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05/04/2016 08:30 AMWhether lifting voices in song with Branford Chorale or at North Branford High School (NBHS), choral conductor and teacher Mike Carnaroli is right at home in front of some of the community’s most vibrant choirs.
On Saturday, May 7, the Branford resident will take up the baton to lead Branford Chorale in an American Song Book concert that’s sure to be one of Mike’s most ambitious and entertaining productions yet—and that’s saying a lot.
After all, this is the guy who brought Branford Chorale’s British Invasion to town not too long ago, featuring traditional chorale music of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries followed by The Beatles’ music of the 1970s, with a live rock band playing alongside the singers.
“I think we can say with certainty we give them a reason to come back,” says Mike of Branford Chorale’s growing fan base. “Every concert has something new that you can discover.”
Mike has big plans for American Song Book—including a big band. The second half of the concert will incorporate one of the area’s best-loved big bands, 18-piece Tuxedo Junction, into the live performance. Tickets ($15 or $13 for senior citizens and children under 12) area available in advance and at the door for the 7:30 p.m. performance at Branford High School (BHS).
“This concert is a big undertaking for us,” says Mike. “We’re following the concept of exploring the title of the show in the first half, with some of the most famous, well-known arrangements of songs like those of Aaron Copland to African-American traditional spirituals and the music of Stephen Foster, and then we end the first half of the show at American Broadway with a medley from Wicked. The second half of the show is the music we commonly refer to today as being a part of the American Song Book, from the 1920s through the big band era through the 1960s.”
Pulling in Tuxedo Junction to play the concert is typical of Mike’s out-of-the-box thinking. This past winter, Branford Chorale collaborated with BHS Main Street singers and concert choir to put on the chorale’s popular holiday concert. Composed entirely of volunteer singers of all abilities, Branford Chorale performs two concerts per year and rehearses 11 months out of the year.
Mike in his fifth season leading the group and that leadership has jump-started Branford Chorale, as its members can attest.
“Under Michael’s direction, the Chorale has grown from 17 members to 80 members,” says member Wendi Streeto. “Each season he pushes the bar with us musically and in scope of performance.”
At NBHS, Mike’s also known for pushing the bar to increase opportunities and abilities for students. He joined the faculty in 2009, the same year he completed his master’s of music degree in Choral Conducting at UMASS, where Mike was also was a music instructor and a conductor with the university’s large chorus. Mike earned his B.S in Music Education And Voice from Western Connecticut State University, where he was recognized with the Don Craig/James Furman Choral Excellence Award in 2006 and the Ruth P. DeVillafranca Music Education Award in 2007.
“I love teaching,” says Mike. “I’ve been very fortunate to teach in a town where I can explore and share what my strengths are as a music educator.”
Mike was brought on as NBHS choral music director when joining the faculty in the 2009-’10 school year.
“I’m completing my seventh year there and we’ve seen a lot of exciting growth,” he says. “We have some new concerts, we are involved in competitive trips, we have trips to Broadway—we have a lot of opportunities. I have a couple of levels of choir, so everyone can participate. Students who are more advanced can audition and become part of our Chamber Choir and compete and grow as musicians.”
His role as a music educator at the school covers several areas of instruction, such as guitar, which he added to the curriculum. To help students grow as musicians at NBHS, Mike took on instituting the school’s Advanced Placement (AP) music theory class after students came to him and expressed an interest in the study.
“I was approached by students who took a year of core level music theory with me, and that prompted me to do a summer session to get trained to teach it,” says Mike.
Mike is now offering AP music theory for the third year (national testing is on Wednesday, May 11). He also instituted guitar instruction in the NBHS music curriculum. Mike also introduced district-wide music spectrum concerts to town. The music and instrumental shows are enjoying great success. The third annual Choir Spectrum Concert was held just last week.
“It was a really cool concert,” says Mike. “The idea of a concert series was something I proposed to our Music Department three years ago, as a time for all kids who sing in town to be on same stage, on the same evening. [Last week] we had students from grade 2 all the way through high school. At the end, we had all 250 kids on stage to sing Ray Charles’ ‘America.’ It was amazing.”
The Spectrum Concerts and concerts, such as an incredible spring Americconcert NBHS choirs perform for 8th graders about to enter NBHS, are helping to foster growth and interest in students joining music programs. Next year’s NBHS choir has the highest number to date enrolled since Mike came on board—98 students.
“We’ve just seen such a tremendous turn-around of students wanting to continue, because they know what they have to look forward to,” says Mike.
Mike’s also gratified by the growth and enthusiasm he sees in Branford Chorale. He was directing some other area choirs, including Chorale Club of Clinton, when he was approached by Branford Chorale’s board with the idea of leading his hometown ensemble.
“They asked me to come in and talk to them about the group, and see if it would be a good fit,” says Mike. “One of the great things about getting involved with Branford Chorale, for me, is that I’m a Branford resident and I was really excited about the idea of a directing a group in my hometown. As well as that, this group is a year-round group. Many other towns have chorales, but not year-round.”
Mike agreed to get involved and set about growing Branford Chorale’s handful of members into one of the shoreline’s most notable choir performance groups.
“I knew it was fertile ground to work with,” says Mike. “I knew, with 17 people in the room, we had lots of room to grow. But I also knew Branford had this sort of amazing thing going in the high school, with the choirs and the spring musicals. Being a teacher in a town next-door, I heard a lot about the programs [BHS Music Director] Cathyann Roding has built here over the years. So that meant there were probably hundreds of enthusiasts in the community. Another reason I got involved is because the shoreline really does have a rich tradition in the arts. It’s everywhere you look, from churches in the area to community ensembles.”
Through his own involvement in other choir programs (from singing in local church choirs to directing a professional caroling group), Mike began to spread the word about joining Branford Chorale.
“I’d meet a lot of people in concerts, such as the Branford Messiah Concert, and mention it, but I think really one of the biggest things that’s helped us grow is word of mouth,” says Mike.
The result? Seventeen has become 80 strong, and growing.
“Our membership is made up of people that love to sing,” says Mike. “We have some music professionals, some music teachers and professional performers, but the large majority are people who have grown up with music in their lives and now have different careers across the spectrum of all professions.”
Branford Chorale is a non-profit ensemble run by an elected board. The two-season concert group rehearses Monday evenings at Walsh Intermediate School to prepare for a winter concert and spring concert.
“We’ve really made a concise effort to be true to the embodiment of a community chorus, from embracing individual talents to the talents of the entire group and creating the best possible concerts. I’ve had exposure to a lot of different styles as I’ve grown in my experience and so I’ve tried to mix the old with the new, and that’s created some really popular concerts which have given us momentum,” says Mike.
Mike and his wife, Megan, are enjoying raising their two children, Ray (1 ½) and Natalie (3) in Branford.
“We’ve been in Branford for all seven years we’ve been down here, and we love the town,” says Mike. “Just the other day, I was talking with all of the other music teachers about where to settle with families, and we all said we look at what the arts are like in the towns we choose. Towns that value a strong education in the arts are towns that value its students and teachers, beyond testing. I’m fortunate to live in and work in two of those communities. I’m just hopeful I can make a small mark on what I really think is a great place to live.”
Branford Chorale performs American Song Book at Branford High School, 185 East Main Street, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. Tickets ($15, $13 for senior citizens and children under 12) are available at the door or in advance at Towne Pharmacy 1012 Main Street, or by calling 203-668-5691. For more information, find Branford Chorale on Facebook.