In a university teeming with talent and creativity, Nathan Leaf works to bring vocal performances to life through his directing. Leaf is the director for choral activities at NC State. He directs a mixed choral choir called State Chorale, a women’s choir called Vox Accalia and a men’s choir called Singing Statesmen.
A multi-talented performer, Leaf’s life has been led by his love for music and his passion to share this love with students. His passion for music was heavily influenced by his family.
“Music has always been a part of my life,” Leaf said. “My parents, though not professional musicians, played instruments and sang. As children, my siblings and I all took piano lessons and played instruments as well as sang. Music was one of many things that was a typical part of a day for us.”
In high school, Leaf took vocal lessons, played instruments and sang in school choirs.
“I did these not with the intent of becoming a professional singer, but simply because I loved doing it,” Leaf said.
Even with an apparent love for all things music, Leaf did not always know he wanted to pursue a career in music education. In college, Leaf decided he would focus more on vocal performance rather than instrumental performance.
Although he applied and auditioned for music scholarships at various universities with intentions of majoring in music, Leaf ended up attending Valparaiso University in Indiana, where he first studied economics and computer applications with a dream of attending law school during his first semester. While his core studies were not based in music, he continued to nurture his love for singing by auditioning for choir at his university.
“In that first semester, a whole new world opened up to me,” Leaf said. “It was the first choir in which I had to work really hard to keep up with everyone else, and it was amazing. I was challenged, overwhelmed and inspired all at the same time. Mostly, it was the sound. The sound of 48 advanced singers rehearsing together every day lifted me to a new place.”
After this eye-opening experience, he changed his major to music education at the end of his first semester. This change in major allowed him to connect with a campus that is dominated by students studying engineering, math and science.
“I was just like an NC State student when I started college — not a music major,” Leaf said. “Our students come from all different majors, but that is not any different from most other places, even those with music degrees. The goals are the same — to make great music together. And at the end of the day, it doesn’t much matter to the audience’s ears or to the music whether the singers are music majors, or engineering majors or English majors.”
Ally Fisher, a third-year studying communication, said she considered auditioning for a choir her freshman year.
“I wasn’t sure about joining something so out of my comfort zone,” Fisher said. “I wanted to try new things but was apprehensive. Dr. Leaf helped me realize that choir is for everyone and it’s okay to step out of the box, even if you have no experience.”
Since this change, Leaf has not stopped pursuing his love for music. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he went on to earn a master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees in choral conducting from the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin.
Before directing choral activities at NC State, Leaf performed in, collaborated, conducted and led numerous musical organizations and performances.
Leaf has since found his home in the NC State choral department, which he joined in 2008. Leaf said his hope was to grow the department to 120 students when he joined. Since then, the department has exceeded this number with around 140 participating students, according to Leaf.
The director is also planning special programs for the upcoming season. Leaf said he wants to increase funding to the department to allow for choral groups to tour more frequently at a lower cost. Currently, the State Chorale tours internationally every two years, and students must pay individually. Leaf said he also wants additional funding to go toward expanding the music facilities, and he believes the student body could be better served with the elimination of facility limitations.
In his 10th year of directing, Leaf has set some goals for himself.
“For me, the goal is to be the best teacher I can, and also to expand my horizons outside of the university to bring the latest and greatest opportunities back here,” Leaf said. “I also do a lot of work with high school students in the state and want to continue that outreach.”
Even after years of being wholeheartedly involved in music, Leaf’s passion is not going anywhere any time soon.
“Music has the power to inspire, to thrill,” Leaf said. “All music, especially sung music that a person is physically creating with their own body and nothing else, together with others, can be viscerally exciting. And that thrill, that inspiration, that physical sensation, that aesthetic awakening can change a person. [It] can change their perspective. [It] can change their spirit and open their mind and heart to new potential.”
The State Chorale will be premiering a new work of Leaf’s at the Spring Choral Ensembles Concert April 6.
