Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Callaway
Hi Karla , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am the musical director for an award-winning women’s a cappella chorus called Texas Harmony. I have been with them for 6 years, helped navigate COVID and now we are thriving. Our mission is to empower women of all ages with a common purpose – singing in harmony. Women often come for the music but stay for the friendships and ability to grow both musically and interpersonally.
When I became their director there were only 18 members strong. Now, we have 47 members and are working toward 50 singing members. We have been able to attract wonderful singers through our open audition process as well as organic growth through our website, Meet Up and word of mouth. It is a very exciting time in Texas Harmony!
We work hard to create a safe space for women of all ages and all levels of singing and performing. We tailor our musical education to help all singers grow. This includes small group and individual education.
We are comprised of women from all over the Metroplex including Canton, Denton, Fort Worth, Grandbury, Midlothian and everywhere in between. Another part of our mission is to sing for our communities. We have been a part of many amazing performance audiences all around the DFW area. Performing provides a sense of pride and satisfaction to our women and audiences a like.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been struggles along the way. When our chorus was small, only a handful of women shared the load of work. As we have increased in membership each year, more women have stepped up to share the load, harness their talents as well as explore new ways of doing things.
To be a singer in 2020 was a challenge due to the fact there were some scientific findings that aspiration could send COVID-19 airborne. We did have to spend about 6 months apart so we utilized ZOOM as an option to be together but it is not a forum to actually sing together. We focused on education and individual skill development. As a musical director, I felt like a DJ, which is NOT what I signed up for. It was also challenging to “read the room” so I never really knew how people were responding to the information. Once we could meet in person, we did. We worked hard to create processes and procedures to keep everyone safe.
Since that time, we have incrementally grown, addressed the needs of the chorus, focused on education and performing and created solid membership plans.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the musical director of an a cappella chorus that specializes in 4 part harmony. We offer 4 different voice parts, bass, baritone, lead (melody) and tenor. My opportunity is to develop and teach engaging rehearsals to perfect our musical selections. I dissect the song, find musical patterns, develop a lesson/rehearsal plan, and help all my singers grow musically.
Texas Harmony loves to perform for any audience. We sing songs like “I Will Survive”, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, and just completed our Fall Show with Beatles selections like “Black Bird”, “Imagine” and “With a little Help from My Friends”. Because we sing without accompaniment, we have to hone our skills to sing in tune and together.
Our group also competes annually in the spring. Last spring we received 3rd place small chorus and 5th place overall.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Our chorus has received invitations to perform at Carnegie Hall twice. 2009 and 2011 were the years. A group went to NYC each time and participated in the performance opportunity of a lifetime. We have also earned 3rd place in the 2009 Sweet Adelines International Harmony Classic competition in the AA Small Chorus Division.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.texasharmony.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TexasHarmonyChorus?mibextid=JRoKGi
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@texasharmony
