Photo Contributed by Franco Basili

“I just fell in love with the university…how passionate the students are, how dedicated they are and the weather,” Franco Basili said.

Franco Basili said he “never imagined” he would be the choir director at California Lutheran University. Now, the Argentinian has stepped into the role after long-time choir director Wyant Morton retired in May.

“I just fell in love with the university…how passionate the students are, how dedicated they are, and the weather,” Basili said. 

Basili is the new director of choral activities and assistant professor of music. He earned his Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Houston and has performed with the World Youth Choir, according to the Cal Lutheran faculty directory. 

Basili said his time as a performer in the World Youth Choir allowed him to tour the world, provide perspective on music and helped him decide what he wanted to pursue in his professional career. He now brings that perspective to his daily rehearsals with students in Overton Hall. 

“[World Youth Choir] definitely shaped who I am today, because I did it when I was in Argentina. I saw all these young people doing their master’s and doctorates in opera and music, traveling the world,” Basili said. “I thought, ‘Why can’t I do the same?’”

Basili said his culture as an Argentinian is important to him and part of what brought him to Cal Lutheran, a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution.

“I thought, ‘Well, being Latin American, there is something I have to offer,’” Basili said.

Basili’s culture is not just part of the reason he ended up at Cal Lutheran. He said it influences his teaching style and vision for the choir’s future. 

Junior Sofia Stahoski, choir co-president, said she feels Basili’s cultural impact on the choir has already brought the group something they were missing. 

“We have been incorporating a lot of feeling the beat and dancing almost. I think for a lot of people that’s something new to us,” Stahoski said. “Choir is seen as something you just use your voice but it’s really a whole body instrument. Especially with Latin American music, you have to feel it in your whole body to give it its true message. I think Cal Lutheran as an HSI really needs this.”

According to Basili, culture is a keyword in his teaching—not just about heritage but about a commitment to improvement.

“For me it’s about creating a culture of hard work. To push the students as much as I can to improve their skills,” Basili said. “One of my goals is to teach them how to read music so they can be more independent.”

This culture of hard work and new style of teaching has brought a new energy to the choir, said Benito Ruiz, a junior choir student who serves as the bass section leader. 

“Having a new director who is bringing in techniques and a new approach that I’ve never seen before—and I don’t think any of us have ever seen before—allows for us to approach even the same songs in a different way,” Ruiz said. 

Basili said he is focused on the Music Department as a whole, not just the choir. While he sees a lot of potential, he said the department needs to do a better job attracting the best musicians in the area.

“The scholarship system is fantastic. Students can come here and not pay a single penny to get their degree in music,” Basili said. “But, it is our job to make this program more attractive and get everyone to know about it.”

Stahoski said Basili’s mindset of growing the program is reflected in his students’ excitement to learn.

“Having a lot of energy and being new to the campus is exciting for both Basili and the students,” Stahoski said. “I think we are really excited to see how this choir can grow in terms of the number of people and the quality of sound.”

Basili said the message for his students is that choir is not just about the music, and he tries to incorporate larger life lessons through his teachings.

“Sometimes I make mistakes, but every day is a new day so we start again,” Basili said. “That’s part of the reason why our Homecoming Concert is called ‘Can We Sing the Darkness to Light.’ Some of the songs are about starting a new day fresh and pursuing your dreams.”

As the semester continues, Basili said he looks towards continuing his work with the university’s choir and personal growth.

“My mantra would be, ‘Do the best you can, wherever you are, with who you are,’ and now I am here with my wife, my students, trying to do my best,” Basili said.