireland, the Philippines, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. In addition to its achievements at competitions, the Choir of the West also received several American Prizes for Choral Performance during Nance’s tenure in 2011 and 2017, as did Nance himself for Choral Conducting in 2011 and 2013.
In the 2010s, The Choir of the West also performed at many choir conventions and conferences, including the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Music Educators National Conference (MENC), and National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO). In 2015, the choir performed at a NCCO concert in Portland, Oregon, when Simon Carrington, one of the world’s foremost choral conductors, served as guest director. Alongside these prestigious but private events, the choir also performed notable pieces for the public, such as Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the premiere of Sven-David Sandström’s “St. Matthew Passion,” and the North American premiere of Ēriks Ešenvalds’ Nordic Light Symphony. Ešenvalds would go on to spend a week in residence at PLU in April 2018, collaborating with the Choir of the West to record “There Will Come Soft Rains,” a new compact disc of his unaccompanied works.
Angela Meade at the 2015 Christmas concert
While the Christmas concert has been a highlight of the Choir of the West’s calendar going back to its founding, during the Nance years it reached new heights. In 2009, PLU’s signature musical event took place at Benaroya Hall, Seattle’s premiere musical venue and home of the Seattle Symphony, for the first time. In 2014, they premiered Robert Kyr’s Christmas Oratorio alongside the University Chorale. Coinciding with PLU’s 125th anniversary in 2015, PLU alumna and New York Metropolitan Opera soprano Angela Meade (Class of 2001) joined the show at Benaroya Hall. There, they performed “A Christmas Invitation,” a three-movement work composed for the Choir of the West by renowned American composer JAC Redford and premiered “December: A Meditation on Advent” by PLU music professor Greg Youtz.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began shortly after the start of the Choir of the West’s southwest tour, putting an end to physical performances. The choir continued to sing during this period, albeit virtually. One such example can be viewed below, a recording of F. Melius Christiansen’s “Beautiful Savior,” dedicated to the PLU Community and all those affected by the pandemic. Nance touched on the difficulty of this period when speaking at the 2022 ACDA Regional Conference by saying, “Being selected to perform for any ACDA conference is a great honor, and it feels especially important coming out of what has essentially been two years without choral singing.” He retired in 2022, passing the baton to his colleague Brian Galante, director of the University Chorale.
Richard Nance led the Choir of the West to great accomplishments. While the group was already renowned and had an international reputation, Nance was the first director under whose leadership official recognition came in the form of awards, adding an entirely new dimension to its fame. Like many of his predecessors, Nance’s directorship represents an evolution, a step toward further greatness for the Choir of the West.
After a successful 30 year tenure at PLU, Richard Nance retired in May 2022. He served as the sixth conductor of the Choir of the West, and also conducted University Singers and Choral Union. He taught the choral conducting sequence and supervised student teachers. Prior to coming to Pacific Lutheran, Dr. Nance taught at Amarillo College and in public schools in Texas and New Mexico. Nance holds bachelors and master’s degrees from West Texas State University and the DMA degree from Arizona State University. He has studied conducting with Hugh Sanders, Douglas McEwen and David Stocker, and studied composition with Joseph Nelson and Randall Shinn.
Dr. Nance is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, and has served as ACDA President for the state of Washington, President of the Northwestern Division, and as the Choral Reviews Editor for the Choral Journal. Eight choirs under Nance’s direction have been selected to appear at ACDA regional conferences, most recently the Choir of the West at the 2022 NWACDA conference in Spokane, Washington. Nance conducted the PLU Choral Union in performance at the 2001 ACDA National Convention in San Antonio and the Choir of the West at the 2013 ACDA National Conference in Dallas. Choir of the West was selected to be a featured choir at the 2015 National Collegiate Choral Directors Association Conference, and presented a concert under the direction of conference headliner Simon Carrington. Dr. Nance’s choirs have toured Europe on several occasions and have appeared at prestigious festivals, winning Gold awards at the 2011 Harmonie Festival in Lindenholzhausen, Germany (Choir of the West) and the 2014 Florence International Choir Festival (Choral Union Tour Ensemble). Under Nance’s direction the Choir of the West and PLU Chamber Singers won Gold certificates and first place in three categories at the 2015 Anton Bruckner Choir Competition in Linz, Austria, and Choir of the West received the “Anton Bruckner Award” for winning the entire competition. In the summer of 2019, Choir of the West was selected to be one of fourteen choirs competing at the prestigious Marktoberdorf Chamber Choir Competition in Germany.
Nance’s PLU choirs regularly take part in important premieres of new works, most recently the North American premiere of Sven David Sandström’s Matthauspassion (2016 – in collaboration with the PLU Choral Union and University Symphony Orchestra), and the North American premiere of the Nordic Light Symphony by Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds (2017). On both of these occasions the composers were present for the premieres. Choir of the West has produced several published recordings through PLU multimedia recordings, and in April of 2018 recorded a disc of unaccompanied works by Ešenvalds entitled There Will Come Soft Rains, which was released worldwide on the Signum Classics label in January of 2020. Ešenvalds and producer Adrian Peacock spent a week at PLU working with students during the recording process, and the album has been recognized in several prominent classical music publications.
Richard Nance has been recognized for his work as conductor and scholar, having received the 2011 and 2013 “American Prize” for Choral Conducting, the “Outstanding Conductor” award at the 2014 Florence International Choir Festival, and the 2013-2014 K.T. Tang Faculty Excellence Award for Research from Pacific Lutheran University. He has twice been granted Regency Advancement Awards at PLU. In July of 2010 Dr. Nance received the Washington State Leadership Award from the American Choral Directors Association, and in 2016 he received the ACDA Northwestern Division Leadership and Service Award.
Dr. Nance served as Director of Music at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church of Lakewood from 1996-2009, and is an active clinician and adjudicator. His compositions have been published by Hinshaw Music, Colla Voce Music, and Walton Music (in the “Richard Nance Choral Series.”) Dr. Nance was chosen to write a commissioned work for the Washington All-State Choir in 2002, and wrote the 2002 Raymond Brock Memorial Composition for the American Choral Directors Association, one of the highest honors to be awarded to a composer of choral music. Recipients of this award include: Samuel Adler, Daniel Pinkham, Eric Whitacre, Gwyneth Walker, René Clausen, Gian-Carlo Menotti, Morten Lauridsen, Mack Wilberg, Steven Sametz, Dominick Argento, Alice Parker, Ola Gjeilo, Chen Yi, JAC Redford, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Tarik O’Regan, Jake Runestad, and others.
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Richard Nance biography from plu.edu
Click the preview images below to see the full Choir of the West photographs
2006-2015
2016-2022
Richard Sparks
Press play below to hear Richard Sparks describe Richard Nance’s time with the Choir of the West. This is an excerpt from the Choir of the West 90th Reunion Concert.
Choir of the West recordings
Press play below to hear recordings from the Choir of the West album Phoenix (2010)
Press play below to hear recordings from the collaborative Christmas album Peace.
2020 Homecoming Concert
The Choir of the West performing at Lagerquist Concert Hall on February 7, 2020, after returning from a two-week tour of Colorado and New Mexico.
2015 Tour Preview
The Choir of the West performing a preview concert for the 2015 international tour on April 30, 2015.
Three American Songs
The Choir of the West perform a set of Three American Songs: 1. Nelly Bly (arr. Jack Halloran), 2. Shenandoah (arr. Alf Houkom), and 3. Unclouded Day (arr. Shawn Kirchner). Performed live at Lagerquist Concert Hall, Pacific Lutheran University, May 23, 2019.