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Valley Concert Chorale is getting ready to say goodbye to their longtime artistic director, with the group’s upcoming spring concert marking his final show at the head of the organization.
John Emory Bush has led the group since 1998, when he first came across the job opening while serving in multiple capacities in the Bay Area music scene.
“I was living in San Francisco at the time and dividing my time between several organizations — the San Francisco Conservatory, where I was a vocal coach and accompanist, and San Francisco Concert Chorale, which is a chamber choir, then I became the conductor and head of the chorale department at Notre Dame University,” Bush told Embarcadero Media Foundation. “Then I saw at the conservatory that this position was announced, that Valley was looking for a new conductor, so I applied and got the job.”
While he continued to work in the San Francisco music scene for two years after coming to VCC, Bush found his home in the new position, and proved to be the perfect fit.
“We were seeking a new director who could take the chorale to the next level of musical excellence, someone who had credentials and experience to achieve that goal, and that is what John has done for us these past 25 years,” VCC member Pam Grove, who was on the selection committee that hired Bush, said in an announcement from the group on April 17.
Two years into the position though, Bush found another home — this time in Texas, where he has lived for the past 23 years while making weekly trips to the Tri-Valley.
“I accepted the job and lived in California the first two years, and then the Episcopal cathedral became available here in Dallas,” Bush said. “I landed that job, so it was just a matter of wondering if this could work from Texas and commuting, and obviously it’s worked because I’ve done it for 23 years.”
Bush is now preparing for his final work trip to California and for his final show with VCC — a spring concert called “Something on the Lighter Side.”
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Bush said. “This is not a classical program at all. It’s a light program. If you want to treat your mother or your grandmother to something special where they’re going to laugh and have fun, this is the program to go to because it’s just a lighter program – from Elton John to The Beatles to Nat King Cole, we’re covering a real variety.”
Other popular musical acts showcased in the upcoming performance are set to include Billy Joel, Simon and Garfunkel, and music from Walt Disney productions, with accompaniment from guitar, bass, and drums in addition to piano.
“If chorale music was not a typical thing they might come to, this is the one they should try,” Bush said.
While the upcoming performance and VCC’s spring shows overall have a lighter tone aimed at appealing to a wide audience, Bush emphasized that he seeks to spread the same joy he finds in chorale music to audiences at all of the shows throughout his career.
“I have really appreciated his amazing ability to construct a musical program that builds on the strengths of each piece of music while creating an overarching experience that leaves me, as a singer, inspired and enriched,” Board President Sarah Allendorf said in VCC’s announcement last month.
VCC is set to begin the search for Bush’s successor this summer, with Jerome Lenk, director of music and liturgy and organist at Mission Dolores Basilica, taking the position on an interim basis until then.
“I know for sure that there’s so much talent in the Bay Area that they’re going to find a great musician, and I just want them to be able to take it from where it is now to the next level of musicianship and quality of performances,” Bush said. “So that’s just a matter of finding somebody that has a good amount of experience, but that is not at retirement age so they can stay with the group for a while and just build on what I’ve established over these 25 years.”
While Bush is retiring from VCC, he is set to continue work in Texas, where he currently serves as director of music for the First Methodist McKinney. However, he doesn’t anticipate saying goodbye to the Bay Area forever.
“I still will enjoy coming to the Bay Area, because it was my home for eight years, so it’s kind of like a second home,” Bush said. “And I will really enjoy coming back there when it’s convenient and it’s on my time to do the things that I really like to do, and maybe pop in for a concert and hear what’s going on. So it will really be a pleasure just to be there and listen and enjoy so much of the Bay Area’s culture and atmosphere and the wonderful music and arts scene.”
“Something on the Lighter Side” is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. this Saturday (May 11) in Resurrection Lutheran Church at 7557 Amador Valley Blvd. in Dublin. Tickets are available at www.valleyconcertchorale.org.