London International A Cappella Choir Competition April 21–26, 2014

From April 21–26th, 2014, the London International A Cappella Choir Competition will bring together 16 choirs from around the world to compete in a series of public concerts. A jury of renowned experts, chaired by the founder and director of the award-winning Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips, will select a winning choir from four preliminary rounds to compete in a prestigious final with the opportunity to win substantial cash prizes and further concert dates.

In addition to the opportunity of winning one of the prizes which are on offer, each competing choir will be given discounted entry to an opening concert from given by the Tallis Scholars, free tickets to the competition heats and will be invited to give a further concert at another prestigious London venue during their stay.

View the brochure outlining the schedule for the week, details of repertoire and information of how to apply. An application form is available at www.sjss.org.uk

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Nick Halley Sunday September 29th, 2013 9:05 - 10:00 am, (9:35 - 10:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

The best new choral releases with Nick Halley

This Sunday on Choral Concert Nick Halley takes you on a survey of the best new releases from across Canada, the USA and Europe. You'll hear the Lady Cove Women's Choir from St. John's, the Laurier Singers from Waterloo, and international groups like the Orchestra and Chorus of the Age of Enlightenment, and Conspirare

ACCC composer Elise Letourneau listed as finalist for The American Prize 2013

Composer-performer Elise Letourneau has been selected as a finalist for The 2013 American Prize in the choral composition category.

The American Prize in Composition recognizes and rewards the best composers in America of new works for orchestra, chorus, concert band, or chamber ensemble that have been publicly performed.

The panel described Elise’s work as “capitalizing on her active background in the jazz field, while also displaying considerable skill writing academically/classically-oriented music. She reveals an impressive amount of craft and confidence in writing contrapuntally while moving through key centers. Letourneau writes with vivid imagination and a willingness to try new things in the choral idiom.”

Elise’s submission included her “Four Love Poems by E.E. Cummings” for double choir and jazz trio, performed by the Vancouver Chamber Choir with Jon Washburn directing; “Peace Prayer” for mixed choir and piano, performed by Canada’s National Youth Choir with Ivars Taurins and Joel Tranquilla directing; and “Ave Maria” for treble voices and piano, performed by the Toronto Children’s Chorus with Elise Bradley directing.

Elise is also the most recent winner of the Ruth Watson Henderson composition competition and the ACCC composition competition. She has been named an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre.

Elise is the director of two choirs in Ottawa: Capital Vox Jazz Choir and Vox Eclectica Women’s Chamber Choir. She performs regionally and teaches at Alcorn Music Studios and Carleton University.

Vancouver Chamber Choir's 34th National Conductors' Symposium January 20-25, 2014

The Vancouver Chamber Choir's 34th National Conductors' Symposium is an opportunity to take part in master classes with Canada's premier choral ensemble January 20-25, 2014 in Vancouver.

Presenting a week of conducting sessions and technique seminars, Master Conductor Jon Washburn will provide invaluable instruction for selected choral conductors from around the world. The symposium will focus on providing conductors with as much podium time as possible and will culminate with each participant sharing in the conducting of a Vancouver Chamber Choir concert.
 
Download the 2014 National Conductors' Symposium application here.

Applications must be received by November 8, 2013. For more information about the Vancouver Chamber Choir or the National Conductors' Symposium just visit our website here.

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Nick Halley Sunday September 22th, 2013 9:05 - 10:00 am, (9:35 - 10:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

10 choral events you can’t miss in the coming season

No one should have to walk through life on this planet without experiencing at least one great performance of choral music.

Here in Canada we’re lucky because there are great choirs in every province, city and community. If you keep your ear to the ground, you’ll find a great choral performance coming up near you.

With that in mind, CBC Radio 2’s Choral Concert crew has put together a list of 10 must-see choral events in the coming season and in this edition of Choral Concert, Nick will take you through as many as he can squeeze into the program.

Click here to go to the blog and see the complete list, and to add your thoughts and comments.

Notice of Annual General Meeting Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 8:00 PM EST

The Association of Canadian Choral Communities will be holding an Annual General Meeting by teleconference on Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 8:00 PM EST. 
Meeting information is now available at the following links:
Agenda
Minutes
Motions
President's Report English
Financial Statements
Len Ratzlaff Bio

The membership may vote electronically on the motions of the meeting between Thursday, September 19 at 9:00 AM EST, and Sunday, September 22 at 3:00 PM EST at  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BZ5BMPD. 

In addition to online voting, members may join the teleconference by dialing 1.877.278.7443, and entering passcode 2099883. Please notify Erin Bustin of your intent to join the teleconference, by emailing accc@choralcanada.org, no later than Friday, September 20 at 12:00 pm EST.

Avis d’assemblée générale annuelle à 20 heures HNE, le dimanche 22 septembre 2013.

L’Association des communautés chorales canadiennes tiendra son assemblée générale annuelle par téléconférence à 20 heures HNE, le dimanche 22 septembre 2013.
L’information sur la réunion est disponible aux liens suivants:
Ordre du jour
Procès-verbal
Motions
Rapport du président
Le rapport financier
Len Ratzlaff Bio

Les membres peuvent voter par voie électronique sur les motions proposées à l’AGA entre 9 heures HNE le jeudi 19 septembre et 15 heures, HNE, le dimanche 22 septembre à http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BZ5BMPD.

En plus de voter en ligne, les membres sont invités à participer à la téléconférence en composant le 1.877.278.7443 et en entrant le mot de passe 2099883. Veuillez informer Erin Bustin de votre intention de participer à la téléconférence en lui envoyant un courriel à accc@choralcanada.org d’ici 12 h HNE le vendredi 20 septembre.

Debra Cairns Elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada

Congratulations to former ACCC president Debra Cairns who has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada. New fellows are elected by RSC peers each year in recognition of outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement. Election to the academies of the Royal Society of Canada is the highest honour a scholar can achieve in the Arts, Humanities and Sciences.

Cairns’ extraordinary contributions to choral music since she joined the University of Alberta in 1989 span the full spectrum of research and creative activity. An award-winning conductor and internationally published scholar, she has received recognition in both the performance and academic domains through CD publications, national broadcast recordings and competition prizes with her chamber choir i Coristi, as well as articles, a scholarly edition of a Renaissance mass, and a book.

“I am indeed deeply honoured and humbled to be named a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada,” said Cairns. “I have been the beneficiary of working with wonderful colleagues in the Department of Music and across the Faculty of Arts, who have inspired me through their creativity and thought-provoking research."

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. Its mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence, to advise governments and organizations, and to promote a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.

This year's new Fellows will be inducted to the academies of the RSC during the Induction and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 16, 2013 at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta.

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Nick Halley Sunday September 15th, 2013 9:05 - 10:00 am, (9:35 - 10:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

In this week’s show, your new host Nick Halley takes you on a trip across 500 years of choral music, showing how a single text can run through centuries of musical growth and change. You’ll hear  wonderful performances from Vancouver’s Musica Intima and the Belgian based group the Huelgas Ensemble.

AUGUSTE DESCARRIES, UN MUSICIEN QUÉBÉCOIS À REDÉCOUVRIR Concert de lancement du disque de ses œuvres religieuses

C’est avec une immense fierté que l’Association pour la diffusion de la musique d’Auguste Descarries (ADMAD) lancera, à l’occasion d’un grand concert, le tout premier enregistrement consacré à Auguste Descarries, compositeur québécois décédé en 1958 et dont les œuvres suscitent aujourd’hui beaucoup d’intérêt. L’événement aura lieu le vendredi 11 octobre à Saint-Viateur d’Outremont et s’inscrit dans le cadre des festivités entourant le centenaire de l’église.

Dans un premier temps, la Société québécoise de recherche en musique présentera la musicologue bien connue Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre et la pianiste Gabrielle Beaudry dans une conférence intitulée « Auguste Descarries, le plus russe des compositeurs québécois ». Par la suite, les mélomanes auront le plaisir d’entendre pour la première fois en concert depuis plus de 50 ans les œuvres religieuses pour chœur, solistes et orgue écrites par le compositeur alors qu’il était maître de chapelle à Saint-Viateur, soit entre 1938 et 1958. Ils pourront également se procurer le récent enregistrement (sur Espace 21) de ces mêmes œuvres, auquel des artistes rompus aux musiques les plus exigeantes ont prêté leur concours.

En effet, Les Chantres Musiciens et Les Filles de l’île, sous la direction de Gilbert Patenaude, ont su relever tous les défis que présentaient les œuvres chorales du maître. Quant aux motets pour voix solo et orgue, ils sont rendus avec la plus grande expressivité par les sopranos Stéphanie Lessard (pour l’enregistrement) et Samantha Louis-Jean (pour le concert), la mezzo-soprano Claudine Ledoux, le baryton Vincent Ranallo et le baryton-basse Normand Richard. Hélène Panneton est à l’orgue Casavant 1913. Ces interprètes redonneront en concert le répertoire enregistré précédemment dans l’église. En prime, les éditions du Nouveau Théâtre Musical lanceront la toute première édition de la Messe des Morts de Descarries.

Le 11 octobre 2013 marque donc un jalon important dans la redécouverte d’un musicien d’envergure, prix d’Europe en 1921, formé à Paris pendant huit ans, actif à son retour au pays à titre de compositeur, professeur, concertiste, conférencier, maître de chapelle et organiste. Auguste Descarries resurgit comme une pièce manquante dans le paysage musical des années 1930 à 1960 au Québec, auquel il aura apporté une contribution remarquable.

Date : 11 octobre 2013        
19 h – conférence sur Auguste Descarries, entrée libre
20 h – concert des œuvres religieuses d’Auguste Descarries
           lancement du disque sur Espace 21;
           lancement de la Messe des Morts aux éditions du Nouveau Théâtre Musical.

Lieu : Entrée au concert : 20 $ ● 13 ans et moins : gratuit
Billets en vente au presbytère de Saint-Viateur d’Outremont, 183 avenue Bloomfield, Montréal
Réservation de billets : admadinfo@gmail.com

Association pour la diffusion de la musique d’Auguste Descarries (ADMAD)www.associationaugustedescarries.com

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Nick Halley Sunday September 8th, 2013 9:05 - 10:00 am, (9:35 - 10:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

Choral Concert welcomes Nick Halley

Tune in to CBC Radio 2 on Sunday, September 8, at 9:00 a.m. to hear the debut of Nick Halley, the new host of Choral Concert.

Halley has been steeped in choral music from time he was born. He was brought up surrounded by choral music through his father, the choral composer, organist and conductor Paul Halley. Nick continues the family tradition, directing both Capella Regalis Men and Boys Choir as well as the King's Chorus in Halifax, N.S.

On this week's show, Nick will bring you a stirring rendition of Hugh Parry's I was Glad with the Westminster Abbey Choir and a heartfelt performance of Purcell's Hear my Prayer with the Ottawa Bach Choir.

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Association of Canadian Choral Communities will be holding an Annual General Meeting by teleconference on Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 8:00 PM EST.  The membership may vote electronically on the motions of the meeting between Tuesday, September 17 at 9:00 AM EST, and Friday, September 20 at 5:00 PM EST.  The agenda is below.

Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting, motions proposed for this meeting, reports of the President and Treasurer, draft audited financial statements, and candidate information for the Nominations Committee vacancy will be circulated with the link for electronic voting on Tuesday, September 17.

In addition to online voting, members may join the teleconference by dialing 1.877.278.7443, and entering passcode 2099883. Please notify Erin Bustin of your intent to join the teleconference, by emailing accc@choralcanada.org, no later than Friday, September 20 at 12:00 pm EST.

Avis d’assemblée générale annuelle

L’Association des communautés chorales canadiennes tiendra son assemblée générale annuelle par téléconférence à 20 heures HNE, le dimanche 22 septembre 2013. Les membres peuvent voter par voie électronique sur les motions proposées à l’AGA entre 9 heures HNE le mardi 17 septembre  et 17 heures HNE le vendredi 20 septembre. L’ordre du jour suit.

Le mardi 17 septembre, nous diffuserons, avec le lien pour le vote électronique, le procès-verbal de la dernière assemblée générale annuelle, les motions proposées pour cette AGA, les rapports du président et du trésorier, l’ébauche des états financiers vérifiés et les renseignements sur le candidat nommé au poste à pourvoir au comité de mise en candidature.

En plus de voter en ligne, les membres sont invités à participer à la téléconférence en composant le 1.877.278.7443 et en entrant le mot de passe 2099883. Veuillez informer Erin Bustin de votre intention de participer à la téléconférence en lui envoyant un courriel à accc@choralcanada.org d’ici 12 h HNE le vendredi 20 septembre.

Vancouver Chamber Choir Auditions Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Vancouver Chamber Choir is holding auditions for professional-level singers. All voices (SATB) are invited.

The Vancouver Chamber Choir is a fully professional choir of 20 experienced, well-trained singers. The key activities of the Choir include a subscription series that is unique in Vancouver, extensive touring in Canada and abroad, broadcasting live concerts, recording, commissioning and premiering new choral compositions, and presenting four to five educational programs throughout each season. The Choir demands a major commitment of time and needs to be the singers' top priority.

The Vancouver Chamber Choir usually rehearses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. A list of substitute singers is maintained; these people may also be used to augment the Choir if a larger group is needed.

An audition lasts approximately one half hour and singers will be required to sing three or four pieces in different styles and languages. There will also be an interview with Jon Washburn. A formal résumé is required. Singers are expected to provide their own accompanist for the audition. 

Contact Catherine for an appointment at catherinelaub@hotmail.com