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DEADLINE EXTENDED: CCNS 2020 Registration due February 7th

REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED! NOW DUE FEBRUARY 7TH, 2020

We are pleased to announce that Registration is now open for the 2020 Children’s Chorus of Nova Scotia.

The Nova Scotia Choral Federation invites talented singers in grades 5-9 to participate in the Children’s Chorus of Nova Scotia. This year’s program brings together students from all over the province for a weekend intensive under the direction of leading music educator, Dr. Susan Brumfield. Dr. Susan Brumfield is Professor of Music Education at Texas Tech University, and holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma. In frequent demand for workshops, Dr. Brumfield focuses on creating engaging musical environments that foster development of choristers’ musicianship.

For more information, please visit our CCNS webpage!

To Register:

Teachers:

Register your students at: https://forms.gle/EC9gk4BwNDBeW7uw8

Parents/guardians

Step 1: register your child by filling out the following form at:  https://forms.gle/6kN3pjiTAWR7kvDS7

Step 2: complete the Paypal payment on our CCNS website.

Please contact our Program Coordinator, Ryan Henwood, at ryan@nscf.ca if you have any questions.

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Sing Out: Choirs in Contact!

We are so pleased to announce anew project by the Nova Scotia Choral Federation, Sing Out: Choirs in Contact! aims to create space for the numerous community choirs around the province to network, sing and share music with one another. This year, the NSCF is proud to announce that Julia Davids and the Canadian Chamber Choir (CCC) will be joining us to launch this exciting choral weekend experience.

During concert season, it can be difficult to attend the concerts of all your fellow community choirs! Sing Out will allow choirs to perform for each other in a casual and supportive environment while also receiving the opportunity to work with Dr. Julia Davids. Following the closing performance, all participants are invited to an evening performance by the Canadian Chamber Choir at St. Andrew’s United Church.

To read more, and to register now, please visit our brand new  Sing Out! page. 

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Mount Allison Audition Preparation Days

Mount Allison University is excited to share information regarding its upcoming Audition Preparation Days, to take place at Mount Allison University,  January 31 – February 1, 2020. The Audition Preparation Weekend is a two-day event designed for grade eleven and twelve students who are considering pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Music. Students learn essential auditioning skills, receive a private lesson, and participate in discussions about career opportunities, stage deportment, and practice skills.

The cost of this event is $60 (plus HST = $69 total) and includes accommodation on campus, meals, and access to all instructional opportunities. A day participant fee of $45 is available for those who do not require accommodation.

Please visit the Music Department website to learn more about this event: Audition Preparation Days.

To register, visit the Registration Page.

Please be in touch with administrative assistant Margaret Craig, mcraig@mta.ca, or me, vstpierre@mta.ca, with any questions.

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Unisong – Now Accepting Applications

The Unisong Choral Music Festival is now accepting applications for 2020 and Beyond!

​Be Part of a Chorus of Hundreds!

Unisong is accepting new applications to join our massed ensemble choir for a once in a lifetime chance to be a central part of Canada Day festivities in the Nation’s Capital.

Choirs of all ages will be considered!  Contact us now at info@unisong.ca for more information.

You can also visit Unisong’s website at: https://www.unisong.ca/

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HCCI Announces its 2020 Season

The Halifax Conducting Institute Announces its 2020 Season!

Logo
Since 2013, the HCCI has offered conducting instruction in an integrative curriculum and dynamic community of learning, equipping conductors of all levels to be confident and courageous musical leaders. And now, the HCCI is paving the way for women’s success in the field of conducting with the Women’s Conducting Intensive, the first of its kind in Canada.
JUL 20–24, 2020
HALIFAX CHORAL CONDUCTING INSTITUTE
Offering a holistic curriculum, collaborative atmosphere, and world-class faculty and guest artists, HCCI is a unique and inspiring musical experience in an informal, supportive environment.
JULY 27–29, 2020
WOMEN’S CONDUCTING INTENSIVE
Open to all levels of conductors, the WCI focuses on strengthening podium presence and leadership while developing practical skills for transformative choral practice.
To learn more about these programs, visit: http://halifaxsummerchoral.com
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Survey on the Halifax Arts Community

From Strategic Arts Management: 

Hello,

You are invited to take part in a research study being conducted by Dalhousie graduate students working on a project to help Strategic Arts Management (SAM) better provide management and career resources to the arts community of Halifax.

As a participant, you will be asked to anonymously answer 15 questions in a survey. Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. At any time, you reserve the right to skip questions, or to stop the survey entirely. The information you provide will be anonymous and will be kept private at all times. When we share our project findings in the resulting reports, we will speak in terms of overall perceptions so that it is impossible for an individual to be identified. By submitting the survey, you consent to the anonymous use of your answers and quotes for the purpose of research by the Dalhousie Graduate-Student Research Team.

This study is being conducted according to the ethical standards of Dalhousie University.

The survey can be found here: https://surveys.dal.ca/opinio/s?s=53021&fbclid=IwAR0e_0QLgc-oeAfyG87nHIBuztHcY5iBe5wKPhE6ym442SE5-t8Xx2BsDoY

If you have any questions about the survey, SAM, or the Dalhousie research team, please contact us! We are happy to receive all questions at jl883690@dal.ca

Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,

The Strategic Arts Management: Dalhousie Research Team

(Trevor, Julietta, Jason, Erin, Hala)

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National Choral Writing Competition – Due Nov 1, 2019

 

Last Chance: National Choral Writing Competition

Due Nov 1, 2019

Apply Here

From Choral Canada:
The 2020 competition includes two categories:

1. The Diane Loomer Award , sponsored by Cypress Choral Music – open to any Canadian choral composer
2. The new Stephen Chatman Award, sponsored by the UBC School of Music and UBC Choirs – open to any Canadian undergraduate or graduate student choral composer

The competition will be judged by a national jury of Canadian choral conductors and composers. All competing composers will receive constructive written feedback from a juror. The jury may select up to three honorable mentions per category.

The winner of the 2020 Diane Loomer Award will receive:

  • the Diane Loomer Award of $1500
  • a publishing opportunity through Cypress Choral Music
  • a premiere performance by the 2020 National Youth Choir of Canada, conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, on tour and at PODIUM 2020 – national choral conference & festival in Montréal, QC
  • a feature article about the composer in Choral Canada’s national choral journal Anacrusis
  • promotion on Choral Canada’s website and social media​​

The winner of the 2020 Stephen Chatman Student Award will receive:

  • the Stephen Chatman Award of  $500
  • a premiere performance by a university choir
  • complimentary student membership with Choral Canada (valid until September 30, 2020)
  • a feature article about the composer in Choral Canada’s national choral journal Anacrusis
  • promotion on Choral Canada’s website and social media
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Aeolian Singers 2019-20 Season Opens In Good Company

(from The Aeolian Singers) The Aeolian Singers (www.aeoliansingers.ca) open their 2019-20 season for the third year under artistic leadership of Heather Fraser, reflecting on the season and their camaraderie and love of singing with In Good Company.  The women’s choir will present a pair of these In Good Company concerts in November, and also take a singing road trip to Wolfville next March, closing Dartmouth Community Concerts season in the spring in an eclectic season of great music for women’s voices (Veritas).

The season opens with concerts (In Good Company) in Dartmouth (Grace United) and Upper Tantallon (St. Luke’s United) presenting music ranging from Henry VIII to Jane Siberry.  The program takes in the world of the Renaissance and Baroque, moving to modern takes on ancient texts, with glorious choral writing by contemporary Canadian female composers like Kelly Marie Murphy, Marie Claire Saindon and Laura Hawley.  They’ll even throw in a pub song of two.  The concerts take place on Saturday, November 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Grace United Church, Dartmouth and on Sunday, November 24 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Luke’s United Church, Upper Tantallon.

Collaborative pianist Mary Castello will be joining the Aeolians for the fall term. Staff accompanist for the School of Music at Acadia University, Mary also has an active freelance schedule, working with local soloists, Scotia Festival, Halifax Summer Opera Festival and the Nova Scotia Choral Federation.  She holds an MMus in Collaborative Piano Performance from McGill University and an Associate Diploma in Piano Pedagogy from Conservatory Canada.

On March 7, 2020 at 7:30 p.m., the choir performs This We Know at Wolfville Baptist Church with the Manning Chapel Choir and the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir.  Advance tickets are available form www.avhc.ca.

The April 25 DCCA concert (Veritas) grapples with the complex world of shadow and light, the seen and unseen, and the manipulation of what is “real.” Artistic Director Heather Fraser commented: “We’re excited to bring our Veritas program to Dartmouth Community Concert audiences. A timely commentary on our society, the texts and music explore deception and doubt, and celebrates the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth.   A cornerstone of the program is Paul Halley’s Untraveled Worlds with Tennyson’s hopeful and invigorating text at this concert.”

Veritas will be repeated on June 7 with three additional commissioned works to be created by Canadian women composers.  The choir is planning to workshop these new pieces with other female singers and work with local composers in attached workshops.

Tickets are available for the Aeolians’ concerts from choir members and at the door.  You can also purchase them online from the choir’s website – www.aeoliansingers.ca.  All tickets are $20 regular and $10 for students.

Heather Fraser, who was appointed as Artistic Director commencing in 2017-18 is a native Nova Scotian who is immersed in the contemporary choral music world.  During the 2016-17 season she undertook a self-directed intensive study period with top choral conductors in the US and Canada. She is also currently Artistic Director of the award-winning Annapolis Valley Honour Choirs, and a choral specialist and accompanist with the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.

Now in their 44th season, the Aeolian Singers (www.aeoliansingers.ca) began in 1976 under founding director Claire Wall as a program of Dartmouth Continuing Education.  Since then, Jacqueline Chambers and Janet Gaskin also conducted them.  Champions of music for women, over the years they’ve commissioned many new works by a range of Canadian composers, including music by singer/songwriters Susan Crowe, Connie Kaldor and the late Raylene Rankin. They’ve shared the stage with a who’s who of musicians in their innovative and moving programs, and made three recordings, including the Canadian premiere of breast cancer oratorio, Where I Live, which they subsequently recorded, and performed with Symphony Nova Scotia and throughout Atlantic Canada, the U.K. and Europe.  Stay up to date on social media through Twitter and Facebook, or visit the choir’s website, www.aeoliansingers.ca to purchase tickets.