Welcome to the Podium Social Media Team

Greetings readers,

While things have been quiet on the blog front, don't be deceived because I am gearing up for some serious Podium Coverage. I'm even part of a social media team for the upcoming Podium Conference and Festival in Edmonton, AB this May 19-22, 2016!



Meet these three amazing team members who are coming from across Canada to converge upon Podium for social media coverage. Sessions, concerts, and parties - we will be reporting on all of these areas at the ground level. We all have a unique perspective to offer and a command of social media tools to help distribute that message. This is the time to take out your smartphone and start following us on any or all social media platforms you prefer.

Learn more about our team members in this chain interview we conducted with each other.

Missy Clarkson
Vancouver BC. Twitter: @mister_sissy. Instagram: @mistersissy

Missy Clarkson is a bisectional soprano who has been breathing choral music since her early days of study in Minneapolis, where she co-founded her first ensemble at age 15. She has lived in Vancouver, BC since 1997, and has sung with many fabulous local ensembles and educators. Her choral 'home' has been the Vancouver Cantata Singers for the last 10 years, and she co-founded and manages Canada's most flaming classical choral ensemble, Cor Flammae.

She is a tireless choral advocate over social media, and created the “hit” viral video for VCS, Shit Choristers Say, which propelled her into some strange level of nerd stardom for about 10 minutes.

Missy Clarkson est une soprano bisectionnelle qui fréquente la musique chorale depuis ses premières années d’études à Minneapolis, où elle a cofondé un premier ensemble à l’âge de 15 ans. Depuis 1997 elle habite Vancouver, C.-B., où elle a chanté avec plusieurs ensembles et éducateurs fabuleux. L’ensemble Vancouver Cantata Singers (VCS) est son « chez-soi » choral depuis 10 ans. Elle est aussi la cofondatrice et gérante de l’ensemble choral classique le plus enflammé du Canada, Cor Flammae. 

Missy défend sans relâche le chant choral sur les médias sociaux. Elle a créé pour VCS le vidéo Shit Choristers Say qui devint un « hit » viral et la propulsa dans une gloire étrange pour environ 10 minutes!

Jean-Pierre Dubois Godin chats with Missy Clarkson

1. As the co-founder of Vancouver's Cor Flammae, Canada's most flaming classical choral ensemble, can you tell us the how and the why this ensemble was formed?

As a queer person who is a major choir nerd I always felt the need to connect with both communities, however as someone with classical training I found that the existing queer singing ensembles were not quite challenging enough for my liking. We created Cor Flammae to connect these dots and explore unsung queer perspectives in classical choral music. Performing queer content with high-caliber queer musicians creates another level of connection to the stories, and it sounds good too! We want to deepen the understanding of historical and modern queer experiences for everyone. How does a rejection by mainstream society in a conservative genre impact art and career? How can we help queer music lovers and performers to feel welcome, encouraged, and invited to the choral music world, where they rarely see reflections of themselves or their journeys in popular writing and performance? We want to answer these questions through the often marginalized lens of our shared life experiences as queer musicians, and we do so in FULL regalia. Everyone can be their true selves in our rehearsals and concerts - tattoos, wigs, true gender identities, and all, while rocking out some serious high art!

2. What is your choral piece? What is your favourite canadian choral piece?

My absolute fave choral piece at the moment *is* Canadian - I am totally obsessed with Kristopher Fulton's 'The Twilight Cities' from his new debut album of the same title. Listening to it is like swimming through a graphic novel - specifically the one on which the work is based ("L'Enfant Penchée" by François Schuiten & Benoît Peeters) - it's a full, lush, cinematic sound that rumbles and shimmers. I am *totally* biased, by the way, as Mr. Fulton is a long-time close pal (we met in music school!) and I was lucky enough to be able to sing on his album. Paula Kremer and Vancouver Cantata Singers prepared it in 3 rehearsals and we basically almost died in the process, but it was so worth it. You always hear such different bits when surrounded by your fellow choristers, so hearing all the parts fully mastered in some good headphones pretty much blew my mind. It is such interesting writing - both innovative and accessible!

3. Which social media are most into right now: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or other? 

For me, they all have their specific strengths for specific purposes, but I find myself on Instagram and FB most often. Twitter is my top choice for events like Podium!

4. Is there some more Sh*t Choristers Say? Ever thought about doing a 2nd video? What are some sayings that you would add to it, if any?

Oh my gosh, since it was released at a time when a 4-minute video could actually go viral (!), it's really the equivalent of 4 videos these days! But if I did make another video there is no end to the material available!! I would probably do a dress-rehearsal-specific video.... "Where are we standing? How do we get onstage? Why are we doing it that way why not this weird other way? This acoustic is so dry! Do we bow now? How bout now? Are we currently bowing?? WHERE IS MY FOLDER???"

 

5. Is there anything you are looking forward to at #Podium2016?
 
Since this will be my very first Podium I am looking forward to literally EVERYTHING. I'm going to bask in the all sights and sounds and humans and nerdery. I expect some major facemelts from ProCoro and may need a fainting couch during Conspirare. I am unreasonably excited!

6. What is your favourite Ave Maria?
 
Ha! I would have to say it's the Biebl, which VCS performs at the end of every one of our Christmas concerts, surround-sound-styles, and the audience just bawls their adorable eyes out. I was also lucky enough to bawl my own eyeballs out hearing Chanticleer perform it a few years ago. For some reason I never get sick of singing or hearing the piece! It has a certain magic.

Miss Sable 
Edmonton, AB. Twitter: @misssable; Instagram: @misssable
 
Sable is an avid chorister as well as a Speech-Language Pathologist with an interest in Vocology. When she is not working with Voice Therapy clients, publishing choral musings on The Choir Girl blog, or drinking chai lattes, she can often be found watching Netflix and coloring in her Hipster coloring book.

Sable est une choriste passionnée ainsi qu’une orthophoniste particulièrement intéressée par la vocologie. Elle aime regarder Netflix, colorier dans son album à colorier hipster et prendre un chai latté entre ses consultations avec ses clients en thérapie de la voix et ses publications sur son blogue, The Choir Girl  

Missy Clarkson chats with Miss Sable
  
1. What ensembles do you sing with, and what is your favourite thing about singing in choirs? 

Currently, I'm singing in Pro Coro Canada's 2015-16 season and with the Edmonton Opera Chorus and Canadian Chamber Choir if my schedule allows.  

2. When and why did you create your blog, "The Choir Girl"?

I began my The Choir Girl Blog back in 2009. I have always been an avid fan of online means to share personal perspective. I first began on Livejournal with a personal account but I wanted to transition over to a public one. I knew that if I wanted to have a public blog, I would need a concept that would provide continuous inspiration. A blog focused on choral music and performance was the natural choice in my mind! It has also challenged me to highlight different Composers, Conductors, and Choirs throughout the years and showcase the excellent work they do in addition to my own musings as a chorister. 

3. What is the most interesting choral blog subject you've ever covered?

One of the topics that I see continuously come up as a highly read post in my archives is on the Culture of Fear in rehearsal. Even though the post is back from 2012, I still get a constant flow of readers and lots of interesting messages and discussions from it. I believe it was even reading material for a University level Choral Methods class so I'm glad it's a topic that helps to stimulate discussion.

4. What are you most looking forward to about Podium? 

In addition to having a rad roommate in the form of Missy Clarkson at Podium and singing with Pro Coro Canada at the Festival, I'm really looking forward to how social media can be used to cover all the conference events and give people an opportunity to be in multiple places at once just by seeing updates or comments from other sessions or concerts. It's time for a social media take-over!

5. Which social media media platform do you prefer at the moment?

My preferred social media platform right now is Instagram. I love how it gives me a visual flow of beautiful and informative images and videos. In the evenings, you can definitely find me cradling my smartphone and scrolling through Instagram to see what the world was up to that day.

6. What's your favourite Ave Maria?  

David McIntyre's "Ave Maria." It's effervescent, ethereal, and lush - what's not to like? I have great memories performing that work with Belle Canto Women's Ensemble at the Cork International Choral Festival. It's always nice to find a treble arrangement of a piece that works so well.
 
Amy Desrosiers 
Ottawa, ON. Twitter: @Mamydee; Instagram: @amydeechoir

Ever since she sang Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” at her mother’s wedding at four years old, Cornwall born mezzo-soprano Amy Desrosiers knew music was her calling. Under the direction of vocal coach Laurence Ewashko and Sonya Sweeney, Amy has developed her vocal skills in opera, jazz, and choral singing and completed a Bachelor of Music and minor in Arts Administration in 2011 at the University of Ottawa.

Amy not only adores singing with her choir family, but also loves working behind the scenes as an arts administrator and choir manager for the Capital Chamber Choir. Aside from binge watching Star Wars, she also spends her time singing with the Capital Chamber Choir, Opera Lyra Ottawa Chorus, and jazzing it up with the Jazz Lines Vocal Quartet on the National Arts Centre stage and other fun venues in the Ottawa community.

Her love of social media and writing inspired her to create her blog “Blonde in the Choir” and strives to support fun arts projects and initiatives in the Ottawa choral community.

Amy Desrosiers, une mezzo-soprano originaire de Cornwall, a chanté à l’âge de 4 ans « I Will Always Love You » de Whitney Houston au mariage de sa mère. Elle sut dès lors que la musique ferait toujours partie de sa vie. Sous la direction du coach vocal Laurence Ewashko et de Sonya Sweeney, Amy a développé ses compétences vocales en opéra, en jazz, et en chant choral. Elle a complété un baccalauréat en musique et une mineure en administration des arts en 2011 à l’Université d’Ottawa. Elle adore chanter avec sa famille de chorales et aussi travailler à l’arrière-scène comme administratrice des arts et gérante de chœur pour la Capital Chamber Choir. En plus de regarder Star Wars en rafale, elle chante sur la scène du Centre national des arts et d’autres merveilleuses salles de la communauté d’Ottawa avec le Capital Chamber Choir, le chœur d’Opéra Lyra Ottawa, et le Jazz Lines Vocal Quartet pour jazzer le tout. 

Son attrait pour l’écriture et les médias sociaux l’a inspirée à créer son blogue « The Blonde in the Choir » qui appuie les projets artistiques et les initiatives de la communauté chorale d’Ottawa.

Miss Sable chats with Amy Desrosiers

1. Why did you decide to create a Blonde in the Choir?

 I decided to create Blonde in the Choir back in the summer of 2013 because I wanted to give a voice in the Ottawa choral community. It began in the middle of Bizet’s Carmen staging rehearsals and I was truly inspired by what was happening around me. I wanted to extend my joy and passion beyond the rehearsal hall and open it to the world.
I was also compelled to share my experiences in blog posts where my readers could relate to everyday situations as a musician. Overtime, I developed my tone and began to shift my focus on interesting topics and project ideas that I believe will broaden my audience and also allow me to improve my writing style. I am always learning!

2. What were your initial thoughts when you were asked to join the Podium Social Media team?

 ESCTATIC! I was already planning on attending Podium because I felt it was time to participate in a conference that embodied my passion for music. The fact that I will be contributing to the Podium social media platform with such a great team is both a privilege and a sign that I should keep this blogging thing going!

3. What do you think is an advantage of social media that more people should be aware of? 

A huge advantage with social media is presence. I see so many choirs do very little with updating their social media platforms and it affects their following receiving crucial information on upcoming concerts. It is SO important to take time in your week to get a choir photo or reach out to your following for feedback. Trust me, people notice.

4. Which sessions/concerts are you most looking forward to at Podium?

 As for concerts, I am really excited to check out Pro Coro Canada and the Mozart Requiem choral-orchestral concert. I am familiar with Michael Zaugg’s work when he was conducting in Ottawa and look forward to seeing him again in his element with this great group!
Having sung the Mozart Requiem several times, I have never experienced the masterpiece from the audience perspective and I look forward to sitting back and losing myself in the music.
As for sessions, how do I choose!? I love all of them BUT if I had to narrow it down:
Maestra Matters: Women's Leadership in Choral Music-Making and Community-Building
Choral Therapy: How Choir Saved My Life
Programming For Your Audience

5. What are your current social media addictions? 

You will see me glued to my phone over Twitter. I’ve found so many fun blogs and people who share the same interests through Twitter more than any other social media platform. Because I manage four Facebook pages, I have very little time to devote to other platforms aside from the big three: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. My friends are slowly convincing me to get SnapChat.


Jean-Pierre Dubois-Godin

Ottawa, ON. Twitter: @jpduboisgodin

Jean-Pierre Dubois-Godin is a bass/baritone in the local Ottawa choral community. He studied Music, Arts administration, Advertising, and Marketing, in school and currently sings with the Ottawa Choral Society.

Once, Canadian choral composer Stephen Hatfield asked him for help on French lyrics on a new choral composition. This piece is now published at Boosey.

Jean-Pierre is welcoming this opportunity to be on Podium's Social Media Team as a way to get back into blogging and tweeting about local/national/international choral news (#ChoirX)

Jean-Pierre Dubois-Godin est un baryton-basse de la communauté chorale d’Ottawa. Il a étudié la musique, l’administration des arts, la publicité et le marketing, et il chante présentement avec la Société chorale d’Ottawa. Stephen Hatfield, un compositeur bien connu du milieu choral canadien, lui a déjà demandé son aide pour écrire les paroles en français d’une nouvelle composition bilingue. Cette pièce est maintenant publiée chez Boosey & Hawkes. Jean-Pierre est heureux de faire partie de l’équipe des médias sociaux de Podium, et profite de cette occasion pour alimenter son compte Twitter et son blogue (ChoirX) de nouvelles locales, nationales, et internationales du monde choral. 

Amy Desrosiers chats with Jean-Pierre Dubois-Godin 

1. What inspired you to start your blog, ChoirX? 

At the time (2011), I had recently gotten Twitter and would love to livetweet my choir rehearsals: music we were rehearsing, funny things choir directors were saying, what was going on behind-the-scenes... I enjoyed tweeting so much that I expanded its microblogging into full-on blogging. To share my eXperience as a chorister.

2. What was your favourite moment while performing on stage?

There are so many, it is so hard to choose. I can think of at least 4 right off the bat. One of the most memorable performances I did was in June 2010 when the Ottawa choirs and the NAC Orchestra were joined by the Orchestre Métropolitain and it choir, from Montreal, to perform Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, both at the National Arts Centre and the Place des Arts. A double-choir with a double-orchestra, with a "tour" to Montreal. It was a sold-out show and so amazing. Definitely and unforgettable experience.

3. What choral/opera/classical piece do you always have on repeat?

I have many. At least these 4: Stephen Hatfield's Living in a Holy City, Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna, and Eric Whitacre's i thank you god for most this amazing day.

4. Why is it important for you to connect with other arts administrators and performers through social media?

Choral singing is really an intimate experience that creates relationships with people you wouldn't normally cross elsewise. Sometimes, it's like a language of its own. It's nice to find others on social media who speak the same "language" as your own.

5. What makes you most excited about attending Podium?

I'm just most excited to see and hear all these choral maestros at work: Michael Zaugg, Scott Leithead, Morna Edmundson, Robert Filion... we're in for a treat!

An Interview with Composer, Kristopher Fulton.

As composer, Kristopher Fulton, discusses the release of the new The Twilight Cities CD by the Vancouver Cantata Singers, certain themes arise: perseverance, timing, support, and passion. In Fulton’s second season as composer-in-residence with the Vancouver Cantata Singers there were discussions surrounding the choir’s content creation in the form of a recording. “A continuous stream of content is a requirement of active ensembles. Lots of people want to put content out there, whether choral or instrumentalist, the whole spectrum of performers. Now it’s not just concentrated in a one shot, exclusive concert. The other audience members who couldn’t come out have an opportunity now,” Fulton states as he discusses the benefit of recording.

Fulton has had a generative and collaborative relationship with the Cantata Singers for ten years before becoming the composer in residence. He sings in the choir and the group has commissioned works such as Prometheus and Medusa for the CBC Choral competition in the past before becoming the current composer in residence. It was a dream of Fulton’s to have an a capella album of his own work. “An album of choral work that is 40-60 minutes is an undertaking for everybody be it rehearsal time or money or cost. I was in a position to make it happen if I was able to raise the funds myself. I got the funding together privately and the timing was right to do it at this time” states Fulton with fervor. With the support of Cantata Singers’ Artistic Director, Paula Kremer, and the Cantata choristers, they recorded over two evenings at the Chan’s Centre for Performing Arts. They had sound engineer, Matt Stephanson, overseeing the recording process since Fulton was busy singing with the tenors during the recording.

Fulton states, “there’s a certain amount of perspective that you get from singing on the album. There’s a trade-off. You give up the objective overview in the booth. Luckily, Paula, myself, and the sound engineer have a similar perspective on what a choral recording should and shouldn’t sound like. We have a working relationship where our taste is similar. That was enormously helpful.” In fact, Fulton states that he feels more anxious when he is just sitting in an audience having heard no prior rehearsals when choirs are performing his works. “Often it’s sometime jarring when you hear your piece and it’s not what you had been hearing in your head. Having that rehearsal process for me, as a performer, not just as a composer, you have to let something go if you are going to appreciate other things as a composer,” he cites as an advantage of providing his physical voice in his works.

It is clear that Fulton was humbled to have the voices of his Cantata friends and colleagues record his works. “The choir was incredibly dedicated and they had a small window of time, only three to four extra rehearsals to fine tune the pieces. They did a wonderful job with it and I am so happy with the result,” he gushes in his mild manner. However, there is always another layer of stress that comes with a recording session. “Everyone goes into a different mode, it’s different than the mode you switch into during live performance. You raise the standard. In a live performance, you realize it’s not going to be perfect. The expectations for a recording are different. There are lots of people who would expect a recording to be perfect or near perfect,” he says when reflecting upon the challenges of recording. Two moments in particular stand out to Fulton: “In Icarus there’s a line, ‘Climbs up to the highest cliffs of his island prison court.’ The choir really sang out with a lot of emotion,” he says before sharing his second moment in Songs of Ariel where the tenors have to have weave their solo line all the way up to a high A. “It’s enormously challenging to make a good sound to nail that and the cut-off,” he said reveling in the satisfaction of that successful take.

Vancouver Cantata Singers

Scanning the titles of Fulton’s choral works such as, Icarus, Prometheus, and Medusa; a common theme is revealed: archetypes. “I’m a huge fan of combining old and new. Old in this case is Mythology and new would be the aesthetics of the music I am writing. I’m attracted to archetypal characters, modern mythologies, and what you see in comic books. We see these archetypes over and over again and there’s a reason that they are so appealing. They represent the very best of humans and, in some cases, the worst of us. There’s something emotional and operatic about those archetypes. That is something that always seems to weave its way into my work. There is a strong sense of emotion to me. I just want people to feel something," he says. Fulton also reveals that audience members often bring up how cinematic his music sounds. Fulton states that he never sets out to say: “this will be a cinematic piece and it’s going to sound exactly like a movie!” in his impersonation of a pompous tone, which is a comedic contrast to his humble nature. “I think it’s just who I am,” he says abandoning the character. “I love movies and dramatic emotional content. For people to hear that come out in the music and for people to come and tell me that is a huge compliment.”

Fulton maintains an open perspective when it comes to people’s interpretation of his work. He enjoys the fact that “it means something different to different people.” However, he does note how cool it is for people who have never met him to feel connected to him as a person through his work. “It’s an enormous leap when someone comes up and they feel that they know you because of your work not having met you in person beforehand. I’m an emotional being. I’m an artist who would want people to get to know me through my work. They get little pieces of who I am along the way. I never meet or speak to them but they get a part of me,” he states in an appreciative tone.

As for what is coming up next, Fulton gives a teaser that he has an interest in a composition for choir and orchestra. “It would be a contemporary setting, and it would have sacred undertones, but it would not be a sacred work,” he says in a mischievous tone. A multitude of unique projects are on Fulton’s mind. It is apparent during this musing that he still has many character stories to tell through his music.

The album is available for download in all digital stores such as iTunes and Bandcamp.

Sh*t Choristers Say: An Interview with the Vancouver Cantata Singers

 

A calmness falls over the Vancouver Cantata Singers as they prepare to sing their first note. A unison breath is taken, the word “Silence,” emerges, sung with a breathy intenseness.

*an iPhone horn ring tone goes off*

The Vancouver Cantata Singers erupt into laughter as the conductor hops off her stool, apologizes, and silences her iPhone. They laugh but refocus as soon as their conductor returns to signal the downbeat.

The fluctuation between concentration and humor is a natural cycle within the Vancouver Cantata Singers rehearsal. There is a comedic ease and energy amongst the singers and this is reflected in their sound. It was evident as they rehearsed Kristopher Fulton’s 2007 composition for the group, “Promethesus,” where musical lines build rhythmic momentum to a frenetic climax. After finishing a performance of the Brahm’s Requiem the past weekend, I joined them for their Wednesday night rehearsal where they sight-read music for their upcoming concert. On the surface, the Vancouver Cantata Singers appear like any other semi-professional mixed choir. However, they have another social media claim to fame, their viral “Sh*t Choristers Say” video released in January 2012. To this date, the video has almost 250,000 views on YouTube. Following rehearsal, I spoke with Missy Clarkson, Vancouver Cantata Singers Soprano and Board Vice-President, along with Kristopher Fulton, Vancouver Cantata Singers tenor and local Vancouver composer, to get their thoughts on the video.

It all began on a Monday night. Missy reminisces about the start of the project with energetic fervor, as she was discussing the popularity of the memes and “Sh*t ______ Say” videos while at a local Ethiopian restaurant. She realized that there needed to be one done for choristers. “We have to do it. We have to do it now,” she realized in order to capitalize on the social media popularity. Missy began brainstorming quotes and she immediately began video recording quotes at home. However, Missy and Kristopher emphasized that the video was a Vancouver “Cantata Singers project” because choristers stayed after Wednesday night rehearsal and provided “inside jokes that could be applicable to other choristers,” Missy reveals. While working in her day job as a hairdresser and editing the video clips between clients, Missy was able to release the video on Thursday afternoon, which meant the 4 minute video was produced in only 2.5 days. 

“I honestly didn’t think it would go that viral,” Missy states. Their video reached 10,000 views the morning following its release. While there were polarizing comments, they both noted their own positive responses to the video. Kristopher concluded that the video “obviously resonated with people” and, for him, it was the discourse the video generated around choral music. People began commenting on the musical interpretations of other Vancouver Cantata Singers videos and they began to list their own favorite “Ave Maria” arrangements. For Missy, it was when she heard that one conductor made all of his new choristers watch the video as an introduction to the world of choral music: “we can be this global choir community with global inside jokes.”

While the video has resulted in the Vancouver Cantata Singers becoming hyperaware of everything they say during choir rehearsal, Kristopher realizes that the ability to manage passive-aggressive phrases in rehearsal with humor can remove a lot of the animosity. The video, ultimately, has established an online rapport between the choir and the world, “We are that video. We all like joking around, but we also like being really serious and really pulling off serious concerts. Those don’t need to be mutually exclusive either,” Kristopher states with matter-of-fact honesty.

Choral singing with the Vancouver Cantata Singers has both filled a niche in the world of Missy and Kristopher. Missy confesses that “there’s nothing that speaks to [her] in the same way.” Kristopher pauses for a moment and to compose his thoughts: “As you explore the rep and you realize you are making a sound with a group of people who are your friends and later family… you’re a group of people united with a common goal…to make really good music, I think, and hopefully communicate something special to the audience if they’re in the room, if it’s a rehearsal, there’s usually not an audience, so it’s really just for each other.”

The familial comfort in the Vancouver Cantata Singers provided a support network to produce a viral video that was able to connect with so many people. It humorously highlighted a part of the choral realm and, as a result, shows that we are able to laugh at the ridiculous things we say while doing the things we love.

Listen to the full interview below to learn more about Vancouver Cantata Singers choristers, Missy Clarkson and Kristopher Fulton, surprising responses they received to the video, their favorite “Ave Maria,” and meeting Eric Whitacre. As well, hear an aural glimpse of the Vancouver Cantata Singers rehearsal at the end of the interview.

Cantata Singers Interview by misssable