Vocal harmony ‘love at first sound’
There was as time when Jen Rogers didn’t know she’d love choral music as much as she does today. The new — and first full-time — executive director in the San Diego Master Chorale’s 61-year history, she’s a trained instrumentalist who needed a bit of a nudge toward embracing group harmonies.
“I like to say that I started out as a reluctant fan of choral music. I’m a former saxophonist and studied music in college. Jazz was my first musical love, and, honestly, choral music wasn’t even on my radar. My first job after college was at The Phoenix Symphony, (where) the education manager at the time was a good friend, and he suggested I go hear the Phoenix Bach Choir in concert,” she says.
“I thought, ‘Uh, no thanks, that’s not something I would be interested in hearing.’ He convinced me to go, and it was love at first sound. I didn’t know a choir could sound like that. So, I started as a choral music fan and eventually did some publicity consulting for that choir before joining the staff. I don’t even sing, and I just love seeing what happens when people come together, breathing and singing in concert. There’s nothing like it.”
Her considerable experience working with choral groups includes a previous position as president and CEO of the Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale in Arizona, where she helped to increase ticket sales, season subscriptions and donations. She’d moved on to start her nonprofit arts consulting firm, working with choruses throughout the country, when a friend told her about this opening in San Diego and everything about the position resonated with her. It’s sort of a return to a place where she lived as a young child and to her extended family who still lives here.
Rogers, 47, lives in Tierrasanta with her husband, Ted Belledin, and took some time to talk about her new role, how she hopes to contribute to the work already in place at the San Diego Master Chorale, and learning to settle in and enjoy her new community. Q: You’re the organization’s first full-time executive director. What led to the need for a full-time executive director now, after so many years of operating without one?
A:
I’m always amazed by nonprofit organizations that operate for years primarily with volunteers and great artistic leadership. It’s incredible what can be achieved with a capable, passionate group of people who come together in service of a shared vision and mission. You just get to the point where you realize you need to have someone come in and handle the day-to-day operations. Over time, this will allow the board to focus more on governance and less on the daily tasks. And through that shift in focus, we will be able to grow our capacity to serve San Diego even better and touch many more lives through music.
Q:
Congratulations on your
new position. What were some of the biggest lessons you learned during your time in Phoenix that you’re bringing with you to San Diego?
A:
I’ve learned that it takes
many people for an organization to be successful. Every gift counts, every volunteer matters, and every voice contributes. I’m the new kid on the block and everyone else has been here enjoying and sustaining the S.D. Master Chorale for decades. The singers, the patrons, board, volunteers, community members have all invested so much time and energy into making the S.D. Master Chorale what it is today. I’m here to help steward what has been built and be helpful.
Q:
What do you like about
choral singing and performance as an art form?
A:
Choral singing is something
you can’t do alone. When you sing in a group, you breathe together and through the breath, your hearts actually beat in sync. And when you sing with a group for a long time, you develop a sixth sense for what’s happening with those around you and you lean on each other. As an ensemble, you move as one, flying like a flock of birds, instinctively creating shapes together. And as a listener, there’s nothing like experiencing a wave of choral sound wash over you.
Q:
Why is working with choral
groups an area of artistic nonprofit work you’ve continued to do? What is it about this kind of work that you find you enjoy?
A:
Somewhere along the way, I
realized that I would be better served supporting artists instead of being one myself. I love facilitating an artist’s vision, whether it’s the creative process or producing or promoting it, and it’s incredibly fulfilling to be part of making their vision a reality. I’m also fascinated by how musicians interact with music-making. I’ve worked with many talented, jaded instrumentalists, but with choristers, there’s almost a purity of spirit that singers have with making music. I think, in part, it’s because the music literally comes from within — it’s your physical body making the sounds, so the art is very personal and uniquely human. Plus, it’s just awesome to watch vocalists open their mouths and blow your face off. I love it.
Q:
Do you sing?
A:
I actually don’t sing, which I
know is confusing for folks when I share that I don’t. At “Noel Noel” last weekend with the San Diego Symphony, there was a sing-along section. I was sitting next to our music director, John Russell, and as everyone knows, he has a very lovely voice. Let’s just say I did sing, but it was only to myself!
Q:
Do you work in any other
creative, artistic forms?
A:
My creative outlets overlap
with my career: graphic design, concert and event photography, organizing people and writing. Organizing is meditation for me. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, I got into making miniature dioramas and built a tiny room in my home office. I love the creativity of hosting and bringing friends and family together. I’ve gotten into reading again and have read 35 books this year. I also spend time researching my family history and genealogy. And I love food.
Q:
What kind of music have you
currently been listening to most often?
A:
There is so much good music
in the world it’s overwhelming to try to choose. It’s like asking what your favorite kind of food is. I recently found Khruangbin’s “Texas Sun” with Leon Bridges and keep coming back to it. In our house, we listen to a lot of New Orleans funk and soul. My husband started a band that plays that music — The Meters, Allen Toussaint, The Neville Brothers, Galactic, Jon Cleary — and we try to visit NOLA once a year. Music is a mood, so on Saturday mornings, it’s often classical piano or traditional jazz from our small LP collection. I’m also into indie and often tune into SiriusXMU to stay up on what’s interesting. I try to actively choose what I listen to instead of letting an algorithm decide.
Q:
What has your work taught
you about yourself?
A:
I’ve learned that I want to be
constructive. If there is a way that I can help you be successful or realize your artistic vision, I want to help you get there. I like a good challenge, and I also want to have a great time doing this work, so let’s work hard, but also enjoy the road while we are on our way to our destination. If we aren’t enjoying the journey, what is the point?
Q:
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A:
Listen to your gut. As I’ve gained more experience, more and more my gut is telling me what’s what.
Q:
What is one thing people
would be surprised to find out about you?
A:
The most surprising thing
about me is probably that I have worked in the choral field for all these years and have never sung in a choir. I’m much more comfortable and effective behind the scenes supporting the artists. Nothing makes me happier than seeing artists do what they love. Seeing the joy on singers’ faces, on our team’s faces, and in the audience? That’s my reward.
Q:
Please describe your ideal
San Diego weekend.
A:
Can you all tell me what that
could look like? I’m new to town so I need all the good spots to check out! So far, probably Friday night at my cousin’s house for dinner, cocktails and late-night karaoke. Breakfast at home on Saturday morning with my husband and then exploring the city, watching the sunset, trying new food, and then some live music.