ICA

Corearte Barcelona 2013

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:21:16 +0000

The 7th International Choir Festival Corearte 2013 will be held from 6th to the 12th of October in the city of Barcelona (Spain). Participation in this non-competitive event is open to all types of choirs and vocal groups.

Participants will have an opportunity to perform at various venues of cultural interest as well as attending practical, educational workshops with renowned guest maestros.

Registration fee for each individual member of the groups is 440 € and includes the following:

Documentation
Accommodation at three and four-star hotels in the town of Santa Susana (50km from Barcelona)
Half Board accommodation (breakfast and one other daily meal according to activity programme)
Workshops
Concerts in venues acoustically apt for Choral Music
Rehearsal space for groups
Visit to Montserrat with concert in the basilica. (www.abadiamontserrat.net)
Visit Barcelona (www.barcelonaturisme.com)
Participants Guide with Festival and workshop material, and tourist information
Certificates of Festival and Workshop participation

Registration does not include:

Airline tickets, Transfers and Transport during the Festival (see Transport section), Entrance tickets for museums, tourist attractions, or additional cultural or leisure activities.

Deadline for registration is: 30th of April 2013

Further information and application forms: visit website www.corearte.es

32. Int. Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition

admin — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:09:24 +0000

The International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition is “The world’s best networked singing competition with qualifying rounds in 52 cities” and “THE springboard for a career in opera”: Past participants and prizewinners include Angelika Kirchschlager, Angela Gheorghiu, Ildikó Raimondi, Elisabeth Matos and Elina Garanča. Recent winners include Italian tenor Antonio Poli, who made his debut in 2011 at the Salzburg Festival in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta alongside Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala. Soprano Rachel Willis-Sörensen, the 1st Prize winner of the Int. Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in 2011, made her highly-acclaimed Royal Opera House Covent Garden debut in February 2012 as the Contessa in W.A. Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.

The competition is spreading its wings and beginning in 2013 will take place in the most renowned opera houses in the world on an alternating basis. In June 2013 the city of Amsterdam will host the first event to take place outside of Austria since its founding in 1981. Plans for 2014 and subsequent years will take the competition to Germany, England, and across the Atlantic.

The 2013 preliminary rounds will be held in more than 50 cities world-wide. These venues will be announced on the website www.belvedere-competition.com. The finals will take place in cooperation with the Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam on 6 July 2013 in the Het Muziektheater Amsterdam. The singers will continue to be judged by a jury conisisting of artistic and casting directors from the world’s most prestigious opera houses including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, Barcelona Liceu, Deutsche Oper Berlin, New York Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, to name a few.

Further details, the long list with prices, conditions, qualification and other information can be found on the competition homepage: www.belvedere-competition.com

Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam. Photo: Michiel Verbeek

Kurt Thomas Cursus

admin — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:30:40 +0000

From 5 – 13 July 2013, the Utrecht Conservatorium will be organising the Kurt Thomas Cursus for choral conducting. For nine whole days, morning, noon and night will be dominated by singing and conducting. The unique concept of this course will enable everyone to participate on his or her own level. This intensive summer course is open to amateur and (semi) professional choral conductors, either as an active participant or as an auditor.

More and more choirs are discovering the benefits of the training and development of their conductor. And which choir would not like to give their conductor a New Year’s present, or give them an extra reward for another reason? It is a beautiful gesture to reimburse your conductor for his course tuition. Keep in mind though, that the participant should sign up him or herself.

What will you learn?

The Utrechts Conservatorium Kurt Thomas Cursus is an intensive training that focuses on:

Conducting technique
Rehearsal technique
Vocalization
Repertoire: new, unknown ánd well-known master pieces, including light music repertoire in group A and B.

What levels?

The Kurt Thomas Cursus distinguishes various levels, namely A through to E. Each group will form its own choir within the given level. C, D and E are open to non-Dutch speaking participants.

More about the course programme and the levels.

For whom?

Participating
You are a choral conductor or ambitious to become one. Maybe you have much experience as a choral conductor, maybe little. Maybe you have worked with a chamber choir, a church choir, a pop choir or otherwise. Whatever your experience, in the Kurt Thomas Cursus you will learn the tricks of the trade at your own level and following your own interests.

Listening
You can also attend as an auditor. As an auditor you will join in the singing and will watch. Only the active participants will take turns conducting.

Practical information

When: Friday 5th – Saturday 13th of July 2013
Where: Utrechts Conservatorium, Mariaplaats 27/28, 3511 LL Utrecht, the Netherlands
Deadline for applications: March 15th.
Website: Hogeschool voor Kunsten Utrecht

5th IMC World Forum on Music

admin — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 07:43:07 +0000

The International Music Council (IMC) is the world’s leading membership-based professional organisation dedicated to the promotion of the value of music in the lives of all peoples. IMC’s mission is to develop sustainable music sectors worldwide, to create awareness about the value of music, to make music matter in all social fabric, and to uphold basic music rights in all countries.

For your information here the forwarded message from the International Music Council about the World Forum on Music 2013 in Brisbane:

Join us for the 5th IMC World Forum on Music

Sustaining music, engaging communities

in Brisbane, Australia, 21 – 24 November 2013

(followed by the 35th IMC General Assembly, November 25-26 2013)

This is our vision for what will happen in November 2013…

Over 1,000 music professionals and other enthusiasts from all over the world descend upon the heart of the cultural precinct on Brisbane’s South Bank to discuss, plan, be part of, and experience the future of music on this planet: musicians, producers, managers, administrators, festival directors, journalists, scholars, educators, facilitators, activists, policy makers and other lovers of the art in its myriad forms and contexts.

This is more than a conference. A session entitled ‘orchestral futures’ features a symphonic performance rudely interrupted by an official who reads out a mock obituary of the western orchestra. Planted members of the audience get up and voice rebuttals before the orchestra continues and ends quite differently from how it began. Next, parallel sessions offer Chinese traditional music in the courtyard, jazz on the outdoor stage, or an in-depth conversation on the achievements and challenges of music psychology in leather fauteuils in the library, the intellectual heart of the event.

While a video installation continuously offers views and concerns about the future of music, a wall fills with the most successful music advocacy arguments internationally. An interactive demonstration of how mobile phones are increasingly shaping people’s musical lives –from ringtones to downloads to finding live music and learning to play an instrument– is followed by a diner chantant under the stars featuring amazing voices from the worlds of opera, jazz, musical theatre, Tibetan overtone singing and Azerbaijani mugam.

This whets the appetite for the music theatre production performed by 12 music luminaries who arrived two weeks earlier to work with a celebrated opera director offering their view of musical futures. On the way, a community music production brings together 100 voices and instruments from all over Queensland. After these events, there is the music bar to network and relax, or the music world café, which has ongoing large screen video links to music communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America who could not attend.

But the global dialogue starts long before that. Between July 2012 and November 2013, over 1,000 individuals involved in music are asked to speak on camera for no more than five minutes on what they see as the greatest challenges or opportunities for music in their particular field of music -whether it is music libraries or the world stage. These videos are made available online on a dedicated website, and set the agenda for the Brisbane gathering. At the conference, they will be playing continuously in the foyer of the conference venue, while five of the most outspoken voices from different continents will lead a debate on key issues for global musical futures.

The effects of the 5th World Forum on Music will resonate well beyond its time and place. Key events will be live streamed throughout the event and vodcast after. Physical and online participants will be invited to identify key issues that arise, while seven carefully selected rapporteurs will make notes during sessions and in the corridors. These will feed into The Brisbane Declaration, an action agenda approved by the 35th IMC General Assembly immediately after the Forum to set some of the key priorities and actions for the world of music globally towards 2020. These will be subsequently disseminated widely and proactively to help shape sustainable, engaged music practices across the planet.

We count on you to work with us to make this vision become a reality!

We call upon you to bring as many members of your network as possible to Brisbane!

The 5th IMC World Forum on Music will be co-organised by the International Music Council, the Music Council of Australia and Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Griffith University.

Link: Website International Music Council

2nd Florence International Choir Festival

admin — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 08:50:28 +0000

The first edition of the Festival just ended and the Cathedrals of Florence are still resounding of the wonderful notes and voices of choirs from 3 continents and 12 countries. A really good start for this ambitious Festival!

The Florence International Choir Festival FICF is organized by the “Ensemble San Felice”, an internationally renowned vocal and instrumental group that has been performing all over Europe for almost 20 years, its concert activity ranging from the medieval to contemporary repertoire.
The 2nd edition of FICF will take place from 24th to 26th july 2013 in some of the most prestigious places in the historical center of the city, such as the Salone dei Cinquecento, the Auditorium of Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio and the magnificent Basilicas of Santa Croce, San Lorenzo and Santa Trinita.
This Festival will be a great chance to spend wonderful days to celebrate friendship, music and different cultures. The organization will be happy to arrange longer stay to give the chance to visit the beautiful areas and cities near Florence, like Fiesole, Siena, San Gimignano, Chianti, Pisa, Arezzo.

Summer editions of the FICF will be held in the month of July. July and August are the hottest months in Italy – high average temperature is almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Visitors cool off inside museums and churches. Nights are warm and many restaurants have outdoor service. Most Italians leave their cities in July and August. There are, however, many tourists during the summer.
July is a big month for festivals in Tuscany, such as Il Palio in Siena and the Puccini Opera Festival in Torre del Lago Puccini, near Viareggio.

PRIZES

In each category the jury will assign the following prizes:
1st place: Gold Medal, Golden Diploma
2nd place: Silver Medal, Silver Diploma
3rd place: Bronze Medal, Bronze diploma

SPECIAL PRIZES
1 – The Golden David
2 – The Best Conductor
3 – The Best Male and Female Soloist
4 – The Best Performance of Italian Composer’s Work
5 – The Best Contemporary Composer Arrangement
6 – The Best Choreography
7 – The Best Traditional Costumes
The Golden David, a very special prize, will assigned to the best Choir or Ensemble for excellent artistic performance. It consists of a statue of the Michelangelo’s David, the emblem of Florence and our Festival. All choirs which do not receive a prize will get the Diploma of successful participation in Festival.

PROGRAM

1st day: 24th July 2013
- 4 pm Palazzo Vecchio, Salone dei Cinquecento – Opening Ceremony
- 9 pm Basilica of San Lorenzo – Concert
- 9 pm Basilica of Santa Trinita – Concert

2nd day: 25th July 2013
- 10 am – 6 pm Auditorium of Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio – Competition
- 9 pm Orsanmichele Church – Concert
- 9 pm Basilica of Santa Trinita

3rd day: 26th July 2013
- 4 pm Auditorium Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio – Award Ceremony
- 7 pm Basilica of Santa Croce – Concert

ENROLLMENT

The Festival enrollment fee for each choir is 200 euros and 150 euros for every supplemental category.

HOTEL ***

The accommodation will be in 3 star hotels in the historical Center of Florence, few steps from the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio.
3 nights (including breakfasts) from 24/7/2013 to 26/7/2013
180 euro/person in triple room
210 euro/person in twin room
260 euro/person in single room

MEALS

The members of the choirs, the conductors and the accompanying people could choose to have lunches and dinners in the Historical Center of Florence in typical Tuscan Restaurants. A complete meal for only 15 euro per person

All conductors will be our guests for the final dinner after the closing ceremony in a very renowned florentine restaurant

More information, application: www.florencechoirfestival.com

: Palazzo Vecchio

Festival Europa Cantat 2012

admin — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:06:03 +0000

A review of the Europa Cantat Festival XVIII in Torino 2012

A few numbers

When “the curtain drops” the emerging numbers are staggering. In all, there were 5700 people involved, with different tasks and roles, in this big event.

In these 10 days, Torino and Piemonte welcomed over 4,000 direct participants (singers, conductors and composers of every age), from 42 countries in 4 continents, divided into choirs and individual particpants. And not only: we have to add to this already impressive number 871 guest artists, including vocal groups, instrumentalists and dancers. The training and studying activities were led by 131 directors. In addition 150 institutional guests were present. The Music Expo, dedicated to music and choral publishing, involved 25 national and international publishers. Moreover, there were 322 volunteers (an incredibly precious resource), 150 international staff organisers, among them 24 young aspiring musical managers, 18 stage and audio recording professional technicians. About 50 journalists from around the world were officially accredited, but many more people, for various reasons, dealt with the event.
In short, we are speaking of a “small mobile city” that has joyfully invaded also the region.
The 111 scheduled concerts were received with great enthusiasm, as shown by the on-line bookings and long queues at ticket offices. 7,000 seats were booked on the web only by the participants. The evening concerts obtained a particular success. Every night, in fact, many festival’s venues (and especially the Chiesa di San Filippo) were sold out. Not to mention the crowds in Piazza San Carlo, where every evening between 2,500 and 5,000 people were gathered. Even the training programme presents impressive numbers: 41 ateliers of varying length, 47 discovery ateliers of one/two days, that were attended with great enthusiasm by the participants.

This giant music festival gathered 125 choirs, 25 guest groups, 10 national or regional youth choirs, 9 orchestras and a countless number of individual participants and amateurs and curious people of every nation and every age in Piemonte.

International Choral World gathering in Torino

160 guests from all over the world visited the festival and met in smaller and larger groups for informal talks and meetings. Thus new projects were born, cooperations developed and choirs and conductors discovered by organisers of choral events planning their programme for the coming years. Especially for the project VOICE (Vision On Innovation for Choral Music in Europe), coordinated by the European Choral Association-Europa Cantat and supported by the European Union Culture Programme, representatives of 14 organisations, festivals, cultural centres and universities came together to get to know the biggest event within the project and to plan the further cooperation until 2015. Several organisations used the presence of many representatives of the choral world as well as many conductors and presented themselves and their activities in the frame of a reception.

Comments

“Here we are at the end of this extraordinary 10 days’ journey. We were joyful and active protagonists in this beautiful city that welcomed us so generously and offered us its artistic beauty and the best sites, where we could listen to and perform our songs and music”- Sante Fornasier, the President of the European Choral Association-Europa Cantat and Feniarco (Italian National Federation of Regional Choral Associations) said -”Also we were welcomed by the entire Region of Piemonte, where we organised 25 appointments that were ideally embracing all the provinces. We celebrated this festival by nourishing soul and spirit. We will bring that enthusiasm back to our own countries and keep it in our hearts to nurture this noble, genuine and extraordinary passion”. Carlo Pavese, Artistic Manager of the Torino’s edition of Europa Cantat, is also very satisfied. “Europa Cantat is an unequalled festival, which has given this city the present of 5.000 voices singing together with passion and musical quality, thus leaving an indelible memory. I also believe that, on the other hand, the city has reserved to this event a special and lasting welcome. Places, edifices and, above all, dwellers of Torino feel part of that great choir which, every night, has transformed piazza San Carlo in a symbol of harmony and beauty”.

Open singing: a lasting symbol

Many flashes can capture the nature and spirit of Europa Cantat. The Open Singing sessions surely will be kept in the participant’s and Torino’s citizens’ hearts, remembered as magical moments in which a thousand cultures merged into a single choir. Every night in Piazza San Carlo, thousands of people met to sing different songs from the classical to the traditional repertoires of the many different countries attending the festival. This precious musical material was collected in a book, the Songbook, given to participants as a singing guide and souvenir. The Coro Accademia Feniarco led the Open Singing sessions, carefully conducted by the Swiss Maestro Michael Gohl.

The choir? Love at first sight

For the first few minutes the impression was that of a gymnastics class rather than a choir singing atelier. But no wonder: in singing, the body, starting from breathing, plays a fundamental role. For beginners it’s necessary a little practice before finding the correct position. The class begins by rehearsing with their mouths closed. After this technique (and not without a touch of amazement) the singers feel the satisfaction of hearing their own voices sound in new ways. The ateliers for aspiring singers without previous experience, entitled Choir, first sight love!, were faithful to their promises. The reference to love in the title is significant: love for music, of course, but sometimes even for a dear person (this atelier was in fact popular among wives, husbands or parents of choir members, eager to discover what could be at the roots of the desire to sing). Led by Maestro Pietro Mussino, the participants (a little “class” of about 15 people, an ideal number for a proposal of this kind) studied some basic aspects of vocality: rhythm, intonation, some tips on reading music. Then a tour to find other accessible discovery ateliers.

Our old masters: what a success!

Every evening, around h. 21, in front of the church of San Filippo you could verify the situation: small groups of people of all ages crowded at the front door hoping to get inside (even if all the seats were booked). And here are the names of the “stars”: Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Bach and Handel. The experience of Europa Cantat demonstrated (or rather reminded us) despite appearances how much classical music can draw the public’s attention. This happens especially when there are outstanding ensembles performing, and who are conducted by great Maestri such as David De Lucia (who directed the ensemble Orologio), Federico Maria Sardelli (a Vivaldi expert), Eric Van Nevel, Filippo Maria Bressan and many others. Even the Early Music ateliers, including the one dedicated to Gregorian chants, were very popular among the participants.

Vocal Pop: is it a special key for young people?

Here is a surprising proposal. Usually it is natural to associate the idea of a choir to a classical repertoire (that is preferably sacred) or at most a digression in the folk tradition. Europa Cantat has shown that choirs and today’s pop music can go hand in hand. Experiments of this kind are very popular among young people. “The youth choirs are always looking for new repertoires, they devour everything, they want to be fashionable, right with the flow- said Alessandro Cadario, conductor of the Coro Accademia Feniarco and lecturer in various ateliers of the festival -I find that this overwhelming curiosity can be fully satisfied in vocal pop”. We can understand, then, the arrangements of the new generation, some of which are very elaborate, and deal with the choir as a real orchestra of voices. There are some arrangements that emphasize the word (almost in a “madrigal” style) and others in which more complex rhythmic figures overlap and are very useful from a didactic point of view. The “new voice tools” like beat boxing, a technique that simulates the sound of drums, are also very interesting. But all this, of course, is not incompatible with the study of wonderful early music repertoires. “The choral world – Cadario reminded us- must also be a cultural movement in which the musical treasures of the past, that we should learn, study and promote, are being preserved”.

Singing the music “of the people”

The term “folk music”, that is rather generic, can refer both to the music written for and created for the people (the so-called popular or pop music), and to the music that comes from the people (folk). Both genres were well represented during the festival. We have already mentioned pop. As for folk, we must consider its unique variety: from the United States to the Baltic, from Spain to Finland, without neglecting of course the hybrid musical experiences (like the transplanted African rhythms in Latin America).
Particular attention was paid to Mediterranean folk, presented through its many facets (Occitan, Southern Italy, Majorca, Dalmatia, Tunisia, North Africa). Some participant, then, wanted to take a musical journey and not stop at only one place. This is the case, for example, of the atelier Let’s travel, led by the Maestro Basilio Astulez, who, not surprisingly, participated in the closing ceremony.

And what about electronics?

The festival was not lacking in experimentation, including the fusion between choral singing and electronics. These trials were not conducted just for their own sake, but were necessary. “We don’t usually think about it, but often electronics is the basis of our many daily musical gestures: when we listen to a CD, an mp3, an lp, when we use a digital keyboard, but also in several other situations, such as the use of amplification in an open space”, Stefano Bassanese, professor of electronic music at the Conservatory in Torino, said. And not only that: “We could modify the sound of a voice in real time, and this happens so fast that we do not realise that this is not a real choir but a single voice that has become a choir”. Electronics is changing the very way music is conceived: how it is listened to, performed and composed. And the choral movement can not ignore it.

Unusual guests: Turkey

What is a choir in a Muslim country? Turkey is also among the State guests of the Festival. lt is a very interesting land for its vocal traditions, and one of the latest entries in European Choral AssociationEuropa Cantat. “Obviously, not having been systematically fed by the Church as in Europe, the Turkish choral scene has no connection with religion”- Burak Onur Erdem (Choral Culture Association, Istanbul) explained- “There is no institution to support and fundraise the choral movement. However, the level of
interest in singing seems to be very high, considering the size of choral life since the establishment of the Republic in 1923. We should not be misled by the small number of Western-style choirs: there is a large number of vocal groups dealing with traditional music.”

Composers: a lesson from the great masters

Torino’s edition of the Festival has distinguished itself for the large space dedicated to composers and contemporary music. During Europa Cantat’s days seven premieres were performed, which were commissioned by the Festival to many composers, both Italian and international. Their names are: Carlo Boccadoro (Italy), David Del Puerto (Spain), Lorenzo Ferrero (Italy), Leo Hurley (USA), Franc;ois Narboni (France), Luis Tinoco (Portugal), Fabio Vacchi (Italy). Furthermore, the composers participated in an interesting series of roundtables, coordinated by Maestro Nicola Campogrande, and which focused on different aspects of artistic creation. There were memorable encounters, such as the one with Veljo Tormis, one of the greatest composers of choral music of our time, accompanied by the Estonian National Male Choir Estonian. As special guest of the Festival (he was celebrated by a concert in his honour), Maestro Tormis gave a /ectio magistralis during which he clarified some principles of his art of composition, an art that would be unimaginable without the contact with nature and the tradition of the land from which it was born: Estonia.

Music Expo: space for publishers

In many situations Europa Cantat has highlighted improvisational music and hosted groups capable of performing entire concerts by heart. Yet the fundamental principle of choral repertoire is, as always, written music: it is only after the accurate study of a score that a conductor can penetrate into the complexity and profound sense of the piece. This is why the festival dedicated particular attention to musical publications. 25 publishers, from all over the world (mainly from Europe but also from South
Africa and America) were present and considered the protagonists of the Music Expo area of the Torino lncontra convention centre. Visitors to the Music Expo could find cds, musical curiosities and gadgets as well as publications.

More than 300 volunteers for voice “Olympics”

Torino has been accustomed to the precious presence of volunteers for years. In 2006 a pacific “army” gave its contribution to the organisation of the Winter Olympics. Since then, in various occasions of different kinds, volunteers have been constantly called to work. Europa Cantat has also had the benefit of their help. 322 people of all ages, coordinated by Michele Calleri, have covered widely different jobs, from working in the cafeteria (meals were available to participants thanks to a catering service in the Giardini Reali) to ushering crowds at concerts. The experiences they narrate are decidedly positive. A few of the volunteers can be considered “veterans” who are particularly fond of their role: some were present in the 2006 Olympics.

24 international young people at event management school

Youth from all over the world arrived to try out their skills on field at the festival. 24 young people from Yemp (Young Event Management Programme), a course for aspiring cultural managers, which was organized within the festival, helped to make the event. After a step by step training programme (during which various aspects of management, from fund raising to the promotion of grand events), the “yempers” as they are called, arrived in Torino to work behind the scene for Europa Cantat.
Their many and diverse tasks were carried out under the guidance of two coordinators, Jeroen Latour (Netherlands) and Samuel Saint Martin (France).
“lt was a unique experience” commented the young yempers,” We believe the value of this proposal lies in the amount of responsibility given to each participant. Here we have not been just simple observers or helpers, but we have been working to all effects in the organising staff, which has led to our development and will be a precious resource for our curriculum vitae”.

Passing the torch

The eighteenth edition of the festival concludes a fundamental step along the path begun 51 years ago. Torino and Piemonte will conserve the memory of the event for the future, it certainly will have effect on the already very stimulating cultural life of the city and region. In the meanwhile the experience passes over to Pecs, the Hungarian city host to the 2015 Europa Cantat festival. This is why a Hungarian delegation, led by Zsolt Pava, mayor of Pecs, arrived in Torino for the concluding concert.
After being received by Piero Fassino, mayor of Torino, the delegation took part in the final concert. Thanks to the presence of vocal ensembles, traditional music and dance groups on stage, it was possible to appreciate the rich cultural and popular traditions of Hungary, which gave colour to the concluding moments of the festival.

The Festival Europa Cantat XVIII Torino 2012 was organised by the European Choral AssociationEuropa Cantat and Feniarco (Federazione Nazionale ltaliana Associazioni Regionali Corali) with the collaboration of ACP (Associazione Cori Piemontesi}, with the support, the collaboration and under the patronage of the Region of Piemonte and the City of Torino, the support of the European Union Culture Pogramme and the collaboration of Compagnia di San Paolo and Torino’s Chamber of Commerce. The festival has been included in the proposals of Torino Young City, a project of the city of Torino with the aim of creating a system of events that can gratify work done for youth in recent years, and in the project VOICE- Vision On Innovation for Choral Music in Europe.

European Choral Association – Europa Cantat

admin — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 08:02:17 +0000

The European Choral Association – Europa Cantat elects a new Board and President and looks ahead to the future development of choral life in Europe

The European Choral Association – Europa Cantat is happy to announce that Gábor Móczár from Hungary was elected as President of the association as successor of Sante Fornasier whose mandate ended after a nine-year period on the Board. The membership thanked Sante Fornasier and the outgoing Board members for their constructive work on the consolidation of the association and especially recognized the merits of the Italian choral association FENIARCO for the successful EUROPA CANTAT Festival in Turin.

The General Assembly which met in Toulouse, France on November 17th 2012, elected a Board of 13 persons from 12 European Countries. The President will be supported in his work by four further Executive Board members:

Carlo Pavese from Italy as 1st Vice-President
Jan Schumacher from Germany as 2nd Vice-President and Chair of the Music Commission
Anneliese Zeh from Austria, re-elected as 3rd Vice-President
Koenraad de Meulder from Belgium as treasurer
Further Board members are Séverine Delforge (Belgium), Martí Ferrer (Spain), Guido Helbling (Switzerland), Reijo Kekkonen (Finland), Victoria Liedbergius (Norway), Kaie Tanner (Estonia), Jean-Claude Wilkens (France) and Daphne Wassink (The Netherlands).

The General Assembly also approved of the programme of activities for the coming years including different events which will happen in the frame of the major EU-funded cooperation project VOICE – Vision On Innovation for Choral Music In Europe with 14 partners in 11 European countries and a financial volume of 2,4 Million EUR.

The new Board will work on further developing the federation’s strategy, aiming at increasing cooperation with partners outside the choral field (research institutes, other European and International music organisations), improving the connection between the choral world and the world of music educators and on advocating for singing in music education. In this context, the association will increase its advocacy work, gathering and disseminating facts and figures that will give evidence of the benefits of choral music on the social and physical well-being of the society. The association will also continue promoting inclusive activities with minorities and disadvantaged people and offering training courses and further educational activities all over Europe.

In 2013, the European Year of Citizens, the association will offer a number of activities involving citizens in most European countries. These activities will include International Singing Weeks and festivals in Bonn (Germany), Vic (Catalonia, Spain), Briançon (France), Novi Sad (Vojvodina, Serbia), Worcester (UK) and Lignano (Italy) as well as a “Golden Cantat” in Novi Sad, a special event for senior citizens inspired by the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing. There will be training offers for conductors in Pomáz (Hungary), Fano (Italy) and Vaison-la-Romaine (France) as well as a Competition for Young Conductors and International Conductor’s Forum in St Petersburg (Russia), a Eurochoir session for individual young singers in Pécs (Hungary), a Hearts-in-Harmony event bringing together disabled and non-disabled singers in Novi Sad (Serbia), a Hearts-in-Harmony conference in Barcelona and the Conference Voices of the Mediterranean in Girona (Catalonia, Spain), a conference in connection with the next General Assembly (8 – 10/11/2013) about the VOICE project in Pécs (Hungary), and further smaller activities. The brochure with the complete programme of events can be ordered from the General Secretariat, updated information is available on www.EuropeanChoralAssociation.org -> Events -> Events 2013.

For 2014 the federation announced the 7th edition of EUROPA CANTAT junior – the festival for equal voice children’s and youth choirs – and concerning 2015 preparations have already begun for the festival EUROPA CANTAT XIX in Pécs (Hungary), a city which also hosted the tenth edition of the EUROPA CANTAT festival in 1988, and the festival Pécs Cantat – Singing Cultural Capital of Europe in 2010. Stay updated about the 2015 festival on www.ecpecs2015.hu.

The General Assembly was hosted by several French members and partners of the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat: A Coeur Joie, IFAC, La Plateforme interrégionale, the choir La Lauzeta from Toulouse as well as the Atelier Régional des Pratiques en Amateurs (ARPA) and was combined with a programme of workshops and presentations under the title “Colours of (Young) European Voices”. Information and material from this programme will be made available on the website www.EuropeanChoralAssociation.org. The programme of the weekend also included concerts by the choir La Lauzeta, the Chœur National des Jeunes A Coeur Joie and the Maîtrise du Conservatoire de Toulouse.

Worcester Int. Festival for Young Singers

admin — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:50:18 +0000

DATE: Friday 19 – Saturday 27 July 2013
LOCATION: Worcester, England, UK.

The Worcester International Festival for Young Singers (WIFYS) is the UK’s first-ever international youth singing festival, organised by Sing UK in association with the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat (ECA-EC).

A week-long festival of music, friendship and discovery awaits! Each visiting choir will have the opportunity to present 2 concerts, shared with one other choir, in churches within Worcester and the surrounding area; there will be street-singing and singing at local church services. There will be special concerts for all participants, including a welcome concert in the cathedral, and one by a professional choir, “The Songmen”. The Festival will close with a spectacular Gala Concert in the Cathedral involving all choirs and ateliers, and will include the world-premiere of Bob Chilcott’s piece “Five Days That Changed the World”.

Ateliers throughout the week

Atelier 1 : “Five Days That Changed the World”
Conductor: Bob Chilcott (United Kingdom)
A Festival-commissioned work in five movements for choruses, piano and percussion, which explores significant world influences.
For all voices (SATB) | Level A | Minimum age: 15

Atelier 2 : “Dadaismusic”
Conductor: Carlo Pavese (Italy)
This unusual atelier will create collages of sounds, drawn from singers’ experiences, intuition and creativity. The physical space around singers will play an important part.
For all voices (SATB) | Level B | Minimum age: 15

Atelier 3 : “Joy and Dances from the North”
Conductor: Margrét Bóasdóttir (Iceland)
A rich blend of songs and dances from Scandinavia, especially Norway and Iceland.
SSA | Level B/C | Minimum age: 9

Atelier 4 : “Sing and Shine with Body and Soul”
Conductor : Sanna Valvanne (Finland/USA)
The wide-ranging programme will include improvisation and movement, as well as more traditional material from across the world.
SSA | Level B | Minimum age: 12

Participation fees

starting from 260 € up to 370 € and include full room and board, as well as participation in ateliers and the costs of scores. All travel costs to and from the Festival are to be paid by the participants. Travel during the week will be covered by the Festival.

Deadline for applications: 15/12/2012

Further information:
Festival leaflet (PDF-file): wifys-leaflet.pdf
Website: Worcester International Festival for Young Singers (WIFYS)

48th Singing Week in Barcelona

admin — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:26:09 +0000

From 8th to 14 July 2013 the

48. INTERNATIONAL CHORAL MUSIC FESTIVAL BARCELONA

also known as Barcelona Singing Week will be held in Barcelona, Spain.

This one-week long Festival takes place in Barcelona (Spain). Enrolment fees include accommodation, breakfast and lunch, pic-nic for dinner on performance days, and the music scores for the workshops. Every year 3 workshops are offered with different musical programs and conductors.
Free time in the mornings. This allows you to enjoy the wide range of activities Barcelona has to offer: you can enjoy the sunshine on more than 3 km of beach line, the never-ending life on the glamorous Ramblas, or you may visit the Gothic city centre and all kinds of buildings, monuments or museums.
Workshops take place in the afternoon. Around 400 participants, Catalan and international, are expected to take part in the event.

Workshops for 2013

“La Festa” catalan folk music
Conductor: Poire Vallvé (Catalonia) (Conductor of Catalan choirs and music teacher)
Musicals
Conductor: Panda Proosdij (The Nederlands) (Movement coach and director)
Wagner opera choruses
Conductor: Jaume Miranda (Catalonia-Germany) (Chormeister of the Saarbrücken Opera House)

The participating choirs will be expected to offer 2-3 performances: one concert in the gothic church of Santa Maria del Pi, and one or two other concerts in different venues in the vicinity of Barcelona.
The Singing week Closure Concert takes place at the well- known modernist style Hall, “Palau de la Música Catalana”.

Participating conditions:
The “Singing Week” is open to all choirs that wish to take part in an International Choral Music Festival.

Enrolment fee complete week: 375 €
- inclusive of: Accommodation in different kind of rooms, breakfast, lunch, and pic-nic for dinner on performance days, participation in the workshop and music scores, 2 concerts.

Enrolment fee half week (3 days): 180 €
- inclusive of: Accommodation in different kind of rooms, breakfast, lunch, and pic-nic for dinner on performance days, 1 concert.

All singers are requested to state 2 workshop preferences, so that we can achieve the best possible grouping for the workshops. We will, of course, try to meet your first preference if that is possible.

Optional day outings: On request, we can organise for your choir a visit to Monserrat Monastery with attendance to a short concert, or a Barcelona guided tour (ask for more information).

Deadline for applications: January the 15th 2013
Further info and application form: www.fcec.cat

The World Choral Day

admin — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 07:11:39 +0000

The World Choral Day is an international choral event to extol the values of solidarity, peace and understanding.

The world is living through severe and continuous crisis of self destruction. There are no possible reasons that can justify these actions. The majority of the human race wants to live in peace with dignity. It is time to show, with more power and strength, that our choral family contributes, through music to break down the artificial barriers product of politics, different ideologies, religious differences, and racial hatred that separate human beings. We must be able to show that MUSIC, the divine art, is more than the mere search of formal perfection and interpretative beauty, music should serve to extol the values of solidarity, peace, and understanding . We cannot work isolated, we have to make all possible efforts to have our voices heard and to let music work its own paths of communication.Alberto Grau,
Helsinki in August, 1990, within the framework of the 2nd World Symposium on Choral Music

Thousands of choirs have joined in the celebration of World Choral Day on or around the 2nd Sunday in December in the past twenty years. Millions of singers across the globe have been involved in World Choral Day concerts, festivals, sing-alongs, choral seminars, Days of Friendship and other events.

A World Choral Day event may take many different forms. However, it typically includes this:

someone reading the World Choral Day Proclamation (PDF-file). It has thus far been translated into many different languages and is available for download from the World Choral Day and IFCM websites.
Theme: The IFCM announces themes for World Choral Day. In the year 2012 the theme will be “Solidarity”. Many people are suffering because of disasters, earthquakes, tsunamis, draught, hunger, poverty, terror, war, and so on and so forth. All over the world choirs are expressing their solidarity with the victims of these catastrophies, sometimes raising money, often raising awareness or singing to help people deal with these issues or overcome their grief. Choirs are invited to do something with this topic of “solidarity”, either in connection with the proclamation (see below) or musically or both.
Choirs wanting to be involved in World Choral Day can use the official WCD logo.

More information: ICFM WCD Website

ICA