Sessions

Looking at Leadership: A View from the Podium

Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt

Among the many roles of the conductor is that of leader, both musical and personal. Not only must conductors know their musical scores, but also they must be able to transmit that knowledge to an ensemble that often comprised a variety of ability and experience levels. Although some conductors seem to be "born leaders", not everyone who aspires to a conducting career may have the overt characteristics that one expects of a "leader". Can those characteristics be acquired? Is leadership teachable? These questions are at the heart of this presentation, along with several others of equal importance:

• What are the components of leadership?
• How are these brought to life on the podium?
• What effective leadership models exist?
• Does gender play a role in leadership among conductors?

In mentoring young conductors, our profession often focuses almost exclusively on musical development, rightly insisting that young conductors acquire analysis skills, aural skills, vocal and keyboard skills, and the ability to show ideas through effective gestures. At the same time, we owe them the opportunity to hone their leadership skills so they can be thoroughly effective leaders of ensembles, in every respect.

Tracing the history of leadership and applying concepts of various models to the field of conducting, this presentation will provide both theoretical and practical applications for conductors seeking to strengthen their leadership skills or to teach others how to do the same.

The Show Choir Phenomenon!

Paul Aikens and Louise Johnson-Kennedy

Show Choir is a collaborative, creative outlet for expression through music, drama and dance. Join Paul Aikens and Louise Johnson-Kennedy, director and choreographer of the award winning SPLASH Show Choir, (Runner-Up in the inaugural Show Choir Canada Competition, and Runner-UP at the Windy City Music Festival in Chicago, 2011) as they “show” us how it’s done! This dynamic workshop will include:

• resources for show choir music and repertoire selection
• choreography and how to include risers
• how to attract male singers/dancers
• music combos/orchestral tracks
• themes, costumes & video samples of outstanding Show Choirs, including 'Splash' from the Etobicoke School of the Arts
• fundraising ideas
• how to assemble a great team of directors

Choral Sound Concept; Vision, Visualization and Vowels

Elise Bradley

Being a choral conductor is extraordinarily difficult, but ultimately rewarding. The instrument that you craft is infinitely complex and it stands before you, evolving. With open ears and heart, you must also observe, as objectively as possible, the mechanics of that evolution.

A conductor must have the qualities of a leader, teacher, musician, director, singer, communicator, organizer, and visionary and, beyond that must possess a passion for both the craft and the art. A conductor must also have the energy, patience and stamina to enjoy the demands of this art.

To become an exceptional conductor, I believe you must begin with a vision. A choir is a macrocosm, which you must envision as a whole. That whole is not always evident, or even hinted at, in the initial relationship of conductor to choir. Paradoxically, the choral art is made up of fine details and that is, often, where the vision can be found. Attention to detail will help you to realize the vision you have for your choir.

This session will address vocal techniques and vowel sculpting for vocal quality and tuning as part of the choral sound you wish to create. Elise Bradley and the Toronto Children's Chorus will take you on a sound concept journey by demonstrating the sounds and colours for specific genres and the detail required to achieve the choir's potential.

Vocal Technique for Choral Conductors and Singers

Dr. Julia Davids

Having trouble reconciling your ‘ideal choral sound’ and the actual sound your choir is making? Not sure how to ask your singers for what you want?  As a singer, do you wish you had more ability to achieve what your conductor is asking for? Is singing without vibrato healthy - or even possible? Applying vocal technique in the choral rehearsal will help a good choir become a great one and equally as important, will allow individual singers to develop and maintain healthy singing habits for life.

So often we get stuck in a rut of the same old warm up exercises and the deadlines of learning concert repertoire. Based on the newly published book ‘Vocal Technique: A Guide for Conductors, Teachers, and Singers’ (Waveland Press) by Julia Davids and Stephen LaTour, this session will show how a knowledge of vocal science and pedagogy can be applied with singers of all ages in every rehearsal.  Innovative solutions for choral challenges such as tuning, blend, vowel formation and resonance, range improvement, and the development of a comprehensive warm up, will be offered through a participatory session. Bring your questions about communicating with singers from the podium and come ready to sing!
 

Building a Better Board

Eric Friesen

Developing an effective board for non-profit organizations is critical for success.  Eric Friesen will guide us through the basic principles of board development and leadership:

• Defining good governance: the role and function of a board and its directors, as distinct from that of management.
• Managing an entrepreneurial, charismatic artistic director. 
• Recruiting new board members: what to look for, how to ask, where to find, seeking a balance of expertise and experience.
• The optimum board size of a board.
• Traps that good boards avoid.
• And much more!

In elaborating on these Mr. Friesen will draw on his activities and experience serving as a board member with several arts groups, from small, emerging organizations to large, national organizations.

The Language of Gesture: the Moments Before the Music Starts

Karen Grylls

This practicum session will give conductors the opportunity to explore the elements of gesture in the moments before the music starts. It will give participants the opportunity to prepare Eleanor Daley's "Child with the Starry Crayon" and David Hamilton's "Willow Song" and experience the musical process from the inside out.

This process begins with an understanding of the text, which includes decisions about pronunciation, meaning and punctuation, choice of vowel colour, and how the phrasing creates the musical architecture. With a clear understanding of what is required, these musical ideas and imagination need to be transferred into the conductor's gesture.

How the musical style and character is created through the conductor's gesture begins with how we come to the podium, the quality of our tonus, our body alignment and how we present the emotional intention the music requires. It is both the quality of the sound in the hands and the message behind them which informs our performance. All of this defines the quality of the upbeat which shows not only the tempo and moment of starting, but also the articulation, the dynamic and the all-important musical message.

In extracts from each of these works, by composers from Canada and New Zealand, we will examine the components of the musical textures, how the harmonies and musical line interact and specifically, how this is represented in our gesture. This will be evident in the quality of the breath we take, in the emotional intent and in our understanding of the flow of the music. What vision do you have for your choir in terms of tone, colour, quality and character and how can you change any of these aspects to achieve your goals and vision?

Technology for Choirs

Dave Hale

Many non-profit organizations and community groups see tremendous opportunity to leverage digital channels, social media, and mobile devices to reach their audiences but factors like time, money, and resources often hinder them from capitalizing. In his session, "Social Business", Dave Hale will explore how small and medium sized organization's can and should be using social media and digital marketing techniques to create measurable business results. Dave will leave the audience with key takeaways that can be implemented as soon as you get home and managed in under 15 minutes per day!"

The Practical Application of Finnish Lyric Diction

Tellervo Kähärä and Dr. Dean Jobin-Bevans

Are you interested in new, stimulating repertoire for your choir?  During this session you will have an opportunity to try out songs by well-known Finnish composers, in the Finnish language, songs which have become a favorite with both singers and audiences.

Finland is world-renowned for her strong choral tradition and for a wealth of choral repertoire, suitable for all choirs at all levels.  The Finnish language is phonetic, vowel-dominated and very singable. You will become familiar with the Finnish phonetic system, as it relates to lyric diction, and also participate in its practical application during a
guided ensemble reading of Finnish choral repertoire. 
 

Estonian Choral Music

Triin Koch

Estonian choral music enthralls singers and audiences alike around the world. Join acclaimed conductor Triin Kock, director of visiting choir Tartu Ülikooli Akadeemiline Naiskoor , as she takes us on a journey through Estonia’s rich choral heritage. Ms. Koch will introduce us to the work of some of Estonia’s finest composers through an exciting selection of choral music for participant singing. The presentation will include an exploration of musical qualities particular to the Estonian choral tradition and a demonstration of Estonian pronunciation. Participants will receive a useful handout listing Finnish choral composers and details of where to obtain Estonian choral music.

What Makes Vocal Jazz Sound Jazzy?

Elise Letourneau

Interested in exploring vocal jazz, but aren’t sure where to start? This participatory workshop session is designed to introduce vocalists to the technical elements of singing vocal jazz, while emphasizing the importance of preserving clean vocal technique. With various singing examples to try that incorporate the techniques being discussed, the session will explore the following areas:

• swing feel - there’s more to it than just triplets!

• what jazz styles swing, and which ones don’t

• time and accent - going beyond beats 2 and 4

• rhythm and anticipation - what the instrumentalists know

• idiomatically appropriate adjustments to mouth and palate position

• idiomatically appropriate adjustments to enunciation or ‘diction’

• phrasing, colouring, and mood

• some melodic and harmonic considerations

• lingo and general vocal jazz terminology

• next steps for those who’d like to continue exploring

Session participants should expect to sing a lot in this workshop, trying out new things in a supportive group atmosphere.

Conducting Mature Voices

Chantal Masson-Bourque

If we consider the average age of the choristers in many choirs, we can say that older adults, those who have been around for a while, seem to enjoy singing just as much, if not more, than young people. And why should they deprive themselves of the pleasure? Choral singing is a gentle exercise which channels emotions towards a flux of physical and spiritual well-being which they would be wrong to deny themselves!

What should we know and do to guide mature voices with clarity of thought and purpose towards their maximum efficiency, even if we are a young and energetic conductor?

What are the signs of an aging voice? It is important to recognize them so as not to deny them, to reassure choristers who may fear rejection and to take them into account when preparing  vocal work in order to delay or minimize the inconveniences.

What are the physical aspects which affect voice production and the work of the aging chorister in his or her section. Which exercises help to keep the diaphragm in shape and which ward off mucous?

How does the psychology of the chorister evolve as he/she ages and has trouble accepting the limitations that may be brought on by age? How do we make the aging chorister feel at ease and appreciate the maturity he or she contributes?

For the conductor, which strategies should be adopted when it comes to choice of repertoire, the preparation of scores, chorister placement, choice of vocabulary and rehearsal discipline? How can we integrate the characteristics of more mature voices into our hearing and in our concept of our choir’s sound? How can we adapt our vocal examples to guide choristers towards the desired result? How can we accommodate a different rate of learning and resistance to fatigue without making it tiresome for younger choristers?

Taking your show on the road! Successful Strategies for Successful Choir Tours

W. Edward McCall

How do you react when your best alto asks if the choir is going to Europe next year? Do you have an overwhelming feeling of unbridled joy, or do you begin to tremble in fear? Taking your choir on the road does not have to be the nightmare of your life. In fact, with proper care and superb organization, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences for you and every member of your ensemble.

Many choir directors across North America are faced with the prospect of organizing annual, bi-annual or first-ever performance tours. Whether you are a veteran director or someone fresh from a university music programme, the perils and pitfalls of organizing a trip for choirs can be daunting. Dozens of tour companies offer great services and can be tremendously helpful, but ultimately, the responsibility of the tour rests with the directors and their team.

This session will provide proven strategies, suggestions and helpful hints for preparing, organizing and executing a successful concert tour. Topics will range from the early stages of preparation, choosing a destination, selecting a tour company, proper pre-tour organization, staffing, on-the-road strategies, itinerary development, financial implications, fundraising, and more. This multi-media presentation will feature examples of these strategies and participants will receive materials for future use.

Keynote Speech

Dr. Don McLean

Feldenkrais for Singers

Maria Meindl

The Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education is designed help you move with grace, ease and power. There are two ways you can learn Feldenkrais: Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration®. Many people feel that they learn best by combining both aspects of the method.

Awareness Through Movement lessons are done in a group, with an instructor talking you through a series of pleasant and simple movements. Actors, athletes, singers and musicians turn to Feldenkrais to avoid injury or give themselves an extra edge. For those starting an exercise program or recovering from injury these classes are a safe and enjoyable way to get back into action.

Functional Integration is a hands-on way of learning Feldenkrais. It is geared to your individual needs. You lie wearing loose clothing on a specially designed table, while the teacher guides your movements in a non-invasive way. You can use Functional Integration to attend to an injury or specific issue, or just to enhance your learning.

The Feldenkrais Method is taught by thousands of practitioners, world-wide. Its inventor, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) was trained as a physicist and engineer. He drew on his knowledge of martial arts and child development to create this remarkable method of somatic education.

Feldenkrais can help you: Manage stress, make choices about how you move, recover from injury, avoid re-injury, improve your performance ,use your energy and strength effectively.

Expressive Choral Singing: from Treatise to Performance

Dr. Gerald Neufeld

Treatises from the 16th through the 19th centuries on the art of singing give many instructions on how to "move the passions of the listener." Although usually addressed to solo singers, many of these instructions can be applied equally well in a choral context.

This session will focus on elements of rhetoric that influence expressive singing through the use of phrasing, articulation, dynamics, colour, tone, and modulation of the voice. Parallel techniques used by actors when declaiming a text are the model for the way singers should prepare a musical phrase or "gesture" that is both expressive and communicative of the intrinsic meaning of the text being sung.

Participants in the session will have an opportunity to hear and sing examples from early Italian madrigals to Baroque repertoire to contemporary music in applying the instructions of writers on expressive singing.

Whether working with a small vocal ensemble or a large chamber choir, subtleties of text declamation, vocal colour and intonation are integral to a meaningful and expressive performance. The intent of this session is to explore a declamatory approach to preparing and rehearsing a choral score in order to enhance the expressive quality of a performance.

When combined with tuning (that considers just intonation as the ideal) and a full, pure tone quality, declamatory techniques can create a more expressive interpretation of a choral score based on the instructions of singing teachers and theorists of past centuries.

Re-Arranging the Choral Score

Dr. Larry Nickel

Are you struggling with repertoire that isn’t a good fit for your choir? Do you have SATB music and an SAB choir? Join Dr. Larry Nickel and learn how to re-voice and adapt choral scores to meet the strengths and limitations of your choir.

This hands-on session is about practical innovation. Whether re-voicing homophonic music such as hymns, or polyphonic music such as a five-part Palestrina motet, one needs to make decisions while being faithful to the original.  We will look at various vocal configurations of the timeless hymn, Fairest Lord Jesus, and then - writing together - reset a part of Mozart's classic Ave Verum Corpus for SAB and SSA choirs.

No need to be a composer for this workshop, Dr. Nickel will share his best tips and techniques. Music-manuscript paper will be provided so we can work together. Participants will also receive free samples from the recent Cypress Choral Music catalogue including this year's ACCC winner,  Peace Prayer - by Elise Letourneau.
This workshop promises to be fun, interactive, relevant and really practical!

Francophone Choral Music from Josquin to Jacques Brel

Francois Ouimet

French Repertoire Reading Session for SATB

A survey of the choral repertoire of the Francophony, from Josquin to Jacques Brel. We will explore music from Africa to Quebec, passing through Haiti and France, in a journey through excerpts of choral repertoire. Participants will broaden their knowledge of available choral music in the French language and deepen their sense of the beauty and difficulties of the French language. Participants will walk away with a collection of excerpts and editor references. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Encountering World Music; An exploration of the rewards and challenges in performing traditional, folk or roots music

Donald Patriquin

This interactive workshop session explores solutions to common challenges of performing world music such as;
•    Working in unfamiliar languages
•    Approaching authenticity
•    Making performances more ‘authentic’ (soloists, tempi, vocal production, improvisation, stage positioning, dress, etc.)
•    Maximizing cultural awareness when performing world music
•    Adding instruments to existing folk music or folk music arrangements
•    Relating traditional western instruments, such as a piano, to world music
•    World music and copyright
•    The special rewards of commissioning world music

Participants will read through selected pieces, receive several recent world music scores from Canadian and American publishers and be introduced to available world music resources.

 

A Child's Voice - A full body Instrument!

Zimfira Poloz

Zimfira Poloz, world renown children's choir conductor and Artistic Director of the award-winning Hamilton Children's Choir, believes "If you can speak - you can sing, if you can move - you can dance" (Chinese Proverb).

With members of Hamilton Children's Choirs and in an interactive manner, Ms. Poloz will demonstrate her philosophy and approach to children's choral conducting but sharing a choral method/system that originated from the Soviet Union, the Phonopedic method for voice development. This method uses muscle coordination, voice training along with Ogorodnov's System and Struve exercises.

Not only will this workshop choral techniques and approaches based on Russian education and training but will also provide insights about effective children's choral techniques based from Ms. Poloz's international experiences in working and observing other children's choirs.

If you are seeking new ideas and practices on how to enhance the sound of your choir or improve your choir's overall performance, then come join us!

Vocal Warm-Up Techniques

Lucie Roy

This session is designed to provide choir directors with tools that will allow them to properly plan the vocal warm-up of their ensemble before rehearsal or before a concert.

Presentation of various exercises as they relate to specific vocal or musical challenges in a work.

Why use rehearsal time to do a vocal warm-up?

How long should the warm-up be?

How to best prepare singers for difficult passages in a work?

What approach is best suited for the members of your choir to be physically and mentally prepared to sing?

8:30 is the ideal time to put new techniques into practice :)

Conducting Masterclass

Ivars Taurins – Master Conductor

Applications are being accepted for the Podium 2012 Conducting Masterclass with internationally renowned conductor Maestro Ivars Taurins. Successful candidates will receive a twenty-five minute session with Maestro Taurins and the Masterclass choir. Applicants must have completed their undergraduate music degree or equivalent and have received conductor training as part of their education. Up to three conductors will be selected. Each conductor will receive music selections in advance and will be responsible for learning the music before arriving to the masterclass. To be eligible, applicants must be registered as delegates for Podium 2012 – Choral Célébration Chorale.

Visit the Podium 2012 Conductor's Masterclass webpage for application details.

Grant Writing 101

Mark Douglas Trask

The success of every arts organization hinges on the ability to maximize revenue from every potential revenue stream.  Often, grants from private foundations and public funding agencies are overlooked and misunderstood, and as a result, revenue opportunities are missed.  During this session, Mark Douglas Trask will outline the important factors to consider when writing grant applications.  Key takeaways will include:

• Building and executing a multi-year strategy within your organization for grant applications;
• Networking your way to a successfully approved grant; and,
• Five Critical Components of a successful grant application.

Strategic Marketing for Choirs

Mark Douglas Trask

How often have you felt you are simply doing the same thing to promote every concert and not feeling very inspired by the end results?  Building a multi-year Strategic Marketing plan may be just the thing that your organization needs to build your audience in a sustainable manner.  During this session, Mark Douglas Trask will examine the marketing “Big Picture” and help you focus on the long term by looking at ways develop and easily implement a Strategic Marketing Plan.  Participants will learn about:

• Setting and achieving realistic multi-year marketing goals;
• Converting PR and Communications into sales;
• Pricing strategies that work to increase sales;
• Marketing strategies utilizing outside-the-box thinking; and,
• Maximizing sales through all available channels.

Hearing the Trees Through the Forest

Michael Zaugg

In his work with choirs and as a mentor for conductors (private and in masterclasses), Michael Zaugg challenges performers to listen in more detail, to follow the score more faithfully and, in the case of conductors, to instruct more efficiently. In this workshop, Mr. Zaugg will showcase various approaches of working with ensembles: how to tune chords and chord-progressions, how to balance the ensemble in simple and complex structures, how to demystify the score and how to listen for subtle details. He will demonstrate - and show variations of - these elements, that is, balance a chord in different ways, use a variety of musical articulations on the same phrase, or demonstrate the range of dynamic possibilities. With the help of voces borealis as a demonstration choir, Mr. Zaugg will work on 20th and 21st century Scandinavian and Baltic repertoire and give ideas on how to interpret contemporary idioms.

Mr. Zaugg's expertise has helped conductors and choristers alike to develop a broader and deeper understanding of what is possible as a leader and singer.

Michael Zuagg's workshop on Nordic music (With François Ouimet's Tactus Chamber Choir) raised our awareness of the vital role that subtle tuning and vowel placements can play in bringing to life the true resonance of the harmonies of this rich repertoire. (David Cronkite, musician, composer).

Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation $12,000 Award in Choral Conducting

The final selection round of the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation’s $12,000 Award in Choral Conducting will take place at Knox Church (120 Lisgar St.) May 19th, 2:30 – 5:00pm.  The winner will be announced later that evening at the PODIUM banquet. The event is also open to the general public: attendance is free.

The three finalists from the nationally advertised competition as selected by the jury are Elaine Choi (Toronto), Melanie J. Marlin (Toronto), and Joel Tranquilla (Fredericton, currently studying at Michigan State University).  Each finalist will rehearse the Elmer Iseler Singers for 30 - 40 minutes in front of the jury and live audience.

The Foundation is extremely pleased to partner with the Elmer Iseler Singers in this unique event, representing as it does two iconic figures in Canada’s music history.  Both MacMillan and Iseler recognized the importance of encouraging young Canadian musicians, and indeed Sir Ernest was an early mentor of Iseler.  This year’s MacMillan Foundation award with the EIS, a national competition committed to excellence, reflects these fundamental values and carries on a strong tradition of furthering the musical arts in Canada.  The MacMillan Foundation is very grateful for the opportunity to participate in PODIUM and for the logistical support provided by the Association of Canadian Choral Communities.

Click here for more information on the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Award in Choral Conducting.