Eric Choate had a pretty good couple of days in June.

SFCM's Choir Director made his Carnegie Hall debut on June 22, conducting R. Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. But he hardly got to bask in the experience:  But he hardly got to bask in the experience: Backstage at Carnegie, he got a phone call from his wife, fellow SFCM alum Ellen Leslie, who was the soprano soloist for a performance of Fauré's Requiem, op. 48 at Paris' historic Madeleine church the following day. She asked if he would be a last-minute replacement organist for the performance. (Choate graduated from SFCM in 2014 with a master's in composition after studying with department Chair David Conte, and also teaches organ at both SFCM's Pre-College and collegiate level.)

Choate conducts R. Vaughan Williams at Carnegie Hall.

"My plan all along had been to leave New York City the night after my concert, take a red-eye to get to Paris in time to catch the last concert from this tour, which happened to be at the church where both Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré were organists," Choate says. "My wife called me while I was backstage at Carnegie Hall and said, ‘Since you're going to be here tomorrow anyway, can you play?' I mean, of course I had to say yes."

Choate hopped a flight, made it to La Madelaine for a rehearsal, and played the same night. "I feel like I never really had the time to let my hair down," he says. "It was insane, but when the universe puts something like this in front of you, the answer is always yes."

The Carnegie Hall concert was organized via MidAmerica Productions, which puts together festivals in historic venues across the world. "They helped me recruit singers from all over the country," Choate says, "So we had contingents from three different choruses in the San Francisco Bay Area  as well as the choir from LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and a group called Voices for Pride from Philadelphia."

Dona Nobis Pacem has long been one of Choate's favorite pieces in the repertoire. The emotional scope of this piece is vast," he explains. "Vaughan Williams volunteered for service as an ambulance driver on the front lines of World War I, and this piece premiered in 1936, as tension was heightening in Europe. Vaughan Williams understood the inevitability of war but also the inner conflict between service to country and the tragedy of taking another human's life.  Vaughan Williams  was also an organist himself, and the influence of Anglican Church music is reflected in his music."

Choate was also following in some famous organist's footsteps: Fauré served as organist at La Madeleine, and his Requiem premiered there in 1888. The organ on which Choate performed was the very same instrument that Fauré (and Camille Saint-Saëns, who mentored Fauré) played. 

Choate's whirlwind 48 hours exemplifies his advice to students: "Say yes to opportunities, be a good colleague, be a good musician, work hard, find music that inspires you, and attach yourself to people who value you."

MusicAmerica initially approached Choate two years ago, he says, and intervening time has involved "a substantial amount of work." Between that and the expectations that come with playing at the U.S.' most famous music venue ("You only have one first performance at Carnegie Hall"), Choate said he didn't sleep the night before the concert. But the next day, "We had our dress rehearsal on stage, and there's something magical about that stage. When we set foot on it, all of my anxiety, all of my fears, all of my concerns melted away, and it was replaced with inspiration."

The SFCM Chorus is a cornerstone of the Conservatory's curriculum. Required for all students, choral singing, regardless of instrument, enhances sensitivity in an ensemble, hones musicianship skills, and refines intonation and balance. Recently the Chorus has also collaborated with renowned ensembles like Chanticleer and performed with the California Symphony and the SFCM Orchestra.

Learn more about the Conservatory chorus or studying Voice at SFCM.