The Choral Community Exchange is co-hosted by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Pax Christi Chorale and Orpheus Choir Of Toronto, and offers a day-long learning event for choral music enthusiasts. The event will take place February 3, and includes interactive workshops, masterclasses, and lectures from a variety of speakers.
Open to the public, advance registration is required. Whether your involvement has been largely of the armchair variety so far, or whether you’re an active choral singer, it’s a chance to elevate skills as well as come together and network with Toronto’s vibrant choral community.
The Event
Here’s a look at some of the presenters and workshops.
Keynote Presenter: Dr. Tracy Wong, Composer-in-Residence
Choral conductor, music educator, composer, vocalist, and pianist Tracy Wong will lead participants through her latest composition. Dr. Wong is the Assistant Professor of Choral Studies at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University, and she also serves as the Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir in Kitchener. She earned her Doctor in Musical Arts and Master in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) degrees from the University of Toronto, and was awarded the 2016 and 2017 Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in Choral Conducting, and 2018-19 McMaster University Student Union Teaching Award.
Presenter: Jean-Sébastien Vallée, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Artistic Director
The TMChoir Artistic Director lends his expertise to a workshop on choral conducting and leadership. The goal is to demystify the process, and offer participants a comprehensive understanding of what a conductor does. There will be practical activities as well as discussions.
Presenter: Elaine Choi, Pax Christi Chorale Artistic Director
Elaine Choi will take participants through a reading session to Explore Chinese Choral Repertoire. She’ll guide participants through singing as a group, along with teaching Mandarin & Cantonese choral diction, and a brief history of choral tradition in Asia.
Presenter: Thomas Burton, Orpheus Choir of Toronto Artistic Director
Burton will lead a workshop titled Listening and Community Building through Improvisation with a goal of exploring improvisation techniques. What’s key is building one on one connections between participants, who’ll work on pitch and melody memory, and learning how to take risks.
Other workshops include:
- Mindfulness for Singers with Lindsay McIntyre, DMA
- Building your Choral Toolbox with Emily Parker, Professional Chorister and Conductor
- Alexander Technique for Choristers with Paul Genyk-Berezowsky, Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique
- The Global Chorister with Nicholas Nicolaidis, Professional Chorister and Conductor
- The Anatomy of “Blend:” Vowels and Vocal Colours with Jordan Scholl, Speech Language Pathologist
- Connecting Through Our Musical Selves with Hannah You, Accredited Music Therapist
Details
The event takes place February 3, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, on a pay what you can (PWYC) basis. The suggested fee is $20.
For more details, and to register online, see [HERE].
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