Choral Concert with host Peter Togni, June 26, 2011 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NL) on CBC Radio 2

Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montreal  (SMAM) in Concert

Peter Togni brings us an encore performance of one of Canada’s (and the world’s) finest early music choirs in concert. Praised for its "rich-textured, vibrant sound” and "hypnotic beauty”, the 10 to 13 singers in the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal are led by the visionary organist and harpsichordist Christopher Jackson.  You’ll hear transcendent music by Guillaume Bouzignac, John Taverner, and Etienne Moulinie.

You will also have a chance to compare the great rivals Salieri and Mozart back to back, and you get to decide who deserves the highest praise!

Visit the Choral Concert blog at:  http://cbc.ca/choralconcert

The Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Announces $12,000 Award for Choral Conducting

The Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce its award for 2012 in choral conducting. This is in recognition of Sir Ernest MacMillan's celebrated career as a conductor, in particular his many years with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (1942–1957) and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1931–1956).

In conjunction with the Association of Canadian Choral Communities, Choirs Ontario, and the Elmer Iseler Singers, the final round of the MacMillan Foundation award process will take place at Podium, Canada's National Conference, in Ottawa on May 19, 2012. Three finalists, selected through a competitive process that is national in scope, will work with the Elmer Iseler Singers in front of a jury and live audience.

Winner of the 2011 NewWorks Competition Announced

The DaCapo Chamber Choir, and director Leonard Enns, are pleased to announce Patrick Murray as the winner of this year's NewWorks national choral composition competition.

For the second year in a row, a strong list of submissions to the competition were received from all across Canada.   It is particularly gratifying that our winner, in this absolutely blind competition, turned out to be one of our youngest entrants.  Patrick Murray is entering his final year in an undergraduate program in Music at U of T this fall, and already writes with a maturity and confidence that promises the emergence of a new and important Canadian compositional voice. Congratulations Patrick!

As this year's NewWorks choral composition competition winner, Patrick will receive $1,500 and attend the premiere of his composition.  The Echo will be premiered at DaCapo's November 2011 concert, at which time the choir will host a gala reception for winner Patrick Murray.

For more information about the competition, please visit our web site.

Spiritus Wins Two Prizes at Prestigious International Choral Competition

The award-winning Spiritus Chamber Choir, Calgary, has capped a memorable first international tour with a tremendous showing at a prestigious international choral competition in Europe.

Spiritus earned second prize in the mixed voices category at the 40th Florilège Vocal de Tours international choral competition, held May 27-29, 2011 in Tours, France. The competition attracts some of the best choirs and vocal ensembles from around the world. Spiritus was the only choir from Canada – and one of only three from North America – invited to participate in this year's competition.

Titanic Requiem Marks 100th Anniversary

April 14/15, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. Donald Patriquin's Titanic Requiem is a testament to the doomed ship, its dead and man's folly. Most recently performed in St. John's Newfoundland by Susan Quinn's Quintessential Vocal Ensemble in the Basilica Cathedral - where many of the Titanic’s dead were buried - the haunting 21-minute work is appropriate for memorial services and concerts and may be extended with integrated readings. SATB (some optional divisi), string quartet, cello, piano, soprano, plus contra bass or organ or synth/keyboard. CD and free score available. Please contact DonaldPatriquin@gmail.com. Visit www.donaldpatriqui.com for information, video clip.

Choral Concert with host Peter Togni, June 19, 2011 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NL) on CBC Radio 2

The Hilliard Ensemble in Concert

This week on Choral Concert Peter Togni brings you an encore performance by one of the most pristine sounding vocal groups ever, the vocal quartet from Great Britain known as the Hilliard Ensemble. These four men exemplify the highest standards of vocal production.

In this concert they present a wide range of music, everything from music of the time of the Italian painter Caravaggio, to music written within the last decade. It's all very dramatic (in a subtle and refined way) and is from the “Music and Beyond” festival this past July in Ottawa.

Visit the Choral Concert blog at:  http://cbc.ca/choralconcert

National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs

The Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) is pleased to announce the names of the choirs that have been selected to proceed to the final round of the 2011 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs.

This is the second year that the ACCC has administered the biennial competition in partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts and CBC Radio/Radio-Canada, having rescued the event after funding cuts forced the CBC to eliminate the popular competition in 2010.

Winners of the 2011 Competition will be announced on July 6, 2011, at the opening gala concert of Festival 500 at the Arts and Culture Centre, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and broadcast on CBC's Choral Concert with host Peter Togni on Sunday, July 10, 2011.

The next National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs will be held in 2013. Details will be posted on the ACCC web site (choralcanada.org) as soon as they are available.

Concours national pour choeurs amateurs canadiens

L'Association des communautés chorales canadiennes a le plaisir d'annoncer les choeurs sélectionnés pour participer à la rencontre finale du Concours national pour choeurs amateurs canadiens.

C'est la deuxième année que l'ACCC gère le concours bisannuel en partenariat avec le Conseil des Arts du Canada et la CBC/Radio-Canada ayant repris le concours lorsque des réductions des dépenses ont obligé la CBC/Radio-Canada à abandonner le concours populaire en 2010.

Les lauréats du Concours seront annoncés le 6 juillet 2011 lors du gala d'ouverture du Festival 500 au Arts and Culture Centre à St-Jean, Terre-Neuve et Labrador et mis en vedette sur Choral Concert présenté par Peter Togni le dimanche 10 juillet 2011 sur les ondes de la CBC.

Le prochain Concours national pour choeurs amateurs canadiens aura lieu en 2013.  Les renseignements pertinents seront affichés sur le site de l'ACCC (choralcanada.org) dès qu'ils seront disponibles.

Vancouver’s Diane Loomer Receives Honorary Degree From UBC

Chor Leoni Men’s Choir is thrilled to announce that on May 25, 2011 the University of British Columbia honoured Diane Loomer with a Doctor of Letters honoris causa in recognition of her lifelong dedication to choral music.

Diane Loomer, C.M. is a recipient of the Order of Canada, the director and founder of Chor Leoni Men's Choir, co-founder and conductor emerita of Elektra Women's Choir, and most recently founder and conductor of EnChor Chamber Choir, and is internationally recognized as one of Canada's leading musicians. Her choral compositions have been published and recorded internationally, and she frequently appears on CBC national radio as a spokesperson for the classical arts. She has taught on the Music Faculty of the University of British Columbia. The first woman to conduct the National Youth Choir of Canada, Ms. Loomer received the Healey Willan Award in 1990 for her service to choral music in British Columbia; in 1994, she was named YWCA Vancouver’s Woman of Distinction for Arts and Culture; and in 1997 and 2004 received Distinguished Alumni Awards honouring her achievements. In 2002, she was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for her significant contribution to Canada’s culture.

Choral Concert with host Peter Togni, June 12, 2011 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NL) on CBC Radio 2

Taflemusik presents: “Bach in Leipzig”
 
This week on Choral Concert Peter Togni brings you an encore broadcast of “Bach in Leipzig, the four ages of the city” with the Taflemusik Choir, orchestra, and narrator William Webster all led by conductor Ivars Taurins. It chronicles the incredibly productive second half of Bach’s life in Leipzig from 1723 to his death in 1750. It was all put together by the principal bassist of Tafelmusik, Allyson McKay.
 
And if that is not enough Bach for you, to open the show you’ll hear a wonderful performance of Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze” with the Elmer Iseler Singers.
 

Announcement

The board of ACCC wishes to inform the membership that Christina Murray is not renewing her contract with ACCC. Christina has served as our executive director for the past two years and we thank her for all that she has contributed to the development of ACCC and the Canadian choral community across the country. We wish her much success as she continues her chosen career as a vocal teacher, conductor and advocate for the choral art.

Members of the board will assume responsibilities for all ACCC projects and for the daily management of the organization until such time as new administrative personnel can be secured. Current contact information is available on the web site.

Annonce

Par la présente, le Conseil d'administration de l'ACCC informe ses membres que Christina Murray ne renouvelera pas son contrat auprès de l'ACCC.  Christina occupe le poste de directrice générale depuis deux ans et nous tenons à la remercier pour ses bons et loyaux services en faveur du développement de l'ACCC et des communautés chorales du Canada.  Nous lui souhaitons beaucoup de succès dans sa carrière d'enseignante de chant, de chef de choeur et d'avocate en faveur de l'art choral.

Les membres du Conseil assumeront toute responsabilité à l'égard des projets de l'ACCC et de la gestion quotidienne de l'ACCC jusqu'à ce qu'un nouveau directeur général soit embauché.  Toute information relative aux contacts est disponible sur le site.

Call for Research Papers

The Editorial Committee for the Association of Canadian Choral Communities is now accepting research papers for the first edition of Tactus (formerly Anacrusis) the magazine of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities. For submission guidelines, please visit the ACCC website at http://choralcanada.org/ACCC_en/Guidelines.html. Submissions should be forwarded to the attention of Carolyn Nielsen at academic@choralcanada.org. All papers will undergo a process of blind peer review. Questions relating to the guidelines for submission should be directed to Dean Jobin-Bevans at djobinbe@lakeheadu.ca. The submission deadline is June 15, 2011.

Appel de soumissions de recherche

Le Comité de rédaction  de l'Associaton des communautés chorales canadiennes lance un appel de soumissions pour la première édition de Tactus (anciennement Anacrusis), la revue de l'Association des communautés chorales canadiennes.  Pour les directives relatives aux soumissions, veuillez visiter Directives.   Les soumissions seront adressées à l'attention de Carolyn Nielsen à academic@choralcanada.org.  Les soumissions seront examinées par un jury des pairs en aveugle.  Toute question quant aux directives pour les soumissions sera adressée à Dean Jobin-Bevans à djobinbe@lakeheadu.ca.  Les soumissions doivent être déposées avant le 15 juin prochain.

Choral Concert with host Peter Togni, June 5, 2011 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NL) on CBC Radio 2

From Vancouver, the Golden Age of Venice, with the Laudate Singers 

This week on Choral Concert we head to Venice via Vancouver.  The Laudate Singers present Venetian Mosaic, music inspired by the more than 8,000 square metres of golden mosaics that cover the walls, ceilings and floors of St Mark’s Cathedral in Venice. You’ll hear wonderful performances of Gabrielli, Caldara, and the great man himself Claudio Monteverdi.

You will also hear an incredible performance of the finale of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms in a brand new release from the Collegium Vocale Gent and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic.

Visit the Choral Concert blog at:  http://cbc.ca/choralconcert