News: Member Blog

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

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

Competing against 23 other choruses from across North America, the ScotianAires placed 12th, winning the Montreal City Voices Tait Trophy for the chorus which had improved the most over the previous year. The result was a testament to the dedication, commitment and hard work of all the chorus members, as well as Director Sue Kember, Assistant Directors Adele Merritt and Cathy Hunter and coaches Debra Lynn, Ray Johnson and Theresa Weatherbee. It was also a good year for the ScotianAires’ quartet, Tonic!, who placed 11th in a tough field of 36 quartets and earned the opportunity to perform as microphone testers in the quartet finals. Now that IC&C 2016 is over, the ScotianAires can begin preparing for next year’s event; but travel won’t be part of the equation. IC&C 2017 will take place right here in Halifax, allowing barbershop singers from far and wide to experience the hospitality for which Nova Scotians are famous.