Ep. 124 - Exploring the Fusion of Choral and Commercial Music - MaryAnne Muglia

“We had 10 sopranos, 4 altos, 2 tenors, and 1 bass, and they were all volunteers. We were spending hours trying to learn this music that we didn’t have the numbers for, so I ended up writing almost 100 church arrangements, and I made the voice leading very stepwise. Being that close to the music made me a better writer because I’m not just writing for ensembles I don’t hear regularly. I’m there in the rehearsal process, and I know what’s hard and what might be easier to grab onto.” MaryAnne Muglia (she/her) is a composer, vocalist, and educator based in Arizona. She arranges and writes contemporary choral music, vocal jazz, and indie-influenced original songs. Her music has been performed by ensembles across the country, including Lyyra, Chanticleer, The King’s Return, Säje Voices, and more. Recent commissions include works for community choirs, professional vocal groups, and student ensembles of all levels.​MaryAnne’s arrangements and compositions have been published by Alfred Music, Graphite Publishing, Anchor Music, Hal Leonard, and Shawnee Press, and she has self-published over 25,000 copies of her work to date. She is the founder of Red Letter Daze, a professional vocal group with over 200,000 followers online and multiple Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) recognitions. With Red Letter Daze, she has headlined major events including the NAU Jazz Madrigal Festival and the BOSS Festival (Boston Sings), sharing her original work and signature vocal arrangements with audiences nationwide. Her viral videos—including harmony breakdowns and arrangements of “The Parting Glass,” “The Sound of Silence,” “Carol of the Bells,” —have garnered millions of views across platforms. She also directs the Vocal Jazz and A Cappella programs at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and teaches at A Cappella Academy, a premier summer intensive for young vocalists founded by Avi Kaplan, Ben Bram, and Rob Dietz.​To get in touch with MaryAnne, you can visit her website (maryannemuglia.com) or find her on Instagram (@maryanne.muglia).Email [email protected] to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace Hudson