<i>Living Jackson</i> Magazine : Music Man Harmonizes Community

Music Man Harmonizes a Community

Todd Chandler is a man who simply does not see obstacles. He doesn't see them, so he has no reason to think anything is impossible

By Joshua T. Barnett

His current project is to create a county-wide symphony orchestra, the Jackson County Symphony Orchestra (JCSO), which is generating a lot of excitement from those who love music and trust Chandler to make it happen. The JCSO is a combination of vocalists and instrumentalists in the area, and meetings have already started.

Chandler has done the impossible many times. His official job is choir director at Jackson County Comprehensive High School, a position he has held for seven years. The community has come to know him for the excellence of his programming and the skills he teaches to his students. From light opera to Broadway shows, arias to pop—this is a man who loves music and shares that love with his students. His choral programs are known both locally and internationally as outstanding and professional, due mostly to Chandler’s dedication to his students and school.

“They have a reputation for performing outstanding choral literature at a very professional level,” said Martha Shaw, director of choral activities at Shorter College and one of Chandler’s former professors. “His students are well prepared for any level of choral involvement.”

Chandler has conducted choruses in Prague, Republic of Czechoslovakia, Venice and Verona, Italy, and Vienna, Austria. They have become a staple at Jackson County events.

This past December, at Gov. Sonny Perdue’s request, Chandler’s Advanced Ensemble sang at the Governor’s Mansion. They have been asked to perform at the Northwest Georgia Choral Festival, a prestigious gathering of the top choruses in the state, in October 2007.

In April, Chandler will take his chorus to New York City for performance evaluations. In December, he’ll be taking the Advanced Ensemble to Germany.

“Mr. Chandler is a good teacher because he pushes the group to do more than we ever thought we could accomplish,” said Haley Baggerley, a junior chorus student at JCCHS.

And indeed he does push his students, giving them the extra nudge they need to become great.

When asked what gives him the most satisfaction, he said, “When my students pass and exceed their entrance exam to a music school or program.”

And there are other incentives.

“My children inspire me—they inspire me to create a better Jackson County community so that they have the opportunities I did not have as a child,” he said of his own two small children, Colin and Chloe. His wife, Renee, is a career technical teacher specializing in computer applications at JCCHS. She often works with Chandler on major projects. The Chandlers live in Commerce.

It’s this sense of community involvement that has made Chandler such a vital part of Jackson County. He brings together adults and children of the area through music. He received his bachelor’s of music education from Shorter College with an emphasis in voice. While at Shorter, he traveled with the Shorter Chorale to St. Petersburg, Russia, and New York to perform at Carnegie Hall. In 1995, he received the Ruth Barron Music Education Award from Shorter College.

He was determined to share his success, and today many of his past students have been accepted to esteemed music schools across the United States.

In addition to his career at JCCHS, Chandler is also the music director at First Baptist Church of Commerce. There he directs the Children, Adult and Handbell Choirs.

Chandler is also a two-time finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing regional voice competition.

The idea of the county symphony has been generating for a while.

Chandler’s project will give musicians in and out of school an outlet for musical expression, and it will provide them an interested audience.

“We will create educational opportunities, support all music teachers, and most important, stimulate young minds,” said Chandler regarding the JCSO.

“Not only will we focus (on) and support education, but we will support classical and modern music, modern composers, local and international, and become a part of the cultural fabric that unites Jackson County communities,” said Chandler.

As with all things Chandler is involved in, he brings a personal interest and passionate backing to the JCSO. “It is my personal goal as music director to nurture the needs of our audience, singers and instrumentalists through innovative programming and performances,” he said.

But, he isn’t the only one excited about the JCSO. “Every person involved is excited,” he said.

“The JCSO is a community-based project that does not involve competition and brings together the people of the county who share a musical interest,” said Caneisha Appleby, a junior chorus student at JCCHS. “I am excited about the JCSO because it’s something Mr. Chandler is so passionate about and I get to be a part of it.”

Although he is involved in many activities, Chandler still manages to make time for his true love: composing music.
“I find composing music is a release from the day’s long activities and rehearsals,” he said.

He dedicates his time to writing fully orchestrated oratorios and cantatas. “The combination of music and sacred text can be a very strong thing, and it allows me to express my interpretation of the text,” he said.

His current composition includes an Easter Cantata.

Chandler is an active vocalist and instrumentalist. He has directed productions for the Commerce Cold Sassy Players and fully orchestrated light operas such as HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance and numerous musicals. His new project is a part of the fabric of his life. The JCSO is planned to be proactively involved with all three school systems in Jackson County.

Chandler says that the first concert season will kick off this spring with a concert on July 4. Word has it that the performance will be a “Military Salute” honoring America’s armed forces, past and present. In addition, the JCSO will perform Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo.”

Buy your season tickets as soon as they come on the market—this will be a great performance by a great people led by a great man with a heart full of music.