New choir director leads students with passion and energy | Arts & Entertainment

Through her emphasis on community building, Meg Stohlmann recently stepped into her role as the director of choral and vocal studies at Gonzaga University and is excited to take the program in a new direction while at the same time maintaining aspects of the program that have already been established.

Stohlmann started at GU in August as the director of Glee Club, Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.

Her love for music formed at a young age, specifically in a church choir as a child.

“My parents are both musical,” Stohlmann said. “Neither one of them is a musician, but they got me into piano lessons when I was 5 and I started singing in a community children’s choir at age 6. It was that children’s choir experience that … [was] a really important thing for me to do.”

Despite her love of music, Stohlmann didn’t immediately study music. Her parents didn’t encourage pursuing it as a career, so after graduating from high school she enrolled in the Air Force Academy and served on active duty for five years, where she continued to be involved in choir.

When a director came to teach a workshop while she was in the military, Stohlmann had the realization that she wanted to go in a new direction.

“There was a moment sitting in that rehearsal with that person where, you know, you have one of those light bulb moments,” Stohlmann said. “That’s what happened and I was like, that’s what I want to be doing, so that’s when I decided to change career paths and … how I ended up teaching choir.”

After that moment, Stohlmann separated from the military and went back to school to get a bachelor’s degree in music. She also got her doctorate from the University of Washington.

Before coming to GU, Stohlmann taught at Appalachian State University for four years and taught middle and high school in Kentucky for six years.

Mentorship became the main reason why she wanted to work with college students; she wanted to help students give back to their communities.

“One of my main passions is helping college students who want to go into the teaching profession,” Stohlmann said. “I love preparing them for the classroom so that they have a good experience and then they, in turn provide a positive experience for their students.”

In addition to mentorship, Stohlmann also wants to continue providing opportunities for the choirs to travel.

Last week, the Concert Choir traveled to Portland and Vancouver, Washington for a three-day recruiting tour where they engaged with alumni and high schoolers in the area. The Chamber Singers are also planning a trip to Florence, Italy, for 10 days in May to perform at cathedrals and performance venues and learn about music in Europe.

“My students are very passionate about what we do, and I have really strong leadership in my students,” Stohlmann said. “I have never seen that be as successful as it is here, and I could not do the work that I’ve been doing without the student leadership that I have in the choral program.”

Annali Fuller, a senior serving as the Concert Choir council president, said she’s grateful for Stohlmann’s leadership and willingness to work with them.

“I think she just encourages us to have fun, and that is I think one of the biggest things that I’ve noticed from her,” Fuller said. “In the past, we’ve been a very, like, rigid and goal and rule-oriented choir, and now I feel like everybody’s realizing that we can have fun while we sing.”

The choirs also had a concert for Fall Family Weekend called “In Meeting We are Blessed,” where they showcased the music that they learned for GU students, faculty and families.

Stohlmann said that seeing the joy on her students’ faces and performing a repertoire that they learned in a short time was the most rewarding aspect of the concert.

“Everyone was very supportive of each other,” Stohlmann said. “It’s showing me that the seeds for a strong community have been planted, so now we just get to … go from there.”

Robert Spittal is a professor in the music department who specializes in composition and conducting and has been teaching at GU for 30 years. He said that choir is a very social activity and Stohlmann does a good job of helping students have fun and engage with one another.

“She’s very good at energizing the choir and motivating them and getting them to want to make great music and I think that’s … a really positive attribute,” Spittal said.

Stohlmann said that the performing arts are quite different compared to traditional academics, so a lot of students are educated and high achievers.

“I’ve really been working on giving them a safe space to play, and not worry about perfection,” Stohlmann said. “I think that’s starting to pay off. I think you can’t make great music if you’re worried about being wrong all the time.”

Aside from her love of music, Stohlmann also enjoys spending time outside with her two dogs and traveling with her partner who teaches at Eastern Washington University.

For those who are interested in joining a choir, Stohlmann said being a music major is not a requirement. Meeting lifelong friends, making music and having a good time is what it’s all about.