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!
Sue Kember, director of Atlantic Barbershop Champions The ScotianAires Chorus, has been certified as a Singing Category Judge with international barbershop organization Harmony, Inc. at its Category Training School held in January 2017 at Greenfield NH.
Harmony, Inc. trains candidates for certification in four categories: Singing, Music, Performance, and Chairman of Judges. In the Atlantic Provinces, which comprise Area 1 in Harmony, Inc., there are currently two Performance Candidates (ScotianAires members Jill Reid and Fatima Whelan) and one Performance Judge (Theresa Weatherbee). Sue’s certification now gives the Atlantic Provinces its first Harmony, Inc. certified Singing Judge in six years.
Sue entered the Harmony, Inc. judging program as an applicant in the singing category in January of 2015. The fact that Sue was able to certify after only two years in the program is a testament to her extensive musical education and talents, coupled with decades of experience teaching, directing, and singing barbershop music.
Sue first joined the ScotianAires in 1994 and sang in a variety of quartets including Sudden Impulse and former Atlantic Champions Cadenza and Exit Four. After serving for many years as Assistant Director in the chorus, Sue took over as Director of the ScotianAires in 2006, leading the chorus to a total of six Atlantic championships.
Retired Harmony, Inc. Singing Judge and past ScotianAires director Shelagh Radcliffe recognized Sue’s potential and encouraged the talented young singer. “Sue was like a sponge from the day she walked in the door at rehearsal for the first time. She attended every possible barbershop class that she could and was constantly peppering me with questions, especially when I had been away to a school of some sort,” Shelagh recalls. “It was that enthusiasm and desire to grow and flourish that made my decision to ask her to be my Assistant Director and then to turn the chorus over to her, the right one. I knew that as she grew and flourished, so would the chorus. Her certification is just one more step in Sue’s progression through barbershop and indeed, through her life. She’s not done yet, I’m certain!”
The ScotianAires honoured Sue and her certification at a recent ceremony to which Shelagh was invited as a special guest. There she presented Sue with a treasured music pin to mark this high point in Sue’s barbershop journey. ScotianAires’ president Linda McMaster remarked, “It is so wonderful that others can see her amazing gifts the same as we do, and now all of Harmony will have the opportunity to benefit from her sharing. Well done, Sue!”
Congratulations to ScotianAires director Sue Kember on this significant achievement in the world of barbershop music!
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
Chor Leoni Men’s Choir and Artistic Director Erick Lichte are pleased to announce the three finalists of the inaugural Canadian Choral Composition Competition (C/4). They are Frances Farrell, Nicholas Kelly, and Bonnie Penfound. An independent jury of choral director Morna Edmundson, VSO composer-in-residence Jocelyn Morlock, and businessman and composer James Carter will award financial prizes of $2000, $1000, and $500 as the finale of the C/4 show.
The competition attracted over 30 entries. “We are extraordinarily proud that this inaugural year of the C/4 competition has yielded so many incredible Canadian male choral compositions,” Erick Lichte enthused. “Seeing the talent and craft of so many composers from across Canada has been inspiring and we are especially happy to present the works of our three finalists this February. We hope this annual competition continues to discover and champion unique Canadian voices in years to come.”
Choral Canada is pleased to announce the addition of two staff members to their team, Hilary Knox as General Manager, and Dianna Alteen as the Programs and Office Assistant.
Hilary Knox
Hilary Knox comes to Choral Canada directly from her role as General Manager of the Health Arts Society of Ontario, working with Artistic Director Jeanne Lamon. She left her previous career as a classical singer, based in London, UK, to move back to Canada to raise her family, at which point she took on the management firm of Gossage Artists Management for several years. Hilary holds a Master of Music (Perf) at Mannes College the New School for Music (NYC) and a Bachelor of Music (Perf) at the University of Toronto. Hilary also completed the Arts Administration and Cultural Management post-graduate program at Humber College in Toronto. Hilary grew up singing in choirs in her native Ottawa ON, including several years in the Ontario Youth Choir, and many choirs in Toronto.
Dianna Alteen
A native of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Dianna Alteen recently completed her Bachelor of Music in flute from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is continuing her studies at Humber College, where she is enrolled in the Arts Administration and Cultural Management post graduate program. During her time at MUN, Dianna assisted with the planning and management of numerous events and festivals at the School of Music, including the Honour Band, StringFest, and Newfound Music Festival. She is a former member of the MUN Chamber and Festival choirs, as well as an original member of the MUNkapeli singers. Dianna is also currently the festival manager for Gros Morne Summer Music, an arts organization based on the west coast of Newfoundland.
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
A project of / Un projet Choral Canada Choral in collaboration with / en collaboration avec
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.
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:
2. For Categories 1 to 9:
For Category 10:
For Category 11:
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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
This is a community event open to church choirs, as a group or individual members. A sacred choral reading session and workshop with Mark Sirett, it will feature music form the NSCF library and a package of music from Long and McQuade. Please register in advance by contacting malcolm.bradley@ns.sympatico.ca
URGENT REQUEST!!! FINAL WEEK FOR THE CHORAL CENSUS! Would AMAZING if everyone here who has a choir of any kind at all (school/choir/community) could take a few minutes to answer this survey! Choral Canada is really trying to get a picture of choir activity across the country, and this is our ONLY shot at it! The more data the better and the more of you that fill this out, the better represented NS will be! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! fill out the Survey by January 31. We are especially looking for all school based choirs. Thank you!!! http://www.choirsurvey.ca/
Choral Canada has partnered with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and your provincial Choral Federation to present a special edition of the National Youth Choir of Canada in July 2017.
We are currently accepting applications for participants for the 2017 National Youth Choir.
NSCF will support a quartet of singers to attend the 2017 Special Edition of the National Youth Choir. We have a new process this year and all auditions shall be done electronically. Deadline to apply is February 10! For application process and more information visit Here
2017 Conductor- Timothy Shantz