AVHC: Come Sing With Us!

“Hope Lingers Here” - Singing Safely with Annapolis Valley Honour Choir!

Choir vows to sing through the pandemic, launches 2020-21 season with optimism.

When Covid struck last March, the AVHC quickly pivoted to an online program. All through the spring, singers met regularly to continue sharing their love of choral music with each other and with the community. Their spring “virtual concert” has reached over 11,000 people.

The theme of this season, “Hope Lingers Here” is a line taken from a song by Lissa Schneckenburger. With no singing in the schools, the AVHC aims to be a place where any young singers can gather to continue using their voices. In what will be an important year in all children's lives as they navigate the societal effects of Covid-19, the AVHC is fostering a feeling of hope, and of resilience with a season of joyful learning, inspiration and connection where young people will continue to build self-confidence, self-expression and grow in their artistry.

This enriching and innovative program makes the most of new opportunities to focus on individual development for the children and to broaden their horizons by exploring other genres of music and art forms through exciting workshops with local and internationally renowned guest artists, and choirs across the country.

Singers will engage in weekly online rehearsals for singing and a variety of activities, as well the older choirs will receive small group vocal coaching with voice teachers Paula Rockwell and Michael Donavan. They will have customized music theory/sight singing instruction and new online programs that allow them to receive individual attention and progress at their own pace. Modular workshops for the fall term will be offered by musical experts in their field - Laura Caswell (Music Theatre), Amelia McMahon (Vocal Jazz), Ken Shorely (World Rhythms), and Holly Carr (Visual Arts).

In addition, the Senior Choir will be participating in the Bridge Choral Collective - a series of cross-Canada workshops with a focus of music and social justice, led by international stars The University of Pretoria Choir (South Africa), Moira Smiley (US folk artist) and Sherryl Sewepagaham (Canadian Indigenous Cree Artist).

For the past five months, Artistic Director Heather Fraser, as part of her Advocacy work for Choral Canada, has closely been following the science and studies, and researching what is possible and what is safe with regard to group singing and the spread of COVID 19. As many choirs across the country, and internationally, begin to open their doors once again, AVHC hopes to be able to add in-person rehearsals/activities to enhance this virtual program later this fall - following all current recommendations and best practices to ensure the safety of all singers.

With no singing in the schools at this time, any singers from Grades 3-12 from anywhere (even outside the valley!) who are looking to sing and learn in a supportive community are welcome! Entry will be open until the end of September. Visit www.avhc.ca to find out more or contact the choir at coordinator@avhc.ca.

SopranoJoan: Singer’s Masks


Side view of a Singer’s Mask

The Nova Scotia Choral Federation would like to extend a thank you to SopranoJoan for sharing her patterns for Singer’s Masks. Throughout the pandemic, SopranoJoan has released three versions of her singer’s masks patterns as well as instructional YouTube videos on how to make them.  If you do not have access to a sewing machine,  we have linked an option for online purchasing.

To access the pattern (provided in either English or French) used in SopranoJoan’s video above, click  the corresponding link below:
Singer’s Mask (English)
Singer’s Mask (French)

To purchase a singer’s mask based on the same  pattern, click here. 

Choral Canada: August 19 Webinar Recording


On August 19th,  Choral Canada, along with Dr. Juliette O’Keeffe, presented a webinar on Risks and Precautions for Choirs. As the choral season begins, it is important for boards, artistic staff and choristers to be aware of proper safety protocols  as we gather to sing.

The slide show from the presentation can be accessed by clicking here.
For further information, please read the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health resources for choral singing by clicking here. 

2020 Laura Hawley Micro-Grant for Canadian Choirs

Is your choir looking to connect with a Canadian composer in some way this season? Apply for a micro-grant to make it happen!

The 2020 Laura Hawley Micro-grants for Canadian Choirs promote building relationships with Canadian choral composers, conductors, educators, and publishers through workshops, commissions, and other initiatives that focus on Canadian choral music.

Funding from these grants can be used in one or more of the following ways:

  1. To purchase a piece of music by a Canadian composer for your choir’s library
  2. To hire a Canadian composer or conductor for a virtual session with your choir
  3. To assist with commissioning a Canadian composer

Applications are now open; the deadline to apply is September 15.

Click here to apply!

Choral Canada: Crowdfunding for Research on Choral Singing and the Transmission of COVID-19

As the National Arts Service Organization for choral music in Canada, Choral Canada is helping raise funds for this important and timely study by the University of Alberta. Choral Canada believes this study will help everyone, including policy makers, be more informed about choral singing in relation to COVID-19. Your tax-deductible donations will help fund Canadian research that will also contribute to a growing body of world-wide scientific knowledge around singing. Every dollar donated will be given directly to the University of Alberta’s study and all donors will be acknowledged on the Choral Canada website. Please donate now to this critical Canadian research study.

To make a donation or to read more about this study, click here.

Choral Canada: National Webinar with Dr. Juliette O’Keeffe

CHORAL CANADA NATIONAL WEBINAR

Risks and Precautions for Choirs 

with Dr. Juliette O’Keeffe from National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health

Dr. O’Keeffe and the NCCEH team have surveyed current available research and made an evidence review, along with recommendations for singers and choirs, in this recently released document: https://ncceh.ca/documents/evidence-review/covid-19-risks-and-precautions-choirs?fbclid=IwAR3LucUbbi1JX1uTUfAaDDrvZ68r1FbXySbEs-pz7xqQhmeacx3u5fs4Xuk

Wednesday, August 19th, 2020

4pm Pacific Time; 5pm Mountain; 7pm Eastern; 8pm Atlantic

Hear the latest on Choral Canada’s advocacy work, with an opportunity for webinar participants to play a part in University of Alberta’s critical research on Choral Singing and COVID-19 Transmission. Presenter Dr. Juliette O’Keeffe will provide insights on the NCCEH review of world-wide research and other emerging data on choral singing and the transmission of COVID-19, and how these findings pertain to choirs in Canada. Dr. O’Keeffe will answer your questions, and offer a Canadian perspective. Participants will have the optional opportunity to have open discussion time with colleagues at the end of the webinar.

Submit your questions for Dr. O’Keeffe when you REGISTER, before August 15.
Space is limited, so register today!

This presentation will be presented in English, but notes, slides and research review documents will be available in French.
__________________________

National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health’s vision is to be the indispensable online resource for environmental health practitioners and policy-makers across Canada. NCCEH focuses on health risks associated with the physical environment and identifies evidence-based interventions to mitigate those risks. Learn more here.

Juliette O’Keeffe, MSc, PhD joined the NCCEH team in 2018 bringing with her previous experience delivering research for industry and government in the areas of rural drinking water, wastewater treatment, waste management and resource efficiency at the Urban Water Technology Centre in Dundee, Scotland. Prior to this she worked with Dundee’s Public Analyst and the Scottish EPA. She holds a BSc Honours degree in Environmental Biology (SFU), an MSc in Energy and Environmental Management and a PhD in Environmental Science (University of Abertay).

Choral Canada exists to celebrate and champion choral music for all Canadians. Learn more at choralcanada.org

This event is FREE of chargePlease register below and you will receive the Zoom link the day before the webinar.
Register Here

Chorus Connection + Harmony Helper: The Convergence of Music, Technology and Learning in the Age of COVID-19.

Chorus Connection is partnering up with Harmony Helper to present a live webinar on “The Convergence of Music, Technology and Learning in the Age of COVID-19.”

Join our ten panelists as they share their experiences navigating this new choral world amidst a global pandemic. In this roundtable, choral leaders will discuss the challenges the choral world is facing, how they are addressing these challenges within their own organizations, and present ideas for supporting the arts during this time.

Join us on Monday, August 10th at 12pm EDT. To join the Zoom call, pre-registration is requested here and is limited to 499 participants. All other interested viewers can watch the recording on Harmony Helper’s YouTube channel both live or after the event.

CfCAI: The Online, Blended & Virtual Choral Experience Workshop

Tuesday, August 11, 2020
3-hour session beginning at 1 p.m. CST

Trevecca’s Center for Community Arts Innovation presents the Online, Blended & Virtual Choral Experience, August 11, 2020. Throughout this workshop, we’ll explore what it looks like to carry out the instruction, practice and performance of choral arts in an increasingly virtual world. Led by Tim Sharp, executive director of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA)

As the world pivots in the wake of 2020, we’ll discuss how choral instruction can adapt, but also thrive. Whether you’re planning for totally online instruction or a hybrid of face-to-face and online, we want to equip you to effectively engage with your students.

To  learn more about this workshop or to register, click here.

Lessons from Singalong Jubilee: We need to sing more

 

A photo from the set of Singalong Jubilee

Check out this reflection by siblings, Claire and Jack Bennet, on their family ties to music making and why we need to sing more.  Claire is a freelance editor and writer, whose work has been published in The Coast. Jack is an arts professional, heavily involved with the Big Sing and Choirs for Change, and beginning studies at Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law this September.

“Art is useful for sharing our inner turmoil and concerns, for protesting against injustice and lamenting grief. But too often we forget to let it express something much needed to balance those emotions: joy. Optimism is one of the jobs of the arts, and we’ve learned that through Singalong’s weekly celebrations of the world.”

Claire and Jack Bennet 

To read the full article in The Nova Scotia Advocate, click here.

Cape Breton Choral Director Passes Away

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of James “Jimmy” McNeil. An active member of Cape Breton’s choral community, Jimmy has conducted many of Cape Breton’s choruses including the Wings of the Spectrum, the award-winning Glace Bay Schools Chorale, Island Voices, and most recently Coro Cantabile. He was organist and choral director at St. Mary’s Anglican Church (Glace Bay) for many years, as well as St. Anne’s Catholic Church (Glace Bay), Bethel Presbyterian Church (Sydney), Knox United Church (Glace Bay), and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (Sydney Mines).

For those who knew Jimmy McNeil, the NSCF extends our condolences. To read the full obituary or to offer your condolences to the McNeil family, click here.