CHORAL CONCERT, with host Nick Halley Sunday November 3, 2013: 9:05 - 10:00 am, (9:35 - 10:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

Big music for big occasions

To kick off your Sunday Nick Halley has a few big, bold and bombastic pieces for you - three right in a row.

They are all Te Deums. A Te Deum is an expression of thanks meant for big occasions. There was a time when if you won a battle, the first thing you would do is order up a Te

Drum.

You will hear a tryptich of Te Deums from the master of effect George Frideric Handel, the reclusive Franz Joseph Haydn and the head of music for Louis the 14th himself, Jean-Baptise Lully.

Vancouver Chamber Choir - Deadline Approaching for Conductors' Symposium

NATIONAL CONDUCTORS' SYMPOSIUM January 20-25, 2014
Application deadline: November 8, 2013

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 five 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 the Vancouver Chamber Choir concert THE WORLD IN MUSIC.
 
The 2014 application brochure is here.

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Nick Halley Sunday October 27, 2013: 9:05 - 10:00 am, (9:35 - 10:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

A musical spin on words.

One of the wonderful things about Choral Music is that it involves words. Of course this is stating the obvious - but nevertheless it is one of the gifts of choral music and singers do get to use words in the most wonderful ways.

This Sunday on Choral Concert Nick Halley will take you on a musical spin through pieces that explore words in all sorts of different ways. From Jacob Handl and his reformation-era take on "Our Father", to the literary relationship J.S. Bach had with the local high school teacher, Nick will explore the somewhat turbulent relationship words and music have had in the choral world.

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Choral Conductors’ Symposium, January 28 – February 1, 2014: Call for Applications

The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir invites emerging choral conductors and conductors who wish to refine their choral conducting skills to apply for a spot in the 2014 Choral Conductors’ Symposium, January 28 – February 1, 2014, in Toronto. The Symposium is a five-day series of workshops and master classes with conductor Noel Edison, during which participants will have the opportunity to conduct the Elora Festival Singers and the Toronto Mendelssohn Concert.

Further information, including fees and schedule information and a link to the registration package, is available at  http://www.tmchoir.org/education/conductors-symposium.cfm.

NewWorks 5th Annual National Choral Composition Competition

The purpose of the NewWorks competition is to foster new and engaging choral works by Canadian composers.  This year, we are looking for a composition based on a Canadian text.

The winning entry will receive a $1,500 cash award plus travel expenses to Kitchener to attend the premiere of his/her composition by the DaCapo Chamber Choir, under director Leonard Enns, in the choir’s 2013/2014 season.  We are also inviting young composers (aged 25 and younger) to submit compositions for consideration in our Young Composers Reading Sessions.

The Competition is open to all Canadians. 
For more information: www.dacapochamberchoir.ca/newworks

Entry deadline: February 17th, 2014

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Nick Halley Sunday October 13, 2013: 9:05 - 10:00 am, (9:35 - 10:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

Thanksgiving… the time for sitting in your kitchen, with the fall light coming in the windows, drinking hot cider or tea, and listening to choral music of the highest order. 

It's a comfortable, contemplative time of year and this Sunday on Choral Concert Nick Halley will take you on a journey through some choral music that fits the mood. 

If you have an old chair in your kitchen, or an old book – some family heirloom, like an antique chest, when you look at it, have you ever thought about what it is that makes these objects so beautiful? Is it the sense of history in them? The sense they've been well-made – the craftsmanship? Or just that they've been well-loved and well-used?

It is the same with choral music, some of it is so perfectly built, it is a thing of beauty to behold, but also like that old chair in your kitchen, it’s made to be savoured and enjoyed.

This week you will hear a collection of perfectly built choral works..... everything from Palestrina's gorgeous Missa Brevis to Mozart's mysterious Mass in C Minor.