Welcome to Cherbourne Music
I’m Ralph B. Woodward, founder and artistic director of the Salt Lake Children’s Choir and the originator of many of the compositions and arrangements performed by the choir. Cherbourne Music is largely an outgrowth of both a manifest interest by other choir directors in our repertoire and a long-standing personal desire to make this material available to others.
Coming from a musical family as I do (my father–long-time conductor of the renowned BYU A Cappella Choir, and my mother–a gifted soprano, vocal pedagogue and herself, director of a fine children’s choir), writing music came naturally and early. However, it wasn’t until the founding of the Salt Lake Children’s Choir in 1979 that such writing became directed outward to any real extent. By then I had performed widely as both a singer and instrumentalist, lived extensively in both Latin America and Europe and had developed a keen interest in a variety of cultures and musical traditions–an interest which continues to influence much of my own music selection and composition. While virtually all these choral pieces were performed initially by the Salt Lake Children’s Choir, some have been set for mixed voices and performed by other choirs (including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). The treble choir pieces vary in difficulty –some being ideal for young, inexperienced choirs and others being better suited for advanced youth groups or women’s ensembles. In any case a number of titles are now in print and available–with more to follow. I hope you will find at least some of these works of interest.With best wishes,
Ralph B. Woodward