José Daniel Flores, the beloved music director at Community Church and conductor of three community choruses, is leaving in August for a position with an Albany, NY, choral group.
Albany Pro Musica, a top regional chorus, was founded in the 1980s by the late David Griggs-Janower, a professor of music at University of Albany, SUNY, who last year died after a long illness.
“José Daniel has inspired the group and enabled them to see a future time when they could maintain the legacy of David and, more than that, to grow as an organization,” says Dr. Karen Hitchcock, president of Pro Musica’s board and a former president of the University of Albany.
“Beyond those human and personal issues, we of course were looking for an exceptional artist and musician. So he’s coming to a very welcoming home.”
Pro Musica has a core group of between 60 and 70 auditioned singers, and expands to 125 for major works. It has recently performed “Carmina Burana” and this year, performed the Brahms Requiem, less than a month after Flores conducted the masterwork with the Atlantic Symphonic Chorus and Orchestra, which he founded two years ago.
Flores came to Vero Beach nearly 12 years ago, from his post at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, NM. His wife, Dharma, works as a speech pathologist and sings in various choirs. Their two children, Carlos and Frances, are grown now; Carlos, recently married, will remain in Vero; Frances teaches yoga in California.
In Flores’ tenure, the congregation’s already considerable commitment to music expanded to fund a $12.3 million renovation of the sanctuary that included installation of a $1.6 million pipe organ.
Beyond playing that organ, and leading the church choirs at services, Flores formed three community choruses independent of the church: Atlantic Schola Cantorum for adult professional and semi-professional singers; Atlantic Children’s Chorus, which recently expanded to include children as young as elementary school age; and Atlantic Symphonic Chorus, a large choir comprising voices from church and community choirs. That group delivered stirring performances of Mozart’s Requiem last spring, and Brahms’ Requiem this spring.
“I’m very proud of the contribution that those three groups have made in the cultural life of this community. It’s been an incredible joy working with them,” he says.
At the two requiem concerts, Flores’ younger brother, Marcos Daniel Flores, music director at Christ by the Sea Methodist Church, performed on the church’s Hamburg-Steinway concert grand. But it was the organ – his brother’s specialty – that defined José Daniel’s tenure here.
“The result of the installation of this organ was bigger than we even dreamed or anticipated,” he says. “The fact that this church has a world-class instrument, and the vision of enhancing the acoustics not only for the organ but for all the music we do is a wonderful legacy that this community of faith has left for generations. And of course I am sad to leave such a fine instrument behind, but I am also glad that this instrument is going to attract some of the finest musicians around the nation who will want to be part of who we are.”
The Flores brothers twice have staged musical “duels” – José Daniel on organ, Marcos on piano, to audiences jammed with supporters of their respective music programs. The duels were moderated by their elder brother, Iliut, professor of communications at the University of Puerto Rico.
“Iliut claims to be the smartest of the three,” José Daniel once said. “If he hits the wrong key on the computer he can just hit ‘delete.’ Whereas if Marcos or I hit the wrong key, it just hangs in the air forever.”
Flores’ wry humor has also struck his new boss Hitchcock, who says the two “already have a lot of running jokes going.” But she has also seen his sensitive side, dealing with the grief of the Albany chorus for its longtime leader, Janower. A Cornell graduate who held a doctor of music degree from Indiana University, he had deep roots in the Albany music community.
“We’re still in mourning for this man,” says Hitchcock. “We have been through a very difficult time losing a much beloved artistic director in David. José Daniel has acknowledged that with respect and compassion.”
Flores marshalled a similarly grieving Vero congregation through the 2009 death of Community Church’s brilliant young associate music director and organist, Songsun Lee, a graduate of Oberlin College hired by the church to play its 4,000-pipe Lively-Fulcher organ. She was killed in a car accident four months after her arrival, before the organ’s installation was completed.
For Flores, Songsun’s death was “a life-changing event.”
“To see a young exceptional talent disappear in this tragic way, being such a young woman, was devastating. That was a very difficult time.”
Flores says it is hard to imagine that a positive outcome could result from such a tragedy, but because the congregation wanted to honor her, it established an annual concert featuring her professors and associates at Oberlin. “We now have a wonderful relationship with Dr. James David Christie and the many wonderful organists who continue to come here every year as part of the Songsun Lee Memorial Concert.”
Flores was born to a Baptist pastor in Puerto Rico. José Daniel took up music earlier than his younger brother Marcos, and grew up to become dean of academic affairs at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico in San Juan. That’s where he earned his bachelor’s in music education. He later studied choral conducting and organ at the University of Illinois and earned a doctorate in sacred music from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana.
In Vero, he arrived in 2003 in something of a leadership vacuum at Community Church. Its senior pastor Bill Nigh had died in 2001 and had yet to be replaced. And Ray Adams, the well-respected music director of 19 years and founder of the Vero Beach Choral Society, resigned in 2002. He is now assistant director for artistic development at Indian River Charter High School.
“José Daniel kind of gave the church its ballast during that interim period,” says Dr. Bob Baggott, who replaced Nigh as senior minister in 2004. Ironically, before Baggott left his post at a church in Minnesota, he was considering Flores as a finalist in the search for a music director there. The search was put on hold, and he arrived here, only to find Flores in place.
“Our service together was meant to be,” Baggott says.
Associate director of music Ryan Kasten, whom Flores calls a “disciplined church musician” has been appointed interim music director of the church’s music program, as well as director of the community choruses, including Atlantic Children’s Chorus. “I know they will be in good hands,” says Flores.
Meanwhile, Steve Higgins, chairman of Community’s music committee, is leading the nationwide search for Flores’ replacement. “We’re really taking a diligent approach, looking under the hood at this point to see exactly how we’re going to be going about this,” Higgins says.
“José Daniel has been outstanding. He’s brought the whole music department to a level of excellence that needs to be maintained. But I’m excited about the process.”
Baggott says that search will likely yield a strong field of candidates largely thanks to what Flores has accomplished. ”Our requiems will continue, our Christmas Eve symphony. We’re not going to miss a beat. That’s the level we’re going for, and we’re going to make a big splash.”
Flores spent last week house-hunting in Albany – arriving to mid-afternoon temperatures in the mid-60s. When he returns to Vero, he will begin preparations for his final church service July 27. He is opening up the choir to anyone in the community that morning. The service starts at 10 a.m., with a choir call at 9:15 a.m. There is a rehearsal scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26. He is asking that participants call 469-2317 for information.
Meanwhile, Flores is hoping the church will invite him back to play. “Any excuse to escape the cold weather and play this wonderful organ,” he says.
“One of the unique characteristics of this area that made me love working here was to see the kind of support and passion for the performing arts that this community has. I know I was very fortunate to be here.”