After an eventful few days, it is only now that I am finding the time to sit down and properly reflect on the extraordinary life and legacy of Kurt Chalgren, one of Kenosha’s most towering musical legends- and the kind of vibrant force of nature about which one can’t possibly speak of in past tense. And yet- Kurt Chalgren died on March 22nd at the age of 77 … and “is” has become “was” – although when one lives the kind of life that Kurt Chalgren lived, an incredible amount of “is” remains.
For those of you who don’t know, Kurt Chalgren was the choir director at Tremper High School in Kenosha for 37 years, presiding over a powerhouse choral program that was the envy of choir directors everywhere. He also served as the vocal director of the well-known Kids From Wisconsin for 36 years, which meant that he got to share his energy and talent with some of the most talented high school students from all over the state of Wisconsin during the summer. (That’s actually how I first came to know of Kurt Chalgren way back in 1978 as a freshman at Luther- when my classmate Deb Rusch, a marvelous singer and bassoonist told me about her Kids From Wisconsin experience and played me a couple of cuts from their most recent recording. I was blown away.) Roughly ten years later, when I had moved to Kenosha to begin work at WGTD, I got to meet Kurt Chalgren in person and thus began a warm friendship that I cherish to this day. In my my nearly 33 years at WGTD, I am sure that I did at least 17 or 18 Morning Show interviews with Kurt – either about Ye Olde Christmas Feaste (which Kurt created back in 1975) or the annual Kids from Wisconsin Kenosha concert. I also saw Kurt at any number of concerts and events over the years, especially after his retirement. Sadly, Kathy and I never quite managed to take him up on his offer to host us down in Florida where he and his wife had retired – nor was I ever able to act on his kind invitation for my Lincoln Chamber Singers to come and sing at his church in Florida. (What fun that would have been- and how honored I was to receive such an invitation from him.) Even so, we stayed in touch and I received plenty of emails from Kurt over the years – some of which were just goofy fun forwards of humorous stories or photos (the kind of thing that gets shared regularly on Facebook) but others of which were serious inquiries into how I was doing and what sorts of things I was doing.
And this brings to mind one of the most important characteristics of Kurt Chalgren that I think is sometimes missed- his ferocious and insatiable interest in other people. And one does not always find this characteristic in people like Kurt who generate so much excitement and who attract so much attention from others. It’s common for people like that to become pretty much wrapped up in themselves and their own exploits- and viewing other people pretty much as audience members or attendants and not much more than that. But I know first hand that Kurt had a deep and abiding interest in others- and appreciation for the good things that other people accomplished. And one of the most powerful ways I saw this lived out by Kurt was in how he appreciated the work of his counterpart for many years at Bradford High School – Kim Deal. At a glance- and in many other ways less obvious- Kurt and Kim could not have been more different … in appearance, style, personality, approach. Kurt was a big, gregarious bear of a man, intense, exuberant, and sometimes overpowering. Kim was a slight, elegant, reticent man, meticulous, sensitive, with a sly wit. Most people would have regarded them as the proverbial Odd Couple. And yet, I know from what I saw and from what I heard each of them say about the other, that they had a deep and abiding appreciation for each other and for each other’s work. Not that they weren’t also competitors- and maybe there were moments of tension between them. But by and large, theirs was a relationship of mutual respect and affection. And each of them, in their own unique and distinctive way, achieved marvelous excellence with their respective programs. It was a not-so-subtle reminder to all of us – and to all of the young people who sang under them – that there is not one, single, best pathway to excellence. And it is the over-achievers among us, like Kurt, who know this better than anybody.
(And I love that the high school choral students of KUSD continue to see this demonstrated in the distinctive brands of excellence of Polly Amborn, Brad Mann, and John Choi – and I love that Kurt always had such positive things to say about their great work.)
One of my biggest regrets is that I never had the chance to really see Kurt in action in rehearsal – only in performance. I came sort of close in two different ways. First, towards the end of Kurt’s time at Tremper, he had do undergo some sort of throat surgery and observe strict vocal rest as part of his recovery. Imagine my amazement when Kurt reached out to me to see if I would will available and willing to take care of the rehearsals of the men of Chorale (Tremper’s top choir) during his absence.. (He reached out to other educators and choir directors to take over other ensembles for the week or two that he had to be gone- so anxious was he that the ensembles would continue to have meaningful rehearsals during his absence- the kind of rehearsals that would probably not happen with the typical substitute teacher.) I can still remember the meeting I had with Kurt where he laid out what he hoped would happen with his guys- and it only underscored the high standards of excellence that he had for them- and how high my own expectations needed to be. That experience turned out to be intimidating and more than a little bit stressful …. and also an exciting challenge to try and step into such formidable shoes, even temporarily.
The other occasion in which I came close to seeing Kurt teach was in the spring of 2008. This was the school year that Weston Noble was asked to come to Carthage as a very special guest conductor-in-residence. The original plan called for Weston to lead the Carthage Choir for the fall semester- and for Kurt to take over in the spring. This was because Weston’s schedule of clinics and other obligations appeared to make it impossible for him to do the entire school year … and Kurt (by this point retired from Tremper) was excited at the prospect of a semester at Carthage. And as accompanist of the Carthage Choir, I would have had a ringside seat for watching the famous Kurt Chalgren in action, which would have been incredibly exciting- and educational for me. A lot of you know the end of this story; Weston ended up loving his time so much at Carthage that he was willing to shuffle some things around and make the spring semester work. And that’s what happened; Kurt graciously stepped aside to allow Weston to finish out the year. At the time, I felt a strange mix of regret and relief … regret that I wouldn’t get to collaborate with the legendary Kurt Chalgren – but relief that the students in the Carthage Choir would be spared having to shift gears from the gentle style of Weston Noble to the more aggressive energy of Kurt Chalgren. Only in retrospect have I thought about how interesting and valuable that shift would have been for the students- a clear demonstration that excellence comes in many guises. And for as thrilled as I was that Weston ended up spending that entire year at Carthage … which, among other things, allowed him to take the choir on their spring tour … there is a tiny part of me that wishes that there had been some way for the students and I to have had that adventure with Kurt as well. It might have been challenging at times- but I think it would have also been a rich and illuminating experience for them and for me.
Kurt and I were very different from each other- and perhaps most dramatically different when it came to how careful to be about the feelings of our students. For as long as I can remember, I have had an almost pathological aversion to conflict – and as a voice teacher, this aversion has played out in my reluctance to say harsh, critical things to my students when that’s what needs to be said. It is all but impossible for me to come out and tell a student that they are being lazy or unfocused or whatever the issue is that is keeping them from living up to their potential. In those moments when I’m confronted by such a situation, I wish that there was a way for me to channel Kurt. It sounds like he was pretty much fearless when it came to lowering the boom on a student who was screwing up. For as much as he loved his students (and vice versa) – and he did love them – he was a teacher first – demanding excellence. And he got it, too. Kurt was the kind of teacher for which students would walk through fire. They gave their all because they saw Kurt giving his all.
And that brings me to the title of this blog – A LIFE IN ALL CAPS. When I think of Kurt Chalgren, I think of the Facebook messages and emails from him that were often typed in capital letters. What a perfect embodiment of who he was, of how he lived, and of the incredibly vivid legacy that he left behind him. Whenever I play for a rehearsal in the Tremper choir room, I often find myself looking at the large photographs hanging on the walls that show just some of the choirs that Kurt took to various competitions over the years. I look at those smiling faces <hundreds of them> and am staggered at the scope of his legacy …. the ferocious energy with which he lived …. and at the difference he made in so many lives – including mine.