Dr. Graeme Cowen, a remembrance

Dr. Graeme Cowen died November 2, 2024 in Kalamazoo, MI. He was the fifth Music Director of San Diego Master Chorale, and led the Chorale from September 1995 to May 1998.

Graeme Cowen was the last of three candidates to audition for Music Director in the summer of 1995. He came with a background as an educator, composer, arranger and conductor. The singers were impressed by his musicality, knowledge, and efficient conducting. He reminded many of Robert Shaw with his shock of white hair, stocky stature, and no nonsense use of rehearsal time. He knew what he wanted to hear and showed us how to deliver it. Dr. Cowen had been the chorus master of the Indiana University Opera Theatre while pursuing his graduate degrees and also worked in many places in the Midwest.

Prior to coming to San Diego he was Music Director of the Singing City Choir of Philadelphia. Graeme explained that he and the Singing City Board eventually had differences of opinion and he left after being there seven years. Several singers in the Chorale had heard of Singing City but knew nothing about it or its socially conscious mission (since its founding in 1948, it has been a pioneer of DEI in choral singing, believing “that differences between races, religions, and cultures could be bridged by ordinary people coming together in shared activities” as stated on its website. Rollo Dillworth is its current Music Director). Graeme was hired, and he brought an inclusion, community building, and outreach ethos with him in his choice of music and where he found singers. In due course he revealed that he’d had much pain in his life: he’d been married, had children and eventually made the difficult decision to finally come out and was still working through that. He also explained how to pronounce his name “Grām”, long A, one syllable.

Graeme had to hit the ground running with only one month to prepare the Chorale for a concert of Carmina Burana and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, conducted by San Diego Symphony Orchestra’s Yoav Talmi; followed a month later by conducting an independent concert of classical and American music—repeated at 2 churches; and a month after that, a SDSO Christmas concert led by Murry Sidlin; and a week later, Messiah, with SDSO, Jung Ho Pak conducting a pared down orchestra and a 61-voice group that Graeme named the Master Ensemble. In early 1996, he prepared the Chorale for a few short run-out gigs introducing the singers to the haunting Covery arrangement of Precious Lord, a February Beethoven’s 9th with the San Diego Youth Orchestra, Matt Garbutt conducting, and the Chorale’s April Spring Concert which included the Duruflé Requiem, Thompson’s Peaceable Kingdom as well as few motets thrown in for the Master Singers.

In May 1996, the San Diego Symphony declared bankruptcy and ceased operation. Undaunted, Graeme and the SD Master Chorale board kept the Chorale singing, programming delightful music to sing and finding venues to sing it. That year Graeme was chosen by SD Magazine as one of “The San Diego 50 People to Watch in 1996.” In conjunction with the Jewish Community Center Book Fair, Graeme led the Chorale and an orchestra made up of out-of-work SD Symphony members in Elijah – in the JCC gym. The SD Chamber Orchestra, led by Artistic Director Donald Barra, hired the Chorale for Messiah in December of 1996, so even without the SD Symphony, things were looking up. The Chorale became the go-to chorus for the Chamber Orchestra, singing annual Messiahs and Spring Concerts with them until the end of 2005.

In 1997, the Chorale sang in many church music series and for the inauguration of SDSU’s new president, which featured former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres as guest speaker. The Chorale also gave the West Coast premiere of Covery’s A Requiem Lullaby in the time of AIDS in a moving performance at the Unitarian Church. Later that year, the Chorale sang at the World AIDS Day Prayer Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and also for the 50th Anniversary of the State of Israel at Tifereth Israel Synagogue.

The Chorale hadn’t done any major Bach since 1983 but Graeme decided his singers were up to it. After rehearsing for three months, the B minor Mass was presented on March 22, 1998 at St. Paul’s, accompanied by still orchestra-less symphony members. Though the Chorale didn’t have the funds for a repeat performance, it was a great success and a peak experience for many singers, but it was Graeme’s last hurrah with the San Diego Master Chorale. In May 1998, Graeme announced that he’d been offered a year-long choral job in Louisiana to cover for a friend on Sabbatical. It included much needed health and dental coverage and he’d accepted the offer. He was gone a few weeks later. The San Diego Symphony was resurrected in June 1998 a few weeks after Graeme left.

Graeme Cowen is remembered fondly as an excellent musician/conductor who cared about his singers. He did some private coaching and was always encouraging. For many concerts, especially those with the Chamber Orchestra which played sets of two or three in small venues, Graeme divided the Chorale in half or thirds so that everyone would get a chance to sing the concert. He introduced the Chorale to much music many singers had never sung: especially, as noted, the Covery arrangement of Precious Lord, which was beloved by the singers; Puccini’s Gloria, the works of Irving Fine and David Conte (whose mother ended up in the Chorale later), many spirituals and Jewish music, Aaron Copland’s In the Beginning (we sang this so many times that we finally learned it!), lots of Bernstein and even some music composed or arranged by Graeme himself. His supporting use of SD Symphony players when he could was commendable and empathetic. In January 1998, at one early rehearsal for the Bach Mass the accompanist couldn’t come and recommended a substitute. It turns out that the sub had never played the music but he got through it with much gusto and accuracy. At one point, Graeme stopped conducting, jerked his thumb toward the piano, and said, “This guy is good!” That guy was Bryan Verhoye.

And Graeme Cowen would know. When he sat down at the piano, which he often did, he was transformed, he became the essence of music, all in the room could feel it and were inspired. It wasn’t magic. He cared.

Requiescat in pace, musica homo

— A remembrance by Patricia Hay, SD Master Chorale Historian.