He is a choral conductor, arranger and composer born in Fort Dodge, Iowa to a family where both his father and grandfather sung in the church choir. He started to learn the piano when he was 5 years old where his teacher was the church choir director and he debuted as a conductor in high school.
He also started to compose music and the Iowa Federation of Music Clubs awarded him a first prize winner for a motet. He went on to study in Minnesota at St. Olaf College where he also directed his own choir. He graduated in 1954 and went in to military service with the US Air Force for the next two years, where he formed a choir of servicemen.
After returning to civilian life he returned to his studies and in 1960 earned his Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. Five years years later he earned his doctorate at the University of Southern California.
He became a teacher in California at Humboldt State College and in New York at Keuka College before going to St. Paul where he taught at Macalester College from 1967 to 1986.
During his time in St. Paul he was asked to form a choir for a concert of new music at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis so he put together a choir of 40 singers which would become the renowned Dale Warland Singers. He commissioned 270 new choral works for the choir and produced 29 recordings by them, including the Grammy nominated Walden Pond.
After disbanding the Dale Warland Singers, who gave their final concert in 2004, he concentrated on teaching and working as a conductor and composer. He was artistic director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Chorale and served as music director of the Minnesota Beethoven Music Festival Chorale for three years.
He has been a guest conductor at several universities and with many choral ensembles that include Chanticleer, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Rochester Choral Arts and the Swedish and Danish radio choirs. He has also worked with numerous conductors that include Hans Graf, Sir Neville Marriner, Robert Shaw, Leonard Slatkin, Edo de Waart and Hugh Wolff. As a composer he has had his numerous works and arrangements performed by many choral ensembles.
He has been the recipient of many lifetime achievement awards honouring his career in choral music as well as several honorary doctorates. He was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
Dale Warland Singers recordings
Three Nativity Carols: The Holly and the Ivy, This Endris Night, Wonder Tidings
Gothic 49208 (CD: Christmas with the Dale Warland Singers)
Arranger – Stephen Paulus
Conductor – Dale Warland
Oboe – Kathleen Robinson
Harp – Kathy Kienzie
Sources:
- https://dalewarland.com/bio/
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dale-warland-mn0000578816
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Warland
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Warland_Singers
- https://graphitepublishing.com/composer/dale-warland/
- https://www.ecspublishing.com/composers/w/dale-warland.html
- https://content.thespco.org/people/dale-warland/
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/dale-warland-mn0000578816#credits
- https://discogs.com/artist/4018893-Dale-Warland