Resonating the Renaissance

Strength, power and beauty could be heard at the top of the Music Addition. Resonance filled room 454 as 26 voices beautifully blended harmonies over a small orchestra. \nAt the center of the two ensembles is one man. He captivates the attention of every person in the room. His long fingers were like the paintbrush that guides a masterpiece across a canvas, and his animated body and expressions dictate the music heard.\nFor more than 50 years, John Poole has been conducting choirs and orchestras. He said he first conducted while attending Oxford University and then continued his career in Great Britain. He worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation for 40 years and still conducts about two concerts a year for it. He said he receives a lot of satisfaction in making music.\n"Through singing and playing together, there's a fantastic bond," Poole said.\nHe said he also lived in France, where he conducted a state-run professional choir in Paris. He came to the United States to conduct and then moved to Bloomington after meeting his wife, Laura Poole, who now teaches modern dance in the School of Health Physical Education and Recreation. \nJohn Poole now works as a choral director for the IU Jacobs School of Music where, among his other duties, he directs the Pro Arte Singers twice a week.\nPro Arte Singers is a chamber choir that performs works from before 1800, including medieval, renaissance and baroque styles, according to the Web site, www.music.indiana.edu. \n"The discipline of singing early music has a special sound -- (it's) very clear," John Poole said. \nTo achieve this special sound, John Poole said he holds auditions for members and looks for 24 to 26 singers with flexible voices. Many of the members are graduate students, but there are a few undergraduates, including Audrey Tornblom.\nWhile learning its repertoire, the choir not only focuses on musical accuracy, but also makes sure it is familiar with the historical context of the pieces at hand, Tornblom said.\nShe said the group is special because the repertoire is so old that most people are unfamiliar with the music and also because of the enthusiasm the singers apply to the music. She credits much of the enthusiasm to John Poole.\n"Mr. Poole creates an atmosphere in which we singers want to do our very best," Tornblom said. "He'll tell us stories and jokes and never fails to end the rehearsals on a positive note." \nThe group performs across the Midwest and also performs concerts in performance halls at IU. Pro Arte will perform a concert 4 p.m. April 9 in Auer Hall.