After a life changing performance experience watching the Dallas Street Choir sing at national ACDA conference a couple years ago, I have the honor of interviewing Dr. Jonathan Palant, the conductor. Listen to hear his perspective on inequality in music and making a community space for singing.
Jonathan Palant is Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas at Dallas and is founder and conductor of both Credo, a 140-member community choir, and the Dallas Street Choir, a musical outlet for those experiencing homelessness and disadvantage. In addition, Dr. Palant is Director of Music at Kessler Park United Methodist Church and is employed by the Dallas Independent School District to mentor middle and high school vocal music teachers.
In June 2016, Dr. Palant made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut performing with renowned artists Frederica von Stade, Harolyn Blackwell, Jake Heggie, and Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz.
From 2007-2011, he served as Artistic Director of Dallas’ Turtle Creek Chorale. Prior to that, Palant held collegiate teaching positions at Western Kentucky University and Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan. He taught secondary choral music at University School, an all-boys independent school in Cleveland, Ohio, and San Pasqual High School in Escondido, California.
Dr. Palant currently serves as president of the National Alliance for Music In Vulnerable Communities, Community Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair for the Southwest American Choral Directors Association (SWACDA), and sits on the board of directors of the Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses. He has also served on the state board of the Michigan chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and Youth First Texas where he was founder and conductor of Dallas PUMP!, a choir serving at-risk youth.
In late 2017, the Dallas Morning News named Palant one of nine “Texan of the Year” finalists, and in 2016, Musical America named him one of their “Innovators of the Year” for establishing the Dallas Street Choir.
Both Palant’s book, Brothers, Sing On! Conducting the Tenor-Bass Choir, and his Brothers, Sing On! Choral Series are published by the Hal Leonard Corporation.
Dr. Palant holds degrees from Michigan State University, Temple University and the University of Michigan.
Find more about Dr. Palant and the Dallas Street choir here:
jonathanpalant.com
DallasStreetChoir.org
CredoChoir.org
Or connect with them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dallasstreetchoir
Choir Baton Host: Beth Philemon | Choir Baton Podcast Producer: Maggie Hemedinger
For more information on Choir Baton please visit choirbaton.com and to follow us on Instagram @choirbaton @bethphilemon
Music by: Scott Holmes
To join the Choir Ba
Choir Baton Podcast Producer: Maggie Hemedinger
Music by: Scott Holmes
Follow @ChoirBaton on
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook
Visit ChoirBaton.com
Follow @BethPhilemon on
Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn
Visit BethPhilemon.com
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.