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13th  Annual Music Monday will be led by National Showcase Concert at National Arts Centre, Ottawa!

For Immediate Release, April 6, 2017 (Toronto, Canada) – On Monday, May 1st, thousands of students, musicians, parents and community members across the country will sing together creating the world’s largest single event dedicated to raising awareness for music education.  A testament to the unifying power of music, from coast to coast to coast the nation comes together each year with the simultaneous singing of the Music Monday anthem.   The 13th annual Music Monday celebration introduces Sing It Together, a new anthem co-written by multiple award-winning songwriters Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas. Sing It Together invites all Canadians to join in singing for joy, for truth, for healing, for life and for freedom.
In honour of Canada’s sesquicentennial, this year’s annual National Showcase Concert takes place in Ottawa.  The concert, which is free to the public, will be held at the National Arts Centre and live-streamed through the Music Monday website on May 1 from 12 to 1 p.m.
“Music is the heartbeat of Canada, a vibrant part of the fabric of our country’s heritage,” says Holly Nimmons, Executive Director of the Coalition for Music Education in Canada.  “For many Canadians, particularly the thousands of students and teachers who participate each year, Music Monday celebrates that legacy. So with this in mind, we were inspired by Canada’s 150th Anniversary to create a special program, imagery and an anthem that spotlights the diverse facets of how Canadians enjoy music in their lives.”
The only nationwide celebration of music that actively engages children and youth in their schools and communities, Music Monday will be observed in many ways across the country –  in school classrooms, special school assemblies, group concerts of area schools, concerts of community bands and choirs with special events being planned in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Brandon, Scarborough, Montreal, St. John’s, and with a day-long event in Charlottetown, the birthplace of confederation.
Hosted by opera superstar Measha Brueggergosman and Seamus O’Regan, MP, the National Showcase Concert in Ottawa includes performances of “Song of Life” by Métis songwriter Susan Scofield, a mass children’s choir, the Métis Fiddle Quartet, singer-songwriter Mimi O’Bonsawin, a harp and operatic soprano duo, youth jazz and strings ensembles, and the Ottawa Junior Youth Orchestra. Songwriter Marc Jordan, musicians from the official Music Monday video and a mass children’s choir will lead the nationwide sing-along of Sing It Together.
The National Showcase Concert will also premiere a unique Indigenous Drumming Video by Cole Forrest, a North Bay ON hip-hop artist. The video features a compilation of young indigenous drummers from across Canada with spoken word.  Cole is the recipient of the 2016 James Bartelman Aboriginal Creating Writing Award and an ambassador for Youth4Music, a network of youth leaders who believe that music transforms lives and who want to make a difference for Canada through music.
The new Music Monday anthem Sing It Together was commissioned by the Coalition for Music Education. The recording and official music video feature Inuit throat singing, Métis fiddling, indigenous drumming, and children’s choirs in celebration of Canadian musical heritages. To view the four-minute video, go to www.musicmonday.ca.
Prospective participants can access translations and arrangements of Sing It Together at www.musicmonday.ca, as well as access a recording and official music video featuring Inuit throat singing, Métis fiddling, indigenous drumming, and children’s choirs in celebration of Canadian musical heritages. Sing It Together is available in various languages, including French, Gaelic, Ojibwa, Michiff, Sign Language, Spanish, Tagalog and more. Various choral and instrumental arrangements include Strings, Recorder, Ukulele, Jazz Ensemble, Guitar, and more.
Music Monday is made possible with the generous support of the Government of Canada, TD Bank Group, and the NAMM Foundation as well as Titanium level support from Yamaha Canada Music Inc., Long and McQuade and all of our partner organizations.  For a full list of sponsors please visit http://www.musicmonday.ca/sponsors/

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ABOUT MUSIC MONDAY
Music Monday is a signature program of the Coalition for Music Education.  It is Canada’s nationwide celebration of the power of music in our lives, especially our schools.  Music Monday is the only national celebration of music education that actively engages children and youth in their schools and communities. The first Monday in May (this year, May 1, 2017) music makers of all generations and genres gather in their schools and communities to make music, and at the same time during the day we join with one voice, by singing the official Music Monday anthem or a simultaneous nation-wide sing-along.
ABOUT YOUTH4MUSIC
Youth4Music is a network of youth who are passionate about music in their lives – learning, appreciating, creating and making music. Youth4Music provides a platform for youth voices, and leadership opportunities for youth to make a difference for music in their schools and communities.  The program is “for youth – by youth – through music.”  More info:  www.youth4music.ca
ABOUT THE COALITION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
Music Monday is an annual initiative of The Coalition for Music Education, an organization made up of parents, students, educators, and business people from varying walks of life who support school music programs and highlight the importance of music education for all young people in Canada. More info: www.musicmakesus.ca
ABOUT CANADIAN HERITAGE FUNDING
The Government of Canada is providing funding of $80,000 to The Coalition for Music Education for Youth4Music through the Youth Take Charge program (Canada.ca/youth-take-charge) of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This project allows more than 300,000 young people aged 7 to 30 from across Canada to take part in music-related events in 2017–2018. By supporting youth engagement through music, the Government of Canada provides opportunities for young Canadians to become involved in a range of activities designed to strengthen their attachment to Canada through active commitment in their communities.

Spend a magical week with us making music under the majestic hemlocks of Berwick Camp.  Bursaries are available for all three camps.  We now also have family accommodation rates for Adult Choir Camp contact the office to find out more.  Get more information or register here https://nscf.ca/programs/sing-summer-choir-camps/

For Choirs and Singers in grades 7-12

Registration for individual singers extended until April 21!

It’s that time of year again! Please pass the hat and Toss-a-Tunee at your choir(s) rehearsal(s) or concerts in February and help support these amazing opportunities for our young singers! If all our member choirs took up the challenge you could really make a difference!

The 150 forward fund provides opportunities for Nova Scotians to create, promote and participate in local and regional events and programs that will build a sense of pride in Nova Scotia during the celebration of Canada’s 150 anniversary of confederation.

Applicants will be accepted July 1 – October 31, 2016 and a second application period will be December 1 – February 15, 2017.

For more information, please visit the link HERE or contact Angela Dennison (902) 424-3876 Angela.Dennison@novascotia.ca

Guest Conductor – Rachel Rensink-Hoff
Resident Conductors – Christina Murray and Ross Thompson
Accompanist – Cynthia Davies

Registration for Auditions for the 2017 Nova Scotia Youth Choir is now open.
Auditions will be held in Wolfville on March 31, New Glasgow and Halifax April 1, 2017

Please visit Here for more information

with additional support from / avec soutien supplémentaire du

A treasured Canadian choral tradition, the National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs inspires choirs to strive for excellence, provides visibility for amateur choirs of all ages, and encourages the creation and performance of Canadian works. The Competition is open to all Canadian amateur choirs and attracts diverse participants from coast to coast. The finalists and winners are selected by a national jury of esteemed Canadian choral conductors. The prestigious Canada Council for the Arts Healey Willan Grand Prize is awarded to the finest overall performance in musicianship, technique, and program. Each choir that enters the Competition must perform an original Canadian piece and prizes are given for the Best Performance of a Canadian Work and the Best Performance of a Canadian Contemporary Work. Cash prizes are awarded for the top performances in each category. The national jury may also award special accolades to outstanding choirs.

2017 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: March 15, 2017

CATEGORIES:

Category 1: Children’s Choirs

Unchanged voices, singers not older than 16 years*, may be community-based or school-based

Category 2: Upper-Voice Youth Choirs

Equal-voice S/A choirs, singers not older than 23 years*, may be community-based or school-based; must not qualify for category 5

Category 3: Lower-Voice Youth Choirs

Equal-voice T/B choirs, singers not older than 23 years*, may be community-based or school-based; must not qualify for category 5

Category 4: Mixed-Voice Youth Choirs

Mixed-voice youth choirs, singers not older than 23 years*, may be community-based or school-based; must not qualify for category 5

Category 5: Collegiate Choirs

University or college choirs of mixed or equal-voice adults with a minimum of 17 singers; must not qualify for category 4

Category 6: Mixed-Voice Adult Choirs

Adult mixed-voice choirs with a minimum of 29 singers; must not qualify for category 5

Category 7: Mixed-Voice Adult Chamber Choirs

Adult mixed-voice choirs with a minimum of 17 and a maximum of 28 singers; must not qualify for category 5.

Category 8: Equal-Voice Men’s Choirs

Adult equal-voice men’s choirs with a minimum of 17 singers

Category 9: Equal-Voice Women’s Choirs

Adult, equal-voice women’s choirs with a minimum of 17 singers

Category 10: Pan-cultural / Traditional Folk Music (formerly known as Pan-cultural Traditions)

Open to all choirs who perform music within a specific cultural tradition (world music, ethnic, First Nation, national folk music — does not include vocal jazz and barbershop). No limit in size

Category 11: Contemporary Music

Open to all choirs that comply with Category 11 repertoire requirements (see below). Choirs entering this category may not repeat repertoire submitted in previous categories

*Age limits are effective as of the Competition Entry Deadline on March 15, 2017.

Repertoire Requirements:

1. For all categories:

• All selections must be unaccompanied (un-pitched percussion instruments are acceptable). Failure to observe this rule will result in disqualification

• Translations in English or French should be provided for any selection performed in a language other than English or French.

• Recorded material must be no more than 12 months old at the time of submission. Date of recordings is required on the entry form.

2. For Categories 1 to 9:

• Each recording must include FOUR (4) separate and contrasting works whose total time must not exceed 18 minutes.

• The repertoire in these categories should cover as wide a range of period, style and mood as possible, while reflecting the special qualities of the category entered.

• The FOUR (4) individual works must include ONE (1) original work by a Canadian composer (in any language). Arrangements of pre-existing tunes or melodies are considered derivative works, not original.

• The FOUR (4) individual works must include at least ONE (1) selection in French and ONE (1) selection in English. (The original Canadian work may also fulfill this requirement.)

For Category 10:

• Each recording must include FOUR (4) selections whose total time must not exceed 18 minutes.

• The repertoire in this category must reflect the specific cultural tradition of the choir.

• The selections may be sung in any language(s) and should be as contrasting in mood as is possible within the cultural tradition.

• Inclusion of a Canadian work as one of the FOUR (4) individual selections is not mandatory. However, Category 10 Entrants who do include at least ONE (1) original work by a Canadian composer (in any language) will be considered for the Prize for Best Performance of a Canadian Work and the SOCAN Foundation Canada 150 Award for Best Performance of a Canadian Contemporary Work (it is a contemporary work). Arrangements of pre-exiting tunes or melodies are considered derivative works, not original.

For Category 11:

• Each recording must include TWO (2) contemporary works, one of which must be an original work by a Canadian composer, and one of which must have been written in the last ten years. Arrangements of pre-exiting tunes or melodies are considered derivative works, not original.

• The TWO (2) selections must not exceed a total time of 18 minutes.

• The selections should be contrasting works in a contemporary musical idiom, reflecting 21st-century compositional techniques. The year of composition for each selection must be indicated on the entry form.

• Choirs who enter only category 11 are not eligible for the Healey Willan Grand Award, due to the difficulty of judging a choir’s overall performance in musicianship, technique, and program with the submission of only two pieces. They do, however, remain eligible for both the Prize for Best Performance of a Canadian Work and the SOCAN Foundation Canada 150 Award for Best Performance of a Canadian Contemporary Work.

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Rules and Regulations 2017 – CLICK HERE

Online or Mail Application Form 2017 – COMING SOON

CBC Artist Page “How-To” – COMING SOON

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: March 15, 2017

For information or questions, please contact info@choralcanada.org

2015 Competition

2013 Competition

2011 Competition

2010 Competition