The Missouri State University Chorale announces the release of their latest album, “Radiance Untethered: The Choral Music of John Wykoff.”

“This album not only showcases the unique music of John Wykoff but also the talent and enthusiasm that our students have for creating impactful musical experiences,” said Dr. Cameron LaBarr, Clif and Gail Smart professor in music and director of choral studies.

The choir recorded the album over three days in the Goshen Music Center in Goshen, Indiana, during their May Tour in 2023. The center has produced several award-winning recordings and is one of the best places to record choral singing, LaBarr said.

A composer of instrumental and choral music, Wykoff studied with composers David Del Tredici, Bruce Saylor, and Jeffrey Nichols at the City University of New York. He also studied privately with Alice Parker, a major influence on his work.

Wykoff lives in Tennessee, where he is a professor of music theory and composition at Lee University.

Collaborating with Wykoff presents “fantastic” opportunity

“Radiance Untethered” features both standalone pieces and musical sets arranged by Wykoff, including “Out of this Darkness Cantata,” “Five American Songs,” and “Inventions for Choir and Piano.” “Out of this Darkness” had its North American premiere at the Missouri State University President’s Concert in April 2024.

LaBarr said that working with Wykoff gives MSU students a “fantastic learning opportunity.”

“They come away from a project like this with a greater understanding and appreciation of the entire choral art form, which is then strengthened through the professional recording environment,” he noted.

Members of the Department of Music enjoy working with Wykoff as well.

“As a collaborative pianist, I always look forward to playing works by John Wykoff,” said Parker Payne, Artist-in-Residence at MSU. “It is evident that John understands the importance of a piano arrangement that not only supports the choral writing, but does not get in the way and acts as an extension of the choir.”

Influence of Alice Parker enhances “purity of songs”

Wykoff said his time studying with Alice Parker greatly influenced his “American Songs” set.

“I am only one of a long list of composers who couldn’t help trying their hand at arranging folksongs after studying with Alice,” he said. “She taught us all to love the purity of songs, and to present them lovingly in our arrangements, not to use them for personal expressing, burying them in extrinsic displays of technique.”

“When people sing my arrangements of the ‘Five American Songs,’ I hope they come away thinking, ‘What a wonderful song!’, not ‘What a clever arranger,’” he added.

Wykoff and LaBarr, along with MSU alumni Blake Richter and Faith Zimmer, collaborated on a 2019 book about Alice Parker, available through GIA Publications.

Bach’s keyboard “inventions” yet another influence

Wykoff said Bach’s inventive keyboard compositions also influence his approach to choral music.

“I wanted to take the spirit and intention behind the invention, not necessarily the style, and translate it into a contemporary choral idiom,” he explained. “An ‘invention’ to Bach is not a form. It is a musical idea that is developed in various ways.”

“‘Invention’ is one of the elements of classical rhetoric, and the way Bach handles his ‘inventions’ is very instructive,” Wykoff added. “The result for Bach was a set of keyboard works that were not only instructive for composers and pianists, but also delightful works of art in themselves.”

“Members of the Chorale have always enjoyed performing the music of John Wykoff,” LaBarr said. “It’s historically informed, yet creative and fresh, inspiring us to always reconsider the boundaries of what our art form can accomplish.”