International Masterclass for Choir Conductors July 26th to July 31st 2012 - Vaison-la-Romaine, France

In partnership with the Festival des Chœurs Lauréats (http://festivaldeschoeurslaureats.com),  A Cœur Joie is organizing a unique international masterclass with Peter Erdei (Hungary) and the wonderful Japanese choir, Vocal Ensemble EST conducted by Masao Mukai in residence. The program will include conducting and rehearsal techniques, interpretation and score work. All participants will receive an invitation to attend the last concert of the Festival des Chœurs Lauréats.

Peter Erdei was Director-General of the Zoltan Kodaly Pedagogical Institute of Music, Kecskemet, Hungary between 1974 and 2008. He was Associate Professor of Choral Conducting in Academy of Music in Budapest for the same period. Recognized as one of the finest pedagogs in the world, Peter has conducted many amateur and professional choirs during his career such as the Debrecen Chamber Choir, the national radio choir and the teacher’s choir of Kecskemét.
 

Registration Deadline: May 15th, 2012

Contact : Jean-Claude Wilkens, director Association À Cœur Joie, : activites@choralies.org  
 

Cantilon Choral Society Seeks Artistic Director

The Cantilon Choral Society anticipates the need for a dynamic Artistic Director to lead the artistic vision for the organization and to conduct the senior touring and recording ensemble, the Cantilon Chamber Choir. We are searching for a talented, energetic individual who is passionate about children and committed to artistic excellence and excellence in music education.

Deadline for all application materials is March 5, 2012

Cantilon Choirs is a family of community choirs that encompasses singers of all ages (4-adult) in three levels of choirs. These choirs have been a vibrant and high profile part of the Edmonton musical community since 1999 and strive to provide a choral program exemplifying artistic and education excellence for children, youth and young adults. The organization involves over 180 singers and has a yearly operating budget of up to $500,000. (www.cantilonchoirs.ca)

Details on the position and application requirements may be viewed on the ACCC web site at Employment Opportunities.

Tallis Scholars Summer School USA July 21 - 28, 2012 Seattle, Washington

Join enthusiastic singers aged 18 and over with strong sight-reading skills, professional musicians, dedicated amateurs, and college/graduate students all of whom share a passion for polyphony and choral singing for an intense immersion course into both sight-reading and performance practice of Renaissance polyphony. The week will include full choir work with Peter Phillips, smaller ensemble work with members of the Tallis Scholars, and small group performance on participant chosen repertoire; small group masterclass with Peter Phillips and Tallis Scholars; lectures giving context to the music being studied as well as talks giving participants a view into the lives and performance experiences of the Tallis Scholars and private voice instruction from Tallis Scholar tutors.

Course Instructors:

    •     Peter Phillips, director of the Tallis Scholars
    •     David Woodcock, associate TSSS director and Tallis Scholar baritone
    •     Jan Coxwell, associate TSSS director and Tallis Scholar soprano
    •     Deborah Roberts, Tallis Scholar soprano

Detailed course information and applications are available at www.tsss.uk.com.

Choral Concert with host Peter Togni, February 5, 2012 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NL) on CBC Radio 2

The Elmer Iseler Singers in the “Glory of A Cappella”

This Sunday on Choral Concert Peter Togni brings you the Elmer Iseler Singers straight up, as in “a cappella”, or voices alone without accompaniment. You’ve got to respect and admire any choir that can pull off an entire concert unaccompanied, kind of like Cirque de Soleil performing without safety nets.

The Elmer Iseler Singers are one of Canada’s truly great professional choirs and they rise to both the challenge and the occasion. As Peter Togni says, this broadcast is deep, rich, resonant and in many places incredibly moving. You'll hear works by Canadian composers Healey Willan and Eleanor Daley.

You’ll also hear special submissions from the Kings Singers doing Paul McCartney’s "Blackbird", and the Tavener Consort and Players doing the deep and mystical Magnificat in G Minor by Antonio Vivaldi.

SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival: April 13th—15th at Harbourfront Centre

Thousands of Torontonians will celebrate a cappella music at the debut of SING!  The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival, taking place April 13th to 15th at Harbourfront Centre.  Tickets are available now at www.torontovocalartsfestival.com.

Toronto’s first-ever a cappella festival will feature Canadian and international vocal artists from a wide range of genres, including pop and jazz groups, classical and gospel choirs, and world music ensembles. Education will also be a focus of the event, with industry veterans leading vocal workshops for singers of all ages and levels of experience. A total of 43 performances and master classes are scheduled to take place over three days; more than 25 will be free to attend.

“This festival got started in the typical way – a casual conversation over a cup of coffee,” says artistic director Aaron Jensen, an award-winning composer, arranger, performer, and clinician.  “Since then, that seed crystal has bloomed into a hugely ambitious and unique event, the likes of which have never been seen in Toronto.”

Call for Research Papers

The Editorial Committee for the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) is now accepting research papers for the fall 2012 issue of Anacrusis, the magazine of the ACCC. 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 April 1, 2012.

Appel de communications de recherche

Le comité de rédaction de l'Association des communautés chorales canadiennes (ACCC) accueille des  communications de recherche pour le numéro d'automne 2012 d'Anacrusis, le journal de l'ACCC.  Pour les directives relatives aux soumissions, veuillez consulter le site internet de l'ACCC (http://choralcanada.org/ACCC_fr/Directives_pour_les_soumissions.html). On adressera les soumissions à l'attention de Carolyn Nielsen (academic@choralcanada.org). Toutes les communications seront soumises à un processus d'évaluation par les pairs en aveugle. On adressera toute question relative aux directives au Dean Jobin-Bevans (djobinbe@lakeheadu.ca). 

La date limite pour les soumissions est fixée au 1er avril 2012.

Choral Concert with host Peter Togni, January 29, 2012 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NL) on CBC Radio 2

The Ottawa Bach Choir in Concert

This Sunday on Choral Concert Peter Togni brings you the Ottawa Bach choir in a wonderful concert of baroque masters: Schutz, Buxtehude, Charpentier, Telemann and the great man himself J.S. Bach. The Ottawa Bach Choir are quickly emerging as true force in choral music in our capitol city and this one is not to be missed. They will be joined by the Ottawa baroque orchestra.
You’ll also hear a wonderful rendition of the “Mass in G”, by Francis Poulenc with the venerable members of the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out the great choral music on our video on demand service at cbc.ca:  go to: http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/videos/

RBC Provides Key Support for MYVoice Initiative

Chor Leoni is pleased to announce the ongoing support of their Mobilizing Young men’s Voices (MYVoice) initiative by the RBC Foundation through the RBC Emerging Artists Program. Leanne Harry, RBC's Senior Account Manager of Media & Entertainment, presented a cheque for $15,000 to Chor Leoni at the choir’s Rejoice concert on December 19.

This keystone support has allowed MYVoice to expand from two ensembles to three for 2012, with groups rehearsing now in Vancouver, New Westminster, and Langley. The program brings young men together through song and self-expression and is completely cost-free for participants.

MYVoice has exciting performances coming up. They sing February 12 (2pm) in the Great Hall of the Museum of Anthropology as part of the Exhibition Closing Performances of Hiroshima by Ishiuchi Miyako. Three participants from the Canadian Music Centre/Canadian League of Composers Mentorship Program will work with MYVoice and the British Columbia Girls Choir to produce three original compositions inspired by their experience of the exhibition. A documentary about the process will be screened at MOA before a public performance at the exhibition closing.

On April 28 they present Knights & Troubadours. Chor Leoni will be there to open the evening and to sing a couple of combined works at the end, but the spotlight will be firmly upon the young men of MYVoice!

Choral Concert with host Peter Togni, January 22, 2012 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NL) on CBC Radio 2

I Coristi perform “Borealis”

This Sunday on Choral Concert you’ll hear the Edmonton based choir “I Coristi” perform music from the frozen north in a concert they call “Borealis”, a celebration of the northern lights.

“Boreal” gets its name from Boreas, the God of the north wind in Greek mythology, and it refers to the sub-Arctic lands of this world; Iceland, Finland, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and of course – Canada!

The composers from these northern lands represent a rich musical tradition, often with an underlying austere beauty that reflects the spirit of the north.

You can listen to the “Borealis” on Concerts on Demand at: http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/concerts/20110212coris

Tallis Scholars Summer School July 7—14, 2012

The UK branch of the Tallis Scholars Summer Schools is dedicated to exploring our great heritage of Renaissance choral music and developing a performance style appropriate to it, as pioneered by the Tallis Scholars. Under the direction of Peter Phillips and members of the Tallis Scholars we work on concert and service repertoire in a variety of small and medium sized groups. The week’s activities culminate in a Gala Concert by summer school participants, directed by Peter Phillips. The course also includes individual vocal tuition with members of the Tallis Scholars, for those that would like it, as well as a programme of talks and sung services in the chapel.

The course this year will be taking place at Uppingham School July 7—14,  2012. Activities are based around the chapel, located minutes from the picturesque and historic town centre. We welcome applicants aged 18 and over with good sightreading skills. The deadline for applications is 27 February 2012.

Please the website for more information

Choral Concert with host Peter Togni, January 15, 2012 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NL) on CBC Radio 2

The Vancouver Chamber Choir – the best of Britain

This Sunday Peter Togni brings you one of Canada’s choral treasures, the Vancouver Chamber Choir.

They are known for their smooth, blended sound and a richness that only comes from years and years of practice. They've been around since Jon Washburn pulled them together back in 1971. Since then the group has won numerous honours, toured the world many times, and released over 30 CD’s.

This Sunday you will hear a program called “The English Touch”, where they present the best of British choral music from the past 500 years. This is your chance to hear one of Canada’s best choirs perform the best choral music from that small but very musical island.

You’ll also hear Jean Sibelius at his best, with the Helisinki University Chorus performing his very rousing “Patriotic Songs”