Daily Skiff

Ron Shirey was a great man with a great knowledge and understanding of choral music and the students he taught. I feel lucky to have sung under his baton.

Ron was my friend, musically and personally for almost 40 years. He'll be missed by legions of choral singers and directors. What a talent and inspiration.

Ron Shirey is one of the very few choral conductors who can be considered to be in the same class as Robert Shaw. I had the good fortune to study conducting and to sing with him at Eastern New Mexico University as well as graduate school at Texas Christian Universlty. He is the inspiration for my own conducting career and was as fine an interpreter of Brahms and Poulenc as anyone who ever picked up a baton.

Quote:

"You can learn technique. You can learn theory. You can learn history," he said. "But the ability to communicate through the ensemble to the audience and excite the performers as well as the audience, and (to) bring them along with you is something that you cannot teach."

This is a great way to put it.