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The Knox College Choir, directed by faculty Laura Lane, performs at the 2016 Martin Luther King Convocation.

Knox Choral Director Receives Prestigious Award

“She’s remarkable in that she can hear any one of our voices in our ensemble, and tell us individually what we need to do.”—Meghan Mohn ‘18

by Elise Goitia '18

Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Laura Lane has been awarded the Harold Decker Award by the Illinois Chapter of the American Choral Directors' Association (ACDA).

According to the organization's website, the award is given "in recognition of the significant contribution made to the lives of innumerable choral singers, conductors, and audiences who have been privileged to experience the finest in choral music as presented under his or her direction."

"It's an incredible honor," commented Lane. "I feel deeply humbled to be a part of this list of leaders in the field. To be on the list of previous winners, along with folks like Harold Decker, Margaret Hillis, etcetera ... well, I can hardly believe it!"

The Illinois ACDA is an organization where Lane has actively been a member. The award, which was first instituted in 1979, is only granted by the board of the Illinois ACDA when they review a nomination they feel is worthy of the award, with a nomination coming from at least two people.

Lane has been directing and teaching at Knox for 35 years. She has led the Knox College Choir and Chamber Singers on tour internationally 10 times. In 2005 she made her Carnegie Hall debut, conducting the New England Symphonic Ensemble and combined choirs from Illinois and New Jersey in the Vaughan Williams' Dona nobis pacem. After serving the Illinois ACDA as president, past-president, and secretary, Lane served as college/university repertoire and standards chair.

When Lane was notified that she was receiving the award, her colleague Lee Kesselman told her that it was for "outstanding teaching, outstanding musicianship, and service to the organization," and that every board member was familiar with Lane's work.

  • Laura Lane receives the award, pictured with her husband, Richard Stout, and daughter, Lydia Stout.
  • Music faculty Laura Lane rehearsing Knox College Choir, Monmouth College Chorale and Galesburg Community Chorus. Concert - May 6, 2017 performance of Brahms Requiem.
  • Knox College Choir rehearsing with director, music faculty Laura Lane.

"It means so much to me that my colleagues in the field, at the high school and college levels, at the children's choir and junior high and middle school levels, in the churches and with community choirs—they know me and they know my work, and they value it," she commented.

Senior Meghan Mohn is a section leader in the Knox College Choir and the Chamber Choir, and one of two secretaries on the choir board. They commented that they were "not at all surprised" at Lane receiving the award, citing Lane's dedication to her students as a driving reason.

"Everything she does is for us," they said. "When you have a choir made up of young, largely non-music majors, who haven't been singing for a long time, and they go on to sing in Carnegie Hall multiple times, something's right there."

"She gets out of us a professional quality through kindness and encouragement," they added. "I never feel like a failure with Laura."

Currently, Lane is working on the programming for the 2018/2019 year for Nova Singers, a professional choral ensemble that she founded in 1986, and the Knox College Choir. Her big projects for next year include two residencies: in January 2019 she will bring two musicians from South Africa for a four-day residency, and in April 2019, she will host Mariela Shaker, Syrian violinist and advocate for the rights of refugees.

The award was presented to Lane formally at a banquet on June 27 at the Illinois Summer Conference in Bloomington, Normal, Illinois. In her remarks at the presentation, Mary Hopper, ACDA vice president, read part of one of her nominating letters. It said that Lane is "not only a superb musician and teacher, but she also possesses abundant imagination and energy, uniquely equipped to lead and inspire her talented and intellectually gifted students at Knox .... Each time I hear them I am amazed at the resonant sound, mature expressiveness, and high level of musicality this group manages to produce coming from a school with few music majors and a relatively small student population."

Said Hopper of Lane, "I have to say that Laura is one of the smartest musicians I know."

Published on July 03, 2018