A FIRE IN THE CHOIR CSUN CHORAL DIRECTOR PAUL SMITH DEMANDS NOTHING LESS THAN THE BEST.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

You attend every rehearsal, unless you are absolutely too sick to sing. If you are going to be absent, you give the choral conductor notice and an explanation for your absence. You show up with your score and pencil in hand. If you miss a dress rehearsal, you do not perform.

In other words, if you are going to sing with the elite student choral group at California State University, Northridge, you arrive more prepared than the most fastidious Boy Scout.

``My students would confirm that I'm pretty demanding,'' admits Paul Smith, conductor of the Northridge Singers, which will back up Russell Watson at the opening of the Kodak Theatre on Friday. ``But I'm demanding for a reason. These are professional issues. They're not Paul issues.

``My worst fear is that these kids would come through a music department, graduate and not work. I want to make sure that in their training and the experience they have here, they're ready to go out and have a professional attitude. I can't guarantee a professional career, but I can start to instill a professional attitude.''

Frequent engagements

As the past few months have demonstrated, the 66 aspiring professional singers at CSUN need the correct attitude for the high-profile assignments that are coming their way with increasing frequency.

Fresh from a triumphant performance at the American Choral Directors Association convention last year, the Northridge Singers joined Esa-Pekka Salonen, Wynton Marsalis and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for the West Coast premiere of Marsalis' ``All Rise'' at the Bowl in September. That performance led to an invitation to sing ``America the Beautiful'' at the closing of the Emmy Awards ceremony (which was called off when the awards show was postponed a second time), and to accompany Watson on Friday night in Hollywood.

The Northridge Singers will perform at an ACDA regional conference in February in Hawaii, and Smith plans to bring a contingent from the Northridge Singers to participate in a choral program he will conduct at Carnegie Hall in January 2003.

``The way Hollywood or the industry works, these opportunities sometimes happen in the way that they are a surprise,'' says Smith, now in his seventh year at CSUN. ``Suddenly your name is out there and someone calls you and says, 'We have a possible engagement for you. Are you interested?' And of course, you are.''

Glamorous though these opportunities may be, the special-invitation performances are in no way linked to course work or regularly scheduled campus, high school or community performances.

The on-campus performance of two one-act operas kept the Northridge Singers from singing at the rescheduled Emmys. Pre-Kodak, the ensemble also had a high school recruiting concert and a visit with the visiting opera coach from the St. Petersburg Opera.

But whether their audience is a Kodak crowd, high school students or 6,000 choral directors at the ACDA, the Northridge Singers are expected to treat the experience with professionalism. Smith, who sees similarities between artistic performance and athletics, uses a sports analogy: You bring your best game, no matter the opponent.

He uses a similar metaphor to talk about recruiting. Even as students graduate and leave the program, the growing reputation of Smith and his fellow music department faculty at CSUN is helping to make the campus an attractive destination for incoming students.

``I think our undergraduate talent is as strong as anywhere,'' says Smith. ``The invitation to perform at the ACDA national is a strong indication. You don't get invited there unless your program is strong. The fact that we also have an outstanding voice faculty is also appealing. Many of our students are coming here because they want to be outstanding singers. They would one day like to be the next Russell Watsons.''

T.J. Harper, a graduate student who is also Smith's assistant, says the members of the Northridge Singers rise to the challenge.

``Professor Smith's standard is always maybe a little higher than we can actually reach,'' said Harper. ``The fact that he's demanding is going to accomplish more than I think any one individual thought they were capable of doing.''

``He's a gifted man,'' adds Dr. William Dehning, chairman of choral and sacred music at USC, Smith's alma mater. ``It would take a person of real talent to get that group where it has been so quickly, and I think Paul has that talent.''

In the deep end of the pool

At age 15, Smith got an early taste of the professional life his students would later experience when he auditioned for the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers. Touring with the ensemble for 15 years - and later serving as assistant director - Smith traveled the world.

``It was a professional choir and here I was, this kid. (McNeil) let me come in because I was so eager, not because I was ready,'' said Smith. ``There was this one tenor who would sit next to me and say, 'This kid is really working, and he's really sharp.'

``From that experience, I started learning: Have your music, show up for rehearsals on time, memorize what you have to have memorized.''

Hired at CSUN before he completed his doctorate, Smith would pass on what he learned to his students.

``He fully trusts us to be professional, knowing he has done that for us and knowing that we will absolutely represent our school and our profession well,'' said senior alto Alicia Emerson.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Dr. Paul Smith is pleased with the caliber of applicants he's seeing for the Northridge Singers: ``Many of our students are coming here because they want to be outstanding singers. They would one day like to be the next Russell Watsons.''

(2) Northridge Singers members Steve Womack, left, Dan Houze and Bryan Snow rehearse a number.

(3) Joining the singers in rehearsal is CSUN's Shira Brown.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer