Tuesday, March 29, 2016

An Interview with Chorale Saint-Jean Director, Laurier Fagnan

 
La Chorale Saint-Jean du Campus Saint-Jean de l’Université de l’Alberta est devenue l’une des chorales francophones les plus grandes et actives dans l’Ouest canadien depuis sa création en 1937. Ayant pour but de célébrer et de préserver l’héritage culturel et linguistique de la communauté francophone, les membres de la Chorale sont issus tout autant de la communauté estudiantine que de la communauté francophone établie depuis longtemps en Alberta. Dirigée par Laurier Fagnan, pédagogue très respecté, l’ensemble a gagné une réputation nationale pour son magnifique son, pour ses interprétations pleines de passion et de musicalité et pour son incroyable joie de vivre. Elle puise dans le répertoire d’œuvres classiques avec orchestre, du chant sacré a capella, des negro spirituals ou encore du folklore, et ce dans plusieurs langues. La chorale a aussi commandé plus de vingt-cinq pièces originales et a déjà quatre disques à son actif et des productions futures sont à l’agenda. 

La Chorale compte parmi ses récentes prestations, une tournée de dix jours au Québec en 2005, lors de laquelle les choristes ont pris plaisir à chanter devant près de 10 000 Québécois. Au printemps 2007, la Chorale a interprété « Elles s’appelaient Marie : grande suite pour chœur » composée spécialement pour elle par France Levasseur-Ouimet. Cette grande œuvre fut dotée d’une place spéciale aux célébrations du 400e anniversaire de la ville de Québec en 2008. Pour cette grande fête, les voix de la Chorale Saint-Jean se sont aussi jointes à celles de 1 400 choristes rassemblés pour marquer ce grand événement lors d’un concert gala au Colisée de Québec. Leur chef, Laurier Fagnan, a eu l’honneur d’être un des six chefs (le seul non-québécois) à diriger ce grand ensemble. Et afin de marquer et de célébrer ses racines dans la richesse culturelle et musicale du merveilleux pays de ses ancêtres, cet ensemble dynamique a fait une tournée de la France en juillet 2011, avec des prestations à Paris, Lyon et plusieurs autres villes. 

La Chorale a reçu au cours des dernières années le « Prix Eugène-Trottier » ainsi que le « Prix Impact » décernés par l’Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta. En 2008, l’Office national du film a produit un documentaire sur la Chorale intitulé Le chœur d’une culture afin de souligner le rôle important qu’elle joue dans le rayonnement de la communauté francophone canadienne hors Québec. En 2011 l’ensemble a reçu le « Prix de distinction » du Temple de la renommée de la ville d’Edmonton pour marquer sa contribution exceptionnelle à la vie culturelle et artistique de la capitale albertaine. En juillet 2012, la Chorale a été l’hôte des Choralies internationales Edmonton 2012, festival qui a attiré des centaines de choristes et chefs du monde francophone dans la capitale de l’Alberta. Pour la Chorale Saint-Jean, c’est sa vingtième saison sous la direction de Laurier Fagnan. 

An Interview with Chorale Saint-Jean Director, Laurier Fagnan.

What do you feel makes the Chorale Saint-Jean unique from other choirs? 

Chorale Saint-Jean is a unique mix of university students studying at the U of A’s Campus Saint-Jean and members of Edmonton’s francophone community. Although we sing in many languages, everything we do happens in French. They are an incredible community with 18-year-old choristers fresh out of High School intermingling their voices with much more mature singers with many years of singing and life experience. Many students stay in the choir as alumni for years after they’ve finished their studies, feeling that the combination of a sense of community/family and fine music making within a francophone environment is too precious to leave. We also commission a fair bit of new music and, I hope, contribute to the active ongoing development of our francophone artistic culture.

How did this collaborative performance with Les ensembles vocaux De La Salle come about? 

I’ve known their director, Robert Filion, for several years now. We’ve always talked of collaboration as we have many of the same outlooks on francophone culture and choral music. He invited me to guest conduct a festival in Ottawa this February that he had organized in which Ensemble de la Salle was singing. They are a very, very fine ensemble from a Fine Arts High School in Ottawa. We got along very well and both ensembles are looking forward to our shared concert at Podium and other activities we have planned.

What can audiences hope to see from Chorale Saint-Jean collaborating with Les ensembles vocaux De La Salle from Ottawa? 

They have enjoyed performing music that Chorale Saint-Jean has commissioned in the past, so we will do a couple of pieces written by one of my former choristers, France Levasseur-Ouimet (arranged by Allan Bevan). It will be a concert of mostly French music, so people will be able to hear quite a variety of both SSA and SATB choral music in French with which they may not be familiar, but I hope will instantly enjoy. As Ensemble Vocal de la Salle is a multiple winner of the Choral Canada Choral Competition, people can expect to hear some exquisite singing and artistry. Chorale Saint-Jean will be premiering Trois prières, a set of three newly commissioned sacred pieces by Québec composer Robert Ingari, which I think delegates and audience members will really enjoy.

What role do you see Podium having in the world of Canadian Choral music? 

Podium is such a joy and thrill to attend! I personally look forward to it every two years for a myriad of reasons. It is the only forum that attracts and unites conductors, choirs and educators from all over our vast country. Like seeing a truly close friend that you haven’t seen in some time, there is an immediate bond that is forged or rebuilt between colleagues who look so forward to the networking, performance opportunities, professional development and camaraderie that only Podium can provide. It allows us to be proud of and celebrate together the very rich choral heritage that exists from coast to coast in this vast country. It allows us to tell our stories in song, to teach and learn from each other in equal parts with no agenda or airs; to let the incredible power and inherent sense of community that choral music possesses wash over us all for a few days and make us better people, better citizens. Podium allows us to be better educated on so many levels. We learn of our culture(s), of our varied regional differences that make us distinct, yet part of a greater Canadian whole. We learn new music that challenges and feeds us. We learn new techniques that allow us to build on what we already have and expand in new ways – to boldly go where no choir has gone before! We also meet new colleagues, friends and role models with whom mentorships and future collaborations are forged.

 
You have multiple roles such as a Professor, researcher, voice teacher and conductor, how to all of these roles inform how you approach choral music? 

If I can choose one aspect that comes into play in each of these roles, it would be that of the development of the beauty and expressive power of the human voice in the context of ensemble singing. The voice is such a complex and fascinating instrument, capable of so many subtleties and ways in which both music and text can be coloured and highlighted. Because of its flexibility, it can at once be the most gratifying and frustrating of instruments in the musical arsenal. Through my work in the application of Bel Canto principles to choral singing as well as my research in the field of vocal and choral acoustics, I find it a privilege to help choristers develop and fully exploit the voice’s vast range of colours and expressive techniques that contribute to the ensemble’s success. I find that principle-centred voice building can provide the chorister/conductor/ensemble with new tools that can lead to yet more expressive interpretations and performances. The choral instrument is truly fascinating – I often find that I have the best job in the world.

In addition to conducting at Podium, you are also the conference co-chair, what led you to be involved with the festival? 

To be honest, I wasn’t looking to assume the leadership of something of this magnitude! But I already had some relevant experience as Artistic Director of Choralies Internationales 2012, an international francophone choral festival that took place in Edmonton a few years ago, and so when asked to take on a leadership role with Podium, I accepted. Peter Malcolm is co-chair with me and we have an absolutely amazing committee of very experienced people around the table, from both the artistic and administrative perspectives. Because Podium is both a conference and a festival, there are many, many details to attend to. Everyone at the table has played a crucial role in creating and developing both aspects of the event and I’ve done what I can to try to weave in continuity and oversee the whole, but I feel privileged to work with such a fine group of people as we prepare for an event that will be truly amazing.

 
What are the things you are most passionate in regards to the conference and festival that you knew had to be included when you were planning as co-chair? 

Although I have thoroughly enjoyed past Podiums, I’ve often come away thinking that we should have sung more, after all, it’s what we love to do! There is no doubt that there are always top-notch concerts to be enjoyed at Podium, but I thought this time around, it would be great to do as much singing as we do listening. To that end, we are working on creating a Podium Songbook that would be used by all delegates, choristers and audience members. The idea is that, while sitting in the concert hall or church awaiting a performance, rather than just visiting with our neighbours, we would take out the songbook and join together as one massed-choir and sing some of our favourites with 400-800 of our colleagues from around the country. The Songbook will have a variety of repertoire, some time-honoured classics that people will know well and love singing together, some canons and folksongs to get us going, as well as many new Canadian pieces that Canadian publishers have sent us for inclusion in the Songbook. I can’t wait for these common-singing times that are so popular with many European festivals – the Winspear will resound as it never has before with people from every corner of the country joining their voices together and singing as one huge choral community! I hope that this practice will become a standard Podium tradition in years to come.

What do you hope conference and festival attendees will take away from the experience? 

I hope they will go away from Podium with a renewed sense of the important place of choral singing in their lives and in society as a whole. I firmly believe that through the magic of choral music, stories, ideas and important concepts can be tackled and shared in community like in no other art form. You can express things in choral music that are simply not possible otherwise. I hope that people will learn new techniques and live powerful experiences that will confirm and reignite their passion for this beautiful, moving and important thing that we call choral music.


 
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With a doctorate in choral conducting (U of A / IRCAM, Paris) and a master’s degree in vocal pedagogy (U. Laval), there is nothing Laurier Fagnan enjoys more than inspiring singers to make the most beautiful sound possible. He has served as vocal coach/clinician for many choral festivals and has offered hundreds of workshops in vocal technique to choirs from Whitehorse to Paris. In 2008, he was honoured to guest conduct a choir of 1400 singers gathered to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. In 2006, he was awarded a generous grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to establish Canada’s first Vocal Acoustics Laboratory at Campus Saint-Jean of the University of Alberta, where he has conducted the very dynamic Chorale Saint-Jean since 1995. His doctoral thesis entitled The Acoustical Effects of the Core Principles of the Bel Canto Method on Choral Singing was awarded national prizes in both Canada and the U.S. (Julius Herford Prize). In 2009, he was keynote speaker at the general assembly of the European Choral Federation in Bulgaria and presented his research at the International Conference on the Acoustics of Singing in Stockholm. In July of 2012, Laurier served as artistic director of Choralies internationales Edmonton 2012, a festival which assembled choristers from many corners of the French-speaking world. He has recently launched his new DVD on vocal technique for choirs, which incorporates bel canto vocal principles applied to choral singing and is currently writing a book on bel canto vocal pedagogy. Recent highlights include conducting at international festivals in Vaison-la-Romaine, France and Domaine Forget, Québec as well as presenting at the National Conference of the American Choral Directors’ Association in Salt Lake City. Dr. Fagnan recently completed a post-graduate certificate in Vocology in the US and next May will serve as co-Chair of Podium 2016, Canada’s national conference and festival on choral singing. He was recently awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recognizing his contribution to community development through choral music.

Friday, March 18, 2016

An Interview with Jeannie Pernal, Conductor of the Grande Prairie Boys Choir

 

The Grande Prairie Boys’ Choir is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, providing audiences at home and away with the gift of song from the hearts of 120 boys between the ages of 7 and 20. Along side intensive voice training, drama instruction, theory and sight reading in several smaller ensembles for several age categories, the choir produces 6 sold out concerts per year. Their most recent ambitions include producing a Symphony and Singing in the City concert with professional orchestral musicians mentoring local professional and semi professional performers from Grande Prairie. The Senior and Men of Note Choirs have travelled Nationally to BC, and ON and internationally to Phoenix, Arizona. The Men of Note division of the choir won in their category at the National Music Festival in 2012 and second place in 2014. This year, they have been chosen out of 45 choirs to perform at the National Choral Conference taking place in Edmonton this spring. 

An interview with Grande Prairie Boys' Choir Conductor, Jeannie Pernal.

What do you feel makes the Grande Prairie Boys' Choir unique from other choirs?

The fact that there are 120 boys from a small Northern City, which is focused on the oil industry and hockey is very unique. The method of instruction is also unique in that until the boys are in grade 10, they are divided into small classes of 7-8 boys and receive small group voice lessons. In this way, I can give very individualized instruction, carefully monitor their progress and build a strong rapport with the guys. They gather together in traditional choir format to study and perform choral music and also drama.


Explain the importance of fostering a love of choral singing in our male youth?

The future of choral singing depends on getting our young men to sing.



Where do you begin when you start building a programme list coming to Podium?

As this is my very first time attending Podium I want to show the boys’ capabilities and illustrate what we do up in Grande Prairie. I plan to have my young men (Men of Note) sing alone, as they are my most advanced group, but also want to promote the junior high boys. This is a challenging group to work with as every week someone’s voice is changing! We are planning to sing in a variety of languages and styles. We have a new commission, The Magnificat, written by our Composer in Residence, Trent Worthington, which will be very exciting.

 

What aspects of repertoire do you consider when you preparing to introduce a new work to present to your choir?

I look for music that will appeal the boys’ intellect, sense of humour and sense of boyhood and manliness.


What are the challenges when you are looking at repertoire to program for the choir?

It is very difficulty to find good quality repertoire for Junior High boys, who sing in SAB. The Bass part is always written too high for the emerging baritone.

Explain your musical upbringing and what eventually drew you to choral music?

I came to music late. I started piano lessons at age 11 and only sang in a choir at university, as I grew up in rural Manitoba where there were very few opportunities for music education.

What is at the heart of choral music singing that drives your passion?

This would take me a long time to write! I love teaching. I love teaching boys because they are energetic and they can keep up with my enthusiasm! Boys need to realize their musical potential and have a safe place to sing during the voice change. There is a lot of negativity surrounding boys and young men singing and I am trying to change that in my community. It is a wonderful thing to watch the boys age from 7 to 20; have increasingly more success on the stage; build a community who support all these boys and create unique and interesting concerts that sell out.

Jeannie Vanwynsberghe Pernal – Founder/Director Jeannie has focused her passions and talent on the development of young male voices for the last 25 years. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from Brandon University and Kodaly certification. Upon graduation from university, she secured a position as Director of Music at the all-boys’ school, St. John’s Ravenscourt in Winnipeg. After three years with the Vancouver Children’s Choir, Jeannie moved to Grande Prairie in 2001 and formed the Grande Prairie Boys’ Voice Training and Choir. A lifelong learner, Jeannie is grateful to her mentors, Trent Worthington and Elise Bradley who collaborate on a regular basis.

In 2013, Jeannie was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work with the choir and the choir’s contribution to the community. Recently Jeannie and the boys won the Con Spirito Award for their contribution to choral music in the province of Alberta.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

An Interview with Robert Busiakiewicz, Artistic Director of Opus 8

 

The vocal ensemble based in Toronto, Opus 8, consists of eight soloists with a wealth of choral experience. Its members have sung with the Elora Festival Singers, Musica Intima, Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, Tafelmusik, Choir 21, and with various opera companies throughout Canada. The elite professional octet draws sell-out audiences in the Toronto area with varied programming and some of the genre’s most exciting and challenging repertoire, including 14th century chansons, 17th century partsongs, to 21st century jazz arrangements.

An interview with Opus8 Artistic Director and Singer, Robert Busiakiewicz.

What do you feel makes Opus 8 unique?

The most obvious difference will be that in consisting of only eight singers, Opus 8’s performances will be the most intimate choral experiences on offer. Each voice has the luxurious liberty to be spontaneous and soloistic such that the expressive compass of the performance will be arguably much wider than the ‘impersonal’ effects of a massed-choir. What results is conversational, interactive chamber music which allows intricate counterpoint to jump off the page, speaking to audiences in a meaningful and exciting way.

 
What are some of the highlights you have had with Opus 8?

My fondest memories are the looks on people’s faces when they tell me after a concert, “I had no idea Byrd could be so dissonant”, “I had no idea Hassler could be so sexy”, “I thought Opus 8’s performance of Guillaume de Machaut’s Messe de Notre Dame was like seeing a new colour for the first time”. Rediscovering and facilitating visceral and highly characterful performances of lesser known challenging music from 1300-1750 is particularly thrilling in its almost infinite potential for interpretation. That said, as a former big band leader and saxophonist, I must admit having a predilection for fiendishly lush close harmony arrangements which Opus 8 always takes well within its bafflingly versatile stride.

Where do you begin when you start building a programme list coming to Podium?

Michael Zaugg, the artistic director of the Podium Festival, got in touch with us regarding a shared concert with Pro Coro that would focus on the themes of ‘light and darkness’. He asked that our contribution be exclusively early music, which made the process much easier in that we could avoid what Stravinsky called ‘the abyss of freedom”.

What can audiences hope to see from Opus 8 at Podium?

Our lecture recital (Thursday 19th May, 1.30pm McDougall United Church), along with the wisdom of Roseen Giles from the University of Toronto, will feature and dissect three utterly remarkable chansons from the 16th Century: Adieu Mon Esperance by Clemens non Papa, Mon Petit Cueur by Cipriano de Rore and Tous Les Regretz by Nicolas Gombert. These relatively unknown works hold harmonic curiosity and intensity that flirts with the extremes of dissonance and false-relation. The deeply sentimental texts ache with emotion and the voice-leading drips with a rare expressivity that leaves a lasting impression.

Our concert with Pro Coro will see some joint performances as well as a showcase of fiery Palestrina, Byrd and Monteverdi before turning to the shadowy sound-world of Gesualdo, and the sublime obscurities of John Sheppard and Pierre de Manchicourt.

 
How has your upbringing in the musical words of Austria and the UK influenced your choral perspective?

Living in Austria left me with a chronic soft spot for the exuberance of unbridled melody – this was certainly at the hand of Johann Strauss II. Later I would come to take great delight in the cerebral machinations of the Second Viennese School, with its almost erotic eloquence and dazzling technical virtuosity. Singing Schoenberg, and particularly Berg, is an experience like nothing else.

The rich choral heritage in the UK provides a fascinating canvass for a staggering variety of approaches to ensemble singing. From the university collegiate choirs, to the 42 cathedral foundations, to the professional chamber choirs to the choral societies, there is a feast of diversity in sound derived from the human voice. I have been particularly nourished by the inspiring recordings of The Cardinall’s Musick, Tenebrae, The BBC Singers, Stile Antico, Alamire, and Contrapunctus, particularly for their strong personality, emotional gamut, full-throated healthy singing which sounds like experienced human beings communicating text, rather than a white-noise synthesiser.

What are the challenges when you are looking at repertoire to program for Opus 8?

There is a wealth of repertoire which demands long legato lines, some of which are so long that breath becomes a major consideration: Do you compromise with a potentially unmusical faster tempo to allow the phrase to be sung in one breath, or do you safeguard the perfect slow tempo but chop up the line with new rests? With only eight singers, the opportunities to 'stagger' breathe are all but eliminated. Some contemporary music like that of Arvo Pärt and Jonathan Harvey require a seamless body of sound that is almost impossible to reproduce without cunning subterfuge between the parts.

From an academic and historical perspective, there is also the persistent question of appropriate keys and part distribution in much renaissance music. Balancing acts such as 'if we perform this in A, the soprano part will be very high and taxing on the voice, but the bass part won't be constantly below the staff', or 'if we perform this in C, the tenors can split and be high in their range, rather than have the altos split and be in a perilously low tessitura'. Judging which combination will work best in performance with our personnel is also something considered at length.

What inspired you to be a conductor?

In another life perhaps I would have become a graveyard-shift DJ. The first time I heard Britten's A Boy Was Born, or MacMillan's Seven Last Words From The Cross, or Messiaen's O Sacrum Convivium, or Tallis' Spem in Alium, along with the cocktail of heightened emotions associated with the score, I felt an immense gratitude to the person who had exposed me to such powerful materials. One then feels naturally obliged to share these with others. The satisfaction of inviting someone to inhabit a piece of music they have never heard before and to persuade them of its inherent excellence is a similar sensation to hosting a historic party that was deeply savoured and long talked-about. The infamous Polish hospitality of my grandparents has probably manifested itself in an insatiable appetite to introduce people to potentially unfamiliar music. In short, the illimitable and unimaginable efforts of composers themselves throughout history serve as inspiration enough to dedicate a lifetime to their exploration and appreciation (or should I say sifting through the substantial dross, in search of that elusive life-changing score).

What is at the heart of choral music singing that drives your passion?

Qualities which evade definition and analysis. Glimpses of the sublime, the magic of an ensemble becoming more than the sum of its parts. That 'buzzing' feeling you get when a chord is perfectly tuned and balanced. The emancipation and artful transformation of poetry into sound, the sincerity, vulnerability and humanity behind the primitive yet complex instrument itself in relation to the brain, memory and emotions.

What are some future goals of the group?

To share as wide a repertoire with as many people as possible at the highest standards we are capable, while having as much fun as possible. If there's some critical recognition of that labour of love along the line, it would be a welcome bonus.

See Opus 8 in concert with Pro Coro Canada at Podium Conference and Festival.

A devout ambassador for the Anglican choral tradition, Robert Busiakiewicz has given concerts and services all over the world, including Australia, Russia, the United States, and throughout Europe. A multi-award winning and versatile musician, most recently he was presented the Lord Mayor of London's Prize in Composition (Commotio for solo organ) and admitted to the Worshipful Company of Musicians. 

Holding a deep commitment to education, and having taught at King's College London (UK), he specialises in fugue, counterpoint and orchestration as well as privately coaching voice, improvisation, jazz, and theory. A sought after choral motivator, conductor, pianist, saxophonist, big band leader and singer, Robert has given master-classes across England to choirs of all ages. He has performed in The Royal Albert Hall, Blenheim Palace, Banqueting House, The Barbican, RAC Club Pall Mall, Sydney Opera House, the Hermitage Theatre, Washington National Cathedral and The Royal Festival Hall. Although equally comfortable conducting for the theatre and concert platforms, his background lies in Cathedral music, frequently singing on radio, disc, and international television.

He holds music degrees from the University of London, the Royal Academy of Music, and the University of Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar at King's College. He has prepared scholarly editions of renaissance polyphony for Mapa Mundi and composed for artists such as the Britten Sinfonia, Lontano Ensemble, The Mercian Consort, Siglo de Oro, Stamford Choral, Sloane Square Choral Society and the choirs of Massey College, Toronto, Southwell Minster, and King's College, Cambridge. His music has featured on BBC Radio, in the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music and is recorded by Priory Records. Recent tenor solo engagements have included Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (RAM), Bach's St. John Passion (KCL) & Magnificat (KCC), Tippett's A Child of Our Time, Scarlatti's Dixit Dominus, Haydn's Die Schöpfung, Nikolai, Nelson and Cellensis Masses (Stratford Choral Society), Mozart's Nozze di Figaro and Requiem (Grace Church on-the-Hill), Handel's Messiah and Britten's Abraham and Isaac (Archbishop's Palace, Nottinghamshire). 

The grandson of Polish refugees, he spent his formative years in Vienna, Austria and Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. In 2014 he moved to Canada and founded the professional vocal ensemble Opus 8; he has since worked with the Elora Festival Singers, Choir 21, The Mendelssohn Choir and the choir of St. James Cathedral.  




Wednesday, March 9, 2016

An Interview with Shumayela Conductor, Kim Denis



Celebrating its tenth season in 2015-2016, Shumayela, a choir for treble and changing voices in the Kokopelli Choir Association, continues to expand its horizons, develop its membership and satisfy a variety of musical tastes. The choir has toured throughout British Columbia and Alberta, performed in Ottawa at the Unisong festival for Canada Day, and in July 2013 the group was featured at the prestigious international Festival 500 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Wherever the choir travels, they spread the joy of music-making and hope to bring communities together through song.

Shumayela offers a focus on thorough and excellent music education, with singers learning about healthy vocal production, the body-voice connection, and vibrant performance presence as well as a strong emphasis on musical literacy, music theory, and sight singing skills. As with all of the ensembles in the Kokopelli Choir Association, Shumayela provides a secure and accepting social environment where all singers feel their importance as members of the group. Most importantly, Shumayela has fun and creates energetic and engaging music!

An Interview with Shumayela Conductor, Kim Denis:

What do you feel makes the Shumayela unique from other choirs? 

Shumayela is unique for so many reasons!! We’re a choir exclusively for junior-high aged youth (early teens) and as such, we honour all that comes with that age – changing personalities, voices and bodies – and we work with the changes to provide a space where choristers can feel brave to experiment, learn and grow. One of the things I love most about Shumayela is the energy and enthusiasm they bring to the music as well as their desire to create something unique in every piece. They are a group of singers that look for the interesting, unique and colourful moments in the music we sing, as well as in each other.

You have been working with Shumayela for a decade now, what are some of the highlights you have had with the Shumayela? 
 
I started Shumayela 10 years ago (I can’t believe it’s already been that long!) and we’ve seen many wonderful things during that time – how to choose! Our concert at Festival 500 in Newfoundland was definitely a highlight – the singers sang so energetically and looked so alive on stage; they made me very proud. At Unisong in 2011, the choir that was supposed to go on before us and sing a concert in the Rotunda at the Parliament Buildings was late and so they sent us on. We did our entire set and then got the cue to continue to stretch the time because the other choir still had not arrived so I turned to the singers and asked what they wanted to sing. We proceeded to have an epic choir request concert for the next 45 minutes! I also loved the concert we sang on a Community Service Tour we did in Edmonton – we sang for over supper at Hope Mission. There was a very agitated man who sat down in front of the choir and as we sang, he gradually calmed and by the end of the meal, he was still, relaxed and looked much more peaceful. I think that was one of the moments when the singers realized they could make a difference doing something they love to make the world a better place. On that same tour, I took the choir to a number of seniors’ residences. We were singing a piece where the choir was to go out into the audience and find someone to dance with. I’ll never forget the image of one of my 14 year old boys offering his hand to a woman who leapt up out of her chair and proceeded to teach him how to tango.

In the past you described the challenges of programming because you can never be sure where the vocal development of your preteens entering puberty end up by the performance date, where do you begin when you start building a programme list coming to Podium? 

I look for repertoire that is super flexible, where it won't matter if a few voices end up singing down the octave. Or I look for alto parts that sit a little lower. I also tend to gravitate toward world music selections as these can be quite flexible, or I hunt for things with percussion parts so that if I want to do something with only my treble voices, I can always come up with an interesting percussion part for the boys to play. I also leave myself pretty open in my program proposal so that I don't end up having to do repertoire that just won't work for their voices any given year. I've also become pretty adept at adapting pieces so that they will work for us, and between my accompanist, Tova Olson and I, we can usually arrange something that will work if we find a great melody or text and this can happen relatively close to the performance.

 

What inspires you when you are working with youth singers? 

I love their energy and their creativity and their enthusiasm for discovery. They want to create something meaningful and distinct to them. Their faces are priceless when a challenging piece starts to take shape and they realize it's actually "cool." I also like that they don't realize a piece is hard unless I tell them it is (usually after we've learned it). They don't have blocks when it comes to trying something new, they just want to try! I also love the random moments when I overhear funny conversations between the choristers - the one that comes to mind most recently was when we were learning Nick Page's Bashana Haba'ah for Christmas. It's a piece based in the Jewish tradition and includes a fantastic Klezmer clarinet part. One of my young men turned to his buddy and said, "I love this piece! It's so Israeli-ish" to which, his buddy responded, "Dude, the word is Hindu." Never a dull a moment.

When you are looking to program a work for your choir, what are the considerations you keep in mind? 

I look for writers who are able to write flexible pieces, especially if I'm asking them to create something before I hear the choir's level any given year. I also look for interesting and fun texts and I always want great rhythms and melodies that allow me to teach musicality. I also look for composers who are able to write pieces with character - my teens love to play characters (some of them try on different personalities every week!) and so I seek out music that allows them to express their personality.

What aspects of repertoire do you consider when you preparing to introduce a new work to present to your choir? 

I look at the elements of the piece to determine what the teaching points will be - are there tricky intervals or a recurring interval? Are there rhythms or time signatures we need to break down into their component parts? What does the text tell us? What is the historical or cultural significance of the piece or the style? Are there interesting features we're going to add later like movement, dance, boomwhackers, other instruments, props, etc.? Can I use this piece to practice sight singing? Is it written in traditional harmonic patterns based on thirds or does it use quartal harmony? If the piece is polyphonic, what are the main recurring themes? Does the piece break down into easily memorizable sections? Can I introduce or reinforce standard choral singer rehearsal practices like finding your note from other parts, how singers mark their scores so that they remember corrections, etc? Can I reinforce their sense of rhythm, time and beat? Does this piece offer us the opportunity to learn about another language or culture? Is there an opportunity for a singer in the choir who speaks French, Spanish, Hebrew, Norwegian, etc to help in the teaching and assume a leadership role in the choir? So many things!!

What are the challenges when you are looking at repertoire to program for Shumayela?

I think the biggest challenges I have when programming repertoire is dependant upon the concert theme. The Kokopelli Choir Association often has a thematically based concert (Celtic, Broadway, African, Light, Spring, Colours, etc) and sometimes, the theme doesn't always come with a lot of well-written SAB, SSAB, SAC, SSAC music. Generally speaking however, if there's a song that I find that fits our theme and has a great melody and text to work with, it can be arranged into something that works for the choir. I also find it challenging to do works pre-1900 - these sometimes aren't as flexible, or the alto lines are too low and often the arrangements aren't that great. I've had some success with Gregorian chant and pieces that use a cantus firmus however so there's always a way out of every programming dilemma.

 
You have multiple roles such as voice teacher, singer, conductor explain what drew you to choral music? 

I kind of fell into it by accident!! I discovered how great choral music could be in university. I grew up in a small town and while the children's choir in the church was great, I didn't get a lot of exposure to the traditional choral canon and had no idea how amazing it was to sing works like Handel's Messiah! What a discovery! While in university, I started directing a church choir as a part-time job and then kept finding choirs to direct everywhere I ended up and by virtue of being willing to take on leadership, I ended up directing choirs. I decided to audition at UofA on a whim for the choral conducting program and ended up getting in and the next thing I knew, I was a choir director! I continued singing, landed in Pro Coro Canada, and kept taking courses on directing, singing technique, rehearsal technique, went to workshops and conferences like Music Conference Alberta and Podium and now I can't imagine not directing choirs.


See Shumayela with Kikimatsu at Podium Conference and Festival (May 19-22, 2016)

Website: http://www.kokopellichoirs.com/choirs/shumayela
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokopellichoirs
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kokopellichoirs
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kokopellichoirs
Youtube: http://youtube.com/kokopellichoirs

Kimberley Denis, M.Mus. Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance (University of Alberta, 2007), B.Mus. (Mount Allison University, 2003), B. Comm. (Mount Allison University, 2003) is known for her energy and enthusiasm both on stage and off, and is sought after as a soloist, choral clinician, and adjudicator for voice and choir. Upon completion of both her commerce and music undergraduate degrees at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, she returned to her home province of Alberta where she completed a double masters degree in choral conducting and vocal performance at the University of Alberta. She also holds an associate diploma in Education (1996) and a music diploma in contemporary vocal performance from Red Deer College (1997).

Vocal credits include a nomination for 2010 and 2012 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, recital appearances around the province, and a year-long tour with Up With People. In 2015, she starred in a production of Jason Robert Brown's song cycle Songs for a New World and in 2014, played Cathy in The Last Five Years; both productions were held at the historic Bailey Theatre in Camrose, AB. She has worked with Live Bait Theatre in New Brunswick, appearing in many of their musical dinner theatres, and has also played Bonnie in Anything Goes, Kate in Kiss Me, Kate!, and Frumah Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof. She recorded the Alphabet Action Songs for Themes and Variations Music Publishing, and was a soprano soloist for the University of Alberta’s recording of the Dvorak Te Deum. She recently completed a concert tour with world percussion duo, Jamani and will be starring in the Western Canada premiere of a new musical by Canadian playwright, GaRRy Williams this summer. She is a singer with Pro Coro Canada, as well as with the Canadian Chamber Choir. In addition to her stage work, she has a flourishing voice studio at MacEwan University Conservatory of Music and is also the Music Advisor to the School of Continuing Education for MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.

She has conducted a wide variety of ensembles and has previously worked with the Red Deer College Chamber Choir, the Nota Bene Youth Choir in Red Deer, the Red Deer Children’s Choir, the Mount Royal University Youth Choir, the Edmonton All-City Junior Children’s Choir and the Edmonton All-City High School Choir. Presently, she directs Shumayela with the Kokopelli Choir Association in Edmonton, a choir which she founded in 2006; the choir has performed at Festival 500, an international choral festival held in St. John’s, NF and will be a featured ensemble this spring at the Podium national choral conference. She has been the choir director for the past seven years at MusiCamp Alberta held at Red Deer College, has been the youth choir director at the Naramata Summer Music Week, and in 2011-2012 season, she directed the Kamloops/Thompson School District Honour Choir as well as the Edmonton Public Schools High School Honour Choir. She is also an experienced director of church music, having begun work in this area in 2000 at Mountain View United Church in Moncton, New Brunswick. Since then, she has worked for a number of different denominations, and most recently, is the music director at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Edmonton, Alberta.

Music for theatre credits include music direction for Concordia University College's 2013 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, vocal coaching for Red Deer College’s 2011 production of Rent, creating and directing a live vocal music score for Red Deer College's production of Romeo and Juliet and creating and directing a live music score for the world premiere of Vern Thiessen's adaptation of Wuthering Heights. She was also the music director at Theatre Alberta's Artstrek summer program for Into the Woods and is a frequent clinician for community theatre groups.

In addition to her work as a singer and conductor, Kimberley arranges pieces for choirs and is published by Cypress Music and Augsburg Fortress and was recently commissioned for an arrangement of the school song for the The Grange, a private, English-speaking school in Santiago, Chile.

Monday, March 7, 2016

An Interview with Melissa Morgan, Artistic Director of the Prairie Chamber Choir

 
An interview with the Melissa Morgan, Artistic Director of the Prairie Chamber Choir:

What do you feel makes the Prairie Chamber Choir unique from other choirs? 

The Prairie Chamber Choir has a mission to engage and captivate audiences with exceptional choral performances that promote visual, musical, and literary artists from the Prairies. We mostly perform new music by contemporary composers from the Prairies. There is also an educational component to our concerts in that our program is normally accompanied by a lecture or presentation. That being said, ultimately, we share the same goals and values as other choirs – we strive for choral excellence and promote a love of choral singing in our community.

What are some of the highlights you have had with the Prairie Chamber Choir

Our performance this past December was extremely memorable. We gave a concert entitled Stories of a Prairie Christmas where we paired well-known arrangements and original works in the Christmas canon with lesser-known original works and arrangements by regional composers. It was a varied program with various languages including Inuktitut, Latin, German and Spanish that involved readings of personal stories by members of the choir, landscape photos by local photographers and short explanations of the music by me as the director. The response from the audience was enthusiastic, providing an incredible level of energy in the auditorium. The choir sang from their hearts and created a positive and engaging experience for us all. It was indeed an unforgettable event.

 
Where do you begin when you start building a programme list coming to Podium

Because our mission is so specific, we will give a presentation that features works of Prairie composers. Selecting music for an hour program, 25 minutes of which is a lecture, was challenging because there are many good options for repertoire. I decided to program works that people could relate too and potentially use with their own choirs. I also want to be sure that the music demonstrated all of the points in the lecture. I tried to be as innovative but practical as possible – I can’t hide the teacher in me.


What can audiences hope to see from Prairie Chamber Choir at Podium

A great performance! I also hope that people learn about composers that they may not have known before. Our lecture recital will shed some light on some exciting new music by composers from the Prairies. In my opinion, we need to promote these composers more and encourage new commissions by local choirs.

What are you most looking forward to at Podium

Of course, I’m looking forward to our performance. But, I am also looking forward to hearing other choirs, learning from other conductors and reuniting with my choral friends from across the country. I am really happy to see such a variety of sessions.

How important is it for choirs to promote the works of contemporary Canadian composers? 

It is our responsibility as Canadians to promote the works of contemporary Canadian composers. The value of research in Canadian choral composition is in preserving and celebrating the identity and history of Canada, in building self-awareness in Canadian regional communities, and in empowering future musicians to invest in Canadian choral literature.

Please describe how you came up with the Prairie Choral Music Research Project and its importance? 

Well, the Prairie Choral Music Research Project was started as a result of my doctoral research. I have always had an interest in the music of composers from my city. I remember singing pieces by Elizabeth Raum and David L. McIntyre as a child but I soon learned that these composers were lesser-known beyond the province of Saskatchewan. I decided to create a list of Prairie choral works. I suppose the project began as a way for me to really know more about the music from my region. I only knew a handful of regional pieces and I really didn’t know how much repertoire was out there. At the beginning of my research, I began to collect all choral music by composers from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba - there were hundreds of titles. It was too much! Eventually, I came up with a few parameters that would make my research manageable and then began to collect titles of works based on the criteria I set:

• The choral work should be an original SATB composition (with any accompaniment) featuring texts by Prairie writers or text that identify with or allude to Prairie life (landscape, people, social events, multiculturalism, etc.); and
• The composer should be a : Canadian citizen (by birth or naturalization); Current or past resident of Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba with his or her career established primarily in one of these provinces.

I have invited conductors, composers, and all musicians to visit my website and share names of composers or titles of pieces by composers from the Prairie. At the moment, the suggested works should fit the criteria as outlined on my website. However, eventually, I will include names and titles of all Prairie work as I feel that this is an area under promoted and desperately needed. To visit my site and participate in the project please visit: www.classicmel.ca and click the link called Canadian Prairie Choral Music Research Project.



You have an extensive background as well as academic work, why is it important for you to navigate a balance between research and academic in your work? 

Balance is a complex term! I’m not sure that I can honestly say that I have a ‘balance’ between the two. I do think, however, that music research is extremely important for advocacy of the arts in general. Our academic institutions and the research from those institutions enable people to know their history and appreciate the rich culture we in Canada possess. As a Canadian, I strongly feel that the research we do, whether that be about choral education, choral conductors, singing trends, folk traditions or regionalism, is one way to shine a light on our choral communities inside and outside the country. We have a wealth of talent in our country. Our research provides Canadians with knowledge and awareness of the current state in our singing communities but also can enlighten our current generation of musicians in their efforts to build an even stronger singing future.

What inspired you to be a conductor? 

I sang with various choirs as a kid and a young adult. I never really thought that I would be a conductor at that time but I LOVED to sing. I had fantastic teachers and mentors (I still do!). My teachers saw something in me that I did not see in myself and they gave me opportunities to accompany, lead sectionals, sing solos and eventually conduct a choir! I was hooked and never looked back.

What is at the heart of choral music singing that drives your passion? 

I love every element of choral singing – the act of creating, building community, excellence in music. I love reading new music and working with people who do what I love doing.

As you are finishing your Doctorate in Choral Conducting at the University of Toronto, what are some future goals you have for yourself or the choir?

After graduation, my teaching, presenting and conducting will be ongoing. I will also continue my research in Canadian choral music, as I believe that I have hardly scratched the surface.

My choir is new and there are so many possibilities and opportunities for us. One of my goals is to make a recording of all the new music we sing. I also look forward to commissioning new works – doing our part to cultivate great new choral music in this country.

Is there anything else you would like to add that I have not asked? 

There are so many facets of choral art and Podium provides a wonderful time of sharing, learning and connecting choral friends. The Prairie Chamber Choir is thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of the 2016 Podium conference and to share our music with other Canadian choral communities.


See the Prairie Chamber Choir at Podium Conference and Festival which runs May 19-22, 2016

Connect with the Prairie Chamber Choir Online:



 
Raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Melissa Morgan holds a Master of Music Performance in Choral Conducting from the University of Western Ontario, a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Regina. She is also an Associate of the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT) in piano, voice, and flute. 

In the fall of 2012, Melissa took a two-year sabbatical from her position at Luther College High School to begin doctoral studies in Choral Conducting at the University of Toronto. During her time in Toronto, Melissa was Assistant Conductor of the MacMillan Singers (2012-2013) and the Conductor of the University of Toronto Women’s Chorus (2013-2014). Melissa is the recipient of the Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in choral conducting (2012-present). 

Melissa combines performance and scholarship with her teaching. She has published in the American Choral Directors Association, Choral Journal and presented a poster session at the Choral Canada Podium Conference (2014). Melissa is the Pfeifer Memorial Chair of Music at Luther College High School where she is responsible for the Luther College Senior Choir, the auditioned choir AVE and the IB music program. Her choirs have performed at the Association of Canadian Choral Communities Podium Conference (2010) and as showcase choirs at the Rocky Mountain Music Festival in Banff (2011 & 2015). In January 2016, Melissa was honoured to be the guest conductor of the Winnipeg School Division Honour Choir. Currently, Melissa is in her fourth year of the doctoral program in Choral Conducting, under the supervision of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt.
The Prairie Chamber Choir is Regina’s newest chamber choir. The eighteen members of the choir are professional musicians in their own right. Each singer believes that an experience with choral music can inspire individuals, preserve the history of communities, and unify nations. 

Conducted by Melissa Morgan, the choir was formed in the spring of 2015 as The Prairie Lecture Choir as part of the requirements of Melissa’s final doctoral recital. During the lecture recital, the choir performed an entire concert of original compositions by composers from the region. The concert was an empowering experience to audience members and choristers alike. It affirmed that Prairie communities have many beautiful choral compositions and a strong tradition of singing. The choir, not wanting to disband after the recital, continues to discover, promote and perform the choral works of composers from the Prairie Provinces. The Prairie Chamber Choir will be a guest performer at the National Podium Choral Conference in Edmonton, May 2016.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

An Interview with Rob Curtis, Artistic Director of I Coristi Chamber Choir


An interview with Artistic Director of I Coristi Chamber Choir, Dr. Rob Curtis. I Coristi will be performing Mozart's Requiem with The Richard Eaton Singers at the Choral Orchestral Concert at the Podium Spotlight Concert at the Winspear Centre on Sunday May 22, 2016 at 3 PM.

You have had a long association with I Coristi Chamber Choir, first as assistant conductor in 2004 and eventually took over for Founding Director, Dr. Debra Cairns. What would you describe were the challenges and advantages of coming into the ensemble as the new Music Director? 

At the start of my first season as the conductor of I Coristi I knew I had big shoes to fill, but the singers were very welcoming and made me feel very much at home right off the bat. Having previously worked with the choir as assistant conductor some years earlier, I was already familiar with the kinds of concerts the choir likes to put together, and already knew some of the singers, which helped to make the transition a bit smoother. I've always held Dr. Cairns's programming in very high regard, and it's been a real privilege to continue that tradition and bring a very eclectic mix of music to our choristers and audiences. We've covered repertoire from Palestrina to brand-new commissions, and have explored little-heard music including pieces for choir and percussion, and choir and Celtic ensemble. One of my goals over the past few years has been for the choir to engage still further with the wider community, and I was very proud of the success of our first competition for Canadian composers in 2015 - we'll be performing the winning entry by Trent Worthington at our final concert this season on May 14. I Coristi is a wonderful group of people to work with, so even the challenges have been a lot of fun!

What are some of the highlights you have had with the I Coristi Chamber Choir

Our last concert, Isles of Song, was my favourite one yet. We had some amazing guest instrumentalists, gave the Canadian premiere of Irish Mass by Gilles Mathieu, and performed for a nearly sold-out crowd. The preparations for the concert included two recording sessions for our upcoming CD, and it was very satisfying to have the chance to work on that repertoire in such detail and to then have the opportunity to perform it live, as well. The second concert in my first season with the choir is also one I remember very fondly; we finished the show with Tormis's Ingrian Evenings, which includes a fair bit of movement on the part of the choir, including a requirement for the choir to leave the performance space in every direction in small groups at the end of the piece, singing as they go. The choir did a great job, the piece was really effective and very well-received by the audience, and I was very grateful for the choir's willingness to go out on a limb and try something new. They're a very trusting and responsive group, and it's led to our creating some wonderful musical moments together.

I Coristi Chamber Choir will be singing Mozart's Requiem with the Richard Eaton Singers, how did this collaboration come about with these repertoire choices? 

I Coristi will be performing Mozart's Requiem a few months before Podium, in a joint concert with Edmonton Metropolitan Chorus and Orchestra, Tony Olivares Dance and FlyFree Movement. Choir Alberta approached us to see if we would be interested in performing the Requiem a second time, this time together with the Richard Eaton Singers, and we were delighted to have the opportunity. We're performing the Beyer edition in February and the Süssmayr edition at Podium, so it's an interesting opportunity to experience two different takes on the same piece within one concert season.

What role do you see Podium having in the world of Canadian Choral music? 

I think events like Podium are particularly important in a country as large as Canada; it brings together friends and colleagues from all over the country and I always enjoy the opportunity to reconnect with them. There's a lot of great work being done by Canadian choirs and it's very valuable to be able to come together and share what we've all been doing and where we're going. I always leave Podium feeling inspired by new repertoire, new ideas and new friends.

How important is it for choirs to promote the works of contemporary Canadian composers? 

This is something that's very important to me personally. There's so much excellent choral music being written by Canadian composers; it's material that is really worth presenting to our audiences, and worth encouraging and supporting. Choirs are an integral part of helping these unique Canadian voices to be heard.

What aspects of repertoire do you consider when you preparing to introduce a new work to present to your choir? 

There are all kinds of practical considerations when preparing a new work to introduce to a choir, in terms of rehearsal planning and such. Just as important as the details, I think, are some larger questions: what is the historical context of the piece? Are there interesting aspects to the text? What is the architecture of the piece on a higher level? I think that it's important to get an ensemble thinking about these larger questions, so as to encourage them to take ownership of the piece, and ultimately to achieve a more nuanced performance. With Mozart's Requiem, for example, we've spent some time talking about the history of the piece and its various editions, and I've had some interesting conversations with individual singers about the differences between editions and some of the stylistic elements that those differences highlight.
  
Explain your musical upbringing and what eventually drew you to choral music? 

 I grew up playing the piano and organ and didn't do much singing beyond a few years in my school choir, a couple of musicals in high school, and the church choir. When I started a piano degree at the University of Alberta, I joined the U of A Concert Choir, singing under Dr. Debra Cairns, and that's where I really started to fall in love with choral music; when I took an introduction to conducting class as an option in my third year, I knew I had figured out exactly what I wanted to pursue. Part of what drew me to choral music at first was the social aspect, and the teamwork involved in giving a polished performance. As I continued to sing and became more experienced, I developed a deeper appreciation for the versatility of the human voice and for the incredible variety to be found in choral repertoire.

You have multiple musical roles such as singer, academic researcher, and pianist but what draws you to conducting? 

Conducting combines a number of different roles that fit my interests perfectly. I love teaching, and I work with a variety of ensembles that give me the opportunity to teach everything from matching pitch to more advanced choral techniques. I enjoy the scholarship involved in preparing a piece, and of course I love being able to combine those two things with also having opportunities to perform.

What are some future goals of the group? 

I Coristi is looking at various possibilities for a tour in 2017, and we're also in early discussions with a Canadian composer for a new commission for next season. Last year for the first time, we held a competition for new Canadian choral music, which we're planning to hold every two years, and I'm looking forward to some future initiatives like that, exploring new ways to reach out to the choral community within Edmonton and nationally. We also did some recording in November, and we're planning to release a CD later this year - it's exciting times ahead for the choir!

Is there anything else you would like to add that I have not asked? 

Our concert on May 14. Titled "Edmonton: City of Choristers", it's a program celebrating all things Edmonton. A number of Edmonton composers will be represented, from Richard Eaton (first chair of the music department at the U of A) to the current generation of composers and everyone in between, and some pieces with interesting historical connections to Edmonton. We want to celebrate the amazing choral community in Edmonton that we're so fortunate to be a part of, and if anybody happens to be arriving a week early for the conference, they can start their visit off with a bit of an Edmonton choral history lesson! The concert is May 14 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church (10037 84 Avenue), at 7:30. Details at www.icoristi.com.  

See I Coristi at the Podium Conference and Festival that runs May 19-22, 2016


www.icoristi.com 

https://www.facebook.com/iCoristi

Rob Curtis received his Doctor of Music in 2015 from the University of Alberta, where he conducts the University of Alberta Concert Choir. He is in his fifth year as conductor of Concert Choir, and in 2014 was awarded a Faculty of Arts Graduate Teaching Award for his work with the ensemble. Rob also conducts i Coristi Chamber Choir, one of Edmonton's top amateur choral ensembles, and is a core member of Pro Coro Canada. His doctoral research centred on the choral works of Canadian composer Malcolm Forsyth, examining the influence of ideas of place on his writing. Other research interests include acoustics and the science of choral music, as well as the use of spatial elements in choral performance. 

Now entering its 22nd season, i Coristi Chamber Choir is an auditioned ensemble of 28 singers from all walks of life: accountants, teachers, computer programmers, nanotechnologists, designers, theologians, administrators - singers for whom music is their vocation, and singers for whom music is their avocation! The name i Coristi is Italian, meaning "The Choral Singers". Noted for its unique, eclectic programming, the choir focuses on a cappella masterpieces from the Renaissance to the 21st century, presented in three main concerts each season; the choir also performs at seniors' facilities and various local businesses and gatherings. Awarded 2nd Prize three times (2006, 2008, 2011) and 1st Prize in 2013 in the Chamber Choir category of the National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs, i Coristi has been heard on national and regional broadcasts of CBC Radio, has performed with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and has been invited to perform at Podium on a number of occasions. The choir has toured throughout Canada and abroad, including to England and Wales.