What We Really Do: The Tallis Scholars 2nd Edition available now

Peter Phillips, founder of The Tallis Scholars, has announced the publication of his new book - What We Really Do, 2nd edition. The original version with this title was published ten years ago, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tallis Scholars. Now it is the 40th anniversary and much has happened in the meantime, not only to the group but to the status of renaissance polyphony in the concert-giving world. With new chapters, new photographs and new insights, this book chronicles those changes.
The book is published by The Musical Times. See www.mysubcare.com/tallis

Tallis Scholars Summer School - USA July 20 - 27, 2013 Seattle, WA

The Tallis Scholars Summer Schools are dedicated to exploring the 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.
2013 Course Theme: Chromatic Music in the Time of Gesualdo
Application form here.
Application Deadline Extended to April 30th

Young Composers Reading Sessions

On Saturday April 13th, from 2-4pm in the Conrad Grebel University College chapel, we will be hosting four emerging composers, selected from our 2012 NewWorks competition to participate in this year's Young Composers Reading Sessions (YCRS).

This open workshop-style session will give these young composers an opportunity to hear their works sung aloud - an invaluable experience designed to improve their compositional craft.

Joining us for the YCRS event will be  Robert Gooding-Townsend (Toronto, ON), Charnelle Pennyfeather (London, ON) and Emily Walker (London, ON - whose 2012 NewWorks entry was premiered by the Canadian Chamber Choir!), and Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Ottawa, ON).

We are very excited to work with these young composers and are inviting anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes look at music making to join us for this free event.  No tickets are necessary, but an RSVP to info@dacapochamberchoir.ca is encouraged.  

10th Oratorio Choir Academy 2013 in the Hungarian Choral Castle, Pomáz

Do you want to learn symphonic orchestra conducting or sing in an international choir at a 10 day masterclass in a beautiful castle? The 10th Oratorio Choir Academy 2013 on Orchestra Conducting for Choral Conductors and Choir Atelier for Singers is a unique masterclass for choral conductors registered as an official event of the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat. 

This year the renowned Hungarian conductor, Máté Szabó Sipos, will join the Artistic Director, Peter Broadbent (UK) at the Academy in the Hungarian Choral Castle, July 11 - 21, 2013.

Registration deadline: April 30th
More information available here.

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Peter Togni Sunday, April 7, 2013 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

Bach  Month on Choral Concert part two: his greatest motets

April is Bach month on Choral Concert.

Johann Sebastian Bach is considered by many to be the greatest composer of all time in the western classical music tradition . So in honour of his incredible output the month of April is all Bach on Choral Concert.

This Sunday, April 7th we delve into his most famous motets, beautiful works that you will immediately recognize when you hear  them - with the likes of his Komm Jesu komm, Jesu meine freude, and Singet dem Herrn. You will hear them in a very recent performance from Barcelona, Spain with the Rias Chamber Choir, and Concerto Koln.

Don’t forget that CBCMUSIC.CA has lots to offer for classical music lovers, You can check out the Choral Concert blog and the 24/7 choral stream plus extensive videos and concerts in all genres.

Stratford Summer Music and the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community launch inaugural Choral Symposium

This summer Stratford Summer Music and the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community will launch We Sing the World – A Choral Symposium in Stratford, Ontario, for anyone who loves to sing, from Thursday, July 18 – Sunday, July 21, 2013. These musical delegates will enjoy a weekend of singing and artistic experiences, presented by 12 leaders from a variety of international musical disciplines, to explore and celebrate how choral music and choir singing are evolving in the 21st century.

Delegates will enjoy live performances of Murray Schafer’s Music for Wilderness Lake on Patterson Island and concerts by Anúna, Ireland’s National Choir. Workshops and panel discussions will be held on a variety of topics, including Global Song & Traditions, Gifts of World Cultures to Choral Music, and Ghanaian, Latin/Caribbean and South Indian musical perspectives. All the participants will be part of the Symposium Chorus where rehearsals will include familiar and new scores related to the Symposium’s two main themes: the Environment, and, World Cultures as influences on modern choral repertoire. The weekend concludes with the Symposium Chorus presenting a finale concert at St. Andrew’s Church, hosted by CBC broadcaster Peter Togni host of Choral Concert each Sunday on CBC Radio Two.

Call for Research Papers

The Editorial Committee for the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) is now accepting research papers for the Fall 2013 issue of Anacrusis, the magazine of the ACCC.  For submission guidelines, please visit the ACCC website (http://choralcanada.org/ACCC_en/Guidelines.html).  Submissions should be forwarded to the attention of Carolyn Nielsen (academic@choralcanada.org).  All papers will undergo a process of blind peer review.
Submission deadline is July 15, 2013.

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 de l’automne 2013 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.
Le date limite pour la soumission est fixée au 15 juillet 2013.

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Peter Togni Sunday, March 31, 2013 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

Johann Sebastian Bach is considered by many to be the greatest composer of all time in the western classical music tradition. So in honour of his incredible output the month of April is all Bach on Choral Concert.

This Sunday, March 31st we begin the month one day early with a Choral Concert Easter Sunday tradition: a performance of J.S. Bach’s great Mass in B minor. This year we are featuring a concert recorded in Toronto just this past Saturday with the Elmer Iseler Singers and the Amadeus Choirs of Toronto under the direction of Lydia Adams.

The B minor Mass is noted by scholars as one of the greatest masterpiece of western civilization. It certainly is the culmination of a lifetime of extraordinary work by one of our most respected composers, and this week’s performance is truly extraordinary and not to be missed.

Don’t forget that CBCMUSIC.CA has lots to offer for classical music lovers, You can check out the Choral Concert blog and the 24/7 choral stream plus extensive videos and concerts in all genres.

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Peter Togni Sunday, March 24, 2013 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

Choral Concert celebrates the Renaissance

The Renaissance is considered one of the most extraordinary periods in history for choral music. Some of the most beautiful and luminescent music of all time comes from the pen of the renaissance masters.

On this week’s choral concert, Peter Togni will bring you some of the finest performances on disc from this period – with music by Palestrina, Monteverdi, and ThomasTallis.

The centerpiece of the show will be devoted to a new release by the Sixteen, one of the world’s finest choral ensembles, led by Harry Christophers.

Don’t forget that CBCMUSIC.CA has lots to offer for classical music lovers, You can check out the Choral Concert blog and the 24/7 choral stream plus extensive videos and concerts in all genres.

CHORAL CONCERT, with host Peter Togni Sunday, March 17, 2013 9:00 - 11:00 am, (9:30 - 11:30 NT) on CBC Radio 2

A little bit of St Patrick’s day and a lot of Beethoven

This week on Choral Concert you’ll hear Peter Togni  give a tribute to St Patrick’s day, as well as an incredible performance of the great Missa Solemnis by Beethoven in a brand new release with the Collegium Vocale Gent and the Orchestra des Champs-Elysees conducted by Philippe Herreweghe.

On the St Patrick’s day side of things you’ll hear some beautiful Irish music from the Dublin based Anuna, led by Michael McGlynn, as well as the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Choir led by Susan Knight doing an Irish tunes medley by Stephen Chatman.

On the Beethoven side of things you will hear the wonderful Missa Solemnis. This major work of the sacred repertoire, high on the list alongside Bach's Mass in B minor and the Mozart Requiem, is Beethoven's longest work and even he considered it his finest. Conductor Philippe Herreweghe shares this opinion and judges the Missa Solemnis to be one of the great works in the history of classical music. With four superb soloists, a refined chorus and orchestra, Philippe Herreweghe leads us all to a thoroughly transcendental experience.

Don’t forget that CBCMUSIC.CA has lots to offer for classical music lovers, You can check out the Choral Concert blog and the 24/7 choral stream plus extensive videos and concerts in all genres.

The Atlantic Voices Choral Composition Contest 2013

Atlantic Voices: The Newfoundland and Labrador Choir of Ottawa is a mixed-voice (SATB) community choir that sings music from and about Atlantic Canada. This is our third Choral Composition Contest, and the choir is looking for quality choral music with an East Coast flavour. We are offering two prizes, a 1st prize of $500 and a 2nd prize of $200, for original choral works by Canadian composers. The winning works will be programmed on Atlantic Voices’ Spring 2014 concert. This competition is open to all residents of Canada, of all backgrounds and all ages. Note:
the winning entrant need not have a particular connection to the Atlantic region.

Contest submissions must fall into one of the following categories:

• An arrangement of a folksong or set of folksongs from one of the Atlantic Provinces (Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island);
• An original choral composition based on a text with an obvious direct connection to Canada’s East Coast. This may include a text by an East Coast writer or a text with Atlantic Canadian subject matter. If in doubt concerning the suitability of a proposed text, please contact director@atlanticvoices.ca for clarification.

All styles of composition will be considered, but one of the judging criteria is the suitability of the work for performance by Atlantic Voices, so entrants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with our choir and particularly with some of our recent concert programmes. In addition, although all submissions will be accepted and adjudicated equally, entrants are strongly encouraged to avoid submitting new arrangements of songs which have already been repeatedly arranged for choral performance or songs which Atlantic Voices has previously performed on multiple occasions. For a list of choral arrangements that Atlantic Voices has performed please visit our website: www.atlanticvoices.ca.