Do you have a great idea for PODIUM 2022 and not sure how to share it with the committee? We want to hear from you! We invite you to share your ideas for evening concerts, special projects, community outreach or other activities both for our in-person and virtual delegates! Click here to learn more.
The International Federation for Choral Music has organized four international choral composition competitions since this project was created in 2010. The aim of these competitions is to promote the creation and distribution of new, innovative, and accessible choral repertoire. Also, to promote and encourage composers to creation and distribution.
IFCM announces its Fifth International Competition for Choral Composition to promote new works in choral music and to encourage innovation in choral writing which fits the needs of a 21st-century choir. We are looking for compositions that combine originality, imagination, and creativity within the context of contemporary global themes.
Deadline: January 15, 2022
For more information, click here.
For more details, click here.
Are you a grade 11 or 12 student thinking about auditioning for music after graduating high school? There is a free online information session about auditioning happening on Monday, May 31st at 7:00 p.m.
To register for this event, please contact Fran Farrell at ffarrell@gnspes.ca or Kate Gillis at k.gillis@gnspes.ca.
The preliminary results from the Singing in Canadian Schools: COVID-19 Impact Survey have been released! The Nova Scotia Choral Federation is proud to know that Nova Scotia had the highest response rate across Canada- this highlights how vital singing is to our provincial community and is a testament to the commitment of our teachers.
Within the constraints of COVID-19 health and safety restrictions, school closures, and alternate forms of
education delivery, fewer students are singing in Canadian schools. Singing is embedded in Canadian music
curricula for its value not only as a tool for learning and instruction, but because it is an essential means of self-
expression. Currently, 71% of survey music teacher respondents’ students are unable to engage in music
learning through singing at school. Considering both the constraints and possibilities that may exist moving
forward, we want to look towards solutions that engage students in safe singing practices in Canadian schools,
helping them to receive the myriad of benefits we know accompany group singing.
Looking back on this past year, music education leaders have learned a great deal. When it comes to singing in
schools, we have learned that:
This evidence-based study paints an authentic picture of our experiences as Canadian music educators. The
survey sample pool was highly representative, with almost 1000 respondents from across the country. Survey data
are very comprehensive and include both quantitative and qualitative data. These data hold much potential to
guide policy and practice related to singing in schools in the upcoming year, while always keeping students safe
and engaged in a comprehensive music education: one that includes singing.
For more information on the preliminary survey results, click here.
The Nova Scotia Choral Federation asks that our membership takes the time to share this information with their communities and parent groups. School-based singing and choral programs contribute to and help maintain our thriving provincial choral community. Please keep your eyes peeled for more detailed survey results as they are made available.
The Cape Breton Chorale (CB Chorale) has had a successful year of music making despite restrictions imposed by the pandemic. CB Chorale has kindly provided some photos from their season and testimonials from their President and choristers. Through a combination of outdoor rehearsals, virtual strategies, social distancing, and mask wearing, the CB Chorale was able to offer a Christmas Card video to their community this past December. More details on their website, linked here:
https://capebretonchorale.com/
Ruth Ann Morrison
President, Cape Breton Chorale
Covid 19 certainly brought some unique challenges to our Cape Breton Chorale family. In spite of restrictions and losing our regular rehearsal space we managed to regroup and find a way to continue. We soon realized that even with masks and physical distancing the camaraderie and joy of singing together was very much alive. In person rehearsals with a Zoom connection for those at home provided a way to strengthen our skills, learn new repertoire and stay connected. Mini recording sessions provided a goal and incentive to keep going. Many thanks to our director Ryan Billington for his innovative planning and commitment .
J. Allan McIntosh
“The science is in. Singing is really, really good for you and the most recent research suggests that group singing is the most exhilarating and transformative of all. The good feelings we get from singing in a group are a kind of evolutionary reward for coming together cooperatively.” (The Neuroscience of Singing by Cassandra Sheppard) The Cape Breton Chorale has been meeting according to the proper protocols and even with the masks and distancing we have experienced the joy of being together in song, a taste of what is to come as restrictions relax, we hope, in the weeks and months ahead.
Mary Jane Ross
Social distancing, unfortunately necessary since last March, is the antithesis of choral singing. In a choir we seek to come together intellectually, artistically, and physically; the restrictions of tthe past months have made this much more difficult. So thank you to everyone in the Cape Breton Chorale and especially to our director, Ryan Billington; our accompanist, Paula Jane Francis; and our president, Ruth Ann Morrison for making our rehearsals and recorded performances possible in these challenging times. May we all be vaccinated soon!
Linda Dieltgens
I miss practicing together. Zooming has been a godsend, but nothing is the same as singing together. I long for that thrill we feel when we are singing in many parts and create that “Wall of Sound”. It is difficult to determine balance when your own voice seems to boom in your mask. I think it is making us better musicians working independently, but I will be glad when we can perform normally again.
Photos of CB Chorale rehearsing via Zoom:
Seton Cantata Choir, under the direction of Garth MacPhee with accompanist Dean Bradshaw, is very pleased to announce that on Saturday March 27th, 2021 at 3:00 pm ADT we launched our first virtual concert on YouTube. This COVID-19 pandemic has created some unique challenges for performers, but it has also led to our taking greater advantage of technology in order to promote and share our music. The link can be found on the landing page of our website:
https://setoncantatachoir.com/
For the past several months the choir has been hard at work in our temporary rehearsal space at St. George’s Round Church in Halifax. This lovely church has allowed us to sing together and record while maintaining the appropriate social distancing and masking requirements as set out by Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Robert Strang.
We are offering a short repertoire that is both inspiring and pleasing to the ear. All are songs of hope, strength, resilience, and the power of love as a force to unite. A few of these selections will be familiar to Seton audiences as we have performed them in past concerts.
Previous to March 2020, we have always been able to perform with the exhilarating presence of a live audience. We invite you to imagine that this is a live performance and ask that you might consider donating the cost of a ticket. Your donations will sustain us! Please visit our website for further concert information and for ways to donate. Feel free to share this announcement with your friends and family.
There is only 7 days left to register for the NSCF’s new virtual workshop, Tune Up & Sing Out!
A collaboration between the NSCF and the Robbie Songs Project, Tune Up & Sing Out invites choristers from around the province (and beyond) to spruce up your vocal technique, clear out the COVID cobwebs and share in the joy of creating music together, all from the safety of your own home! Enjoy two virtual workshops with Dr. Julia Davids and the Canadian Chamber Choir and an opportunity to create a lasting memory by performing alongside the CCC in an optional Virtual Choir Performance of “Why Can’t We”. The song was originally composed and performed by the folk duo Naming The Twins and has now been arranged for choir by Nova Scotian composer Donna Rhodenizer.
We are hoping to make this program as accessible as possible. Program fees are only $15 and covers tuition for 3 hours of workshop time with the CCC, Music loan, Digital Learning Resources, Instructions for Recording a Virtual Choir Submission, and Participation in “Why Can’t We?” Virtual Choir Performance with the Canadian Chamber Choir
Important Dates:
Sunday, April 11th at 4:30 – 6:00 pm ADT– “Tune Up” Virtual Vocal Workshop with Julia Davids and a Quartet from the Canadian Chamber Choir
Sunday, April 18th at 4:30 – 6:00 pm ADT– “Sing Out” Virtual Rehearsal of “Why Can’t We?” with Julia Davids and a Quartet from the Canadian Chamber Choir
Deadline to submit recordings for “Why Can’t We?” Virtual Choir Performance is May 2nd.
To register as an individual for Tune Up & Sing Out, please fill out this form, Tune Up & Sing Out Registration. Registration is limited and will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis. Don’t hesitate to register!
For more details, visit the Tune Up & Sing Out webpage by clicking here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact NSCF staff at programs@nscf.ca.
The performance will remain accessible on YouTube following the premiere. In lieu of tickets, viewers are asked to consider making a donation to The Aeolian Singers (http://aeoliansingers.ca/
This is the second and final installment of The Aeolian Singers’ Veritas project. In November, the choir gave a live performance of the commissioned work A Rose By Any Other Name by composer Frances Farrell (Nova Scotia). Due to a spike in COVID-19 cases and new restrictions on live performances, the remainder of Veritas has gone virtual. The March 6 performance will feature new works by Marie-Claire Saindon (Quebec) and Carmen Braden (Northwest Territories), including Aviva Swims (Braden) and Flat Earth (Saindon). The lyrics for Flat Earth are by Franco-Ontarian poet, Paul Ruban, and also written for this commission. Both composers will be present at the premiere via live chat.
The theme of the commissions is “truth,” coming from the Latin word veritas. The Aeolians are using choral music to examine what is true, and what it takes to confront the many webs of deception and darkness present in our contemporary society and culture. The new works celebrate the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth; each composer has interpreted this theme differently. Marie-Claire Saindon examines truth in the era of fake news, anti-vaxxers and prominent politicians, while Carmen Braden challenges us to experience truth through the eyes of a child, with ever-evolving memories and impressions.
The concerts and commissions are supported by Arts Nova Scotia, the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, and private donors.
The Bruneau Centre for Excellence in Choral Music, in association with Choral Canada, presents its 2021 Workshop Series:
CONCERTS DURING A PANDEMIC: A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
February 25, 2021 | 7:30pm (NL time) | via Zoom
How do we create inspiring and engaging choral concerts within our current restrictions? Join three choral conductors who have explored this very question to discuss what has worked for them (and what hasn’t).
$6 members Choral Canada | $10 non-members
Please Note: This workshop will be presented in English.