Winnipeg Music Festival 2008
Three Manitoba Conductors Adjudicate at 2008 Festival
Noreen Gafic, Derek Morphy and Margot Sim will be choral adjudicators for the 90th Annual Winnipeg Music Festival, February 25 to March 16, 2008.
The MCA urges members to support our singers and conductors. Session admission is extremely reasonable and the talent is amazing and frequently world-class! Please go to Westminster or Knox and let our singers and conductors know how much you enjoy and appreciate their work.
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Choral Classes will take place as follows:
- Monday, Feb 25, Westminster U.C., morning, afternoon, evening
- Tuesday Feb 26, Westminster U.C., morning, afternoon, evening
- Wednesday, Feb 27, Westminster U.C., morning, afternoon, evening
- Thursday, Feb 28, Westminster U.C., morning, afternoon, evening
- Friday, Feb 29, Westminster U.C., morning, afternoon.
- Sunday, March 2, Westminster U.C., ,afternoon, evening
- Monday, March 3, Knox United Church, morning, afternoon.
- Tuesday, March 4, Knox United Church, morning, afternoon, evening.
- Wednesday, March 5, Knox United Church, morning, afternoon.
- Thursday, March 6, Knox United Church, morning, afternoon.
- Friday, March 7, Knox United Church, morning, afternoon.
- Sunday, March 9 Westminster U.C., , , evening
- Monday, March 10, Westminster U.C., morning, afternoon.
Session Times:
Morning sessions are 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Weekday afternoon sessions are 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Sunday afternoon session is 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Evening sessions begin at 7:00 p.m.
Venues:
Westminster United Church, 745 Westminster Avenue (at Maryland)
Knox United Church, 400 Edmonton (just North of Ellice)
Admission per session: $3.00 (children 12 and under Free)
For detailed info about choir appearances, repertoire, etc, or about other music classes at the Festival, consult a festival program. The program is available for $10.00 at:
- Venue box office
- WMF Office – 2-88 St. Anne's Rd.
- Canadian Choral Centre
- Long and McQuade
- Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts
- Musical Tymes
- St. John's Music
- Tredwell's
CHORAL EXCELLENCE CONCERT
Outstanding choirs from the festival and Special Guest Choir
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church
1315 Gateway Road
Admission: $5.00 (children 12 and under Free)
Winnipeg Music Festival
2-88 St. Anne's Road
(204) 947-0184
www.winnipegmusicfestival.org
Choirs Ontario welcomes applications for the position of:
Conductor For the 2008 Ontario Youth Choir
The Choir:
The Ontario Youth Choir, founded in 1971, provides a unique opportunity for young singers from across Ontario to work with some of Canada's outstanding choral leaders. Every summer 40 talented young singers, between the ages of 16 and 23, audition to take part in an exciting programme of rehearsals, masterclasses and voice lessons. The choristers are challenged with the finest choral repertoire while enjoying the
camaraderie of talented colleagues. In 2008, the members of OYC will rehearse and perform from August 15 to 24. OYC is an unforgettable experience for both the singers and the artistic staff. There are now over 1,300 OYC alumni who continue to enrich their communities as choristers, conductors, accompanists, composers, educators and soloists.
The Position:
The Conductor of the Ontario Youth Choir is responsible for selecting choristers and repertoire in consultation with the OYC 2008 committee, conducting all rehearsals and performances of the choir, touring with the group, and being available for promotional purposes. The Conductor also selects the Accompanist for OYC 2008, in consultation with the OYC committee. The OYC Conductor will be assisted by a manager, two chaperones, and two vocal coaches.
The successful applicant will be an outstanding choral conductor,
experienced with and knowledgeable about young voices. She or he should be capable of motivating and inspiring young people in choral training and performance, and have a thorough knowledge of the choral repertoire. In addition, she or he must possess the requisite skills to collaborate and work effectively with the Choirs Ontario office, OYC staff, the volunteer OYC committee and the Choirs Ontario Board of Directors.
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants living in Canada.
This position pays a fee of $1500.00. Accommodation, meals and travel (within Ontario), will be provided by Choirs Ontario.
The Application:
If you believe you are the right person for this privileged position,
please submit a letter of interest, resume, and three references no later than *May 31, 2007* to:
OYC 08 Conductor Search Committee
Choirs Ontario
330 Walmer Road, Toronto, ON M5R 2Y4
T: 416-923-1144
F: 416-929-0415
Website
E-mail
Connect chorally. Make life sing!
ACCC - (Français)
Choral Composition Competition
Association of Canadian Choral Conductors
ACCC Associated Publishers Award for Choral Composition
The Association of Canadian Choral Conductors is pleased to announce the fifth edition of its choral composition competition to be held in collaboration with several Canadian publishers. Open to Canadian citizens and landed immigrants.
• $1,500 prize
• Publication of the winning work
• Winning work to be performed at Podium 2008, May 15-18, 2008 in Sackville, NB (Mount Allison University) by the National Youth Choir.
Entry deadline: June 1, 2007 Entry fee: $10
Duration of the work: Not to exceed 7 minutes.
Type of work: The work must be be an original work for mixed (SATB) voices. It may be a cappella or have piano accompaniment. It may have been performed but not published or commissioned for a fee.
For complete regulations and an entry form, contact: Patricia Abbott, ACCC, 2550 Baldwin St. Montréal, QC H1L 5B2 • (514) 351-4865 • e-mail • website
Previous Winners of the Competition:
2000: SATB — Ramona Luengen, Vancouver (Mésange) & SSA — Allan Bevan, Calgary (Ave Maria) • David Scott Lytle, Montreal (Ah! vous dirais-je, Maman)
2002: SATB — Michael Unger, London, ON (Sea Song) & SSA — Allan Bevan, Calgary (Echo)
2004: SATB — Jeff Smallman, London, ON (Brier) $
SSA — Allan Bevan, Calgary (Harp of Wild)
2006: No prizes awarded/aucun prix attribué
MCA Welcomes Robert Neufeld to the position of Executive Director
Bruce S. Thompson, President of MCA, is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Neufeld as Executive Director of the Manitoba Choral Association effective August 1, 2006.
Robert's involvement in the choral community has been long standing and he is well known to many of our MCA members particularly those in rural communities.
We are delighted to welcome Robert to the position and look forward to a long and successful relationship with him
Canadian Chamber Choir
Manitoba Tour October 2006
The Canadian Chamber Choir is planning a Manitoba Tour for the third week in October with concerts in Brandon, Steinbach and Winnipeg. (Check here for details)
Manitobans singing with the Canadian Chamber Choir are: Sandy Jasper and MCA’s Board Secretary Naomi Russell in Brandon, MCA Communications Committee member Meredith Daley in Winnipeg, Marvin Marcial and Matt Pauls.
The Canadian Chamber Choir (CCC) is a national choral ensemble with a mandate to perform new and existing Canadian choral works, apprentice choral conductors and facilitate workshops in all sizes of Canadian communities. It was formed in 1999 under the guidance of the CCC's original artistic director, Montreal conductor Iwan Edwards, who has now handed the torch to Julia Davids, one of Canada's rising new conductors. For more information visit www.canadianchamberchoir.ca
MCA’s Newest Board Members
At its meeting on September 30, the MCA Board welcomed Kendra Fallis Obach, recent graduate of University of Brandon, member of the 2006 National Youth Choir and a music teacher in Stonewall as our new Interlake Region Representative and Kyle Friesen, Minister of Worship at Steinbach Evangelical Mennonite Church who is a native of Rosenort and a graduate of Providence College as our new Eastman Region Representative. (For a full listing of the MCA Board see “about us”)
Choral Ensemble from France to visit BU
BRANDON, MB – From October 31st to November 4th, 2006, l’Ensemble vocal de l’Université de Poitiers will be in residence on the Brandon University campus as part of a music student exchange with the Brandon University Chorale,. In the context of the exchange, both choirs will rehearse, share repertoire and present a concert on Friday November 3rd at St Matthew`s Cathedral (located at 403 13th Street) at 8 PM.. The concert programme will feature French and Canadian choral music from the Renaissance Baroque period, as well as from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Previously, and also as part of this exchange program, l’Université de Poitiers` conductor Chantal Pelhate visited Brandon University in January 2006 to become accustomed with the North American tradition of teaching music at the university level, a system quite different from the European model. Dr. Andrée Dagenais, director of BU choral programs, participated last spring in a panel in which university music educators from Southern France discussed how music and music education is taught at the university level both in Canada and in France.
L’Ensemble vocal de l’Université de Poitiers will spend some time in Montréal and Winnipeg prior to coming to Brandon University. The exchange experience between these choral groups will be further developed when the BU Chorale travels to France in February 2007. The BU Chorale will perform in Paris and Tours, the latter an important Renaissance music center. They will be in residence at the Université de Poitiers and branch out from there to La Rochelle. During their stay in Poitiers, the BU Chorale will perform an 18th-century mass by Nicolas Pacotat in the Church of St-Hilaire (the very church where the composer and church musician was active during the early part of the 18th century). The BU Chorale will also be part of a conference hosted by the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles that will focus on 18th century French church music.
Provincial Honour Choirs
Gala 25th Anniversary Weekend
Feb 9-11, 2007
Celebrating a quarter century of extraordinary youth choral singing as the Manitoba Choral Association (MCA) marks the 25th anniversary of its Provincial Honour Choirs Program.
Two major events are planned:
A good, old-fashioned Manitoba Social
Friday, February 9, 2007 at 9:00 p.m.
Viscount Room, Viscount Gort Hotel, 1670 Portage Avenue
Tickets are only $10. (and are limited); available at the MCA office, 641 Broadway or by calling the office at (204) 942-6037
A Gala Concert
Sunday, February 11th at 3:00 p.
Knox United Church, 400 Edmonton Street
Doors open at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10. for adults & $5. for children 12 & under
available at the door or at the MCA office, 641 Broadway in Winnipeg, or online at KwikTix.ca.
With four youth choirs, including a jazz vocal ensemble, and an alumni choir (conducted by Henry Engbrecht), it promises to be an exciting afternoon of high-quality choral singing.
More information here.
Coming soon to a mailbox near you!
Noteworthy (The Hard Copy) Learn which Manitoba musician has just retired from the international stage, why some folks in Steinbach say that Steinbach’s loss is Manitoba’s gain...how Henry Engbrecht found himself in a doppleganger drama...and much more
Michael Proudfoot Social
The Choral community rallies to help the Michael and Joan Proudfoot family as Michael awaits a heart transplant. Michael is the music teacher at St. John's Ravenscourt and director of Pembina Trails Voices, PTV Men's Choir. Click here for details of a benefit social for them to be held on November 2nd.
Manitoba Choral Association Seeks Provincial Honour Choir ALUMNI in Celebration of 25 Years of PHC
Henry Engbrecht, nationally-acclaimed conductor, 2006 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors and the Founding President of the Manitoba Choral Association has graciously accepted the invitation to conduct the 25th Anniversary Alumni Choir.
This singing week-end, February 9, 10, and 11, 2007, will begin with a Reunion Social, and end with a Gala Concert and Reception at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre. The weekend will run concurrent with the 2007 Provincial Honour Choirs program. The Gala Concert will feature five Provincial Honour Choirs and the Alumni Choir. A massed choir presentation of a composition by Andrew Balfour especially commissioned for this celebration will conclude the concert.
For application forms for Provincial Honour Choir or the special Alumni Reunion Choir please contact the MCA office at 641 Broadway, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0X2; by telephone at (204) 942-6037 or fax (204) 947-3105; or e-mail at mbchoral@mts.net
Click here to download the application form.
Winnipeg Mennonite Children’s Choir Heads for South America
The Winnipeg Mennonite Children's Choir has been invited to South America's MELODIA INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSIC FESTIVAL during July 12 -24, 2006 with Guest Conductor, Dr. Doreen Rao. The International Musical Goodwill Tour group of 23, including chaperones, will be Canada's representative with performances for the Festival scheduled in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Included also will be presenting workshops and performances, as a cultural exchange in Asuncion and Paraguay's Chaco. The choir's Artistic Director is founder Helen Litz, assisted by Alumni Conductor, Judy Neufeld Urbonas and accompanist Colin Redekop. The festival will feature selections honouring Mozart's 250th anniversary and the world premiere of a new children's cantata by leading Latin American composer, Oscar Escalada, commissioned by Classical Movements.
