What people have said about Paul as a Conductor:
In the Calgary music community Paul Grindlay is held in the highest esteem, and as a male vocalist he is considered without equal. His work with the world renowned Tafelmusik Chamber Choir as well as his appearances as soloist with professional orchestras such as the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, put him a cut above most male singers in Alberta. As a violinist and conductor I have worked with numerous singers, and I can unequivocally state that Paul Grindlay is the most intellectual, knowledgeable and musically thoughtful male singer I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He excels in all musical areas including musical sensitivity, interpretation and the understanding of all musical styles, from Renaissance to Contemporary to Popular music. Indeed, it is unusual that that for someone with such a distinguished background in Classical music he is so at home with Popular music. His knowledge of diction and tone production, and his ability to demonstrate at a level achieved by few professional singers, are inspiring not just to the kids but to other professional musicians, such as myself. His musical imagination and ability to reveal musical meaning through word painting and imagery constitute an intellectual and musical aptitude that is hard to find, and which is of immense value to the kids… Having a conductor of Paul’s distinguished ability and accomplishments makes a strong positive impact to our young boys, and goes a long way towards counteracting the culture of machismo commonly found in our society. Paul is a musical and intellectual powerhouse. I am pleased to be writing in reference to Paul Grindlay… I have known Paul for several years as a vocal soloist and as a fellow choral conductor and pedagogue. Most recently, I was honoured to watch his work at Singspiration, working with the youth choir where he drew out wonderful music from these young (mostly inexperienced) young people. I have had the privilege of knowing Paul Grindlay for about four years, as a soloist and also a choral conductor. I sing in the choir ProCoro Canada in Edmonton, and Paul is often brought up to Edmonton as the bass soloist for this choir. I have been the director for Singspiration, a choral camp for youth at Concordia, and two years ago we hired Paul as the Youth Choir conductor (the youth loved him and his nature as well as the great music he produced). We have also hired Paul as a workshop leader for the Concordia Concert Choir, where he gave us ideas for how to develop the sound of the choir (especially for the men’s voices) and gave insights into musical aspects of certain pieces. What a Supersonic afternoon – The new choir took off in grand style! Well done Paul – I loved all the music, which was beautifully sung. Onwards and upwards!!! We want to congratulate you on your concert with Supersonic. This men’s group was amazing. Please let us know when a cd comes available!! Congratulations! A big success this afternoon from what I heard after the concert. Thank you for all of the energy and time you put into SuperSonic. I never felt like you wasted our time in rehearsal - an important consideration for busy guys. I have enjoyed your attention to vocal sound - production, breathing, focus, blend, tuning. I believe we sounded pretty good considering we are not the brightest lights in the night sky. Actually, I was picturing the Aurora Borealis as we sang Three Kings – a very useful image! |